Editor's Note:

The end of the year and the start of a new one is a time for reflection and anticipation. Throughout 2023, the Chinese society has undergone various developments and changes, behind which manifests the exploration and practice of Chinese path to modernization.

In light of this, the Global Times is launching a series that elaborates on this unique path through the stories of ordinary people's New Year's wishes. These wishes serve as a window to the changes and achievements of Chinese society as the Chinese modernization has brought Chinese people more concrete consensus, a more vibrant countryside, more imaginative innovation, more balanced education, a more dignified old age with stronger security, and a more confident civilization. This shows that Chinese modernization is the prerequisite and driving force for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The first installment shares the story of the boat tribe from Ningde, East China's Fujian Province, who have transitioned from a life of drifting at sea to enjoying prosperity onshore. Their wish is to live fulfilling and prosperous lives on land, which reflects the concrete consensus among Chinese people brought about by Chinese modernization.
"This is my treasure!"

A yellowed newspaper has been carefully preserved in a ziplock bag by Lin Caizeng, a fisherman from Xiapu county, East China's Fujian Province, for 22 years.

The six family photos in this newspaper briefly outline the first half of Lin's life. In 1984, Lin, the third child in a family of six, lived on a small boat, subsisting on fishing. In 1998, with the support of the local government, Lin's family moved from the sea into a new two-room house measuring 35 square meters. In 2001, Lin and his brother raised 1,000 yellow croakers offshore.

After bidding farewell to an unstable life on the boat and embracing a "down-to-earth" lifestyle, Lin's family welcomed a newborn in 2017.

Three years later, following the local government's policy of green development, Lin Caizeng replaced his sea farming nets with environmentally friendly materials.

"This is also my treasure!" said Lin excitedly, while holding the newly issued water and tidal flat aquaculture certificate for the year. He told the Global Times that with the government's support for the industry, "I want to earn more money, raise more fish, and live a better life."
In the Houyu village where Lin lives, the cement wall still retains the slogan "Love your hometown and pay attention to hygiene" written by fishermen shortly after they moved on land. This is Lin's earliest memory of coming ashore.

What he remembers most vividly now is the phrase "Today's China is a country where dreams become reality" declared by Chinese President Xi Jinping in his 2023 New Year Address. This sentence was neatly posted by the village committee.

In southern China, regions such as Guangdong and Fujian have had a long history of generational offshore dwelling communities engaged in fishing known as the Tanka people or boat dwellers.

Usually, families shared a small wooden vessel, and the boat served as a place of residence as well as a workplace. For the Tanka people, the boat served as a place of residence as well as a workplace, with fishing activities taking place on the deck while the cabin serves as the family bedroom and storage area. In the past, the community had no property, and harbored no hopes of a decent life on land.

In front of the house, at the dock, on the fish row, Lin listened to the villagers sharing many stories about boat dwellers like him who "move and get rich" on the shore. He knew that many people had shown great concern for their once-marginalized community. Within these stories and the aspirations, countless Chinese people expressed their determination to escape absolute poverty and their hope for rural revitalization, working tirelessly to transform the vision of a beautiful Chinese modernization into reality, step by step.

"Ending life adrift at sea and settling down on land… I want to chase a better life with my diligent working and persevering spirit," Lin Caizeng made this New Year's wish - simple, pure, and full of hope.

From sea to land
Despite having stepped ashore, the sea still plays an extremely important part in the life of the Lin family.

"In the past, drifting in the sea meant leaving everything to fate. Now, living off the sea means reaping what you sow," Lin said.

Boarding the "Sea Taxi" speedboat at the Houyu village pier, bound for the aquaculture site, along the way, Global Times reporters saw the endless fish farms and neatly arranged fish cages, presenting a busy and orderly scene in the vast "sea fish fields."

In the fields, Lin happily meets his elderly brother, Lin Fangcun.

At sea, Lin Fangcun and Lin Caizeng's fish farms are only a 5-minute boat ride apart. Lin Fangcun is engaged in the cultivation of seaweed, earning a monthly income of over 4,000 yuan ($560). Lin Caizeng, on the other hand, specializes in breeding yellow croakers, with a family annual income exceeding 50,000 yuan.

When the Global Times reporters met them, the broad smiles on their tanned faces speak volumes.

