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Last time we spoke about the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. On July 7, 1937, tensions escalated between Japan and China as the Japanese military conducted a training exercise near the Marco Polo Bridge. During the exercise, gunfire erupted, sowing confusion and leading to the unexplained disappearance of one soldier. This incident prompted Japan to demand permission to search the nearby city of Wanping, which was denied by Chinese forces, escalating tensions further. By the next day, Japanese troops attacked, resulting in fierce fighting at the bridge. Under heavy assault, Chinese defenders fought valiantly but faced overwhelming force. As the conflict intensified, both sides struggled with heavy casualties, leading to the full-scale Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese military's aggressive maneuvers and the determined Chinese resistance marked the beginning of a brutal conflict, forever altering the landscape of East Asia. The profound toll on both nations foreshadowed the horrors of war that were to come, as China prepared to defend its sovereignty against a relentless enemy.   #155 Operation Chahar 1937 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. By the end of July of 1937 the Japanese had overwhelmed the Beiping-Tianjin region. It's pretty understandable as to how this came so fast. As we have discussed thoroughly in this series, the Japanese had gradually seized control over Northern China going back to Operation Nekka in 1933. Little by little they had carved it out. Typically when you pull out a map of a war between two nations, one nation pierces into the other and gradually seizes control of key locations until it archives victory. However with the case of the outset of the Second Sino-Japanese War its more like the Japanese are starting at multiple key locations where they have concessions, treaties or where there are autonomous regions. Thus its honestly a huge headache to follow. When the Marco Polo Bridge Incident broke out, Chiang Kai-Shek had been in Kuling, a mountain top resort where he spent his summer vacations. He received the news with composure, but his message to the nation conveyed a sense of optimism and anticipation. The embarrassment of the Sian mutiny was a thing of the past. Although he wasn't overly confident, he believed that this was the pivotal moment China had been preparing for, more so than at any time in recent years. For nearly three weeks, efforts were made to resolve the situation through diplomatic means. For the first time, Chiang was in a position to make demands. He understood they would likely be rejected, but that wasn't the main point. He asked Japan to acknowledge its responsibility for the recent turmoil, to issue an apology, and to provide compensation. After making that request, he addressed his nation with a formal commitment: China would not accept any settlement that compromised its sovereign rights or territorial integrity. No changes would be permitted regarding the status of the Hubei-Chahar Council, and local officials would not be reassigned at the request of any foreign government. Any restrictions on the Twenty-ninth Army's positions would be unacceptable. He declared that the era of Japanese expansion in North China had come to a definitive end. The Japanese army achieved significant victories on the battlefield in China, leading to the inevitable expansion of the conflict. The first major campaign following the Nanyuan victory unfolded along the mountainous border marked by the inner Great Wall, separating northern Hubei from Chahar. On the Jinpu Railway, just south of Tianjin, lies a small station known as Jinghai. Adjacent to this station is the Jian River, which had swollen to a width of 20 meters due to intermittent heavy rains in northern China after the Japanese army's occupation of Tianjin. The embankments on either side of the river were overgrown with dense reeds and grass, and a wooden arch bridge spanned the river. After landing at Dagukou in Tianjin, the 10th Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Rensuke Isogai, advanced south along the Jinpu Railway. However, as the vanguard, the 10th Regiment of the 33rd Brigade made its way through the muddy terrain towards the Jian River's wooden bridge, they were suddenly taken aback. A group of Chinese soldiers appeared, their faces vividly painted red and armed with long-handled broadswords, a sight reminiscent of the legendary Chinese figure Guan Yu, as depicted in many traditional portraits. These soldiers belonged to the 26th Independent Brigade of the 38th Division of the 29th Army, who were in retreat from Tianjin. Following the city's fall, they had retreated southward to Jinghai Station, where they prepared to make a stand. Brigade Commander Li Zhiyuan recognized their inferior numbers and weaponry compared to the Japanese forces. Drawing from painful lessons learned during the positional battles in Tianjin, he decided to divide his troops strategically: one battalion would defend the station, another would protect the county town, and a third would engage in guerrilla tactics along the Jinpu Road. If faced with a small number of Japanese soldiers, they would fight fiercely; if overwhelmed, they would attempt to encircle the attackers to prevent a direct assault on their main position. Despite the Japanese army's attempts to advance, including efforts to send an armored train into Jinghai Station, the Chinese soldiers cleverly laid straw on the tracks and buried mines, thwarting the train's progress. Once Japanese troops disembarked to mount an offensive, they were ambushed by the battalion executing guerrilla tactics, resulting in a chaotic retreat that left behind several dozen casualties. Over the course of weeks, the divisional headquarters ordered a battalion of Japanese troops to move south along the Jinpu Road, requiring them to cross the Jian River at the wooden bridge. The 26th Independent Brigade was assigned to halt this advance, and they managed to hold their ground for over 20 days. Recognizing the gravity of their situation, Brigade Commander Li Zhiyuan gathered his group and battalion commanders to emphasize the necessity of pushing back the Japanese forces. He passionately rallied them, declaring, “We must defend this river to the death. Each regiment will select a death squad. Each member will carry a long-handled broadsword and four grenades, paint their faces red and rush across the bridge to engage in melee combat!” When Li asked for volunteers to lead the death squad, the regiment commander, Zhu, eagerly stepped forward, quickly gathering a group that followed him, uniting passionately in their cause. The death squad charged across the bridge, catching the Japanese off guard with their war paint and weapons. The sudden attack left the Japanese soldiers dazed, leading to a chaotic retreat as they struggled through the muddy terrain. In the tumult, more than 200 long-handled swords struck down a significant number of Japanese troops. Those advancing from behind panicked at the sight of their retreating comrades. An officer, dismounted during the chaos, was left behind, and the Chinese soldiers, filled with zeal, pressed forward, ignoring the orders from Brigade Commander Li Zhiyuan to fall back for their own safety. Despite moments of heroism, many fell that day by the Jian River, as the officers and soldiers burned their boats and set fire to the wooden bridge, rendering retreat impossible. As the Japanese military consolidated its power in the Pingjin region, many leaders underestimated the tenacity of Chinese resistance. Plans were made to defeat the Chinese army and air force swiftly, aiming to resolve the issue in North China decisively, with no diplomatic negotiations or external interventions allowed during military operations. Now, in late July to early August, Chiang Kai-shek issued orders to improve defenses at Nankou. He mobilized Tang Enbo's 13th Army in Suidong for battle readiness, tasked Liu Ruming to sabotage railways, and directed Fu Zuoyi and Yan Xishan in Suiyuan to prepare for conflict. Troops were reorganized rapidly, with divisions merging to strengthen the 17th Army under Liu Ruming's command. Chiang insisted that Nankou's defenses be deep and wide to thwart enemy cavalry and tank assaults, rendering Japanese mechanized advantages ineffective. He called for close cooperation among commanders and a resolute defense. Tang Enbo's 13th Army, consisted of the 4th and 89th Divisions, whom established defensive positions along the Peiping-Suiyuan Railway at Nankou, with additional units positioned further back at Juyongguan. The 13th Army, was 20,000 men strong, all motivated soldiers committed to fighting the Japanese, but their equipment was woefully inadequate. The 89th Division had a few outdated artillery pieces, whilst other units were in even worse condition, hampering their effectiveness against the well-armed Japanese forces. Liu's 17th Army stationed its 84th Division at Chihcheng, Yanqing, and Longguan, effectively securing the flank of the 13th Army against potential Japanese advances from Chahar. The 21st Division was deployed in Huailai, situated along the railway to the rear of Tang's forces. Additionally, Zhao Chengshou's 1st Cavalry Army, Liu 's 143rd Division, and two Peace Preservation Brigades commenced an offensive against Mongol forces in northern Chahar. As the Japanese launched initial assaults on Nankou on August 4, fierce fighting erupted. The Chinese defenders fought valiantly, but heavy bombardments by artillery and air raids took a toll. The Japanese began using tanks to support their infantry, yet the 530th Regiment successfully repelled an attack at Deshengkou. Meanwhile, the Japanese intensified their efforts, culminating in poison gas assaults that overwhelmed Chinese positions on Longhutai, leading to significant losses. Despite the escalating pressure and casualties, the determination to hold Nankou was unwavering. On August 5, the Kwantung Army requested permission for the advance guard to move to Changpei, arguing that the Central Army's invasion of Chahar had jeopardized the security of Manchukuo. This request was denied, yet the advance guard proceeded to Changpei on August 8. This unauthorized movement by the Kwantung Army was a serious act of defiance, as Tolun lay outside Manchukuo's borders, and troop deployments required imperial authorization. Although imperial sanction had been obtained for the move to Tolun on July 28, permission for the advance guard to proceed was only granted retroactively, with the stipulation that they would not advance further into Inner Mongolia. Nevertheless, this unauthorized action ultimately compelled the high command to approve the advance to Changpei. On August 7, the Japanese army launched a large assault on Nankou with its three main divisions, aiming to breach the Great Wall and advance westward along the Pingsui Railway to flank the strategic city of Shanxi. By August 8, the Japanese forces that had captured Beiping and Tianjin deployed the entire 20th Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Kawagishi Fumisaburo, and supplemented their efforts with the 5th and 10th Divisions, along with the Sakai Brigade, to attack Nankou along the Pingsui Railway. On August 8, the Japanese 11th Independent Mixed Brigade, led by General Shigiyasu Suzuki, initiated an attack on the left flank of the 13th Corps' position at Nankou. However, their efforts were halted after three days due to challenging terrain and the determined resistance from Chinese forces.  On the same day, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the activation of the 14th Group Army, comprising the 10th, 83rd, and 85th Divisions, under General Wei Lihuang. Elements of the 14th Group Army traveled by rail from Yingchia-chuang to Yi County and then embarked on a ten-day march through the plains west of Beiping to flank and support Tang Enbo's forces. Meanwhile, the Chinese 1st Army Region launched attacks against the Japanese in Liangxiang and Chaili to divert their attention and dispatched a detachment to Heilung Pass to cover the advance of the 14th Group Army. On August 9, the central high command ordered the China Garrison Army to eliminate resistance in the area and instructed Kwantung Army Commander Ueda Kenkichi to send reinforcements from Jehol and Inner Mongolia to support the operation. The China Garrison Army deployed its 11th Independent Mixed Brigade and the 5th Division, recently arrived from Hiroshima under Lieutenant-General Itagaki Seishirö, to launch an attack on the mountainous regions around Nankou and Pataling within the Great Wall. Following intense fighting, they succeeded in crossing into Chahar.    The Kwantung Army aimed to conquer Chahar and, upon receiving approval from the Japanese General Staff, established an expeditionary headquarters on August 14, led by its chief of staff, Lieutenant General Tojo Hideki. Yes that Tojo. Tokyo's objective was to secure the strategic flank of Manchukuo, while the Kwantung Army sought to create puppet regimes in northern China and integrate the occupied territories into a Japanese sphere of influence. The Chahar Expeditionary Force comprised three mixed brigades, including Japan's only fully mechanized unit, which was equipped with medium tanks, heavy and light armored vehicles, and light tanks. The Japanese troops shifted their main attack toward Zhangjiakou via the Pingsui Railway due to pressures from the Kwantung Army eager to occupy Inner Mongolia, Suiyuan, and Chahar. They sought to eliminate threats from the rear before launching further operations along the Pinghan Line and Jinpu Line. The 11th Independent Mixed Brigade of the 20th Division of the Chinese Garrison Army was ordered to assault Chinese defenders in the Nankou area, with the goal of capturing key locations on the Great Wall, like Badaling, to facilitate the Fifth Division's advance. The Chinese assessed the Japanese strategy, believing they would first secure critical points along the Pingsui route to facilitate further incursions into Shanxi and Zhengding. They understood that holding the Nankou line was vital for both logistical support and tactical maneuvering. Nankou, a key town on the Pingsui Railway connecting Beijing to Zhangjiakou and Baotou, was surrounded by mountains and the Great Wall, marking it a significant natural defense line. As the Japanese army aimed to capture Zhangjiakou and divide their forces into Shanxi and Suiyuan, the Chinese army's control over Nankou became crucial. A renewed assault on August 11, bolstered by tanks and aircraft, successfully captured Nankou Station, allowing General Suzuki's brigade to advance toward Juyong Pass. On August 12, Tang Enbo's army launched a counterattack, encircling the Japanese forces and severing their supply and communication lines. That day, Tang Enbo sent a telegram to Luo Fanggui: “Brother Fanggui, Commander Luo of the 529th Regiment, I have received your telegram. Your regiment has recently defeated formidable enemies, laying the groundwork for our army's future victories. Your efforts bring me great relief! The Nankou position is critical to our nation's war of resistance. Despite the enemy's numerical superiority and fierce artillery fire, we cannot surrender this area. It is our fighting spirit, not our numbers or advanced weaponry, that will help us withstand these powerful foes. We vow never to abandon our positions. Life is transient, and we must embrace our fate. A hero perishing on the battlefield is the glorious destiny of a soldier.” On the same day, he also sent a telegram to Wang Zhonglian: “Brother Jieren Wang, commander of the 89th Division, I have read your telegram. Brigade Li has triumphed against formidable foes, establishing a precedent for our army's victory. Your successes bring me much comfort! The Nankou position is our glorious objective. If I perish, the country lives on. If I survive, the country perishes. We would rather die defending this position than live in disgrace. Please convey to all the officers and soldiers of your division, who share in this struggle, the importance of striving for victory!” On August 13, Tang Enbo ordered the defensive positions at Nankou to be abandoned as the remaining troops pulled back to stronger positions at Badaling and Juyongguan. Renowned journalist Fan Changjiang noted Tang Enbo's physical and emotional toll, describing him as a mere shadow of his former self after enduring relentless battles without rest. His subsequent thoughts and fears reflected the despair of facing insurmountable odds, with the Japanese army overwhelming the Nankou defenses. Casualty reports from the Battle of Nankou reveal stark discrepancies; average estimates suggest Chinese losses neared 26,000, while Japanese casualties were around 2,600,an alarming ratio of 10 to 1. Despite the devastating defeat, Tang Enbo's leadership gained national recognition for his efforts, though he viewed the loss of Nankou as a blemish on an otherwise honorable defense. The indomitable spirit displayed during the relentless struggle at Nankou, despite the defeat and challenges faced, inspired a sense of resilience among the Chinese people, reminding them that even in dire circumstances, they would not yield to oppression. Meanwhile in response to having their supply and communication lines severed, on August 14, Seishirō Itagaki dispatched the 5th Division to relieve the 11th Independent Mixed Brigade at Juyonggua. Fu Zuoyi's troops attacked Chahar from Suidong. Dong Qiwu 's troops attacked Shangdu and recaptured it on the 14th, while Shi Yushan 's troops attacked Dehua and recaptured it on the 16th. By the 16, Itagaki had arrived at Nankou and initiated an enveloping assault targeting the right flank of the 13th Army, executing a five-pronged attack at Huanglaoyuan. In anticipation, the 7th Brigade of the 4th Division, commanded by Shi Jue, was positioned to counter this maneuver. Reinforcements, including Li Xianzhou's 21st Division and Zhu Huaibing's 94th Division, were brought in, resulting in several days of intense fighting. On August 17, General Yan Xishan, Director of the Taiyuan Pacification Headquarters, ordered the 7th Group Army, commanded by Fu Zuoyi, to move the 72nd Division and three additional brigades by rail from Datong to Huailai to support Tang Enbo's forces. Chiang Kai-shek urged steadfastness in the face of adversity, emphasizing that retreat was not an option. But with communication breakdowns and logistical challenges, Tang Enbo faced dilemmas that would lead him to issue the order for his troops to break out on August 26. As the Japanese army occupied Huailai and Yanqing, Tang Enbo's forces executed a withdrawal, retreating via various routes before suffering further losses.  Meanwhile Liu Ruming's troops of the 143rd Division of the 29th Army took Zhangbei from Zhangjiakou . Proceed to Wanquan Dam , the junction of Wanquan and Zhangbei. The members of the pseudo-Mongolian military government fled to Duolun under the leadership of King De . In order to relieve the danger in Zhangjiakou, Liu Ruming's troops began to attack the enemy in Zhangbei. On August 20, they captured key points such as Bolicai Village outside Zhangbei City. At this time, the mechanized troops of the Japanese Kwantung Army led by Hideki Tojo rushed from Rehe to support Zhangbei. When passing through Guyuan, they were divided into two groups: one group of Japanese troops, the Suzuki Brigade and Homma Brigade went south to attack Zhangjiakou. On the night of August 21, the Chinese army retreated to Shenweitai, 25 kilometers south of Zhangbei County. On August 22, the Japanese army began its attack. Shenwei Tower fell at midnight on the 23rd. At the same time, another part of the Japanese army launched a roundabout attack on Wanquan County. On the morning of August 24, they captured Wanquan County, and then headed straight for Zhangjiakou along the highway with an infantry regiment and an artillery battalion. From August 25 to 27, the Japanese army attacked Bajiaotai, the highest point of Cir Mountain west of Zhangjiakou. At noon on the 27th, Zhangjiakou fell. Gao Guizi's 17th Army marched to Dushikou to resist the enemy from Duolun Akagi and Longguan and intercepted the Pingsui Railway. Gao Guizi's troops failed to withstand the Japanese attack, and the 301st Regiment of the 29th Army stationed in Xuanhua also retreated southward. On August 28, Xuanhua fell into the hands of the enemy. Meanwhile, in northern Chahar, the Chinese 1st Cavalry Army successfully captured Shangdu, Nanhaochan, Shangyi, and Huade from the puppet Mongolian Army led by Demchugdongrub. Elements of the 143rd Division secured Zhongli, while the main force advanced to Zhangbei. During this Chinese offensive, the Japanese Chahar Expeditionary Force, consisting of the mechanized 1st Independent Mixed Brigade along with the 2nd and 15th Mixed Brigades, prepared for a counteroffensive from Zhangbei to Kalgan. Tojo personally commanded the units of the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade during Operation Chahar, which would serve as his only real combat service for his career. From August 18 to 19, the Chahar Expeditionary Force launched a counterattack from Zhangbei, capturing Shenweitaiko on the Great Wall and the Hanno Dam. The scattered and ill-equipped Chinese forces were unable to halt the Japanese advance, which now threatened the Peking–Suiyuan Railway at Kalgan. On August 20, General Fu Zuoyi's 7th Group Army diverted its 200th and 211th Brigades, which had been moving south by rail to join General Tang Enbo's forces, back to defend Kalgan. Fu's remaining 72nd Division arrived to reinforce Chenpien, while his 7th Separate Brigade was dispatched to protect the railhead at Huailai.On August 21, the Japanese forces breached the defenses at the villages of Henglingcheng and Chenbiancheng. General Tang Enbo's forces, awaiting reinforcements but having suffered over 50% casualties, continued to defend Huailai, Juyong Pass, and Yanqing. Liu Ruming's 143rd Division retreated to safeguard Kalgan from the advancing Japanese troops. On August 23, as Seishirō Itagaki's 5th Division advanced toward Huailai from Chenpien against Ma Yenshou's 7th Separate Brigade, advance elements of the 14th Army Group arrived on the Japanese flank at Chingpaikou. They successfully drove off the Japanese outpost and made contact with Japanese forces advancing toward Chenpien. However, delays in crossing the Yongding River postponed their attack until it was too late to halt the Japanese advance. Due to poor communications, they also failed to coordinate with General Tang Enbo's forces during the battle. After eight days and nights of fierce fighting, on August 24, Itagaki linked up with the Kwantung Army's 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade at Xiahuayuan. By August 24, the Japanese army breached the defensive line of the Chinese defenders' Wang Wanling Division along the western Hengling, crossed the Great Wall, and advanced into the Huailai area. At this time, the Japanese forces attacking Zhangjiakou from Chabei also secured control of the railway line west of Zhangjiakou, posing a significant threat to the Chinese defenders at Nankou. On August 25, the Chinese defenders were compelled to withdraw from Nankou and retreat to Juyongguan. By August 27, they received orders to break out and relocate southward, completely evacuating the Nankou battlefield. Since Wei Lihuang's troops lost their intended target for reinforcement and Baoding along the Pinghan Line was in a state of emergency, they engaged the enemy in the Wanping area for over a month before retreating south. Following the abandonment of both Nankou and Juyongguan, the Japanese army invaded Huailai City on the night of August 27. The Chinese army suffered over 16,000 casualties, while the Japanese army reported more than 15,000 casualties. On August 26, General Tang Enbo's forces were ordered to break out toward the Sangchien River, while Liu Ruming's troops were directed to withdraw to the opposite side of the Hsiang-yang River. On August 29, a Japanese unit known as the Oui Column by the Chinese and the Ohizumi Detachment by the Japanese launched an attack. According to Hsu Long-hsuen, this unit moved south from Tushihkou, and on August 30, it attacked Yenching via Chihcheng but was repelled by the Chinese 17th Army. The unit had moved to Guyuan by August 25 and reached Xuanhua by September 7, effectively cutting the railway behind Tang's forces and east of the Chinese defenders along the Great Wall. Following the repulsion of the Oui Column's attack, the Chinese 17th Army withdrew to join the rest of Tang Enbo's forces on the far side of the Sangchien River. Kalgan fell to the Japanese on August 27. After General Fu Zuoyi's 200th and 211th Brigades failed in their counterattack to recapture Kalgan, Fu's forces retreated to the west to defend the railway to Suiyuan at Chaikoupao.  On August 30, the army high command ordered the task force and the China Garrison Army to occupy Chahar Province. The North China Area Army deployed Lieutenant General Itagaki Seishiro's Fifth Division, the theater's strategic reserve, for this operation. The Japanese forces relied on armored units to breach Chinese defenses and utilized rail lines to transport troops and supplies effectively to critical locations throughout Chahar. Although the First Independent Mixed Brigade's tanks and armored cars demonstrated proficiency, the Kwantung Army's assessment of the operation criticized the armored units for their lack of shock effect and frequent mechanical breakdowns. Additionally, these vehicles required significant supplies and maintenance, leading the army to deem them ineffective in combat situations. The Second Air Group provided crucial support for the ground offensive in Chahar. From mid-August, this air group, stationed in Chengde and Jingzhou, conducted bombing raids on enemy positions and transport routes, performed reconnaissance missions, and even airdropped supplies to encircled Japanese forces. To match the rapid advance of the mechanized ground forces, air units were repositioned to advanced airfields. After bombing Taiyuan in late August, some units returned to their home bases, leaving behind two fighter squadrons and two heavy bomber squadrons, which formed a provisional air regiment. By mid-September, the Fifth Division and the Chahar Expeditionary Force were advancing southwest through the rugged mountains of Shanxi Province and captured Datong on September 13. Five days later, anticipating a decisive battle, Lieutenant General Katsuki ordered the Fifth Division to pivot southeast toward Baoding to encircle the retreating Chinese forces. Shortly after repositioning, Itagaki learned from aerial reconnaissance that Chinese units were assembling near Pingxingguan (Dayingzhen) Pass. Concerned that these forces might advance eastward through the pass and threaten his rear, Itagaki dispatched a regimental-sized task force under the command of Major General Miura Keiji, leader of the Twenty-first Brigade, to disperse the enemy troops and control the road on both sides of the pass. Miura's task force departed by truck in the mid-afternoon of the following day, but the overland movement proved much slower and more challenging than anticipated. Travelling along a single rutted dirt track through steep mountains, the forty-nine trucks carrying his infantry and heavy weapons, including crew-served machine guns and battalion artillery, could only manage a speed of seven miles per hour. By late afternoon, the lead elements were still about five miles east of the pass when they encountered a few hundred Chinese troops who had retreated after a brief firefight. As night fell, the Japanese moved cautiously forward and reached a village approximately a mile from the pass, where they encountered stiff resistance, including mortar and automatic weapons fire. After successfully repelling a counterattack by the Chinese Seventy-third Division, Miura launched a night assault. Supported by pack artillery and heavy machine guns, two Japanese companies pushed through the pass and seized the high ground on its west side by early morning. However, Chinese reinforcements soon arrived and attempted to reclaim the lost territory, resulting in ongoing fighting for the heights on September 24. Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist 115th Division, comprising the 685th, 686th, and 687th regiments of the Eighth Route Army, consisting of around 6,000 effective troops under the command of twenty-nine-year-old Lin Biao, maneuvered south around the Japanese rear. By September 24, they had interposed themselves on the road east of the pass, effectively cutting off Miura's task force from its supply base. That same day, the Central Army's Seventy-first Division launched several sharp counterattacks against Miura's outnumbered forces west of the pass, threatening to overrun the Japanese positions. Central Army and Communist forces had planned to attack both flanks of the Japanese at dawn on September 25, but torrential rains delayed the advance of the Central Army reserves. The downpour also muffled the sounds of an approaching Japanese night assault. Utilizing the poor night security of the Chinese, Japanese assault parties surprised the Seventy-first and Eighty-fourth divisions, pushing them from their positions west of the pass. Miura mistakenly believed he controlled both sides of the pass and assumed the Chinese forces were in full retreat. Unbeknownst to him, Lin Biao's troops had blocked the eastern entrance to the pass, prompting him to order a resupply column with rations and ammunition forward from about fifteen miles east of the pass to replenish his depleted task force. The supply train, consisting of seventy horse-drawn wagons and eighty trucks, struggled to make progress along the single dirt track, where sections had become muddy bogs due to the heavy rains. Most of the hundred-plus soldiers handling the horses and wagons were untrained and unarmed. The few regular service corps soldiers carried only ten cavalry carbines, while a single infantry platoon of thirty men provided security. The eighty trucks transported another 176 men, most of whom were not infantry. Therefore, the resupply column was ill-prepared for any trouble. Following a sunken road worn down by centuries of caravans, the column approached the pass through a narrow man-made defile, with its sides rising as high as thirty-five feet above the track. Around mid-morning, about four miles east of the pass, the Chinese Communist 115th Division launched an ambush. Communist troops rained grenades and small-arms fire from the high ground overlooking the road onto the trapped convoy. Although the Japanese fought back desperately, the combination of surprise, advantageous terrain, and overwhelming numbers turned the road into a killing ground. The ambush decimated almost all of the teamsters and the infantrymen who protected the wagons. At his field headquarters, Miura heard the heavy gunfire and explosions and quickly ordered a battalion-sized rescue force to assist the convoy. However, the Chinese 685th Regiment, blocking the only road to the trapped supply train, halted the Japanese battalion. Elements of the 685th and 686th regiments then finished off the motorized convoy, with only five trucks at the rear escaping. After looting weapons, equipment, and clothing, the Communists burned the remaining vehicles and withdrew southwest into the rugged mountains. Although the Communists claimed to have killed 3,000 Japanese troops, the more realistic number is around 200. Nonetheless, Lin Biao's guerrillas had achieved a significant tactical success. While the 115th Division destroyed the Japanese resupply column east of the pass, the Central Army's Sixth and Seventh Army Groups, including the Seventy-first Division, launched a series of day and night assaults against Miura's dispersed units west of the pass. Both sides incurred heavy losses, and the Japanese struggled to maintain control of the high ground as the Chinese fanned out through the valleys and attacked from all sides. Isolated and under heavy attack, the Japanese were low on ammunition, food, and water, lacked proper cold-weather clothing in the frigid mountains, and were greatly outnumbered. They resorted to scavenging ammunition and weapons from fallen Chinese soldiers. Itagaki promptly ordered his 41st and 21st infantry regiments, supported by an infantry regiment from the Kwantung Army located about fifty miles northeast of the pass, to rescue the beleaguered task force. These regiments moved along a narrow mountain road amidst heavy rain, which slowed their progress. The relief force split up about forty miles north of Pingxingguan, with the Twenty-first Regiment swinging westward to outflank the Chinese, while the other two regiments continued toward the pass. To the northwest, the Fifteenth Brigade of the Chahar Expeditionary Force advanced southeastward from Datong to encircle the Chinese. Central Army forces defending along the inner Great Wall, about fifty miles northwest of Pingxingguan, inflicted substantial casualties on the Japanese. The Japanese Forty-first Regiment finally reached Miura on September 28, and on the same day, the Twenty-first Regiment dislodged the stubborn defenders along the Inner Great Wall, roughly forty miles northwest of the pass, disrupting the entire Chinese defense and threatening to surround the besieging forces. Nonetheless, fighting continued through September 29, when the Second Brigade broke through the Chinese Central Army's defenses and advanced westward. Facing potential encirclement and certain destruction, the Japanese Sixth Army Group withdrew southwest the following day. Japanese accounts do not specify overall losses, but Chinese reports claim nearly 3,000 Japanese casualties while acknowledging they suffered ten times that number. After five days of intense fighting in rugged terrain, Miura's forces managed to hold their ground, but their heavy losses and those sustained by relief columns rendered it a Pyrrhic victory. Both Communist and Nationalist Chinese forces retreated southwest, surviving to fight another day. The determination of the Chinese Central Army in both offensive and defensive maneuvers, combined with the skillful hit-and-run tactics of the 115th Division, inflicted significant damage on the Japanese and became a cornerstone of Chinese propaganda. On October 1, the Japanese General Staff ordered the North China Area Army to destroy the Chinese forces in Shanxi Province, which were estimated to number over twenty divisions from either the Shanxi Army or the Central Army, and were fortifying positions in Taiyuan, Yangquan, and Yuanpingzhen. The Japanese Fifth and Twentieth Divisions advanced toward Taiyuan, while the Fifteenth Division, reinforced by a mixed brigade, launched an assault south from Yuanpingzhen on October 13. The Fifteenth Division quickly encountered strong Chinese resistance from well-prepared defenses, which halted its advance. From October 19 to 26, the Twentieth Division faced thirteen Chinese divisions entrenched near Jiuguan. Although they successfully repelled numerous fierce counterattacks, the division was unable to breach the Chinese lines. A maneuver by one of its regiments to the rear of the Chinese defenses forced a withdrawal of Chinese troops. The reconstituted Fifth Division joined the pursuit of the retreating Chinese forces on November 3, reaching Taiyuan five days later. Meanwhile, the Twentieth Division, moving westward, inflicted heavy losses on the Chinese units that were withdrawing from Taiyuan. Overall, given that the offensive aimed to secure territory, it can be considered a tactical and operational success. Shortly thereafter, all Japanese forces, except for the Twentieth Division, withdrew from Shanxi Province. The Chahar campaign concluded with the Kwantung Army in control of Chahar, Suiyuan, and the northern half of Shanxi Province. The Japanese quickly established puppet regimes in the captured territories. 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. In July 1937, tensions between Japan and China erupted following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, leading to fierce fighting as Japanese troops attacked. Chinese defenders, under command of Chiang Kai-shek, bravely resisted despite overwhelming odds, determined to protect their sovereignty. The Battle of Nankou saw relentless assaults, tank warfare, and desperate defense tactics, revealing the depth of Chinese resolve. 

