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Hangzhou showcased “hard power” at theservice trade fair

At China International Fair For Trade In Services held held in the National Conference Center and Shougang Park yesterday, new technologies, new services and new products for global services trade were combined to present a service trade feast. Hangzhou enterprises collectively showcased corporate brands and strength, and worked to enhance the popularity and brand influence of the city’s service trade with a purpose to seek a new opportunity for cooperation and development.

Hangzhou digital service trade enterprises with brilliant latest technological achievements drew attention from visitors. Some visitors were purchasing Liangzhu culture derivatives with digital RMB; some were experiencing immersive cloud exhibition platforms, while some others were enjoying AI poem composing and metaverse wedding ceremony. As a domestic unicorn blockchain enterprise, Hangzhou Hyerchain Technology Co., Ltd. presented multiple achievements in blockchain science and technology at the fair.

Global exhibitors availed the exhibition to make negotiation and issue digital trade offers. Hangzhou also took the opportunity to display its cultural brand, exchange with and learn from each other and seek new opportunities for cooperation and development.

Hangzhou upgraded punctual bus services

Starting from the end of August, Dingqiao Region of Hangzhou has successively upgraded public transportation services by extending blue mini bus routes and launching punctual bus services. Bus 285, which shuttles between Dingqiao and downtown Hangzhou, has adopted segmented pricing while Buses 125, 205 and 1902 will implement “staggered departure” to improve service efficiency.

After fixing the routes, Dingqiao customized “Guideline for Blue Mini Bus Services” for the residential communities. Residents may check the timetable of bus departure via mobile phone to ensure punctual boarding. Also, they may have access to a paper version of “Guideline for Bus Services” to select their exclusive routes.

Moreover, by observing the data of citizens’ travel destinations, Special Blue Mini Buses 1994 and 1995 may even plan the routes based on the passengers’ destinations to provide faster and more flexible bus services. Drivers of Bus 1998 may deliver the passengers to Sam’s Club, a frequent destination, at their request.

All these measures enable citizens to enjoy the convenience and the real benefits of bus services.

Fuyang rolled out substantial measures to retain talents

Fuyang District of Hangzhou rolled out Several Opinions on Attracting Talents and Invigorating the District with the Industry on September 2. According to the Opinion, Fuyang will create a favorable environment for the talents by stepping up industrial transition, promoting talent pooling and providing better services for the talents.

To accelerate industrial transition, a bonus of up to 5 million yuan will be granted to newly-accredited national, provincial and municipal-level enterprise technology centers (enterprise R&D centers) and key laboratories (engineering technology R&D centers).

To pool talents, a comprehensive subsidy of up to 100 million yuan will be granted to top international and domestic talents who start a business in Fuyang. For talents who have been accepted by various national (provincial and municipal) talents programs, a maximum subsidy of 5.5 million yuan will be provided for their settlement in the city and a maximum subsidy of 8 million yuan will be provided for house purchasing and rental.

To provide better services, the children of the relevant talents will be arranged to study in public schools; talents engaged in advanced programs will be provided with direct medical service card as well as various other convenient services; accredited high-level talents may enjoy preferential policies in house purchasing; talents who have settled down in Hangzhou with registered permanent residence may purchase a second house without being subjected to the condition of five-year settlement.

A heritage that is carved in stone

Qian Gaochao teaches students carving skills.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Craftsmen in Zhejiang province use their knowledge passed down over generations to mark the Asian Games in a manner that will stand the test of time, reports Ma Zhenhuan in Hangzhou.

Craftsman Qian Gaochao and his son, Qian Youjie, spent more than six months making three “chicken-blood “stone carvings depicting the taekwondo and wrestling competitions of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, which will be held in Lin’an district, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, next year.

As a national inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of the chicken-blood stone carving technique and a master of Chinese arts and crafts, Qian Gaochao says: “It’s a great honor to be able to contribute to the Asian Games, held in my hometown, through my handicraft.”

