Nigeria Times

By Zhang Mengxu, Zhang Penghui, Li Zhiwei, People’s Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently replied to a letter from Chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation Jeffrey Greene and Flying Tigers veterans Harry Moyer and Mel McMullen.

In his reply dated Sept. 12, Xi said that “a sound and steady development of the relationship in the new era requires the input and support of a new generation of Flying Tigers,” and he hopes that the spirit of Flying Tigers will be carried on from generation to generation among Chinese and American peoples.

Founded in 1998, the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation is an American civil friendship group aimed at promoting the study and commemoration of China-U.S. historical aviation events.

Recently, Greene, Moyer and McMullen jointly wrote a letter to Xi, in which they introduced the efforts of the foundation and Flying Tigers veterans in helping promote China-U.S. friendly exchanges, and expressed their willingness to inherit and carry forward the precious spirit of China-U.S. cooperation.

Greene said Xi’s reply was of important significance. He thanked President Xi for caring for Flying Tigers veterans and their families, saying the Chinese president’s recognition of the efforts made by the foundation in helping pass on and carry forward the spirit of the Flying Tigers was a huge encouragement to them.

Moyer and McMullen, both about 100 years old, are still working to promote people-to-people friendship between China and the United States. They are expected to visit China once again this fall to attend the “Remembering Heroes-the Flying Tigers and the 80th Anniversary of the U.S. Fourteenth Air Force’s Aid to China Photo Expo,” an event to be jointly hosted by the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and multiple Chinese provinces and municipalities.

After receiving Xi’s reply, Moyer told People’s Daily that the spirit of the Flying Tigers has bestowed upon the United States and China a multitude of invaluable lessons.

He said in the past, the military and civilians of both countries, who fought side by side and sacrificed their lives, have forged a profound friendship, and friendly cooperation between the United States and China has brought benefits to the two peoples.

In the present era, it is crucial for the United States and China to strengthen cooperation, as it will have a profound impact on their common future, he added.

Xi’s reply mirrored his cherishment of the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples, McMullen said. He noted the spirit of the Flying Tigers symbolizes the friendship and cooperation between the United States and China, and he hopes that the younger generations of both countries will continue to inherit and carry forward the spirit. He wished for the stable development of U.S.-China relations.

The Flying Tigers, initially known as the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, was founded by U.S. General Claire Lee Chennault in 1941 to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Chinese people and was replaced by the American Army Air Forces’ China Air Task Force in mid-1942 and then by a larger and better equipped, American Army Air Forces’ 14th Air Force to fight the invading Japanese troops. It destroyed over 2,600 Japanese military planes, sank and wounded 44 warships, and wiped out more than 60,000 Japanese aggressors, writing a precious chapter in the history of China-U.S. relations.

“In the past, our two peoples fought the Japanese fascists together, and forged a deep friendship that withstood the test of blood and fire,” Xi stressed in his reply. “In the future, the two major countries shoulder even more important responsibility for world peace, stability and development.”

“We therefore should, and we must, respect each other, coexist in peace and pursue win-win cooperation,” he said.

Greene said the spirit of the Flying Tigers, transcending time and space and symbolizing friendship and cooperation, is a shared spiritual heritage of American and Chinese peoples.

Thanks to the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, nearly 500 Flying Tigers veterans and several hundred of their family members have visited China, with their footprints covering 25 Chinese cities across 12 Chinese provinces, where they have been warmly welcomed by Chinese citizens.

Flying Tigers veterans are amazed by the continuing development and remarkable changes they see, and all of them are very proud of China’s achievement.

Greene said it’s a firm conviction of the foundation that the United States and China should and must cooperate with each other, adding that the foundation hopes to spread the ideas of friendship and cooperation among the younger generations in both the United States and China through a series of activities that recall the shared American and Chinese Legacy of the Flying Tigers and Second World cooperation.

He told People’s Daily that the organization had told many Americans that China is different from what’s in their imagination, and friendship, respect and understanding are important for the two countries.

Kenneth Hammond, Professor of History at New Mexico State University, noted that Xi’s recent replies to letters from American friendly personages remind people that the United States and China have a long history of cooperation and the two peoples are connected by a profound friendship. A review of the friendship between the two countries established over 80 years ago would shed light on the development of their relations.