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Revenues from snow-themed travel are forecast to witness rapid growth this winter, as operators offer improved services and consumers indicate increased enthusiasm for hitting the slopes following the country's optimized COVID-19 response measures.预计今年冬季，冰雪主题旅游的收入会迅速增长，随着旅游景点服务不断优化，在国家防疫政策优化后，消费者对滑雪运动的热情不断上涨。Since the holding of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, teenagers and young children have shown a greater interest in skiing-related activities.自2022年北京冬季奥运会举办以来，青少年和儿童对与滑雪有关的活动表现出巨大的兴趣。Chinese people born in the 1990s and after the year 2000 are the main groups of skiers, according to Nanjing, Jiangsu province-based online travel agency Tuniu.根据位于江苏省南京市的在线旅行社“途牛”的信息，滑雪爱好者主要是九零后和零零后。The number of bookings for skiing-related services made by these two age groups put together accounts for 60 percent of the total such bookings, and the number of children who have gone skiing with their parents is on the rise, Tuniu said.途牛表示，九零后和零零后预定的滑雪相关服务数量占总预订量的60％，与父母同行，开展滑雪运动的儿童数量正在增加。Eyeing the trend of Chinese consumers' higher enthusiasm for skiing, Swiss luxury watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen organized a day on the slopes for young skiers in early December.瞄准中国消费者上涨的滑雪热情，12月初，瑞士豪华手表制造商沙夫豪森IWC组织了一次针对年轻滑雪者的活动，为期一天。The company's brand ambassador, freestyle skier Eileen Gu, showed children how to improve their skiing skills at the Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, during the event.公司的品牌大使、自由式滑雪运动员谷爱凌在活动期间在河北省张家口市的云顶雪公园向儿童们讲授如何提高滑雪技能。IWC said it was the second skiing class it had held with Gu in 2023, after hosting one in Colorado, the United States, earlier in the year.IWC表示，这是公司2023年第二次与谷爱凌共同举办滑雪课程，第一次的举办地在美国科罗拉多州。This reflects the company's commitment to helping children believe in themselves through sports, it said.这体现了公司致力于通过体育帮助儿童变得更加自信。"We strongly believe sport is important for the integration of children. It unites them, gives them confidence and can help them feel good about themselves. So, it means a lot to us to be able to create environments where children can experience the fun and joy of sport," said Franziska Gsell, chief marketing officer of IWC.IWC的首席营销官弗朗西斯卡·吉塞尔（音译）表示：“我们坚信，体育在增进儿童之间的凝集力方面至关重要。体育团结儿童，给予他们信心，帮助他们变得更加自信。因此，我们重视创造运动环境，让儿童在其中体验运动的乐趣。”China is one of the most dynamic luxury markets for the company and IWC is confident about its operations in the country, it said.中国是IWC最具活力的高端市场之一，该公司对其在中国的运营充满信心。During the ongoing skiing season, there has been high demand for skiing-related activity from residents in Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, and Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, Tuniu found.当前正处于滑雪季，途牛的数据显示，上海、北京、南京、广州和深圳的市民对滑雪相关活动的需求旺盛。The widespread popularity of ice and snow sports and the emergence of indoor ski resorts and snow parks have enabled people from the southern regions of China to experience skiing-related activities at any time of the year, it said.途牛指出，冰雪运动的普及，室内滑雪场和雪公园的发展，使得华南地区的人们可以在任何季节开展与滑雪相关的活动。Popular domestic destinations for snowboarders include Northeast China, Yunnan province, Guizhou province and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.国内热门的滑雪目的地有：东北地区、云南省、贵州省和新疆维吾尔自治区。Overseas destinations for ice and snow trips have also caught the attention of Chinese travelers.海外冰雪胜地也吸引着中国游客。Some sought-after destinations include Finland, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland.热门的滑雪目的地包括芬兰、瑞士、丹麦、挪威和冰岛。Tuniu said all of its group tours to Finland in November and December were sold out, and some travelers have even booked trips for March.途牛表示，该公司旗下11月和12月所有赴芬兰的旅游团名额均已售罄，一些旅行者甚至已经预订了三月的行程。In addition, young Chinese consumers have been attracted to high-end hot springs in the winter season.此外，冬季，年轻的中国消费者青睐高端温泉。In designing its domestic group-tour products, Tuniu said it combines the preferences of travelers and the advantages of destinations, while also adding hot spring resorts or hot spring-themed hotels in its itineraries.途牛表示，在设计国内团队旅游产品时，他们结合了游客的偏好和旅游目的地的优势，在行程中设置温泉度假村或以温泉为主题的酒店。"An increasing number of Chinese consumers are no longer satisfied with traditional hot spring experiences, and they are seeking more diversified, personalized and high-quality hot spring vacation products," said Qi Chunguang, vice-president of Tuniu.途牛的副总裁齐春光表示：“越来越多的中国消费者不再满足于传统的温泉体验，他们正在寻求更多样化、个性化和高质量的温泉度假产品。”Moreover, the accelerated recovery of the outbound tourism market and supply of increasingly premium products has meant that bookings of overseas hot spring tours by Chinese travelers are also climbing.此外，出境旅游市场的加速复苏和日益优化的产品供应，增加了中国游客对海外温泉游的预订量。In November, the number of bookings for outbound hot spring tours accounted for 15 percent of the total orders for overseas tours, Tuniu found.途牛的数据显示，11月，出境温泉游的预订数量占海外旅游总订单量的15％。Hot springs in a number of Japanese cities such as Nagoya and Hakone have received good bookings, while some unique hot spring experiences in Iceland, Switzerland, Thailand and Turkiye have also seen significant increases in bookings, said the travel agency.途牛表示，一些日本城市，如名古屋和箱根的温泉广受欢迎，而冰岛、瑞士、泰国和土耳其的一些特色温泉游的预订量也显著上升。Hot springsn. 温泉

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

Volvo Cars ha anunciado sus planes para producir el nuevo Volvo EX30 totalmente eléctrico en su planta de Ghent en Bélgica a partir de 2025. Este movimiento marca una expansión significativa en la producción para el fabricante de automóviles. El EX30, un SUV pequeño, fue fabricado inicialmente en Zhangjiakou, China a principios de este año. #volvo #ex30 #autosenimagen See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Chine réduit de moitié le droit de timbre sur les transactions boursières;Plus de tests COVID-19 pour entrer en Chine à partir du 30 août;La Chine dévoile son plan pour le réemploi des enseignants retraités;Le réseau ferroviaire à grande vitesse s'étend aux régions karstiques du sud de la Chine;La ville chinoise de Zhangjiakou lance des services de trains de marchandises vers l'Asie centrale;Hausse des vols de fret Shenzhen-Paris pour faciliter le commerce transfrontalier;Reprise de la ligne aérienne directe reliant la ville chinoise de Yinchuan à Dubaï;Carrefour poursuit la réduction de ses activités en Chine avec de nouvelles fermetures;Nouveaux records de chaleur battus en Chine;La Chine compte 1,08 milliard d'internautes

In today's episode we're talking about hydrogen development in China, and its potential – or not – for helping with the country's dual carbon goals: carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. Our guest is Arabella Miller-Wang, recently an Aramco fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies and also a Research Assistant at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford. She has recently published a paper entitled, "China's Hydrogen Development: A Tale of Three Cities," which discusses the issue of China's hydrogen strategy based on the experiences and plans of the pilot hydrogen clusters located in Datong, Shanxi province, Chengdu in Sichuan province, and Zhangjiakou in the northern part of Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing. The paper can be found here: https://www.oxfordenergy.org/publications/chinas-hydrogen-development-a-tale-of-three-cities/ 

​A year on from the Winter Olympic Games, has Zhangjiakou bounced back from the pandemic and lived up to its promise as China's ski capital?Click here to read the article by Shao Yefan.Narrated by Cliff Larsen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently under house arrest, several media reports claimed on Saturday, adding that the capital Beijing is currently under army control. The reports have not been confirmed by either Chinese credible media, or have been independently confirmed by India TV. The reports claimed further that international and domestic flights to and from Beijing have been halted, and that the city has been cut off from the rest of the world. Claims add that President Xi Jinping has been put under house arrest after he was removed from the post of PLA chief. A report by News Highland Vision stated that ex-Chinese President Hu Jintao and former PM Wen Jibao persuaded Song Ping, a former member of the Standing Committee, to join them and take control of the Central Guard Bureau. The CGB is responsible for the security of the President, and the standing committee of the ruling Communist Party of China. Army convoys leading to Beijing? Videos that surfaced on social media from unverified accounts suggest large army convoys taking rounds around Beijing. Tweets mention that President Jinping has been sacked. The videos add that the large army convoy is about 80 km long and is headed to Beijing. Rumours suggest that military vehicles of the PLA were going towards Beijing on 22 September. The convoy allegedly started from Huanlai County near Beijing, ending in the city of Zhangjiakou. Xi detained at the airport: Reports As soon as Jintao and Jibao took control of the CGB, rumours add, members of the Central Committee in Beijing were intimated on the phone. This led to Jinping allegedly being detained at the airport when he returned from Samarkand in Uzbekistan, where he attended the SCO summit. Reports stated that the members of CGB have had several closed-door meetings in the past 10 days. The same reports add that this action was taken with the aim of taking power away from Xi. It is also being said that while Xi Jinping was at Samarkand, the ex-PM and President had plotted against the President. This was a result of Xi's probability to become the Chinese President for the third consecutive time. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/world-voices/support

At 24-years-old, Julia Kern is quickly becoming a seasoned veteran in her 7th year on the U.S. Ski Team. However, her career trajectory has been stepwise, not exponential. After making breakthroughs during the 2019-20 season, including her first World Cup podium in a skate sprint in Planica, Slovenia, she faced injuries and setbacks heading into the following season in 2020-2021, leaving her walking away from that season feeling disappointed in both her World Cup and World Championship racing. Reflecting on her takeaways in an interview that summer, she said “Progress isn't linear from season to season.”Recently named the recipient of the US Nordic Olympic Women's Gold Rush Award for her grit and grace as a professional skier, Julia has demonstrated what it takes to rebound, reframe, and move past these challenges. As she describes in this conversation, the start of Julia's 2021-22 race season happened in fits and starts – some strong early-season results with promising body sensations followed by a series of untimely mild illnesses. After catching a cold midway through the Tour de Ski in early January, she suddenly was faced with the reality that she would not have any opportunities to race until arriving in Zhangjiakou for the Olympics over a month later – the longest race break of her career. Her first Olympic appearance took place in the opening event, the 15 k skiathlon, where Julia finished 53rd. The individual freestyle sprint three days later was her goal race; Julia qualified in 14th and raced a gutsy quarterfinal, ultimately finishing fourth in the heat and 18th overall on the day. A myriad of factors left her wanting more from this first Olympic experience, though she approached it without placing high expectations on herself. Rebounding once more after the Games, Julia began a tear of World Cup sprints in Period IV. She was 8th in the freestyle sprint in Lahti, 7th in the classic sprint the following week in Drammen, and finished just off the podium in fourth in the World Cup Finals in Falun. From there, she headed to Whistler to finish the season at the joint Canadian National Championships and US SuperTour Finals, where she took second to Jessie Diggins in Jessie's signature 5 k freestyle event, and won the remaining three races.During this conversation, Julia discusses the highs and lows of the season, as well as how she has been able to compartmentalize and move past setbacks over the past few years of navigating the transition to the World Cup. We also discuss her start in the sport, why the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 Team has been a good fit for her, and how leaning into other creative outlets, passions and work helps energize her for the long haul.Thanks for listening and thanks to New Moon Bike and Ski for supporting this podcast. 

The Olympic Dream. Perhaps the pinnacle of sport would not be as valued and revered were it not for the inherent scarcity of opportunities to achieve it. This year, only eight women and six men were able to represent the United States in cross-country skiing in Zhangjiakou, down from a total of twenty who were selected for PyeongChang in 2018. Among those who came up just shy was 30-year-old Rosie Frankowski, who has spent the last eight years training with APU. Frankowski is a 2018 Olympian and 2019 World Championship competitor, finishing inside the top-30 in both places – 21st in the 30 k classic in Korea and 24th in the 15 k skiathlon in Seefeld. After strong early season results that included two wins and three third place finishes in early season SuperTours, Frankowski lined up in Soldier Hollow for a two-week stretch of racing that felt like it was for all the marbles. As many women had already met the objective criteria for team selection via results on the World Cup, it was only the final one or two spots that remained open for domestic racers; in the hungry pool all fighting for these spots via some combination of U.S. Nationals, Sun Valley SuperTour, and Tour de Ski results were Frankowski, Caitlin Patterson, Alayna Sonnesyn, and Katharine Ogden. As Frankowski describes in this episode, her opening races – the freestyle sprint and the 20-kilometer mass start skate – of U.S. Nationals went remarkably well; despite being known as a distance specialist, she won the sprint qualifier and finished sixth in the final, then won the race for second place in the 20 k skate, behind Rosie Brennan who had dropped the field from the start. From there, Frankowski faced a series of challenges – slick skis and variable klister conditions in the 10 k classic, a fall in the classic sprint, and a sublexed shoulder in the opening race in Sun Valley. The official team nominations for the 2022 Beijing Olympics were released the following week, and Frankowski was named as the second alternate for the women's team. Five months later, Frankowski finds herself at a transition point in her career. It's not a cut and dry retirement as she has earned Period I starts on the World Cup and has other race objectives next winter, but it's a shift in focus as she and her partner prepare to relocate from Anchorage, AK to Durango, CO. In this conversation, Frankowski shares the highlights and challenges of the 2021-22 race season, and provides invaluable insights into the experience of spending her career as a “bubble athlete”, fighting for international race opportunities and team selection, while juggling the financial realities of supporting her professional ski racing career. She reflects on her time with APU, and discusses defining success when surrounded by “more-accomplished” teammates, and how she expects the ratio of mountain running to ski-specific training to shift after this transition.Thanks for listening and thanks to Concept2 for supporting this podcast. 

Though the FasterSkier team would select other highlights from the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, one of the most read articles we produced featured the responses of members of the ski community to a story published on February 8th by the New York Times, which included the following quote:“In a sport that has so many women with massive shoulders and thighs, Diggins looks like a sprite in her racing suit, and it's not clear exactly where she gets her power. But the power is there, as she flies up hills, and comes off climactic turns with a burst. On the downhills, she tucks low and cuts through the air.”Following the initial backlash sparked by the quote has prompted a number of insightful conversations – and questions – on how athletes, men and women, are portrayed by the media, whether there is room for descriptions or comparisons of athletes' bodies to narrate a scene for a reader, and how the landscape of sports media has shifted with time.For this discussion, FasterSkier brought together a panel that spans both the athlete and media perspective on the issue.Perhaps needing the least introduction for this audience, the first voice you'll hear belongs to Rosie Brennan. In addition to her role as one of the top American cross country skiers for more than a decade, Brennan is also an advocate for the organization Voice in Sport which provides mentorship for developing female athletes across all sports. And she was a member of the women's Olympic skate sprint final in Zhangjiakou, taking fourth place just behind Diggins, the race which sparked the discussion in the first place.The second belongs to professional trail and ultra runner Corrine Malcolm, whose first go at professional endurance sport was in biathlon, from which she retired in 2014 after experiencing overtraining syndrome, likely coupled by relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S). Alongside her athletic career, Malcolm has become a coach for other endurance athletes, while also becoming an advocate for women in sport, and has also engaged with this topic from the media side of the coin while calling some of the top ultra running events worldwide, including the Western States Endurance Run in California and the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) which begins and ends in Chamonix, France. She's also the co-host of an engaging podcast called Trail Society, which dissects challenging topics in the trail and ultra-running space.We've also got Brian Metzler, an award-winning veteran journalist and author in the endurance space who currently writes for a number of publications including Outside, Competitor, Women's Running, Triathlete, and Trail Runner magazines. Writing with perspective from his own athletic career, Metzler is Colorado Running Hall of Fame inductee (2015) who adventures on foot, ski, and sometimes alongside a burro, throughout the high country of Colorado. Lastly, you'll hear a cameo from our own Nat Herz, on lunch break from his “real job” as a full-time reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. Having written for FasterSkier from 2009 through 2015 before making a return this year as our 2022 Olympic Correspondent and co-host of the Devon Kershaw Show, Herz shares insights from his time covering cross country skiing paired with those from behind a very different desk.Some of the talking points discussed include:  Initial responses to the NY Times story A writer's responsibility to be informed on the sport being covered, in addition to the physical and/or mental health challenges that may be pervasive in that setting Differences between American and European media, and shifts in focus, norms, or trends in sports media Differences, or lack thereof, of covering athletes of different genders Thanks for listening, and to this episode's sponsor, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. Please note that the Craftsbury Green Racing Project Ski and Biathlon teams and U23 summer programs are currently accepting applications for the upcoming training year, which will close on April 10th. Click here for more information.

