Nigeria Times

By Li Xiaoqing, Chen Junyi, People’s Daily

In Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province, a little girl stood on tiptoe, clutching her mother Chen Juan’s hand as they waited eagerly outside a tea shop. 

“If you buy a drink and pay another 18.8 yuan ($2.64), you can get a blind-box figurine. She’s been asking for this for weeks, so I brought her here today,” said Chen.

Moments later, a cheerful chime signaled that the tea was ready, along with a cute figurine. The girl jumped with joy. Chen laughed: “Kids these days love new-style tea drinks. With blind boxes and limited editions, there’s always something new to keep them hooked.”

According to the China Chain Store and Franchise Association (CCFA), “new-style tea” refers to freshly prepared beverages made with raw tea leaves or tea infusions, blended with fresh fruit, vegetable juices, dairy products, or other ingredients, excluding instant powdered drinks.

The market for such beverages has expanded rapidly in recent years. A joint report by the CCFA’s new-style tea committee and a research institute under the Chinese on-demand delivery company Meituan estimates that consumption in the sector will surpass 200 billion yuan this year.

“For just an extra yuan with any order, you can get a stadium cup. You can even make your drink yourself and share it on social media. That way, customers aren’t just drinkers, but also creators and promoters. It’s so much fun!” said Peng Cheng, a resident in Changsha, central China’s Hunan province, while waiting in line outside a bubble tea shop.

Tea drinks today offer more than refreshment, but a sense of participation and interaction. To meet the growing demand for healthier options, tea brands have diversified their ingredient choices. Curly kale, celery, beetroot, bell peppers now join seabuckthorn, mulberries, blueberries, and traditional herbs like dried tangerine peel and goji berries. These additions cater to health-conscious consumers while enriching flavor variety.

Culture has also become an integral part of the experience. For example, Shanghai-based brand Auntea Jenny paired its spring teas with world-famous paintings, printing reproductions of oil artworks onto its cups that quickly went viral online. By blending cultural creativity with their products, tea brands are transforming beverages into lively carriers of cultural expression.

The popularity of new-style tea reflects not only China’s evolving consumer trends but also the country’s potential to boost agricultural consumption.

At a HEYTEA outlet at the OneLink Walk shopping center in Guangzhou, barista Yu Xiaokai created a seasonal bestseller, the “Wampee Jasmine King,” by blending wampee fruit with matcha and jasmine tea. The drink once sold over 1,200 cups in a single day.

“Back in 2021, we launched our first wampee-based drink. It was an instant hit and opened up an entirely new market for the fruit,” said HEYTEA procurement specialist Sun Yawei. “This year, wampee prices rose 60 percent, bringing real income growth to farmers.”

For growers like Zhao Dan in Lianhua village, Enping, Guangdong, the change has been transformative. “In the past, wampee farming was barely profitable due to weak sales. Now, tea companies buy directly, sometimes even before harvest. Prices have risen from 10 yuan per kilogram to as high as 8 yuan, raising income by about 8,000 yuan per mu (about 533.6 yuan per hectare),” Zhao said.

Wampee is not the only beneficiary. Fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products are also finding new markets through the tea industry. In Jinzao township, Shantou, Guangdong, mulberries have become a sought-after ingredient, significantly raising their market value.

Last year, beverage brand ChaPanda sourced over 250,000 tons of raw materials directly or indirectly through its supply chain, benefiting more than 100,000 farmers. As new-style tea consumption drives demand for local specialties, it also incentivizes improvements in product quality.

In Tongnan district, southwest China’s Chongqing municipality, one of the world’s top three lemon-producing regions, an agricultural subsidiary of Chinese beverage company Mixue Bingcheng established a farmer support center that serves 38,000 mu of lemon orchards. “With our training and technical guidance, chemical pesticide use has dropped by 30 percent, water consumption by 90 percent, and pest and disease control rates have reached 95 percent,” said center director Dai Long.

By Jin Zhengbo, Chen Shangwen, Xue Dan, Huang Peizhao, People’s Daily

On the morning of Sept. 3, China held a massive military parade in central Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II. Together with people around the world, China honored history while casting its gaze toward the future. 