Xi’s reply encouraged the two peoples to march toward a brighter future, Hammond said, adding that the two countries face many common challenges and they should tackle these challenges through cooperation.

Xi noted in his reply that in growing China-U.S. relations, the hope lies in the people, the foundation lies among the people, and the future lies with the youth. This strikes a chord with Greene.

Green said that more than 80 years ago, many young Americans joined the Flying Tigers and fought side by side with the Chinese people to resist the Japanese fascist invasion, and this period of history reflected the strength of cooperation and friendship between the United States and China.

Today, although there are fewer living Flying Tigers veterans today, the younger generations, inspired by the stories of the Flying Tigers, understand the importance of establishing a good and solid cooperative relationship between the United States and China, Greene added.

Margaret Kincannon is the director of the Flying Tigers Friendship Schools and Youth Leadership Program under the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, and also a descendent of a Flying Tigers veteran. She told People’s Daily that Xi’s inspiring words made them believe that the Flying Tigers spirit forged by the American and Chinese peoples more than 80 years ago is still exerting positive impacts on deepening the friendship between the two peoples, and she is glad to join the efforts to carry forward the spirit. Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, noted that Xi’s replies to letters from American friendly personages demonstrated the importance Xi attaches to the people-to-people friendship between the United States and China, and these replies are of huge significance for promoting the healthy and stable development of U.S.-China relations.

By Sun Longfei, Liu Junguo, People’s Daily

The 19th Asian Games, which opened on Sept. 23 in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province, has provided a stage for athletes from across Asia to surpass themselves, and has also opened a window showing China’s technological innovation.

Various cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, internet of things, big data, and artificial intelligence have been widely used, and intelligent elements can be observed in the entire process and all aspects of the sports event, laying a solid foundation for holding a streamlined, safe, and splendid Asian Games.

In the central server room of the Huanglong Sports Center, a branch venue of the Games, a large screen clearly displayed the operation status of the entire venue. With the help of an intelligent management system, staff members collected and monitored real-time data through various indicators of the venue, thereby improving management efficiency.

To ensure optimal conditions for sailing competitions at the Ningbo Xiangshan Sailing Center, the local meteorological department has partnered with the Ningbo Artificial Intelligence Supercomputing Center. By utilizing AI capabilities, the time required for generating accurate weather forecasts has been reduced from 9 hours to just 4.5 hours.

The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, often referred to as “the Big Lotus,” is the major venue of the Hangzhou Asian Games and will host track and field competitions. With the aid of digital technologies, the stadium has achieved multi-platform intelligent operations. An “online event” command platform, a digital intelligent meteorological platform, an intelligent medical emergency response system and others work in synergy to ensure smooth running of large-scale events, accurate weather forecasts for key areas, and rapid emergency medical response.

Shaoxing, a co-host city of the Hangzhou Asian Games, has outfitted its Asian Games venues with a smart telemedicine system to strengthen medical support. Leveraging 5G and augmented reality (AR) technologies, on-site doctors can initiate remote consultations with experts from other hospitals.

Ma Quan of the medical team at the China Textile City Sports Centre Gymnasium, the competition venue for volleyball during the Asian Games, told People’s Daily that his 5G-enabled AR goggles can send what he sees to off-site specialists in real time so that they can work together to provide professional medical treatment and emergency services for injured athletes.

From Sept. 8 to 20, the torch relay for the Hangzhou Asian Games was held across 11 cities in Zhejiang province. In addition to over 2,000 physical torchbearers, more than 100 million people from 130 countries and regions participated in an online torch relay via a mini program on Alipay, a third-party mobile and online payment platform launched by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. AI technologies like facial recognition and motion capture have been used by the mini program to generate unique 3D avatars for each “digital torchbearer,” which highlighted the charm of technology.

On Sept. 13, the Hangzhou Asian Games’ three core systems, namely Results Distribution System, Games Management System, and Games Support System, were launched at 54 competition venues, the main media center, the Asian Games Village, and the IT command center. They are now providing services to over 100,000 registered users from more than 40 countries and regions.