Paralympics set Games 'benchmark'｜北京冬残奥会为世界树立标杆After a warm closing ceremony and the extinguishing of the Paralympic flame in the maincauldron, the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games concluded on Sunday after giving testimony to how sports can bring the world together, while the Games have left legacies for the host nation and future Paralympics.随着主火炬的熄灭，北京2022冬季残奥会于3月13日闭幕。它见证了体育如何将全世界团结在一起，为今后的主办国和未来的残奥会留下了宝贵遗产。International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons declared the closing of the Beijing Winter Paralympics, witnessed by President Xi Jinping at the iconic National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, on Sunday night in Beijing.3月13日晚，在北京国家体育场（鸟巢），国际残奥委会主席安德鲁·帕森斯宣布了北京冬残奥会的闭幕，国家主席习近平出席了闭幕仪式。"If Beijing 2008 started a new chapter of growth for the Paralympic Movement, then Beijing 2022 has marked a newdawnfor the Paralympic Winter Games," Parsons said at the closing ceremony.帕森斯在北京冬残奥会闭幕式上说，“如果说北京2008年残奥会开启了残奥运动发展的新篇章，那么北京2022年冬残奥会则标志着冬残奥会的新曙光。”"You promised simple, safe and splendid. You delivered stunning, secure and spectacular. Awesome organization, vibrant venues and sensational sport－thehallmarksof great Games here in Beijing.“你们承诺的是‘简约、安全、精彩'，你们做到的是令人惊叹、安全可靠、精彩非凡。令人惊叹的组织、充满活力的场馆和激动人心的运动，成为了北京奥运会的标志。”"For sure, China has set abenchmarkfor all future Winter Games. For certain, China is now a Paralympic winter sports powerhouse," Parsons added.帕森斯补充道，“中国已经为未来的冬残奥会树立了标杆。毫无疑问，中国现在是残疾人冰雪运动大国。”Topping the medal table with 18 gold, 20 silver and 23 bronze medals, Team China made major breakthroughs at the Beijing Winter Paralympics, presenting home fans with China's best-ever results in any Winter Paralympics.在北京冬残奥会上，中国代表团以18枚金牌、20枚银牌、23枚铜牌的骄人战绩，领跑金牌榜和奖牌榜，实现了巨大突破，为世界各地的观众展现了中国在冬季残奥会上有史以来最好的成绩。The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, China's Cabinet, sent acongratulatorymessage to the Chinese delegation for its "best in history" performance at the Beijing Winter Paralympics.中共中央、国务院向北京第13届冬残奥会中国体育代表团致贺电，庆祝中国体育代表团“取得了我国参加冬残奥会的历史最好成绩。”The delegation has earned glory for China and the Chinese people and made important contributions to the success of hosting the Beijing Winter Paralympics, according to the message.贺电中提到，中国体育代表团“为祖国和人民赢得了荣誉，为成功举办北京冬残奥会作出了重大贡献。”Among the 96 Chinese para athletes, 85 participated in the Winter Paralympics for the first time, and their average age is 25. Given the fact that China won its first Winter Paralympic gold medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, in wheelchair curling, the nation's surprising performance wowed the world.出战本届冬残奥的96名运动员当中，85人都是第一次参加奥运的“新兵蛋子”，平均年龄只有25岁。2018年平昌冬奥会的轮椅冰壶比赛中，中国队才第一次获得冬残奥会金牌，而如今中国的表现令世界刮目相看。"During the nine-day Games, Paralympic athletes have striven for excellence to realize their dreams in Beijing and Zhangjiakou," said Cai Qi, president of the Beijing organizing committee, at the closing ceremony. "The success of the Gamesspeaks volumes aboutthe power of solidarity and inclusiveness.北京冬奥组委主席蔡奇在闭幕式上致辞。他说：“追求卓越，圆梦北京和张家口，北京冬残奥会的顺利成功，充分彰显了团结、包容的力量。”"Let us continue to carry forward the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality, promote greater advancement of the well-being of people with disabilities, and work together for a brighter shared future."“我们将继续发扬‘勇气、决心、激励、平等'的残奥价值观，携手推动残疾人事业实现更大发展，一起走向美好的未来。”According to Zhao Sujing, the secretary-general of the Chinese delegation, behind the fast improvement of Team China's performance is the development of China's Paralympic winter sports and the better environment for people with disabilities in China.中国体育代表团秘书长赵素京表示，中国代表团成绩快速提升的背后，是中国残疾人冰雪运动的发展和为残障人士提供的良好环境。"We hope the great performance of the Chinese para athletes at the Beijing Winter Paralympics will encourage more people with disabilities to get out of their homes and embrace sports. And through sports, they can be better involved in our society," said Zhao.她说：“希望中国残疾人运动员在北京冬残奥会上获得的荣誉和骄傲，能够激励更多的残疾人走出家门，走进运动场，积极参与到体育运动中来，通过参与体育运动更好融入社会。”In addition, "we will further promote therehabilitation, education and employment of people with disabilities in our society who need to have more understanding, respect and care toward them", Zhao added.“同时，进一步推动我国残疾人康复、教育、就业等各项事业全面发展，促进全社会更加理解、尊重、关心、帮助残疾人。”The Beijing Winter Paralympics provided para athletes and all participants with smooth competition operations, top-class venues, a great barrier-free environment, warm living conditions at Paralympic villages, convenient transportation and comprehensive volunteer services, Beijing organizing committee officials said.北京奥组委的官员表示，北京冬残奥会为残疾人运动员和所有参与者提供了流畅的比赛、一流的场馆、良好的无障碍环境、温暖的残奥村生活条件，以及便捷的交通和全方位的志愿者服务。The great quality of the Beijing Winter Paralympics has earned positive feedback from the athletes, sportsfederationsand the International Paralympic Committee.北京冬残奥会的优质服务得到了运动员、体育协会和国际残奥委会的积极评价。Dutch snowboarder Chris Vos, who competed at the Zhangjiakou competition zone, was among those who were impressed by the passion of volunteers, the quality of the venues and the accessibility at the Beijing Games.荷兰单板滑雪运动员克里斯·沃斯曾在张家口赛区参加比赛，他对志愿者的热情、场馆的质量和北京残奥会的无障碍环境印象深刻。"All the volunteers and people help us here, and everybody is really nice. I would really love to come back here again and see more of China. I'm sure there will be a lot of games going on here in the future, because the facilities have been set up," said Vos.沃斯表示：“所有的志愿者都在这里帮助我们，每个人都很好。我真的很想再次回到这里，看看中国更多的地方。这里的设施已经建立起来了，我相信未来会有很多比赛在这里举行。”US para Alpine skier Patrick Halgren, who finished in 24th place in men's slalom standing competition, also said he had a great experience in Beijing.美国残奥高山滑雪滑雪运动员帕特里克·哈尔格伦在高山滑雪男子回转（站姿组）比赛中获得了24名，他也表示自己在北京的参赛体验极佳。"I couldn't even have imagined something that good in the venue, how all the locations and the roads get you everywhere. Thanks from the bottom of my heart, and it means so much. It's better than I imagined. I'm living my dream," said Halgren.他表示，“我都无法想象场馆里会有这么好的东西，去哪里都畅通无阻。我由衷地感谢你们，这真的很重要。这里比我想象中好得多，我好像活在梦里。”The venues, which will continue hosting sports events in the future and be open to the public, the barrier-free facilities in the venues, and the host cities' transportation systems are expected to be lasting legacies of the Beijing Winter Paralympics, benefiting the Chinese people in the future.未来，这些场馆将继续承办体育赛事并向公众开放，场馆内的无障碍设施以及城市的交通系统，将成为北京冬残奥会的永久遗产，造福于未来的中国人民。cauldron英 [ˈkɔ:ldrən]；美 [ˈkɔldrən]n. 火炬塔，大锅hallmark英[ˈhɔːlmɑːk]；美[ˈhɔːlmɑːrk]n.标志；特征；特点benchmark英 [ˈbentʃmɑːk]；美 [ˈbentʃmɑːrk]n. 基准；水准点；衡量尺度speak volumes about英 [spiːk 'vɒlju:mz əˈbaʊt]；美 [spiːk'vɒljumz əˈbaʊt]清楚表明；详尽说明；充分说明rehabilitation英 [ˌri:əˌbɪlɪ'teɪʃn]；美 [ˌrihəˌbɪlɪˈteʃən]n. 修复;复兴;复职;恢复名誉

It's Day 8 of the Beijing 2022 Paralympics – competition may be winding down, but our adventures in Beijing are certainly not! Jill's in Beijing for para ice hockey and wheelchair curling, while Alison's out in Zhangjiakou for an adventure at para snowboard. Sports on today's schedule: Para Alpine Skiing – Giant slalom Para Biathlon – Men's and women's individual Para Ice Hockey – Semifinals and 5th/6th place Para Snowboard – Women's and men's banked slalom Wheelchair Curling – Semifinals and bronze medal game   For a transcript of today's episode, please visit: https://wp.me/pbRtIx-1GC   RED ENVELOPE CAMPAIGN: This show does cost money to produce, and while our listeners have been extremely generous in supporting us through the Kickstarter campaign that got us to Beijing and also through Patreon patronage, we're coming up on 2 ½ years until another Olympics, so to celebrate the Lunar New Year, we're asking for donations of at least $8 -- in China the number 8 is a lucky number symbolizing good fortune --  to help us get through to Paris 2024. Go to flamealivepod.com/support to donate. Thank you so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Jill has one of her best days up at Zhangjiakou, thanks to para snowboard cross in-house announcer Oscar, and it's Alison vs. the Mountain in Yangqin. Who will win? Today's sport schedule includes: Para Alpine Skiing – Super Combined Para Cross-Country Skiing – Men's 20K Classic and women's 15K Classic Para Snowboard – Cross finals Wheelchair Curling – Round Robin Action For a transcript of this episode, please visit: https://wp.me/pbRtIx-1Gu RED ENVELOPE CAMPAIGN! This show does cost money to produce, and while our listeners have been extremely generous in supporting us through the Kickstarter campaign that got us to Beijing and also through Patreon patronage, we're coming up on 2 ½ years until another Olympics, so to celebrate the Lunar New Year, we're asking for donations of at least $8 -- in China the number 8 is a lucky number symbolizing good fortune --  to help us get through to Paris 2024. Go to flamealivepod.com/support to donate. Thank you so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!  

Today was Alison's first trip to Zhangjiakou, and she made an important self-discovery: It's not the transportation to the venue that's the issue. Getting around the venue is where she really gets lost. We got to see Paralympic legend Oksana Masters in action today at Para Cross Country Skiing. Today's schedule includes: Para Alpine Skiing – Super-G Para Cross-Country Skiing – Long Distance – Sitting Para Ice Hockey – Group play Para Snowboard Cross – Qualifications Wheelchair Curling – Round Robin action For a transcript of this episode, please see: https://wp.me/pbRtIx-1Gs   Red Envelope campaign! this show does cost money to produce, and while our listeners have been extremely generous in supporting us through the Kickstarter campaign that got us to Beijing and also through Patreon patronage, we're coming up on 2 ½ years until another Olympics, so to celebrate the Lunar New Year, we're asking for donations of at least $8 to help us get through to Paris 2024. Go to flamealivepod.com/support to donate.   Thank you so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

冬奥会志愿者伸出援助之手｜Lending a helping handVolunteers play an integral part in the running of every Olympics, and the volunteer work at Beijing 2022 will leave an important legacy for years to come, according to the Games' organizing committee.北京冬奥组委表示，志愿者是奥运会筹办团队中不可或缺的部分，2022年北京冬奥会的志愿工作将为未来提供宝贵的经验财富。Teng Shengping, director-general of the volunteer department of the Beijing organizing committee, said that after the Games an extensive review will be carried out to learn from, transform and promote volunteer work in the areas of human resources and digital and intellectual heritage.北京冬奥组委志愿者部部长滕盛萍介绍，北京冬奥会结束之后，奥组委将在人力资源、数字遗产和知识遗产等领域广泛开展学习研究，以进一步推动和改造志愿者的工作。 "After the Beijing Olympic andParalympicGames we will keep in touch with the volunteers to preserve talents for development. We will also review all the mechanisms, policies and projects formulated for the Gamesso they can contribute to the Olympic culture," Teng said.“北京冬残奥会结束后，我们将与志愿者保持联系，发展保留人才。我们还将审查冬奥会的所有机制、政策和项目，以便让它们为奥运文化作出更多贡献。” 滕盛萍说。 There are more than 18,000volunteers at the Beijing Winter Games, including those working directly in the competitions, as well as venue management, language services and media services. Among them, 63 percent are working in the Beijing competition zone, 12 percent in Yanqing and 25 percent in Zhangjiakou. About 94 percent of all the volunteers are aged under 35.北京冬奥会共录用了志愿者是18000多人，其中北京赛区占比约是63%，延庆赛区约12%，张家口赛区占比约25%，35岁以下的青年人占了94%。志愿者服务涵盖了体育竞赛、场馆管理、语言服务、新闻运行等业务领域。"Before they serve the Games, all of them received extensive training, including those for both general and specific positions," Teng said.滕盛萍表示：“所有志愿者在正式上岗服务前都接受了较为系统的培训，包括通用培训、场馆培训和岗位培训，专业志愿者还接受了专业培训。” With the Games taking place during Spring Festival, a time annually when families traditionally reunite, a special "home for volunteers" was created inside the closedloopto provide a morefestive atmosphere for them.由于北京冬奥会恰逢中国的春节，而这一传统节日意味着每年合家团圆的时期。因此，北京冬奥组委在闭环内设立了“志愿者之家”，为志愿者们创造更浓厚的节日氛围。Teng said there were greater challenges in organizing the Winter Games volunteers compared to the Summer Games in 2008, because of the pandemic and a lack of knowledge and experience in serving winter sports. 滕盛萍表示，2022年北京冬奥会志愿者与2008年北京奥运会志愿者的工作相比起来，还是有很大的不同。他们需要面临新冠肺炎疫情、冰雪运动特殊性、三个赛区来回奔波等方面的挑战。"We added more training for pandemic prevention beforehand and had more medical volunteers at all the venues," Teng said.“我们事先为志愿者们增添了疫情防控培训，并在所有场馆配备了更多的医疗保障志愿者。” 滕盛萍表示。"To cope with the working conditions in the mountain areas and low temperatures, we raised the requirements in recruiting volunteers, requiring them to be in better physical condition and to have more knowledge of winter sports."“为应对山地低温环境，我们在招募志愿者时提高了标准，需要志愿者身体素质好，对冬季运动有更多的了解。”Serving at the Games has been a special experience for the volunteers.为冬奥会服务对于每一位志愿者来说都是一次独特的体验。"We all love volunteering and we love the Olympic Games, so we became the volunteers here,"said Wei Yining, apostgraduatestudent from Beijing Forestry University.北京林业大学园林学院研究生魏伊宁表示：“在主媒体中心工作的这一个月，被问最多的问题就是为什么来冬奥会当志愿者。我是因爱而来，现在我带着我们的爱来到北京冬奥会。”"The whole world is fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, but because of the Olympic Winter Games, we gathered together and united together. It's so valuable for us to be together and inspire each other.“这两年全世界都在和疫情作斗争，冬奥会让我真正体会到相聚不易。但也正是因为冬奥，我们团结互助、相互激励，这真是太宝贵了。”"I hope the warmth from all the volunteers here can stay with you all the time. And together with this unforgettable experience, we can head toward the future."“我特别希望冬奥会结束时，大家可以把志愿者的温暖当作礼物带走。这样我们就可以携起手来，带着这段难忘的经历走向未来。”Paralympic英 [pærə'lɪmpɪk]；美 [pærə'lɪmpɪk]n. 国际残疾人奥运会loop英 [luːp]；美 [luːp]n.绳等形成的）圈，环postgraduate英[ˌpəʊstˈgrædʒuət]；美[ˌpoʊstˈgrædʒuət]n.研究生

Dressed as a roaring tiger－but with no tail grabs－Frenchwoman Lucile Lefevre stole the show at snowboarding Big Air's qualifying round on Monday as she celebrated the Year of the Tiger in her career finale at Beijing 2022.在2月14日进行的北京2022年冬奥会单板滑雪女子大跳台资格赛中，法国选手露西尔·勒菲弗装扮成一只咆哮的老虎，她现场没有后手抓板但吸睛无数，她以此来庆祝她职业生涯中的最后一个虎年。Donning an orange-and-black suit while miming a pair of claws in the air, Lefevre captured the crowd's attention in her second run, despite opting for a straightforward jump with no tricks due to a knee injury she sustained during the slopestyle competition on Feb 5.在2月5日进行的坡面障碍技巧比赛中，勒菲弗弄伤了膝盖。因为膝盖的伤，勒菲弗知道自己无法完成既定的技术动作，于是在大跳台比赛第二轮中，她便以一套黑黄条纹的老虎装上阵，还在空中挥了挥“虎爪”。Having decided to retire from the sport after Beijing 2022, the 26-year-old crowd pleaser made her final run on the Olympic stage one to remember－not just for herself but anyone watching the Games, which are taking place in the lunar calendar's Year of the Tiger.26岁的勒菲弗决定在北京2022年冬奥会以后退役，正值中国虎年的这一届冬奥是她最后一场比赛。这是一个值得铭记的时刻，不仅是为她自己，也是为所有观赛的人。"It is my very last competition. I hurt my knee in the slopestyle, so I was not able to do tricks today. I decided to do the competition, but just do it straighter. It's more fun like this. It's for tiger new year, so everyone wants a picture with me. It was super fun," Lefevre said after her three qualification runs.“这是我最后一场比赛了。在坡面障碍技巧的比赛中我膝盖受伤了，今天我没办法完成既定的技术动作了。我仍决定完成比赛，但更直接一些。这样更有趣。因为今年是虎年，所以每个人都想和我合影。太有趣了。”勒菲弗在三轮预选赛后说道。"I feel good about it, because the world should be fun. There are a lot of problems in the world. If everyone was peace and easy, the world would be better for sure, that's the message I want to share."“我很开心，因为一切本都应更有趣些。世界上有太多麻烦了，如果每个人都能抱着轻松幽默的心态，世界也会变得更美好，这就是我想带给大家的。”Before soaring into the spotlight on Monday, the head-to-toe big cat suit was already a viral sensation on social media outside of China after its owner, Swiss snowboarder Nicolas Huber, wore the tiger disguise during his downtime at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou.在14日成为网络热点之前，这件全副武装的老虎装早已在瑞士单板滑雪运动员尼古拉斯·胡贝尔的社交媒体上火了。胡贝尔曾经在张家口云顶雪山公园休息时就穿着这件老虎装。So Lefevre borrowed the suit from Huber, adding flair to her otherwise ordinary jumps off the towering ramp at Shougang Industrial Park in Beijing.这套吸睛的老虎服就是勒菲弗从胡贝尔那里借来的，为她在首钢滑雪大跳台上因伤无法完成的动作增加了看点。Lefevre performed the first of her three runs in her standard Team France jacket, before breaking out the tiger suit for her second and third runs. Lefevre scratched at the air for run 2, but after watching a replay, realized the motion just looked funny in mittens. So on her final run, she waved toward the judges' tower instead.勒菲弗在预选赛的第一轮身着法国队的滑雪服上场比赛，后两轮则换上了老虎装。勒菲弗在第二轮预选赛时在空中挥了挥小虎爪，但看过回放以后，她觉得动作看上去有些滑稽。于是在最后一跳时，选择向裁判的高塔方向挥手。"It was not super beautiful," she said of her claws. "So I decided for the last one to just say Hi to the judges. And especially the French one, because it's a friend of mine."“并不是特别好看，”她说到自己的“小虎爪”，“所以我决定最后一跳的时候朝着裁判那边说‘Hi'，特别是朝着法国裁判，因为那位是我的朋友。”Asked why Huber had the costume to begin with, Lefevre explained that "he's a crazy man, actually". The 27-year-old Huber has been wearing the outfit for a series of videos on his Instagram account, apparently inspired by Lunar New Year celebrations that overlapped with the start of the Winter Games.当问及为什么胡贝尔会穿这件衣服，勒菲弗解释说“他这人挺活泼，真的。”27岁的胡贝尔在他社交平台上发布了几段身着老虎装的视频，既是受到庆祝农历中国新年的启发，也契合了北京2022年冬奥会开幕的时机。"I asked yesterday if he can give it to me for the day, a special day for me," Lefevre said. "And he said, 'Yes, of course.'"“我昨天问他能不能把衣服借我一天，对我来说特别的一天。”勒菲弗说。“他说，‘当然可以'。”The two-time Olympian was unperturbed at finishing bottom of the qualification standings, considering simply competing in the Chinese capital was a victory in itself.已经是冬奥会两朝元老的勒菲弗在资格赛中排名垫底，但仍轻松上阵。她觉得在北京参赛本身就是一种胜利。Lefevre was diagnosed with osteochondrosis, a rare illness that stunts bone growth, at 3 years old. She had three operations, and doctors told her sports were off the table.勒菲弗在3岁时被诊断出患有软骨病，这是一种阻碍骨骼生长的罕见疾病。她经历过三次手术，医生也告诉她不能运动了。"But then I went snowboarding and made progress. And I'm here (at the Winter Olympics) for the second time," she said.“但后来我去滑雪，而且越来越好。到今天，我已经参加了两届奥运会了。”Ranked as high as seventh in the World Cup rankings in slopestyle, Lefevre has carved out a successful sporting career as a pro snowboarder but came to a decision a year ago that her body could not quite sustain the challenging nature of the high-flying sport anymore.勒菲弗在坡面障碍技巧项目上世界杯排名第七。作为一名专业滑雪运动员，她已经在运动生涯中获得了成功。但一年前，她的身体早已无法承受高空滑雪这项运动了。What happens next? The Upper Alps native plans to enjoy time with her father at his sailing school.接下来做什么呢？出生在法国布里安康，被阿尔卑斯山怀抱的勒菲弗打算去她父亲的航海学校。"I may train baby snowboarders," she added.“我可能会教小朋友滑雪吧。”编辑：陈月华记者：孙晓晨录音：Stephanie Stone

北京冬奥会人造雪获运动员盛赞：迄今为止最好的|Beijing 2022 Gets High Marks for Sustainable Artificial SnowBeijing normally doesn't have much snow in winter, so artificial snow is being used at venues for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, with the quality of the white snow drawing praise from many athletes, and even officials.北京冬天的降雪量一般不大，因此2022北京冬奥会的比赛场地使用了人造雪，这些洁白人造雪的质量获得了许多运动员和官员的好评。Artificial snow gives the courses a better and more stable quality.人造雪给比赛现场带来了更好、更稳定的质感。 "This is by far the best man-made snow I've ever skied on," American freestyle skier Ashley Caldwell said at a press conference.美国自由式滑雪运动员阿什利·考德威尔在一次新闻发布会上表示：“这是我迄今为止滑过的最好的人造雪。”After receiving feedback from many athletes through the training period and first days of competition, Kit McConnell, sports director of the International Olympic Committee, said the participants believe the artificial snow is outstanding.国际奥委会体育总监基特·麦康奈尔在训练期间和比赛前期收集了许多运动员的反馈后表示，运动员们认为这些人造雪非常出色。"The focus is on doing this in a sustainable way, and also ensuring the athletes have an outstanding field of play on which to compete at the Olympic level," McConnell said.麦康奈尔称：“主办方致力于用可持续的方式来生产人造雪，同时确保运动员拥有奥运竞技所需的绝佳比赛场地。”Athletes have told Bernhard Russi, chairman of the International Ski Federation's alpine committee, that the man-made snow was easy to ski on.运动员们告诉国际滑雪联合会高山滑雪委员会主席伯恩哈德·鲁西说，在这些人造雪上滑雪很轻松。Russi, also a former Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer and one of the course designers of the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Center in Beijing, told China Central Television: "I think for the skiers it's just like paradise."鲁西告诉央视记者说：“我认为对于滑雪运动员来说，在这种人造雪上滑行就像在天堂一样美妙。”鲁西曾经是瑞士高山滑雪运动员，也是北京延庆国家高山滑雪中心的赛道设计者之一。"In order to have a perfect course for alpine racing, you need man-made snow to get the quality right – compact snow for the power which these racers are able to put down on the snow," Russi said.鲁西说：“为了营造出适合高山滑雪比赛的完美赛道，你需要使用人造雪来保证赛道质量——雪必须十分密实，能承受运动员对雪地的压力。”Although sometimes mixed with natural snow, artificial snow has mostly been used in competitions in the past five to 10 years, he added.鲁西补充道，尽管有时雪场上也混杂了天然降雪，但是过去五到十年来滑雪比赛中用的大多是人造雪。Snow-making machines were first deployed at the Lake Placid 1980 Winter Olympics in the United States. At Sochi 2014 in Russia, 80 percent of the snow was artificial, and the figure was 90 percent at Pyeongchang 2018 in South Korea.1980年美国普莱西德湖冬季奥运会首次配置了造雪机。2014年在俄罗斯索契冬奥会上，赛场上80%的雪都是人造的，到了2018年的韩国平昌冬奥会这一数字达到了90%。Cooled water and compressed air are mixed in the snow cannon and shot out into water droplets at an angle. With the help of low temperatures, these droplets will become ice crystals.冷却的水和压缩空气在造雪机中混合后倾斜喷射到水滴中。在低温作用下，这些水滴就会凝结成冰晶。There are totally nine types of snow made by snow machines, with different water content. The smaller type number is closer to powder snow. The larger number means the snow is wetter. Drier snow is used in the daytime, while No. 7 or No. 8 snow is used during the nighttime with over minus 20 degrees Celsius.依据水质的不同，造雪机一共可以造出9种雪。编号数字越小，越接近粉状雪。编号数字越大，说明雪的湿度越大。比较干的雪在白天使用，而7号和8号雪在气温零下20度以上的夜间使用。The use of different types of snow is factored in what's needed for each sport.具体使用哪种类型的雪，要由各种运动项目的需求而定。"In most cases, No. 5 snow is used," revealed Wei Qinghua, mountain operation manager of the Zhangjiakou Guyangshu venue cluster for Beijing 2022.2022北京冬奥会张家口赛区古杨树场馆群的运行场地经理魏庆华透露说：“大多数情况下都使用5号雪。”On November 7, during the preparation for the Games, Chongli District in Zhangjiakou saw its first snowfall this winter.11月7日，在冬奥会筹备期间，张家口崇礼区降下了这个冬天的第一场雪。But the 20-centimeter-thick snow was cleaned up, because it would be more dangerous to use natural snow as it falls off more easily and brings safety risks.但是20厘米厚的天然雪都被清理掉了，因为使用天然雪更危险，原因是天然雪更容易塌陷，会造成安全隐患。The snow machines work round the clock, so the staff work in three shifts.造雪机昼夜不停地工作，工作人员也是三班倒。However, there are concerns regarding the environmental hazards of using so much water for snow-making.然而，有人担心使用这么多水来造雪会危害环境。The snow machines at Beijing 2022 have completely used renewable energy since the beginning of snow production.其实，从一开始，2022北京冬奥会的造雪机使用的就全都是可再生能源。"Water used for snow-making only comes from rainfall and surface runoff, and it can be recycled," Wei pointed out.魏庆华指出：“造雪只用来自降雨和地表径流的水，而且这些水都是可循环利用的。”"For water from melted snow, we have a reservoir and two lakes which can store it so that it can then be used for agriculture, irrigation, tourism and landscaping."“雪融化后变成的水会流入一个水库和两个湖储存起来，这样以后还可以用于农业、灌溉、旅游业和景观美化。”alpine英 [ˈælpaɪn]；美[ˈælpaɪn] adj. （尤指中欧）阿尔卑斯山的；高山的n. 高山植物paradise英 [ˈpærədaɪs]；美[ˈpærədaɪs] n. 天堂；（某些宗教所指的）天国；乐园（指美好的环境）；（某类活动或某类人的）完美去处compact英 [kəmˈpækt , ˈkɒmpækt]；美[ˈkɑːmpækt , kəmˈpækt] n. 契约；小汽车；带镜小粉盒；协定；合约adj. 紧凑的；紧密的；小型的；袖珍的；体积小的；坚实的；矮小而健壮的vt. 把…紧压在一起（或压实）deploy英 [dɪˈplɔɪ]；美[dɪˈplɔɪ] vt. 部署；调度（军队或武器）；有效地利用；调动reservoir英 [ˈrezəvwɑː(r)]；美[ˈrezərvwɑːr] n. 水库；蓄水池；（大量的）储备，储藏；储液器