In the chicken-blood stone museum in Changhua town, Lin’an district, Qian Gaochao says that he is working on the other carvings related to the Asian Games. The previously postponed event will run from Sept 23 to Oct 8, 2023. This allows him more time and he is working on the carvings, featuring imagery of the equestrian competition, which is scheduled to be held in the Tonglu Equestrian Centre in Hangzhou.

Chicken-blood stone is one of the most prized ornamental materials in China and has been used for centuries to create carved works with characteristic red markings.

Stone for the carvings is found in the riverhead area of the West Zhejiang Grand Canyon in Lin’an. Geologists discovered that the quarry in the mountain was created by volcanic activity 75 million years ago.

Changhua stone comes in many distinctive colors, including red, yellow, brown, white, sky blue, and green, among others. Ironically, the color of red chicken-blood is rare, thus very precious. With its vibrant blood-red color, bright crystal-like jade texture, quality and shape, chicken-blood stones are renowned the world over.

In 2008, the Changhua chicken-blood stone carving was added to the national intangible cultural heritage list, and it was also included in the first batch of national catalogs for the promotion of traditional craftsmanship. This was jointly issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2018.

The artistic value of Changhua chicken-blood stone lies in its adaptability. It can be made into ornaments of various sizes and forms, such as pendants, rings, bracelets, necklaces, waist tags and other accessories.

It is not only a mineral specimen that records geological upheaval, but also a cultural relic that reflects the productivity of different eras, living conditions and folk customs.

The cultural connotation of the stone also lies in its integration with Chinese customs, wishing people well and social morality. For example, red, favored by Chinese people, represents joy, victory, success, luck and fortune.

It has become a cultural icon to deepen bilateral friendship in diplomatic activities. In 1972, Chinese premier Zhou Enlai gave the then Japanese prime minister Kakuei Tanaka and Japanese foreign minister Masayoshi Ohira Changhua chicken-blood stones as State gifts when the two countries established diplomatic relations.

In 1986, a seal of Changhua stone was presented to then US president Ronald Reagan. In 2016, the Changhua stone sculpture “Haliaeetus Albicilla Duda Portrait Seal” was presented to Polish President Andrzej Duda.

In September 2016, 36 sets of portrait seals, designed and produced by the chicken-blood stone museum, were given as gifts to guests who attended the 11th G20 Summit held in Hangzhou.

“I am a craftsman, so the content and themes chosen for my carvings keep up with the times, representing the style of the era,” Qian Gaochao says.

“I’m not only doing carving work, but also recording the development and changes of our society, and remembering the era through the medium of my carvings.”

Qian Gaochao has created fascinating works, many of which are related to important events in Chinese history, including the Zunyi Conference held in Guizhou province in January 1935. He has also done work to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and to mark the Site of the First National Congress of the CPC.

Qian Gaochao has also carved portraits of famous people who have made significant contributions to the country, including the 10 marshals and 10 generals, for their roles in the founding of the People’s Republic of China on Oct 1, 1949.

Other portraits include those of the late agronomist Yuan Longping, who devoted himself to agricultural education and research, pharmacologist Tu Youyou, the winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for the discovery of artemisinin, and Huang Xuhua, chief designer of China’s first-generation nuclear submarines and a recipient in 2019 of the Medal of the Republic, the country’s top honor.

The use of Changhua stones dates back centuries.

According to research by experts of the Hangzhou Museum, which is based on the cultural relics unearthed from the Banshan tombs of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), Changhua stones, in the Yue state, were mainly used for weapon-shaped ritual vessels, including sword heads, blades, vortex rings on the grip, cloud dragon patterns on scabbards, spears and daggers.

“We are also recruiting qualified people, such as graduates of the China Academy of Art, art teachers from Shaoxing University, and some calligraphy teachers, to continue to inherit and innovate these traditional skills,” Qian Gaochao says.

“Additionally, we often hold research activities and provide training courses, enabling more young students to understand and learn Chinese traditional culture,” he adds.

