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  • Andy Wang, a young office employee working in Shanghai, recently booked flights from Shanghai to South Korea's Jeju island for the upcoming Spring Festival holiday. The round-trip airfare cost him a little over 2,000 yuan ($274), half the price for round-trip flights from Shanghai to popular domestic destinations such as Harbin in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

    在上海工作的年轻人王安迪最近预订了春节期间从上海飞往韩国济州岛的往返机票,票价为2000多元人民币(约合274美元),这一价格仅为上海飞往国内热门城市如东北黑龙江省哈尔滨市等地往返机票价格的一半。


    Going on a trip to celebrate the holiday, which starts in late January, has become a new trend among Chinese consumers, and many like Wang have found that some overseas destinations offer better value for money compared with domestic ones. For example, it is cheaper to book flights to Bangkok, Thailand, than to Sanya, Hainan province, during the break.

    春节期间外出旅行已成为中国消费者的新潮流,许多像王先生这样的消费者发现,与国内旅游相比,一些海外旅游目的地更具性价比。例如,春节期间飞往泰国曼谷的机票比飞往中国海南省三亚市的机票更便宜。


    Spring Festival bookings for outbound flights and international hotels this year have already more than doubled compared with the same period last year, according to Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency.

    据总部位于北京的在线旅游机构去哪儿网的数据显示,今年春节期间出境航班和国际酒店的预订量较去年同期已翻了两倍以上。

    International airfares for the eight-day holiday have on average dropped 12 percent year-on-year, while airfares for some popular destinations such as Tokyo in Japan, Cairo in Egypt and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam have on average dropped 20 percent year-on-year, data from Qunar showed.

    去哪儿网数据还显示,在春节八天假期期间,国际机票价格同比平均下降了12%,而前往日本东京、埃及开罗和越南胡志明市等热门目的地的机票价格同比平均下降了20%。

    For some niche destinations in countries such as India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Argentina, hotel rates for the Spring Festival holiday have on average plummeted by over 40 percent year-on-year, the online travel agency found.

    该在线旅游机构还发现,春节期间,印度、南非、沙特阿拉伯、墨西哥和阿根廷等小众旅游目的地的酒店价格同比平均下降了40%以上。


    "Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival in China, and Chinese people tend to go home for family reunions or take short trips within the country. Therefore, major domestic destinations, especially those popular for winter tourism, witness a surge in prices during the holiday," said Cai Muzi, a researcher for Qunar.

    去哪儿网研究员蔡木子表示:“春节是中国最重要的传统节日,中国人更倾向于选择回家团圆、国内短途游。因此,国内各大旅游城市、尤其是适合冬季旅游的城市,在春节假期会出现不同程度的涨价。”


    As most foreign countries neither have the tradition of celebrating Spring Festival, nor do they have public holiday during the time, the travel rush is relatively low, Cai said.

    蔡木子说,由于国外并没有过春节的传统,也不处于假期,因此旅游高峰期相对平缓。


    "With fewer number of tourists, the price fluctuations are not significant overseas, which makes outbound travel to some places cheaper than domestic tourism," she added.

    “由于国外游客数量减少,海外价格波动不大,会出现一些出境游比国内游更便宜的现象。”她补充道。


    According to Qunar, Chinese users of the online platform have booked flights to more than 1,300 cities in 96 countries for the Spring Festival break.

    据去哪儿网称,今年该平台的中国用户春节预订遍布96个国家的1300多个城市。


    Some overseas destinations that have recorded higher growth in terms of flight booking volume include Siem Reap in Cambodia, Nagoya and Sapporo in Japan, Budapest in Hungary and Hanoi in Vietnam. Flight bookings to these places have more than tripled year-on-year, Qunar said.

    去哪儿网表示,航班预订量增长较高的出境游城市包括柬埔寨暹粒、日本名古屋、匈牙利布达佩斯、越南河内、日本札幌等,增幅均在2倍以上。


    To cash in on this holiday travel trend, a number of domestic carriers have increased their capacities on multiple international routes.

    为了抓住这一假日旅行热潮,多家国内航空公司增加了多条国际航线的运力。


    In mid-December, China Southern Airlines increased the frequency of its flight between Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and Phuket, Thailand, raising the number from seven round-trips per week to 14. The carrier has also increased the frequency of its flights connecting Guangzhou to Chiang Mai in Thailand and Sabah in Malaysia.