Fujian rarely experiences harsh winters, and even at this time of the year one brother sports flip-flops, while the other wears rubber shoes. It's part of a signature boat-era style that's followed them ashore. "In the past, our whole family of six lived on a boat that was only eight or nine meters long. We ate, drank, slept on the boat. The children didn't even have suitable clothes to wear," recalled Lin Caizeng.

In 1997, as the then deputy secretary of the Fujian provincial committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi led the local government in initiating the overall relocation of the boat dwellers. Relevant departments made continuous efforts to address the issue, taking into account the tribe's production and living habits, exempting various land taxes and fees, providing housing construction subsidies, and allowing the community to repay housing arrears in installments. By the early 21st century, the conundrum of the boat dwellers' settlement on land had completely been resolved.

Since then, local authorities have shifted more attention to the shore. They have availed technical training to the community, solved funding issues in production and entrepreneurship, and gradually promoted targeted assistance, helping the fishermen ashore completely detach themselves from the label of absolute poverty that has lasted for thousands of years.

With the increase in income, most households in Houyu village have expanded their initial single-room houses into two or three-story buildings. Faced with the dilemma of insufficient living space due to the expanding families of some villagers, the town has invested about 1.1 million yuan to build a canteen especially designated for the elderly and a senior citizen's residence on the site of a local school. The current project is in the final settlement phase, ensuring that the elderly who are willing to move in can celebrate the New Year in their bright new homes.

After settling down on land, Lin Fangcun and Lin Caizeng live in adjacent rooms on the second floor of a jointly built three-story building. Lin Caizeng hopes to get a good price for yellow croaker this year "to [help] renovate the three floors of the house and expand aquaculture with more capital."

The four siblings of Lin's family also plan to take another group photo during the Chinese New Year, adding the "new treasures" into the sealed bag.

From poverty to prosperity
Jiang Chengcai has had many wishes in his life, but he jokingly said that his current most urgent wish is to "lose weight successfully." Though not a tall man, the 56-year-old retired volunteer guide from Xiaqi village, Fu'an, which is also a coastal city 15 minutes away from Xiapu county via high-speed rail, holds himself in a straight posture. It is hard to imagine that this straight frame endured 30 years of hunched boat living on a cramped vessel.

"In the past, when the weather was good, we would go out to catch fish. But when there was a typhoon, our whole family would go hungry. Our parents were afraid that the children would fall into the water, so they tied us tightly to the boat with ropes, and when the luck was bad, the boats would capsize and our home would be lost. We would lose everything," Jiang told the Global Times.

"But now I have a carefree and comfortable life, eating more food and getting fatter and fatter," he joked.

Since he can remember, Jiang has lived on a boat. The few moments of happiness he has from the period are of calm nights, when he would lie on the edge of the boat and gaze at the moon in the sky and admire the lights on the shore.

His parents named him Chengcai in Chinese, which literally means to achieve success and wealth, hoping that he would escape the hardships of his upbringing. But before the age of 30, Jiang's only wish was to live like the people on the shore one day, and to have a house and a warm light in his home.

Jiang still remembers his first day of relocation ashore in 1999. A family of six carried their belongings, including old cotton wadding and iron pots, and moved them into Xiaqi village. Inside the house, there were spring beds and a liquefied gas stove provided by the government.

Nowadays, whenever Jiang has free time, he loves to take tourists for walks around his hometown. Here, rows of yellow-walled and red-tiled buildings are scattered, and nearby, fishing boats return fully loaded at the dock. Just a street away in the market, calls from the fishermen who have turned to seafood wholesale can be heard as they direct customers to scan QR codes to make payments.
On December 14, Jiang participated in a speech competition called "The Past in the Words of the People of That Year." He shared his journey from being landless, penniless, and uneducated to making his first fortune in the aquaculture industry after coming ashore. He then led over 30 villagers in the construction of pile foundations, transforming from someone without a place to live to someone who builds houses for others.

"I want to tell more people that the boat dwellers also have dreams," Jiang said.

Jiang wanted to express his gratitude to the village and town officials. "After coming ashore, villagers would 'seek the Party chief' when they had no money or no job, and even when naming their children."

With the caring support of generations of local officials, the average annual income of fishermen in Xiaqi village increased from less than 1,000 yuan in 1997 to 30,360 yuan in 2022. The collective income of the village also grew from zero to 630,000 yuan.

They became wealthy both monetarily and mentally. Previously, 95 percent of the Tanka people in the village were illiterate, but now there are over 290 university students among them.

