Editor's Note:

China's widely watched annual "two sessions" kicked off on Monday this year. The "two sessions" refers to the annual sessions of National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which are known as the country's top legislature and national political advisory body respectively.

The two sessions is a grand occasion that gathers ideas and wisdom of people of all walks of life across the country. It is an important opportunity for the world to better understand China's whole-process people's democracy, in which the people engage in democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight according to the law. Such democracy is not only shown in the votes taking place at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, but also embodied in a motion submitted by a NPC deputy coming from a remote area, or a consultative meeting held among some residents living in a city suburb. It can be felt in many details of Chinese people's daily life.

During this year's two sessions, the Global Times is launching a series of stories to illustrate the whole-process people's democracy from some of such details. The second story is about the birth of a well researched, high-demand NPC motion, which shows that China's NPC deputies exercise the right to respond to the real voices of the people and demonstrate the process and values of people's democracy.

As the high-speed train zoomed from Beidaihe in North China's Hebei Province to Beijing on Sunday, Li Dandan, residents' committee director of Dongjing Road Community in Beidaihe district of Qinhuangdao, was carefully reviewing the motions she was going to put forward at this year's two sessions.

She knew that she carried the hopes of the elderly residents in her community, the valuable input from nursing home staff, and the aspirations of other community workers like her across the nation.

As the train raced toward the capital, with a solid and practical motion, Li, a deputy to the NPC from Qinhuangdao, is determined to make a difference for those people she represents.

A motion of actual demand

"Work hard and present confidently when you get to Beijing!" On March 1, 86-year-old Sun Xiujuan, a resident of Li's precinct, shared her genuine concern for Li in a warm and casual manner at her home.

Watching the news about the upcoming NPC, Sun knew that Li, who she treats as a granddaughter, was about to set off on a new journey.

During their conversation, Li updated Sun on various community matters: "The elderly canteen was closed for the Spring Festival holidays, but will reopen soon. I have made sure that the menu plan will be shared in our WeChat group before reopening."

"On March 5 we will be hosting a free clinic event in our community offering services like massages, blood pressure checks for the elderly. If you're interested, just sign up through the 'Fuka (Card of good fortune in English) applet' on WeChat, our community workers will take you there," Li explained earnestly.

With a large number of elderly residents in the Dongjing Road community, where 36 percent of them are over the age of 60, Li has always prioritized providing services for them in her community work.

In 2023, Li was elected as a deputy to the 14th NPC. Throughout the year, she visited households, engaged in discussions, and had heart-to-heart talks with elderly residents to enhance community elderly care services.

This year, Li decided to bring two motions to Beijing, one of which is about the optimization of the construction of smart elderly care application platform. "The progress of the era and our country demands a shift toward intelligent elderly care services," Li told the Global Times.

According to the seventh national census released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China in May 2021, in 2020, the population aged 60 or above in China reached 260 million, accounting for 18.7 percent of the total population, of which 190 million were aged 65 or above, accounting for 13.5 percent of the total population.

In 2021, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the National Health Commission jointly released a statement, which required that by 2025, the scientific and technological support capacity of the smart elderly care industry will be significantly enhanced, highlighted the importance of narrowing the "digital divide" for the elderly and improving their overall well-being through technological advancements.

In Beidaihe district, Li has been involved in the pilot work of smart elderly care applications, introducing innovative services through the "Beidaihe Fuka Smart Platform" mobile app. Serving over 40,000 people, the platform offers a wide range of intelligent services, making it easier for individuals to access essential services from the comfort of their homes.

Through these exploration, Li learned the importance and the prospect of using smart technology to analyze and monitor the body index of the elderly in real-time, providing more effective and precise home services, especially for those living alone.

"As an NPC deputy, based on the fruitful practice of our district, Hebei Province, and even the whole country, I want to further enhance the grass-roots smart elderly care application platform, addressing challenges faced by the elderly and ensuring that the technology serves its intended purpose effectively,"Li said.

An idea based on practice

On the eve of the two sessions, Li is still busy in her visits with community residents and representatives from elderly health institutions.

This is not just a last-minute effort for her.

"I hope to gain inspiration from the latest interactions and see how I can further enhance my motions," she expressed passionately.

For Li, being an NPC deputy is a continuous process of learning and growth. "Ideas don't just appear out of nowhere, they are shaped by what we observe, hear and contemplate in our daily work."

Reflecting on her journey, Li recalled that a year ago, she had never imagined that she would submit a motion on the development of a smart elderly care application platform.

A visit to a smart elderly care community in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province last year planted a seed in her heart. "The modern facilities and innovative elderly care services left a deep impression on me. Subsequently, I participated in a training course, where I gained more insights on the elderly care services, particularly in the realm of smart elderly care platform development."

Li observed that in recent years, elderly care services have expanded to residential areas across China. Initiatives such as community canteens, improved rehabilitation equipment leasing, elderly-friendly home renovations, and volunteer's help like home bathing assistance, health check-ups, have been introduced.

However, through her interactions and research, Li found that there are some problems with using smart technology to care for elderly people. For example, the number of the elderly who uses the platform is relatively small; there is a shortage in the financial support for the development and maintenance of the mobile apps; and there is a lack of instructions to the group from professional personnel.

"This year, with this motion, I aim to address the obstacles faced by the elderly in utilizing smart applications, enabling the true potential of technology to benefit them," Li emphasized.

At the end of last year, Li participated in the sessions of Hebei Provincial People's Congress, focusing on elderly care issues. She engaged in fruitful discussions with provincial NPC deputies on smart elderly care, consolidating their ideas into a comprehensive reference for her motion.

Before leaving for Beijing, Li also visited the local commercial elderly nursing institutions in Beidaihe again, in order to collect more information to perfect her motion.

During this visit, Li met Shang Wenbin, deputy director of the Yanshanhui Health Care Center of China Health And Elderly Care Group, and had extensive discussions with Shang on how to establish a smart elderly care platform so that companies can contribute more to the government's efforts in promoting inclusive elderly care service.

