Editor's Note:

July 1, 2025, marks the 104th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Looking back on more than a century of striving, it is under the Party's strong leadership that the Chinese people have continuously turned the "impossible" into the "possible." The historic transformation of the Chinese nation - from standing up, to growing prosperous and becoming strong - has been fundamentally driven by the leadership of the CPC.

The book series of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China contains multiple important speeches on upholding and strengthening the Party's leadership. In the article "Maximize the Institutional Strength of CPC Leadership" included in Volume III of the book series, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, emphasized that governing a large country with more than 1.3 billion people, the Party must improve its leadership systems and mechanisms, give full play to the great strength of leadership by the Party, and shoulder the major responsibilities of carrying out our great struggle, developing our great project, advancing our great cause, and realizing our great dream. Only in this way can we ensure national reunification, uniform laws and policies and consistent market management, achieve economic development, clean political administration, cultural prosperity, social justice and healthy ecosystems, and smoothly advance the causes of Chinese socialism in the new era.

In Volume IV, Xi further stressed in the article titled "Speech at the Ceremony Marking the Centenary of the Communist Party of China" that the leadership of the Party is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and constitutes the greatest strength of this system. It is the foundation and lifeblood of the Party and the country, and the crux upon which the interests and wellbeing of all Chinese people depend.

Looking ahead, only by upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership can we fully build a great modern socialist country in all respects as scheduled and achieve the grand goal of national rejuvenation.

In the seventh installment of the special series "Decoding the Book of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China," the Global Times, along with People's Daily Overseas Edition, focuses on the theme: "Upholding CPC's overall leadership is China's greatest political advantage." We continue to invite Chinese and foreign scholars, translators of Xi's works, practitioners with firsthand experience, and international readers to explore the CPC's institutional strengths and real-world results in theoretical innovation, political development, organizational structure and its people-centered approach - and to collectively answer the question of our times: "Why is the CPC successful?"

In the seventh article of the "Readers' Reflections" column, Global Times (GT) reporters Ma Jingjing and Qi Xijia talked to Jack Perry Junior (Perry), chairman of the 48 Group Club to listen to his family's story of connections with the CPC in the span over 70 years. For over 70 years, three generations of the Perry family have been engaged in in-depth interactions with China and the CPC, and witnessed the miracle of China's development.
My grandfather (Jack Perry Senior)'s first interaction with the Communist Party of China (CPC) was a meeting with representatives of the then premier Zhou Enlai. They hoped that my grandfather would help reopen the China-British and China-Europe business and trade channels.

In July 1953, my grandfather led a group of industrial and business leaders on a groundbreaking journey to China. They received a warm welcome in Beijing, where they inked a trade agreement worth 30 million pounds ($40.37 million) with the Chinese government, which was the first trade deal between a Western business community and the People's Republic of China. The visit defies the blockade imposed by the West on the newly founded People's Republic of China and is well known as the "Icebreaking Mission" between China and Britain. After that, my grandfather decided to focus his business on developing trade with China. He firmly believed that the new China led by the CPC would once again become a pillar of global trade.

The Perry family has close connections with China under the leadership of the CPC and witnessed those most profound reforms - from the initial development in the 1950s after the founding of the new China, to the rapid surge of economic growth in the 1980s and 1990s, and then to the economic takeoff in the 21st century.

In a congratulatory letter to an event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the "Icebreaking Mission" in China-UK trade in July 2023, President Xi Jinping pointed out that 70 years ago, British entrepreneurs represented by Jack Perry, keenly seeing the bright future of New China and the huge potential of China-UK cooperation, broke the ice of ideology with courage, and took the lead in opening up the channel of China-UK trade exchanges.

Over the past seven decades, generations of "icebreakers" have witnessed and actively participated in China's development and reform, and achieved their own development and growth through mutually beneficial cooperation, Xi said.

My father, Stephen Perry, met President Xi for three times. In 2018, President Xi presented the China Reform Friendship Medal to my father. Through long-term friendly exchanges with China, the Perry family has deeply felt the strategic foresight demonstrated by the CPC in exploring China's development path. We firmly believe that the wisdom of the CPC in governing the country will continue to inject strong momentum into China's stable development in the long run, create more opportunities for countries around the world, and contribute more Chinese solutions to achieving inclusive global development.