From struggling to thriving

Chen Ling, the 34-year-old Party chief of Xiaqi village, felt gratified that "villages that hail from the sea," like Xiaqi and Houyu, are becoming increasingly famous.

Chen is also a descendant of the boat dwellers. In 2018, Chen, who was working in Beijing, heard his hometown needed talents in the cultural arena. He resolutely quit his well-paying job and returned to the village to contribute to rural revitalization.

As a first-generation college graduate returning to his hometown, he actively led the villagers in creating a seafood street and committing to building a prosperous countryside where local people can peacefully engage in farming, fishing, and aquaculture.

"I hope to truly drive everyone to achieve the leap from 'settling down' to 'becoming prosperous,'" Chen told the Global Times.

Now, not only are young college students returning home to start their own businesses, but Xiaqi village has also attracted tourists and field research groups from all over the country. Some foreign heads of state have also paid visits to this small fishing village that was thought to be unremarkable in the past.

In September 2023, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilem visited China and went to Xiaqi village for an inspection.

"I believe this is another example of promoting national development, not serving specific groups, but for the well-being of all people, which is crucial," Hichilema said in a media interview in September in Beijing.

Hichilema said he was deeply moved by the personal involvement of the Chinese leadership in improving the plight of disadvantaged populations, finding the root cause of the problem.

I told my colleagues that I hope you can carefully understand and connect with the situation in our country, Hichilema noted.

In various communication activities, Chen has become increasingly proud of his profession. He is well aware that the practical success of the transformation of the boat dwellers, in which he participated, exemplifies China's unique path to modernization.

With this vision, the former sea of sorrow has long since been turned into a sea of prosperity and wealth. In front of this sea, the drifters who suffered from discrimination in the old era have realized a new life, shared the fruits of the country's modernization equally, and now have their own internal motivation to pursue happiness and create wealth.

Boat dwellers are now ashore, out of poverty, and pursuing better life. Their inspirational stories and aspirational journeys are just beginning.

Pernod Ricard China, the internationally renowned spirits and wine group and a pioneer in sustainable practices, continues its unwavering dedication to fostering innovation and sustainability by supporting the Universities for Goal 13 Award (Greater China Competition) for the third consecutive year as the final competition successfully concluded on Friday.
As an innovation competition facing university students from around the world, the UG 13 Award encourages young people to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to find feasible and innovative solutions to tackle the pressing challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals, which this year outlines climate actions, such as “responsible production and consumption”, “natural resources conservation”, “sustainable agriculture” and “carbon peaking/neutrality and renewable energy”.

Co-hosted by the Institute for Sustainable Development Goals of Tsinghua University (TUSDG) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the UG 13 (Greater China Competition) received works from about 150 students from different universities in China, with A Kernel of Corn Team, Upcyclothes Team, and Buildings as Carbon Sinks Team obtaining the “Winning Prize”. These groups will later compete in the global finale as the Chinese representatives.

Empowering youth for climate action

The UG 13 Award is an annual international competition that brings together global innovative young talents, according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

In China, this event has seen a collaborative innovation in sustainable development education between Pernod Ricard China and the TUSDG for three years in a row.

To further inspire students and empower their proposals’ feasibility and commercial potential, Pernod Ricard China set up two "Pernod Ricard China Special Awards" for projects that demonstrate exceptional promise in advancing sustainability and introduced two mentors to provide industry insights and help nurture entrepreneurship among young people.

The company's exclusive sponsorship not only amplifies the importance of sustainable development but also underscores the pivotal role of corporate partnerships in driving meaningful change.

As a responsible corporate citizen, the company recognizes the importance of nurturing young talents and fostering innovation, essential components in building a brighter, more sustainable future for generations to come.

“Pernod Ricard is committed to sustainable development and believes that young people are the key to driving the sustainable transformation of the world. By providing young students with innovative resources and platforms, we empower them so as to promote sustainable development. At the same time, exchanging ideas with students can also inspire us on our projects in related fields,” said Kathie Wang, Vice President of Communications and S&R at Pernod Ricard China.
Leading the way towards a sustainable future

The sponsorship of the UG 13 Award is part of Pernod Ricard’s efforts to directly support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, aligning with their 2030 plan in the corporate Sustainability & Responsibility roadmap.

Zhu Xufeng, Executive Director of TUSDG, lauded the enduring partnership among TUSDG, CUHK, and Pernod Ricard China on the competition, emphasizing the importance of long-term commitment in addressing global challenges such as climate change.

