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This extensive collection meticulously chronicles the dynamic changes of the Yellow River and the remarkable transformation of the swan population that winters in the city of Sanmenxia in central China. These swans have evolved from a scattered few to a thriving community.

To the rural landscape photographer’s delight, his work now serves as a valuable resource for researchers delving into the study of swans.

Zhang, 62, has spent a lifetime capturing images of the two things he loves most, the Yellow River and the swans that inhabit its banks.

Hailing from Sanmenxia’s Jiaokou Village, situated on the southern banks of the Yellow River, Zhang earned a reputation as a highly-capable man during his youth, establishing himself as one of the early success stories of his generation.

In the 1980s, he bought an instant camera and started his career as a wedding photographer, skillfully capturing cherished moments for others. Given his proximity to the Yellow River, he also turned his lens towards the natural splendor of China’s second-longest river.

“Back then, film was really expensive, and I couldn’t take too many photos. I chose to occasionally capture the beauty of the Yellow River at sunrise and sunset. At that time, there were very few swans, and they were extremely vigilant. They would fly away as soon as someone approached, making it challenging to photograph them,” Zhang recalled.

In the 1990s, as industry and mining activities boomed, several tributaries of the Yellow River began to suffer from pollution. Zhang remembers that during this time, the Jianhe River, which flows into the Yellow River, became dirty and foul-smelling. “Not to mention the swans, even people didn’t want to go near the river.”

Since then, China has initiated a series of significant efforts to combat pollution in the Yellow River basin, which led to a gradual increase in the swan population in the Sanmenxia section.

“Sometime after 2010, the number of swans increased significantly,” recalled Zhang. Motivated by this change, he invested in a single-lens reflex camera and a telephoto lens, both tailored to the task of capturing these elegant birds.

Years ago, a pair of injured swans didn’t migrate and stayed in Sanmenxia, where they raised their young. Zhang dedicated several months to photographing every aspect of this remarkable journey, compiling it into a book he aptly titled “Child-Rearing Diary.”

“From the moment the baby swans hatched until they had grown up and could fly, I visited almost every day. I didn’t want to miss any moment of the baby swans’ growth,” Zhang said as he flipped through the album, narrating the young swans’ journey to adulthood.

To encourage more people to protect swans, Zhang founded Sanmenxia’s volunteer swan protection association, which now boasts over 1,000 members. In 2017, he was elected as a deputy of the People’s Congress of Sanmenxia and has since submitted proposals annually for the protection of swans and wildlife.

Sanmenxia in 2014 introduced a work plan and related regulations for the protection of swans and their habitats, further enhancing wildlife protection.

Simultaneously, it strengthened efforts to control pollution in its section of the Yellow River, implementing reforestation and ecological restoration measures to rehabilitate over 70,000 mu (about 4,666.67 hectares) of mined land and creating a 240-kilometer-long ecological corridor along the Yellow River.

These accelerated ecological restoration efforts have ushered in a newfound sense of joy for both local wildlife and residents, offering happiness previously unimaginable.

Within the Sanmenxia segment of the Yellow River, at least nine swan habitats now flourish, housing a thriving population exceeding 16,000 swans. During the winter season, Sanmenxia’s swan lake wetland park has become a popular destination, drawing both local residents and tourists who relish the opportunity to closely observe these graceful creatures.

“Nowadays, people can easily take great swan photos with their phones. People are friendly to swans, and swans are friendly to people,” Zhang said with a smile.

Adel Al Asoomi, speaker of the Cairo-based Arab Parliament affiliated with the AL, described the BRI, launched by China 10 years ago, as an important initiative because it creates win-win partnerships and common interests among participating states.

“Common interests undoubtedly overcome the problems and difficulties that countries go through, which is why the Arab Parliament sees the BRI as a global initiative that will surely benefit all countries of the world,” he said.