New China, led by the CPC, has always been moving forward. The CPC and the Chinese government not only focus on addressing pressing immediate issues in the short term but also possess far-sighted vision - they take a 30-year, 40-year, or even longer-term perspective and formulate long-term goals and development plans based on scientific analysis. This forward-looking thinking enables China to maintain its course across different historical stages.

Facts have proven that the CPC and the Chinese government have consistently kept their commitments, following through on their promises with unwavering resolve and exceptional execution. They have led the Chinese people to overcome myriad obstacles and achieve one magnificent goal after another. Such cohesion and execution capacity not only commands admiration but also demonstrates extraordinary strength, serving as a solid foundation for driving national development and progress.

For example, China is generally able to effectively meet its domestic demand in areas such as agriculture, commodities, and oil refining - a challenge that would be difficult for any other country. This primarily stems from the CPC's consistent focus on achieving a happy life for the people as its core objective and its unswerving commitment to improving people's livelihoods, and promoting social equity, and harmony. The CPC cares about the feelings and needs of rural residents, ensuring that everyone can achieve success through their own efforts. This people-centered development philosophy has fostered social stability and the people's well-being in China, providing a solid foundation for economic development.

President Xi has frequently talked about three key words: high-quality development, new quality productive forces, and high-level opening-up. These reflect China's forward-looking mindset and a development direction that China always maintains. Focusing on "AI+", a delegation of the 48 Group visited multiple Chinese provinces and cities, including Beijing and East China's Shandong Province recently, in a bid to explore cooperation opportunities in various sectors such as green economy, sci-tech innovations and financial services. The reason we came here is to seize on the development opportunities in China's high-tech field.

The CPC and the Chinese government have demonstrated remarkable strategic focus, which ensures the consistency of their policies. Unlike the frequent shifts in Western political leadership and the lack of policy continuity, China has, through a long-term and stable policy environment, created predictable development prospects for global investors. Such a stable environment allows foreign businesses to operate in China with confidence, engage in long-term strategic planning, and make investments.

Under the firm leadership of the CPC, China's high-level opening-up not only supports the vigorous growth of foreign enterprises in China but also showcases its remarkable inclusiveness. What impresses me is also China's opening-up stance. Take the various international exhibitions held in China as an example. Even if there are geopolitical differences between China and certain countries, the doors of the exhibitions are always open to all countries and companies, and no participant is rejected.

During a meeting with representatives of the international business community in Beijing in March 2025, President Xi noted the twin miracles of rapid economic growth and enduring social stability that China has created over the past seven decades since the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially over the past four decades of reform and opening up. President Xi attributed the miracles to the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China as well as the unity and hard work of the Chinese people, and also to the support and help from the international community, including the contribution of foreign businesses operating in China.

Countries around the world and global companies are eager to understand China and share China's market opportunities. In fact, my friends in the business field ask me all the time: "Jack, what are they doing in China?" I said you should get out there before you miss it, because they're doing a lot.

Now the biggest opportunity in the world is to invest in China. China has transformed from traditional manufacturing to advanced equipment manufacturing driven by advanced technology, with cutting-edge technologies such as AI having deeply integrated into this process, injecting strong momentum into the industrial upgrading. Chinese private enterprises are exploring new technologies, striving to improve their strength and technological levels, and continuously moving toward internationalization. They have made significant achievements in various areas, providing abundant cooperation opportunities in the high-tech sectors.

We want to work with countries, we want to work with companies, and we want to work with people. And that's what I've always seen with China, under the leadership of the CPC - being inclusive and being one of the leaders in innovation. For more than 70 years, we have always walked shoulder to shoulder with China under the leadership of the CPC. In the future, as the third generation of the Perry family, I will have the honor to continue this mission.

July 1 marks the 104th anniversary of the founding of the CPC. To the Chinese people and the CPC, I would like to say thank you! Thank you for trusting a family from London to be your closest overseas partner for over 70 years. It's my humblest and greatest honor that I get to continue this "icebreaking" spirit in the third generation. My grandfather is "lao Perry," my father is "xiao Perry," and I'm "xiaoxiao Perry." That is truly emotional and I will continue to work hard to keep this friendship going.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that China has consistently advocated for peace talks to solve the Ukraine crisis and welcomes the efforts of all parties to reach a comprehensive, lasting, and binding peace agreement.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Berlin.

