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Articles by Hou Chenchen
From the Mediterranean to the dinner table
Workers prepare to weigh bluefin tuna on Ocean Star, an ultra-low temperature processing and transportation vessel, in the Mediterranean Sea east of Malta on Oct 9. XINHUA Bluefin tuna does not forgive delay. The fatty belly — otoro — is prized for a richness that seems to dissolve on the tongue, a quality built on gloss, deep color and a marine intensity that no cooked fish can replicate. That pleasure lasts only as long as the cold chain holds.
From the Mediterranean to the dinner table
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Paddling together in harmony Original
Dragon boat drums and a young generation drive the rhythm of Hangzhou-Boston sister-city ties Crews race their dragon boats during the 47th Boston Dragon Boat Festival in Massachusetts on June 14, 2026. (PHOTO/AFP) Every spring, a dragon boat from China’s Hangzhou appears on Boston’s Charles River. It is not an ordinary dragon boat.
Rowing to the same beat, a world away Original
Full steam ahead from Hangzhou to Boston as young generation stake the helm of sister-city relations Students from Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston showcase their works after taking part in a Chinese cultural heritage workshop in Hangzhou in May 2026. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY) Every spring, a dragon boat from China's Hangzhou appears on Boston's Charles River. It is not an ordinary dragon boat.
Rowing to the same beat, a world away
Crews race their dragon boats during the 47th Boston Dragon Boat Festival in Massachusetts on June 14. JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP Every spring, a dragon boat from China's Hangzhou appears on Boston's Charles River. It is not an ordinary dragon boat. Made in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, and presented to Boston, its hull is painted in the blue-green color of West Lake, with the emblem of Hangzhou and the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, one of the lake's best-known landmarks.
Where history found a home
Pan Jie (center) and his wife Fan Zhuhua (right) discuss the establishment of their museum with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger at the latter's office in New York in 2003. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY They spent almost all of their retirement savings on a museum. When Pan Jie and his wife, Fan Zhuhua, began collecting materials on the history of China-US friendship, they had no building, no large budget and no institutional backing.
From one tree, a forest of ties
Christopher Nixon Cox (front), grandson of former US president Richard Nixon, plants a southern yew tree at the Hangzhou Botanical Garden in 2013. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY In February 1972, as winter was giving way to spring in Hangzhou, a young redwood arrived at the city's botanical garden from across the Pacific. The tree was small then, just 2.4 meters tall.
WHERE HISTORY FOUND A HOME
Copyright 1994 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. License for publishing multimedia online 0108263 Registration Number: 130349
US returns latest group of cultural relics to China
Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng (center) views some of the returned relics at a handover ceremony on Wednesday in Washington, DC. [Photo provided to CHINA DAILY] The United States returned 58 Chinese cultural relics, artworks and paleontological fossils on Wednesday, including a Bodhisattva statue from the Tianlongshan Grottoes in North China's Shanxi province that was looted and lost overseas over a century ago.
US returns latest group of cultural relics to China
Copyright 1994 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. License for publishing multimedia online 0108263 Registration Number: 130349
Sharing cultures, building connections
Alexander Badrow, mayor of Stralsund, Germany, takes a photo of a fish lantern in Huangshan in May. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY In a traditional courtyard, sunlight streamed through carved wooden windows, falling onto a table covered with bamboo strips and colorful paper. The courtyard belongs to a workshop in Hongcun, a historic village at the foot of Huangshan Mountain in East China's Anhui province.
Mayors see a shared future harnessing technology to preserve heritage sites
The cities of Huangshan and Stralsund differ in size, geography and architectural style. Yet both face the same challenge: how to balance preservation and development as World Heritage Site cities. At the 2026 Global Mayors Dialogue in Huangshan in May, the mayors of the two cities found common ground: technology can empower culture and urban development, bridging tradition and the future. Their vision extended from nature and culture to daily life and urban governance.
Mayors see a shared future harnessing technology to preserve heritage sites
Copyright 1994 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. License for publishing multimedia online 0108263 Registration Number: 130349
Ceuta crisis raises EU frontier concerns
The interior ministers of the 27 European Union member states held a virtual meeting on Tuesday to discuss tightening up internal borders following the scenes at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa over the weekend. The EU's migration chief said on Tuesday the bloc successfully met a "test" of its border security and "resilience to disinformation" in the handling of a migrant rush into Spain's North African territory of Ceuta.
