Nigeria Times

By Yang Hao, People’s Daily

Across China, from cutting-edge technology labs and aerospace programs to rural revitalization projects and frontline industrial workshops, young people across China are emerging as a pivotal force driving the country’s development. 

Fueled by ambition, creativity, and perseverance, they are contributing to innovation, revitalizing communities, and pursuing excellence in their daily work, embodying the dynamism of modern China.

Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a reply letter to the representatives of the awardees of the China Youth May Fourth Medal and New Era Youth Pioneer, encouraged young Chinese to stay rooted in their posts, strive for new achievements, and inject their youthful dynamism into advancing China’s new journey of development.

Stressing that 2026 marks the opening year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), Xi said the present time presents a prime opportunity for young people to contribute to the country’s development.

The vitality of China’s youth is vividly displayed in technological innovation. Late into the  night in Shanghai’s Xuhui district, the lights remain on at the SMC Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center, a large-model AI innovation community. Xia Lixue, an entrepreneur born in the 1990s and CEO of Infinigence, a rising star in China’s AI infrastructure landscape, is often deep in discussion with his team about computing-power optimization.

Leading a team averaging just 32 years old, Xia focuses on improving the efficient use of domestic computing resources. Collaborating with industry partners, his team launched China’s pioneering “computing power ecosystem supermarket” — the SMC computing power dispatching platform — aiming to make computing resources as accessible as utilities like water and electricity for both industries and households.

The SMC innovation community is now home to more than 300 AI companies. Its annual revenue has grown more than twelvefold year on year, while total output has surpassed 100 billion yuan ($14.68 billion). The average age of entrepreneurs there is under 30. This year, the young innovators in the community received the China Youth May Fourth Medal.

Youthful talent also forms the backbone of China’s aerospace sector. Key teams demonstrate remarkable youthfulness: the Beidou satellite network development team averages 31 years old; core personnel for the Chang’e lunar missions average 33; the assembly team for the Mengtian space lab module averages 33; and the Tianwen Mars mission flight control team averages just 30. Propelled by this young ingenuity, China is rapidly evolving from a participant and contributor in global science and technology into a pioneer and leader.

For many young Chinese, the most fulfilling path lies where the country needs them most..

In Kantian Gezhuang village in Laoting county, north China’s Hebei province, rows of tomatoes are thriving inside vegetable greenhouses. Li Yao, the village committee director, was introducing local agricultural industries to visiting guests.

Eight years ago, Li Yao spent his own money to purchase materials, lay wiring and replace lamps, finally lighting up 120 LED streetlights across the village. He also spearheaded the construction of 3,000 meters of gravel farm roads, renovated the water pipeline network, and installed public fitness facilities, dramatically improving the village’s environment.

“But better roads and brighter lights alone are not enough to raise incomes,” Li said. He led villagers in developing high-standard farmland and introduced an aquaponics-based collective farming project alongside facility agriculture. Within a few years, average annual income per mu (667 square meters) of farmland rose from just over 1,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan.

At the northeastern edge of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu province, northwest China, lies Minqin county, surrounded by the Tengger and Badain Jaran deserts like an isolated island in a sea of sand. Zhong Lin, a Gen-Zer, grew up there and chose to return home after graduating from university. Along the edge of the Tengger Desert, he has planted saxaul trees across more than 7,000 mu through public-interest afforestation efforts, gradually bringing greenery back to the desert landscape.

“Youth takes root downward, while greenery grows upward,” reads the description on Zhong’s short-video account, where he regularly posts content about desertification control and tree planting. Inspired by his efforts, enthusiastic volunteers from across the country have traveled to the desert, joining the fight against desertification.

Young people are also demonstrating dedication and craftsmanship in ordinary positions, honing their skills as they strive for excellence.

Beside an 80,000-ton die-forging press at China National Erzhong Group Deyang Wanhang Die Forging Co., Ltd., Ye Linwei was leading his team in operating the massive equipment with meticulous control.

As the machine’s first operator and a recipient of the 2023 China Youth May Fourth Medal, Ye has led his team in overcoming numerous technical challenges. Together, they successfully forged multiple high-end aviation components, including the main landing gear outer cylinder and fuselage frame structures for the C919 large passenger aircraft.

Today, China has more than 80 million technical professionals and over 220 million skilled workers, including more than 72 million highly skilled workers. Increasing numbers of young people are pursuing success through technical expertise and contributing to the country.

Wang Qinjin’s journey offers another example. After graduation, he worked as a warehouse manager for SF Express before being selected for the company’s internal pilot training program. Through relentless physical training, intensive aviation theory study, and rigorous simulator practice, he steadily earned his wings.