Hangzhou Asian Games to serve as boxing qualifier for Paris 2024

Kuwait City, Kuwait, August 25, 2022: Boxing at the Hangzhou Asian Games next year will be a qualification event for the Paris 2024 Olympics and will be overseen by a specially appointed task force by the Olympic Council of Asia.

The OCA’s Asian Games Director, Mr. Haider Farman, made the announcement during a virtual meeting of the OCA Sports Committee on Thursday, August 25.

“The International Boxing Association is not recognised by the IOC and we have decided to take the same position and instead appoint a task force to manage the sport of boxing at the Asian Games,” Mr. Farman said.

“Three weeks ago, we were contacted by the IOC who told us the Hangzhou Asian Games will be a qualification event for the Paris 2024 Olympics. As such, the IOC will appoint the technical delegate for boxing at the Asian Games and they will manage the qualifiers. There will be no Asian boxing officials at the Asian Games,” he added.

The IOC stripped the International Boxing Association in 2019 of its involvement in last year’s Tokyo Olympics due to governance, finance, refereeing and ethical issues. They also stated that the IBA will not be in charge of the boxing competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The usual practice at international multi-sport Games like the Olympics and the Asian Games is for the International Federation or Asian Federation to be in charge of the sport.

But due to continuing and concerning issues of the IBA, the IOC has decided to go on its own in boxing – a stance now matched by the Olympic Council of Asia.

Meanwhile, in another change, while the number of boxing events at the Hangzhou Asian Games will remain at 13, there will now be seven men’s events and six women’s events to match Paris 2024. Previously it was split 8-5 in favour of men’s events.

Capital districts exhibit most important assets

At the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services, which is being held in Beijing, districts across the host city are showcasing their technological expertise, rich cultural and tourism resources and friendly business environment.

Among them, Chaoyang district has participated in three thematic exhibitions and launched an online show.

The district has set up a booth at the thematic exhibition of financial services in Shougang Park. It displays its role and progress in international exchange; global financial business gathering and development; two-way opening-up of capital markets; attracting international venture capital firms; and innovating management models of digital renminbi.

By introducing prime international financial resources in the district, such as renowned global financial institutions, overseas bourses and international credit agencies, Chaoyang is attractive as a regional financial hub.

It is home to more than 1,600 financial institutions, including more than 350 foreign-funded ones. The contribution by the financial industry’s added value to the district’s GDP grew from 12.2 percent in 2016 to 18.6 percent in 2021.

At another thematic exhibition in Shougang Park, Chaoyang’s display put an emphasis on two aspects: the integration of culture and technology, and new consumption trends of cultural and tourism products.

Innovative products and services, covering sports and fitness, digital music and online videos, feature a host of leading technologies including 5G, ultra-high definition resolution, digital visualization and intelligent interaction.

At the China National Convention Center, the third thematic exhibition focuses on human resources management. There, Chaoyang is the only Beijing representative. It organized three businesses from the district-Chinese job platforms Boss Zhipin and Zhaopin as well as HR management company Risfond-to attend.

Beijing’s central business district is a crucial engine driving Chaoyang’s growth. Data from the CBD administrative committee show that the core area of the Beijing CBD generated 64 billion yuan ($9.27 billion) in tax revenue in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 8.6 percent, contributing one-third of Chaoyang’s total.

The amount surpassed 33 billion yuan in the first half of this year, accounting for nearly 32 percent of Chaoyang’s total.

The Beijing CBD is exploring an innovative growth path and seeks to break through in key areas. Its friendly business environment has attracted an increasing number of companies to site their regional headquarters or first Beijing stores in Chaoyang.

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in the global market, nearly 300 new foreign-invested companies registered in the CBD in 2021, reporting a growth rate of 19.21 percent.

Its administrative committee said it will conduct further research into “replicable” cases and advance reform in key areas, in line with international rules and practices. The aim is to contribute a “Beijing CBD solution” to the country’s opening-up policy.

Tongzhou district, now known as the city’s subcenter, opened a pavilion at the thematic exhibition of culture and tourism services in Shougang Park, featuring immersive digital technologies.