Livestreamer brings life in Shanxi to Latin America-Global People Online
Mexican TikToker Mauro Arturo Salazar Zavala livestreams on a street in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, earlier this month, showcasing local culture to global followers. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Editor's note: China Daily presents the series Friends Afar to tell the stories of people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. Through the vivid narration of the people in the stories, readers can get a better understanding of a country that is boosting openness.
Livestreamer brings life in Shanxi to Latin America
Mexican TikToker Mauro Arturo Salazar Zavala livestreams on a street in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, earlier this month, showcasing local culture to global followers. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Editor's note: China Daily presents the series Friends Afar to tell the stories of people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. Through the vivid narration of the people in the stories, readers can get a better understanding of a country that is boosting openness.
Livestreamer brings life in Shanxi to Latin America
Copyright 1994 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. License for publishing multimedia online 0108263 Registration Number: 130349
Melody from the depths strikes global chord
The NFCA band, made up of employees from NFC Africa Mining Plc, rehearses at the launch ceremony of the tunnel boring machine at Chambishi Copper Mine in Copperbelt Province, Zambia, on May 8. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY When Nkhoma Blessings, 43, a cost control staff member at Zambia’s Chambishi Copper Mine, opened Google one day in mid-May, a recommended video immediately caught his attention. “I thought to myself, ‘Oh, a World Cup song? Let me give it a listen’,” he said.
Angkor's treasures shine in China Original
Shanxi Museum displays artifacts that offer glimpse into SE. Asia's ancient kingdom Idols of Garuda and Naga on display at the exhibition "A Millennium Treasure of Ancient Khmer Civilization" at the Shanxi Museum in Taiyuan on June 9, 2026. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY) Editor's note: In this weekly feature China Daily gives voice to Asia and its people. The stories presented come mainly from the Asia News Network (ANN), of which China Daily is among its 20 leading titles.
AI clones spark debate on workplace ethics Original
Digital doubles of employees spur a reality check on legal frameworks, protection of intellectual property (LU PING / CHINA DAILY) "Hello, I am the digital avatar of former employee (XX)," read the message on the computer screen. "You may ask me questions anytime." At a gaming media company in East China's Shandong province, members of staff recently found themselves communicating with an artificial intelligence model trained on a former colleague's working habits and conversations.
Middle East families turn to China for educational travel Original
Students from China and Middle East at the Jinhua University of Vocational Technology in East China's Zhejiang province visit the aviation model base and have an immersive VR experience of rocket launch in April 2025. (CHEN YE / FOR CHINA DAILY) Flights had been canceled, itineraries mostly postponed. Regional conflict in the Middle East made their journey uncertain.
Middle East families turn to China for educational travel
Students from China and Middle East at the Jinhua University of Vocational Technology in East China's Zhejiang province visit the aviation model base and have an immersive VR experience of rocket launch in April 2025. CHEN YE/FOR CHINA DAILY Flights had been canceled, itineraries mostly postponed. Regional conflict in the Middle East made their journey uncertain.
Powered up
In Laos, a 500-kV lifeline rises above a landscape still haunted by bombs An aerial view of transmission towers of the China-Laos 500-kilovolt interconnection project on April 12, 2026. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY) Along a mountain ridge in northern Laos' Oudomxay Province, a 20-story tower rises. Then another. Linked in a line, they carry power stretching to the north. Above the 60 — to 70-meter towers, the whir of rotors cuts through the air.
Curator looks to East Asia's wisdom to reinvent modern galleries Original
People visit the Guangdong Museum of Art in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Dec 6, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA) Paintings hang on white walls, each neatly framed and labeled. Some visitors stop, glance, then drift away. A typical scene in a modern gallery. Yet, the experience of visiting a gallery can feel distant, turning art into an elite activity. For many, contemporary art remains far from everyday life.
Domestic reboot Original
Training centers, AI readying humanoid robots on the path toward service in regular households (LI MIN / CHINA DAILY) In an office building in Beijing’s Shijingshan district, a special “school” is in full swing, with nearly 200 human teachers and 100 humanoid robot students. The instructors wear headsets, hold control levers, and move slowly, while nearby 1.66-meter-tall humanoid robots mirror their motions. The curriculum is relentlessly mundane.