In an interview with the Global Times, Shang shared that through interactions with NPC deputies at various levels, he recognized the significance of the smart elderly care service industry as not just a reform initiative, but a vital livelihood project linked to local economic and social progress.

A fare forth of confidence

A pen and a notebook are always by Li's side in her car, serving as her faithful companions for her duties as an NPC deputy.

This notebook has traveled with Li to countless places over the past year, witnessing her diligent note-taking during visits to residents' homes and attendance at various training and sharing sessions.

What truly inspires Li are the stories shared by experienced NPC deputies.

"One of the deputies who has been re-elected for decades is my role model," Li shared with enthusiasm. "She started as a rural woman with little political knowledge, but her honest and practical motions that truly reflected the voice from grass-roots farmers have made a significant impact on national policies in agricultural field. I aspire to follow in her footsteps."

This year, during her time in Beijing for the two sessions, Li plans to seek advice from veteran deputies, present her ideas and carefully study their feedback.

Her dedication paid off when her motion on improving the lease contract of rehabilitation aids for the disabled was well received at the two sessions 2023, earning praise from the China's Ministry of Finance.

"After sharing the good news with a disabled elderly couple in our community, seeing their tears of joy was truly heartwarming," Li recounted.

"As an NPC deputy, I have come to realize the power of advocating for the voices and needs of our residents," she noted.

"For me, putting forward a high-quality motion is to reflect the most authentic voice and needs of our residents to the central government. When the motion receives feedback from the central government and is put into practice, I felt it is a 'two-way efforts' between the government and the people," Li said.

According to official data, during the two sessions in 2023, deputies performed their duties in accordance with the law and put forward 8,314 motions. These motions have been fully processed and replied by 204 agents as of December 2023. Among them, the deputies adhered to the practice of whole-process people's democracy, maintained close ties with the people, and put forward an increasing motions on the basis of research, inspections, discussions, and visits.

As Li bid farewell to Sun, she left with a promise: "I will work tirelessly in Beijing and return to share my accomplishments with you."

Now in Beijing, with unwavering determination in her heart, Li is eagerly anticipating another wave of positive feedback that will truly impact the lives of those she tirelessly represents.

Diarra Boubacar, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner from Mali, Africa, and the first foreign doctor in China to obtain a doctoral degree in TCM, had a curious experience on his first day of official practice.

When a patient opened the door of Boubacar's consultation room and saw his black face, the patient made a beeline for the receptionist to inquire why the hospital had a foreign TCM doctor.

For fear of losing this patient, Boubacar was prompted to leave his consultation room and mingle with the patients in the waiting area, reassuring them of his qualifications as a TCM doctor.

Ultimately, he won the patient over with his expertise. Since then, Boubacar has seen growing public praise as well as an increase in dedicated patients who come specially to see him.

Three decades on, Boubacar is now a renowned "lao zhong yi" (experienced TCM doctor in Chinese) living in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. He has also helped train more than 3,000 doctors in rural areas in southwestern China.

In the future, Boubacar wishes to help promote TCM to the wider world and let more people know about and experience the benefits of ancient Chinese wisdom along with the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Boubacar was quotes as saying by Sichuan news portal newssc.org.

Boubacar is not the only foreigner to fall in love with the ancient practice of Chinese medicine and spent decades learning and practicing it. Although the TCM itself has widespread acceptance in the international community, foreigners who are certified to practice both in China and abroad are few. Their shared wish is to lend a hand in overcoming language and cultural barriers and create smoother channels for TCM to go global.
Medicine knows no borders

Boubacar came to China in the 1980s. His hometown is located 30 kilometers south of Segou, the second-largest city in Mali. In 1984, Boubacar graduated from university with the highest grades in the province. He started to work as a general Western medicine practitioner in his father's hospital, thepaper.cn reported.

At that time, many medical students in Africa had the opportunity to continue their studies in the US, Western Europe, the Soviet Union, or China through aid programs. Boubacar's first opportunity was to study in the Soviet Union. However, a day before his departure, he decided to choose China instead.

Boubacar said he was impressed by how the Chinese medical team in Mali used acupuncture to treat children diagnosed with polio. He was amazed at the calm demeanor of the Chinese doctors as they skillfully and quickly inserted thin needles into patients' bodies.

After establishing diplomatic relations with Mali in 1960, China assisted in the construction of a series of factories in the textile, sugar, leather, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as hospitals in the country.

During his study in Beijing, Boubacar suffered from a severe cold due to a viral infection, and the doctor at the school hospital treated him with TCM. After having a taste of the charm of TCM, he decided to switch from Western medicine to TCM. "Since I am in China, I thought I should learn TCM," Boubacar said.

However, one of his best friends who accompanied him to Beijing tried to dissuade Boubacar. The friend lauded Western-style medicine and compared TCM to witchcraft. Boubacar ignored his words and went to Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong Province to study without hesitation.

In 1997, he received a doctoral degree from the Chengdu University of TCM, becoming the first foreign doctor to do so. That same year, he joined Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization, and started to offer free medical services to villagers in Southwest China's Yunnan Province. He has also voluntarily helped train more than 3,000 rural doctors in nearly three decades.

Medicine knows no borders, and TCM is a treasure from Chinese culture that needs to be known by people all over the world, Boubacar has always affirmed.

With the construction of the BRI, Boubacar feels that it is an opportunity to promote TCM internationally. He hopes that in the future he will unite people in Africa who have studied TCM and establish a comprehensive TCM diagnosis and treatment center that combines scientific research, teaching, and medical care, to train doctors in various parts of Africa.

"If we can accomplish this, it will not only be a business card for TCM but also a new business card for friendship between China and Africa," he said.

Conquer language, cultural barriers

TCM has been actively leading the development of international traditional medicine, integrating into the international medical system in recent years. The 72nd World Health Assembly approved the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), which, for the first time, included a chapter on traditional medicine originating from TCM. China has also promoted the establishment of the Committee of TCM Standardization Technology with the code of ISO/TC249, which has developed and issued about 90 international standards for TCM.