Wang said China's position on the Ukraine crisis has been open and consistent, which includes to insist on peace talks, not to provide lethal weapons to the parties in the conflict, and to control the export of (civilian/military) dual-use items, including drones strictly.

China has not only fulfilled its international responsibilities, but also initiated the "Friends of Peace" group with Brazil and other Global South countries at the United Nations, mobilizing greater efforts for ceasefire and ending the conflict, Wang said, adding that China's objective and fair position has been widely recognized by the international community.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly indicated that there is no simple solution to complex problems, Wang noted, emphasizing that although there are still major differences in the positions of the parties concerned, it is better to talk than to fight.

The history of Europe over the past centuries has proved that no matter how complex and difficult the situation is, the door to peace and reconciliation should not be closed, Wang said.

China welcomes all parties to play a constructive role in promoting the conclusion of a comprehensive, lasting and binding peace agreement, building a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture, and achieving enduring peace and stability in Europe at an early date, Wang added.

China firmly opposes the irresponsible remarks made by certain individuals in the Philippine military, which are completely groundless and deliberately smear China, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said on Thursday in response to claims by spokesperson of Philippine Navy, Rear Admiral Trinidad that China may be related to a series of recent maritime drug cases in the country.

China has the strongest determination, the most relentless policy and one of the best records in the world. China has scheduled the largest number of substances and has the strictest drug control in the world, the spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson said law enforcement agencies from China and the Philippines have maintained close cooperation in combating drug-related crimes and other transnational offenses. A delegation from the Philippine Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission recently visited China and reached important consensus with Chinese law enforcement authorities on further strengthening cooperation in tackling transnational crimes.

The spokesperson was also asked to comment on the remarks by Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro that no country in ASEAN is subjected to the same amount of intense activities on all fronts by China, but the Philippines, and a deficit of trust is the biggest obstacle to resolving disputes or initiating diplomatic dialogue with China. 

Driven by self-interest, some in the Philippine military willingly serve as pawns in the US "Indo-Pacific strategy," repeatedly manipulating maritime issues and continuously provoking and escalating tensions. Such words and actions not only fail to help resolve the issues but instead become the root cause of the mistrust and a major obstacle to finding solutions, the spokesperson added.

"We urge certain individuals within the Philippine military to stop maliciously slandering and attacking China, heed the will of the people, engage in serious self-reflection, and return as soon as possible to the right path of resolving disputes through dialogue and consultation," the spokesperson said.

An Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770BC-256BC) bronze artifact exhibited at the Luoyang Museum in Central China's Henan Province has sparked online fascination after netizens humorously noted its striking resemblance to the trendy Chinese toy Labubu.

One netizen recently posted about "encountering a Labubu from the Eastern Zhou period at the Luoyang Museum" on China's lifestyle-oriented platform Xiaohongshu, or RedNote. The photographed artifact features a round face and a pair of elongated ears, with proportions notably similar to Labubu's distinctive head-to-body ratio, the People's Daily reported.

The post ignited lively discussions, with commenters calling it the "ultimate limited-edition piece" and marveling that "our ancestors' aesthetics were way ahead of their time." Others joked" Once you accept this analogy, there's no going back."

According to the report, archaeological records identify this artifact as a bronze "danglu", a horse forehead ornament, dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476 BC), unearthed from Luoyang's Runyang Square over two millennia ago.

A staff member from the museum said that this bronze horse ornament, part of the collection of the Luoyang Institute of Archaeology, has gained attention due to its resemblance to the Labubu toy and is currently on display in the second-floor exhibition hall of the museum, according to the report.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong arrived in Beijing on Sunday, CGTN reported. Wong is scheduled to make an official visit to China from June 22 to 25, a Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson announced on Friday.

The visit is also Wong's first visit to a non-ASEAN country since he assumed office in May, a move that fully underscores Singapore's profound emphasis on China and the stability of its policy toward China, Chen Hong, director of the Asia Pacific Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The Singaporean Prime Minister's Office said on Sunday that Wong's trip to China will see both sides commemorate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations. It will also allow both countries to reaffirm their commitment to strengthening ties and is "an opportunity for leaders to exchange views on bilateral issues as well as regional and global developments."

