Foreign
China sees emerging forms of Spring Festival trips

By Zhu Jinyi
As the most important traditional festival of the Chinese nation, the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, offers an abundance of customs and rituals, making it a perfect time for a cultural trip. Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, estimated that the Spring Festival holiday in 2024 would become a “super golden week,” with high enthusiasm for travel and consumption. China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism recently launched a series of 25 Spring Festival-themed activities, covering seven major categories including popular cultural performances, public service events, intangible cultural heritage experiences, tourism and leisure consumption, winter sports and educational trips, cultural and historical exhibitions, as well as international and domestic celebrations. These activities will offer a wide range of choices for people to celebrate the Chinese New Year and enjoy a joyful holiday. The museum remains an important destination for offline cultural tours. Statistics show that in 2023, museums across China received a total of 1.24 billion visits, 2.1 times the number in 2022. During the Spring Festival holiday in 2024, most national museums and provincial museums will continue to be open to the public. In addition to permanent exhibitions, they plan to launch exhibitions themed with the Year of the Dragon and featured exhibitions. According to an official with China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration, more than 400 themed exhibitions have been planned nationwide, including one on the culture of northern Xinjiang and a digital exhibition on cultural relics about Loong collected by the Shaanxi History Museum. Besides, over 1,000 social education and cultural activities will be hosted, including rubbing experiences and ancient Chinese music performances. These activities aim to offer a cultural feast to the audience. “Since last year, new trends have emerged in the stage performance market, with many people hitting new destinations to attend art performances,” said Zhang Yi, an official with China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. During the Spring Festival this year, 10 national art troupes under the direct administration of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism will hold 204 offline performances, including Peking Opera masterpieces, dance drama tours, as well as a musical presented by the China National Theatre for Children. In addition, Art China and many other online broadcasting platforms will launch special programs for the Chinese New Year, showcasing to the audience the splendid achievements and artistic essence of China’s stage arts in the past year. Apart from enjoying high-quality art performances, during the holiday, people can also watch videos and livestream, and listen to Chinese New Year-themed songs on their mobile phones to experience the festive atmosphere around the world without leaving their homes. Recently, a livestream event was hosted in Changsha, central China’s Hunan province to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year. It was organized by the China Association of Performing Arts in collaboration with Douyin, Kuaishou, Tencent Video and other platforms. By setting up dedicated livestream areas, it allowed netizens to experience the joyful and peaceful atmosphere of the Spring Festival in the virtual world. Various regions in China are leveraging their unique cultural and tourism resources to launch a diverse range of Spring Festival travel products. Jilin, Liaoning, Xinjiang and other places, in combination with local resources including sports, recreation, hot springs, and folk activities, have hosted colorful events to mark the Chinese New Year, featuring a series of ice and snow-themed tourism products and preferential measures for the public. Eleven provinces, including Anhui, Jiangxi, Shandong, Hainan, and Sichuan, have launched study tour activities that focus on the natural ecological environment as well as regional cultural characteristics. For example, Sichuan has launched a study tour that introduces the habitats of pandas, while Shandong is also showcasing the charm of traditional Chinese etiquette. The “Happy Chinese New Year” activities have been held globally for over 20 years, including family day activities held in the U.S., parades on the Trafalgar Square in the UK, temple fairs in Russia and a grand temple fair in Egypt. As the 2024 Spring Festival approaches, the “Happy Chinese New Year” activities will be organized in nearly 100 countries and regions worldwide, with nearly 500 diverse exchange activities. In around 20 countries such as the Netherlands, Kazakhstan and New Zealand, lantern lighting events will take place, spreading the joy and harmony of the Chinese New Year to the world. Shi Zeyi, deputy director of the international exchange and cooperation bureau of China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, noted that during the Spring Festival, various tourism promotion activities will be carried out overseas to encourage domestic enterprises to launch more culturally rich inbound tourism products, and allow more foreign tourists to experience the charm of the Spring Festival in China.
Foreign
Judge blocks Trump from deporting non-citizens using wartime law

A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s attempt to deport migrants allegedly linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua under a wartime law.
US District Judge James Boasberg issued a restraining order preventing the administration from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expel undocumented migrants accused of gang ties. The order initially protected five individuals challenging the deportation but was later expanded to all affected noncitizens in US custody.
Boasberg also directed that any planes carrying these migrants be returned to the United States. “Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned,” he ruled. The restraining order will remain in effect for 14 days or until further court action.
The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act, citing Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization that has “unlawfully infiltrated the United States” and is engaging in hostile actions. However, civil rights groups, including the ACLU, argue that the gang’s activities do not meet the legal definition of an invasion.
The Justice Department has appealed the ruling, while the case continues in court.
Foreign
China’s new chapter in global innovation