However, due to differences in language, culture, and other factors between China and other countries, barriers still exist in promoting TCM overseas.

Jia Yunfeng, an expert from the United Nations World Tourism Organization, pointed out at a forum in October 2023 that TCM is still difficult for many foreigners to understand.

Jia believed that the lack of talent in communication and a lack of understanding of the health needs of foreigners regarding TCM have become stumbling blocks for the internationalization of TCM.

Helping to move language and cultural barriers and allowing more foreigners to understand the use of TCM in their daily lives, this is where Tim Vukan, a German TCM practitioner who had studied TCM for about 20 years, believes his mission lies.

Unlike Boubacar who was born into a family of doctors, Vukan got interested in TCM while learning martial arts.

Vukan started learning Wing Chun in his hometown of Hamburg, Germany, when he was 18 years old. Wing Chun is a concept-based traditional Chinese Kung Fu style that requires practitioners to undergo intensive physical, mental, breathing, energy and force training in a relaxed manner. Grandmaster Ip Man is a representative for it.

During the learning process, the teacher not only taught Vukan Kung Fu, but also introduced him to many aspects of TCM, such as massage, meditation, and meridians, all of which are related to qi, or vital energy, which is considered to be an active principle present in any living thing that flows through their bodies.

At that time, Vukan did not know much about TCM, but he just knew that these exercises relieved his pains and made him feel comfortable after practicing Kung Fu.

In 2004, Vukan obtained a three-month tourist visa to travel and learn kung fu in China. He first went to Central China's Henan Province, the birthplace of martial arts, then went to Yangshuo county of Guilin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to learn Tai Chi, a centuries-old Chinese martial art.

He also visited Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang, Wuhan in Central China's Hubei, Nanjing and Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu, Kunming, Dali, and Xishuangbanna in Southwest China's Yunnan. At the end of his visa, Vukan returned to Germany, but he knew in his heart that he would definitely return to China. He was very curious about and longed for this land.

In August 2005, Vukan received an invitation from Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (ZCMU) to attend their short-term study program. The most difficult aspect for Vukan in learning TCM was the language. To overcome this difficulty, Vukan turned Chinese herbal medicine, prescriptions, and acupuncture points into songs and wrote them on cards.

He would bring a few cards along with him when taking the bus every day. He also participated in various training classes and found time to follow mentors and doctors in outpatient clinics, observing their patient consultations and copying their prescriptions.

So far, Vukan has been studying Chinese medicine for nearly 20 years. Chinese medicine is not only his hobby, but also his profession, and a life philosophy that has been deeply integrated into all aspects of his life.

Vukan and his family pay much attention to yang sheng - self-healthcare as he calls it. They have hot water in the morning, and consume various kinds of health-enhancing herbal teas according to the seasons and demand.

"Western medicine and Chinese medicine are both aimed at curing diseases, but TCM also emphasizes prevention of disease, so self-care is very important," Vukan told the Global Times. He noted that TCM is related to every aspect of people's lives and can help people live a better and healthier life.

Now Vukan teaches medical English in the ZCMU to help young Chinese students and TCM practitioners overcome the language barrier and better communicate with the world. He also created the Wushan TCM, a Chinese medical network, in 2008, to provide live and recorded courses to share professional, authentic and personal knowledge with foreigners.

He said that although he looks like a Westerner on the outside, he is Chinese on the inside. He considers it his mission to combine Eastern and Western medicine and popularize professional Chinese medicine knowledge to foreign people in simple and understandable language.

New card for friendship

With the growing influence of TCM worldwide, China is also actively expanding platforms for foreigners to learn and understand TCM, in the hope that more people, whether Chinese or foreigners, can become the envoys between TCM and the outside world and help promote the two sides' medical exchanges.

The TCM culture is an important part of traditional Chinese culture, said Peng Haiyan, an associate professor at the Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. For universities, "promoting traditional Chinese culture to the international TCM students can improve their sense of identity in relation to TCM, so that they become not only the beneficiaries of the TCM therapy, but also important [envoys] that spread Chinese culture," Peng noted.

Iranian Motahareh Asgari and her husband Meghdad Abdi are two such envoys.

In 2002, Asgari became the first English language-taught PhD graduate in Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SHUTCM). Now she serves as an assistant research fellow at a medicine research center at the university. She loves traditional Chinese culture, and actively participates in traditional medicine exchanges between China and Iran, the Global Times learned from Cheng Lin, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) branch of International Education College, SHUTCM.

Asgari's husband, Abdi, is also a big enthusiast of Chinese culture and has been practicing tai chi for years in his leisure time. He won a tai chi championship back in Iran, and got the first prize in men's Yang-style Tai Chi at a friendly competition among international university students in Shanghai, according to Cheng.

In total, there are more than 1,000 full-time international students from more than 60 countries, including pre-med students, undergraduates to masters, and doctoral candidates, studying TCM at the SHUTCM, Cheng told the Global Times.

With TCM's efficacy being recognized by more people out of China, in the coming years, TCM universities like SHUTCM will continue stabilizing and expanding the number of their international students.

The SHUTCM will also expend more efforts in promoting the setup of overseas cooperative education projects, and the construction of overseas Chinese medicine centers, according to Cheng.

One day in the 1950s, in the dimly lit hall of a museum in the US, young James Cahill saw the Zhi Garden Album for the first time.

The album from 17th-century China depicts a Chinese garden called Zhi with extraordinary realistic brushwork, which was uncommon in classical Chinese paintings. Almost every detail of the Zhi Garden was captured by the artist, revealing to Cahill an exquisite, yet unfamiliar Eastern-style beauty.

Cahill's eyes and heart were captured. This US student in Chinese art, who later became a famous art historian and one of the world's foremost scholars of Chinese painting, started his decades-long journey in search of the real Zhi Garden. For half a century, he visited China several times, and mentioned the Zhi Garden in his books and on many academic occasions, but never got concrete information about this mysterious garden.