Apart from propelling the continued advancement of bilateral ties, Wong will also travel to Tianjin during his visit to attend the Summer Davos meeting, the Straits Times reported on Sunday. Experts said the visit carries broader implications, noting that it is conducive to catalyzing development between China and ASEAN nations while upholding multilateralism and free trade on a global scale.

Underscoring Singapore's priority on China

When asked about his expectations for this visit in an earlier media interview with CCTV, Wong said "I made it a point to visit China almost every year since entering politics, because it is useful to visit regularly, to interact, exchange notes with my counterparts, and to get a sense of how China is moving and transforming," according to the Office.

When asked about the key priorities guiding his agenda, Wong stated that among his priorities is to establish closer ties with Chinese leaders. 

Beyond that, Wong said he will discuss new possibilities for cooperation, including areas like low carbon development, green energy, the digital economy and biomedical sciences, according to the interview.

"With the close partnership we have, I am optimistic that the future of our cooperation is bright, and there are many more things we can do together," Wong said in the interview.

Singapore serves as China's most important economic and trade partner within ASEAN, while China is one of Singapore's largest trading partners, so the two sides are likely to engage in discussions on strengthening economic and trade cooperation and sustaining the stability of industrial chains, which represents a pivotal domain in China-Singaporean ties, Chen said.

As a fintech hub in the Asia-Pacific, Singapore's experience in financial regulation offers valuable references for China, Chen noted. Bilateral exchanges could deepen significantly in areas such as digital payments and the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) for the Chinese yuan.

Regional security and peace, including issues like the South China Sea and the stability of regional order, will also be on the agenda, Chen said.

Wong chose China as the destination of his first trip to a non-ASEAN country after he took office in May, which speaks volumes about the high importance he attaches to developing China-Singapore relations, Guo said.

This visit sends a signal of strategic stability for sustaining the policy of friendship toward China, while also underscoring Singapore's profound emphasis on China-Singaporean relations, the expert said.

In the face of global economic uncertainties and geopolitical tensions, the bilateral ties themselves need further deepening and solidification to inject confidence into bilateral stability and development, Chen said.

The visit represents a reaffirmation of the China-Singaporean cooperation framework, which is conducive to promoting cooperation consensus, he noted.

Promoting regional development and multilateralism

Apart from advancing bilateral ties, expert noted that Wong's visit will facilitate exchanges and cooperation between China and ASEAN, advancing the development of free trade and multilateralism.

During the interview, Wong noted that he would also discuss the wider regional and global developments that the two nations are confronting during this challenging period and to see how Singapore and China can continue working together to strengthen multilateralism and the rules-based global order.

As a pivotal member of ASEAN, Singapore's suggestions carry positive implications for promoting China-ASEAN cooperation, exerting a far-reaching impact on the further advancement of relations and thereby catalyzing regional development, Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Given that Singapore has long advocated for free trade and opposed taking sides, and against the backdrop of rampant unilateralism inflicting significant shocks on Southeast Asian nations, Gu noted that Wong is expected to highlight the promotion of multilateralism during this visit. 

Wong will also travel to Tianjin to attend an event commonly known as Summer Davos, the Straits Times reported on Sunday. He will take part in a dialogue with World Economic Forum (WEF) president Borge Brende, according to the report.

Wong said that his message in Tianjin will be the importance of upholding a rules-based multilateral order, because without rules, without longstanding norms of cooperation, countries everywhere will be worse off.

Chen said Wong's attendance aligns with the imperative with which China and Singapore seek to enhance their voice in the global economic governance architecture, adding that his presence is conducive to contributing new perspectives for regional economic recovery and propelling the digital transformation of Asia-Pacific free trade.

Additionally, according to the expert, it sends a positive signal for multilateral cooperation in the global economy, playing a proactive role in enabling China and Singapore to assume leadership in regional and international affairs and facilitate regional economic recovery.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Beijing on Monday.

Wang stated that the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, yet certain major powers are abandoning their international responsibilities and prioritizing their own interests above the common interests of the international community. As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major global powers, China and the UK should fulfill their international obligations, demonstrate a sense of responsibility, and contribute to global peace and development.

Wang noted that China values the UK's stated intention to pursue a consistent, enduring, and mutually respectful policy toward China. He expressed China's willingness to work with the UK to implement the important consensus reached by the two countries' leaders, enhance exchanges across various fields, deepen mutual understanding, and promote the sound and stable development of bilateral relations.

