FLIGHT TO SPACE STATION

Chinas new large carrier rocket Long March-5B blasts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan Province in south China， on May 5 for its maiden fl ight.

The Long March-5B rocket will mostly carry capsules of Chinas space station and large spacecraft to low-Earth orbit. The fl ight also helps lay the foundation for the research and development of Chinas heavy-lift launch vehicle.

Lunch Break

Villagers at the foot of Mount Qomolangma have a meal and relax after the spring plowing ceremony on May 4. Spring arrives there relatively late because of its high altitude

Precipitation Mechanism

Researchers have reconstructed the pattern and mechanism of precipitation variability in northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and arid Central Asia over the last 130，000 years.

Both the northeastern QinghaiTibet Plateau and arid Central Asia are areas with fragile ecology because of arid climate and scarce precipitation. The overall study on the driving mechanism of precipitation in both regions is of great signifi cance to better understand the hydrologic cycle and forecast regional climate change.

Relevant available observation data showed that East Asian summer monsoon （EASM） and mid-latitude Westerlies are the main factors infl uencing the precipitation of northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and arid Central Asia. However， it is still a matter of considerable debate on how the two factors affected both regions in long term.

The research highlighted that the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been especially sensitive to EASM intensity variation for the last 130，000 years， while arid Central Asia was subject to the mid-latitude Westerlies.

A paper on the study， which was conducted by a team of researchers led by Professor Li Guoqiang from Lanzhou University， has been published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews.

Nuclear Heating

An expert panel has given a performance appraisal to approve the Haiyang Nuclear Power Phase I Project as the fi rst nuclear power project in China for large-scale cogeneration of heat and power.

Located in the city of Haiyang， Shandong Province in east China， the nuclear power plant started providing heating in the 2019-2020 heating season， when it supplied heating for 700，000 square meters of residential area for 129 days. The energy is equivalent to the consumption of 9，656 tons of standard coal.

The expert appraisal will allow the plant to support 30 million square meters of heating area in the next heating season， according to the operator of Shandong Nuclear Power Co. Ltd.

The use of nuclear energy for heating is seen as a future trend to replace the thermal power with clean energy in north China.

Remeasuring Height

A team of over 30 Chinese surveyors left the base camp at Mount Qomolangma for a higher spot on its journey to the peak on May 6， as part of the countrys mission to remeasure the height of the worlds highest mountain.

The team， consisting of professional climbers and surveyors from the Ministry of Natural Resources， will seize the current weather window and attempt to reach the summit at the optimal time.

The surveyors will conduct surveys at the summit using devices such as the Global Navigation Satellite System and gravimeter， said Wang Yongfeng， vice director of the mountaineering administrative center of the General Administration of Sport.

The surveyors arrived at the base camp of the peak in early April for training on mountain climbing and surveying skills in the highaltitude region， said Wang.

Since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949， Chinese surveyors have conducted six rounds of scaled measurement and scientifi c research on Mount Qomolangma and released the height of the peak twice in 1975 and 2005， which was measured at 8，848.13 meters and 8，844.43 meters， respectively.

Remote Airports

China will further support small and medium-sized airports in remote regions and regions diffi cult to reach by land， aiming to improve access to transportation for all people， according to the latest policy.

The Ministry of Finance and the Civil Aviation Administration of China jointly issued the policy on the management of subsidies to small and medium-sized airports.

Support to small and mediumsized airports in regions with deep poverty， border regions， ethnic minority areas and other remote regions with inconvenient land transportation will be strengthened.

The move is expected to beef up civil aviation， help alleviate poverty， promote regional economic growth and improve availability of transportation.

5G Phones

A transition from 4G to 5G in Chinas mobile market gained momentum as 5G phone models accounted for the bulk of the newly launched phones in the fi rst quarter， said an industry report.

A total of 106 new models of mobile phones were released across the country in the fi rst three months， including 57 new 5G handsets， according to the data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology， a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

These new 5G models accounted for 53.77 percent of all the new models， edging up 14.7 percentage points from the fourth quarter last year.

Meanwhile， the number of new 4G phone models skidded to 37， accounting for 34.91 percent of all the new models， down 8.1 percentage points from the previous quarter.

