Nigeria Times

By Ding Yasong, People’s Daily

As a strategy on the digitalization of education is being promoted nationwide in China, information technologies are being applied in a more integrated and innovative manner at schools across the country.

Schools at all levels are actively exploring the construction of smart campuses and creating new forms of education to better promote the well-rounded development of students with digital technologies.

Today, in classrooms, quality teaching resources can be downloaded from the internet and shown on electronic screens; on playgrounds, smart sports equipment are making the break time more enjoyable. Besides, various school data and information can be accessed on smart phones.

In a primary school in Dongcheng district, Beijing, fifth-grade students were having a class on the fine traditional Chinese culture. On an interactive screen in the classroom, the Houmuwu ding, a rectangular bronze sacrificial vessel of the ancient Chinese Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC) was displayed.

As student Xing Chenyang gently slid his finger on the screen, the Houmuwu ding rotated accordingly.

“It’s 360-degree display,” Xing said, adding that it is difficult to see the complete Houmuwu ding even at the museum. “Now we can zoom in and explore every detail in high definition on the screen.”

“By utilizing multiple technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and cloud-based digital computing, we have digitized the resources of the fine traditional Chinese culture and placed them under virtual museum scenes, creating an immersive, interactive, and experiential classroom,” said Guo Zhibin, vice principal of Shijia Primary School.

According to him, the new teaching environment allows students to not only browse and listen but also develop their abilities to observe, think, solve problems, and express their opinions.

Intelligent devices have significantly improved teaching quality in vocational education, where practical skills are emphasized.

At a national demonstration base of virtual simulation training for vocational education in Nanchang, east China’s Jiangxi province, there are various equipment such as a simulated airport control towers, airplane models, and engine models.

“By wearing training glasses and holding an operation pen, students can see the internal structures of machineries and even disassemble and assemble them. It feels very real and intuitive,” said an executive of the development and operation department of the base.

Virtual simulation training breaks spatial limitations and allows students to improve their skills through low-cost and repetitive training, the executive explained.

The construction of smart campuses relies heavily on the continuous improvement of infrastructure. In China, the basic infrastructure for smart education has been established.

“Leveraging technologies such as gigabit optical networks and 5G, we enable widespread connectivity among teachers, students, devices, and educational resources,” said Zang Lei, deputy chief engineer at the institute of technology and standard research of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

“Smart campuses provide new teaching methods such as online learning, holographic classrooms, and virtual simulation experiments and training. These methods integrate high-quality courses and situational thematic resources into daily teaching, providing students with authentic and engaging learning environments, thus establishing a learning model that goes beyond physical classrooms and campus boundaries,” Zang explained.

A primary school in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province has installed an intelligent sports system. The system, capturing the motions of the students practicing standing long jump with six high-resolution, high-frame-rate cameras, can provide feedbacks to help them improve.

“The intelligent sports system not only automatically collects and analyzes motion data but also generates reports based on students’ performance. With these reports, teachers now have a scientific support for their classes, making their teaching and evaluation more accurate,” said Li Qingli, deputy director of the educational information resource center at the Education College in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou.

Data is a crucial element in the construction of smart campuses. Effective data analysis and application help understand students’ conditions and enable personalized services, thus identifying teaching issues and facilitating science-based decision-making.

Intelligent digital technologies are also applied in smart services and management of schools. Zang said, “By upgrading campus management service platforms and establishing an interconnected comprehensive information system, we can provide fast and high-quality services to students and faculty while enhancing schools’ management and decision-making capabilities.”

A national big data center for the digitalization of education is currently being constructed to fully leverage data in supporting smart campuses.

“We aim to build a data governance platform that will enable various management services through the sharing of government data. This will lead to innovative applications in scenarios such as new student registration, targeted financial aid, and campus security,” said a relevant official with the Ministry of Education.

By Zang Chunlei, Yu Sinan, People’s Daily

On June 25, the return capsule of China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe landed precisely in the designated area in Siziwang banner, north China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, operating normally. The returner brought back samples collected from the moon’s far side for the first time in human history, marking another milestone in China’s space exploration endeavors.

On December 17, 2020, China’s Chang’e-5 probe retrieved about 1,731 grams of samples from the moon – the first ever obtained from a young lunar surface region of volcanic rocks by humankind. Over the past more than three years, the China National Space Administration has distributed 85.48 grams of scientific research samples to 131 research teams in seven batches. More than 70 achievements in multiple fields have been published on important Chinese and foreign journals.