From delivery worker to airline captain and eventually flight instructor, Wang has accumulated 6,600 hours of safe flight time, demonstrating that in an era where opportunities are increasingly open to all, hard work can give youth limitless possibilities.

Whether scaling the heights of technological innovation, serving at the grassroots level, or excelling in ordinary jobs, young people across China are pursuing their dreams while staying grounded in reality. Bold in vision yet practical in action, they are bringing to life a flourishing portrait of a youthful and vibrant China.

By Yang Hao, People’s Daily

At 6 a.m., as morning mist lingered over the streets of Ruijin in east China’s Jiangxi province, 38-year-old food delivery rider Chen Yiwen straightened his uniform, fastened his helmet, checked his delivery box, and set off on his electric scooter, right on schedule, just as he has done for the past eight years.

Chen entered the food delivery industry in 2018. Initially, unfamiliar routes, frequent late deliveries, and difficulty finding addresses nearly made him quit. He persevered, however, meticulously learning the layouts of older residential complexes, tracking restaurant preparation times, calculating elevator wait times during peak hours, and memorizing building access rules. His delivery efficiency steadily improved.

During storms, he climbs stairs on foot to ensure timely deliveries. When roads are blocked, he detours kilometers to keep food warm for customers. Over the years, Chen has traversed nearly every corner of the city and consistently ranked as the top performer at his station.

For Chen, however, delivering meals transcends speed; it’s about giving back to the city he serves.

In the summer of 2020, he came across a middle school student who was injured after falling off a bike. He immediately paused his deliveries and accompanied the child to the hospital, helping with registration and treatment. 

In the winter of 2021, while making deliveries, he spotted a fire in a residential building. He helped evacuate residents and contacted emergency services, leaving only after firefighters arrived.

In May 2024, Chen learned that eight elderly residents with limited mobility in Ruijin’s Shazhouba township struggled to obtain meals. He volunteered to help, traveling 14 kilometers round-trip daily at lunchtime to deliver their food, regardless of weather. He later inspired over twenty fellow riders to form a volunteer team assisting residents in need.

For Chen, youth forged through hard work is defined by not only hustle, but also depth. 

To support workers in emerging sectors, Ruijin established a dedicated training program offering systematic professional development and career guidance. Chen enrolled without hesitation.

During a course on grassroots governance, words from an instructor left a lasting impression on him: “Delivery riders and couriers travel through every street and alley of the city every day, and that’s what makes you the mobile sensors of the city.”

Inspired, Chen created a WeChat group called “Snap and Report.” The group now includes more than 300 delivery riders and couriers, who report issues ranging from damaged roads and faulty public facilities to fire safety hazards.

So far, members of the group have submitted more than 1,000 reports, 98 percent of which were solved, turning the group into an active force in community governance.

From a five-star rider renowned for precise service, to an everyday hero stepping up in emergencies, and now a mobile inspector patrolling urban streets, Chen has forged a life path imbued with warmth. He passes on kindness and compassion, embodying the responsibility and mission shared by workers in new forms of employment.

By Hong Qiuting, People’s Daily

China’s burgeoning robotics industry is accelerating rapidly, and alongside it, a new generation of young professionals is emerging, growing in tandem with the technology they help develop.

Inside the Guangdong provincial embodied intelligence training center in Haizhu district, Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province, robots were undergoing intensive real-world training under the guidance of young technical architects, engineers, and operators. 

Robotic arms sorted automobile bolts with precision; inspection robots autonomously patrolled electrical pipelines for hazards; humanoid robots carried out delicate tasks.

“Today’s task is to simulate a supermarket scenario and train the W1 robot to pick up and place common bottled drinks,” said Deng Yueci, a Gen-Z foundational engine architect, to Song Lei, a robot teleoperation engineer born in the 1990s.

Song took a deep breath, put on a virtual reality (VR) headset, and gripped the controllers. As his arms moved, the W1 robot mirrored his motions in real time.

“Keep the movements steady and fluid,” Deng advised.

Guided by the VR controllers, the robot slowly approached a bottle of mineral water. As the robotic arm made contact, it paused briefly. Within a second, the robot sensed its interaction with the object and recorded the relevant data.

To Song, robots may come in many forms, but they all feel familiar. “You have to imagine yourself as the robot when operating it,” he said. “Only then can you reach a real state of human-machine integration.”

Nearby, Deng kept a close eye on the sensor readings, carefully monitoring movement data from the robotic arm’s joints and end effectors.