    12月中旬,中国南方航空将广东省广州市与泰国普吉岛之间的往返航线从每周7个增加至14个。同时,该航空公司还增加了广州与泰国清迈、广州与马来西亚沙巴的航线。


    China Southern has announced that starting in January, it will resume its flights from Zhengzhou, Henan province, to Bangkok; from Shenyang, Liaoning province, to Bangkok; and from Changsha, Hunan province, to Singapore.

    中国南方航空还宣布,从1月起,将恢复郑州至曼谷、沈阳至曼谷和长沙至新加坡的航班。


    A recent trend report by Singapore-based budget carrier Scoot said that Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand have become popular destinations for Chinese travelers, partly due to their visa-free entry policies and proximity to China, with many people buying tickets just one week in advance.

    新加坡廉航公司酷航最近的一份趋势报告显示,新加坡、马来西亚和泰国已成为中国游客的热门目的地,部分原因在于这些国家与中国相邻且对中国游客免签,许多中国游客会提前一周购买机票。

    plummet

    v.暴跌,急剧下降



  • Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally gunning down health insurance executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street, pleaded not guilty on Monday to New York state murder charges that brand him a terrorist.

    12月23日,被指控于曼哈顿街头枪杀医疗保险公司高管布莱恩·汤普森的男子路易吉·曼吉奥内,面对纽约州对其犯有谋杀罪和恐怖主义的指控,作出了无罪抗辩。


    Mangione, 26, was escorted into Judge Gregory Carro's 13th-floor courtroom in the New York state criminal courthouse in with a court officer on each arm, and a procession of a half dozen officers following him. He was in handcuffs and shackles, and wore a burgundy sweater over a white-collared shirt.

    当日,26岁的曼吉奥内身穿白领衬衫和酒红色毛衣,戴着手铐和脚镣,由两名法院警员带入纽约州刑事法院13楼的法庭,身后还紧跟着六名警员。


    Mangione leaned into a microphone and said "not guilty" when Carro asked how he pleaded to the 11-count indictment charging him with murder as an act of terrorism and weapons offenses.

    面对法官格雷戈里·卡罗就恐怖主义、谋杀罪及武器犯罪等11项指控的询问,曼吉奥内靠近麦克风回答:“无罪”。


    If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    如果被判有罪,他将面临终身监禁且不得假释的最高刑罚。


    Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group's insurance unit UnitedHealthcare, was shot dead on Dec 4 outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan where the company was gathering for an investor conference.

    12月4日,联合健康保险(联合健康集团子公司)的首席执行官汤普森在曼哈顿中城区一家酒店外遭枪击身亡,当时该公司正在此召开投资人大会。


    The brazen killing and ensuing five-day manhunt captivated Americans. While public officials have condemned the killing, some Americans who decry the steep costs of healthcare and insurance companies' power to deny paying for some medical treatments have feted Mangione as a folk hero.

    这起明目张胆的谋杀案及随后展开的五天搜捕行动引发了全美关注。尽管公职人员对此案表示谴责,但部分美国民众却将曼吉奥内奉为民间英雄,他们谴责高昂的医疗保健费用及保险公司拒赔某些医疗治疗的权力。


    Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec 9. After deciding last week not to fight extradition, he was transferred to New York, where he was led off a helicopter in Lower Manhattan by a large phalanx of police officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

    12月9日,曼吉奥内在宾夕法尼亚州阿尔图纳的一家麦当劳餐厅被捕。在上周决定不抗争引渡后,他被转移到纽约,乘坐直升机前往曼哈顿下城。抵达现场部署了大批警员,纽约市长埃里克·亚当斯也亲临现场。


    That spectacle and other statements by public officials suggest Mangione may not be able to get a fair trial, his lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said at Monday's hearing.

    在12月23日的听证会上,曼吉奥内的律师凯伦·弗里德曼·阿尼菲洛表示,这一浩大场面及公职人员的其他言论表明,曼吉奥内可能无法得到公正的审判。


    "They are treating him like he is some sort of political fodder, some sort of spectacle," Agnifilo said. "He is not a symbol, he is someone who is afforded a right to a fair trial."