A total of 45 formations and echelons were involved in the grand parade. Chinese soldiers who have participated in UN peacekeeping operations marched past Tian’anmen Square, marking their first appearance in a Victory Day parade. Many Chinese peacekeepers serving overseas watched the live broadcast, sharing in the moment from afar.

Qing Shenghe, head of the explosive ordnance disposal team of the 23rd Chinese peacekeeping multi-role engineering company to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), had spent six hours the previous day clearing explosives. 

“When I saw the peacekeeping formation on parade, I couldn’t hold back my tears,” he said. “Many of those soldiers share the same mission and experience as I do. That is what touched me so deeply.”

For Xiao Shenghua, a member of the medical contingent of the 23rd peacekeeping force to UNIFIL, the broadcast was both inspiring and overwhelming. “Peace is hard-won. It is sustained by persistence, courage, and even sacrifice. What we protect is not only health, but hope itself,” Xiao said.

“Here in Lebanon, every mine we clear, every rescue we complete, every road we open is an act of bringing peace and friendship. Our mission is glorious, and our responsibility immense,” said Lin Wanlei, commander of the 23rd Chinese peacekeeping force to the UNIFIL.

Ren Meijuan, a female soldier with the 11th Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion in South Sudan, reflected on the parade: “The peacekeepers’ blue helmets are like a bridge, linking the weight of history with the honor of today. Here on mission overseas, we carry forward the baton of history, safeguarding peace that has been so dearly earned.”

“In the mission area in Lebanon, every inch of land may conceal landmines or unexploded ordnance. Our demining operations demand absolute focus, strict adherence to procedure, and the courage to face danger directly. Every area we clear is a step toward peace,” said Gao Jie, captain of the 23rd Chinese peacekeeping multi-role engineering company to the UNIFIL.

Xu Xin, a doctor with the 11th Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion in South Sudan, drew inspiration from a figure deeply respected in China. “As a military doctor, I often think of Norman Bethune. Our unit was once his workplace. His spirit of internationalism and humanitarianism is a precious legacy. In our missions, we strive to provide medical assistance to local communities, to confront danger without fear, and to serve with our professional skills and compassion, making our contribution to world peace.”

Among those who marched in Beijing was Luo Yao, a veteran of two Lebanon missions. He vividly recalls an incident during road construction when clashes erupted nearby and artillery shells rained down, the closest landing just 400 meters away. “None of the more than 10 comrades with me flinched,” he said.

As Luo marched through Tian’anmen Square, his fellow peacekeepers continued their duties in Lebanon. Though separated by time and space, they shared the same identity: Chinese peacekeepers, united by a single mission – to safeguard peace.

Their understanding was simple: Luo would represent them proudly at the parade, while those abroad would accomplish their missions with professionalism and resolve. Together, at home and abroad, they demonstrated the Chinese military’s steadfast commitment to peace.

“Clearing roadblocks near UN positions along the Blue Line is not only about ensuring the safety of local communities; it is also a concrete step toward building a community with a shared future for humanity,” said Xiong Zhaochun, captain of the construction engineering company of the 23rd Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon. “We will continue to meet the highest standards in our work, contributing Chinese strength to regional peace and stability.”

For Tan Junyang of the 23rd peacekeeping engineering company, the impact of their mission is measured in human connections. “Every time I see children smiling as they return to school, every time I feel the warmth of a local resident holding our hands, I am more convinced that China’s blue helmets are not only guardians of peace, but also envoys of friendship,” said Tan Junyang with the 23rd Chinese peacekeeping multi-role engineering company to the UNIFIL. 

“Through their actions, Chinese soldiers have shown that commitment is not merely a choice but also a mission,” Tan added.

By Liao Ruiling

On a mountain pass in Jiawa village, Qusum county, Shannan, southwest China’s Xizang autonomous region, rows of energy storage units hum quietly beside a solar-storage power station. 

“These facilities are designed to work with photovoltaic power generation. The electricity produced during the day is temporarily stored here and then released at night when demand peaks, thereby maximizing efficiency and preventing waste,” explained Cui Guangze, general manager of a new energy company under China Huaneng Group, which manages these energy storage units.