“Precision is everything,” he explained. “Different types of beverage bottles require subtle adjustments in speed and force. The more accurate the movement and the coordination, the more complete and reliable the data collection becomes.”

Once the teleoperation session ended, the collected datasets were uploaded to servers for processing.

“The standards for data accuracy and completeness are extremely high,” Deng said. “For a retail scenario like the one we’re testing now, robots need to learn to recognize bottles made from different materials and identify various types of shelves, all while collecting separate datasets.”

But a single round of collection is far from enough. “Engineers would also use simulation techniques to expand the datasets and generate new data. Only after the volume reaches hundreds of thousands of data points can the project move on to the next stage: model training,” Deng added.

From painstaking data collection and simulation modeling to deploying robots in real-world environments, the work is demanding, but also deeply engaging.

“It feels a bit like progressing through levels in a game,” Deng told People’s Daily. “There’s always something new to explore. As robots improve through diverse training scenarios, we’re growing too.”

When Song first started operating robots, his hands trembled constantly. Wearing a VR headset often left him dizzy, and he needed long periods just to familiarize himself with the training environment. 

Now, whether operating two-finger wheeled robots used in retail scenarios or more advanced dexterous robotic hands, he can usually master a new system within 10 to 30 minutes. Even large wheeled inspection robots used in complex industrial workshops, which place high demands on an operator’s balance and coordination, pose little challenge to him today.

Even so, whenever a new robot arrives at the training center and is unpacked for testing, Song still sees himself as a newcomer alongside the machine.

“What kind of work can this robot actually do? And how can we help it do the job well?” With those questions in mind, he continues practicing day after day, refining his skills through hands-on experience and constant reflection.

“The development of embodied intelligence depends on integrating multimodal data across a vast range of real-world scenarios,” said Ding Ning, director of the Embodied AI Robotics Innovation Center of Guangdong Province. 

The training center functions not only as a laboratory but also as a proving ground, he explained, one that tests robots against genuine operational demands and lays the groundwork for their eventual integration into real production and daily life.

“These young engineers spend countless hours training and experimenting, helping robots evolve from specialized tools into general-purpose intelligent agents,” said Gao Fang, chairman of the company which operates the training center. “In doing so, they are also contributing to the industries of the future.” According to Gao, 74 percent of the company’s technology professionals were born in the 1990s.

Across China, waves of youthful innovation are spreading far beyond embodied intelligence into ever broader fields. Young people throughout the country are integrating their personal aspirations into the broader course of national development, creating new achievements in their respective roles and contributing the energy of youth to China’s new journey forward.

By Shi Zhipeng, Lyu Jiuhai, People’s Daily

International influencers living in China are sparking cross-cultural dialogue through candid videos showcasing everyday security in the country. Their unscripted moments have popularized a new term: the “Chinese sense of safety,” generating widespread discussion across global social media platforms.

What do these video show? Late-night snack runs without a second thought. Fruit vendors napping beside unattended stalls. Laptops left on café tables, still there hours later. Packages stacked along the street, untouched. For many viewers, these ordinary scenes feel anything but ordinary.

So, how safe is China? The data offer part of the answer.

In 2025, the number of criminal cases filed in China dropped by 12.8 percent year on year, reaching the lowest level of this century. China remains one of the countries with the lowest rates of homicide, violent crime, and gun- and explosives-related offenses in the world. Public satisfaction with safety reached 98.23 percent, staying above 98 percent for six consecutive years.

Internationally, according to Gallup’s Global Safety Report 2025, China has been ranked as the third safest place globally and fourth in the law and order Index, both ahead of several Western countries.

Yet for many foreign influencers, what feels even more remarkable than the statistics is how ordinary safety seems to Chinese people in daily life. It is so deeply embedded that many barely notice it.

As one overseas netizen even joked: “China is very safe, except for people trying to lose weight. One careless night snack, and you end up with ‘happy fat.'”

So where does this widely noted sense of safety come from?

First, it comes from governance.

In China, public safety is not a privilege reserved for a few, but a universal public good shared by all. Kong Fanbin, dean of the Huazhi Institute for Global Governance at Nanjing University, argues that an integrated governance system involving multiple social forces provides strong support for high-level public security.

From the immediate response mechanism to public appeals that delivers prompt solutions to people’s demands, to refined grid-based meticulous management that integrates human patrols and technical prevention, every governance measure is well-regulated and people-focused.

Such initiatives bolster public security, lay a solid foundation for enhancing people’s sense of gain and happiness, and make the general public feel genuinely safe and reassured.

Second, it comes from trust.