Although the distributed lunar soil samples account for only about five percent of the collected samples, the scientific achievements cover multiple fields such as lunar formation and evolution, space weathering processes and mechanisms, and resource utilization, said an expert. Through the studies of lunar soil, mysteries of the moon are being unveiled.

According to the expert, the samples retrieved by the Chang’e-5 mission were from lunar basaltic rocks, formed when magma from the lunar mantle flowed onto the moon’s surface and solidified. They record the secrets of lunar evolution.

The landing site of the Chang’e-5 spacecraft was one of the youngest mare basalts located at a mid-high latitude on the moon. Previous studies estimated the age of the landing site to be between 1 to 3 billion years, but such estimations carried significant uncertainties.

Using a high-resolution dating technique independently developed by China, a Chinese research team dated the youngest rocks on the moon at around 2 billion years in age, meaning that the period of lunar volcanism was about 800 billion years longer than previously believed. This finding has also provided a crucial calibration point for the chronology of impact craters, significantly improving the accuracy of dating impact craters on celestial bodies within the inner solar system.

Based on the latest studies on lunar soil, Chinese scientists have proposed new mechanisms for the formation of young volcanoes on the moon and models for lunar thermal evolution, providing new directions and insights for future lunar exploration and research.

Lunar probes and observations over the past decade have suggested that water (OH/H2O) is widely present on the lunar surface, with polar regions having higher concentrations than equatorial regions. Besides, water ice has been found in the polar regions, undergoing dynamic changes based on the duration of sunlight exposure.

However, due to the lack of direct sample analysis, the origin and distribution of lunar water have been a subject of controversy.

Through infrared spectroscopy and nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry, a research team from the Institute of Geochemistry, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has found that lunar soil grains retain a significant amount of solar wind-derived water by studying lunar samples retrieved by the Chang’e-5 mission. According to estimates, solar wind contributed to at least 179 ppm of water content in the lunar samples gathered by the probe.

The research team also found that in the mid-latitude regions of the lunar surface, solar wind has implanted a greater quantity of water in the outer layers of lunar soil particles than previously assumed, while the high-latitude regions of the moon may contain a significant amount of potentially usable water resources. Experts said that this discovery has important implications for the future utilization of lunar water resources.

Helium-3, a potential fuel for nuclear fusion, is believed to be a promising energy source. Scientists estimate that 1 million tons of helium-3 could supply the entire Earth with sufficient clean energy for 10,000 years. It is very scarce on Earth but abundant on the moon.

By analyzing the lunar soil samples retrieved by the Chang’e-5 mission, researchers have determined the optimal temperature parameters for extracting helium-3 from lunar soil. These crucial scientific data provide a foundation for China to estimate the total amount of helium-3 resources on the moon and to explore and develop the energy source in the future.

It is reported that a research team from the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, a subsidiary of the China National Nuclear Corporation, has picked out a single-crystal particle with a radius of about 10 microns from more than 140,000 tiny lunar particles retrieved by the Chang’e-5 mission, using X-ray diffraction and other technologies. The team has also decoded the particle’s crystal structure.

It has been officially approved as a new mineral by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA), and named Changesite-(Y), a kind of phosphate mineral in columnar crystal found in lunar basalt particles.

Changesite-(Y) is the sixth new mineral discovered on the moon by humankind. The new finding has made China the third country in the world to have discovered a new mineral on the moon.

According to experts, all 10 lunar sample return missions conducted by humans by far have taken place on the near side of the moon.

The landing site of the Chang’e-6 probe was in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the lunar far side, which is the oldest and largest impact crater on the moon. The collection of samples in this region, a historic milestone for humanity, will enhance humanity’s understanding of the lunar origin and the evolution of the solar system.

Researchers said that with the studies on the lunar soil collected by Chang’e-5, they are full of expectations and confidence in studying the samples retrieved during the Chang’e-6 mission.

By Han Xin, People’s Daily

“Look! Chinese white dolphins!”

A sudden exclamation rang out at a construction site of the west artificial island of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan link, a core transportation hub project in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Workers at the construction site were thrilled to see a group of Chinese white dolphins in the Lingdingyang waters of the Pearl River Estuary. The dolphins dived in and out the water, creating a captivating spectacle alongside the Shenzhen-Zhongshan link.

Connecting the eastern and western banks of the Pearl River, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan link is a cross-sea cluster project that includes bridges, artificial islands, tunnels, and submerged connection. The waters it traverses are part of the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve, which covers an area of about 460 square kilometers and is home to a significant population of Chinese white dolphins.

The massive engineering project presents significant challenges for the conservation of Chinese white dolphins.