Do androids dream of domestic feats? Original
Trainers instruct humanoid robots on folding laundry and organizing clothing at China's largest humanoid data-training center in Beijing in 2025. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY) In an office building in Beijing's Shijingshan district, a special "school" is in full swing, with nearly 200 human teachers and 100 humanoid robot students. The instructors wear headsets, hold control levers and move slowly, while nearby 1.66-meter-tall humanoid robots mirror their motions.
Where time moves at tea pace-Global People Online
Sunrise casts a golden hue on the mist enveloping Jingmai Mountain in Yunnan province. [Photo provided by Shao Hongyan for China Daily] On Jingmai Mountain in Southwest China's Yunnan province, tea is far more than a beverage. For 64-year-old Nankang of the Blang ethnic group, tea is medicine. He kneads tea leaves, packs them into bamboo tubes, and buries them. Months later, the leaves ferment into a sour seasoning.
Where time moves at tea pace
Sunrise casts a golden hue on the mist enveloping Jingmai Mountain in Yunnan province. [Photo provided by Shao Hongyan for China Daily] On Jingmai Mountain in Southwest China's Yunnan province, tea is far more than a beverage. For 64-year-old Nankang of the Blang ethnic group, tea is medicine. He kneads tea leaves, packs them into bamboo tubes, and buries them. Months later, the leaves ferment into a sour seasoning.
Cross-border travel rush
China-Vietnam rail sees record demand during Spring Festival Swiss travelers on the China-Vietnam international passenger train depart from Hanoi, Vietnam, to Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Feb 10, 2026. (PHOTO / XINHUA) The China-Vietnam international passenger train has recorded its first-ever full-capacity occupancy during the Spring Festival travel rush in 2026, signaling a strong rebound in people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
UN rings in Year of the Horse with call for global unity
Lantern installations at Yuyuan Garden ahead of the Chinese New Year, which will welcome the Year of the Horse, in Shanghai, Feb 10, 2026. [Photo/Agencies] United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has used the occasion of the Chinese New Year to call for renewed global unity, cooperation and resolve, as the world confronts escalating conflicts, inequality and a worsening climate crisis.
Eye on Chinese arrivals
Visa policy a positive step, yet Philippines needs more to woo back tourists: Experts A tourist is entertained by the members of the Ati tribe in their village on Bohol Island on Dec 8, 2025. (PHOTO / AFP) Editor's note: In this weekly feature China Daily gives voice to Asia and its people. The stories presented come mainly from the Asia News Network (ANN), of which China Daily is among its 20 leading titles.
China-Swiss exhibition on green construction opens
The China-Swiss Zero Emission Buildings Project Exhibition "Building Type / Climate Zone" has opened in Langyuan Station, Beijing, on Thursday. The China-Swiss Zero Emission Buildings Project is a joint initiative in the sector of green buildings supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China between 2021 and 2025. It aims to address global climate change and promote a low-carbon transformation of the building sector.
2025 in review: A year of shifting horizons
People wade through water to board an inflatable boat during an attempt to cross the English Channel, off the beach of Gravelines, northern France, on Sept 27. FADEL DAWOD/EPA The world continued to turn right in 2025. Across continents, a surge in protectionism and nationalism challenged the long-standing norms of international cooperation.
'Right-wing network' marked by inherent fragmentation, experts say
A global right-wing political network has gained significant strength since the start of 2025. Experts say Washington is advancing this through public endorsements, economic measures, diplomatic engagements, and military posturing to solidify its influence. Yet momentum is marked by inherent fragmentation, making such movements structurally divergent, they say.
Future ready
As fast-moving AI technology begins reshaping the job market, China’s youth face many challenges as well as opportunities (WU HEPING / FOR CHINA DAILY) Hua Yilian, a 28-year-old based in Beijing, witnessed the full force of technology’s impact on the employment market after securing a job in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry in 2024. As a business developer at a large model company, she had overseen the launch of an AI translation system. But the celebration ended almost instantly.
Workforce rides AI wave as new roles emerge Original
Fast-moving technology pushes employees toward more creative, high-value jobs College students look for employment opportunities at a job fair on March 14, 2025 at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. More than 500 companies from across the country in fields such as artificial intelligence, low-altitude economy and new energy offered positions.
From general to global deity
A third-century warrior's spirit of integrity unites Chinese community around the world, Hou Chenchen and Zhu Xingxin report in Yuncheng, Shanxi. The winter of 219 was meant to close a life, not begin a legend. A general lost his last battle, was captured, and executed. Yet, in defeat, he began a different journey — one that would transform him into something far larger than life, a figure worshipped and reimagined for 1,800 years to the present day.
