News

Promoting China-Myanmar Partnership

August 19， Beijing： Chinese President Xi Jinping （right） meets with Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang， Aung San Suu Kyi paid an official visit to China from August 17 to 21. During her five-day visit， Aung San Suu Kyi met with Chinese leaders and they exchanged views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest. China believes this visit will increase the strategic communication and practical cooperation between China and Myanmar as well as friendly relations among their peoples.

Aung San Suu Kyi is the first Myanmar leader to visit China since the Southeast Asian nation’s new government was formed in late March. She visited China in June 2015 as chair of the National League for Democracy.

Ambitious Mars Mission

August 23： An image of China’s planned Mars probe is released by the lunar probe and space project center of Chinese State Administration of Science， Technology and Industry for National Defense. Recently， China released images of a Mars probe and rover that the country plans to send to the “Red Planet” within five years.

The country plans to send a spacecraft to orbit Mars， make a landing， and deploy a rover in July or August 2020. And the 2020 mission will be launched on a Long March-5 carrier rocket from the Wenchang space launch center in Hainan Province. The spacecraft will carry 13 payloads including a remote sensing camera and ground penetrating radar that can be used to study the soil， environment and atmosphere of Mars， as well as the planet’s physical features， distribution of water and ice， and its interior.

Double Seventh Festival

August 9， Taiyuan City， Shanxi Province： A Han-Dynasty-style group wedding is held for 22 couples. The Double Seventh Festival， on the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar， fell on August 9 this year. The festival originated from a romantic legend of a fairy weaver and cow herder， a myth that dates back at least 2，600 years. In 2006， the festival was inscribed on the first list of national intangible cultural heritage by China’s State Council.

According to traditional customs， girls offer sewing kits as well as fruit and flowers to the Altair and Vega stars， known as Cow Herding Star and Weaving Maid Star， respectively， in China. They hope to be blessed with intelligence and skill in needlework as well as marital happiness. Today， with the trend of returning to tradition， the festival is celebrated across China and is especially popular with young people， as it is known as Chinese Valentine’s Day.

World’s Longest Glass Bridge

August 20， Zhangjiajie， Hunan Province： A glass bridge over the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon begins trial operation， enabling brave tourists to enjoy the breathtaking views of the deep canyon. The glassbottomed skywalk， the world’s longest and highest all-glass suspension bridge， spans 430 meters， measures just six meters wide， and hangs 300 meters above the canyon.

A maximum of 8，000 visitors are allowed to cross the skywalk each day， and reservations must be made a day in advance. The bridge has undergone a series of checks to assure the public of its safety. It’s now open for walks across and by June 2017 visitors will also be able to hang from the overpass on three massive swings， or if they’re really brave， bungee jump off the side.