    阿尼菲洛说:“他们把他当成了政治筹码和‘人间奇观’。但他并非什么象征,而是一个应享有公正审判权的个体。”


    Several dozen people gathered outside the courthouse in freezing temperatures to express support for Mangione and anger at healthcare companies.

    数十人在寒冷的天气中聚集在法院外,表达对曼吉奥内的支持和对医疗保健公司的愤怒。


    One person held a sign with the words "DENY, DEFEND, DEPOSE", a phrase that echoes tactics some accuse insurers of using to avoid paying out claims. Authorities say the words "deny", "delay", and "depose" were found written on shell casings at the crime scene.

    有人高举写有“拒绝、争辩、证词”的牌子,这些词常被批评人士用来描述医保公司逃避赔付的行为。而当局表示“拒绝、拖延、证词”是案发现场的子弹壳上刻的字样。


    Kara Hay, a 42-year-old schoolteacher, said she believed it was wrong for Mangione to be charged with terrorism.

    42岁的学校教师卡拉·海认为,曼吉奥内被指控犯有恐怖主义是错误的。


    "Shooting one CEO does not make him a terrorist, and I do not feel terrorized," said Hay, who held a sign reading "innocent until proven guilty".

    她举着“疑罪从无”牌子说道:“枪杀一名首席执行官并不意味着他就是恐怖分子,而且我并未感到害怕。”


    After the 30-minute hearing, officers once again shackled Mangione and led him out of the courtroom. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal lockup in Brooklyn.

    30分钟的听证会结束后,曼吉奥内再次被戴上手铐和脚镣,由警员带出法庭。目前,他被关押在布鲁克林的联邦拘留所——大都市拘留中心。


    Carro set Mangione's next court appearance for Feb 21.

    法官卡罗将曼吉奥内的下一次出庭日期定于2月21日。


    brazen

    adj.毫不隐瞒的,明目张胆的

    extradition

    n.引渡



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  • Traveling to China is getting easier for foreign tourists, as new rules and procedures cover more regions and ports of entry. These include optimized visa-free policies, convenient access to currency exchange, expedited car rentals, quick purchase of cellphone cards and more signage in languages other than Chinese.


    With the New Year and Spring Festival holidays approaching, there's no better time for travelers to arrive for a taste of traditional Chinese culture.


    China has extended the duration of its visa-free transit policy to 10 days. The previous limit was 72 or 144 hours.


    Eligible citizens from 54 countries, who are transiting to a third country or region, can enter at any one of 60 ports in 24 provincial-level regions, up from 39 ports in 19 regions. These include places with lots to see and do, such as Guizhou and Shanxi provinces and the city of Zhangjiajie in Hunan province.


    Chen Shaoqing, former deputy director of the Shanxi Department of Culture and Tourism, said the province's Taiyuan and Datong are among the newly added places. These are replete with traditional Chinese culture and dotted with ancient architecture.


    Around 28,000 ancient structures stand in Shanxi, with some wooden buildings dating to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and before, Chen noted.


    In the viral online game Black Myth: Wukong, which gained global popularity this year, most of the scenery is inspired by the grottoes, temples and ancient architecture of Shanxi.


    Li Feng, deputy director of the Shanxi entry and exit inspection station, said the visa-free transit policy is expected to attract many more foreigners. The station has worked with international airports in the province to improve infrastructure at ports to ensure that foreign travelers have a smooth experience, he said.


    Ma Xuefeng, deputy director of Datong's culture and tourism bureau, said the city will organize lantern shows and folk performances during the holiday season to attract more foreign and domestic travelers.


    At Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport in Guizhou province, a new service center for tourists provides currency exchange, car rentals and cellphone SIM cards that work across China. Major telecommunication enterprises have introduced seven-day, 15-day and 30-day phone cards for international travelers. Fourteen such centers have been set up at major travel destinations in the province.


    Huang Yufei, a market manager for an international tourism company in Guizhou, said the company received more than 50 travel groups from the Asia-Pacific region in autumn and most of the travelers were from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.


    Guiyang opened a direct flight to Singapore in November, and Huang said she expects there will be many more travelers coming from Southeast Asia.