Mural Tomb

A fresco in a tomb which dates back to Tibetan Tubo Kingdom（about 618-842） in Ulan， a county in Qinghai Province in northwest China. The nations Top 10 New Archaeological Discoveries of 2019 were unveiled on May 5.

Heritage Park

A heritage park built on Chinas only prehistoric ruins of disasters in Qinghai Province in northwest China opened to the public for free on May 1.

The Lajia heritage site， located in Minhe， a county on the upper reaches of the Yellow River， was discovered in 1981. At 680，000 square meters， it was formed by an earthquake and fl ood dating back 4，000 years.

By May 3， the park had received more than 94，561 tourists. The museum of the park with an exhibition themed on the ruins also opened to the public for free.

Archeologists said Lajia is the only site of its kind in China， and it has been dubbed the Oriental Pompeii， an ancient Roman city destroyed by volcanic eruptions. Skeletons， tools and homeware have been unearthed on the site.

The Lajia site is of great signifi cance to the study of the prehistoric civilization 4，000 years ago， providing a new subject for interdisciplinary research on environmental archaeology.

Water Ecology

The Central Government has allocated 2.5 billion yuan （$354 million） to 55 pilot counties to fi ght rural water pollution.

The Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Finance have announced the fi rst batch of 55 counties to pilot water system connectivity and comprehensive improvement of rural water systems.

The 55 pilot counties will carry out projects to improve rural water conditions from 2020 to 2021 with support from the Central Government. The ministries will guide the pilot counties in related work.

In October 2019， the two ministries jointly launched the pilot program. The 55 pilot counties were chosen after a competition and expert review.

Greening the River Banks

Workers plant reeds on the bank of the Dai River in Beidaihe District， Qinhuangdao City in Hebei Province. Recently， the district launched a comprehensive river treatment project， taking measures such as dredging riverbed and greening river banks to improve the ecological environment.

Red Chip Boon

Chinas top securities regulator has adjusted the threshold for innovative red chip companies， or companies registered overseas but operating in the Chinese mainland， eligible to seek listing on the domestic market under a pilot scheme.

The new requirement will allow overseas-listed innovative red chips that have a capitalization of 20 billion yuan （$2.83 billion） or above and possess self-developed， worldleading technologies， innovative strengths and strong positions in their industries to apply for domestic listing， said the China Securities Regulatory Commission （CSRC） on April 30.

Previously， for red chip companies that are already listed overseas， only those with a capitalization of no less than 200 billion yuan （$28.3 billion） were eligible for the pilot scheme， which was launched in 2018 to support innovative enterprises to list in the Chinese mainland or issue China Depositary Receipts （CDRs）.

The adjustment aims to pave the way for innovative red chips who are willing to list on domestic markets， including the main boards， the SME（small and medium-sized enter- prises） Board， the ChiNext Board and the STAR market， said the CSRC.

Regarding companies with a variable interest entities （VIE） structure， the CSRC said it would seek advice from authorities overseeing the applicants industry， as well as the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce， and make decisions in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

The CSRC has also pledged to be strict in scrutinizing the applications to prevent market risks， and hand severe punishment for any fi nancial fraud if found.

Electricity Construction

An aerial photo taken on April 30 shows electricians working at the construction site of an ultra-high voltage （UHV） direct-current （DC） transmission line in Shaanxi Province， northwest China. Nearly 10，000 electricians from across the country are building the Shaanxi section of the ±800-kv UHV DC transmission line between Qinghai Province， northwest China， and Henan Province， central China.

Live-Streaming Boom

The number of online live-streaming service users in China reached 560 million as of March 2020， accounting for 62 percent of the countrys total Internet users， according to a report on Chinas Internet development released on April 28.

The number represented an increase of 163 million from the end of 2018， said the statistical report released by the China Internet Network Information Center.

China had 904 million Internet users as of March 2020， with the Internet penetration rate reaching 64.5 percent， according to the report.

The user numbers of live game streaming and live host shows grew by 22.04 million and 43.74 million from the end of 2018 to 260 million and 207 million， respectively， by March， accounting for 28.7 percent and 22.9 percent of all netizens.