“The ‘Chinese sense of safety’ is also rooted in profound cultural traditions,” said He Mingxing, professor at the School of International Journalism and Communication at Beijing Foreign Studies University. 

The Chinese nation has long cherished the age-old virtues of “no one picks up lost articles on the road, nor do people bolt their doors at night”, while emphasizing harmony and mutual care.

In real life, this trust is reflected in two ways. 

One is trust in public institutions. “Many Western countries struggle to understand the relationship between police and the public in China,” He noted. “In some places, even approaching a police car might trigger a warning. Here, to ask for help from police officers is one of the most instinctive thoughts ordinary people have.”

The other is the trust shared among strangers. Someone may call to remind you that your car door is unlocked. A neighbor may bring over food that was mistakenly delivered to their home. As one foreign influencer put it: “In China, I learned how to trust again.”

Third, this sense of safety comes from development.

Chinese people understand that security is the foundation of development, while development is the guarantee of security.

“With the steady advancement of Chinese modernization, people’s sense of safety has become increasingly solid,” said Lu Jiehua, professor at the School of Population and Health at Renmin University of China.

In 2025, China’s per capita disposable income rose by 5 percent year on year, in line with overall economic growth. Guided by the principle of “investing in people,” China has built the world’s largest education, social security, and health care systems. Fairer social protection, more balanced public services, more inclusive basic livelihood services, and better access to diversified social services have all strengthened people’s confidence in the future.

Taken together, it all comes down to China’s governance.

The “Chinese sense of safety” is built upon a solid “safety net,” Lu said. “It reflects the remarkable effectiveness of China’s governance and highlights the institutional strengths of the country,” he added.

At a time when the international landscape is marked by turbulence and overlapping risks, China’s combination of stability and steady development is drawing attention — not only for how it supports the lives of its 1.4 billion people, but also for the sense of certainty it offers to the world.

In recent years, from the rise of “China Travel” as a global social media trend, to growing expressions of wanting to “become Chinese,” and now to the widespread fascination with the “Chinese sense of safety,” more and more foreigners are experiencing the country firsthand, often revising earlier assumptions in the process.

Official data show that in the first quarter of this year, the number of foreign visitors entering China visa-free rose by nearly 30 percent year on year — another sign that the country’s opening up, stability, and sense of safety continue to resonate far beyond its borders.

By Lin Lili, People’s Daily

The term “one-person company” (OPC) has surged into China’s business lexicon this year, defining a new AI-era entrepreneurial model. Empowered by artificial intelligence, solo entrepreneurs can now build virtual teams capable of shepherding projects from conception to completion — fueling rapid growth across China’s innovation landscape.

To better understand this business model, it helps to break down its core features from multiple dimensions.

First, in terms of company setup, registering an OPC is no different from registering a regular company. The entire process can be completed online with zero registration fees.

Like any other legally registered company, an OPC enjoys rights protected by law and must also fulfill statutory obligations such as paying taxes. Its business license must clearly indicate its type of operating entity, such as “limited liability company (solely invested by a natural person)” or “limited liability company (solely invested by a legal person).”

Second, when it comes to organized structure, an OPC does not necessarily mean only one staff member.

Here, “one-person” means the company shall have only one shareholder, either a natural person or a legal entity. Its directors, supervisors and senior management personnel may be other individuals separate from the sole shareholder, and the company may also hire regular staff.

If additional shareholders or senior management personnel as stipulated by Company Law are introduced, relevant registration and filing procedures shall be completed in accordance with the law.

Third, as for market exit rules, when an OPC ceases business operations and withdraws from the market, it also needs to go through three major procedures: resolution for dissolution, liquidation and asset distribution, and cancellation registration.

One important point should be noted: if the sole shareholder cannot prove that the company’s assets are independent from personal assets, that shareholder may bear joint liability for the company’s debts.

Some people ask: how is an OPC different from a sole proprietorship or self-employed household?

The key distinction lies in legal status.

An OPC, established under the Company Law, is a corporate legal entity and assumes limited liability. By contrast, an individually owned business, or “getihu” in Chinese, is treated as a natural person under civil law. It does not have legal person status, cannot establish branch offices, and its operator must bear liability with all personal or family assets.

This feature of limited liability allows OPCs to reduce investor risk, improve the efficiency of capital concentration and allocation, and in turn promote business innovation and economic growth.

Why, then, are OPCs becoming so popular in the AI era? The answer lies in how technologies are empowering development.

AI has made this new entrepreneurial model even more attractive by enabling lighter organizational structures, more flexible management, faster responses, lower costs, and greater operational flexibility.