This process of charging during off-peak hours and discharging during peak times exemplifies the function of large-scale battery storage systems, which are now being deployed across a rapidly expanding array of applications.

According to China’s National Energy Administration (NEA), by the end of 2024, the total installed capacity of new energy storage projects in China reached 73.76 million kilowatts, representing an increase of over 130 percent compared to the end of 2023. China has emerged as a global leader in new energy technology and equipment, with its new energy patents accounting for more than 40 percent of the world’s total.

As China accelerates the shift toward renewable energy and builds a new type of power system, energy storage has become indispensable. As solar and wind are inherently intermittent, storage units act as “power banks” and “dispatching stations,” saving excess electricity on sunny or windy days and releasing it when skies are overcast or demand surges, keeping homes lit and factories running smoothly.

Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China’s total installed capacity of new energy storage projects has expanded twentyfold. By the end of June this year, capacity had climbed further to 94.91 million kW/222 million kWh, up about 29 percent from the end of 2024.

“The importance of new-type energy storage is becoming increasingly evident. In 2024, we observed a significant improvement in utilization rates compared to 2023. In provincial-level regions such as Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Chongqing and Xinjiang, annual equivalent utilization hours exceeded 1,000, making storage a key driver of renewable energy integration and consumption,” said Bian Guangqi, deputy director of the NEA’s energy saving and technology equipment department.

This summer, as power demand repeatedly hit record highs, breaking records 36 times across 16 provincial grids, the NEA organized a centralized dispatch trial to leverage new-type energy storage for peak summer demand. The trial effectively validated the system’s capacity to guarantee supply security.

By the end of July, within the service area of China’s State Grid, the maximum dispatchable power from new-type energy storage reached 64.23 GW, with a real-time maximum discharge of 44.53 GW, up 55.7 percent from last year. 

During the trial, the peak-shaving capacity of these storage systems was nearly equivalent to the output of three Three Gorges Dams, sustaining supply for an average of 2.4 hours during evening peaks and bolstering grid stability at critical moments.

In a significant technological advancement, the country’s largest “coal-to-power plus molten salt” storage project, located in Suzhou, east China’s Anhui province, recently completed a 168-hour trial run and officially began operation. This marks China’s first gigawatt-hour-level molten salt thermal storage and exchange system integrated with a coal-fired unit.

“The molten salt system is like connecting a ‘thermal battery’ to a conventional cogeneration unit,” explained a manager from the Suzhou Power Plant under the Anhui branch of China Energy Investment Corporation. During periods of low demand, steam heats the molten salt to store thermal energy. This energy is then released during high-demand periods, enhancing operational flexibility and addressing the long-standing challenge of balancing heating with power generation.

China’s energy storage sector is rapidly diversifying project applications and accelerating the rollout of multiple technological pathways. Bian noted that in 2024, the NEA approved 56 pilot projects covering more than a dozen technical approaches, providing strong momentum for breakthroughs in core technologies and equipment.

“China’s advances in new-type energy storage are moving from isolated breakthroughs to a more systematic framework,” said Rao Hong, chief scientist at China Southern Power Grid. 

Lithium battery technologies, he noted, are undergoing generational upgrades, with rapid progress in battery cells, thermal management, and grid integration. Meanwhile, compressed-air storage, flow batteries, and flywheel storage have achieved engineering breakthroughs, supporting the long-duration regulation needed for high-renewable systems. 

Meanwhile, cutting-edge technologies such as semi-solid and all-solid-state batteries, as well as hydrogen storage, are advancing rapidly to meet future demands for multi-timescale flexibility, high safety, and resilience in extreme environments.

By Shi Fang, People’s Daily

At a cultural and creative space inside the Palace Museum, shelves are adorned with an eclectic array of products: folding-screen refrigerator magnets, floral-patterned makeup mirrors, scented balms in imperial-style cases, and bookmarks inspired by the Twelve Flower Fairies.