    Li Ping, deputy head of Zhangjiajie tourism guide association, said that Zhangjiajie has long been a hot travel destination for international tourists. It's famous for the unusual mountains that inspired the Hollywood blockbuster film Avatar.


    Zhangjiajie welcomed more than 1.29 million foreign tourists in the first three quarters, surging 255 percent year-on-year. The visitors came from 183 countries and regions.


    Li said that under the visa-free transit policy, the tourism market for foreigners in the city next year looks "extremely bright".


    "It's hard to believe that there are so many foreign tourists in Zhangjiajie now — in December — which is not considered a peak travel season," he said. "We are making efforts to improve the infrastructure, manpower and services in restaurants and hotels, and we are confident that we can leave international travelers with good impressions."


    While the city is well-prepared to handle more travelers from South Korea — a steady source of foreign visitors — it is still lacking in tour guides fluent in languages other than Chinese. More are needed to handle the surge, he added.



  • The US Supreme Court has thrown a significant roadblock in the path of a new law that would ban the wildly popular TikTok app throughout the United States. On Wednesday, the Court announced it would hold a special hearing on Jan 10 to determine whether that law is constitutional.

    美国联邦最高法院为TikTok禁用法案的实施设置重大阻碍,该禁令将使网络流行应用TikTok面临全美禁用。12月18日,最高法院宣布将于1月10日举行特别听证会,以确定该法案是否符合宪法。

    The decision is an important temporary victory for TikTok, whose leaders are not giving up in their efforts to prevent the app from being banned — or sold — in the United States. As of now, that ban would go into effect on Jan 19. Should that happen, app stores operating in the US would be prevented from carrying TikTok, meaning no one in the country would be able to download it, and those who already have TikTok on their phones would not receive software updates, security patches or any communication from the app.

    这一决定为TikTok带来了一次重要的暂时胜利,其领导层仍在积极努力,试图阻止该应用在美国被禁或出售。截至目前,该禁令的生效日期定于1月19日。一旦禁令实施,美国的应用商店将禁止上架TikTok,这意味着美国用户将无法下载该应用,而已安装TikTok的用户也将无法收软件更新、安全补丁或任何来自该应用的信息。

    The bitter reality is that sensible conversations about TikTok are not possible in the US at the moment because the US Congress and the current President of the United States are caught up in a nonstop cycle of fear about China. And whenever fear dominates thinking, intelligent and rational choices are not made. The Supreme Court cannot end the irrational fear about China, but it might stop a ridiculous law from going into effect.

    然而,一个严峻的现实是,目前在美国,关于TikTok的理智对话难以展开,因为美国国会和现任美国总统均陷入了对中国无休止的恐惧循环之中。而一旦思维被恐惧主宰,人们就无法做出明智理性的决策。最高法院无法消除这种对中国的非理性恐惧,但它有望阻止这一荒谬法律的生效。

    By now, you may likely know the backstory about TikTok: Earlier this year, members of the US Congress authored and passed legislation that was quickly signed by US President Joe Biden, which would either ban the app in the US or require it to be sold to a non-Chinese entity. They said such draconian measures were necessary because they were convinced TikTok was a legitimate threat to US national security. They insist that the app can be manipulated to influence the feelings and attitudes of its US users. Put more bluntly: They want you to believe that TikTok might spread pro-China propaganda, leading Americans to become more sympathetic toward the country. Earlier this month, an appeals court found no evidence to support such a contention, but it nevertheless refused to prevent the ban from going into place on Jan 19, one day before Donald Trump is sworn in as the next President of the United States.

    目前大家可能已经了解TikTok禁令背后的故事:今年早些时候,美国国会议员起草并通过了一项立法,该立法迅速得到了美国总统乔·拜登的签署。该法案要求TikTok出售给非中国企业,否则将在全美禁止该应用。立法者认为这些严厉的措施是必要的,因为他们确信TikTok对美国国家安全构成了切实威胁。他们还坚称该应用程序可能被操控以影响美国用户的感受和态度。更直白地说,这些人想让大家相信,TikTok可能传播亲中思想以提升美国民众对中国的同情度。本月早些时候,一家上诉法院没有发现支持这种说法的证据,但它仍然拒绝阻止禁令在1月19日生效,这一日期恰好是唐纳德·特朗普宣誓就任下一任美国总统的前一天。

    Members of the US Congress also said the Chinese government can demand TikTok hand over any information it has about its American users. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has said that demand has never been made and TikTok will not comply with any such request. The reason? "ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country," Chew said. Needless to say, the US representatives and senators do not believe him.