“Sustainability is not something that can be achieved overnight. It requires long-term commitment and collaboration by all parts of society. We’re delighted to join hands with Pernod Ricard China to host the UG13 Award’s Greater China competition for the past three years, providing a platform for creative students to exhibit their talent. We look forward to deepening the partnership so that together we can cultivate more young talent that puts a premium on sustainability, has the requisite skills and will work to tackle global challenges such as climate change,” said Zhu.
With a shared vision of green development, the collaboration of Pernod Ricard China and TUSDG to promote the advancement of sustainable development goals in China can date back to 2019, when the two parties jointly launched the first-ever "Sustainable Bar Operation Initiatives and Application Guidelines" for China, leading the industry towards sustainable operations.

In 2020, they collaborated to host a forum on sustainable development and jointly released a public service film. In the same year, Pernod Ricard China supported the sustainability scholarship at the School of Public Policy and Management of Tsinghua University.

Pernod Ricard China remains steadfast in its commitment to sustainability, continuously seeking new avenues to promote environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

The economy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is recovering and growing, and it's expected to continue expanding this year, as the region further taps its role as a "super connector" between the Chinese mainland and the world, and as the integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) further gears up, Kingsley Wong Kwok, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

A Chinese mainland GDP growth rate of about 5 percent for 2024 would also help elevate the HKSAR economy, Wong said, while highlighting new growth drivers in the mainland economy, which he believed could provide new insights into Hong Kong's development. Wong is also the chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions. 

"We saw the rapid rise of the 'new three,' or electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and solar cells in the Chinese mainland market. Now, more Hong Kong residents are purchasing electric vehicles produced by Chinese mainland automakers. 

"We have also been impressed by the manufacturing prowess of the home-developed C919, which visited Hong Kong in recent days," Wong said. He added that the Chinese mainland and the HKSAR could cooperate further to create more rising futuristic sectors. 

With regard to Hong Kong's allure, Wong said that the city has great attractions for international talent and capital as an international center. 

In recent months, Hong Kong has seen an increasing foreign talent influx under its leading talent admission program. Since its launch one year ago, the program has attracted almost 70,000 applications, with nearly 79 percent being approved, the South China Morning Post reported in February. 

"If multinationals and global capital look to make inroads into the Chinese mainland, they could first establish a base in Hong Kong as a bridgehead," Wong explained, noting that this is the HKSAR's unique advantage stemming from the "One Country, Two Systems" policy.

In 2019, Chinese authorities unveiled the outline development plan for the GBA, aiming to develop the region into "a role model of high-quality development." According to Wong, significant progress has been made in the area's development in recent years, and he expected the integration to further gain steam. 

According to a proposal Wong shared with the Global Times, he suggested expanding the scope of HKSAR re-entry permits for use in the mainland, including in such areas as banking applications, transportation, travel, payments and entertainment. 

"As more Hongkongers travel to the GBA to spend their weekends, the expansion will facilitate more people-to-people exchanges, and draw more Hong Kong young people to live and work in the mainland," he noted.

In 2023, there were more than 50 million visits to the mainland by Hong Kong residents, according to media reports.

As a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, Wong also noted that the Council is fully promoting the legislation involving Article 23 of the Basic Law of the HKSAR.

"We have started a series of legal review work and hope to complete the legislation as soon as possible, so that we could focus more on boosting the economy and improving people's livelihoods," Wong said. He stressed that national security lays the foundation for Hong Kong's social and economic development.

Police in Meigu county in Liangshan, Sichuan, recently received a report from the School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, which said that a black-necked crane with a tracker for scientific research had remained in a static status for an extended period. The institute asked for an investigation into the condition of the migratory bird. 

The police immediately formed a task force to investigate into the incident in the outskirts of a sparsely populated hamlet. 

After extensive investigations and visits, the police finally tracked down the suspect surnamed Jike. 

Jike confessed under interrogation that he illegally captured and killed the rare species of the endangered wildlife animal black-necked crane. 

According to Jike, he happened to see the big bird resting on the river bank on his way home and the idea of catching and eating the bid just occurred to him. A thought that he soon followed up on.  

According to the judicial appraisal results by a forestry judicial appraisal center in Sichuan, the bird killed by the suspect was a black-necked crane, which is one of China’s national first-class key protected animals. The tracking device tied to the bird’s foot and the serial number show that the black-necked crane was exactly the one that was used for ecological study of migration of the crane by the college institute. 