Blair stated that the world today faces numerous challenges that require greater coordination and joint responses. He emphasized that isolating China is doomed to fail, and the world should seek to better understand China. Blair also noted the importance of UK-China relations and called for strengthened dialogue and exchanges at all levels of government and across various sectors of society, along with expanded mutually beneficial cooperation to ensure the continued improvement of bilateral ties.

Regarding the Israel-Iran conflict, Wang stressed that disputes between nations should be resolved peacefully through dialogue and consultation. He said Israel's preemptive strike on Iran under the pretext of "potential future threats," and the US military planes bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards have sent the wrong message to the world by favoring the use of force over negotiation. Such behavior sets a dangerous precedent with serious consequences. 

Wang noted that while peace requires strength for protection, strength alone does not guarantee true peace. All parties involved in the conflict should take steps to de-escalate tensions, return to the path of political dialogue and negotiation, and work to restore peace and stability in the Middle East.

Blair said the UK pays high attention to Israel-Iran conflict and urges a return to negotiations through dialogue and diplomatic efforts to restore peace, security, and stability in the region as soon as possible.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and other issues.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 jolted Drake Passage at 1309 GMT on Friday, the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 10.0 km, was initially determined to be at 57.34 degrees south latitude and 67.57 degrees west longitude.

China welcomes and supports Pakistan and India in properly handling their differences through dialogue, achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire and seek fundamental solutions, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Tuesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when holding talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Mohammad Ishaq Dar, saying that this is in line with the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides, conducive to regional peace and stability, and also the common expectation of the international community.

China and Pakistan have maintained close strategic communication on consolidating traditional friendship, strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly addressing challenges, which reflects the high level of bilateral relations, Wang said.

He added that as ironclad friends, China will, as always, firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, in resolutely combating terrorism, and in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs. Wang also emphasized China's commitment to continuously deepening the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with Pakistan.

He called on both sides to join hands to create an upgraded version of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and promote cooperation on industry, agriculture, energy and minerals, human resources development, counter-terrorism and security.

Dar said Pakistan cherishes the brotherly friendship with China, firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and supports China in safeguarding its national interests and dignity.

He added that Pakistan admires China's new development achievements, especially in innovation and sci-tech progress, looks forward to strengthening all-round cooperation with China, and hopes to continue to receive strong support from China in overcoming current difficulties and promoting national development, security and stability.

Pakistan will do its best to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan, he said.

Dar briefed on the latest situation following the ceasefire understanding between Pakistan and India, as well as Pakistan's considerations. He thanked China for upholding justice and making unremitting efforts and significant contributions to the ceasefire and promoting peace, noting that Pakistan will resolutely safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is willing to maintain dialogue with India and ease the situation.

The two sides also exchanged views on strengthening regional cooperation and deepening coordination in multilateral mechanisms.

During holidays, some Chinese people who work in big cities and return to their hometowns in small counties have found that short video platforms, such as Douyin or Kuaishou, begin to feed content into their algorithms that bring both familiar and the unfamiliar feelings.

The unfamiliarity comes from the fact that they had never encountered these content creators while living in big cities, while the familiarity lies in the use of local dialects to introduce traditional foods and specialties from their hometown counties.

Across China's vast county-level regions, a trend led by "local influencers" is quietly taking shape.

Rooted deeply in local culture, these influencers leverage their profound understanding of regional traditions and products to boost the county economy through short videos and livestreaming on social media platforms.

Unlike their urban counterparts, often seemingly glamorous, county influencers speak in local dialects, creating content against backdrops featuring simple county streets, farmland, or rural courtyards. They showcase local specialties such as cured meats, sweet potato noodles, and farm-fresh eggs, unexpectedly attracting large followings and generating commercial returns.

The 2025 No.1 Central Document, China's annual rural policy blueprint, emphasized efforts to strengthen county-level industries that enrich the lives of local residents by developing rural specialty industries and expanding income channels for farmers. It also proposed to "promote high-quality development of rural e-commerce," providing policy support for county influencers to promote local agricultural products through livestreaming and short video marketing.

By creating authentic and relatable content, these county influencers are boosting the sales of agricultural products, stimulating catering consumption, and tourism. Such efforts have become one of the engines driving rural revitalization.