With effective use of AI tools, far fewer people are needed to complete tasks ranging from product design and technological development to marketing and customer service.

Science and technology are the primary productive force and a core source of competitiveness. To foster a more supportive environment for entrepreneurship, many regions across China have introduced targeted policies.

For instance, Shanghai’s Pudong New Area offers newly registered OPCs free computing power worth up to 300,000 yuan ($43,876). Shenzhen in south China’s Guangdong province has launched an action plan to build itself into a leading hub for AI-driven OPC entrepreneurship. Chengdu in southwest China’s Sichuan province is stepping up innovation in talent recruitment and training, accelerating the launch of new products and application scenarios, and refining full-chain support for innovation and startups.

By beefing up institutional and policy support, improving the innovation ecosystem, and building a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized, local governments aim to turn more good ideas into reality and foster new industries and business models.

By the end of 2025, nearly 7.32 million OPCs were newly registered in China, up 42.3 percent year on year. This rapid growth was closely tied to revisions to the Company Law that removed the previous restriction allowing one natural person to invest in only one one-person limited liability company.

With more inclusive and prudent regulation, greater room for development, and stronger support for innovation, more entrepreneurial seeds are taking root and growing strong. Together, they are helping China’s economy flourish like a vast forest — dense, vibrant, and full of vitality.

By Liu Shiyao, People’s Daily

In space, every satellite eventually faces the same problem: once its onboard propellant runs out, is the end of its mission inevitable?

Chinese researchers are rewriting this rulebook with a groundbreaking solution: functional, in-orbit satellite refueling. Their vision paints a new era of sustainable space operations, where specialized service satellite cruise through orbit to offer orbital refueling to depleted spacecraft. Equipped with advanced flexible robotic arms, these orbital helpers can autonomously lock onto a satellite’s fuel port, top up its propellant tank, and depart to assist the next craft in need — acting just like mobile gas stations floating in the vacuum of space.

A major step toward that goal came recently with the successful launch of the Yuxing-3 06 satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

Developed by Sustain Space in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province, a subsidiary of Beijing-based commercial satellite company Emposat, the satellite has earned the nickname “space gas station.”

As China’s first commercial experimental satellite equipped with a flexible robotic arm, it carried out a series of complex in-orbit operations hundreds of kilometers above Earth, including simulated propellant refueling tasks using the robotic arm. 

The mission verified a number of key technologies and marked an important step forward for China’s commercial space sector in the in-orbit space services.

Cao Meng, vice president of Emposat, said the satellite is designed to serve as a future “refuelling assistant” in orbit. 

Its intended mission scenario involves rapidly locating the precise position of a target satellite in the vastness of space, then performing carefully controlled orbital maneuvers to enable rendezvous and docking between the two spacecraft with extreme precision, “like threading a needle,” before carrying out the refueling process, Cao said.

The most critical component of the technology verification satellite is its flexible robotic arm.

“We made an innovative design to make the flexible robotic arm lighter, more agile and more reliable,” said Chen Jing, chief technology officer of Sustain Space.

During the simulated refueling process, the satellite demonstrated three different control modes to adapt to different operational scenarios.

According to Chen, the first mode allows the robotic arm to autonomously plan its movement path after receiving preset mission instructions. In the second mode, ground operators generate control commands in real time based on live camera images, remotely guiding the robotic arm to complete docking operations. 

The third mode uses a visual servo system: based on visual target information captured by the camera at the end of the robotic arm, ground operators plan the movement path and generate control commands to guide the arm through the docking process.

Space industry experts believe that as more and more space assets are deployed in orbit in the future, a growing number of spacecraft, including satellites, will require services such as propellant refueling and in-orbit maintenance.

“We hope to build the equivalent of a ‘space 4S shop’ in orbit,” Cao said, referring to China’s one-stop automotive service centers. “Our goal is to provide one-stop maintenance and servicing solutions for space assets.”

By Hu Yanyan, People’s Daily

At Italy’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair ahead of World Book and Copyright Day, global publishing professionals erupted in applause as 80-year-old Chinese illustrator Cai Gao was announced winner of the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award — becoming China’s first recipient of this honor in six decades.

Established in 1956 by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) with the illustrator category added in 1966, this biennial award represents the highest lifetime achievement recognition in children’s literature and illustration worldwide.

“This honor belongs to all my peers who witnessed and nurtured Chinese picture books’ early development,” Cai responded upon accepting the award. Remarkably, the self-taught artist began her picture book career later in life, channeling innate passion to pioneer China’s original illustration aesthetic.