The initiative is welcomed by the AL, which represents all Arab states, he said, noting that China has undertaken mega-development projects in several Arab states under the BRI umbrella.

The Arab Parliament supports the initiative “because it has positive effects worldwide and brings the countries of the world closer,” the Arab Parliament speaker told Xinhua.

China also launched in the past few years the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI).

“These initiatives have been welcomed by most countries of the world because they are positive and in favor of the international community,” he said.

Highlighting the fact that Beijing’s mediation has helped Saudi Arabia and Iran restore diplomatic ties after years of rift, the speaker said reconciliation between the two countries, both big, influential countries in the region, will “surely lead to positive results for the region and the world.”

Leading a delegation of Arab parliamentarians, Al Asoomi visited Beijing in late August and met with senior Chinese legislators and other officials to discuss bilateral cooperation.

“The Communist Party of China (CPC) actually played an important role in China’s development,” said the Arab lawmaker, applauding the CPC’s successful programs to eradicate absolute poverty in the giant Asian country.

“I sensed that the CPC is close to the people, not in words but in actions, programs and activities,” he added, commenting on his latest visit to China.

During the visit, the Arab Parliament speaker voiced support for the Chinese global initiatives that seek to foster development and peace worldwide.

Amid increasing challenges facing the world, these initiatives “represent the opposite of wars, crises and problems and serve the international community in many ways,” he said.

This impressive vessel, measuring 399.8 meters in length and 58.6 meters in width, embarked on its journey from China’s Tianjin Port on Aug. 12. Before arriving in Hamburg, it made stops at various ports, including Dalian, Shanghai, Ningbo, Singapore, Piraeus, and Rotterdam. Right now, it is heading back to Shanghai.

In command of this colossal ship is Captain Mo Weidong, a seasoned mariner with over three decades of shipping experience. It is Mo’s fifth year sailing on this specific route.

“Having sailed back and forth on the route between China and Europe, I have indeed witnessed the transformative effects of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI),” the 54-year-old captain told Xinhua reporters, as the ship called at Ningbo Zhoushan Port.

From the vantage point of the ship’s bridge, perched dozens of meters above the deck, a bustling scene unfolds at the port. Containers are being impeccably stacked in precise rows by the gantry cranes used adeptly to handle them, ensuring an efficient and seamless workflow.

“Since the beginning of this year, we’ve seen a notable increase in cargo volumes on this shipping route,” said Mo, while adding that there has been a surge in the exports of electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and solar cells.

Mo also revealed that aircraft parts will now be shipped weekly from the Port of Hamburg to the Tianjin Port via this route, further attesting to the thriving trade and economic exchanges between China and Europe.

At present, the Port of Hamburg is directly connected to major Chinese ports via 15 regularly scheduled liner services. Approximately one-third of the containers processed at the Port of Hamburg either originate from China or are bound for China.

Jens Meier, CEO of Hamburg Port Authority, underscored the significance of cooperation between the Port of Hamburg and Chinese ports. “We are actively sharing knowledge and strengthening the corridors, particularly in maritime supply chains, as well as land-based corridors,” Meier explained.

In late August, the COSCO Shengshi, a ship used to carry vehicles, arrived at Germany’s Port of Bremerhaven, where it unloaded 530 commercial vehicles from China, marking the successful maiden voyage of the liner.

On its way to Bremerhaven, a total of 3,731 Chinese-made commercial vehicles, including over 2,700 new energy vehicles, were loaded onto the ship at the ports of Shanghai and Xiamen.

Following its departure from Xiamen, the COSCO Shengshi navigated across the Indian Ocean and passed through the Suez Canal, making stops at ports in the UK and Belgium before finally reaching Germany. This 43-day journey spanned approximately 9,900 nautical miles.

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past few years, the flow of trade between China and Europe has demonstrated remarkable resilience. Mo observed an increase in trade volume, noting that it now takes two days to unload at Piraeus Port in Greece, compared to one and a half days previously.