The design of the project incorporated ecological protection from its inception, integrating it into construction, shipping, and environmental monitoring, according to Xu Guoping, chief tunnel designer of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan link from China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) Highway Consultants Co., Ltd.

Through innovations in technologies, procedures and management, the project aims to better protect Chinese white dolphins, which are under first-class protection in China, said Xu.

Viewed from the air, the west artificial island of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan link resembles a giant bird in flight.

“Building an island of about 137,000 square meters, equivalent to 19 standard football fields, on the vast sea would disrupt the Chinese white dolphins’ habitat if using traditional construction methods,” said Liu Haobin, deputy general manager of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan link project department from CCCC First Harbor Engineering Co. Ltd.

The construction team independently developed a device consisting of 12 synchronized hydraulic vibratory hammers, which helped drive 57 massive steel cylinders into the seabed in just four and a half months, setting a new record for rapid island construction. This achievement also helped minimize the impact on the marine environment and the white dolphins, Liu noted.

For the workers of the project, the protection of Chinese white dolphins has become a “sprint” and a “relay race” during the seven-year construction period.

The key project of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan link, a 5,035-meter-long underwater immersed tube tunnel, involved connecting 32 sections of immersed tubes and a final point. Transporting the immersed tubes from the factory to the installation area required navigating a 50-kilometer-long sea route with 7 channel changes.

To transport the immersed tubes more quickly to their designated positions, the construction team proposed a creative solution – building a ship for both transportation and installation.

“Compared to traditional towing methods, the ship can reduce dredging by over 10 million cubic meters and emissions by about 1 million cubic meters, effectively preserving the marine environment where the dolphins reside,” said Ning Jinjin, deputy general engineer of the project from CCCC First Harbor Engineering Co. Ltd.

The undersea tunnel of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan link, spanning approximately 6.8 kilometers, is the world’s longest and widest steel-shelled concrete immersed tunnel. Precise placement of each section of the tunnel was crucial.

To better protect the dolphins, the construction team developed a parented anti-pollution system for cement mixing vessels. This system creates two pollution barriers, thus preventing the sewage generated from piling from entering the sea and polluting the dolphins’ habitat.

The installation of the 32 sections of immersed tubes took a full three years. Apart from technological advancements, the construction team also developed a Chinese white dolphin protection management manual.

This manual assigns direct responsibility for dolphin protection to the captain of each construction vessel and appoints dedicated dolphin observers to monitor their activities day and night.

“Attention, all vessels! Crew members must not throw any garbage into the sea. Let’s stay vigilant until the very end!” Liao Wenlong, a project manager from CCCC Second Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd., reminded workers over the radio at the construction site of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan bridge, where temporary facilities were being dismantled. The sea bridge is a key part of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan link, with the world’s highest navigation clearance.

To minimize the impact on the marine environment, the construction team implements green practices for handling domestic and production waste.

“All vehicles must wear protective clothing to minimize dust generation during sand and gravel transport. Tank trucks are cleaned and the liquid on them is absorbed by absorbent pads when entering and leaving mixing stations,” Liao recalled. He added that dust collectors have been installed atop storage tanks for powdered materials.

Strengthened management and regular waste transfer were key. “We strictly implemented waste sorting and scheduled regular transfers for processing,” Liao explained. After five years, the bridge has completed all construction phases including pile foundations, bridge towers, and steel box girders. “We are leaving behind only a bridge, not our waste,” said Liao.

By Yu Sinan, Liu Shiyao, People’s Daily

On June 25, the return capsule of China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe landed precisely in the designated area in Siziwang banner, north China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, operating normally. It marked a complete success of the mission.

After its launch, the Chang’e-6 mission went through 11 flight stages in 53 days. It made key-technology breakthroughs in such areas as lunar retrograde orbit design and flight control, intelligent and rapid sampling, and takeoff and ascent from the far side of the moon. It also brought back samples collected from the moon’s far side for the first time in human history, marking another milestone in China’s space exploration endeavors.

What guaranteed the safe return of the Chang’e-6 probe was a series of technologies.

A researcher with the China Academy of Space Technology said that the return capsule of the Chang’e-6 travels at a very high speed from the moon to Earth. During the return process, it is necessary to moderate the deceleration of the capsule and ensure it exits the atmosphere at a specific location.

To this end, researchers conducted a large number of flight simulations and modeled millions of flight paths to refine the guidance, navigation, and control system. This ensured a smooth process and high precision in the return.

In addition to deceleration, the return capsule of the Chang’e-6 also had to tackle the challenge brought by high temperatures.