Cai was born in 1946 in Changsha, central China’s Hunan province. Her childhood was deeply shaped by a culturally rich family environment: open-minded parents, her grandmother’s graceful household management, and folk stories told in local dialect. “My artistic intuition stems entirely from childhood,” she reflects. “True cultural value lives in those subtle, glowing moments of daily life.”

After graduating from Hunan First Normal School in the 1960s, Cai taught for six years at a rural primary school in Zhuzhou, Hunan province. Though remote, this immersion in village life fundamentally shaped her perspective. She filled sketchbooks with students, villagers, and pastoral scenes — foundational work for her future career.

At 36, Cai joined Hunan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House as an art editor. “Publishers must carry an inner lamp to light others’,” she describes this formative period. While China’s children’s publishing industry was still emerging, Cai both edited and created books, synthesizing traditional culture with authentic Chinese narratives.

Her breakthrough came with Bao’er, originally titled the Fox Spirit in the Abandoned Garden, inspired by the literary classic Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, tells the story of a child who uses wisdom and courage to defeat a monster and save his mother.

Its bold composition, striking use of red and black, and powerful spirit of bravery left a lasting impression on readers.

In 1993, Bao’er won the Golden Apple Award at the 14th Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava, greatly encouraging Chinese creators of children’s books.

In 1995, the China section of IBBY organized the “Little Pine Tree” Children’s Picture Book Awards. All four winning titles from Hunan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House were edited by her.

One of the organizers, Tadashi Matsui, a leading figure in Japan’s picture book publishing world, was so surprised that he asked to meet her.

The two connected immediately. They later collaborated on the picture book A Tale of Tao Hua Yuan, blending rural life with reflections on the relationship between people and nature. The book depicts a world that is brilliant yet peaceful, dreamlike yet grounded in reality.

Cai’s years in education and publishing became inseparable from her artistic creation. Even after retirement, her creativity remained strong. Works such as Huna Mulan, Blazing City 1938, and How I came to be Me were published successively.

She has always held a firm believe: the finest things in life should be reserved for childhood. With love and respect for young readers, she continues to infuse every creation with honesty, kindness, and a passion for life.

Today, many young people online affectionately call her “Grandma Picture Book” and “Grandma Treasure,” not only because of her art, but also because of the way she lives.

She grows flowers and vegetables in her rooftop garden, writes and paints, and records the changing beauty of the seasons.

“Life is truly filled with countless small things worth cherishing,” she often says.

She encourages young people to stay resilient amid setbacks, never give up, and keep broadening both their vision and their inner world, growing up with confidence, health, and open mind.

Now at 80, Cai is still searching for new breakthroughs. She hopes to devote more energy to picture books for children aged 0 to 3.

“Good books for toddlers are far too few, and original creation for this age is especially challenging,” she said. “But precisely because it is difficult, someone should step up and do it.”

By Hu Yanyan, People’s Daily

At Italy’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair ahead of World Book and Copyright Day, global publishing professionals erupted in applause as 80-year-old Chinese illustrator Cai Gao was announced winner of the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award — becoming China’s first recipient of this honor in six decades.

Established in 1956 by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) with the illustrator category added in 1966, this biennial award represents the highest lifetime achievement recognition in children’s literature and illustration worldwide.

“This honor belongs to all my peers who witnessed and nurtured Chinese picture books’ early development,” Cai responded upon accepting the award. Remarkably, the self-taught artist began her picture book career later in life, channeling innate passion to pioneer China’s original illustration aesthetic.

Cai was born in 1946 in Changsha, central China’s Hunan province. Her childhood was deeply shaped by a culturally rich family environment: open-minded parents, her grandmother’s graceful household management, and folk stories told in local dialect. “My artistic intuition stems entirely from childhood,” she reflects. “True cultural value lives in those subtle, glowing moments of daily life.”

After graduating from Hunan First Normal School in the 1960s, Cai taught for six years at a rural primary school in Zhuzhou, Hunan province. Though remote, this immersion in village life fundamentally shaped her perspective. She filled sketchbooks with students, villagers, and pastoral scenes — foundational work for her future career.

At 36, Cai joined Hunan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House as an art editor. “Publishers must carry an inner lamp to light others’,” she describes this formative period. While China’s children’s publishing industry was still emerging, Cai both edited and created books, synthesizing traditional culture with authentic Chinese narratives.

Her breakthrough came with Bao’er, originally titled the Fox Spirit in the Abandoned Garden, inspired by the literary classic Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, tells the story of a child who uses wisdom and courage to defeat a monster and save his mother.