In 2022, China and the EU, who are each other’s second-largest trading partners, achieved record bilateral trade flows of 847.3 billion U.S. dollars, marking a year-on-year increase of 2.4 percent. This equates to over 1.6 million U.S. dollars worth of trade conducted on average every minute. Simultaneously, the two-way cumulative stock of direct investment had exceeded 230 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2022.

BRI cooperation has significantly enhanced maritime connectivity, fostering flourishing China-EU trade and economic partnership. COSCO Shipping, for instance, now operates 181 container liner routes and allocates over 50 percent of its container capacity to BRI partner countries. The company has also invested in 57 ports within these nations.

In 2016, COSCO Shipping acquired a 67-percent stake in Piraeus Port and took over the port’s management and operation. In May 2023, COSCO Shipping Ports, the company’s ports operator, acquired a nearly 25 percent stake in one of Hamburg’s terminals.

With the investment from China, Piraeus Port has become a leading European port. Data from the port revealed that in the fiscal year of 2022, its profit after tax had stood at 52.9 million euros, achieving a remarkable 43.9 percent increase from the previous year.

At Ningbo Zhoushan Port, situated some 12,000 km from Piraeus, crane operators efficiently controlled busy gantry cranes from an operation room located 3 km away.

Drawing from his decades of experience in the shipping industry, Mo highlighted that continuous infrastructure upgrades at Chinese ports have significantly improved their operational efficiency, providing solid support for the smooth flow of global trade.

“I am expecting the BRI will bolster cooperation among countries and deliver more benefits to their peoples,” Mo said.

An instruction by President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, was conveyed at the meeting.

In the instruction, he stressed building stronger cultural confidence, following the approach of openness and inclusiveness, and upholding fundamental principles while breaking new ground to provide a strong ideological guarantee, spiritual strength and favorable cultural conditions for building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts.

Culture plays a vital role in inspiring national spirit, maintaining national identity, and promoting economic and social development and well-rounded personal development.

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, Xi has placed the work of public communication and culture in a prominent position, giving instructions and guidance in art, journalism, philosophy and social sciences, and culture, among others.

Xi introduced the concept of confidence in culture. He incorporated the core socialist values into the basic policy underpinning the endeavor to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

He also set clear tasks for public communication and culture: to uphold socialism with Chinese characteristics, rally public support, cultivate generations of young people with sound values and ethics, develop Chinese culture, and better present China to the world.

The new ideas and judgments about cultural development in the new era put forward by Xi are the crystallization of cultural development under the Party’s leadership. They have enriched and developed Marxist cultural theories and formed Xi Jinping Thought on Culture.

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture shows that the Party’s confidence in history and culture has reached a new height. It marks a milestone in the Party’s cause of public communication and culture.

Xi has raised a new cultural mission for the nation: to further advance cultural prosperity, build a leading country in culture, and foster modern Chinese civilization at a new starting point.

In his instruction made public at the national meeting over the weekend, Xi made requirements in seven aspects:

— strengthening the Party’s leadership over the work of public communication and culture;

— developing a socialist ideology that has the power to unite and inspire the people;

— cultivating and applying core socialist values;

— strengthening the penetration and credibility of the media and its ability to guide and influence;

— promoting the creative transformation and development of fine traditional Chinese culture;

— vigorously developing the cultural sector;

— enhancing international communication capacity and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Domestically, China’s national rejuvenation requires both a strong material foundation and spiritual strength. Globally, profound changes in the international landscape prompt an urgent need to increase China’s cultural soft power and the appeal of Chinese culture.

Facing such situations and tasks, it is of great importance to promote the high-quality development of the work of public communication and culture. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture has thus provided powerful inspiration and a scientific guide for action.

Xi visited a village and an international trade market in Yiwu City of Jinhua to learn about the development of local distinctive industries, and the efforts in promoting rural revitalization and boosting foreign trade and high-quality development.