“Take this refrigerator magnet, for example. It depicts the track of China’s space station as it passes over the Palace Museum. The fusion of scientific achievement and cultural heritage imbues the item with special significance,” explained Tie Zheng, an associate researcher with the museum’s cultural and creative department, while presenting a new product to visitors.

In recent years, the Palace Museum has attracted a devoted following by launching cultural and creative products tailored to public interest. “Some items are so popular that they sell out as soon as they hit the shelves,” said Tie. Today, the museum offers more than 3,000 products across 28 categories, ranging from stationery and cosmetics to food, ensuring diverse access to cultural experiences.

“Designing cultural products begins with understanding the spirit behind the relics,” Tie emphasized. For the zodiac stamp series celebrating the Year of the Rabbit, the team carefully selected 23 rabbit-themed artifacts, crafted from jade, bronze, and porcelain, spanning more than 2,000 years from the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC) to the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). 

“These pieces all carry auspicious symbolism. For instance, the bronze ornament of two rabbits with a chariot axle, a key component of ancient vehicles, symbolizes stability and a steady journey. Once launched, the stamp series became an instant success,” said Tie.

Sustainability has also become a hallmark of innovation. Everyday materials are also transformed into sustainable and fashionable creations that bridge modern life with ancient traditions. Apple peels are fashioned into dragon-patterned phone cases, fallen leaves into eco-friendly bracelets, and discarded plastic bottles into themed tote bags. 

“Guochao, or the China chic, is not about simply replicating the past but creatively transforming it,” Tie observed. “These products embody the wisdom of our ancestors in treasuring resources while reflecting today’s environmental values. Each one tells a unique story of creativity rooted in the cultural axis of Beijing.”

Since starting the “Zero Waste at the Palace Museum” project, more than 60,000 plastic bottles have been repurposed into eco-friendly cultural products by January 2024, reducing carbon emissions by 1.72 tons, exemplifying the museum’s ongoing commitment to connecting heritage with public participation in sustainability.

“To truly bring people closer to cultural relics, we must constantly explore new ways of engagement,” said Tie. Beyond merchandise, cultural events and exhibitions have become vital extensions of the museum’s creative work.

During preparations for an exhibition, a visitor once asked: “Could we get just a little closer to the relics?” 

The team took this suggestion to heart. From the museum’s collection of 1.86 million artifacts, they carefully selected more than 100 representative pieces. Each was photographed and scanned with lasers to capture 3D data, which was then digitally modeled and rendered. 

One such example is the Warring States bronze vessel decorated with scenes of feasting, hunting, and battle. Through touchscreens, visitors can animate the ancient figures, watching them pick mulberry leaves, practice archery, enjoy banquets, or wage war by land and water. “Visitors can not only view relics up close, but also hold them virtually in the palm of their hands,” Tie explained.

This spirit of innovation has also shaped new storytelling formats. In 2018, after months of preparation, Tie and his colleagues launched a cultural variety show centered on the Palace Museum relics. The very first episode, themed “The Qianlong Emperor’s Secret Garden,” invited celebrities to play the role of cultural product developers. Exploring the Studio of Exhaustion from Diligent Service, they drew inspiration from motifs of wisteria, birds, and bamboo to create products echoing the aesthetics of southern Chinese gardens.

“By integrating entertainment with cultural education, the program has helped interpret and popularize traditional culture, especially among younger audiences,” Tie said.

Whether enjoying afternoon tea in the Forbidden City, sipping coffee at a corner tower cafe, or tasting a bowl of old Beijing noodles at the Icehouse Restaurant, Tie believes that combining “culture” with “creativity” will attract more visitors to the Palace Museum, offering them fresh ways to experience the richness of Chinese civilization.

By Zhang Tengyang, People’s Daily

At the construction site of the Xiong’an Energy Internet Innovation Center of China’s State Grid in Xiong’an New Area, north China’s Hebei province, cabling and interior finishing are proceeding in an orderly fashion. This is Xiong’an New Area’s first all-electric, smart, zero-carbon park.

The complex’s design features a circular layout, with a spherical conference and exhibition center at its core, surrounded by four research, development, and industrial buildings. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.