Wednesday's Olympic team sprint offered another thrilling set of races at the venue in Zhangjiakou — we're back to break down an epic performance by the German women, a critic-silencing race from Norway in the men's event and a U.S. women's result that left a medal just out of reach.Thanks to everyone for sending in questions and feedback — we're trying to keep our heads above water on the homestretch here, but you can be sure Devon will still have plenty to say post-Games. In the meantime, you can get us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.

hello I'm Bing Dwen Dwen,大家好，我是冰墩墩the official mascot of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Games.2022北京冬奥会官方吉祥物Today, let me introduce you今天让我来为你介绍to the advanced technologies featured at the Games.北京冬奥会中的黑科技The first one is ice making.首先是制冰技术For the first time in the history在奥运会历史上of the Olympic Games,首次将二氧化碳carbon dioxide will be used to make ice.用于制冰It is expected to help reduce carbon emissions这样一来减少的碳排放量equivalent to that of 3900 cars per year,预计相当于3900辆汽车的年平均排放量and cut admissions from the activity to nearly zero.将奥运会带来的碳排放量减少至接近于零What's more, the new ice-making technology而且新型制冰技术can precisely control ice temperatures,能够精确控制冰面温度and will be helpful to ensure这有助于确保standardized hardness of ice surfaces.冰面硬度达到相关标准The second one is the Renewable energy and smart grid.第二个是可再生能源与智能电网China has signed deals with multiple中国与多个新能源供应商new energy providers for the implementation签署了协议以落实of the Smart Grid Planning for Low-Carbon Olympics.支撑低碳冬奥的智能电网综合示范工程The program will ensure the installation of new这一工程将确保新的智能电网的安装and use of existing smart grid technologies原有智能电网技术的利用and renewable energy generation,以及可再生能源的生产transmission and distribution infrastructure.传输和分发基础设施的建设和利用All of the 26 venues in the three competition zones北京、延庆和张家口三个赛区的of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou全部26个场馆will be powered with 100% renewable energy.将实现100%可再生能源覆盖The third one is the 5G network.第三个是5G网络So far, all of the stadiums,目前为止冬奥会的所有体育馆venues and roads of the Games场馆和道路are covered by five g networks.都覆盖了5G网络They will help provide excellent broadcasting这能够提供优质的赛事转播and online health care services.以及在线医疗服务During the Games,在冬奥会期间a cloud broadcast platform will enable云转播平台的使用journalists to interview athletes contactless使记者能够通过音频和视频系统through audio and video systems.远程采访运动员They can edit, distribute and store他们能够在云上远程all materials remotely on the cloud.编辑、分发和储存所有材料Then they can livestream events他们还能够与远在海外的with their program directors节目负责人合作back in their own countries.进行赛事直播And for audiences，对于观众来说they will be able to watch competitions online他们能够在线观看体育赛事from different angles and points of views基于自己的喜好based on their own preferences.选择不同的观赛视角

中国首枚自由式滑雪女子空中技巧赛金牌|Gold in Women's Aerials a First for ChinaEven when all the scores of the finalists in the women's freestyle skiing aerials were out on Monday evening, Xu Mengtao still couldn't believe she had just clinched the Winter Olympics gold medal that she had strived so long to win.本周一晚，自由式滑雪女子空中技巧决赛选手的所有分数都已公布。尽管如此，徐梦桃一时仍无法相信自己刚刚获得了她梦寐以求的冬奥会金牌。"Did I win? Did I win?" she shouted. Yes, the four-time Olympian finally did it at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. The gold is also China's first in the event.她喊道：“我是第一名吗？我真的是第一名吗？”是的，第四次参加冬奥会的中国名将徐梦桃终于在2022年北京冬奥会上如愿登顶，获得冠军。这枚金牌也是中国队在该项目上获得的首枚冬奥金牌。 At the moment the winner was announced, spectators at the competition venue, Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, erupted with joy.在宣布获胜者的那一刻，河北张家口赛区云顶滑雪公园赛场的观众们欣喜若狂。As of Monday night, China had won five gold medals at the Beijing Winter Games, equaling its best previous result at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.截至本周一晚，中国在北京冬奥会上已拿下五枚金牌，追平中国队在温哥华冬奥会上创造的历史最佳战绩。Xu received 108.61 points for her final jump with three somersaults, which had a degree of difficulty of 4.293－the highest for female athletes. Hanna Huskova of Belarus took the silver with 107.95 points, followed by Megan Nick of the United States with 93.76.徐梦桃最后一次跳以直体后空翻转体360度接360度再接360度获得108.61分，难度系数为4.293，为世界女子最高水平。白俄罗斯选手汉娜·胡什科娃以107.95分获得银牌，而美国选手梅甘·尼克以93.76分紧随其后。After successfully landing her final jump, Xu knew she had nailed it and screamed into the cold air, with the temperature hovering around minus 23 C.在圆满完成最后一跳后，徐梦桃知道自己成功了，她在零下约23摄氏度的寒冷空气中高呼。 Soon afterward, Ashley Caldwell of the US, who had been ranked first after the first round of the final and was the last athlete to jump－made a mistake on her landing and finished in fourth place.最后出场的美国选手阿什莉·考德威尔在决赛第一轮比赛后排名第一，但她在第二轮比赛落地时没有站稳，最终获得第四名。"The payoff of hard work may come late, but it will come for sure," Xu, 31, said emotionally. "It's been a long journey, and I always have faith in myself."31岁的徐梦桃感慨道：“艰苦训练的回报可能会迟到，但从不会缺席。这是一段漫长的旅程，我一直对自己充满信心。”Xu already owned 27 World Cup golds and received the highest score in the world for jumps among female aerial skiers. But she only managed to bring home a silver medal from the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.徐梦桃已手握27枚世界杯金牌，并且还是世界女子滑雪空中技巧最高分纪录的保持者，但她只在2014年索契冬奥会上摘得一枚银牌。 Due to injuries, she finished sixth and ninth at Vancouver 2010 and Pyeongchang 2018, respectively, so winning Olympic gold has been a "lifelong desire", Xu said.由于受伤，她仅在2010年温哥华冬奥会上获得第六名，在2018年平昌冬奥会上位列第九。因此，徐梦桃表示，赢得奥运金牌一直是她“毕生的梦想”。"I'm just super excited. This is the first gold medal won by China in women's aerials, and it's just super cool," she said after the victory. "I just wanted to do the best tricks I could and I did it, and that was all."徐梦桃摘金后表示：“我太激动了！这是中国赢得的第一枚自由式滑雪女子空中技巧赛金牌。这太棒了！我只想尽我所能做到最好，然后我做到了，仅此而已。”China's Han Xiaopeng had won the country's first men's aerials Olympic gold medal at the 2006 Turin Winter Games.中国选手韩晓鹏在2006年都灵冬奥会上获得了中国首枚男子自由式滑雪空中技巧的奥运金牌。Caldwell said she was proud of Xu, whose nickname is Taotao.考德威尔说，她为徐梦桃感到骄傲。考德威尔还亲昵地称呼徐梦桃为“桃桃”。"Taotao has been pushing triples for longer than I have, and I respect her wholeheartedly. For her to win the gold medal in her own country is an incredible accomplishment, and it brought tears to my eyes," the US skier said.这位美国滑雪选手说：“桃桃的三周台动作时间比我长，我打心底里尊重她。她在自己‘家门口'赢得金牌是一个了不起的成就，让人热泪盈眶。”Xu said she believes systematic training and keeping in good form brought her the gold medal.徐梦桃说，她相信，她之所以能获得金牌是因为系统的训练和良好的状态。"I've been in good shape for the past four years, so I've given my best to prepare for this moment. Today I only come here to see the result," she said.徐梦桃说：“过去四年来，我的状态一直很好，我已经尽了最大努力为这一刻做好准备。今天我来参赛只是为了看看努力的结果。”"It's going to be a sleepless night for me. I will use every minute to enjoy the win."“今晚不睡了，要让幸运一刻过得更慢一些。”clinch英 [klɪntʃ]；美[klɪntʃ] n. 抱抱；（恋人相互的）搂抱，拥抱；（格斗中双方的）互相扭抱vt. 赢得；解决；成功取得；提供解决办法；确定spectator英 [spekˈteɪtə(r)]；美[ˈspekteɪtər] n. 观众；（尤指体育比赛的）观看者somersault英 [ˈsʌməsɔːlt]；美[ˈsʌmərsɔːlt] n. 滚翻；空翻；筋斗vi. 做滚翻；做空翻wholeheartedly英 [ˈhəʊlˈhɑːtɪdli]；美[ˈhoʊlhɑrtɪdli] adv. 完全同意，全心全意地

Keine Medaillen gab es heute für das deutsche Team. Und die Organisatoren in Peking, die hatten keine Scheeschaufeln parat. Es konnte aber auch nun wirklich keiner ahnen, dass es an einem Austragungsort für Winterspiele tatsächlich schneien würde - tut es Zhangjiakou normalerweise auch nicht im Feburar, dank der nahen Wüste Gobi herrscht hier Steppenklima. So sorgte der Schnee für einigen Gesprächsstoff bei den eigentlich sieben Entscheidungen des Tages - und für ein besonderes Flair der Ringe. Über das berichten euch auch heute meinsportpodcast.de und der SID. 

Keine Medaillen gab es heute für das deutsche Team. Und die Organisatoren in Peking, die hatten keine Scheeschaufeln parat. Es konnte aber auch nun wirklich keiner ahnen, dass es an einem Austragungsort für Winterspiele tatsächlich schneien würde - tut es Zhangjiakou normalerweise auch nicht im Feburar, dank der nahen Wüste Gobi herrscht hier Steppenklima. So sorgte der Schnee für einigen Gesprächsstoff bei den eigentlich sieben Entscheidungen des Tages - und für ein besonderes Flair der Ringe. Über das berichten euch auch heute meinsportpodcast.de und der SID. 

Keine Medaillen gab es heute für das deutsche Team. Und die Organisatoren in Peking, die hatten keine Scheeschaufeln parat. Es konnte aber auch nun wirklich keiner ahnen, dass es an einem Austragungsort für Winterspiele tatsächlich schneien würde - tut es Zhangjiakou normalerweise auch nicht im Feburar, dank der nahen Wüste Gobi herrscht hier Steppenklima. So sorgte der Schnee für einigen Gesprächsstoff bei den eigentlich sieben Entscheidungen des Tages - und für ein besonderes Flair der Ringe. Über das berichten euch auch heute meinsportpodcast.de und der SID. 

Keine Medaillen gab es heute für das deutsche Team. Und die Organisatoren in Peking, die hatten keine Scheeschaufeln parat. Es konnte aber auch nun wirklich keiner ahnen, dass es an einem Austragungsort für Winterspiele tatsächlich schneien würde - tut es Zhangjiakou normalerweise auch nicht im Feburar, dank der nahen Wüste Gobi herrscht hier Steppenklima. So sorgte der Schnee für einigen Gesprächsstoff bei den eigentlich sieben Entscheidungen des Tages - und für ein besonderes Flair der Ringe. Über das berichten euch auch heute meinsportpodcast.de und der SID. 

Keine Medaillen gab es heute für das deutsche Team. Und die Organisatoren in Peking, die hatten keine Scheeschaufeln parat. Es konnte aber auch nun wirklich keiner ahnen, dass es an einem Austragungsort für Winterspiele tatsächlich schneien würde - tut es Zhangjiakou normalerweise auch nicht im Feburar, dank der nahen Wüste Gobi herrscht hier Steppenklima. So sorgte der Schnee für einigen Gesprächsstoff bei den eigentlich sieben Entscheidungen des Tages - und für ein besonderes Flair der Ringe. Über das berichten euch auch heute meinsportpodcast.de und der SID. 

Keine Medaillen gab es heute für das deutsche Team. Und die Organisatoren in Peking, die hatten keine Scheeschaufeln parat. Es konnte aber auch nun wirklich keiner ahnen, dass es an einem Austragungsort für Winterspiele tatsächlich schneien würde - tut es Zhangjiakou normalerweise auch nicht im Feburar, dank der nahen Wüste Gobi herrscht hier Steppenklima. So sorgte der Schnee für einigen Gesprächsstoff bei den eigentlich sieben Entscheidungen des Tages - und für ein besonderes Flair der Ringe. Über das berichten euch auch heute meinsportpodcast.de und der SID. 

Hi, 大家好we are Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon,我们是冰墩墩和雪容融the official mascots of the Beijing 20222022北京冬奥会和冬残奥会的Winter Olympics and Paralympics.官方吉祥物Today, we will show you around the Games'今天让我们带着大家参观一下three competition zones北京冬奥会的三个赛区in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.分别位于北京、延庆和张家口The first one is the Beijing Competition Zone.第一个是北京赛区Set to become the first city to host both北京将是第一个既举办了夏季奥运会the Summer and Winter Olympic Games,又举办了冬奥会的城市Beijing is utilizing its rich Olympic legacy,北京充分利用丰富的奥运会遗产with five of its seven 2022 Games venues2022冬奥会的七个场馆中有五个repurposed from facilities originally是在2008年奥运会场馆的基础上constructed for the 2008 Games.进行改造的For example, the National Stadium,比如国家体育场nicknamed Bird's Nest,又名鸟巢wowed the world凭借2008年精彩的奥运会开幕式with a spectacular opening ceremony in 2008.惊艳了全世界In 2022,2022年it will again stage the Games'国家体育场将再一次举办opening and closing ceremonies.冬奥会开幕式和闭幕式The other six stadiums北京赛区的at the Beijing Competition Zone are另外六个场馆是the National Aquatic Center国家游泳中心the National Speed Skating Oval国家速滑馆the National Indoor Stadium国家体育馆the Wukesong Sports Center五棵松体育中心the Capital Indoor Stadium首都体育馆Big Air Shougang首钢滑雪大跳台中心The second competition zone is in Yanqing,第二个赛区位于延庆a suburb north of Beijing.是北京北部的一个郊区It will stage 20 events across four different sports在这里两个新建的场馆中at two newly-built venues.将举办涵盖四项运动的二十场赛事They are National Alpine Ski Center这两个场馆是国家高山滑雪中心and National Sliding Center.和国家雪车雪橇中心The third competition zone is in Zhangjiakou,第三个赛区位于张家口的located in the city's Chongli district.崇礼区It will host 50 events out of six disciplines.这里将举办四项运动的五十场赛事It has four venues, including这里有四个场馆包括Genting Snow Park,云顶滑雪公园the National Ski Jumping Center,国家跳台滑雪中心Cross Country Center,国家越野滑雪中心the Biathlon Center.国家冬季两项中心We are here looking forward to you joining us in the winter of 2022!我们期待与你共享2022北京冬奥会

The pod is back to recap a good old-fashioned individual start throwdown, with special guest Kristin Størmer Steira. We break down Therese Johaug of Norway's nail-biting win over Finland's Kerttu Niskanen and another nail-biting race for third between Finland's Krista Pärmäkoski and Russia's Natalia Nepryaeva. And we discuss questions about the U.S. team selection for the upcoming women's relay, and the pressure cooker environment of the championships.We'll be back after tomorrow's men's 15 k.

Wir blicken während der Spiele in Peking jeden Tag auf's Sportliche und beleuchten Hintergründe rund um Olympia.

At the Olympics, it's all Eileen Gu, all the time (1:06), but she's not just talking the talk, now she's walking the walk with her first Olympic gold medal (2:11). The citizenship question leaves Gu in a tricky situation — one she's refusing to clarify (4:14), and she's now positioned at the center of the U.S.-China rivalry(6:13). Gu went on the offensive in her post-event press conference (6:30), but can she still be a bridge between the two superpowers — or is that unrealistic in today's polarized world? (8:30) As if there wasn't enough drama, Peng Shuai was trotted in to watch Gu perform (11:31). We also look at the Chinese reaction to Eileen Gu, plus a weird story out of Guangdong(12:48).Meanwhile, 17-year-old Su Yiming wins silver in slopestyle — but the global snowboarding community comes to his defense (13:46), with the TV issues reportedly at the root of this particular controversy (16:00). Then we get into short track, where all the decisions are going China's way — unlike four years ago (18:00). Some athletes are worried about the extreme cold in Zhangjiakou (21:07), a passionate defense of the Shougang Big Air venue, which has been pilloried in the media (22:16), and the Chinese women's hockey team is out of the Olympics despite a good showing (25:26). Finally, here's why men's skeleton is something to keep an eye on (25:52) and some good news for Chinese soccer as the women's team wins the AFC Women's Asian Cup in dramatic fashion (29:09).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Egon Theiner Der Sportjournalist, Autor und Verleger Egon Theiner ist im Organisationskomitee der Olympischen Spiele in China. Von den Austragungsstätten für Snowboard und Ski Freestyle in Zhangjiakou sendet er sein Rezept: Chinesische Gemüsepfanne.

Aus deutscher Sicht gab es an Wettkampftag erst spät Medaillen zu vermelden, aber im Rodeln der Frauen gab es trotzdem olympisches Gold für den DOSB Im Parallel-Riesenslalom der Snowboarderinnen gab es enttäuschte Gesichter, ein Franzose krönt sich zum Olympiasieger im Einzel, im Curling wurden die ersten Medaillen verteilt und ein großer Goldfavorit im Eiskunstlauf musste seine Hoffnungen begraben. Das alles besprechen wir in der neuen Ausgabe von Flair der Ringe auf meinsportpodcast.de. In Zusammenarbeit mit dem Sport-Informations-Dienst bringen wir euch auf den neuesten Stand. David Ryborz war an der Biathlon-Strecke und Cai-Simon Preuten hat sich den Wettbewerb im Big Air der Frauen angeschaut. Wir, das sind Malte Asmus, Moritz Knorr und Andreas Thies. Natalie Geisenberger und Anna Berreiter hatten sich schon nach dem 3. Lauf einen Vorsprung auf die Konkurrenz erarbeitet, den die nicht mehr aufholen konnte. Am Ende siegte Geisenberger vor Berreiter. Es war die dritte Goldmedaille in Folge für Geisenberger, die in den vier Jahren zwischen Sochi und Peking auch noch Mutter geworden war. Im Snowboard Parallel-Riesenslalom der Frauen gab es eine erwartete Goldmedaille für Ester Ledecka und eine Enttäuschung für die deutschen Athletinnen und Athleten.  

Aus deutscher Sicht gab es an Wettkampftag erst spät Medaillen zu vermelden, aber im Rodeln der Frauen gab es trotzdem olympisches Gold für den DOSB Im Parallel-Riesenslalom der Snowboarderinnen gab es enttäuschte Gesichter, ein Franzose krönt sich zum Olympiasieger im Einzel, im Curling wurden die ersten Medaillen verteilt und ein großer Goldfavorit im Eiskunstlauf musste seine Hoffnungen begraben. Das alles besprechen wir in der neuen Ausgabe von Flair der Ringe auf meinsportpodcast.de. In Zusammenarbeit mit dem Sport-Informations-Dienst bringen wir euch auf den neuesten Stand. David Ryborz war an der Biathlon-Strecke und Cai-Simon Preuten hat sich den Wettbewerb im Big Air der Frauen angeschaut. Wir, das sind Malte Asmus, Moritz Knorr und Andreas Thies. Natalie Geisenberger und Anna Berreiter hatten sich schon nach dem 3. Lauf einen Vorsprung auf die Konkurrenz erarbeitet, den die nicht mehr aufholen konnte. Am Ende siegte Geisenberger vor Berreiter. Es war die dritte Goldmedaille in Folge für Geisenberger, die in den vier Jahren zwischen Sochi und Peking auch noch Mutter geworden war. Im Snowboard Parallel-Riesenslalom der Frauen gab es eine erwartete Goldmedaille für Ester Ledecka und eine Enttäuschung für die deutschen Athletinnen und Athleten.  

Aus deutscher Sicht gab es an Wettkampftag erst spät Medaillen zu vermelden, aber im Rodeln der Frauen gab es trotzdem olympisches Gold für den DOSB Im Parallel-Riesenslalom der Snowboarderinnen gab es enttäuschte Gesichter, ein Franzose krönt sich zum Olympiasieger im Einzel, im Curling wurden die ersten Medaillen verteilt und ein großer Goldfavorit im Eiskunstlauf musste seine Hoffnungen begraben. Das alles besprechen wir in der neuen Ausgabe von Flair der Ringe auf meinsportpodcast.de. In Zusammenarbeit mit dem Sport-Informations-Dienst bringen wir euch auf den neuesten Stand. David Ryborz war an der Biathlon-Strecke und Cai-Simon Preuten hat sich den Wettbewerb im Big Air der Frauen angeschaut. Wir, das sind Malte Asmus, Moritz Knorr und Andreas Thies. Natalie Geisenberger und Anna Berreiter hatten sich schon nach dem 3. Lauf einen Vorsprung auf die Konkurrenz erarbeitet, den die nicht mehr aufholen konnte. Am Ende siegte Geisenberger vor Berreiter. Es war die dritte Goldmedaille in Folge für Geisenberger, die in den vier Jahren zwischen Sochi und Peking auch noch Mutter geworden war. Im Snowboard Parallel-Riesenslalom der Frauen gab es eine erwartete Goldmedaille für Ester Ledecka und eine Enttäuschung für die deutschen Athletinnen und Athleten.  

Aus deutscher Sicht gab es an Wettkampftag erst spät Medaillen zu vermelden, aber im Rodeln der Frauen gab es trotzdem olympisches Gold für den DOSB Im Parallel-Riesenslalom der Snowboarderinnen gab es enttäuschte Gesichter, ein Franzose krönt sich zum Olympiasieger im Einzel, im Curling wurden die ersten Medaillen verteilt und ein großer Goldfavorit im Eiskunstlauf musste seine Hoffnungen begraben. Das alles besprechen wir in der neuen Ausgabe von Flair der Ringe auf meinsportpodcast.de. In Zusammenarbeit mit dem Sport-Informations-Dienst bringen wir euch auf den neuesten Stand. David Ryborz war an der Biathlon-Strecke und Cai-Simon Preuten hat sich den Wettbewerb im Big Air der Frauen angeschaut. Wir, das sind Malte Asmus, Moritz Knorr und Andreas Thies. Natalie Geisenberger und Anna Berreiter hatten sich schon nach dem 3. Lauf einen Vorsprung auf die Konkurrenz erarbeitet, den die nicht mehr aufholen konnte. Am Ende siegte Geisenberger vor Berreiter. Es war die dritte Goldmedaille in Folge für Geisenberger, die in den vier Jahren zwischen Sochi und Peking auch noch Mutter geworden war. Im Snowboard Parallel-Riesenslalom der Frauen gab es eine erwartete Goldmedaille für Ester Ledecka und eine Enttäuschung für die deutschen Athletinnen und Athleten.  

