Stories from China

Jilin Province tourism officials stated that roads leading to the core areas of the Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve cannot be widened. The area is a protected national site, and the sides of the roads are designated as conservation zones.

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has identified multiple 5A-rated tourist attractions with issues including unscientific route designs, unreasonable pricing, and long queues.

A young artist from Shandong, identified as Zhong Tingting, has gained social media traction for her thread gilding creations on beverage bottles. Her work, titled 'Era Dragon,' has amassed nearly 20 million views and 14 million followers on Douyin.

Institutional investors are shifting their focus from high-growth stocks to undervalued, high-dividend-paying cyclical and consumer stocks.

For the first time, the market value held by passive index funds in A-shares has surpassed that of actively managed funds. Tourism and entertainment services saw a 21.2% year-on-year increase in sales revenue, with catering and accommodation also experiencing growth. During the 2026 May Day holiday, China recorded a total cross-regional personnel flow of 1.517 billion person-times, a 3.49% increase from the previous year, setting a new historical record for the period. Data from value-added tax invoices indicates that tourism and entertainment service sales revenue increased by 21.2%, while catering and accommodation consumption also saw rapid growth, with catering sales up 31.4%. Rail transport alone saw 106.377 million passenger trips. Homestay services, offering diverse experiences, also grew year-on-year. Many regions offered special culinary events, boosting catering sales by 31.4%.

Chinese companies, particularly in sectors like non-ferrous metals and certain chemical industries, are expected to perform well due to rising global resource prices. This trend is partly driven by ongoing geopolitical risks affecting supply chains.

Romanian player Edva Ionescu presented a clear tactical game against Chinese player Liang Jingkun, creating threats in the first three points of the first set. The match marked the first encounter between the two athletes. The match highlighted Ionescu's proactive playing style. The specific match and opponent were not identified. His backhand shots were of high quality, leading to numerous unforced errors from Liang Jingkun, who lost the first game. Romanian player Edvard Ionescu is facing Chinese player Liang Jingkun in their first match. The match outcome was reported, with Ionescu emerging victorious. Edvard Ionescu of Romania defeated China's Liang Jingkun in a table tennis match. The match concluded with the Romanian player securing victory. The match took place in Liuyang.

Lu Xiulian, a farmer from Shandong, has maintained a lifelong passion for literature and calligraphy. He began writing essays and prose in the early 1990s while working as a substitute teacher.

Modern cinema theaters are equipped with advanced audio systems, with the lowest configuration featuring seven main channels and one low-frequency channel, exceeding the 5.1 configuration of many film theaters.

China advocates for Gulf and Middle Eastern countries to control their own destinies and encourages dialogue between Iran and other Gulf nations. Wang Yi stated that escalating the conflict is unacceptable and said the importance of negotiation. China praised Iran's willingness to seek a political resolution through diplomatic channels. Separately, the US has paused Strait operations amid ongoing talks with Iran. Both sides share concerns about restoring safe passage in the strait. Wang Yi said that starting a war is unacceptable and that diplomatic negotiations are. This follows previous discussions on regional security. The scope of these discussions, including any mention of Strait operations, was not fully detailed in the transcript.