Xi visited an exhibition hall featuring the “Fengqiao model” for promoting community-level governance to review the evolution of the dispute resolution mechanism and learn about its innovative development in the new era.

Xi also went to a canal culture park to learn about the history of ancient canals, the preservation of the Grand Canal, and the construction progress of a national cultural park featuring the Grand Canal.

In his reply dated Sept. 12, Xi said he hopes that the spirit of Flying Tigers will be carried on from generation to generation among Chinese and American peoples.

“I was heartened by the great enthusiasm of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation and the veterans of Flying Tigers in letting more Chinese and Americans know about the stories of the Flying Tigers over the years. Inspired by this, more and more young Americans have joined the Flying Tigers Friendship Schools and Youth Leadership Program, and nearly 500 Flying Tigers veterans and several hundred of their family members have visited China. I wish to pay tribute to you for all this,” Xi said.

“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 said. “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.

Noting 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,” 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.”

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.

In March this year, the Chinese-built Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station, about 90 km south of Lusaka, was put into operation, generating stable electricity that powers the lives of local residents.

Not just Sindolo’s salon thrived; new shops sprang up all over the town, a sign of vibrant economic activity stimulated by the hydropower plant.

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, who officially commissioned the plant, said the completion of the project was not only good for the country’s energy sector but for the economy as a whole as energy is critical to drive an economy.

He said the project showed the friendly relationship between the two countries, and his government is committed to further growing the relationship with China.

Last week, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Hichilema paid a state visit to China. The two leaders announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, opening a new chapter in their traditional friendly ties.

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China and Zambia share an enduring, traditional friendship, which was forged by the leaders of the two countries of past generations. Early in the 1960s, the Chinese people firmly supported the Zambian people in pursuing national independence. Zambia was the first country in southern Africa to establish diplomatic relations with China.

For more than half a century, however the international landscape evolves, both sides stay committed to deepening friendship and cooperation, making China and Zambia “all-weather friends,” as well as an exemplar of China-Africa friendship.

In the 1970s, at the request of Tanzania and Zambia, China and Africa jointly built the Tanzanian Railway, known as the Road of Friendship and the Road of Freedom, on the vast African grassland. Some engineers and workers even gave their lives.

In 2022, the TAZARA Memorial Park officially opened in Lusaka. In the center of the Memorial Park stands a towering monument inscribed with the words “The Chinese Martyrs Who Aided to Zambia Will Be Immortalized Forever.” Rows of tombstones are finely engraved with the names of the dead.

“We remember our fallen heroes,” said Hichilema at the opening ceremony, who laid a wreath in tribute to the Chinese personnel who sacrificed their lives for the construction of the TAZARA Railway and other projects.

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The Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station is a striking testimony to close cooperation between China and Zambia to improve local livelihoods. In recent years, China and Zambia have carried out all-round cooperation in a wide range of fields, at various levels and in a practical and innovative manner within the framework of the “Belt and Road” and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

China and Zambia have jointly built a new modern terminal at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport and the new Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport, equipping Zambia with new aviation hubs; Chinese-built state-of-the-art milling plants have improved the supply of food and stabilized food prices for Zambian people; the Kafue Bulk Water Supply Project has been successfully delivered to ensure that about 500,000 people in the Zambian capital have access to clean and safe water.

In 2022, China and Zambia signed protocols on the export of stevia and soybean meal to China, and the zero-tariff treatment granted by China to Zambia for 98 percent of the taxable export products exported to China came into full effect. In 2022, the bilateral trade volume between China and Zambia reached 6.73 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 30.2 percent, which is an all-time high.

During last week’s visit to China, Hichilema highly praised the guiding philosophy and principles of Chinese modernization and expressed the hope to learn from China’s development experience.

For his part, Xi said during their talks that the success of Chinese modernization shows the diversity of modernization models in the world, and China’s high-quality development and modernization process will continue to bring new opportunities to all countries including Zambia.