Aus deutscher Sicht gab es an Wettkampftag erst spät Medaillen zu vermelden, aber im Rodeln der Frauen gab es trotzdem olympisches Gold für den DOSB Im Parallel-Riesenslalom der Snowboarderinnen gab es enttäuschte Gesichter, ein Franzose krönt sich zum Olympiasieger im Einzel, im Curling wurden die ersten Medaillen verteilt und ein großer Goldfavorit im Eiskunstlauf musste seine Hoffnungen begraben. Das alles besprechen wir in der neuen Ausgabe von Flair der Ringe auf meinsportpodcast.de. In Zusammenarbeit mit dem Sport-Informations-Dienst bringen wir euch auf den neuesten Stand. David Ryborz war an der Biathlon-Strecke und Cai-Simon Preuten hat sich den Wettbewerb im Big Air der Frauen angeschaut. Wir, das sind Malte Asmus, Moritz Knorr und Andreas Thies. Natalie Geisenberger und Anna Berreiter hatten sich schon nach dem 3. Lauf einen Vorsprung auf die Konkurrenz erarbeitet, den die nicht mehr aufholen konnte. Am Ende siegte Geisenberger vor Berreiter. Es war die dritte Goldmedaille in Folge für Geisenberger, die in den vier Jahren zwischen Sochi und Peking auch noch Mutter geworden war. Im Snowboard Parallel-Riesenslalom der Frauen gab es eine erwartete Goldmedaille für Ester Ledecka und eine Enttäuschung für die deutschen Athletinnen und Athleten.  

Was war das bitte für eine turbulente erste Olympia-Woche?! Wer gedacht hätte, es sei alles mit etwas seltsamen Einzelspringen getan, der wurde mit dem Mixed-Team-Springen überrascht. Was zu einem Feiertag hätte werden sollen, wurde zu einem Trauertag. Zum Glück bekommen Gernot und Luis wieder fachkundige Unterstützung von Ulrike Gräßler, die mit ihnen die Vorkomnisse aufarbeitet. Im zweiten Teil geht es dann um die beiden Einzelspringen, die zwar verdiente Medaillensieger*innen, aber ebenfalls viel Gesprächsstoff hervorbrachten. All' das besprechen wir anhand eurer zahlreichen Fragen, die wir aufgrund der schieren Menge nicht allesamt beantworten konnten. Wir hoffen, ihr habt dafür Verständnis und trotzdem viel Freude mit dieser besonderen Folge der Flugshow!

Freudensprünge in Zhangjiakou nach der ersten Biathlon-Medaille für den DOSB in Peking. Denise Herrmann feiert eine überragende Goldmedaille im 15km Einzel-Rennen der Frauen und sorgt für die Schlagzeile des Tages. Aber auch sonst war einiges los am 4. Tag dieser Olympischen Spiele: Der Super Monday bei den Ski Alpin Sportlern, die Premiere des Team Mixed Wettbewerbs mit einem großen Chaos. Und wo wir gerade bei Chaos sind, das gabs auch im Eishockey. Darüber hinaus hat sich Peng Shuai in einem Interview geäußert. Über all das wollen wir natürlich sprechen hier bei Flair der Ringe. Mit dem SID zusammen fassen wir bei "Flair der Ringe" täglich die Wettbewerbe von Beijing 2022 zusammen. Heute tun das Moritz Knorr und Tom Häberlein, die natürlich als Erstes auf den überragenden Sieg von Denise Herrmann im 15km-Einzel der Biathlon-Damen blicken. Im Skispringen gab es einen faustdicken Skandal. Im Mixed Team Wettbewerb wurden einige Top-Nationen, darunter auch das deutsche Team disqualifiziert. Wie es dazu kam erfahrt ihr in dieser Folge.

Freudensprünge in Zhangjiakou nach der ersten Biathlon-Medaille für den DOSB in Peking. Denise Herrmann feiert eine überragende Goldmedaille im 15km Einzel-Rennen der Frauen und sorgt für die Schlagzeile des Tages. Aber auch sonst war einiges los am 4. Tag dieser Olympischen Spiele: Der Super Monday bei den Ski Alpin Sportlern, die Premiere des Team Mixed Wettbewerbs mit einem großen Chaos. Und wo wir gerade bei Chaos sind, das gabs auch im Eishockey. Darüber hinaus hat sich Peng Shuai in einem Interview geäußert. Über all das wollen wir natürlich sprechen hier bei Flair der Ringe. Mit dem SID zusammen fassen wir bei "Flair der Ringe" täglich die Wettbewerbe von Beijing 2022 zusammen. Heute tun das Moritz Knorr und Tom Häberlein, die natürlich als Erstes auf den überragenden Sieg von Denise Herrmann im 15km-Einzel der Biathlon-Damen blicken. Im Skispringen gab es einen faustdicken Skandal. Im Mixed Team Wettbewerb wurden einige Top-Nationen, darunter auch das deutsche Team disqualifiziert. Wie es dazu kam erfahrt ihr in dieser Folge.

Freudensprünge in Zhangjiakou nach der ersten Biathlon-Medaille für den DOSB in Peking. Denise Herrmann feiert eine überragende Goldmedaille im 15km Einzel-Rennen der Frauen und sorgt für die Schlagzeile des Tages. Aber auch sonst war einiges los am 4. Tag dieser Olympischen Spiele: Der Super Monday bei den Ski Alpin Sportlern, die Premiere des Team Mixed Wettbewerbs mit einem großen Chaos. Und wo wir gerade bei Chaos sind, das gabs auch im Eishockey. Darüber hinaus hat sich Peng Shuai in einem Interview geäußert. Über all das wollen wir natürlich sprechen hier bei Flair der Ringe. Mit dem SID zusammen fassen wir bei "Flair der Ringe" täglich die Wettbewerbe von Beijing 2022 zusammen. Heute tun das Moritz Knorr und Tom Häberlein, die natürlich als Erstes auf den überragenden Sieg von Denise Herrmann im 15km-Einzel der Biathlon-Damen blicken. Im Skispringen gab es einen faustdicken Skandal. Im Mixed Team Wettbewerb wurden einige Top-Nationen, darunter auch das deutsche Team disqualifiziert. Wie es dazu kam erfahrt ihr in dieser Folge.

Freudensprünge in Zhangjiakou nach der ersten Biathlon-Medaille für den DOSB in Peking. Denise Herrmann feiert eine überragende Goldmedaille im 15km Einzel-Rennen der Frauen und sorgt für die Schlagzeile des Tages. Aber auch sonst war einiges los am 4. Tag dieser Olympischen Spiele: Der Super Monday bei den Ski Alpin Sportlern, die Premiere des Team Mixed Wettbewerbs mit einem großen Chaos. Und wo wir gerade bei Chaos sind, das gabs auch im Eishockey. Darüber hinaus hat sich Peng Shuai in einem Interview geäußert. Über all das wollen wir natürlich sprechen hier bei Flair der Ringe. Mit dem SID zusammen fassen wir bei "Flair der Ringe" täglich die Wettbewerbe von Beijing 2022 zusammen. Heute tun das Moritz Knorr und Tom Häberlein, die natürlich als Erstes auf den überragenden Sieg von Denise Herrmann im 15km-Einzel der Biathlon-Damen blicken. Im Skispringen gab es einen faustdicken Skandal. Im Mixed Team Wettbewerb wurden einige Top-Nationen, darunter auch das deutsche Team disqualifiziert. Wie es dazu kam erfahrt ihr in dieser Folge.

Freudensprünge in Zhangjiakou nach der ersten Biathlon-Medaille für den DOSB in Peking. Denise Herrmann feiert eine überragende Goldmedaille im 15km Einzel-Rennen der Frauen und sorgt für die Schlagzeile des Tages. Aber auch sonst war einiges los am 4. Tag dieser Olympischen Spiele: Der Super Monday bei den Ski Alpin Sportlern, die Premiere des Team Mixed Wettbewerbs mit einem großen Chaos. Und wo wir gerade bei Chaos sind, das gabs auch im Eishockey. Darüber hinaus hat sich Peng Shuai in einem Interview geäußert. Über all das wollen wir natürlich sprechen hier bei Flair der Ringe. Mit dem SID zusammen fassen wir bei "Flair der Ringe" täglich die Wettbewerbe von Beijing 2022 zusammen. Heute tun das Moritz Knorr und Tom Häberlein, die natürlich als Erstes auf den überragenden Sieg von Denise Herrmann im 15km-Einzel der Biathlon-Damen blicken. Im Skispringen gab es einen faustdicken Skandal. Im Mixed Team Wettbewerb wurden einige Top-Nationen, darunter auch das deutsche Team disqualifiziert. Wie es dazu kam erfahrt ihr in dieser Folge.

The Slopestyle course that hosts the ski and snowboard events is turning heads because of its innovative features and ancient looks. Unmistakably, its inspiration is the nearby Great Wall of China. We catch up with Dirk Scheumann of Schneestern, the lead designer and course builder to understand his design philosophies and the cold realities on the ground in Zhangjiakou. Follow The Podium now on Amazon Music to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.

Noi la cerimonia olimpica l'abbiamo vista così, con il video proiettore sulla parete di casa, ma c'è invece chi è dentro la bolla e i Giochi li segue da vicino.Per raccontarci la vita quotidiana nel “sistema di gestione a circuito chiuso”, com'è stato chiamato ufficialmente, siamo stati raggiunti in trasmissione da Mattia Brioschi, tecnico audio della Radiotelevisione svizzera (RSI) in trasferta in Cina, nell'area di gara di Zhangjiakou.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing. Three reporters bring the latest developments on the ground from Beijing, Yanqing district and Zhangjiakou of Hebei Province. The president of World Anti-Doping Agency says a new Dried Blood Spot test is set for its first official use at the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Paralympics.

CHINE, RUSSIE, USA : AMBIANCE GLACIALE SUR LES JO – 04/02/22 Invités Antoine BONDAZ Chercheur spécialiste de la Chine à la Fondation pour la recherche stratégique Marie-Cécile NAVES Directrice de recherche à l'IRIS Auteure de « Le pouvoir du sport » Stéphanie BALME Professeure à Sciences Po, spécialiste de la Chine Directrice de recherche au CERI Philippe DESSERTINE Directeur de l'Institut de Haute Finance Ce vendredi 4 février, à 13 heures heure française, a été donné le coup d'envoi des 24e Jeux d'hiver au stade national de Pékin, plus connu sous le surnom de «Nid d'Oiseau » comme il y a quatorze ans pour les JO d'été. Un même lieu et un même chef de cérémonie, le réalisateur Zhang Yimou, qui cette année encore avait la lourde charge d'orchestrer le show dans un contexte cette fois bien différent de pandémie mondiale et de grand froid loin d'être seulement climatique. Maintenus malgré l'épidémie de Covid-19, les Jeux d'hiver s'annoncent en effet déjà atypiques avec des sportifs et la presse qui évoluent sur place dans une bulle sanitaire totale afin d'éviter les contaminations, et tout contact avec la population locale. Tests Covid quotidiens, prises de températures, chambres d'isolement pour les personnes positives, compétitions dans des stades sans public, seuls quelques « invités » sont prévus…La flamme olympique a connu de meilleurs moments. Les athlètes devront également composés avec un froid polaire dans les deux stations (Yanqing et Zhangjiakou) qui accueillent les épreuves de ski et de la neige 100 % artificielle. Une ambiance glaciale qui l'on retrouve également sur le terrain diplomatique. Les États-Unis, le Canada, l'Australie ou la Grande-Bretagne ont décidé d'un boycott diplomatique en raison du « génocide et des crimes contre l'humanité en cours au Xinjiang ». Le régime communiste est accusé d'avoir persécuté et interné plus d'un million de Ouïghours, la minorité musulmane qui vit dans la région. Sans oublier le sort réservé aux opposants du régime, l'affaire de la joueuse de tennis Peng Shuai ou encore les tensions autour de Taïwan. Résultat : dans la tribune officielle les rangs présidentiels étaient clairsemés ce vendredi et l'invité d'honneur de la cérémonie d'ouverture était Vladimir Poutine, en pleine crise ukrainienne. Le « couple » Xi Jinping-Vladimir Poutine qui s'est rencontré avant les festivités s'est dit opposé dans une déclaration commune « à tout élargissement futur de l'Otan » et a dénoncé « l'influence négative pour la paix et la stabilité » des Etats-Unis dans la région Asie-Pacifique. Cette fois, en Chine, les Jeux semblent résolument placés sous le signe du défi… DIFFUSION : du lundi au samedi à 17h45 FORMAT : 65 minutes PRÉSENTATION : Caroline Roux - Axel de Tarlé REDIFFUSION : du lundi au vendredi vers 23h40 RÉALISATION : Nicolas Ferraro, Bruno Piney, Franck Broqua, Alexandre Langeard PRODUCTION : France Télévisions / Maximal Productions Retrouvez C DANS L'AIR sur internet & les réseaux : INTERNET : francetv.fr FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/Cdanslairf5 TWITTER : https://twitter.com/cdanslair INSTAGRAM : https://www.instagram.com/cdanslair/

It's Day -1 to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and the action is heating up (but the weather isn't). Jill didn't pack her recording microphone before she headed out of the hotel, so enjoy the ambience of the Main Media Center. She has been out to the two other competition zones: Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, both of which involve immense planning to get to, and both of which are cold. Very cold. Jill also went to the kickoff event of these Games: Mixed Doubles curling at the Ice Cube (formerly the Water Cube). Four games at once is kind of difficult to watch, but the play was exciting (although depending on the end, the British journalists often declared the Great Britain/Sweden game a “disaster.” Great Britain won). Our first TKFLASTANI competed! Jill saw moguls skier Brad Wilson compete in the first qualifying round for the men's moguls competition. Will he be able to make the finals? Alison's got the scoop on the US women's first ice hockey game and a horrible break for our TKFLASTANI Brianna Decker. What officiating/volunteer job do we want? Which TKFLASTANIs are competing next? Listen to find out! If you'd like to read Jill's Beijing diary, join our Facebook Group (even if you have to make an account just for the Games). Want a transcript of this episode? Find it here: https://wp.me/pbRtIx-1FL Thanks so much for listening, and until tomorrow, keep the flame alive! *** Red Envelope campaign! this show does cost money to produce, and while our listeners have been extremely generous in supporting us through the Kickstarter campaign that got us to Beijing and also through Patreon patronage, we're coming up on 2 ½ years until another Olympics, so to celebrate the Lunar New Year, we're asking for donations of at least $8 to help us get through to Paris 2024. Go to flamealivepod.com/support to donate.  

Yanqing District in Beijing and co-host city Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province hosted day-two of the torch relay for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic torch relay kicked off on Wednesday in Beijing. The relay will last until Friday in the three competition zones of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.

Relief materials are starting to reach Tongan people affected by last weekend's volcanic eruption and tsunami. The U.S. president marked his first year in office with an address from the White House to the American people. And the Olympic Village in Zhangjiakou is now ready for the Games.

低碳环保绿色冬奥|Olympic Venues Deliver on Environmental ProtectionEnvironmental protection has been made a priority for venues in the Zhangjiakou competition zone at the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.在2022北京冬奥会即将到来之际，张家口赛区场馆将环保放在首位。The location of the National Ski Jumping Center was carefully selected to avoid the use of underground water for snowmaking, said Wang Jingxian, venue and infrastructure manager of the center in the Games co-host city of Zhangjiakou, Hebei province.奥运会协办城市河北省张家口国家跳台滑雪中心场馆和基础设施经理王敬先表示，该中心的位置经过精心挑选，以避免使用地下水来造雪。"Before constructing the venue halfway up the mountains in the Guyangshu area, we calculated the volume of surface water that can be collected from the mountains in summer, through means such as rainfall and natural springs. Scientific research data has shown that such water is enough for snowmaking and supporting the operations of the venues," Wang said.王敬先表示：“在古杨树地区的半山腰修建场馆之前，我们通过测算降雨量和天然泉水量等方式计算出了夏季可从山区收集的地表水量。科学研究数据表明，这些水足以支持造雪和场馆运营。”A reservoir with a capacity of 200,000 cubic meters was built to collect water for the venues in Guyangshu, including the National Ski Jumping Center and the nearby National Cross-Country Skiing Center.他们修建了一座20万吨的蓄水池，为包括国家跳台滑雪中心和附近的国家越野滑雪中心在内的古杨树场馆群收集用水。 Li Zhenlong, venue and infrastructure manager of the skiing center, said the venue also has five smaller water storage facilities eradicating the need to use underground water and harm the environment during snowmaking.国家越野滑雪中心场馆和基础设施经理李振龙表示，该场地还有五个较小的储水设施，在造雪过程中不需要使用地下水，也不会破坏环境。"Also, we have planted many trees while constructing the courses. Furthermore, the venue is 100 percent powered by wind and solar energy. We have made great efforts to achieve sustainable development," Li said.李振龙表示：“此外，我们在修建场馆的同时种植了许多树木，且场馆100%由风能和太阳能供电，尽最大努力实现可持续发展。”To minimize carbon dioxide emissions, about 700 hydrogen-powered vehicles will be used in the Zhangjiakou competition zone, said Wang Hewu, executive director of the Zhangjiakou Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Research Institute.张家口氢能和可再生能源研究院执行主任王贺武表示，为了最大限度地减少二氧化碳排放，张家口赛区将使用约700辆氢燃料大巴车。The vehicles will be used for transportation and logistics operations during the Games, which will run from Feb 4 to 20.这些车辆将于2月4日至20日冬奥会举行期间提供交通与后勤服务。"The emission of hydrogen-powered vehicles is just pure water so it won't cause any pollution. Furthermore, the hydrogen fueling the vehicles is produced with wind power so the whole process is green," Wang said.王贺武表示：“氢燃料大巴车只排放纯水，不会产生任何污染。此外，大巴车的氢燃料由风力发电产生，实现全流程绿色。”A hydrogen-powered bus can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 11.8 metric tons over 10,000 kilometers. Such buses can run smoothly at -20 C, and their safety and reliability have been tested, Wang said.一辆氢燃料大巴车可以在10000公里内减少11.8公吨的二氧化碳排放量。王贺武表示，这样的客车能够在零下20摄氏度的温度下平稳运行，且它们的安全性和可靠性都已经过测试。Currently, there are more than 444 hydrogen-powered buses in operation in Zhangjiakou, covering nine bus routes in the city. They have run about 20 million km and carried more than 62 million passengers, according to the local government.目前，张家口市共有444辆氢燃料公交车投入运营，覆盖全市9条公交线路。据当地政府称，它们累计运行里程超2000万公里，完成载客量超6200万人次。Zhangjiakou has two hydrogen production plants and eight hydrogen refueling stations, which help guarantee the operation of the hydrogen-powered vehicles, Wang said.王贺武表示，张家口已建成两个制氢厂和八座加氢站，为氢燃料大巴车运行保驾护航。reservoir英 [ˈrezəvwɑː(r)]；美[ˈrezərvwɑːr] n. 水库；蓄水池；（大量的）储备，储藏；储液器eradicate英 [ɪˈrædɪkeɪt]；美[ɪˈrædɪkeɪt] vt. 根除；消灭；杜绝n. 根除者；褪色灵hydrogen英 [ˈhaɪdrədʒən]；美[ˈhaɪdrədʒən] n. 氢；氢气logistics英 [ləˈdʒɪstɪks]；美[ləˈdʒɪstɪks] n. 后勤；物流；组织工作

Chinese authorities say the vaccination drive against COVID-19 has covered almost 90 percent of the total population of the country. China has issued its first white paper on export controls and policies. And the final test event for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games is underway in Zhangjiakou.

TRACKLIST : Real SIV - All odds Kellerkind - Slomo Stan Seba - Second thought Chihaka - Kangwana (Savvas remix) ChixUnighted - Blue rumors (Tim Engelhardt remix) Moodfreak - Curve Avem - Marble St. Savor - The song that changed you (Acidoaks remix) Haums - In you Will Vance - Kaleidoscope eyes (Feyln remix) Boys Be Kko - Ani kyo ku Zemög - Hiking in Chicaque (Segue remix)

一、冬奥会倒计时筹备工作收尾︱Finishing touches made to 2022 Olympic villagesWith the countdown to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics entering the final 50 days, finishing touches are being made to the Games villages and COVID-19 safety measures have been finalized.随着2022年北京冬奥会进入倒计时50天，奥运村的筹备工作进入了收尾阶段，防疫安全措施也已最终确定。The two villages in Beijing passed full operating tests in a two-day trial earlier this month. Each village provided accommodation for hundreds of trial participants, check-in and check-out procedures were tested while COVID-19 testing, health monitoring, medical services and commercial functions were evaluated and adjusted, according to the Beijing 2022 organizing committee.位于北京的两个奥运村通过了为期两天的试运营期全流程测试。据2022北京冬奥会组委会称，每个奥运村为数百名测试参与者提供了食宿，并测试了入住和退房流程，还对新冠病毒检测、健康监控、医疗服务和商业功能进行了评估和调整。The mountain village in Zhangjiakou's Chongli district is expected to finish testing all facilities soon.张家口崇礼区的奥运村也将很快将完成所有设施的测试工作。More trial operations will start on Jan 23 for the official opening of the villages four days later.1月23日起冬奥村将会试运行，为四天后正式开村做好准备。A highlight of the villages are the dining halls, which will offer 678 dishes to athletes from diverse cultural backgrounds. The menu was designed to meet different dietary needs while taking different religions into consideration.食堂是冬奥村的一大亮点，将向来自不同文化背景的人提供678道菜品。菜单设计旨在迎合不同的饮食需求和宗教文化。The teams operating the villages will next focus on optimizing isolation and treatment procedures for potential positive COVID-19 cases. Garbage collection and processing to prevent risks of cross-infection between village residents and outside communities is also being looked at, according to the organizing committee's venue planning and construction department.北京冬奥组委规划建设部表示，奥运村运营团队接下来将专注于优化潜在新冠确诊病例的隔离和治疗流程，并优化垃圾收集和处理流程，以防范奥运村居民和外部社区的交叉感染风险。According to an updated version of the Playbook－acomprehensive guideline on COVID-19 pandemic control and prevention for the Games－athletes, team officials, operational staff and accredited media will have to stay within a strict bubble. They can only move between their designated villages and hotels and training, competition and working venues on official shuttle services and will not be allowed to contact with anyone outside the bubble.新版北京冬奥会防疫手册指出，运动员、代表队官员、运营人员和认证媒体人员将实行闭环管理，只能乘坐官方摆渡车在指定的奥运村、酒店、训练馆、比赛场馆和工作场所之间活动，不能接触闭环外的任何人。二、艾玛·拉杜卡努获评BBC年度体育人物︱Sports Personality of the Year 2021: Emma Raducanu crowned winnerTeenage US Open champion Emma Raducanu has been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021.19岁的美国网球公开赛冠军艾玛·拉杜卡努被评为英国广播公司的2021年度体育人物。In winning the US Open title in September with a 6-4 6-3 victory over fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez, Raducanu became: The youngest women's Grand Slam champion since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004; the youngest Briton to win a Grand Slam title; the first woman to win the US Open without dropping a set since Serena Williams in 2014今年9月份，艾玛在美国网球公开赛中以6:4和6:3的比分战胜19岁的对手莱拉·费尔南德斯，成为了自玛丽亚·莎拉波娃2004年温网大满贯以来史上最年轻的大满贯女单冠军；获得大满贯头衔的年纪最小的英国人；自塞雷娜·威廉姆斯2014年的赛场表现以来首位不失一盘赢得美国网球公开赛的女性。In a public vote, diver Tom Daley placed second and swimmer Adam Peaty was third.公开投票结果显示，跳水运动员汤姆·戴利和游泳运动员亚当·皮蒂分别位居BBC年度体育人物排名的第二名和第三名。Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling, boxer Tyson Fury, and Great Britain's most successful Paralympian Sarah Storey were also shortlisted for the main award.曼城队的英格兰前锋拉希姆·斯特林、拳击运动员泰森·富里和英国最成功的残奥会运动员萨拉·斯托里也被提名为年度体育人物。"I'm happy for British tennis as well, and that we've managed to get this award...again!"艾玛表示，自己为英国网球能够再次获得这一荣誉而高兴。三、“金”字当选日本2021年度汉字︱'Gold' picked as Japan's kanji of 2021The kanji for "金" (kin) was named the single most representative kanji character corresponding to the social mood in Japan this year, by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation on Monday.日本汉字能力检定协会12月13日宣布，最能够反映日本2021年世态民情的年度汉字为“金”。The Kyoto-based organization said that "kin" was a fitting choice for 2021 because of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, where Japanese Olympic team saw their best results ever.这家总部位于京都的机构认为，“金”字当选的理由是日本奥运代表团在东京奥运会和残奥会上获得了迄今为止最好成绩。Japanese TV stations broadcast Monday's announcement live as Seihan Mori, master of the ancient Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, painted the character on a large white panel with an ink-soaked calligraphy brush.日本多家电视台直播了年度汉字揭晓仪式，清水寺住持森清范用沾墨的毛笔挥毫将一个“金”字书写在一张大大的和纸上。The selection of kanji of the year began in 1995.日本年度汉字评选活动始于1995年。The top kanji character last year was mitsu, which means dense, crowded and close, describing the three situations people in Japan were urged to avoid in order to prevent infections.去年的年度汉字为“密”，指的是日本为防疫提倡拒绝“三密”（密闭空间、人员密集场所、密切接触）的生活方式。cross-infection英 [ˈkrɒs ɪnfekʃn]；美[ˈkrɔːs ɪnfekʃn] n. 交叉感染bubble英 [ˈbʌbl]；美[ˈbʌbl] n. （防疫）闭环；气泡diver英 [ˈdaɪvə(r)]；美[ˈdaɪvər] n. 潜水员；跳水运动员shortlist英 [ˈʃɔːtlɪst]；美[ˈʃɔːrtlɪst] n. 入围名单v. 把…列入；入围；被提名kanji英 [ˈkændʒi]；美[ˈkændʒi] n. 日本汉字；日本汉字体系