Friendship across Himalayas Original
Language learners forge bonds between two civilizations Editor's note: In this weekly feature China Daily gives voice to Asia and its people. The stories presented come mainly from the Asia News Network (ANN), of which China Daily is among its 20 leading titles. In hand with a masala dosa, a crispy South Indian crepe stuffed with spicy potato curry, Chinese youth Yang Rui, 21, began his one-day exploration of India.
Perfecta fusión de carne y acero
En los últimos años, un número creciente de jóvenes con discapacidad en China ha comenzado a mostrarse en público con prótesis “cyberpunk”. Jóvenes amputados exhiben con orgullo sus brazos y piernas metálicos. Etiquetas como “La carne es débil, la máquina asciende” y “Únete a la gloriosa evolución” van más allá de la cultura gamer: son declaraciones de identidad, orgullo y pertenencia.
Flesh embraces steel in new age of prosthetics aesthetics Original
Rise of 'cyberpunk' artificial limbs challenges society's perceptions of disability In the passenger seat of a taxi, Sai Benyuan flexes the metallic fingers of his "new hand".Soft mechanical sounds — "shick-shick" — pulse from the black exterior of the prosthetic. The driver sitting beside him suddenly grips the wheel tight. His eyes scan the glint from the shiny knuckles, lock on Sai's face, then drop back to the shifting mechanical hand. This uneasy exchange happens many times.
Concerns expressed over US-China education ties
A growing trend of "desinicization" in US higher education — seen in efforts to limit the presence and influence of Chinese individuals in academia — has raised concerns over the future of China-US educational exchanges. As tensions persist, experts are calling for restoring talent flows to safeguard this vital channel of cooperation.
Students caught in crossfire
Chinese college student Tari thought her dream had finally come true when she opened an email from Harvard University in February, knowing she had been accepted by the prestigious school. But what followed felt less like a victory lap and more like a dizzying ride through bureaucratic chaos. The 23-year-old from East China's Zhejiang province insisted on talking anonymously with China Daily for fear of getting into trouble due to the conflict between the US administration and Harvard University.
When the light returns Original
With thousands of eye surgeries, doctors offer not just sight but build a bright bond between two nations In February 2023, a pregnant woman accompanied her father to a hospital in Djibouti City in eastern Africa, where he was scheduled to undergo cataract surgery. The very next day brought not just one miracle, but two. As her father removed his bandages and saw the world clearly again for the first time in years, she gave birth to healthy twin boys at the same hospital.
Siem Reap, Datong carve common identities Original
China’s Yungang Grottoes, Cambodia’s Angkor Wat complex highlight cultural ties, bring both nations closer together Editor’s note: Amity between the people holds the key to sound state-to-state relations. China Daily presents a series of stories highlighting Chinese cities’ special connections with sister cities, mutual understanding, trust and friendship between peoples of different countries and cultural backgrounds, and shining light on “city diplomacy”.
Siem Reap gains with Datong
Editor's note: Amity between the people holds the key to sound state-to-state relations. China Daily will come out with a series of stories highlighting Chinese cities' special connections with sister cities, mutual understanding, trust and friendship between peoples of different countries and cultural backgrounds, and shining light on "city diplomacy".
Siem Reap gains with Datong
Editor's note: Amity between the people holds the key to sound state-to-state relations. China Daily will come out with a series of stories highlighting Chinese cities' special connections with sister cities, mutual understanding, trust and friendship between peoples of different countries and cultural backgrounds, and shining light on "city diplomacy".
Las herramientas digitales acercan a los humanos a la vida salvaje
Desde 2022, el programa de adopción virtual lanzado por el Zoológico de Hongshan de Nanjing, en la provincia de Jiangsu, ha permitido que individuos, familias e incluso empresas adopten animales mediante una miniaplicación. Los participantes pueden interactuar con los animales elegidos, conocer sus hábitos y contribuir a su protección sin salir de casa.
Wearing their love of natural world
Animal conservationists engage people through advanced technology, Hou Chenchen reports. One can glide through the Yangtze River alongside finless porpoises, soar thousands of miles with migratory birds, or dash across expansive grasslands with foxes — all with a single bracelet. This is not a scene from a fairy tale but a reality made possible by advances in animal tracking technology.
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