A notable architectural feature is the installed glass curtain walls. These panels are noticeably thicker than standard ones, measuring nearly 10 centimeters. “Each unit is composed of three glass layers with two cavities filled with argon gas, significantly reducing heat transfer,” explained Li Peng, safety manager for the project at State Grid Digital Technology Holdings Co’s subsidiary in Xiong’an.

“With over 8,000 such panels, the curtain walls form a highly efficient barrier that retains heat in winter, blocks it in summer, and optimizes natural lighting, thereby cutting energy consumption for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and illumination,” he added.

But energy savings and carbon reduction require more than good insulation. Above and below ground, the park has installed a “circulatory system” to maintain stable temperatures.

“The park has drilled 1,136 geothermal wells, each exceeding 130 meters in depth,” Li said. “U-shaped pipes within these wells facilitate heat exchange with the surrounding soil, and geothermal pump units then transfer this thermal energy to the building’s internal water circulation system.”

This mechanism extracts heat from the ground to warm buildings during winter and dissipates excess indoor heat underground during summer, maintaining a stable internal temperature between 21 and 26 degrees Celsius. This method is far more efficient than conventional HVAC; calculations indicate that each kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed returns over five kilowatt-hours worth of heating or cooling effect.

Complementing this, the building rooftops are being fitted with photovoltaic (PV) panels. “Approximately half of the park’s rooftops will be covered with solar panels, generating electricity for on-site consumption,” said Xu Huiming, a smart energy expert at State Grid Digital Technology Holdings.

The PV system’s design takes building orientation and roof slope into full consideration to maximize energy capture. During periods of high solar generation and demand, all rooftop solar power will be consumed locally. The system’s annual PV output is expected to reach 2.73 million kilowatt-hours, covering a quarter of its electricity demand.

In addition to these physical infrastructure solutions, the park employs a smart “cloud-based” carbon management system. An integrated smart operations platform enables real-time monitoring and management of energy use, carbon emissions, and facility operations.

Wang Shuanghu, the platform manager, demonstrated a digital dashboard providing a panoramic overview of the park’s energy, facilities, maintenance, and safety.

The system manages an extensive network of 146,000 pieces of equipment, from air conditioners and faucets to lightbulbs, tracking their usage and electricity consumption in real time. It can calculate energy use and carbon emissions for every building, floor, and room. Supported by big-data analytics, the platform dynamically adjusts energy loads to ensure flexible and efficient operation. Wang illustrated this with the smart lighting system, which can be manually adjusted based on time of day, pedestrian flow, and ambient light levels.”

At the heart of the park, the conference and exhibition center is nearing completion, which will function as a direct-current, zero-carbon building. It is also planned to host a future electricity-carbon trading platform, serving as a hub connecting power consumers, enterprises, and energy markets.

These measures have already reduced the park’s carbon emissions by more than 60 percent. While the facility remains connected to the conventional power grid, a source of indirect emissions, Xu clarified the strategy: “Through our trading platform, we will directly purchase green electricity to offset these residual indirect emissions.”

Projections indicate the park will reduce carbon emissions by 3,370 tons annually through passive energy-saving designs and clean-energy stations; by 1,386 tons through smart lighting and efficient fixtures; by 541 tons through energy-efficient data centers and smart operations; and by 1,367 tons through rooftop PV generation. The remaining 4,104 tons of indirect emissions will be neutralized through the procurement of green power and carbon trading mechanisms, ultimately realizing the goal of net-zero carbon emissions.

By Zhao Shuaijie, People’s Daily

In northwest China’s Gansu province, Zhong Lin, a 27-year-old resident of Minqin county, has gained prominence for his extraordinary dedication to ecological restoration. He is often unreachable by phone or message, but can almost always be found working in the desert.

Zhong spends nearly two-thirds of a year living and working in the desert. He began his tree planting efforts as a college sophomore, funding his work through e-commerce and using short videos to raise public awareness and galvanize support.

Last year, he launched a volunteer campaign called “Come to Minqin and Plant a Tree,” which has mobilized more than 41,000 participants to plant 1.52 million drought-resistant shrubs across 4,500 mu (about 300 hectares) of barren land.