Did this remote Chinese garden really exist, or was it just a Xanadu on paper? The question has long gnawed at Cahill's mind.

One summer day in 2010, on the other side of the globe, two Chinese students studying landscape architecture wrote an email to the then 84-year-old Cahill. This email, which shared the exciting news of the Zhi Garden's probable existence, was the very beginning of a beautiful story that saw Chinese and US scholars make joint efforts to discover and study the Zhi Garden, leading to their lasting friendship.

A dialogue across time and space

This 2010 email was sent by Liu Shanshan and Huang Xiao, who were then students of renowned Chinese professor of architecture Cao Xun.

In 2009, Cao came across the Zhi Garden Collection at the National Library of China, a book of poems and essays written by Wu Liang, a garden artist in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Through careful study, Cao became certain that Wu was the owner of the Zhi Garden, and the garden was most likely located in Wu's hometown in present-day Changzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province.

Under Cao's encouragement, Liu and Huang wrote an email to Cahill. They shared with Cahill that they might have found the owner and the possible location of the Zhi Garden, and asked him about the images of the Zhi Garden Album.

Cahill's fast response surprised Liu and Huang. "We emailed him at around 10 pm Beijing time, and the next morning we found that he had replied," recalled Liu, who is now an associate professor at the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture.

They soon felt Cahill's excitement about and his strong passion for the Zhi Garden. In the following days, they received a couple of Cahill's emails, which were "too many to reply to in time." Moreover, after learning that Liu and Huang were also interested in the Zhi Garden and were willing to engage in related studies on it, Cahill soon mailed them a big package from the US, which included a complete set of duplicates of the Zhi Garden Album, as well as some 400 pages of literature and two CDs containing images of paintings of gardens that Cahill had collected throughout the years.

What made Liu and Huang more surprising was that Cahill suggested writing a book with them, sharing insights from their studies on Chinese gardens including the Zhi Garden from the Eastern and Western perspectives, as well as art history and garden architecture.

This idea sounded like a Nobel Prize winner inviting university students to work together on a thesis. "We could hardly believe it," Liu told the Global Times. "Professor Cahill was a leading figure in the study of Chinese art, but we were just postgraduate students at that time. There was a big gap between us."

Cahill's trust and encouragement gave them courage. In the following year, the two sides exchanged more than 100 emails to discuss the book's contents and forms. In 2012, the Chinese edition of their book Garden Paintings in Old China was published, becoming an influential work among international scholars of Chinese art.

Cahill described the book as the result of "a dialogue across time and space." It was the fruit of a yearlong online collaboration between two generations of Chinese and US scholars specialized in different fields, echoed Liu.

In July 2013, Liu and Huang handed the book to Cahill in their first offline meeting at the latter's home in the US. At that time, Cahill was already suffering from cancer.

During their one-month stay in the US, Liu and Huang visited many museums and art galleries with the help of recommendations from Cahill, and saw part of the original copy of the Zhi Garden Album at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. They celebrated Cahill's 87th birthday with him, which was tragically the last birthday of his life.

Cahill passed away in February 2014. "Working with Liu and Huang, learning that the Zhi Garden had indeed existed, and writing a book together, brought such contentment and happiness to the last years of his life," Cahill's daughter, Sarah Cahill, told the Global Times via email.
Moving story behind pictures

In April 2011, Liu and Huang found the specific location of the Zhi Garden based on historical materials and topographic maps. It had been turned into a commercial residential area in Changzhou, with a shopping mall downstairs.

They emailed the area's satellite imagery to Cahill, who immediately confirmed it as the original location of the Zhi Garden. Huang explained that Cahill had probably read the Zhi Garden Album hundreds of times, as he was very familiar with the garden's terrain and topography as depicted in the album. "So when he looked at the satellite imagery, it was as if he was looking at an old friend," said Huang, who is now an associate professor at the Beijing Forestry University.

The garden has been lost to centuries of change and urbanization. But fortunately, its beauties can be seen again today thanks to the unremitting efforts of many Chinese and foreign scholars. In 2013, a digital model of Zhiyuan was completed. In 2015, one year after Cahill had passed away, the Museum of Chinese Gardens and Landscape Architecture made an intricate model of the Zhi Garden, to serve as a representative example of the private gardens in the regions south of the Yangtze River during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Sarah visited the model in 2018 when attending a Zhi Garden-themed symposium in Beijing organized by Liu and Huang. "The model is miraculous; so detailed and lifelike, and truly expresses the beauty and perfect proportions of the original garden," praised Sarah.

Sarah voluntarily took over some follow-up work related to the Zhi Garden after Cahill's passing. Her father's love for Chinese gardens has deeply impressed and influenced her. "I have only been to one Chinese classical garden, but have long admired the beauty and ingenuity of Chinese gardens, from paintings and photographs," she told the Global Times. "The balance and harmony of humanity within nature makes Chinese gardens so perfect for reflection and inspiration."

The story does not end with the finding of the Zhi Garden's location and the departure of Cahill. In 2022, after years of studying the garden, Liu and Huang published their two books: The Zhi Garden Album: A Portrait of Peach Blossom Spring and Rediscovering a Ming Dynasty Peach Blossom Spring: A Study on the Zhi Garden. In September 2023, at the 3rd Conference of the European Association for Asian Art and Archaeology (EAAA) in Slovenia, Liu and Huang shared the story of the Zhi Garden with participating global scholars.

The beautiful set of pictures in the Zhi Garden Album is like a dream, Katherine Anne Paul, Curator of Asian Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art, said at the conference. "I love the beautiful garden in the pictures, and I love the moving story behind the pictures and the garden more," she said with excitement.
Envoys of culture exchanges

Cahill's life was deeply connected with China.