By Gu Yekai, Liu Yiqing, People’s Daily
At a smart construction project site managed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, a quiet technological revolution is underway. Amid cranes and concrete, engineers are deploying advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that could fundamentally reshape the construction industry.
Li Fengjian, an AI specialistwith Xianyuan Technology, detailed how the company’s latest intelligent system – built on a large model – adapts to complex construction environments.”Engineering machinery equipped with intelligent agents can adjust its operations automatically in response to weather conditions,” Li explained, adding that a spatiotemporal sensing network further enhances the system, providing real-time tracking of both personnel and materials throughout the construction site.
In February this year, Xianyuan Technology rapidly integrated its self-developed model with DeepSeek-R1, effectively blending a general-purpose framework with industry-specific models. This integration, Li noted, has produced a solution capable of delivering expert-level performance in challenging, dynamic environments. The firm is based in the Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center, aburgeoning AI incubator that now hosts over 200 innovative enterprises.
China’s technological transformation extends well beyond the construction sector. Overthe past three decades, the country has evolved from its initial forays into internet connectivity to becoming a key player in global digital innovation.
Here, a steady stream of technological innovations are emerging, from the early days of emails and web browsing to the cutting-edge technologies represented by DeepSeek and the dynamic evolution of social media.
Wu Jianping, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and headof the Zhongguancun Laboratory, pointed out that while China had introduced only one internet standard before 2005, it now contributes to over 200 worldwide. Such strides illustrate the country’s concerted push toward high-level technological self-reliance – a journey marked by both persistence and determination.
Beyond the digital realm, China is makingsignificant inroads in aerospace, new energy, and other high-tech sectors. It has transitioned from being a follower to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with global leaders, and in some areas, even taking the lead. Wu attributed these achievements to a dynamic ecosystem of policy reforms and talent cultivation that encourages creativity and technical expertise at every level.
Amid intensifying international competition, collaborative research and the integration of new technologies with traditional industries are central to China’s high-quality economic development.
Mei Linhai, a researcher at China’s State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Intelligence, remarked that the age of AI calls for continuous exploration. “In this era, everyone is an innovator. Only by persistently pushing the boundaries can we remain at the forefront of both technological and industrial development,” Mei observed.
In the field of general-purpose AI, Mei emphasized that independent innovation is paramount. He advocates for a self-driven industrial ecosystem that leveragesbreakthrough technologies to boost productivity and unlock new possibilities, Mei said.
Foreign
Chinese democracy in action:a village bench meeting shapes national law

By Wei Zhezhe, Liu Botong, People’s Daily
In a modest corner of Jiangmen, south China’s Guangdong province, residents of Weidong village are experiencing firsthand a form of democracy that starts at the grassroots level and reverberates all the way to Beijing.
Wu Tengxin, a local villager who relies on a scooter for daily mobility after contracting polio, recalls a time when the village’s public spaces were ill-equipped for people with disabilities. Now, thanks to a simple suggestion made during a meeting, his everyday life has changed.
In November 2022, a team from a local legislative outreach office – a branch of China’sNational People’s Congress (NPC) – visited Weidong village and set up a “bench-style meeting.” Residents, including the elderly and those with disabilities, gathered to voice their concerns about inadequate accessibility.
Amid the conversation, Wu offered a straightforward proposal: “I hope rural accessible facilities can be improved to make mobility easier for people with disabilities and the elderly.” His words were relayed verbatim to lawmakers.
The response was swift. On June 28, 2023, at the third session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee, legislators passed a law on building a barrier-free living environment. The law stipulates that improvements”shall align with social and economic development levels, coordinate urban and rural progress, and gradually narrow the gap in infrastructure between urban and rural areas.”
Today, Wu observes that the village’s main roads and public squares have been upgraded with accessibility features that make getting around considerably easier.
This episode illustrates what Chinese officials call “whole-process people’s democracy” – a system where citizen input is woven into every stage of policy development.
Jilie Ziri, head of Abuluoha village in Butuo county, southwest China’s Sichuan province, remarked that for young generations in China, democracy has become a lived experience. “Villagers are the masters of village affairs,” he said, emphasizing how active villager participation has injected new vitality into local governance.
Experts point to consultative democracy as a cornerstone of this process. Tao Kaiyuan, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy and vice president of the Supreme People’s Court, underscores the important role of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, whose members hail from every stratum of society and bring a wealth of expertise and connections.
Their regular forums, field research, and public consultations have created robust channels for citizens to contribute ideas and forge consensus.”This approach gathers collective wisdom and transforms public voices into policy,” Tao said.
Another crucial manifestation is the effectiveness of China’s political party system. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, Chinese democratic parties actively fulfill their duties, offering recommendations that often translate into concrete policy decisions. This integrated approach demonstrates the unique strengths of China’s political system and the advantages of whole-process people’s democracy.
Tao emphasized that whole-process people’s democracyhas evolved into an efficient and dynamic democratic practice – one that not only reflects the essence of socialist democracy but also presents a pioneering model of political civilization, contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to global governance and democratic development.
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