Nestled between the Tengger and Badain Jaran deserts, Minqin has long struggled with desertification, which once affected more than 90 percent of its land. Zhong grew up in Fengzheng village on the county’s northeastern edge, where he still vividly remembers springtime sandstorms that blotted out the sky.

For the residents of Minqin, protecting their homes, preserving the ecosystem, and ensuring agricultural productivity are all contingent upon the effective control of sand and desertification. Since the 1950s, successive generations have taken part in organized tree-planting campaigns. 

Zhong was deeply impressed as a child by his elders carrying bundles of wheat straw, shouldering shovels, and hauling water carts into the desert to stabilize shifting dunes. Inspired by their perseverance, he launched his own desertification control efforts in 2020. But reality hit hard: most of the 500 shrubs he planted withered within weeks because of shallow pits and irregular watering.

Undaunted, Zhong persisted. In early 2022, with savings from his e-commerce ventures, he returned to the desert with renewed determination. This time, he devoted himself to studying scientific methodologies and consulting with experienced local planters. He established a temporary residence in the desert, where he meticulously recorded temperature fluctuations, wind speeds, and soil moisture levels while tending to each seedling. The systematic approach resulted in a survival rate of over 90 percent.

“Sweet and juicy melons from the desert – place your orders now!” Zhong often cheerfully promotes produce via livestream. Thanks to sandy soils, abundant sunlight, and significant diurnal temperature variation, Minqin provides an ideal environment for cultivating melons. “Marketing this produce can increase farmers’ income while generating capital for our ongoing desert control efforts,” Zhong explained.

He emphasized that passion must be complemented by scientific rigor. To address the specific challenges posed by the Tengger Desert’s coarse and arid sand, Zhong and his team conducted numerous trials before setting on an optimal approach: digging pits 40 centimeters wide and deep, watering each seedling twice, and arranging plants in a north-south orientation with two-meter spacing to mitigate wind damage.

By 2023, his team had successfully rehabilitated more than 1,000 mu of desertified land, planting resilient shrubs such as saxaul, red willow, and camel thorn. Technology has also proved transformative. “One machine can excavate over 3,000 pits per day, increasing efficiency tenfold compared with manual labor. And drones let us track seedling survival rates with far greater accuracy than our eyes,” Zhong said.

In early 2024, Zhong received a call from producers of an online reality show. For over two weeks, the production crew and accompanying volunteers joined him in the desert, engaging in pit-digging, planting, watering, and backfilling. Together, they planted 180,000 shrubs. 

Following the program’s broadcast, engagement on Zhong’s social media platforms surged exponentially, with a single video topping nine million views. Rather than being swayed by this sudden prominence, he posed a critical question: how could this online attention turn into tangible action for desert control?

He promptly observed an influx of comments from individuals expressing a desire to participate. In response, he launched the “Come to Minqin and Plant a Tree” initiative, publishing detailed guides online and drafting a green pledge to encourage and facilitate participation.

“The initiative gained significant momentum this spring,” Zhong said. Volunteers flocked to Minqin from across the country, including recent graduates, seasoned environmentalists, and retirees. Liu Beili, a university student, participated in spring planting and returned during the summer to water the saplings. Seventy-two-year-old Cheng Xiuqiong traveled more than 2,000 kilometers from Guangdong province in south China, switching between plane, train, and bus to contribute her strength. Over the months, more than 41,000 people have joined the campaign.

To accommodate the influx of volunteers, Zhong established a desert base that provides free lodging and meals while offering instruction on arboriculture techniques. Local authorities provided substantial support by supplying seedlings, installing a dedicated power line, building gravel roads, and partnering with hotels and restaurants to offer discounted services and over 15,000 free meals.

Today, Zhong and his team have pioneered a sustainable model where industrial development supports ecological preservation. “For every box of fruit sold, 70 percent of the profits are reinvested into our desert control efforts,” Zhong explained. Looking out over the expanding stretches of greenery, he affirmed, “We’ll stay committed to public-interest desert control, and we hope to inspire more young people to join the fight against desertification.”