Stories from Beijing · China

A large bird, identified as an Oriental White Stork, was found unable to fly on the roadside.

A trending topic on Zhihu explores the dual nature of randomness, examining why it can evoke feelings of excitement in some contexts and frustration in others.

In the first quarter of 2026, China's insurance industry achieved a premium income of 2.31 trillion yuan, a 6.2% increase year-on-year. Payouts during the same period reached 0.89 trillion yuan, up 7.5% compared to the previous year. China's economic growth has slowed since September of last year, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. China's insurance industry committee has proposed a projected interest rate of 1.93% for ordinary personal insurance products in the first quarter of 2026. The current predicted interest rate for ordinary personal life insurance products in China is 1.93%, a decrease of 0.04 percentage points. China's ordinary life insurance rate has seen its first increase since the Insurance Association of China announced its projected interest rate research in 2025. This growth indicates a potential shift in consumer behavior or market conditions.

China has strongly criticized a European Union plan aimed at bolstering its industries against competition from China. Beijing has vowed to deploy countermeasures if the scheme is enacted. The EU unveiled the new plan this month.

Chinese domestic car brands can now produce vehicles with large displacement, offering better quality and lower prices than imported cars. This trend is expected to continue, with the nation's integrated national transportation network expanding. Foreign tourism to China is also surging. China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in conjunction with public security and market regulation departments, has launched a campaign to address illegal activities such as forced shopping. Chinese authorities are cracking down on fraudulent practices within the tourist market. This includes exposing fraudulent sales tactics and addressing illegal practices. The efforts aim to protect consumers and maintain market integrity.

China's aviation industry is considering new payment models for air rights products, moving away from annual subscriptions to weekly or monthly plans. Over 60 exhibitors from Hong Kong, mainland China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Belgium, Germany, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the United States, and Australia are participating.

A trending discussion on Zhihu questions the manual numbering and citation of documents, as well as manual indentation, highlighting the inefficiency of these practices. A trending discussion on Zhihu questions the prevalent manual methods used for numbering documents, adding captions, and indenting text in China. Participants question the difficulty of adopting automated features. Many documents originating from schools are manually numbered, and footnotes are always cited manually. Participants express frustration with this inefficient method, questioning why automated features are not more widely adopted.

CRI Huayu Global reports that the harms of tobacco are gradually becoming apparent.

The Chinese HH200 cargo drone system can fly at an economical cruising speed. The HH200 cargo drone has achieved a maximum flight speed exceeding 300 kilometers per hour. This speed places it in a leading position among aircraft of its class.

China will be forced to retaliate if the United States imposes penalties, firmly protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises. A report on the handling and accountability of state asset management for 2024 was heard. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress heard a report on the handling of research and rectification of opinions regarding the 2024 state asset management situation. China has received over 5,000 yuan in three to four months from the sale of approximately 20,000 pairs of shoes, with a deduction of 10-20% for defective items. Beijing has promised to take retaliatory measures after several Chinese organizations were included in a new round of US sanctions. The announcement follows the inclusion of these entities in a twentieth sanctions package. The move comes as China seeks to counter Western restrictions on its organizations.