TOP 10 CHINESE ATHLETES OF 2022

Zhang Weili， a mixed martial artist， was selected as one of the top 10 Chinese athletes for 2022 by Xinhua News Agency， the country’s national news agency.

Zhang， China’s first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship （UFC） world champion， reclaimed her UFC strawweight crown at the age of 32 in November last year， defeating two-time title holder Carla Esparza from the U.S.

She began training as a mixed martial arts （MMA） fighter in 2013. In 2019， she became China’s first UFC world champion when she won the strawweight belt. In 2022， she also won Women’s MMA Fighter of the Year 2022 titles from several international sports media.

Other athletes who made it onto the list include Winter Olympic gold medalists—freestyle skier Gu Ailing， speed skater Gao Tingyu and snowboarder Su Yiming.

China Culture Daily December 26， 2022

Twenty animated features including Ne Zha， White Snake， and White Cat Legend Season 1， have recently been announced as winners of the Fourth National Animation Award， a prize sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to honor excellence in the field of Chinese animation.

Last year’s award winners showcase a spectacular assortment of content from across the thematic spectrum. Fantastic elements drawn from Chinese mythology coexist with realistic portrayals of historical themes， such as the founding of the Communist Party of China.

A prevailing trend in the industry is the fusion of ancient traditions and folklore with modern cultural values and technological innovations. Take Ne Zha as an example， the film adopts the mythical narrative of the titular teenage warrior deity’s personal growth， yet replaces the story’s original moral， which preaches complete obedience and submission to parents， with the modern virtues of self-determination and free will.

With a continuous exploration of creative ways to blend modernity with tradition， the industry is on its way to formulating its own vocabulary for animated storytelling.

Lifeweek December 26， 2022

The virtue of frugality has made a major comeback among China’s young consumers. According to data released by iiMedia Research， 72.49 percent of Chinese millennials prefer to save rather than splurge.

Compared to their cautious parents， whose sparing use of money is rooted in memories of lean years before the economy took off， frugality among young Chinese is a matter of choice rather than necessity. This new form of frugality is not an utter denial of consumerism， but a form of smart spending aimed at achieving a balance between price， the degree of usefulness， and the quality of goods.

This new trend has driven the rapid growth of China’s secondhand economy， as young consumers shift their focus from chasing after novelties and fads to finding new ways to recycle old items. A report jointly released by Tsinghua University and business consulting and research firm Frost& Sullivan stated that the market value of secondhand items rose from 300 billion yuan （$47 billion） in 2015 to over 1 trillion yuan （$143.5 billion） in 2020， and is expected to hit 3 trillion yuan （$430.5 billion） in 2025.

Despite the shared goal of saving money， frugal living is not a uniform lifestyle but an umbrella term for diverse modes of low-cost living. Youngsters living in campers， white-collar workers skateboarding to work， and freelancers relocating from megacities to small rural towns all come together to form the expanding tribe of young frugal consumers.

The fleeting adrenaline rush that often accompanies a shopping experience holds less attraction for today’s young Chinese. What truly captures their attention is the sense of self-efficacy and fulfillment that comes with strategic spending and saving.

Rednet.cn December 23， 2022

Blood banks across China are battling critical supply shortages， with Type A and Type O blood stocks running especially low. Seasonal shortages have always been part of the natural ebb and flow of blood supplies， but as the current low season has met a surge of COVID-19 cases， a national blood crisis has ensued.

Doubts remain over potential health risks associated with blood donation. Those infected with COVID-19 are unsure about whether their health conditions meet eligibility requirements， while the lucky few who have not yet contracted the virus worry that a blood draw may lead to weakened immunity and increased vulnerability to infection.

Numerous studies have shown that blood donation bears no direct relation to immunity. Therefore， the most urgent task at hand is to raise public awareness of this repeatedly stated truth and erase the broadly shared fears surrounding giving blood at this time.

Altering the donation process is another way to encourage more people to donate and lessen their risk of catching COVID-19 while doing so. Possible measures include allowing for online registration and consultation， offering staggered appointments and making changes to facilities to reduce contact between donors and staff.

Online celebrity Li Ziqi （real name Li Jiajia） and Hangzhou Weinian Brand Management Co. Ltd.， a multichannel network， reached a settlement under the mediation of the Mianyang Intermediate People’s Court in Sichuan Province， according to an announcement issued by Hangzhou Weinian on December 27， 2022.

In October 2021， Li filed a lawsuit against Hangzhou Weinian， also her partner firm which owned her image， as well as the company’s legal representative Liu Tongming. Details of the matter were not released to the public.

Li is famous for creating online videos that display China’s agricultural life， including traditional foods and handicrafts. Her YouTube channel currently has some 17 million subscribers， even though she stopped posting content in mid-July 2021. Li is expected to return with new content and maintain her relationship with Weinian， according to a report by media outlet China Entrepreneur.

“China will follow through on the common understandings reached between the Chinese and U.S. presidents， strive to recalibrate the China-U.S. relationship， and bring it back on the right course.”

Wang Yi， Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister， in a speech at the Symposium on the International Situation and China’s Foreign Relations in 2022 on December 25， 2022

“I urge all countries to stand with our efforts to ensure the world is equipped and ready to take on the health challenges to come.”

António Guterres， UN Secretary General， in his message for the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness observed on December 27， 2022

“The RCEP has become a launching pad for us to increase product output and quality， as well as the quantity and the value of exports.”

Dinh Gia Nghia， Deputy General Director of Dong Giao Foodstuff Export Joint Stock Company in Viet Nam， in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency

“Adopting artificial intelligence at scale and embedding it deeper in all aspects of business is no longer a choice but a necessity and opportunity facing every industry， organization and leader.”

Sanjeev Vohra， global lead for applied intelligence at Dublin-based consultancy Accenture， in a recent interview with China Daily