2022年北京冬奥村收尾 |Finishing Touches Made to 2022 Olympic VillagesWith the countdown to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics entering the final 50 days, finishing touches are being made to the Games villages and COVID-19 safety measures have been finalized.在距离2022年北京冬奥会开幕倒计时50天之际，冬奥村正在进行最后的收尾工作，新冠疫情防控措施已部署完毕。The three villages, two in Beijing's Chaoyang and Yanqing districts and one in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, are almost all ready to welcome the Olympians, with international athletes and officials due to arrive as early as next month.三个冬奥村中，有两个位于北京朝阳区和延庆区，一个位于河北张家口。三个冬奥村都已做好充分准备迎接奥运选手的到来。来自世界各地的运动员和随队官员最早将于下个月抵达北京。The two villages in Beijing passed full operating tests in a two-day trial earlier this month. Each village provided accommodation for hundreds of trial participants, check-in and check-out procedures were tested while COVID-19 testing, health monitoring, medical services and commercial functions were evaluated and adjusted, according to the Beijing 2022 organizing committee.本月早些时候，北京的两个冬奥村通过了为期两天的全流程、全要素运行模拟测试。据北京冬奥组委称，每个奥运村都为数百名测试参与者提供了住宿，并对入住和退房程序进行了测试，同时对新冠病毒检测、健康监测、医疗服务和商业功能方面进行了评估和调整。The mountain village in Zhangjiakou's Chongli district, where the majority of the Olympic snow sports events will be held, is expected to finish testing all facilities soon.位于山地的张家口崇礼区奥运村预计将很快完成所有设施的检测。大部分冬奥会雪上项目将在这里举行。'Better experience'“更好的体验”"The tests received a lot of positive feedback, especially for the impressive residential services, the food quality in the dining hall and accessibility for wheelchair users," Song Xueying, a deputy director of the organizing committee's village planning and operation department, said at a news briefing on Thursday.北京冬奥组委奥运村部副部长宋雪莹在周四的新闻发布会上表示，测试收到了很多正面反馈，尤其是住宿服务、餐厅食品质量以及无障碍设施的便利性令参测人员印象深刻。"This has motivated the team to further improve on details to provide a better experience for all the Games participants."宋雪莹表示，参测者的好评促使团队进一步改进细节，为所有冬奥会参与者提供更好的体验。The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will take place from Feb. 4 and 20, followed by the Winter Paralympics from March 4 to 13.北京2022年冬奥会将于2月4日至20日举行，随后将于3月4日至13日举行冬残奥会。Designed and constructed to the highest standards for green and sustainable housing, the three villages will be able to accommodate 5,500 athletes and team officials. More trial operations will start on Jan 23 for the official opening of the villages four days later.三个奥运村按照绿色可持续建筑的最高标准设计和建造，能够容纳5500名运动员和随队官员。冬奥村1月27日将于正式开村，更多运行模拟测试将于1月23日开展。Within 44 hours of the Winter Olympics finishing, the villages will be transformed to provide barrier-free facilities, such as wheelchair ramps and accessible toilets, for athletes and officials taking part in the Paralympics.在冬奥会结束后44小时内，将对冬奥村进行改造，为参加冬残奥会的运动员和随队官员提供无障碍设施，如轮椅坡道和无障碍厕所。A highlight of the villages are the dining halls, which will offer 678 dishes to athletes from diverse cultural backgrounds. The menu was designed to meet different dietary needs while taking different religions into consideration.冬奥村的一大亮点就是餐厅。餐厅将为来自不同文化背景的运动员提供678道菜肴。菜单的设计旨在满足各种口味、不同宗教的饮食需求。The teams operating the villages will next focus on optimizing isolation and treatment procedures for potential positive COVID-19 cases. Garbage collection and processing to prevent risks of cross-infection between village residents and outside communities is also being looked at, according to the organizing committee's venue planning and construction department.冬奥村运营团队接下来将专注于优化潜在新冠阳性病例的隔离和治疗程序。据北京冬奥组委规划建设部表示，为预防冬奥村居民和外部社区之间的交叉感染风险，垃圾收集和处理事宜尚在研究中。"A special team of trained workers will be deployed at each village to collect and transfer garbage to a bio-secured zone in the village, where the waste will be thoroughly disinfected and sorted before further processing to prevent the risk of a virus leaking out," said Liu Yumin, director of the department.北京冬奥组委规划建设部部长刘玉民表示，在每个冬奥村里，都会部署一支由受过培训的工作人员组成的专门队伍，收集垃圾并将其转移到村中的生物安全区，在那里将垃圾彻底消毒和分类，然后再进一步处理，以防病毒外泄。According to an updated version of the Playbook－a comprehensive guideline on COVID-19 pandemic control and prevention for the Games－athletes, team officials, operational staff andaccredited media will have to stay within a strict bubble. They can only move between their designated villages and hotels and training, competition and working venues on official shuttle services and will not be allowed contact with anyone outside the bubble.根据最新版《北京2022年冬奥会和冬残奥会防疫手册》（简称《防疫手册》，该手册为冬奥会新冠防控的全面指南），运动员、随队官员、运营人员和注册媒体必须严格遵守闭环管理。涉奥人员只能通过官方班车服务在指定的冬奥村、酒店、训练场、比赛场和工作场所之间行动，不允许与任何环外人员接触。"This will provide a unique Games experience, designed to help athletes fully focus on the fundamentals of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games－sports competition," said Christophe Dubi, the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Games executive director, at the release of the updated version of the Playbook on Monday.在周一发布新版《防疫手册》之际，国际奥委会奥运执行主任克里斯托夫·杜比（Christophe Dubi）表示，这将是一次独特的奥运会体验，《防疫手册》旨在帮助运动员充分关注冬奥会和冬残奥会的基本要素——体育竞赛。"This guides all our planning and will ensure that the attention remains on the outstanding performances we can expect from the world's best winter athletes in Beijing next year."克里斯托夫·杜比表示，我们可以预见，2022年北京冬奥会的运动健儿们会为我们带来精彩的比赛，而《防疫手册》将指导所有的安排，并确保观众们的注意力放在这些世界最佳冰雪运动员的出色表现上。重点词汇：ramp英[ræmp]；美[ræmp] n. 斜坡；坡道v. 敲诈；使有斜面dietary英[ˈdaɪətəri]；美[ˈdaɪəteri] adj. 饮食的；有关饮食的；饮食中的n. 食谱；规定的食物；规定的食量deploy英[dɪˈplɔɪ]；美[dɪˈplɔɪ] vt. 部署；调度（军队或武器）；有效地利用；调动disinfect英[ˌdɪsɪnˈfekt]；美[ˌdɪsɪnˈfekt] vt. （给…）消毒；消除（计算机）病毒；给（电脑）杀毒accredit英[əˈkredɪt]；美[əˈkredɪt] vt. 授权；把…归于；认为（某事为某人所说、所做）；委任，委派（某人为大使等）；正式认可

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today's podcast is presented by Matot Dumbwaiters and Material Lifts. Visit www.Matot.com to learn more EW PROJECT OF THE YEAR WINNERS ELEVATOR WORLD is pleased to report the winners of the 2022 Project of the Year contest. Winning projects, which will be featured in our January 2022 issue, are (with category): Ascent in NYC submitted by Liberty Elevator (Elevators, New Construction); Scotia Plaza in Toronto submitted by Schindler Elevator Canada (Elevators, Modernization); Taichung MRT in Taichung, Taiwan, submitted by Otis (Escalators, New Construction); New York Marriott Marquis in NYC submitted by KONE (Escalators, Modernization); Beijing Winter Olympics Jumping Center in Zhangjiakou, China, submitted by Suzhou Rhine Lift Manufacture (Inclined Lifts); Taiyuan Botanical Garden in Taiyuan, China, submitted by TK Elevator Asia-Pacific (Moving Walks); NYC Housing Authority Refuse Lifts in NYC submitted by Gillespie Corp. (Platform Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts); Emirates Hills Private Residence Elevator in Emirates Hills, U.A.E. submitted by Toshiba Elevator Middle East (Private-Residence Elevators); and Residential Car Elevator submitted by Quest Elevator Co. of Mississauga, Canada (Special-Purpose Elevators). To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes │ Google Play | SoundCloud │ Stitcher │ TuneIn

Beijing to embrace green, sustainable Winter Olympics︱绿色冬奥低碳北京As the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is around the corner, China has reiterated its determination to host a "Green Olympics" and is preparing to deliver on that promise.2022年的北京冬奥会日益临近，政府重申要举办“绿色冬奥”，兑现庄严承诺。Reusing venues 旧馆新用 “冰立方”Beijing will re-use venues from the 2008 Olympics for the 2022 Winter Games. Among these, the National Aquatic Center or "Water Cube" - known as the "Ice Cube" for the upcoming Winter Games - will host curling events, and the National Indoor Stadium will host ice hockey. Opening and closing ceremonies will once again take place at the Beijing National Stadium, or Bird's Nest.2008年奥运会建造的场馆将重新投入使用。其中，国家游泳中心——“水立方”摇身一变，成为迎接冬奥会的“冰立方”，届时将承接冰壶和轮椅冰壶比赛项目；国家体育馆将承接冰球比赛项目；国家体育场——“鸟巢”则将再次举办开幕式与闭幕式。Clean energy venues 清洁能源场馆The 2022 Winter Olympics will be the first Games in history to exclusively power all venues with clean energy from renewable sources. Solar and wind power will be generated in the Zhangbei area of Hebei province.2022年北京冬奥将成为历史上首届，专门以可再生能源保障所有场馆供电的奥运会。张北柔性直流电网将太阳能和风能发电输送至京。Zero-Freon ice 零氟利昂制冰国家速滑馆内景For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, Beijing will use carbon dioxide in its ice-making procedures. Removing ozone layer-harming Freon as a refrigerant in ice making during the Games is expected to help reduce carbon emissions equivalent to that of 3,900 cars per year, and cut emissions from the activity to nearly zero.北京冬奥将成为历史上首届在制冰时使用二氧化碳的冬奥会。若奥运制冰不再使用对臭氧层有害的氟利昂，预计减少相当于每年3,900辆汽车的碳排放量，并将各项目的碳排放量降低至微乎其微。The new ice-making technology will also significantly save electricity.新型制冰技术亦将大幅减少电力消耗。Green transportation 绿色交通Spectators at the 2022 Winter Olympics will be encouraged to travel by public transport across the three competition zones - downtown Beijing, its suburban Yanqing district and co-host Zhangjiakou in Hebei province - which have been connected by an electric-powered high-speed railway that began operation in late 2019.2022年冬奥会鼓励所有观众乘公共交通抵达北京赛区、延庆赛区和张家口赛区，三大赛区由2019年底开始运营的京张高铁连接。All passenger vehicles used for the Games' official transport service will be powered by renewable energy. New energy vehicle charging facilities have been built at the venues and along roads between Beijing and Zhangjiakou.所有冬奥官方交通服务的乘用车均以可再生能源供能，新能源汽车充电设施已在各场馆和北京通往张家口的公路旁建成。A green Olympic Village 绿色冬奥村According to the Beijing Winter Olympics Village's owner, Beijing Investment Group Co, all permanent buildings within the complex have passed the highest three-star certification for green construction with the recycling of materials, energy saving and environmental protection prioritized throughout the whole process of development.承建北京冬奥村的北投集团表示，冬奥村内的所有永久建筑都通过了最高的三星级绿色建筑标准认证，开发过程中材料回收和节能环保方面均得以优先考量。curling英 [ˈkɜːlɪŋ]；美[ˈkɜːrlɪŋ] n. 冰壶；冰壶类ice hockey英 [ˈaɪs hɒki]；美[ˈaɪs hɑːki] n. 冰球；冰上曲棍球；冰球运动passenger vehicle英 [ˈpæsɪndʒə(r) ˈviːɪkl]；美[ˈpæsɪndʒər ˈvihɪkəl] 乘用车；客车refrigerant英 [rɪˈfrɪdʒərənt]；美[rɪˈfrɪdʒərənt] n. 制冷剂，冷冻剂adj. 冷却的refrigerate英 [rɪˈfrɪdʒəreɪt]；美[rɪˈfrɪdʒəreɪt] v. 冷却；制冷；冷藏

冬奥防疫手册发布丨Beijing's preparation earns international acclaimPresident Xi Jinping has offered his congratulations on the launch of the Olympic Channel and its digital platforms by the China Media Group, urging it to create a new page in Olympic history and fully present to the world a splendid, extraordinary and outstanding Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.习近平致信祝贺中央广播电视总台开通奥运频道及其数字平台。习近平在贺信中指出，奥林匹克频道要全面展示北京冬奥会、冬残奥会精彩、非凡、卓越的奥林匹克新篇章。Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a congratulatory message on Monday at a launch event for the channel, in which he underlined the need for the channel to make contributions to building China into a sports power.周一，在中央广播电视总台央视奥林匹克频道及其数字平台开播上线之际，中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席习近平发来贺信，表示热烈的祝贺。在贺信中，习近平强调希望奥林匹克频道为推进中华体育强国建设作出贡献。The channel, through broadcasting Olympic sports and culture, should present Chinese sports stories to the world, promote the sportsmanship of Chinese athletes, bolster international exchanges and cooperation in the sports field, enhance mutual learning between Chinese and other civilizations and strengthen people-to-people bonds, Xi said.习近平在贺信中指出，奥林匹克频道要通过奥林匹克运动和文化传播，讲述中国体育故事、弘扬中华体育精神，加强国际体育交流合作，推动我国同世界各国文明互鉴、民心相通。With the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics due to open in 100 days, Xi urged those working for the channel to present in an innovative manner the Chinese and international athletes' unremitting efforts to exert themselves to meet the challenges for success.习近平指出，再过100余天，北京冬奥会就将开幕。希望奥林匹克频道守正创新，精彩呈现中国和世界各国冰雪健儿自强不息、超越自我的拼搏历程。They should also try to make Beijing's philosophy of hosting a green, shared, open and clean Winter Olympics understood by the world, Xi said.习近平指出，要深入阐释绿色、共享、开放、廉洁的办奥理念。He also expressed his hope that the channel will actively promote the ideas of a healthy lifestyle and give importance to developing public and children's sports.习近平指出，要积极倡导健康生活理念，关注群众体育和青少年体育发展。Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, announced the launch of the Olympic Channel, known as CCTV16, and its digital platforms, at the event.中共中央政治局委员、中宣部部长黄坤明出席仪式并宣布奥林匹克频道（CCTV16）开播上线。The new channel is the result of strategic cooperation between the China Media Group and the International Olympic Committee. It will be the world's first 24-hour 4K ultrahigh-definition sports channel to be broadcast by satellite, according to the China Media Group.奥林匹克频道是中央广播电视总台与国际奥委会战略合作的重要成果，是国际上首个以4K超高清和高清标准24小时上星同步播出的专业体育频道。With venues being tested and trial operations underway, Beijing's smooth preparation for the 2022 Winter Olympics has earned international acclaim as anticipation builds ahead of the Feb 4 opening ceremony.目前场馆的测试和试运营正在进行，北京为2022年冬奥会的顺利筹备赢得了国际赞誉，人们已经在期待2月4日的开幕式。All 12 competition venues were completed by the end of last year. The three Games zones－Beijing's downtown area, its northwest Yanqing district and co-host Zhangjiakou, Hebei province－have hosted or are staging test events that meet Olympic standards. Evaluations of the readiness of facilities, the functioning of timing and scoring systems, deployment of COVID-19 countermeasures and services for Games participants all offer organizers critical feedback to make further improvements.截至去年底，12个比赛场馆全部竣工。北京市中心区、西北延庆区和河北省张家口市三个赛区已经举办或正在举办符合奥运标准的测试赛事。对设施准备情况、计时和评分系统的功能、防疫措施的部署和服务等的评估，都为组织者提供了重要反馈，以供进一步改进。An Olympic qualifying event, the Beijing leg of the International Skating Union's short-track speedskating World Cup series wrapped up four days of competition in Capital Indoor Stadium on Sunday. Some of the world's top skaters said they were impressed by their experiences on and off the ice.作为奥运会预选赛，国际滑冰联盟短道速滑世界杯系列赛北京站于周日在首都体育馆结束了为期四天的比赛。一些世界顶级滑冰运动员表示，他们在冰上和冰下的经历给他们留下了深刻的印象。"Everything is pretty well organized and I think the Chinese did a really good job. I feel really safe and I am happy to be here," champion short-track speedskater Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands said during the event.“一切都井井有条，我认为中国人做得非常好。我感到很安全，很高兴来到这里，”荷兰短道速滑冠军苏珊娜·舒尔廷在活动中说。Schulting, the defending Olympic champion in the women's 1,000 meters, said that despite the strict pandemic control measures that are in place, the warm hospitality and considerate services provided by the host had made her stay in Beijing a comfortable experience.奥运女子1000米卫冕冠军舒尔廷表示，尽管采取了严格的疫情防控措施，但东道主的热情款待和周到的服务让她在北京度过了一段舒心的经历。However, Ding Dong, operational director at the stadium, said it's not time to celebrate with Games organizers focused on reviewing and refining lessons from the test event.然而，首都体育馆场馆(群)运行团队主任丁东表示，现在不是与奥运会组织者一起庆祝的时候，重点是回顾和完善测试赛的经验教训。"Despite the positive remarks from athletes and international officials, the test run has enlightened us on areas we need to improve, such as some technical glitches that we will respond to as quickly as possible," Ding said.“尽管运动员和国际官员给予了积极的评价，但试运行在需要改进的地方也给了我们启示，例如我们将尽快应对一些技术故障，”丁说。The refurbishment of the 53-year-old indoor stadium is an example of Beijing's plan to use facilities and venues from the 2008 Summer Games. Renovation of the venues has shed light on a sustainable future for the Olympics as well as other major sporting events.这座拥有53年历史的室内体育场的翻新工程，是北京计划利用2008年夏季奥运会设施和场馆的一个例子。场馆的翻新为奥运会和其他重大体育赛事的可持续发展指明了方向。Canadian Nathalie Lambert, chair of the ISU's short-track technical committee, said her return to Capital Indoor Stadium for the meet was an eye-opening experience.国际滑冰联盟短道技术委员会主席、加拿大人Nathalie Lambert表示，她回到首都室内体育场参加比赛是一次令人大开眼界的经历。"I am impressed by what it looks like now. I'm impressed by the organization. I cannot wait to see the Olympic Games in this venue," said Lambert, who won two gold medals at the same arena during the 1993 world championships.“我对它现在的样子印象深刻。我对组织者感到震撼。我迫不及待地想在这个场地看到奥运会，”兰伯特说，1993年世锦赛期间，她正是在同一个赛场上获得了两枚金牌。"The setup is fantastic. The ice is very good, not only fast but it grips really solid. The skaters love the ice.…I am crossing my fingers," she said on her hope to return for the Winter Olympics.“设置太棒了。冰非常好，不仅速度快，而且抓地力非常好。滑冰者喜欢冰......我很期待，”她说她希望重返冬奥会。COVID countermeasures疫情防控措施With 10 international test events to be staged through December, the Beijing 2022 organizers will continue assessing a series of COVID-19 countermeasures in real-time practices to ensure their seamless implementation next year.12月将举行10场国际测试赛，北京2022冬奥会的组织者将继续实时评估一系列疫情防控对策，以确保它们在明年得到无缝实施。According to a "playbook" on COVID-19 safety measures released on Monday, all Games participants, including international athletes and officials, will have to be fully vaccinated before landing in China; otherwise they will need to undergo a 21-day hard quarantine upon arrival.根据周一发布的《北京2022年冬奥会和冬残奥会防疫手册》，所有奥运会参赛者，包括国际运动员和官员，在抵达中国之前都必须接种疫苗；否则，他们需要在抵达时接受21天的严格隔离。If their nucleic acid tests are negative upon arrival, vaccinated participants will enter a closed loop, or biosecure bubble, with their movement restricted to designated hotels or accommodation facilities and official Games venues. They will travel on special shuttle services and be separated from the public and local communities.如果抵达时核酸检测呈阴性，已接种疫苗的参赛人员将进入闭环管理，他们的活动将被限制在指定的酒店或住宿设施和官方运动会场馆内。他们将乘坐特殊的班车服务，并与公众和当地社区分开。Those inside the bubbles will be tested daily for COVID-19 and isolated immediately if they are positive. Contact-tracing will be conducted for the duration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, while mask-wearing will be compulsory at all venues, except during competition and when athletes pose for photos during medal ceremonies.封闭区域内的人将每天接受核酸检测，如果呈阳性则立即隔离。冬奥会和冬残奥会期间将进行接触者追踪，除比赛期间和运动员在颁奖典礼上合影外，所有场馆都将强制佩戴口罩。Last month, the Beijing 2022 organizers and the IOC decided to bar international spectators from the Games. Only Chinese mainland residents who have passed certain COVID-19 prevention requirements, yet to be announced, will be eligible to buy Games tickets.上个月，北京2022年冬奥会组织者和国际奥委会决定禁止国际观众参加奥运会。只有通过了某些尚未公布的疫情防控要求的中国大陆居民才有资格购买奥运会门票。Christophe Dubi, the IOC's Olympic Games executive director, said the playbook offers clear guidelines to guarantee safety and the IOC expects everyone involved to respect the rules.国际奥委会奥运会部执行主任克里斯托弗·杜比表示，该手册提供了明确的指导方针来保证安全，国际奥委会希望每个参赛人员都遵守规则。"We want everyone at the Games to be safe; that's why we're asking all participants to follow these guidelines. Keeping everyone healthy will ensure the focus remains on the very fundamentals of the Olympic and Paralympic Games－the athletes and the sport," he said in a statement released on Monday.“我们希望参与冬奥会的每一个人都能安全；这就是为什么我们要求所有参赛人员遵守这些准则。保证每个人的健康就能确保重点仍然放在奥运会和残奥会的基础上——运动员和这次赛事本身，”克里斯托弗·杜比在周一发布的一份声明中说。