Jike has been placed under criminal detention by the police for the suspicion of the crime of endangering precious and endangered wildlife animal. The case is currently under further investigation. 

According to media reports, the black-necked crane is the only species of crane endemic to China and is among the 15 crane species that currently exist in the world. It is also the only crane species in the world that grows and breeds on plateaus, earning it the titles of “plateau fairy” and “plateau divine bird.”

China’s top legislature passed regulation on February 24, 2020 to strictly ban the illegal wildlife trade and eliminate bad habits of eating wild animals in China to safeguard people’s health and livelihoods. 

According to China’s Criminal Law, anyone who illegally captures, kills, transports, purchases or sells national protected, precious, endangered wildlife and their products, shall be sentenced to imprisonment for up to five years or faced with criminal detention, along with a fine. 

In cases of serious circumstances, the punishment may be extended to 5-10 years of imprisonment, along with a fine. In particularly severe cases, the sentence may be more than 10 years of imprisonment, along with a fine or confiscation of property and assets. 

Preliminary investigation shows the separation of carriages accident along the Changping Line of Beijing subway on Thursday evening was due to the snowy weather, which affected the train's braking system, resulting in a rear-end collision with the front train, Beijing transportation authorities said on Friday.

Around 11:00 pm on Thursday, the personnel transfer was completed, and the on-site disposal work basically finished. A total of 515 people were sent to the hospital for examination, and 102 people were found to have suffered fractures, with no fatalities, the authorities said on Friday.

According to the authorities' announcement, the accident occurred as a result of the slippery tracks caused by the snowy weather. The preceding train had to make an emergency brake to stop. Unfortunately, the following train was situated in a downhill section, making it difficult to effectively brake due to the snowy conditions.

Beijing transportation authority apologized for the inconvenience, fright, and injuries caused to the passengers in this accident, and vowed to do a good job in carrying out post-accident work and conduct a comprehensive investigation to improve extreme weather operation and emergency response to ensure the safety of operations.

It was at 6:57 pm on Thursday, when a rear-end collision occurred in the section between Xi’erqi to Life Science Park stations of the Changping Line. The municipal government officials immediately went to the scene and set up a working group for on-site accident disposal. The relevant departments including transportation, firefighting, health, public security and emergency response responded quickly and made efforts for rescue, according to the authorities.

As of 6 am on Friday, 423 people have been discharged from hospital, 25 people are under observation, and 67 people are receiving hospital treatment, the authorities said.

On Friday, Beijing Subway apologized again over the incident, while putting in place measures to reduce inconvenience for passengers.

Currently, the Beijing municipal government has established an investigation team for the Changping Line accident, which will further investigate the cause of the accident, evaluate the emergency response, and learn lessons from the accident, effectively carrying out rectification measures.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management on Tuesday have urgently allocated 200 million yuan ($28 million) in disaster relief funds to northwest China’s Gansu and Qinghai provinces. This funding will support local earthquake relief efforts and ensure the safety of people's lives and property, minimizing the impact and losses caused by the disaster, China Media Group (CMG) reported.

China is stepping up rescue and relief efforts to ensure the safety of people's lives and property after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook Jishishan County in northwest China's Gansu Province at midnight Monday.

The State Council has sent a working group to the stricken regions to help guide relief work. Gansu and Qinghai provinces have organized relief support with immediate allocation of relief supplies such as camps and folding beds to impacted areas.

Relief supplies were immediately redeployed from nearby areas, with supplies gradually arriving to impacted communities, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) told a press conference on Tuesday.

The NDRC has activated emergency response mechanism to ensure energy, electricity, and essential supplies. Efforts are being made to repair damaged power facilities and provide emergency power supply. Food and material reserves are being allocated for disaster relief, a spokesperson from the NDRC said.

The first shipment of 46,100 emergency relief supplies from central and provincial level have been dispatched to the disaster-stricken areas, including cotton tents, quilts, mattresses, folding beds, cotton shoes, and stoves, according to Gansu provincial grain and material reserve bureau. The bureau has also obtained 15 tons of flour for emergency supply in Jishishan.

The State Council's earthquake relief headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management have upgraded the national earthquake emergency response to Level II.

At present, the earthquake has led 105 deaths in Gansu and 11 deaths in Qinghai, with damaging basic infrastructure such as water, electricity, transportation, and communications, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Rescue and relief efforts are progressing in an orderly manner, including hazard inspections, evacuation and resettlement of residents, and repair of damaged facilities, China Media Group reported.