From the timing and scoring systems at the venues to the results systems, all information flows, gets processed and is finally presented in the form of data. Cloud computing is widely utilized to enable flexible allocation of computing resources, thus fully supporting the Asian Games’ organizing and operations. This means the core systems of the Hangzhou Asian Games are 100 percent cloud-based, making it the first “Asian Games in the cloud.”

Cloud computing not only provides support for the Games systems, but also interconnects with intelligent applications to serve eight major groups including athletes, spectators, staff members and more.

Take cloud broadcasting as an example. Leveraging the cross-regional capabilities of cloud networks, the broadcast signals of the Hangzhou Asian Games will emanate from Hangzhou and be delivered globally to Asian and worldwide audiences with millisecond latency.

In Huzhou, another co-host city of the Hangzhou Asian Games, autonomous buses equipped with LiDAR, millimeter wave radar, and visual cameras have been deployed to provide shuttle services, improving transportation efficiency around venues.

The Zhejiang branch of China Mobile, one of the three major telecommunication carriers in China, has covered a 4-kilometer scenic strip between the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center and Asian Games Village with a 5G-Advanced network. With a speed about 10 times faster than 5G, the network will deliver a more immersive experience for watching naked-eye 3D sports broadcasts, movies and videos.

On a big screen of the cable intelligent monitoring center at the Asian Games Village, a 3D digital twin model of the Village’s underground utility tunnel was displayed in real time. Since this year, the Zhejiang branch of State Grid has actively promoted the application of smart technologies, achieving holographic digitization of the Asian Games Village’s power grid to enhance operational safety and contribute a new power support plan for the Asian Games.

With the latest digital and intelligent applications garnering worldwide attention, Hangzhou is making great efforts to deliver a wonderful Asian Games with Chinese characteristics and Asian styles.

By Wang Ke, People’s Daily

As dusk fell, Sanlitun, a popular destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment in Beijing’s Chaoyang district, was teeming with visitors. There, the crowds encountered various types of “intelligent” elements.

It was the peak time for dining. Robots were seen guiding diners to queue and leading the way in many restaurants.

In parking lots, there was no line waiting at the exit. With WeChat mini-programs on their mobile phones, consumers could park intelligently, inquire about free parking length and pay parking fees. They could even order valet parking and other services on these mini-programs.

In a beauty store in the TaiKoo Li Sanlitun complex, customers were trying makeup in front of augmented reality-enabled “magic mirrors,” which were able to show before-and-after images. These “magic mirrors” clearly displayed makeup effects, providing customers with better references in selecting and buying suitable cosmetics.

Shopping malls and districts are important parts of a city’s business infrastructure, serving as carriers to promote circulation innovation and nurture emerging consumption.

At present, many brick-and-mortar stores in China are adapting to new changes in demands for consumption upgrades by employing new technologies like 5G, internet of things, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, in an attempt to construct smart stores, innovate consumption scenarios, and improve consumer experiences.

At the audio-video experience section of a flagship store under leading Chinese retail company Suning in Xinjiekou, Nanjing, east China’s Jiangsu province, various products manufactured by different brands were displayed together, bringing an immersive shopping experience.

In addition, the store also introduced home furnishing and decoration services so as to provide consumers with a complete set of home audio-video solutions.

Such new and smart experiences significantly drove consumption. According to statistics, passenger flow at the flagship store jumped 56 percent from a year ago between July 28 and Aug. 18.

Green and intelligent home appliances were favored by customers. During the period, the sales of smart sweeping robots, intelligent all-in-one washer dryers and energy-saving refrigerators surged 165 percent, 118 percent and 73 percent year-on-year, respectively.

“I came here with my child to experience the naked-eye 3D display in the mall. It feels like we were in a science fiction world,” said consumer Li Li at the JD Mall in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi province, a complex run by Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com focusing on providing an immersive omnichannel shopping experience to customers.

This 40,000-square-meter shopping center is filled with trendy and technological elements, from its overall design to interactive experiences, making it a well-known destination in the local consumer market.

The exterior wall of the mall features a giant naked-eye 3D screen, providing an immersive, realistic 3D experience. Inside the stores, holographic projections, VR equipment, intelligent robots, virtual live streaming rooms, transparent circuit rooms, and other high-tech installations and facilities were equipped, bringing a refreshing experience.