After then US president Richard Nixon visited China in 1972, the country sent its first art and archaeology delegation to China the following year. As a member of the delegation, Cahill participated in the first-ever important cultural exchange between China and the US since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. In 1977, Cahill led an ancient Chinese painting delegation to China.

In his lifetime, Cahill visited China for academic events and cultural exchanges many times, and established friendships with lots of Chinese scholars. He also helped many Chinese students.

"When Chinese publishers and publications paid Cahill for the manuscripts, he often asked me and Huang to give some of the money to the Chinese students who had [financial] difficulties," Liu said. "He was also pleased to write letters of recommendation for Chinese students and scholars who wished to go on academic visits to the US, helping them get some subsidies or grants."

Generous and warm-hearted Cahill was among the expanding pool of overseas scholars and ordinary people who are interested in Chinese culture and art, especially traditional Chinese garden art, and who are friendly to Chinese people.

Liu said in 2024, she and Huang will cooperate with the California-based Huntington Library to hold an exhibition under the theme of Chinese gardens and plants, at the Chinese Garden (also known as or the Garden of Flowing Fragrance) of the library. The garden usually holds public activities related to Chinese culture, said Liu.

As an art form that represents Chinese cultural characteristics, and a current display and communication space of Chinese culture, the Chinese-style garden plays an important role in the cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, Liu said.

"Today, there are more than 100 Chinese-style gardens outside China, and they offer global people [a platform] to enjoy Chinese garden culture and artistic life," she told the Global Times. "The gardens are hailed as envoys of culture exchanges."

The year of 2024 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US. A pianist and radio host herself, Sarah is glad to see more people-to-people cultural exchanges between the US and China. She said that the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she is a faculty member, has a close relationship with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Sarah also feels fortunate to develop friendships with her father's good friends in China, including Liu and Huang.

"It is so true that friendships and collegial relationships can strengthen and reinforce political relationships," she told the Global Times. "Music and art are of the best ways to bring us together!"

With the country's westward opening-up strategy, Xinjiang, as a bridgehead in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), will play a greater role, Xu Guixiang, spokesperson for the Xinjiang regional government, told the Global Times on Thursday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Forum "Year of Tourism 2023," which runs from November 23 to 26 in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Co-hosted by the SCO and the Xinjiang regional government, the forum aims to establish a platform to introduce measures supporting the tourism industry by member states, exchange advanced experiences in tourism development, discuss industry hot topics, and explore methods to overcome challenges, SCO Secretariat Deputy Secretary General Janesh Kain said at a briefing.

According to Kain, about 300 heads of tourism administrations, representatives of international organizations, officials and business leaders, experts in the field of tourism and diplomats from SCO member states will participate in the forum to discuss joint initiatives to support the tourism industry. Four thematic sections are planned at the forum: Tourism Potential of the SCO Space, Tourism Potential of the Xinjiang region, Promoting Sustainable Tourism, and Developing Tourism to Reduce Poverty.

When explaining why the forum is being held in Xinjiang, Xu explained that Xinjiang is a beautiful and magnificent place with abundant natural resources, and its people are warm and hospitable.

Hosting the SCO Forum "Year of Tourism 2023" in Xinjiang holds special and significant importance. This is an important measure to implement the spirit of the Inaugural China-Central Asia Summit, the Third BRI Forum for International Cooperation, and the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, Xu noted.

He said that Xinjiang is an important part of the ancient Silk Road and a core area of the BRI. It is located at the hub of the Eurasian golden passage and serves as a gateway for China's opening to the west, he said.

Since the beginning of this year, officials of the Xinjiang regional Party committee have visited the five Central Asian countries, holding high-level meetings with officials of these countries, and achieving a series of practical results. This has sent a strong signal that Xinjiang's opening-up to the world is expanding. Officials from these countries have also visited Xinjiang to discuss friendly exchanges and practical cooperation, according to Xu.

This year has been a year of high-level visits, marking substantial progress in Xinjiang's opening to the world, Xu added.

Along with the intensive high-level exchanges, Xinjiang's opening-up to and cooperation with the outside world have ushered in new opportunities, including in the tourism industry.

According to Xu, from January to September this year, Xinjiang achieved regional GDP of 1.355 trillion yuan ($189.6 billion), a year-on-year increase of 6.1 percent. From January to October, Xinjiang received 243 million domestic and foreign tourists, a year-on-year increase of 101.38 percent, achieving total tourism revenue of 270.378 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 200.67 percent, a record high.

Xinjiang is located in Northwest China and has been relatively closed off in the past. With the implementation of China's westward opening-up strategy, Xinjiang has transformed from a relatively closed inland region into a frontier that is open to the west, Xu said.

Along with the country's implementation of the westward opening-up strategy, Xinjiang is embracing a rare opportunity, helped by special policy support for its development. For example, the State Council has approved the establishment of the Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone, according to Xu.

"Xinjiang must firmly seize this rare opportunity and make significant contributions. We also believe that with the implementation of the westward opening-up strategy, Xinjiang, as a pioneer in the Belt and Road Initiative, will play a greater role," he said.

Italian Ambassador to China Massimo Ambrosetti recently visited South China's Guangdong Province and met with Chen Jianwen, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Guangdong Provincial Committee and director of the Publicity Department of the Guangdong Provincial Committee.

Ambassador Ambrosetti recalled Italy's long history of cooperative relations with Guangdong. This relationship is rooted in history and has matured over the centuries through the efforts of important historical figures such as Matteo Ricci, he said. 

During the meeting, Ambrosetti and Chen discussed deepening trade and cultural exchanges, and strengthening of people-to-people contacts between the two countries. Meanwhile, Ambassador Ambrosetti also met with Sun zhiyang, acting mayor of the Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong . The ambassador recalled the excellent cooperation that has always existed between Italy and Guangzhou, which builds on the friendship that the capital of Guangdong Province has with the Italian cities of Bari, Genoa, Milan, Padua, and Turin.