According to the researcher, despite its small size, the return capsule is exposed to high temperatures due to its fast entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

To ensure that the return capsule is resistant to both heat and erosion, the development team tailored a “super protective suit” for the capsule, drawing on the experience of the Chang’e-5 mission.

As planned, after the necessary ground processing work was completed, the recovered Chang’e-6 returner was airlifted to Beijing for to extract sample containers and payload. The samples were handed over to the Chinese research teams at a ceremony held by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The researchers will carry out the storage and processing of the lunar samples as planned and initiate scientific research work.

Following its contribution to the Chang’e-6 mission, the Queqiao-2 relay satellite will choose appropriate times to carry out scientific detection work. Its payloads, including an extreme ultraviolet camera, an array neutral atom imager and an Earth-moon very long baseline interferometry experiment system, will collect scientific data from the moon and deep space.

The Chang’e-6 mission carried four international payloads, including the lunar surface negative ion composition analyzer of the European Space Agency, France’s lunar radon detector, Italy’s laser retro-reflector, and a cube satellite from Pakistan. China has received high recognition from the international community for its practical and effective international cooperation.

Zhang Kejian, head of the CNSA, said that exploring the vast universe is a common dream for all of humanity, and only open cooperation is the right path. China’s space endeavors will adhere to the principles of equality and mutual benefit, peaceful utilization, and inclusive development.

“We will continue to embrace openness and expand international cooperation channels. We will organize and carry out future major projects and missions, striving to expand human understanding and improve the well-being of humanity,” he added.

By Peng Xunwen

Durians from Thailand and Vietnam, cherries from Chile, kiwifruits from New Zealand, avocados from Kenya… Today, more and more seasonal fruits from around the world are being sold in China’s wholesale markets and supermarkets, enriching the choices of Chinese consumers.

According to statistics, 19 countries and regions had signed agreements on the inspection and quarantine procedures and requirements of exporting fresh fruits to China as of the end of 2023, which covered 20 types of fresh fruits.

Driven by favorable policies, China’s fruit imports last year amounted to $16.85 billion, a 15 percent increase from a year ago. The country sourced more than 7.5 million tons of fruits from around the world, up 3 percent year on year.

Recently, a freight train of the Lancang-Mekong Express, consisting of 37 twenty-foot equivalent units fully loaded with fresh fruits, arrived at a border inspection area in Mohan, Mengla, southwest China’s Yunnan province, after passing through the Friendship Tunnel of China-Laos Railway. It took only 16 minutes for the border inspection officers to complete the entry inspection for this train.

Currently, Southeast Asian countries are in fruiting season, and fresh fruits are entering China through the China-Laos Railway via Mohan almost every day. Statistics show that since the beginning of this year, 2.48 million tons of cross-border cargos have been transported along the China-Laos Railway, increasing 21.7 percent year on year. In particular, 82,281 tons were imported fruits.

The increase in the volume of imported fruits means a need for faster customs clearance. An official with the Mengla customs said that the customs department has been working to establish a “declaration in-advance” mechanism for railway imports. It has also implemented reforms to expedite railway customs clearance and deployed intelligent supervision and inspection equipment, to strike a balance between strict inspection and efficient customs services.

Faster customs clearance has brought enormous convenience to fresh fruit importers.

“In the past, when our company imported Southeast Asian fruits like durian, mangosteen, and longan via the Mohan highway port, our biggest concern was always the lengthy customs clearance process as the fruits may lose their freshness,” said Wang Xiaowu, head of a foreign trade company in Mohan.

“Now, with the Lancang-Mekong Express international freight train, it takes only 26 hours from Vientiane, Laos to Kunming, Yunnan province. The customs clearance time has been reduced by 80 percent, cutting costs by nearly 30 percent,” Wang added.

The business of fresh fruit imports exactly mirrors the big strides made by China in opening up.

On Jan. 1, 2022, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) officially came into effect. Under relevant favorable policies, agricultural trade between China and other RCEP member countries has continued to heat up. Some imported fruits are arriving in China via chartered ships and planes.

According to statistics, New Zealand-based kiwifruit marketer Zespri International Limited is expected to export 1.4 billion kiwifruits to China this year. Besides, Pakistani cherries, upon arriving in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, are hitting Chinese cities like Shanghai through direct flights.

Thanks to major platforms like the China International Import Expo and the China International Consumer Products Expo, Belgian pears, Peruvian blueberries, and Ecuadorian yellow dragon fruits have entered the Chinese market for the first time.