Its bold composition, striking use of red and black, and powerful spirit of bravery left a lasting impression on readers.

In 1993, Bao’er won the Golden Apple Award at the 14th Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava, greatly encouraging Chinese creators of children’s books.

In 1995, the China section of IBBY organized the “Little Pine Tree” Children’s Picture Book Awards. All four winning titles from Hunan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House were edited by her.

One of the organizers, Tadashi Matsui, a leading figure in Japan’s picture book publishing world, was so surprised that he asked to meet her.

The two connected immediately. They later collaborated on the picture book A Tale of Tao Hua Yuan, blending rural life with reflections on the relationship between people and nature. The book depicts a world that is brilliant yet peaceful, dreamlike yet grounded in reality.

Cai’s years in education and publishing became inseparable from her artistic creation. Even after retirement, her creativity remained strong. Works such as Huna Mulan, Blazing City 1938, and How I came to be Me were published successively.

She has always held a firm believe: the finest things in life should be reserved for childhood. With love and respect for young readers, she continues to infuse every creation with honesty, kindness, and a passion for life.

Today, many young people online affectionately call her “Grandma Picture Book” and “Grandma Treasure,” not only because of her art, but also because of the way she lives.

She grows flowers and vegetables in her rooftop garden, writes and paints, and records the changing beauty of the seasons.

“Life is truly filled with countless small things worth cherishing,” she often says.

She encourages young people to stay resilient amid setbacks, never give up, and keep broadening both their vision and their inner world, growing up with confidence, health, and open mind.

Now at 80, Cai is still searching for new breakthroughs. She hopes to devote more energy to picture books for children aged 0 to 3.

“Good books for toddlers are far too few, and original creation for this age is especially challenging,” she said. “But precisely because it is difficult, someone should step up and do it.”

By Dai Kairan, People’s Daily

Starting May 1, China fully implemented a zero-tariff policy for 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations. 

Meanwhile, it will continue advancing the negotiation and signing of agreements on economic partnership for shared development, and further expand market access for African exports to China by upgrading measures such as “green channels.”

People from all walks of life in Africa speak highly of these initiatives. They believe the measures will help African countries achieve leapfrog growth, elevate Africa-China economic and trade cooperation to a new level, and make positive contributions to safeguarding a free and open international trade system.

At a recent matchmaking event between the Zimbabwean government and Chinese agricultural buyers, Zimbabwean officials, farmers, and Chinese importers reached multiple cooperation agreements. 

“In recent years, Zimbabwean products such as avocados, blueberries, and macadamia nuts have entered the Chinese market and gained strong popularity for their quality,” said Allan Majuru, CEO of Zimbabwe’s trade promotion agency ZimTrade. “Zimbabwe is improving its policy framework to make full use of the zero-tariff arrangement and further expand agricultural exports to China.” 

He added that deepening trade ties are strengthening confidence among Chinese buyers and opening up new opportunities for growth.

African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat described China’s decision as “important and timely,” calling it a gesture of brotherhood that will help African countries cope with current economic challenges.

“The zero-tariff policy brings greater opportunities and will significantly boost exports of agricultural and mineral products, as well as some manufactured goods, to China,” said Bakary Sambe, executive director of the Timbuktu Institute, a Senegalese think tank. 

He noted that the policy could create new momentum for industrial development in Africa. If African countries seize the opportunity to enhance value-added production and improve logistics and standards systems, it will effectively advance industrialization.

“Everyone is talking about China’s vast market,” said Robert Rukundo, chairperson of the Horticulture Exporters Association of Rwanda, which represents 102 companies. Some members have already begun exporting to China, while many others are actively seeking partnerships. “We are confident that, driven by the zero-tariff policy, Rwanda’s agricultural exports will continue to grow,” he said.

Alexander Ayertey Odonkor, director of the Ghana Center for China Studies, wrote recently that the zero-tariff initiative could mark a turning point in Africa’s development trajectory. It offers an opportunity for economic diversification, while complementary measures such as “green channels” will help upgrade agricultural trade and industrial chains, providing critical support for long-term growth amid a complex global environment.

An article in Guinea’s Horoya newspaper noted that China’s market offers vast opportunities for both agricultural and industrial products from Africa. The zero-tariff policy, it said, goes beyond tax reductions, encompassing infrastructure investment, trade facilitation, technology transfer, and support for local processing industries. Guinea should seize this opportunity to use the policy as a catalyst for industrial upgrading and transformation.