The ambassador also visited Shenzhen and experienced the rapid development of the city compared to his first visit in 1992. Shenzhen Vice Mayor Wang Shourui introduced its economic and social development situation to the ambassador, while Ambrosetti pointed out that Italy has unrivaled advantages in the fields of industry and fashion, and that there is huge cooperation between Italy and Shenzhen in these fields. 

"Italy is the world's fashion capital and has had a positive impact on the design sector in Shenzhen, where the creativity of Italian designers is particularly appreciated. This year, the relation links between Shenzhen and Italy have also been gradually strengthened due to increased direct flights," he alleged. 

The ambassador also awarded the Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy to Sun Qijie, who is responsible for the Sea World Culture and Arts Center. This is a great honor in Italy, and was awarded to Sun to recognize his contribution to the dissemination of Italian culture in South China.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the country's top securities regulator, issued on Friday four policy documents to enhance supervision and management of the capital market and prevent risks, vowing to promote the high-quality development of the stock market.

The documents, which will strengthen scrutiny over stock listings, public companies and brokerages, demonstrated China's determination to protect investors with "teeth and horns" and boost market confidence, as well as cultivate a good environment for the healthy and stable development of the capital market, analysts said.

The prompt move, which came just days after the two sessions concluded, showcased the country's institutional advantage of efficiency in policymaking and implementation, and is also a vital part of China's accelerated efforts to build itself into a financial powerhouse, they noted.

Stepped-up efforts

Among the four documents, three are guidelines aimed to boost supervision of initial public offerings (IPOs), listed companies, brokers and public offering funds. The last one aims to enhance self-construction of the CSRC system.

Noting these four documents, Li Chao, vice chairman of the CSRC, said on Friday that the goal is to make China's capital market "safe, regulated, transparent, open, dynamic and resilient."

In order to improve the quality of listed companies at source, the CSRC will tighten supervision on initial public offerings (IPOs), preventing companies from excessive financing, while accounting fraud and false statements will be severely punished, Li said, while briefing the four documents.

In addition, it will adopt necessary adjustments in the IPO market, taking into account supply and demand in the secondary market, and will also enhance onsite inspections of listing candidates, said the official.

Moreover, regulators will strengthen scrutiny of listed companies, focusing on helping listed enterprises improve investment value and enhance investor protection. The CSRC will ramp up its crackdown on accounting fraud and illegal reducing of holdings, urging listed companies to increase dividend payouts and encouraging them to buy back shares, Li said.

"The key point of these four documents is to strictly vet the IPO applications, and the quality of listed companies, as these two parts are fundamental to enhancing the management of the capital market," Dong Shaopeng, a senior research fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Friday.

IPOs are like the first button of the stock market system, and should be fastened properly from the beginning, Dong noted, adding that the listing of a company is based on what it needs for development and what it can supply, and a company that does not have the ability to continue to innovate and develop, or to continue to supply dividends, should not be listed.

Yang Delong, chief economist at the Shenzhen-based First Seafront Fund Management Co, said that these rules are specific and targeted solutions to some of the problems that previously existed in listed companies, and are important for improving the investability of the A-share market and promoting the long-term healthy development of the market.

"These measures will effectively improve the quality of listed companies and protect the interests of small and medium-sized investors, thereby boosting market confidence," Yang told the Global Times on Friday.

According to the documents, the CSRC will also strengthen regulations on securities firms and public offering funds, in a bid to promote its functioning, professional service capacity and regulatory effectiveness. It will crack down on wrongdoings by shareholders that go against the interests of institutions and investors, warning against money worship, extravagance, hedonism and showing off of wealth.

Yang noted that the above-mentioned moves showed the regulator's determination to build an investor-centered capital market, and correcting bad conducts will promote good professional practices in the industry, further boosting the healthy development of the securities and funds sector.

The securities watchdog also released a guideline to improve its own capabilities. Strengthening self-construction is an important guarantee for the CSRC to fully carry out its main responsibility for supervision and promote the high-quality development of the capital market, Li said, citing the document.

Dong noted that China is the second largest economy in the world and needs a strong stock market that matches the size of the economy, and a fair system and strong regulations are the key.

Path to financial powerhouse

The CSRC's move is a new part of an array of market-friendly measures to pave the way for long-term, high-quality growth in China's capital market.

During the just-concluded two sessions this year, China stressed in its 2024 Government Work Report that the underlying stability of the capital market should be enhanced.

Wu Qing, head of the CSRC, on March 6 said in his first public appearance before media since taking his new post that enhancing institutional buildup and attracting long-term investment into the market will be among the measures that will be taken to accomplish the task outlined in the Government Work Report.

Wu reiterated the importance of prioritizing investors, combating financial fraud, and encouraging listed companies to engage in cash dividends and buybacks.

In order to promote the sound development of the capital market and protect investors' rights and interests, the CSRC has held symposiums to solicit opinions and suggestions on improving the basic system of the capital market, strengthening the protection of the rule of law, and has also paid visits to listed firms to help them address difficulties in achieving high-quality development.

Since Wu took office on February 7, the Chinese A-share market has recovered much of its losses from the recent cycle, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.54 percent to 3,054.64 points and the Shenzhen Component Index closing 0.6 percent higher at 9,612.75 points on Friday.

As "finance" was mentioned 21 times in the 2024 Government Work Report, experts noted that in the new year, China will accelerate efforts to build itself into a financial powerhouse, and the stability of the capital market will contribute to the high-quality development of its financial sector.

The EU’s recent decision to maintain the anti-dumping measures targeting certain iron goods from China is a form of protectionism, a Chinese expert said on Tuesday, while urging the EU to provide a transparent and fair market environment for all goods from China.

The EU recently issued a commission implementation regulation imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of certain iron articles originating in China following an expiry review. 

The measures have been effective as they helped to reduce the volume of Chinese imports in the EU market, but the volume of imports remained significant during the period, according to the EU.