    美国国会议员还声称,中国政府可以要求TikTok交出其掌握的美国用户信息。但TikTok首席执行官周受资表示,中国政府从未提出过这样的要求,TikTok也不会遵守任何此类要求。原因何在?周受资说,“字节跳动不是中国或其他任何国家的代理人”。不用说,美国的众议员和参议员根本不相信他的说法。

    Let's not mince words here: Anti-China hysteria — alive and well in Washington — is behind the effort to get rid of TikTok. US political elites are convinced that every sophisticated product made in China — whether we are talking about TikTok, electric vehicles, smartphones from the telecommunications company Huawei, and more — can be directed to somehow harm American citizens or the country at large. Meanwhile, they conveniently refuse to clamp down on US-created social media platforms that have repeatedly been found to twist their algorithms in order to influence the attitudes of its users.

    直言不讳地说,华盛顿盛行的歇斯底里的反华情绪正是推动禁用TikTok的幕后黑手。美国政治精英深信,中国制造的每一款尖端产品——无论是TikTok、电动汽车还是电信公司华为的智能手机等——都可能以某种方式损害美国公民或国家的利益。与此同时,他们却对由美国创建的社交媒体平台视而不见,尽管这些平台一再被发现通过扭曲算法来影响用户观点,他们却未采取任何有效的管制措施。

    Facebook is the most obvious example. In perhaps the most high-profile indictment of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and other social media apps, a former Facebook employee told the Congress that "Facebook's products harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy". Frances Haugen, the whistleblower, added that changes that would make Facebook "safer" were possible but Facebook was not going to do anything until prompted. 

    Facebook就是一个典型例子。在针对Facebook、Instagram及其他社交媒体应用的母公司Meta的最引人注目的指控中,一位前Facebook员工向国会作证称,“Facebook的产品上海儿童、煽动分裂、削弱民主”。举报人弗朗西斯·豪根补充说,尽管有可能使Facebook变得更安全,但该公司不会采取任何行动,除非被督促这样做。

    Has anything happened since Haugen made those comments in 2021? You know the answer, and considering that in 2023 an appeals court threw out attempts by multiple US states to break up the company, there will not be any significant changes forthcoming.

    自豪根于2021年发表上述言论以来,有任何变化吗?大家心中早有答案,而且考虑到2023年一家上诉法院驳回了美国多个州试图分拆Facebook公司的诉求,想必未来也不会有任何实质性的改变。

    Knowing that, let's return to TikTok. There has been chatter in the US that the app could be sold to American investors if the ban is enforced and if President-elect Trump does nothing to stop it. However, ByteDance has made clear it will not sell. Moreover, even if TikTok were sold, the Chinese government could still prevent the sophisticated algorithms behind the app from being included, leaving the new owners with the equivalent of a fancy car with no keys to start it up.

    既然如此,让我们回归TikTok的话题。美国有传言称,如果该禁令生效且当选总统特朗普不采取任何阻止措施,该应用可能会被出售给美国投资者。然而,字节跳动已明确表示不会出售该应用。此外,即便TikTok被出售,中国政府仍能阻止该应用背后的精密算法纳入交易,这样新买家得到的只是一辆没有钥匙启动的豪华汽车。

    The reasonable — and in reality only — decision is for TikTok to remain as it is: A Chinese-produced and Chinese-owned product that has real value to small businesses and individual creators while being enjoyed by an estimated 170 million people in the US (and over 1 billion around the world). The US prides itself on being a beacon of freedom of speech; there is no way to square that idea with preventing TikTok from maintaining its presence in the country. Remember, there is no evidence that the fears about TikTok are legitimate. Thus, whether it is the US Supreme Court or soon-to-be President Trump, the hammer that could come down on TikTok must not and the nonsense surrounding the app must stop.