To improve efficiency and reduce costs through digital transformation is also an important consideration for smart mall construction.

At Raffles City, a shopping mall in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality, the implementation of intelligent operation and maintenance systems such as intelligent power control, environmental monitoring, and energy management monitoring has greatly reduced the mall’s management costs and improved efficiency.

“The intelligent control of air conditioning and lighting saves about 30 percent of energy consumption,” said an executive of the mall.

The mall has also built passenger flow analysis and membership management systems. By profiling and categorizing consumer behaviors, it has achieved digitalized management and services for hundreds of thousands of members.

The essence of smart mall construction is elevating consumer experiences through service optimization. Surveys show that many malls have provided consumers with various digital services by utilizing marketing tools like mini-programs and apps.

For instance, the Yu Garden in east China’s Shanghai has launched a mini-program, which allows one-click access to comprehensive services including navigation, information, interaction, and marketing. Since the mini-program was launched, it has integrated dozens of cultural and tourism sites and consumption scenarios, giving citizens and tourists better experiences.

Zhang Jihang, deputy director of the market research department of the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, told People’s Daily that the development of brick-and-mortar retail is impacted by various factors such as rising operating costs, structural adjustment of consumer demand, and the rapid growth of online retail.

However, backed by the huge Chinese market, the future of physical stores is still full of hope, he said. He explained that, unlike online shopping, offline shopping at physical stores can satisfy the social demand for shopping, entertainment, leisure, dining and tourism, and the consumers’ instant demand for face-to-face shopping and use of goods.

He believes that by focusing on the increasingly diverse and personalized needs of consumption, shopping malls are sure to inspire new vitality.

“Digital transformation is the primary focus for the evolution of shopping malls,” said Hong Yong, associate researcher with the e-commerce research institute of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

He further emphasized the need to strengthen the application of new-gen information technologies such as the internet and big data, improve circulation efficiency and service capabilities, and provide consumers with more new supplies.

By Xu Jiawei, Li Yicheng

In villages of Ningbo, east China’s Zhejiang province, it’s common to see exquisite and beautiful courtyard houses standing alongside small bridges and flowing creeks. With fields blanketed by golden ripening rice and wheat, it presents a gorgeous scene reminiscent of a quintessential canal town in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

In recent years, Ningbo has been working to promote the building of livable towns and beautiful countryside. It focuses on protecting and developing traditional villages as well as treating rural domestic sewage. By building “beautiful courtyards,” Ningbo aims at closer integration between the culture and tourism sectors.

In Qinshan village, Jiulonghu township, Zhenhai district of Ningbo, every household grows flowers, making beautiful scenery a sight at every doorstep. The beautiful courtyards in the village are the fruit of the joint efforts made by Qin Lei, a master Chinese floral artist, and local villagers. In 2018, Qin returned to his hometown and became an art consultant for local rural revitalization. He established a floral art workshop in the village to help villagers obtain skills and increase income.

“At first, the villagers thought learning flower arrangement was useless. So we invited villagers who enjoyed flowers to join us first. Their courtyards became beautiful, which inspired their neighbors to follow suit. Thus, the enthusiasm of the villagers was greatly increased,” said Qin.

The flower arrangement business not only increased income for villagers, but also attracted large numbers of tourists to come and enjoy the scenery. Many villagers transformed their houses into B&B hotels. In addition to lodging in the beautifully renovated courtyards, tourists can visit various attractions around the village such as a wetland park and a cultural museum depicting local history. On top of that, new forms of cultural tourism and leisure businesses like campgrounds and floral art workshops are also starting to thrive. Today, B&B hotel rooms in the village are often fully booked on holidays, and the village has genuinely attained shared wealth and beauty.

Introducing artistic approaches, encouraging villagers’ participation, and stimulating the endogenous motivation for rural revitalization are important means.

In April this year, a team led by Professor Cong Zhiqiang from Renmin University of China was invited to Nanxi village in Shenzhen township, Ninghai county, where it worked with “Sister Nanxi,” a group of women who are good at decorating courtyards, to artistically revitalize a rural house that had been abandoned for nearly 20 years. Finally, they successfully created a beautiful courtyard called Nanxinan Courtyard that integrates leisure, dining, and entertainment all in one place.