Authenticity is the true secret

As the rising sun bathes the streets of Juye county in East China's Shandong Province, the aroma of breakfast drifts from roadside stalls, blending with vendors' calls in the local dialect.

Wang Miwen sets up his smartphone. Flashing a broad smile at the camera, he shouts in a thick Juye accent; "A sip of Juye's pot soup warms both the heart and the stomach!" The camera pans to a steaming pot of soup with mutton offal bubbling in a rich milky broth, promising a wave of warmth and remarkable flavor to viewers.

Soon, the video garners thousands of likes on Douyin, with the comment section flooded by local users: "Send me the address, I want to try it!" "I go to this place often too!"

Wang, a "local influencer" from Juye county in Heze city, has connected the taste buds and hometown sentiments of Juye's 900,000 residents with short videos, amassing 66,000 followers on Douyin.

From roadside roast chicken stalls to peony flower exhibitions, from freshly harvested sweet potatoes to newly opened restaurants in the county center, Wang's videos capture not just the daily lives of neighbors but also the new development of the county economy.

In 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic led to the temporary closing of Wang's stir-fried chicken restaurant business. Out of boredom, he posted a video of steaming stir-fried chicken from his restaurant on Douyin, accompanied by a caption in his hometown dialect. To his surprise, the video went viral and drew a wave of local customers.

"I realized this was pretty fun as I kept filming," Wang recalled.

He began filming videos for his friends' restaurants, initially in exchange for simple tokens like a meal or a pack of cigarettes. Gradually, more small businesses in Juye sought him out to promote their new shops or specialty dishes.

"The county is small, and there are few ways to promote businesses," Wang said. "With physical stores struggling these days, helping them with publicity is a good thing."

One of Wang's most memorable experiences was helping an elderly woman promote her "invincible grilled chicken necks" in 2021. Her daughter, who was working away from home, asked a friend to approach Wang: "Miwen, could you make a video for my mom?"

Wang agreed without hesitation, capturing the elderly woman's skilled hands grilling chicken necks, her cheerful chatter, and the story of her "secret family recipe." After the video was posted, long lines formed at her stall the very next day, and business became so brisk that the woman could barely keep up.

Today, when Wang walks down the street, people often call out, "Brother Miwen!" Fans recognize him, chat about the restaurants featured in his videos, and laugh as they say, "I tried the place you recommended!"

"Authenticity is my key element," he said. "No matter how good a video looks, if the food is bad or the environment poor, it'll only backfire when customers visit."

Unintentionally, Wang has also become a "tutor." Many stay-at-home mothers and young people in the county seek him out to learn video editing and filming, hoping to follow in his footsteps.

"I didn't have any connections and just figured things out on my own," Wang said. "But if anyone wants to learn, I'll teach them." He hopes more people will tell Juye's stories through short videos, spreading the county's vibrant local life even further.

Chasing youthful dreams in ancient town

With the rise of local influencers in county regions, their value has been recognized by government departments.

In Lufeng county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, Yanzi, a 24-year-old woman who calls herself a "post-millennial tea farmer girl," has attached appealing labels on social media. Though young, she owns a 2,000-hectare ancient Pu'er tea tree garden farm in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, leisurely brewing tea and painting in an ancient town, leading an enviable "retirement-like life," and having found the life direction that her heart has always yearned for.

However, behind the screen, she is striving hard for her dreams, and her story is far more wonderful than what is shown in the videos.
At the beginning of 2024, during a trip, Yanzi accidentally came across the Heijing Ancient Town in Lufeng county. This town, known as a "living fossil of Ming and Qing dynasty architecture" and one of the four major ancient towns in Yunnan, boasts a quaint beauty that even many people in Yunnan are unaware of. The antique buildings and the serene and distant scenery instantly captured her heart.

While most of her peers chose to return to the county seat in pursuit of a stable and comfortable life, Yanzi made a bold decision. In April 2024, she resolutely brought the tea from her home and traveled hundreds of kilometers to Heijing Ancient Town to start her entrepreneurial journey.

In this unfamiliar town, she is both the owner of a Pu'er tea shop and an online "tour guide" through the ancient town.

Every day, she busily juggles tasks, from shooting videos, editing materials, and live-streaming, to taking netizens on tours of the ancient town.

To make her live-streams and commentaries more profound, during her leisure time, Yanzi is always immersed in studying the history and culture of the ancient town. She often reads relevant books, delves into unique local cultures such as ancient local music, strolls through the streets and alleys of the town, and explores unknown corners.