Repeal of the measures would result in a significant increase of dumped imports from China at injurious price levels and would further aggravate the injury suffered by EU industry and threaten its viability, according to a document released by the EU. Therefore, the EU Commission concluded that maintaining the anti-dumping measures against China was in the interests of EU industry, the document said.

The EU's anti-dumping measures against Chinese iron and steel-related products have a very long time span, which reflects the international competitiveness of the Chinese products, Yang Chengyu, an associate research fellow at the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

While the EU has often claimed that the "cheap" prices of Chinese products harm the fair competition and interests of local EU companies, Yang said that this claim is not really valid under the multilateral trading mechanism of the World Trade Organization.

The EU has intensified its economic coercion targeting Chinese-related products, which shows its protectionist mindset, Yang said.

On December 10, 2016, the European Commission announced the launch of an anti-dumping investigation into cast iron products originating in or imported from China and India. On January 30, 2018, the European Commission issued an announcement regarding a final affirmative anti-dumping ruling on cast iron products originating in or imported from China, according to mysteel.com. 

The EU has long adopted various trade restrictions on imported steel products, including the widely criticized global steel safeguard measures that have been implemented for several years, as well as more than 60 anti-dumping and countervailing measures against steel products from many countries and regions, He Yadong, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce told a regular press conference on October 12, 2023.

These measures disrupt the international trade order, push up downstream production costs, affect the interests of consumers, and are not conducive to the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain, He said, and nor are they conducive to the long-term development of local industries and the healthy operation of the market.

As a US bill that could potentially ban the use of TikTok in the US sailed unanimously through a House committee, Chinese experts said that the act is political gamesmanship by politicians playing the China-bashing card and yet another hysterical move in its crackdown against Chinese companies.

With bilateral ties showing signs of stabilization amid enhanced engagements between the two sides, Chinese analysts warned that the cyber witch hunt against TikTok - used by roughly 170 million Americans - and sheer extortion of a successful company will have negative effects and cause bilateral ties to retract.

The bill, which threatens to ban TikTok from app stores operated by Apple and Google unless the popular short video platform divests itself from ByteDance, its parent company, within about six months, passed unanimously out of the US House energy and commerce committee on Thursday with a vote of 50 to 0.

The bill is set for a floor vote next week.

US media outlet CNN described the bill as the "most aggressive legislation" targeting TikTok to come out of a congressional committee since company CEO Shou Zi Chew testified to lawmakers last year that the app poses no threat to Americans in a grueling hearing.

Chinese observers said the passing of the TikTok bill demonstrated a persistent campaign by some US politicians to hunt down the social media platform, which has enjoyed worldwide success, and is set to dent stabilizing ties between the two countries. Cooperation is the only sensible way forward in the field of science and technology, they noted.

"Some people in the US want to relate TikTok with China, threatening to impose further bans on the company. In the US presidential election year, some lawmakers aim to be tough on China regarding the sensitive and significant issue of TikTok, in order to demonstrate their commitment to so-called national security threats," Song Guoyou, deputy director of the Center for American Studies, Fudan University, told the Global Times.

Although the bill has only been passed within a committee of lawmakers and needs to go further through the legal pipeline, it nonetheless reflects a bipartisan consensus among some politicians in the US on this issue, Song said, noting that whether the bill can gain more support through legislative procedures needs to be watched closely.

"The bill demonstrated the obstinate political prejudice held by some US politicians against the influential platform," Li Yong, a senior research fellow from the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Friday.

Last year, a federal judge temporarily blocked a statewide ban on TikTok in Montana, citing First Amendment rights.

Unable to provide any evidence, these politicians resorted to baseless fearmongering, Li said, refuting the claims that the app could present an espionage threat, as claimed by US politicians.

Driven by their sinophobic paranoia, some US politicians are pushing for a series of absurd bills, measures and bans on Chinese products or China-related goods.

In addition to the witch hunt against TikTok, which can be dated back to the Trump era, cargo cranes, automobiles and even garlic were among the targets US politicians raised red flags against in recent months.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a recent interview with US media outlet MSNBC that "cars these days are like an iPhone on wheels… Imagine a world with 3 million Chinese vehicles on the roads of America, and Beijing can turn them off at the same time."

In a rebuttal to these false narratives, Hua Chunying, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, asked, "Were you suggesting that iPhones, Tesla and even Boeing… have been sending secret data back to the US and could be shut down at any time by Washington?"

Expressing their disagreement with the bill, TikTok users in the US are flooding the congress will telephone calls, with some staffers saying there are as many as 20 calls per minute, according to a report by The Guardian on Friday.

US social organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union have slammed the bill as "unconstitutional." The Computer and Communications Industry Association, a major trade group representing tech powerhouses including Apple and Google, was also against it.

The move came amid enhanced engagements between Chinese and US officials and business organizations pointing to stabilizing ties, which help alleviate growing concerns among businesses and governments around the world.

The US and China have reportedly agreed to extend a science and technology agreement for another six months.

Chinese analysts said the two countries stand to benefit from cooperation on science and technology, and the ruthless crackdown on Chinese companies can only serve to undermine trust and damage stabilizing bilateral ties.

The renewal of the US-China Science, Tech Pact will be a test of how willing the Biden administration truly is to consider mutual interests, listen to the scientific community's voice and jointly maintain the stability of China-US relations, Song said.

A TikTok spokesperson told the Global Times on Wednesday that "this bill is an outright ban of TikTok, no matter how much the authors try to disguise it. This legislation will trample on the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deprive 5 million small businesses of a platform they rely on to grow and create jobs."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday that China believes ties with the US are not a zero-sum game and is opposed to defining ties by competition.

Officials from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions welcomed the Chinese mainland's expansion of the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) to Xi'an and Qingdao cities, starting from Wednesday, noting that the new arrangement will be conducive to the development of local tourism and promote personnel exchange between Hong Kong and Macao and the mainland.

Under the IVS system, initiated on July 28, 2003, eligible residents of the designated mainland cities can apply for certificates to visit Hong Kong and Macao as individual tourists. 