“We originally just intended to plant some flowers to improve the overall environment of the village. I didn’t expect that after the artistic transformation by Cong’s team, and with the donations of old items from villagers, the small courtyard has become more and more beautiful, and has attracted many tourists,” said a member of “Sister Nanxi,” whose real name is Liao Zhongfang.

The Nanxinan Courtyard made Nanxi village a hot destination among tourists, so the “Sister Nanxi” started providing catering services in the courtyard, launching a series of signature dishes to make the courtyard even more popular.

Since its opening on May 27 this year, the Nanxinan Courtyard has received nearly 20,000 visits and generated direct economic benefits exceeding 170,000 yuan ($23,249).

The courtyard has also created various new opportunities to boost income. The village collective and villagers have partnered with social capital, pioneering new business models through equity shares, leasing, partnerships, and more. This has expanded the services offered such as camping, barbecue, team-building, research activities, and connected nearby B&B hotels, agritainment facilities, and hot spring resorts. Integrating the culture and tourism sector has truly transformed the Nanxinan Courtyard into a model of shared prosperity.

The building of beautiful courtyards in Ningbo has scaled up from individual homes to entire communities. Dongdan village in Xiangshan county has leveraged its coastal location to build 55 differentiated B&B hotels and constructed a trendy beach for water sports, attracting many tourists. Lijiakeng village in Haishu district meticulously preserves its ancient architectures, allowing visitors to discover the rich history and culture of local ancient architectures and Tang poetry. Zoumatang village in Yinzhou fuses beautiful courtyards with traditional opera performance, taking visitors to an immersive world of Chinese opera.

So far, Ningbo has built 354,800 beautiful courtyards, including 400 awarded as “the most beautiful courtyards” at the municipal level. There are also 60 featured belts and 60 model villages for beautiful courtyard construction. This has effectively driven local economic development and ecological progress.

By Bao Han, People’s Daily

Soaring kicks, side flips, spinning kicks… A set of smooth, flowing movements combining strength and grace fully demonstrated the stretch, elegance and fluidity of Changquan.

On Sept. 24, the men’s Changquan final of Wushu was held at the Xiaoshan Guali Sports Center in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province, during the 19th Asian Games. Chinese athlete Sun Peiyuan successfully defended his title.

After standing on the top podium in Incheon in 2014 and in Jakarta in 2018, Sun once again gained the laurel at the Asian Games, achieving a three-peat.

On the same day, the women’s Taijiquan and Taijijian all-round final kicked off. Competing in the Asian Games for the first time, Chinese young athlete Tong Xin clinched the gold medal with top scores in both Taijiquan and Taijijian.

Scoring two golds a day, the Chinese national Wushu team showcased the charm of Wushu, or Chinese martial arts, to the world.

Wushu, originating from China, is a traditional sport that focuses on routines and combat. As a treasure of the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization, it emphasizes mastery of physical forms while conveying inner spirit, unifying internal cultivation and external technique. This unique integration is of high aesthetic beauty.

As a competitive sport with great fitness value, Wushu has spread widely across Asia and the world at large. Since it was first incorporated into the Beijing Asian Games in 1990, the event has attracted massive athletes from countries and regions in Asia. It also appeared as a special exhibition event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Wushu is blossoming around the world. In recent years, leveraging international comprehensive event platforms like the Asian Games, the FISU World University Games and the World Games, traditional Chinese Wushu has gained countless popularity overseas.

A global fever for Wushu has emerged, attracting numerous young people to travel to China for training. Additionally, many Chinese have established Wushu schools outside China, providing people from diverse cultural backgrounds the opportunity to experience the charm of the sport.

A total of 158 countries and regions have now united under the banner of the International Wushu Federation, and there are over 100 million Wushu enthusiasts worldwide. A complete, standardized competition system of the sport has been shaped, which covers such tournaments or events as the World Wushu Championships, the World Taijiquan Championships and the World Junior Wushu Championships.

More people will be able to appreciate the beauty of Wushu during the Hangzhou Asian Games. It is expected that people from more countries would get to know, experience and fall in love with Wushu, which will help this cultural gem of China shine brighter.