The number of live sports broadcasting and live concert streaming users stood at 213 million and 150 million， respectively， accounting for 23.5 percent and 16.6 percent of the total.

The number of users of a burgeoning business model that integrates e-commerce with livestreaming had hit 265 million by March， making up 29.3 percent of the total.

The new model has added fresh vitality to the live-streaming industry with an upgraded user experience that could lead to higher user stickiness.

In addition， e-commerce livestreaming has also contributed to poverty alleviation by boosting sales of agricultural products， particularly in impoverished regions.

China has also enhanced the management and supervision of the live-streaming industry， it said.

Iconic Sedan

Chinas leading automaker FAW Group said on May 1 that it saw a 111-percent year-on-year growth in auto sales under its Hongqi brand in the fi rst four months of this year.

Despite the novel coronavirus outbreak， Hongqi sold more than 39，500 cars in the past four months as the company expanded its sales channels both online and offl ine.

Hongqi fulfi lled its 2019 sales target of 100，000 cars and has doubled the target for 2020. The brand plans to roll out 21 new models， mostly electric or fuel-electric hybrids， in the next fi ve years.

The iconic sedan brand announced last month that it will set up a joint venture with Silk EV from the United States to manufacture its fi rst super sports model.

Silk EV will invest 10 billion yuan （$1.42 billion） in the next fi ve years to build Hongqi S series products， aiming to make it a worldfamous luxury sports car brand. The company， headquartered in New York， has wholly-owned research， development and production center in Modena， Italy.

The fi rst Hongqi sedan was produced in 1958. For many years， Hongqi sedans have been used by senior offi cials and for important national events.

Highest Signal

The building site of the worlds highest-altitude 5G base station near the advanced base camp of Mount Qomolangma in Tibet Autonomous Region， southwest China， on April 19. Built at an altitude of 6，500 meters above the sea level， it went into operation on April 30.

Along with the other two base stations that were previously built at altitudes of 5，300 meters and 5，800 meters， respectively， they offer full 5G coverage of Mount Qomolangma on the north ridge as well as the summit.

Savings Deposits

Chinas urban residents were more enthusiastic about saving in the fi rst quarter （Q1） of this year， said a central bank survey released on April 28.

Among the 20，000 urban bank depositors surveyed in 50 cities across China， 53 percent showed a willingness towards more savings in Q1， 7.3 percentage points up from the previous quarter， according to a survey conducted by the Peoples Bank of China， the central bank.

Meanwhile， their willingness for investment shrank， with 25 percent of the respondents planning for more investment in Q1， down by 1.3 percentage points from a quarter ago.

Financial products from banks， brokerages and insurance fi rms topped the list of the respondentsfavorite investments， followed by trust funds and stocks.

Respondents who were willing to increase consumption in Q1 accounted for 22 percent， down 6 percentage points from the previous quarter.

The survey showed residents expected to increase their spending mostly on education， medical care and property purchase in the second quarter.

Rural Agritourism

A farmer works at a vegetable planting base in Zipeng Town of Feixi County， Anhui Province in east China， on May 1. The town has taken measures to develop rural agritourism to help improve local residents incomes.

Cloud Exhibition

Zhejiang Province in east China launched an online services trade exhibition on April 29.

Scheduled from April 29 to May 1， the cloud exhibition has attracted over 80 domestic businesses and more than 180 overseas fi rms.

The exhibition is hosted by the department of commerce of Zhejiang Province. The department has planned a consultative conference via cloud technologies with authorities and business associations in eight countries， including Finland， Italy， Britain， Spain， Germany and the Netherlands， on international services trade cooperation.

The cloud exhibition aims to maximize Zhejiangs advantages in services trade and digital sectors to facilitate its foreign trade and explore the global market， said Sheng Qiuping， head of the provinces commerce department.

Zhejiang has established trade relations with over 200 countries and regions worldwide and is a frontrunner in terms of services trade in China.

The eastern China province saw trade growth in 10 services trade sectors in the fi rst quarter of this year. The exports of telecommunications， computer and information services surged by 118.8 percent year on year to 31.32 billion yuan （$4.44 billion） from January to March.