北京冬奥火种抵达北京丨Olympic flame's arrival sparks 2022 Winter GamesCarrying a message of peace and solidarity, the flame for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games arrived to a warm welcome in Beijing on Wednesday.周三，象征和平与团结的2022年冬奥会圣火抵达北京，受到热烈欢迎。Witnessed by organizers, sports figures, performers and students, the flame－housed in a red lantern－drew crowds of onlookers as it was escorted by volunteers into a ceremony held at Beijing's Olympic Tower.在组织者、体育界人士、表演者和学生的见证下，志愿者护送装在红色火种灯中的圣火，进入了在北京奥林匹克塔举行的火种欢迎仪式现场，该仪式吸引了大批围观者。▲ 周三，在北京奥林匹克塔举行的火种欢迎仪式上，一名护送人员手持装有北京2022 年冬奥会圣火的火种灯。刘平摄/中国日报The flame arrived early on Wednesday after being flown from Greece, the birthplace of the Olympics, where it was lit two days earlier.当地时间2021年10月18日，冬奥会火种在奥林匹克运动发祥地希腊点燃，之后于周三早些时候飞抵北京。Public exhibitions of the torch and the traditional national relay in the host country have been streamlined for the Beijing Games due to COVID-19 precautionary measures.根据新冠肺炎疫情防控措施要求，北京冬奥会的火炬展示和传统的东道国火炬传递活动均已简化。Cai Qi, secretary of the Communist Party of China Beijing Municipal Committee and president of the organizing committee for the Games, lit a cauldron on a stage using a torch ignited from the lantern's flame. The lighting of the cauldron signaled that the curtain had been raised on the Beijing Winter Olympics, which run from Feb 4 to Feb 20. Games events are scheduled in three zones－downtown Beijing, the capital's northwest Yanqing district and co-host Zhangjiakou in Hebei province.北京市委书记、北京冬奥组委主席蔡奇手持由奥运火种点燃的火炬，点燃火种台。火种台的点亮标志着北京冬奥会已经拉开帷幕。本届冬奥会将于2月4日至2月20日举行。冬奥会将在三个赛区举行——北京赛区、位于北京西北部的延庆赛区以及河北省张家口赛区。▲ 北京市委书记、北京2022年冬奥组委主席蔡奇周三上午从工作人员手中接过用奥运圣火点燃的火炬。魏小豪/中国日报Due to the pandemic, Games organizers have cut back the traditional torch relay to a small-scale event. The relay will take place in three host areas and involve about 1,200 torchbearers due to COVID-19 containment protocols.由于疫情原因，北京冬奥组委已精简传统的火炬传递活动规模。受新冠肺炎疫情防控方案限制，火炬传递将在三个赛区进行，约1,200 名火炬手参与传递。The relay is scheduled for Feb 2 to Feb 4, with the route connecting landmarks, historical sites and major tourism attractions in Beijing and Zhangjiakou. The culture and warm hospitality of the hosts will be on display, the organizing committee of the Games said.火炬传递时间为2月2日至4日，路线连接北京和张家口市的地标、古迹和主要旅游景点。北京冬奥组委表示，将展现出东道主国的文化以及热情好客。"As an iconic cultural element of the Olympic Games, the torch relay plays a significant role in promoting the host's international image while spreading the message of peace, solidarity, friendship and health," said Zhang Jiandong, a vice-mayor of Beijing and executive vice-president of the organizing committee.北京市副市长、北京冬奥组委执行副主席张建东说：“火炬传递作为奥运会的标志性文化元素，在传播和平、团结、友谊和健康的信息，和提升东道主国际形象方面发挥了重要作用。” The shortened torch relay with reduced crowds, will help ensure the health and safety of all participants as well as that of local communities. The preparation work for the Games has been adapted to the pandemic situation, Zhang added.精简火炬传递活动，控制人员规模，将有助于确保所有参与者以及当地群众的健康和安全。张建东还表示，冬奥会的筹备工作已根据疫情防控形势做出了调整。According to the organizers, the Olympic flame will be displayed at the Olympic Tower, before being taken on an exhibition tour across the country next month, including visits to the chilly northeastern provinces in early January to engage people's interest in the Games.冬奥组委表示，奥运圣火将在奥林匹克塔上进行展示，并于下个月在全国范围内进行展示。一月初圣火将抵达寒冷的东北，这将点燃人们对奥运会的兴趣。▲ 2021 年 10 月 20 日，在中国首都北京奥林匹克塔举行的冬奥会圣火欢迎仪式。摄魏晓豪/chinadaily.com.cnAn online version of the torch relay making use of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies is also planned for social media platforms, with the details yet to be announced.社交媒体平台预计将利用虚拟现实和增强现实技术，进行线上火炬传递，目前具体细节尚未公布。Wang Xiangyu, a deputy director of Beijing 2022's culture and ceremonies department, said, "Although the length and duration of the torch relay has been reduced, this represents an innovative approach to maximize the benefits of the technology in connecting more people in an interactive way.北京2022冬奥组委文化活动部副部长王向豫表示：“虽然火炬传递的长度和持续时间有所减少，但这一创新形式可以最大限度地发挥技术优势，以互动形式让更多人参与进来。”"However, we will keep the traditional offline event on a smaller scale to make sure that people still get to feel the warmth of the flame and get inspired by the Olympic spirit up close," he said.他说：“但是，我们将精简传统线下火炬传递活动规模，以确保人们仍然能够感受到圣火的温度，近距离地感受奥林匹克精神。” The design concepts of the flame lantern, the demonstration cauldron, the logo for the torch relay and the torchbearers' uniforms, all of which drew inspiration from Chinese culture and traditions, were also unveiled at Wednesday's ceremony.火种台、火炬接力景观火炬标志、和火炬手服装等也在周三的仪式上亮相。其设计灵感均来源于中国传统文化。The lantern, which will be used for the flame exhibition tour, is based on the Changxin Palace Lamp, a bronze oil lamp from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), while the cauldron features the same red and silver colors and cloud pattern as the torch.用于圣火展示的火种灯以西汉（公元前206年-公元24年）的青铜油灯长信宫灯为基础。火炬一样，火种台为红、银两色，绘有云彩图案。"The designs of the torch, lantern and cauldron echo each other within a consistent concept that strikes a strong impression of dynamism and vitality," said Li Jianye, a member of the design group.设计组成员李剑叶称：“火炬、火种灯和火种台的设计概念一致并相互呼应，给人以活力四射的印象。”Drawing inspiration from the main cauldron for the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, the torch for the Beijing 2022 Games is dubbed the "flying ribbon". It spirals upward to create two overlapping, fluttering ribbons with the red, inner one evoking rising flames to contrast with the silver-plated outer layer.从2008年北京夏季奥运会的主火炬中汲取灵感，北京2022年冬奥会火炬被称为“飘扬的丝带”。它向上盘旋，形成两条重叠的、飘动的丝带。内层的红色丝带唤起向上的火焰，与镀银外层形成鲜明对比。

Photo: Kalgan, 1868 Kalgan, the name by which the city of Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, is most known to Westerners, is a city with close to 2,000 years of history as a frontier town on the Russo-Chinese border. @Batchelorshow Xi asks Putin for help to keep the lights on. H. J. Mackinder, International Relations. #FriendsofHistoryDebatingSociety https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/world-economy/xi-jinpings-power-plays-collapse-chinas-electricity-grid/news-story/8dcefd6400a409d656a7ca1d5df118cf

Organizers of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics have taken valuable lessons from Tokyo's successful hosting of the Summer Games and its strategies to deal with COVID-19.北京2022年冬奥会的组织者从东京成功举办的夏季奥运会及其应对新冠疫情的策略中吸取了宝贵的经验。Thirty-four members of the Beijing Organising Committee were sent to Tokyo to take part in the International Olympic Committee's observer program. The majority of delegates have returned from the Summer Games, where they gained firsthand experience and knowledge by working with their Japanese counterparts in key posts.北京冬奥组委派出34人赴东京参加国际奥委会的观察员项目。大多数代表是从夏季奥运会回来的，他们与日本同行，通过在关键岗位上的合作获得了宝贵的一手资料。▲ A crowd welcomes the Chinese delegation at Beijing Capital International Airport after their fine performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The athletes were later driven to hotels to go through strict COVID-19 quarantine measures. Tao Ran/For China DailyThey also studied the operational challenges of staging the world's biggest sporting event during a pandemic.他们还研究了在疫情期间举办世界最大体育赛事所要面临的挑战。After reviewing notes, documents and video footage brought home from Tokyo, the Beijing 2022 organizers are more confident about delivering streamlined and safe Winter Games, which are scheduled to start on Feb 4.在回顾了从东京带回的笔记、文件和录像后，北京2022年的组织者对提供简约而安全的冬季运动会更有信心，这届冬奥会定于2月4日开始。"Even if we are preparing for winter sports, to witness and learn close up how the Japanese hosts tackled the challenge under the circumstances of a pandemic provided us with invaluable references," said Yan Cheng, human resources director of the Beijing Organising Committee.北京冬奥组委人力资源部部长闫成说：“即使我们是在为冬季运动做准备，但近距离目睹和学习日本东道主如何在疫情下应对挑战，这也为我们提供了宝贵的参考。”China has developed effective COVID-19 containment and contact-tracing measures of its own. However, the visiting Beijing 2022 organizers drew lessons from Tokyo's approach, especially health protocols at competition venues and media facilities. These will serve as key additions to Beijing's own development of pandemic countermeasures during the Winter Games, the organizers said.即使中国已经制定了有效的疫情防控和接触跟踪措施。北京2022冬奥会组织者还是从东京奥运会学习到了很多，特别是比赛场馆和媒体设施的卫生协议。主办方表示，这些将成为北京在冬奥会期间制定相关疫情对策的重要补充。"We've paid attention to the details, such as the use of sanitizer sprays with a pedal that you can press with your foot, rather than using your hands, to minimize the chances of getting infected," said Wang Tongguo, a member of the Beijing 2022 Games service department.北京冬奥组委运动会服务部医疗卫生处副处长王同国说：“东京在防疫方面有很多细节做得不错，比如很多地方都是采用脚踩式消毒粉雾剂，避免了用手按压喷壶造成交叉感染。”Color-coded areas of hotels to separate athletes and Games staff who had finished their mandatory quarantine from those who hadn't, as well as the issuing of COVID-19 self-testing kits at the athletes' village were also useful measures, Wang added.王同国说，酒店大厅采用两种颜色导流设计，对入境是否满14天人员活动区域进行了区分。在奥运村和部分酒店，为奥运人员发放了新冠病毒核酸检测包，方便他们及时报告身体状况。With only six months to go before the Winter Games open in Beijing and co-host Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, all 12 competition venues have been completed and tested. The remainder of the facilities are scheduled to be finished by October.距离北京主办和张家口协办的冬奥会开幕还有6个月，所有12个比赛场馆都已经建成并进行了测试。其余设施定于10月完工。Beijing 2022 organizers are now busy finalizing details of the opening ceremony and training volunteers. They are also preparing for 10 final test events from September to December, which could see foreign athletes take part.北京2022年组织者现在正忙于敲定开幕式的细节和培训志愿者。他们还在为9月至12月的10个决赛项目做准备，届时外国运动员将参加。Other key issues that need to be finalized include whether, and to what scale, the Beijing Games will allow international spectators, the ticketing program and the length of the pre-Games quarantine period. The details are being negotiated between the Beijing Organising Committee, the International Olympic Committee and international winter sports federations.其他需要最后确定的关键问题包括北京奥运会是否允许国际观众，以及能够以何种规模允许国际观众观看，票务项目和奥运会前检疫期的长短。北京奥组委、国际奥委会和国际冬季运动联合会正在就细节进行谈判。"As the Tokyo Games drew to a close, we kind of got emotional bidding farewell to the athletes," said Yang Yang, a retired short-track speed skating Olympic champion and the current vice-president of the World Anti-Doping Agency. "Yet, knowing that the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are just around the corner has made us excited again."退役的短道速滑奥运冠军、现任世界反兴奋剂机构副主席杨扬说：“随着东京奥运会的接近尾声，我们不舍地向运动员们告别。但是想到北京2022年冬季奥运会即将来临，我们又再次兴奋起来。”IOC President Thomas Bach echoed the sentiment, saying the Chinese athletes' excellent Tokyo 2020 campaign has raised expectations about China's hosting of the Winter Olympics.国际奥委会主席托马斯·巴赫也表达了同样的观点，他说，中国运动员在东京2020年的出色表现提高了人们对中国举办冬奥会的期望。1. streamline美 ['strim.laɪn] 英 ['striːm.laɪn]v.使成流线型；使（系统、机构等）效率更高；（尤指）使增产节约adj.流线型的n.【物】流线网络：精简；提高效率；精简机构2. invaluable美 [ɪn'væljuəb(ə)l] 英 [ɪn'væljuəb(ə)l]adj.极有用的；极宝贵的网络：无价的；非常宝贵的；无法估价的3.venue [ˈvɛnjuː]n.场地；(体育)场馆；会场；集合地点网络：场地介绍；场地地址；比赛地点4.remainder美 [rɪ'meɪndər] 英 [rɪ'meɪndə(r)]n.余数；剩余物；其他人员；剩余时间adj.剩余的；留存下的v.廉价出售（书）网络：残余；余式；剩余的部分

International calls to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing are growing, as people around the world question whether China should still host the Games amid widespread human rights abuses across the country.Among those considering a boycott is British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who said in October: “The concern over what’s happening with the Uighurs is not something we can turn away from. Let’s consider, in the rounds, what further action we can take.”US Senator Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, has also spoken out against China’s hosting gig. In October 2019, he told CNBC that “the 2022 Olympics shouldn’t be in China. We gotta say: ‘China, until you become a legitimate country that is going to respect human rights, we’re not going to do business with you.’”Today, I wrote to @iocmedia President Thomas Bach requesting a meeting prior to their Executive Board meeting.The IOC must stand up for freedom and urge Communist China to stop violating human rights, or find a new home for the 2022 @Olympics. pic.twitter.com/wFT4k0GyvC— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) August 6, 2020This week, Australian Senator Rex Patrick told ABC Australia that he supported a boycott of the Games due to security concerns for athletes who attend."It's unsafe for Australians to go to China," Senator Patrick said. "I can't see a change occurring any time soon and indeed people need to consider that in the context of a decision to send athletes to China for the Beijing Olympics."International human rights organizations are making similar demands to relocate the series of high-profile sporting events. In September, more than 160 of them wrote a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) asking for the Games to be moved out of China.“The IOC must recognize that the Olympic spirit and the reputation of the Olympic Games will suffer further damage if the worsening human rights crisis, across all areas under China’s control, is simply ignored,” the letter reads. It also says that stripping Beijing of the Games would fulfill the Committee’s duty to “abide by the Olympic Charter’s core principles about ‘human dignity.’”‘Utterly ludicrous’But the Uighur issue is far from the only human rights concern, according to advocates in the West. Tibet has long faced similarly oppressive tactics.“We have been attempting to have a dialogue with the IOC for many, many years,” said Mandie McKeown, the campaign coordinator for the International Tibet Network, one of the organizations involved in the campaign. McKeown said she and other organizations have been urging the IOC to change its attitudes toward China since 2001, when the country was awarded the 2008 Olympics.Upon receiving the letter in September, the IOC agreed to meet with McKeown and other human rights organizations. They gathered — virtually — in early October. McKeown said it was a welcome opportunity, but one that didn’t lead to any promises of a change in venue.  Laborers work at the construction site of the ski jump arena of the 2022 Winter Olympics in the Chongli district of Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, China, Oct. 29, 2020. Credit: Thomas Peter/Reuters “With all the evidence they have at their fingertips, it’s just utterly ludicrous they believe this was the right move,” she said.The IOC defends China’s hosting duties because they believe in the separation between sport and politics.“The Games are about sport and about the athletes,” IOC Executive Director Christophe Dubi said at a recent press conference. “And this is a line we do not cross.”China agrees, not surprisingly. In September, the country’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin criticized the human rights groups for their activism.“Some organizations have linked the so-called human rights issues with the Beijing Winter Olympics in an attempt to put pressure on the Chinese side, which is a mistake to politicize the sports movement,” Wenbin said.‘Intersection of sports and geopolitics’Meanwhile, many China critics say that sports and politics have been intertwined for decades.“The intersection of sports and geopolitics has been a long-established fait accompli,” said Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff, a historian and research associate with the Center for International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London. She said one of the earliest examples of this nexus was the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.“Nazi Germany served as host and really tried to use their host duties of the Olympiad to showcase to the world what they perceived to be the positives of Nazi ideology,” Krasnoff said, adding that the Nazis wanted the Games to showcase how their program “had helped German society.”At the time, there were a few calls for boycotts, but when the Games began, countries showed up. Only a few individual Jewish athletes from around the world chose to stay home. Later, in 1976, nearly 30 countries boycotted the Games in Montreal, when the IOC refused to ban New Zealand — whose rugby team had toured South Africa during apartheid. Then came the only US-led boycott in Olympic history. The United States refused to attend the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.Dick Pound, a Canadian swimming champion and advocate for ethics in the world of sport, was a new IOC member at the time, when he remembers questioning the US strategy. “If your objective is to change Chinese policy, it has no chance of working. Anybody who thinks it has a possibility of working is just way off the mark.”Dick Pound, former vice president, IOC“If you don’t get out of Afghanistan, we’re going to punish your athletes. And that’ll teach you,” Pound said, laughing. “And everyone is shaking their heads going, ‘This does not have the impact that you seek at all.'”Indeed, the Soviet Union stayed in Afghanistan, and instead organized a counterboycott of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Pound said a Beijing boycott in 2022 could see similar results.“If your objective is to change Chinese policy, it has no chance of working. Anybody who thinks it has a possibility of working is just way off the mark,” he added.‘Call attention to the issues’What boycotts can do is serve as an effective public relations campaign, historian Krasnoff said. “They can call attention to the issues at hand, force greater public consideration of the issue, and put big international leagues or companies into the spotlight,” she added.But with over a year until the 2022 Games, the reality of any country withdrawing from the Games is still up in the air. And, according to Alan Bairner, a professor of sport and social theory at Loughborough University in the UK, countries need to use that time to weigh the full costs and benefits of a boycott. He warns it could lead to unintended consequences.“If there was a serious attempt to damage China’s reputation through a boycott of the Winter Olympics, [Chinese President] Xi Jinping would simply say, ‘We’ve had 100 years of humiliation at the hands of the British, the Americans, the Japanese, and others. And they’re doing it all over again,’” Bairner said. That response, he added, could embolden China’s president, as opposed to budging his policies.Related: How China uses malware to track Muslim UighursIf countries formally go forward with a boycott, the IOC’s Pound says that athletes’ individual Olympic dreams will still be protected, however.“We will invite them ourselves — as if they were refugees,” he said. “Leave it to the athletes to decide.”McKeown says she and other human rights groups are still strategizing about whether to call for a full boycott. They currently support a diplomatic boycott, a situation in which countries would send athletes to the Games but not their national heads of state.  But she’s confident that the pressure on countries to consider the call to action is mounting.“We will see more and more governments come out and really put their heads above the parapet and say they are not going to stand for this anymore,” McKeown said.The Winter Olympics are slated to begin in Beijing on Feb. 4, 2022.

Zhangjiakou bewirbt sich gemeinsam mit Peking als Austragungsort für die Olympischen Winterspiele 2022. Nachdem Oslo seine Bewerbung zurückgezogen hat, sind die Chancen erheblich gestiegen.

Oskar Falk Oskar is site manager for Volvos engine plant in Skövde. He has also been deeply responsible for the establishment of our first engine plant in China in Zhangjiakou. We talk about both struggles in this challenge but also what has been the success factories now when its running and produce engines both to our factories in Chengdu and in Daqing and soon also in Luqiao when Volvo will start producing the new XC40 in 2018. A critical question for the future for a plant that produce combustion engines is of course what will happen when the amount of electrified cars will increase. Oskar is a optimistic and sees more opportunities then risks and maybe we will see electric engines in the future produced in Volvos engine plants. Welcome to an interesting talk. I also want to thank you for all feedback during the year and look forward to a very exciting 2018 in the Garage with a lot of interesting visitors. Happy new Year! Magnus

In the first episode of our Green Power mini-series, we travel to the winter wonderland of Zhangjiakou in 2022—the year the city, along with Beijing, will host the Winter Olympics. Alongside this ambition, Zhangjiakou has set strong targets for renewable energy growth to combat the air pollution dogging the region. However, the city has been beset with a problem facing China’s renewable energy rollout across the board: its wind and solar energy is being wasted because the power grid continues to favor the existing fossil fuel fired power plants over new sources. We chat with Anders Hove, Associate Director of Research at the Paulson Institute in Beijing, to learn how Zhangjiakou can overcome this problem of “curtailment” through integration in the broader Jing-jin-ji region—sending its excess green electrons to power electric vehicles in neighboring Beijing, for example. The solutions he describes extend beyond the Zhangjiakou predicament to all of China. Listen to find out what it will take for China to fully utilize its unmatched renewable energy resources before the 2022 Olympics. You can find the the Paulson Institute’s report Going for Gold: Championing Renewable Integration in Jing-Jin-Ji on this topic here.  

This is Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.China has released a national plan on environmental improvements for the five years spanning 2016 and 2020, detailing tasks to cleanse polluted air, water and soil.The plan set the goals of a more environmentally friendly way of living, considerable reduction of major pollutants, effective control of environmental risks, and a sounder ecological system by 2020.To achieve those targets, the State Council has asked Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, as well as regions along the Yangtze River Economic Belt to draw up a bottom line, for ecological protection by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, other areas should come up with a red line before the end of 2018.Consumption of coal, which is a major source of pollution in China, will be strictly controlled.China&`&s environmental protection still lags behind its economic status, and decades of breakneck growth have left the country saddled with problems including smog and contaminated waterways and soil.Northern China has frequently been choked by winter smog, showing the war on pollution is an urgent and arduous task. This is Special English.A mysterious banging noise on the surface of a spacecraft that baffled a Chinese astronaut turned out not to be aliens, but the result of air pressure changes.Yang Liwei, China&`&s first astronaut, aroused public attention when he revealed in a television interview in late November that he heard an unexplained sound like "knocking an iron bucket with a wooden hammer" from outside his capsule during his maiden mission in 2003, leaving him very puzzled.When the famed astronaut attended an event at a school in the eastern city of Ningbo in Zhejiang Province recently, the question of the mysterious noise was raised by students.Yang replied that according to what he learned, the knocking sound was a result of decreasing air pressure that caused changes in the structure of the spacecraft as it left Earth for space.He said air leaking out of the objects in the capsule could also cause the noise.Yang said he thinks it was normal, and it is necessary to carefully identify the cause.Yang&`&s explanation echoed with space scientist Liu Hong, who wrote an article for a popular Chinese science website, saying that she believes the sound comes from tiny deformations in the space capsule&`&s inner wall to changes in pressure.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. It is time to go skiing as authorities in Beijing aim to attract as many as 5 million residents to take up winter sports by 2020 as it prepares to host the upcoming winter Olympics.Beijing, along with the city of Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province, won the bid to co-host the 2022 Winter Olympics.The Beijing municipal government approved a five-year plan spanning 2016 and 2020 on public fitness, pledging "vigorous efforts" to introduce winter sports to the public. The sports include alpine skiing, speed skating, figure skating and curling.According to the plan, the government will use sports lottery revenue and other fiscal funds to build sporting venues, set up sports associations, and organize competitions and festivals.It will particularly attract student enthusiasts with winter camps, sports schools, recreation centers and clubs. The amount of investment and details of the project are not yet disclosed. This is Special English.China&`&s "24 solar terms" has been added to UNESCO&`&s world intangible cultural heritage list. The announcement was made in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, during the 11th session of UNESCO&`&s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritages. China&`&s "24 solar terms" is a knowledge system and social practice formed through observations of the sun&`&s annual motion, as well as cognition of the year&`&s changes in season and climate.The terms include Start of Spring, Awakening of Insects, Start of Summer, as well as Winter Solstice, Minor Cold and Major Cold.The collective terms are among the 37 requests for inscription on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage is in its 10 years of service. It has inscribed 336 items onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. The island of Utopia, created 500 years ago, and the futuristic outer space, which seem far away from each other, came together at a conference in Beijing recently.The International Conference of Utopian and Science Fiction Studies has been held to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the publication of "Utopia".In 1516, English philosopher and writer Thomas More published his famous book "Utopia", depicting an almost perfect fictional society, and the term has been widely used and discussed since then.Among various anniversary activities around the world at this time of this year, the conference in Beijing commemorates the well-known novel in a special way by discussing it together with sci-fi works, with the participation of experts and scholars from China, the United States and Japan.While Utopia is always regarded as a political and philosophical concept, and science fiction normally focuses on technology, Kim Stanley Robinson, an American sci-fi author famous for his "Mars trilogy", said at the conference that the two are connected naturally.According to Robinson, Utopia was initially set on an isolated island, and such a background could not be used anymore after the world was completely explored, so the background had to be switched to the future.Guo Changbao, dean of the School of Chinese Language and Literature of Beijing Normal University, said the vast space inspired by Utopia would bring meaningful perspectives for Chinese science fiction and its studies.This is Special English.Taiwan investigators said they had solved the island&`&s biggest-ever drug-trafficking case and seized more than 200 kilograms of cocaine.The market value of the seized cocaine is estimated to exceed 2 billion new Taiwan dollars, roughly 62 million U.S. dollars. Investigators said they had also seized more than 50 kilograms of meth.Investigators received tip-offs that a Taipei company had, on multiple occasions, exported "large vehicle batteries" by sea or air to Australia at unreasonably high freight costs.On Dec. 1, they found around 51 kilograms of meth transported along with the company&`&s 11 exported vehicle batteries.Later they seized around 218 kilograms of cocaine transported with 30 similar batteries that the company imported from Brazil.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That&`&s mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues.Michael Phelps wants to dive into the Silicon Valley&`&s investment opportunities as he tries to make the transition from Olympic swimming star and product pitchman to entrepreneur.Phelps says he would love to get involved, whether it&`&s in a couple little startups here and there, take a little risk, have some fun and see where it goes. For now, Phelps isn&`&t providing any details about what he is going to do, though he says he has been getting advice from venture capitalists and other experienced investors in Silicon Valley startups.Getting into tech investing would be a new direction for Phelps, whose business experience to date consists mostly of his own line of swimwear and endorsement deals with the likes of Under Armour, Visa and Wheaties.These and other big brands have paid him an estimated 75 million dollars during his career. That&`&s far more than the 1.6 million dollars that he received from the U.S. Olympic Committee and Speedo for winning a record 28 medals, including 23 golds, in five Olympics. He&`&s still promoting products; he is currently doing commercials for computer chipmaker Intel in a campaign that began in October.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. A transgender student whose battle over the right to use a girls&`& bathroom has led to a landmark court ruling in Maine, and is being featured in a new HBO documentary."The Trans List" explores what it means to be a transgender in America.Nicole Maines is one of several individuals featured in the documentary.Maines says her entire family got behind her after she was bullied over a bathroom while in secondary school. The state supreme court ultimately ruled that her rights were violated.Maines now encourages young people to advocate for themselves. In her words, "slay your own dragon, you can do it". She is currently a student at the University of Maine.This is Special English.Buzz Aldrin said he was evacuated from the South Pole because he became short of breath and began showing signs of altitude sickness.The 86-year-old adventurer, who was the second man to walk on the moon, released details of his dramatic medical evacuation. He was continuing to recuperate in a hospital in Christchurch in New Zealand.Because of the thick ice, the South Pole sits at an elevation of 2,800 meters, or 9,300 feet.Aldrin, his son and his manager had been visiting the South Pole as tourists on a trip organized by the White Desert tour company. Aldrin said the trip began well, and that he&`&d been planning on spending time with scientists who were studying what it would be like to live on Mars because conditions in Antarctica are similar.After the group ventured further south, Aldrin started to feel a bit short of breath so the staff decided to check his vitals. After some examination, they noticed congestion in his lungs and that his oxygen levels were low, which indicated symptoms of altitude sickness.This is Special English.Infrared cameras have captured incredible scenes of wild Amur leopards and Siberian tigers this year after being installed at a national nature reserve in northeast China&`&s Heilongjiang Province.Amur leopards were spotted 17 times this year at a nature reserve, equaling the total number from 2012 to 2015.Siberian tigers were spotted five times, including twice when they were found roaming during the daytime.The nature reserve said more animal activities, especially in daytime, show the rare species have become more active thanks to human retreat.Siberian tigers were rarely found in the daytime for fear of human-related noise, including logging saws and vehicle engines at the reserve, which used to be a timber base.In 2011, the local forestry bureau banned logging and initiated a program to build a nature reserve for wild tigers. In 2014, the reserve was upgraded to the national level.Since the creation of the reserve, prey for carnivores, including boars and deer, have increased, which helped the big cat population rebound.At least four Siberian tigers and seven Amur leopards currently live at the reserve. The numbers change as the animals often roam back and forth across the China-Russia border.As one of the world&`&s most endangered species, the Amur leopard was put under top national protection in 1983. There are less than 70 left in the world. They are mostly found in Russia&`&s Far East, northeast China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Around 500 Siberian tigers are believed to survive in the wild, in those same areas. This is the end of this edition of Special English. To freshen up your memory, I&`&m going to read one of the news items again at normal speed. Please listen carefully.This is the end of today&`&s program. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing, and I hope you can join us every day, to learn English and learn about the world.（全文见周日微信。）