The Chengdu FISU World University Games concluded on Tuesday as the hosts, the Chinese delegation, finished with 103 gold, 40 silver and 35 bronze medals to sit at the top of the medal table, setting a new record for the best results for China at a FISU Games.

The world-leading Chinese university swimming team has been the biggest contributor for China's medal haul at the Games, as the Chinese swimmers totaled 18 gold and two bronze medals.

Besides the big stars such as multiple-time gold medalists Qin Haiyang, Zhang Yufei and Li Bingjie, names such as five-time National Para Games gold medalist Peng Huidi, who faces a lasting hearing issue, also took the stage.

The Central South University student, who had to rely on a visual confirmation at the start of the race, compared to her opponents who dive into the pool after hearing the starting horn, is a slow starter in every race. 

However, she had successfully improved her result in the 1,500 meters freestyle by a stunning 32.3 seconds. 

Beyond the outstanding performances delivered by the Chinese delegation, which consisted of a total of 411 athletes participating in all 18 events, the tournament has a lot of memorable moments. 

Communication, understanding

FISU Acting President Leonz Eder said Tuesday that Chengdu has really made all dreams come true as he reviews the Games. 

"What we have witnessed here in Chengdu is state of the art. It's the best we can have. It's really fantastic for the athletes, for the spectators, for everybody," he told reporters. "There's nothing to complain about."

FISU Secretary-General Eric Saintrond believes that hosting the Chengdu Universiade has helped foster China's global image as many young people come to visit the city.

"What you see and hear is different from what people tell you," Saintrond said. "Many people have never been to Chengdu and to China."

As for the impact of the FISU Games on the youth, Acting President Eder affirmed that the Games showcased the importance of communication, understanding, and learning from different cultures. 

He asserted that fostering open dialogue and embracing diverse viewpoints is key to creating a better world.

"In some parts of the world, people stopped talking to each other, but the young generation, they don't know these borders, these frontiers," Eder told the Global Times.

"They talk to each other, they learn their own stories, they tell their own stories, they start to communicate, and these are the students, because the students, they speak different languages, and they have no shy to meet other people, and this is really what we believe is needed to make a better world," Eder said of the young people of the world.

"Don't think that your opinion is the only one in the world. We have so many different opinions, different cultures, based on different histories, not one is better than the other, but go and talk to each other, learn from each other, and this is the basic for creating a better world."

Showcasing Chinese culture

The Chengdu FISU Games, the first international multi-sport tournament held in West China, have also become a platform for athletes worldwide to learn about the diverse Chinese culture.

The cultural fair is among the most popular destinations for athletes every night after their competitions. 

"One of the pillars of FISU is education, culture, and sport. We do not just organize sport event. For us it is important to show the young people to give the opportunity to discover the culture, the richness of every place where we are going," Eder said. 

Saintrond highlighted that after the two postponements of the originally scheduled 2021 event, the Universiade was able to provide more opportunities to students to learn about China. 

Saintrond said China hosting an open Universiade, rather than in a closed loop like Tokyo Olympics and Beijing 2022 due to COVID-19, is of much significance.

"It was not only to open the [Games] Village and allow the people to go out of the Village. It is to open the door to the Chinese culture. That has been extremely important for students," he said. "The sports competition is one thing, but the people have to meet each other, have to make friends to get to learn the culture and the history of other nations." 

As Chengdu moves forward to host future sports events, such as the 2025 World Games, venues and facilities as well as the volunteers and staff for the FISU Games are likely to be involved again.

"These facilities will be used not only for university students, but also for the citizens of Chengdu and the province," Eder said. 

"With these fantastic facilities, you can host future games, whether it's world championships or the World Games .... It's important to use all these venues."

Local favorite Zhang Zhizhen beat Japan's Yosuke Watanuki 6-4, 7-6(7) at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Saturday to capture China's first men's singles gold medal in nearly three decades.

Pan Bing won the men's title for China at 1990 and 1994 Asian Games.

Another Chinese player Wu Yibing, silver medalist at Jakarta 2018, suffered an early exit after a shock third-round defeat on Tuesday.

The head coach of China's speed skating team said that she has been trying to instill a champion mentality among the young athletes, as the team held an open training session at the Capital Skating Oval in Beijing on Monday.