In Chanthaburi Province, Thailand, the owner of a durian orchard has started selling the fruits via livestream on Tmall, an online shopping platform under Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

The province is one of the major durian producers in east Thailand, and the orchard is a smart fruit garden jointly developed by a Sustainable Agriculture Trade Association of Thailand and the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center under China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

The Internet of Things devices in the orchard constantly monitor important data such as weather conditions, water levels, and soil moisture, providing support for science-based durian cultivation.

The Chinese partners of the orchard have also helped Thai fruit farmers engage in livestream commerce. According to statistics, during this year’s “618” mid-year online shopping festival, which fell on June 18, durian sales on Tmall Supermarket increased fourfold compared to the previous year, with peak sales reaching over 50,000 durians in a single day.

Today, more and more Chinese and foreign partners are establishing cooperative relationships to ensure fruit quality from the source.

In Southeast Asia, some companies are employing digital technologies and dispatching procurement teams and buyers to monitor fruit quality at every stage, from orchard cultivation to production, packaging, and transportation.

In Africa, “green channels” for agricultural exports to China are being set up, with African fruits like Egyptian oranges and kiwanos successively entering the Chinese market.

As Chinese agricultural technologies and high-quality fruit varieties make their way to South Africa, local fruits such as Chilean cherries and Peruvian blueberries are also hitting the Chinese market.

Experts believe that Chinese consumers’ willingness to pay for high-quality and featured imported fruits presents a huge opportunity for fruit-producing countries worldwide.

As China continues to expand its opening up and introduce favorable policies such as tariff reduction and faster inspection and quarantine processes, more fruits from around the world will find their way into Chinese consumers’ “fruit baskets.”

By He Yin, People’s Daily

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Although born in Asia, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence transcend differences in social system and ideology. They have become an important norm governing contemporary international relations and fundamental principles of international law, contributing the wisdom of the East to properly handling state-to-state relations.

Under the current international situation, inheriting and promoting the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is conducive to fostering international consensus and jointly addressing global challenges, thus promoting world peace and development.

The spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence remains as relevant as ever.

Seven decades ago, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai put forth in full the five principles for the first time — mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.

Since then, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have been incorporated into a series of important international documents, widely accepted and recognized by countries across the world.

The enunciation of these principles was a major initiative in the history of international relations and a significant contribution to the building of a new type of just and equitable international relations.

The five principles capture the essence of today’s international relations and manifest humanity’s common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom. They can apply to relations among all countries regardless of their social system, stage of development or size.

Having withstood the test of the evolving international landscape in the past 70 years, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are showing strong vitality.

The significance of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence remains as important as ever.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have strong vitality because they give concrete expression to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and conform to the fundamental interests of people around the world.

The core of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is that there is sovereign equality among all countries and that no country should monopolize international affairs. These principles offer a powerful intellectual tool for developing countries to uphold their sovereignty and independence, and they have thus become a rallying call for enhancing solidarity, cooperation and strength among them.

The world today is undergoing both transformation and upheaval; changes unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace; and human society faces unprecedented challenges. In this context, inheriting and promoting the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is particularly important.

Only by truly adhering to the principle of sovereign equality of states can the foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation between countries be established, and peace and development of the world ensured.

The role of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence has continued to grow.

The five principles are conducive to both peace and development. Rejecting the law of the jungle by which the strong bullies the weak, they provide a new approach for peacefully resolving historical issues and international disputes, and create a sound environment for mutually beneficial international cooperation and common development. They help build a fairer and more equitable international order.

In the world today, injustice and inequality are still pronounced problems in international relations. Unilateralism, protectionism and bullyism are resurging. Regional conflicts and local wars continue to erupt.

The international community should further inherit and promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, uphold sovereign equality, respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, enhance mutual trust through dialogue, and build peace through cooperation. By doing this, the international community will continuously embrace common progress and win-win outcomes.

China champions and firmly observes the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Over the past seventy-plus years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China has always followed a path of peaceful development. It has never initiated a war or occupied an inch of a foreign land. It is the only country that has incorporated peaceful development in its Constitution, and the only country among the five nuclear-weapon states to pledge no first use of nuclear weapons.

China is working to build a world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, as well as cleanness and beauty, and a community with a shared future for mankind. Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, providing Chinese solutions to development issues facing the mankind.

Adhering to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in pursuing friendship and cooperation with other countries, China is committed to promoting a new type of international relations, and will contribute its strength in safeguarding world peace and promoting common development.

Under the new circumstances, China will keep working with all parties to inherit and carry forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, call for an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, build a community with a shared future for mankind and write new chapters of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.