She also frequently chats with the local senior citizens, listens to the cultural stories passed down from generation to generation, and tries hard to dig out unique perspectives, all just to bring something different and wonderful to netizens compared to other bloggers.

Yanzi has also faced some skepticism and concern from her relatives and friends. They doubt whether a lesser-known small town can offer her the broader sales channels and opportunities needed to achieve her dreams, especially in the current situation in which there is intense competition for attracting attention through cultural tourism.

However, Yanzi remains optimistic, believing in the town's potential. She has observed the local government's enthusiasm in promoting cultural tourism through live streaming on the Internet. With this momentum, she is confident that the town will attract greater attention in the future, and she sees more opportunities for growth in this small town than in the already saturated tourist hotspots.

Yanzi's efforts have not been in vain. Amid the rise of county celebrities and the tourism industry, she soon caught the attention of the local cultural and tourism department.

The department encouraged her to continue doing a good job in live-streaming and provided promotion support for her high-quality videos, hoping to quickly enhance the popularity of Heijing Ancient Town through this novel approach. They also look forward to exploring more cooperation spaces and methods with her.

Nowadays, Yanzi's small tea shop has become a unique fixture in the ancient town. It is like a warm rest stop, providing a place for tired tourists to take a break. It is also like a miniature Pu'er tea museum, with the fragrance of tea filling the air, attracting people to stop and stay, and feel that rare tranquility.

Here, Yanzi is not only a disseminator of Pu'er tea culture but also a narrator of the history of Heijing Ancient Town. In her own way, she makes more people understand the charm of this ancient town and chases her own youthful dreams.

Small towns, huge power

In China, county-level economies have demonstrated robust strength, along with rapid economic growth, steadily rising income levels, and increasingly improved infrastructure in third- and fourth-tier cities and counties.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, popular beverage brands such as Heytea, Starbucks, and M Stand, which traditionally expanded mainly in first- and second-tier cities, have been making quiet inroads into third- and fourth-tier cities and counties in recent years. Beyond coffee and bubble tea shops, counties are seeing an increasingly diverse array of brands in sectors such as catering, apparel, and hotels.

As of the end of 2022, China's urban population exceeded 920 million, with nearly 30 percent living across more than 1,800 counties and county-level cities nationwide. In other words, China's county-level consumer market now covers around 250 million people.

The strength of county economies continues to grow, with an increasing number of counties surpassing a GDP of 100 billion yuan ($13.8 billion). In 2024, the number of such "100-billion-yuan counties" reached 62 nationwide, an increase of 3 percent compared with the previous year, according to a report by China Newsweek, quoting CCID Consulting.
These counties contributed a total GDP of 10.5 trillion yuan ($1.45 trillion) in 2024, accounting for 7.8 percent of the national GDP while occupying only 1.3 percent of China's land area. Notably, more than 70 percent of these counties (45 in total) recorded a nominal growth rate exceeding the national average in the same period, according to the CCID statistics.

Industry experts believe that as the basic unit of China's national economy, county-level economies have been continuously expanding in recent years. The growing lineup of 100-billion-yuan counties has not only driven regional economic development, but also strengthened the role of the economy's "ballast" and "stabilizer."

For rural influencers like Wang and Yanzi, recording videos on a phone was once a simple gesture to share glimpses of their daily lives, yet unknowingly, they have become a vital force in the rising tide of rural revitalization.

China's Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship separated from the space station combination at 4 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, and the astronauts aboard -- Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze -- started to return to Earth, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The spaceship is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Wednesday.

The CMSA said that prior to the separation, the Shenzhou-19 crew, with the assistance of the ground staff, completed various tasks such as setting the status of the space station combination, processing and transmitting the experimental data, and transferring remaining supplies. The Shenzhou-19 crew also carried out handover work and exchanged in-orbit work experience with the Shenzhou-20 crew.

The return of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship, originally scheduled for Tuesday, had been postponed due to unfavorable windy weather at the Dongfeng landing site, according to the CMSA.

The agency added that the meteorological conditions at the Dongfeng landing site meet the mission requirements at present, and all preparations have been made to welcome the crew's return.

China launched the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship on April 24, sending three astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie to the space station for another six-month mission.