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is one of the exhibitions at the pavilion. Using digital technology, the ancient canal, which is still in use, is represented on a wall. By touching the wall, visitors can learn about the river in different historical periods.

The metaverse is another subject the Tongzhou exhibition pavilion addresses. With a Peking Opera-themed interactive system, visitors can “wear” simulations of facial makeup in this traditional performing art, in tune with their facial expressions. They can also put on a pair of glasses featuring virtual reality technology to enter a virtual world.

A slew of companies and research institutions from the city’s subcenter are flexing their technological muscle and showcasing their brand value in the sectors of 5G, artificial intelligence and intelligent hardware.

Meanwhile, the Beijing Daxing International Airport Economic Zone is presenting its achievements in advancing the development of “two zones”-the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening Up the Service Sector and the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

The airport economic zone, which is still under construction, traverses Beijing’s Daxing district and neighboring Hebei province. It is the only zone that enjoys both favorable policies of a provincial pilot free trade area and those of a municipal pilot FTA. It had attracted more than 2,960 businesses by the end of July, including 53 that involve foreign capital.

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Chaoyang district’s display area at the thematic exhibition of culture and tourism services. ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY

The designer of the popular NAPC Hangzhou Branch introduced design on the site

Wang Shu, the world famous architectural designer, showed up at Hangzhou Branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture (NAPC Hangzhou Branch) yesterday afternoon to introduce the design and construction of the Song-style architectural complex to the audiences.

The site of the NAPC Hangzhou Branch was originally an ordinary abandoned mine. Centered on the objective of “constructing a building complex for book collection with Song-style garden”, Wang Shu and his team extracted the characteristics of Song-era architectures and the essence of Song-style aesthetics from garden and landscape paintings of the Song Dynasty. They made full use of the rocks and stones of the abandoned mine and integrated them with the architectures of the whole garden through comprehensive restoration to establish the layout featured by pavilions built against hills, corridors encircling around hills, pond chiseled in situ and water diverted from outside into the garden.

With painstaking efforts and thousands of design manuscripts, the team endeavored to interpret and present the concept and elegance of the architecture, garden and landscape paintings of the Song Dynasty with modern language. As Wang said, “modern style Song elegance” was the core of the design. As no garden of the Song Dynasty has survived to date, it was a challenge to convert the images in the paintings into large-scale architectures in real sense. He proposed five principles of the architectural concepts during the creation. For example, the principle of nature-oriented construction can maintain the original natural landform and plantation to the maximum extent and ensure a delightful contrast between the architecture and the landscape.

The key road leading to Hangzhouxi Station was fully open to traffic eight months in advance

Section from Wener Road (W) to Zhancheng Street (S) of Yunxi Ground-level Road

Despite the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic, heavy traffic and intense heat, as well as the requirement of ensuring smooth traffic flow during the construction, the section between Wener Road (W) to Zhancheng Street (S) of the Yunxi Ground-level Road was fully open to traffic yesterday, 8 months ahead of schedule. This effectively relieves traffic jams in rush hours.

In addition, the inauguration of the road section ensures expedient access to Hangzhouxi Railway Station, facilitates fast and convenient transportation from Yuhang District to downtown Hangzhou, and brings along the development of economic industrial chain along the road. Also, it is of great significance to the construction of the new urban center in Hangzhou, improvement of urban road network and linking of urban circles in Hangzhou.

The largest rooftop PV station in Asia generated the power of 790 million kWh for Hangzhou from January to July

10 MW Rooftop PV Station at Hangzhoudong Railway Station

Data sources: Hangzhou Electric Power Bureau

The electricity consumption in Hangzhou soared as a result of the sustained intense heat. From January to July, Hangzhou generated green electricity of about 790 million kWh through PV power station, reducing carbon dioxide emission by 414,000 tons, which is equivalent to the emission reduction by 9,000 hectares of forest. PV power generation is the best green and low-carbon choice to meet the city’s demands for the electricity while protecting the environment. Hangzhoudong Station has the largest PV power station in Asia. Actually, rooftop PV power has also been applied to citizens’ lounges, household electric appliances and lamps. It is green and low carbon, because it is easy for installation and can ensure self-sufficient power supply.