The IVS was first introduced in four cities in South China's Guangdong Province, including Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Foshan. The number of eligible cities was increased in the following years to a total of 49 mainland cities in 2007. With the expansion of the IVS to cover Xi'an and Qingdao starting from Wednesday, designated mainland cities eligible for the IVS have been increased to 51.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macao SAR government's tourism office, said in an interview with China Media Group that last year, the number of mainland visits under the IVS had risen to more than 10 million, accounting for about 56 percent of the total mainland arrivals. Therefore, the expansion of the IVS represents strong support for Macao's tourism sector.

The expansion of the IVS to Xi'an and Qingdao, each with a population of 10 million, reflects the central government's care for Macao's tourism and economic growth, and all sectors in Macao are "very pleased", said Zhang Jianzhong, director of the Association of Macau Tourist Agents.

"The new measures reflect the central government's care and support for the Macao SAR, and the policy will further enhance the enthusiasm and convenience of travelers to Hong Kong and Macao," Mok Chi Wai, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee and vice president of the board of directors of the Macao Chamber of Commerce, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

He noted that the measures will promote local tourism economy and have a positive impact on hotel accommodation, retail spending and transportation.

"We witnessed the love of mainland residents for Macao during the 2024 Spring Festival holidays," he said. According to the preliminary statistics, from February 10 to February 17, Macao's inbound tourist trips were close to 1.36 million, of which 1.035 million were from the mainland, accounting for 76.2 percent of the total number of tourist trips to Macao.

Kevin Yeung, secretary for culture, sports and tourism of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, said the central government has all along been providing great support for Hong Kong. Further enhancement of the IVS is conducive to the development of Hong Kong's tourism and will benefit tourism-related industries such as hotels and retail.

"In 2018, the IVS tourists, which accounted for more than 60 percent of the total number of mainland visitors visiting Hong Kong, represented an important force in driving the business of tourism-related industries in Hong Kong. It is believed that Xi'an and Qingdao, having a population of over 10 million respectively, will bring along more high-value-added overnight tourists to Hong Kong. We expect that with more frequent contacts between the residents in Hong Kong and those in Xi'an and Qingdao following the enhancement of the IVS, cultural integration and people-to-people bond between the two places will be further strengthened," Yeung noted.

"Two press conferences will be held in Xi'an and Qingdao, respectively, next week, to be attended by city leaders and Hong Kong officials," a source told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Hong Kong Retail Management Association said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Wednesday that the new measures will help increase the number of overnight visitors to Hong Kong, and are expected to boost tourism, retail, catering and hotel businesses, benefiting the overall economy of Hong Kong .

"Mainland visitors have always been an important driving force for Hong Kong's retail and tourism-related industries. In recent years, visitors from the mainland prefer in-depth cultural tours, and it is believed that residents of Xi'an and Qingdao will focus on this mode of travel, which will in turn drive shopping and consumption," the association said.

"The new efforts are likely to boost direct flights from the two mainland cities to Hong Kong and Macao," Li Yunqing, general manager of visa-department of CYTS Aoyou Technology Development Co told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Noting that the initiatives will further facilitate business travels as well as individual trips, Li said that the domestic tourism industry will be enhanced as the more convenient procedures will spur up local residents' travel willingness.

"The measures also indicate the central government's support to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong and Macao's position in shipping and aviation as well as culture and tourism," Li noted.

The 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, kicked off its second session on Monday, marking the start of the annual two sessions. The second session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, is set to open on Tuesday.

This year's political gatherings carry extra weight for the Chinese economy, as 2024 will be a crucial year for the realization of the goals and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), and the new government is set to submit its Government Work Report to the NPC annual session for deliberation for the first time.

The session usually reviews past achievements and sets development targets for the current year and beyond.

At a time when mainstream Western media outlets are flooded with reports of China grappling with various difficulties - deflation, a property crisis, mounting debt burdens and a foreign capital exodus - the two sessions will serve as a crucial window for the world to observe the country's economic development and understand its policy direction for the year ahead, which Western media outlets said investors are watching closely for signals of a "bazooka-like stimulus." 

It's not unusual to see Western media outlets run bearish reports badmouthing the Chinese economy around the major political event every year. For instance, a report published by the Financial Times on February 27, 2023, was headlined "The implications of China's mid-income trap," while CNN ran an article entitled "China's economy had a surprisingly good start to the year, but it may not last" in March 2022.

Yet, China still accomplished its 2023 GDP growth target despite downward pressure and challenges, and the underlying trends of a rebound in the economy and long-term growth remain unchanged. Such economic fundamentals further prove that the ill-intentioned "China collapse" theory cannot withstand the test of time.

Why have Western predictions about a hard landing for the Chinese economy never come true? The key lies in the inability to understand that China's economic development has its own rhythm and policy direction, which will not be influenced by Western hype. The reason why the two sessions are of great importance to China's economy is not only because of the GDP target issued during the meetings, but also because of the policy direction set for achieving stable economic development in the year ahead.

There is no denying that China's GDP target has been the focus of world attention, which is not surprising given its huge economic size and important implications for the global economy. The Chinese government has always stressed the importance of the quality of economic development, rather than just the growth rate, but GDP, as a major measure of a country's economic strength, is still one of the most important economic metrics in China. 

It is true that China's economic growth has slowed in recent years amid unprecedented and complicated domestic and external market challenges. This is mainly because the economy is undergoing a period of adjustment and transformation. Despite the difficulties and downward pressure, China is still on a solid footing and its GDP growth rate remains relatively fast among the world's major economies. 

If anything, China's consistent economic performance over the years is the best proof that it has the ability to transform its economy while maintaining growth momentum.

During China's two sessions, much attention is often paid to the country's GDP growth target. However, it is crucial to look beyond mere numbers and understand the implications of new policies and measures to be implemented by the Chinese government to address economic challenges. Because the policy direction not only promises positive influence on China's economic prospects, but also presents opportunities in the country's future development.