This is Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.China will increase the number of beds in obstetrics units and train more midwives to meet the rapidly growing demand for maternal services resulting from the universal second-child policy. China&`&s top health authority said in a guideline released recently that it will speed up training of obstetricians and midwives to produce 140,000 such professionals before 2020. The National Health and Family Planning Commission also urged local health authorities nationwide to add a total of 89,000 beds in obstetrics units in the next few years to help close the gap between supply and demand of maternal services. The guideline is intended to improve basic maternal healthcare services to ensure the universal second-child policy, implemented at the beginning of the year, is smoothly carried out. There is a severe shortage of obstetricians and midwives in China, with just 30 midwives for every 1 million pregnant women, far below most other countries.The birth rate has increased with the new second-child policy, especially in big cities, causing great strains on maternal resources and a shortage of medical professionals. Occupation rates of beds in obstetrics units at major hospitals in Beijing reached an average of 108 percent last year before the policy was implemented. The commission said this means that all beds were in use and temporary solutions were required to meet demands in such hospitals. This is Special English.A century-old railway station in Beijing has been put out of service due to the construction of an intercity railway linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou city in Hebei Province.The Qinghuayuan Railway Station, built in 1910, will be preserved as the station still retains some of its original features.Local residents near the station have come and taken photos of the site. Some bought a ticket as a keepsake.In addition, the Beijing North Railway Station has also suspended ticket sales to coordinate with the construction of the new intercity railway.According to the Beijing Railway Administration, information of the affected trains and stations will be released to the public as early as possible to minimize any potential inconvenience caused by the changes.The new intercity railway is expected to be finished in 2020 and to serve by 2022 for the Winter Olympic Games co-hosted by the two cities.The railway will allow a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour. It will take only 50 minutes to travel from one city to the other, a distance of approximately 170 kilometers. You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. （完整文稿见周日微信。）

This is Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.China&`&s second lunar probe, Chang&`&e-2, has been a huge success and is now the smallest man-made asteroid in the solar system.According to a leading scientist of China&`&s lunar exploration project, the lunar probe, launched in 2010, has fulfilled its mission and made worthwhile achievements.The scientist said the lunar probe has completed and published a full seven-meter-resolution map of the Moon&`&s surface for the first time.It used X-ray observation data to fully map the Moon&`&s surface and calculate aluminum distribution on the Moon.Currently, the Chang&`&e-2 is the smallest man-made asteroid in the solar system. It has completed over 200 million kilometers flight and will continue to fly, returning somewhere closer to the earth around 2029.This is Special English.Children from across the world have extended birthday wishes to taikonaut Jing Haipeng, who is currently orbiting the earth in space lab Tiangong-2."Happy birthday Uncle Jing, &`&Tashi delek&`&," said a Tibetan primary school girl using the Tibetan greeting for good luck and best wishes. She also said that it was her dream to become an astronaut.Jing, commander of the Shenzhou-11 mission, turned 50 on Monday.Xinhua News Agency has collected more than 10,000 birthday wishes for Jing from children all around the world. The messages, pictures and videos were sent from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as from other countries including the United States and Sweden. Xinhua has sent some of the messages, pictures and videos to Jing.A pupil in Beijing said he felt lucky to be so close to an astronaut, and he was more than willing to send his birthday wishes to Uncle Jing.A student from a special education school in Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province sent her birthday message by sign language. Two days ago, she asked the astronauts in space whether they had seen aliens.Jing&`&s teammate in the mission, Chen Dong, replied that he hadn&`&t seen any aliens yet, but he did harbor a hope that he would see aliens and many other peculiar things.The two will continue to live in space for 30 days before returning to Earth.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. The Ministry of Education plans to sign more agreements on the mutual recognition of academic degrees with other countries.The ministry said that by 2020, such mutual recognition agreements will hopefully cover most countries of the world, particularly developed countries.An international education conference was held in Beijing recently. The annual event aims to promote study in a foreign country, and this year, it&`&s Ireland in particular. The authority said such mutual recognition agreements represented other countries&`& recognition of the quality of China&`&s higher education.Since 1988, China has inked such deals with 46 countries.This is Special English.Chinese students studying abroad have become younger in age.According to a report released in a national education portal site, graduate students plunged to 40 percent of total Chinese students studying in the United States last year, compared with 80 percent 10 years ago.The report in Education Online said that meanwhile, the number of Chinese high school students studying in the United States maintained double-digit growth, accounting for 52 percent of Chinese students in the United States.The report said the number of Chinese students for overseas study has increased steadily. Last year, 520,000 students studied overseas, and the number is expected to keep growing this year.The United States is the main destination for Chinese students studying abroad, hitting 320,000 so far this year.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. North China&`&s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has launched a program to attract medical graduates to work in rural areas to tackle an acute shortage of health care workers.The region is home to many people of Mongolian ethnicity as well as people from other ethnic minority groups who make their living through grazing and animal husbandry.Rural medical services are insufficient, although a program in effect since 2013 has provided an on-the-job training for 12,000 medical workers.A notice issued by the regional health department showed that only 9 percent of 20,000 health workers in service in rural areas are licensed medical practitioners.Under the newly implemented policies, vocational-school medical students willing to work in rural areas after graduation will receive tuition waivers for all three years of their schooling and be provided with subsidies for school accommodation.The regional government hopes the program will help channel 10,000 assistant medical practitioners into village clinics over the next five years.China is in desperate need of village doctors. But rural doctors are increasingly reluctant to stay at their job due to barriers including low pay, a lack of prestige and little room for advancement.This is Special English.China will offer more policy support to boost education services for its senior citizens.A newly released State Council plan said China should establish a comprehensive elderly education system by 2020, with diversified teaching approaches and content.Communities, nursing houses and other elderly care facilities are encouraged to offer a range of courses, and the government will provide full support, including financial subsidies and IT services.According to the plan&`&s target, more than 20 percent of the total elderly population will be able to regularly participate in various educational activities by 2020.As of the end of last year, people over 65 years old accounted for more than 10 percent of China&`&s total population. By 2020, the number of senior citizens will have reached 240 million, or 17 percent of the total population.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That&`&s mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues.Beijing is planning to list ice and snow sports as a compulsory course for primary and middle school students.Municipal authorities made the announcement at the International Winter Sports Exposition held in Beijing.The authority is hoping that the students can do at least one type of winter sport in the future.Beijing will push the development of youth ice-snow sports, making sure young students have at least one hour to practice the sports every week.The city is also looking to put ski resorts in the suburbs and ice rinks in six downtown districts.Until 2022, 16 new standard indoor and 50 outdoor rinks will be built, and commercial rinks are not included in this figure.Beijing has vigorously been pushing winter sports into school curriculums since this year. For example, rinks and ski simulators are used in several schools, and professional athletes are invited to teach children to skate.The government will also fund the sports to lower costs for registration and competitions, as ice and snow sports such as hockey are often unaffordable for families with average income.Beijing, accompanied by Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province, will be the host city of the 2022 Winter Olympics, which will be China&`&s first winter Olympics.This is Special English.An orange fish swims along an underwater pipeline, searching for leaks. After finding the holes, it alerts workers on shore with a loud noise.That isn&`&t a trailer for the latest Disney cartoon, but a real-life demonstration at the 2016 World Robot Conference in Beijing.The mechanic is called SmartTuna. It is a robot developed to help fix leaking underwater pipelines.Sometimes it&`&s dangerous for humans to go down into the water, so people developed this robot. The demonstrators said the robot is precise, small and smart.More than 2,000 competitors from a dozen countries were in Beijing to show off and share ideas during the five-day conference.With an aging workforce and rising labor costs, China is determined to drive robot development. The output value of China&`&s homegrown robots last year stood at 1.6 billion yuan, roughly 240 million U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 55 percent.At the conference, Vice Premier Liu Yandong urged enhanced research and development of the industry. She said related policies should be improved, human resources should be developed and global communication should be enhanced.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. （全文见周日微信。）

The Grassland Road in Zhangbei county of Zhangjiakou, North China’s Hebei Province, is a public road which connects several tourist attractions in the province. Now the local government has announced that an entrance fee will be charged on all vehicles.

With the launch of China's first microgravity satellite SJ-10 recently, scientists look forward to the results of experiments that can shed new light on a range of questions, from biology to the physical properties of substances, in a weightless environment. The recoverable satellite will stay in orbit for several days before its return capsule heads back to Earth. The orbital module will continue to conduct experiments for a few more days. Microgravity refers to the environment created during weightlessness. It is an extreme condition that changes every physical phenomenon scientists are familiar with, which is why microgravity research has been a scientific hot spot internationally. For example, liquids cannot be contained without the use of containers on Earth. But in a microgravity environment, liquids can float without a container. This makes it possible to determine the element's characteristics and develop new materials with new functions. Microgravity experiments are normally carried out in various space facilities, including space stations, space shuttles, research rockets and satellites. This is Special English. With obesity on the rise across China, doctors and nutritionists have created a healthy treatment path, with the release of the country's first medical guideline to help overweight people lose weight. Health care authorities say the guideline covers the principles and methods that will be adopted to help people lose weight and keep it off. It was developed over a year through the collective efforts of almost 100 doctors and nutritionists across the country. The guidance is expected to encourage clinical nutritionists and related medical staff to provide standard weight loss services to customers using proper principals and methods. According to a report released by the National Health and Family Planning Commission last year, around 30 percent of people in China aged 18 or older are overweight, an increase of more than 7 percentage points over 2002. The number of overweight people is increasing faster than in developed countries. Excessive weight and obesity has been a major contributor to the prevalence of many chronic diseases including diabetes in China. You are listening to Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing. A device to trace the source of a fart and research on why flies keep rubbing their front legs together are among the winners of a Chinese award celebrating the lighthearted side of science. The Pineapple Science Award is given for research and projects that are both fun and serious in ten fields including psychology, physics and biology. Amusement value is not enough. All entries must have been published in recognized academic journals or presented to conferences. Why flies rub their hands together had been a source of mystery to David Hu since his childhood. Now a scientist with the Georgia Institute of Technology, he found out that flies brush dirt off their bodies with the tiny hairs on their legs, and then rub the dirt off. That finding won him the Pineapple Science Award for Biology this year. David Hu says curiosity inspires great discoveries. He has suggested that space stations can use his discovery to keep their solar panels clean. Nobel laureate George Fitzgerald Smoot once said curiosity and fun is what sustains scientists through the hardship of their work. The study of Li Ji-gong of Tianjin University not only solves the mystery of who farted, but provides a way to locate the source of any odor through the complex dynamics of air. It won this year's Pineapple Science Award for Physics. This is Special English. Students at Tianjin University can now enroll in courses in what is possibly the most difficult subject of all, relationships. Around 200 students crowded into a lecture hall at the prestigious university on March 30 as the first class of a new course on romance, "Basic Theory and Experience of Love", got underway. Course lecturer Liu Xiaochun, an associate professor of law at Tianjin University, says hopefully, the lecture will give students a higher sense of responsibility toward dating someone. During the 90-minute talk, Liu explained legal issues related to dating, including the issues of mistresses, domestic violence, divorce and abortion. He says it was the first time he talked about dating in public. For many young people in China, often away from home for the first time, college is their first chance to explore romance after dedicating much of their high school years to study. One student who wants to remain anonymous says he hopes the course can help him get along better with his girlfriend. Organized by a student dating club, the lectures cover a wide range of topics including dating tips and etiquette, as well as counseling. The classes are taught by teachers from the university and external experts. You are listening to Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing. Experts say the economic transformation in China is providing great opportunities for Chinese students returning from overseas study, although the returnees face challenges when hunting for jobs back home. A senior official from the Center for China and Globalization, a think tank in Beijing, made the remarks at a time when many in China have expressed concern that it may be more difficult for Chinese students to land a job after returning from study abroad. China's economy is evolving from one that rests on its population advantage to that values talent. In the process, people who return from overseas study with international perspectives and an innovative spirit will have brighter employment prospects. In recent years, the number of Chinese students choosing to return home after graduating overseas has increased greatly, from 186,000 in 2011 to almost 410,000 last year. At the same time, the number of people graduating from domestic institutions this year is set to be more than 7 million, the largest number ever. The Chinese government is also loosening policies for expats wanting to work or start businesses in China. Both the large number of domestic graduates and the expected influx of foreign talent have led some to worry that the employment prospects of students returning from overseas study might not be as good in the future as they were. This is Special English. A technical college in Guangzhou is establishing a new specialty to meet the growing demand for feishou, or drone operators, in Guangdong province. The Guangzhou Electromechanical Technician College says if there isn't enough time to complete preparations by the school term that starts in September, the new program will begin enrollment next year. More than 3 million yuan, roughly 460,000 U.S. dollars, has been invested in major facilities and updated equipment for the establishment of the new specialty so far. Another 5 million yuan will be used to bid for a piece of land, covering an area of more than 1,000 square meters, for drone flight practices. The college says the drone specialty is expected to become a signature subject at the college and attract a large number of high school graduates in the years ahead, since it should be easy for students to find jobs upon graduation. Around 50 students are expected in the first class. Drones are being used in an increasing range of industries in the Pearl River Delta area and the entire Guangdong province. In Shenzhen alone, more than 700 drone manufacturers have registered. Unmanned aircraft are widely used in fighting crime, fire control, rescue operations and agriculture. You're listening to Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing. You can access the program on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That's mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues. The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics ski venue Chongli has received 2 million tourists during the first snow season after Beijing and Zhangjiakou won their co-bid in July. Chongli is a district of Zhangjiakou city, around 200 kilometers northwest of Beijing. Chongli will stage most of the skiing events during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The ski resort has earned more than 1.5 billion yuan, roughly 240 million U.S. dollars, in tourism revenue from the past winter, accounting for more than 30 percent growth over the previous season. The past snow season lasted for five months from last November, during which Chongli has hosted 36 events, including the Far East Cup and the Children's Skiing International Festival. A total of 23 skiing camps have been set up, attracting almost 4,000 young people to participate. The forthcoming Winter Olympics has ignited a skiing fever among the Chinese people. The local education authorities in Chongli have introduced services from ski resorts to let every student in the district to ski with professional instructors. By the end of November, Zhangjiakou will complete preparation for the 2022 Winter Games. And all venue construction will be finished by the end of 2020 to enable the city to hold test events. This is Special English. More inspection dogs are expected to be deployed at entry-exit ports across China after two national centers for breeding and training are built within the next five years. Faced with increasing pressure to ensure biosafety, entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities will also increase their capacity to keep out hazardous elements including diseases, viruses and invasive species. This includes improving the warning system and replacing X-ray machines used for handling mail and parcels with more precise CT scanners. Almost 300 dogs are deployed at ports in China, but this is far from enough. The authorities say considering that there are around 280 major ports in China, 1,000 inspection and quarantine dogs are needed; but the country suffers a lack of regulated breeding and training centers. Of the two national centers, one is being built in Beijing, which is likely to be completed within two years, and the other is very likely to be built in Guangdong province in southern China. The first inspection dog was put into service in 2001. The use of such dogs can help improve the rate of successful interception of harmful materials by 30 percent. Three breeds, springer spaniels, labradors and beagles, are favored for inspections in China. This is Special English. Ten female pandas at a breeding base in southwestern China's Sichuan Province have mated since February. A conservation center in the region announced that six of the 10 pandas mated naturally, two by artificial insemination, and the remaining two had both. The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Pandas captive-breeds the world's largest panda population of 218 as of the end of last year. Twenty-six female pandas and 19 males have been selected in this year's mating plan. Pandas have an infamously solitary lifestyle, female pandas only tolerate a male's presence around them two to three days a year during mating season. Their eggs only live for 36 to 40 hours, making conception even more difficult. The success rate of conception is between 30 to 40 percent; and no more than 40 percent of cubs survive. Male captive pandas capable of natural mating are extremely few, accounting for less than 5 percent of the population. But the pregnancy rate among female pandas receiving natural mating is above 90 percent this year, which the center says, is a good sign. Artificial breeding of giant pandas in China is planned for the sake of genetic diversity. （全文见周日微信。）

This is NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing. Here is the news.Beijing's bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in line with China's regional development strategy has impressed a visiting International Olympic Committee team. The IOC Evaluation Commission has conducted a five-day inspection tour to Beijing and Zhangjiakou, in the neighboring Hebei province. The commission inspected proposed venues and assessed their ability to jointly host the winter games.The commission is chaired by Russian IOC member Alexander Zhukov who is impressed by Beijing's bid.He said Beijing has maximized the use of existing world-class sports venues, and has taken advantage of its experience in hosting major international events. According to Beijing's candidacy file to the IOC, the city will "fully mobilize the legacy of the 2008 Summer Olympics", by using 11 existing venues in downtown areas for most of the ice events. It will upgrade skiing resorts in the co-host city for snow sports if the bid is successful.Six new venues, including an indoor speed skating rink in Beijing and a cross-country skiing center in Zhangjiakou, will be built under a budget totaling 1.9 billion U.S. dollars.This is NEWS Plus Special English.China's cultural department is seeking the return of a Buddha statue, which concealed the body of a monk on an exhibition tour in Europe.New evidence has emerged, supporting the idea that the 1,000-year-old relic had been stolen away from China.The State Administration of Cultural Heritage says the statue was stolen from a temple in a village in East China's Fujian province in 1995. The conclusion has been based on photos, local archives and witness statements.The statue was on show in a "Mummy World" exhibition at the Hungarian Natural History Museum. It was borrowed from a museum in the Netherlands. The Dutch owner later withdrew it from the exhibition.In a recent statement, the collector said the statue was obtained in 1994 from his Chinese friend. It was shipped to the collector's home in Amsterdam from a workshop in Hong Kong in 1995, the same year a Buddha relic was reported missing in China.The statue attracted wide attention recently after a scan revealed it contained a mummy of a 12th century Buddhist monk. Researchers found the mummified figure was named Zhang Gong, and is an ancestor of a local clan in the province.Zhang Gong was known in the local area for his excellent medical skills and efforts in Buddhism education. He died at the age of 37. His body was mummified and was later made into a statue, which has been worshipped in the village ever since.You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing.Museums in China are already doing it, and some museums in the United States have done it or are considering it: banning selfie sticks.A selfie stick is an extendable pole on which a user can set a smartphone to take photos. It has become one of the most popular tech accessories for tourists. Many museums are banning the use of selfie sticks out of concern for the safety of other museum visitors and artifacts.The Art Institute of Chicago in the U.S. has had the ban in place since January. They believe the apparatus are potentially harmful to works of art and to visitors in the gallery. Selfie sticks have become enormously popular in China, and many museums are taking measures against the use the apparatus. Beijing's Palace Museum says selfie sticks are "not suggested to be used" within the institution.The Nanjing Museum in the central Chinese city of Nanjing has prohibited the use of selfie sticks. The sticks have been listed as a dangerous item, alongside camera tripods and umbrellas.This is NEWS Plus Special English.Chinese square-dancing, which is known for generating widespread public complaints about the loud noise, will be regulated and supervised by China's sports and culture departments.Developed as a positive form of exercise, Chinese square-dancing is generally groups of older women dancing in open spaces to loud music and strong drum beats. It has sparked heated debates online. Complaints over the noisy music and even pictures of Chinese grannies occupying sites such as New York's Sunset Park and the square in front of the Louvre in Paris have made headlines overseas. To regulate and promote square-dancing, the Ministry of Culture and the General Administration of Sports have collectively introduced a set of square-dancing drills.The 12 drills have been created and designed by a panel of dancers and fitness trainers. The dances are accompanied by pop music pieces including last year's hit "Little Apple". They will be introduced to local fitness sites in China's 31 provinces and municipalities in the next five months. However, the authorities have not yet worked out detailed standards for square-dancing, such as the recommended volume of music, permissible time for practice and prohibited sites for dancing.This is NEWS Plus Special English.China is to survey all levels of government websites, clearing up dormant sites and making the existing sites "more pragmatic". The census will continue till December in order to "learn the general situation of e-government".The survey will cover websites at all levels of government, ministries, subordinate departments and institutions across the country. It will determine whether the websites are useful, regularly updated and whether questions raised by the public via the sites have been dealt with appropriately.Results of the survey will be made public when it is completed. China's e-government developed rapidly since the central government website "gov.cn" went online in 2006. Transparency has since become a major yardstick assessing government's work.Scientists have found a new gene linked to body fat distribution and it may help explain why you have an apple or pear shape.Researchers from Duke University in the U.S. found a gene called "Plexin D1". It controls both where fat is stored and how fat cells are shaped. These are known factors in health, and can indicate future diseases.The study found a new molecular pathway that determines how fat is stored in the body, and as a result, affects the overall metabolic health. The team used zebra-fish for the study. The results show those genetically engineered to lack Plexin D1 had less abdominal fat than their normal counterparts. Abdominal fat makes people a characteristic apple shape.Previous research has shown that people with an apple shape are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease than those who have bigger hips and thighs and are described as being pear-shaped.The results indicate that the genetic architecture of body fat distribution is shared between fish and humans and is serving an important role.

Applicant cities for the 2022 Winter Olympics are in Sochi drumming up support for their bids. China was the first to start its campaign. Beijing's deputy mayor Yang Xiaochao is the vice-president of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee. "Winter Olympics has not been held in the most populous country in the world. We hope through hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics, we can realize the dream of hosting both the Summer and the Winter Games in the same city." Bidding teams from the four applicant cities are on an Observer Program to learn from Sochi's experience. The bidding has proved popular with people back home at a Beijing Ski resort. "I will definitely go watch the games if it were held in Zhang Jiakou, not to mention if it were held in Beijing." "It sounds like a good idea. It's cold enough in the winter for winter events, the view is magnificent, the whole great wall overlooking the ski resort is beautiful." A poll of 2500 people found over 90 percent support for Beijing's bid. Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, says he appreciates China's effort. "We appreciate very much this bid from China for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, because it is a concept that could motivate millions of people in the region of Beijing and beyond to practise winter sports and there would be excellent facilities." According to Beijing vice mayor Yang Xiaochao, if Beijing wins the bid, it will use current venues to the extent possible. Only three of the city's 12 competition venues will be newly built. The venues for the games are located along a line extending from Beijing to Yanqing and then Zhangjiakou, forming three relatively compact venue clusters. But Beijing must compete with three European bidders - Norway's Oslo, Ukraine's Lviv, and a joint effort from Poland and Slovakia. Some observers point out that with Asian cities hosting the 2018 PyeongChang and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Beijing's chances of winning another Olympic bid may be affected. Beijing vice mayor Yang Xiaochao says participation itself is rewarding. "Every applicant city are likely to face two very different results, we believe that the bidding itself is progress for us, whether we can win the bid or not, we will continue carry out related planning and initiatives. " For CRI, I'm Ding Lulu in Sochi, Russia.