However, a major fault about PV power generation is that it depends on the volatile weather conditions. The power generation will be greatly reduced on cloudy days. For this reason, the street lights are supplied by power grid to ensure stability of power supply.

Eurozone inflation hits highest level since euro

On the afternoon of August 30, Zhejiang Provincial Committee Of the CPC held a provincial digital reform promotion meeting. Yuan Jiajun, secretary of the provincial Party committee, attended and delivered a speech, emphasizing the need to learn and understand the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on comprehensively deepening reform, especially digital reform, fully implement the spirit of the provincial congress of the CPC, deepen and improve the concept, orientation, goal, and mechanism of digital reform, improve the quality and expand the scope of reform, and provide a fundamental driving force for promoting common prosperity of socialism and provincial modernization.

Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party committee and Governor Wang Hao presided over the meeting. Huang Jianfa, deputy secretary of the provincial Party committee, and other leaders at or above the vice-provincial level attended. At the meeting, representatives of the Reform Office of the Provincial Party Committee and the leading units of “6 Plus 1 Plus 1” system and platform made a work report. Representatives from the General Office of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People’s Congress, the General Office of the Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Zhejiang Provincial Public Complaints and Proposals Administration, the Public Security Department of Zhejiang Province, the People’s Court of Zhejiang Province, the Publicity Department of the Wenzhou Municipal Party Committee, Quzhou City, Taizhou City, Lishui City, and Zhuji City made demonstration reports on typical applications. The meeting clarified the goals and tasks for the next two months and for different fields.

Yuan Jiajun fully approved of the effectiveness of the work in the first two months of the digital reform. The digital reform has entered a new stage of harvesting results and creating a golden business card.

Yuan Jiajun emphasized that it is necessary to deeply understand and grasp the essence, positioning, goals, and mechanisms of digital reform in the new journey, better grasp the original intention of the reform, improve understanding, clarify positioning, deepen the goals and tasks, improve mechanisms, and explore new models and mechanisms targeted at modernization and leading modernization. It is necessary to deeply understand that digital reform and the “Two Pilot Drives” are a logical whole. The essence of digital reform is self-revolution, and it is necessary to turn the blade inward and break the bottleneck restrictions; the “Two Pilot Drives” means to continue to write the glorious history of reform and opening up, and bravely enter the deep waters of reform. It is necessary to deeply realize that digital reform is the core carrier of comprehensively deepening the reform, a big scenario for the innovation of ideas and ideas,  a new logic and method for the reform and reshaping of systems and mechanisms, a large examination room for the leaders to learn and practice, and a new mechanism for the whole society to build and share. It is necessary to continue to deepen the construction of digital Zhejiang, and take the lead in forming production methods, lifestyles and governance methods that are compatible with the era of digital transformation. It is necessary to improve the systems and grasp the overall mechanisms to fully stimulate the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of all parties, and make reform more sustainable and better.

Wang Hao emphasized that it is necessary to speed up the construction progress, and efficiently promote the construction of major applications to improve the efficiency of digital reform. It is necessary to rack our brains and take the initiative to tackle difficulties, focus on the needs and expectations of people, enterprises, and the grassroots, and carry out research on supply and demand docking, technical support, and institutional guarantees, so as to better promote governance efficiency and service quality, and ensure the quality of digital reform. It is necessary to systematically promote and comprehensively integrate the integration of application development and reform breakthroughs, improve the integration of the province, cities, and counties, inter-departmental coordination, and the linkage operation mechanism of governments, banks, enterprises, and the society, realize efficient sharing of data, services, governance, and other resources, and maximize the advantages of digital reform.

The meeting was held in the form of a video conference, and each city and county (city, district) set up branch venues. The heads of relevant departments directly under the provincial government participated the meeting at the main venue.