Against the backdrop of rising uncertainties in the current international trade landscape, China steadfastly advances high-standard opening up. It honors its mission and responsibility as a major country with concrete actions, continuously injects stability and certainty into the international trade system, and strives to foster an open, inclusive and win-win trade environment.

David Monyae, director of the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, said the zero-tariff policy represents a concrete step in implementing the Global Development Initiative and supporting South-South cooperation. It will not only expand Africa’s exports to China but also improve export structure, promoting more high-value-added products and advancing economic transformation and industrialization of Africa.

An article published by South Africa’s Independent Online stated that the policy will unlock new opportunities for the two sides to jointly advance modernization. The consistency of China’s trade policies, particularly toward Africa, demonstrates the country’s commitment to a rules-based global trading system. 

It added that at a time when genuine partnership is more indispensable than ever before, China and Africa are forging ever-closer trade ties.

Zimbabwe’s The Herald commented that amid growing fragmentation and protectionism in global trade, China’s opening-up measures provide African countries with a valuable window of development. The policy will help upgrade traditional sectors such as agriculture and mining, create conditions for the development of manufacturing, and support structural transformation across African economies.

By Yan Yiqiao, People’s Daily

Just days ago, during an anniversary celebration at Tsinghua University, the football-playing humanoid robots from the university’s Hephaestus robot team drew waves of amazement from spectators with their impressive skills.

Back in August last year, these agile “soccer stars” had already made headlines by winning the 5v5 football championship at the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games, showcasing both the strength and rapid progress of China’s humanoid robot technology to the world.

The 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games marked the world’s first comprehensive sports gala with humanoid robots as official competitors.

Its 5v5 football tournament was widely regarded as one of the most technically challenging competitions. The robots had to compete entirely without human intervention, relying solely on AI for autonomous decision-making and real-time gameplay — an enormously complex technical feat.

“Every team competed with identical robot hardware. The real difference-maker, and the key to winning, was how well each side programmed and upgraded the robots’ digital ‘brains’,” explained Zhao Mingguo, director of Tsinghua University’s Robot Control Laboratory.

“Through training, we help the robots develop something like ‘muscle memory,’ so that the moment they receive the ball, they can quickly make decisions, adjust joint torque, and kick accurately,” Zhao added.

To achieve this, the Hephaestus team developed a complete reinforcement learning framework that integrates visual perception with human motion data, enabling robots to position themselves while running and execute smooth, coordinated kicks.

Back in 2004, Zhao founded and coached the Hephaestus team, focusing on research in AI and robotics.

“In the early days, running was far beyond our reach. Just getting a robot to stand upright without toppling over was already a major milestone,” Zhao recalled.

“At that time, sensor technology was still underdeveloped, and the robots had terrible balance. Every experiment felt like a nerve-racking acrobatic performance — one wrong move and everything would come crashing down,” he added.

Determined to improve stability, Zhao and his team focused on the challenge of motion control. They carried out tens of thousands of hours of training in simulated environments and went through hundreds of thousands of algorithm iterations. Eventually, the robots were able to perform powerful shots and precise passes, and repeatedly won competitions.

Over the past two decades, the laboratory has pioneered multiple innovative approaches to robot locomotion, including virtual terrain locomotion, generalized model predictive control, and task-priority-based whole-body control.

Today, the robots developed by the Hephaestus team can not only excel on the football pitch, but also demonstrate great application potential in emergency rescue, industrial operation and other scenarios.

“We advanced step by step through constant trial and error, and our years of steady research accumulation have finally borne fruit,” Zhao said.

For the team, moving from the laboratory to the sports arena has become a key path of growth. Zhao believes that competitive sports are a great testing ground for humanoid robot technology. Whether regulating shot power in football, controlling ball spin in table tennis, or adjusting shooting angle in basketball, every task requires precise coordination of the robot’s full-body joints, balancing both strength and flexibility.

“By using standardized tasks to verify technical capability, we can gradually solve embodied intelligence challenges involving both hands and legs, and ultimately promote the real-world application of general-purpose embodied intelligence robots,” Zhao said.

Today, some developers have already begun secondary development of these robots, expanding their use in elderly care, museum guiding, and other service sectors.

“On the field, we are rivals. Off the field, we discuss technical refinements, algorithm deployment, and system upgrades together — and that is part of true sportsmanship,” said Luo Changsheng, captain of the Hephaestus robot team.

“Our shared goal is to advance the development of robot competition and let the world see the true strength of Chinese humanoid robotics industry,” Luo added.

From stumbling first steps to repeated championship victories, and from athletic competition to industrial application, the journey of Zhao and the Hephaestus team reflects the broader rise of China’s humanoid robot industry.