The team has been gearing up for the 2023-2024 ISU Speed Skating World Cup, an international tournament consisting of six events. The season begins on Friday in Obihiro, Japan and will end on February 4 in Quebec City, Canada. The skater with the most points in a given distance at the end of the series is the World Cup winner in that distance.

Chinese skaters will leave for Japan on Tuesday for the first leg of the world cup series and they are excited to make their mark in the second leg which will take place at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval, or "Ice Ribbon," from November 17-19.

Li Yan, the head coach, told the Global Times that she expects more young players will make breakthroughs in the new season.

"We've been working hard to improve the overall strength of the team in the past year. We want to develop the champion mindset within our team in practice and competition," said Li.

The team is led by Gao Tingyu, who broke the Olympic record to win the men's 500m in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. It was also China's first gold medal in men's speed skating in the Winter Olympic Games. 

In addition to the short distance, China has made up ground in the medium- and long-distance races. In the 2023-24 season, four Chinese skaters have qualified for each of the women's 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m and 5000m events. In the men's 500m, 1000m and 1500m, four skaters have also secured their spots respectively. 

Meanwhile, two skaters will compete in the men's 5,000m and 10,000m, the events for which China failed to qualify in the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. 

"We have realized our primary goals of having more male skaters participating in international long-distance events and improving women's long-distance results. Our objective is to forge ahead and change the status quo and we will take it one step at a time," Li noted. "We are also enhancing the athletes' capability of competing in multiple events, which is a trend of speed skating development."

Foreign coaches Jan Bos from the Netherlands and Alexander Rumyantsev from Russia also joined the team to help the skaters.

Li Qishi, who took her first world cup victory in 2014, told the Global Times after training that the participation of more young skaters has given fresh impetus to the team. 

"I think this is good for the development of speed skating in China. With more young skaters to compete in international events, there will be opportunities to create better results," said Li, adding that she has improved her starting recently. 

Young skater Liu Bin told the Global Times that Gao has set a good example of self-discipline and he will try to find his feet in the coming event. 

The world cup in Beijing is the first major international tournament held at the "Ice Ribbon" since the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. 

As one of the legacies of Beijing 2022, the "Ice Ribbon" has opened to the public after the Games.  

"I look forward to our skaters achieving better results on the home ice and we're excited to revisit the fast and furious atmosphere created by the cutting-edge venue," Li said. 

Taking advantage of the legacy of Beijing 2022, more international winter sports events have come to China and provided young skaters with opportunities to progress. 

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final will take place in Beijing from December 7 to 10. Currently, the Chinese figure skating team is gearing up for the fourth leg of the figure skating series, which will be held in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality from November 10 to 12. 

Meanwhile, the third leg of the 2023-24 ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup will take place in Beijing from December 8 to 10. China's short track speed skaters wrapped up the first two legs with four golds, one silver and one bronze. 

Olympic champion Su Yiming will take part in the second leg of the 2023/2024 FIS Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard Big Air World Cup, which will be held at Shougang Big Air in Beijing from November 30 to December 2.

The 2024 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships will take place in Shanghai from January 30 to February 4, 2024.

The COP28 Presidency has co-hosted the second Global Dialogue series with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Abu Dhabi, gathering policymakers, representatives, and experts from 140 governments, as well as participants from the private sector.

The Global Dialogue, held in Abu Dhabi Global Market from 15-17 October, is the largest UNFCCC mandated event held in the emirate to date, and focused on accelerating the energy transition and decarbonization of the transportation sector.

Those attending, including COP28 Chief Executive Officer Adnan Z Amin, drove technical alignment and produced a report that will help jumpstart upcoming discussions at Pre-COP from 30-31 October, where up to 100 ministers will discuss key priorities in Abu Dhabi for COP28.

Attendees agreed that decarbonizing the transportation system will make a significant contribution to a just and equitable energy transition, and will boost economic diversification by creating green jobs and invigorating industries in developing countries.

Solutions discussed for decarbonizing transportation included the deployment and shift to collective and non-motorized transportation models, energy and resource efficiency in the transportation sector, vehicle electrification, and the adoption of low- or zero-carbon fuels.

A sustainable transport sector is central to our shared success in keeping 1.5°C within reach,” Mr. Amin said at the event. According to the IPCC’s sixth assessment report, the transport sector emits 8.7Gt per year, representing roughly 23 percent of global emissions, he said, so “transport would need an accelerated electrification and associated deployment of charging infrastructure in the coming decades.”