    让TikTok保持原状才是合乎情理且唯一合乎实际的决定。作为一款由中国制造并拥有的产品,它在美国拥有约1.7亿用户(全球用户超过10亿),为小型企业和个人创作者带来了真正的价值。美国自诩为言论自由的灯塔;那么禁用TikTok无疑与这一理念相悖。记住,没有证据表明对TikTok的担忧是合理的。因此,无论是美国最高法院还是即将上任的总统特朗普,都不应对TikTok挥下重锤,围绕该应用的荒谬言论必须停止。


    high-profile

    adj.引人注目的,备受关注的



  • The Malaysian government has agreed in principle to resume the search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said

    on Friday.

    12月20日,马来西亚交通部长安东尼·洛克·西弗·福克表示,马来西亚政府已原则上同意继续搜寻失踪的马来西亚航空公司370航班客机残骸。

    Loke told a press briefing that the cabinet has agreed in principle to accept the proposal from exploration firm Ocean Infinity to proceed with seabed search operations to locate MH370 in a new area estimated at 15,000 square kilometers in the southern Indian Ocean.

    洛克在新闻发布会上说,内阁已原则上同意水下探测公司“海洋无限”的提议,将继续开展海底搜寻行动,在印度洋南部约1.5万平方公里的海底新区域寻找MH370航班。


    "This endeavor will be based on the 'no find, no fee' principle. Under this principle, the Malaysian government will not be required to pay Ocean Infinity unless the wreckage of the aircraft is discovered," he said.

    “此次搜寻行动将遵循‘无残骸,不收费’原则。依据这一原则,此次搜寻如未发现客机残骸,马来西亚政府将无需向“海洋无限”公司支付费用,”他说。

    Loke also said the proposed new search area, identified by the firm, is credible based on the latest information and data analyses conducted by experts and researchers.

    洛克还表示,该公司基于专家和研究人员开展的最新信息和数据分析而确定的新搜寻区域是可信的。

    The disappearance of MH370 was a tragic incident that occurred on March 8, 2014, when the Boeing 777, en route from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to Beijing Capital International Airport in China, vanished from radar screens with all 239 on board.

    MH370航班失踪是一起悲剧性事件。2014年3月8日,在从马来西亚吉隆坡国际机场飞往中国北京首都国际机场的途中,这架波音777飞机从雷达屏幕上消失,机上载有239人。


    resume

    v.(中断后)继续,重新开始



  • Gliding down an over-500-meter-long ice slide, Zhang Jiajia felt like she was flying, and that her one-minute experience had been worth the hour-plus wait in line.

    张佳佳从一条500多米长的冰滑梯上一滑而下,感觉自己仿佛在飞翔,这一分钟的体验让她觉得一个多小时的排队等待都是值得的。

    "It's super exciting. My heart soared with me," said Zhang, a tourist from east China's Zhejiang province, after trying the Super Ice Slide at the iconic Harbin Ice-Snow World, which kicked off its annual run on Saturday.

    “太刺激了!我的心也跟着飞了起来,”来自中国东部浙江省的游客张佳佳在尝试了哈尔滨冰雪大世界标志性的超级冰滑梯后说道。哈尔滨冰雪大世界于12月21日正式启动了一年一度的运营。

    The world's largest ice-and-snow theme park, the 26th edition of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, officially opened at 10 am in Harbin, the capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province also known as the "city of ice."

    冰雪大世界位于中国东北部黑龙江省省会哈尔滨(被誉为“冰城”),是全球最大的冰雪主题公园。12月21日上午10时,第26届冰雪大世界正式开园。

    Themed "Dream of Winter, Love among Asia," the park was built using 300,000 cubic meters of ice and snow, incorporating elements inspired by the upcoming 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, which will open next February, right after China's Spring Festival holiday. It is also the first major international ice and snow event hosted by China since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

    本届冰雪大世界以“冰雪同梦 亚洲同心”为主题,总用冰用雪量为30万立方米,园区设计和建设充分融入2025年哈尔滨亚冬会(将于明年2月中国春节假期后举办)元素。这也是继2022年北京冬奥会后,中国举办的首个大型国际冰雪赛事。

    With an overall planned area of 1 million square meters, up from last year's 800,000 square meters, the park is the largest in its 26-year history.

    冰雪大世界总体规划面积100万平方米,比去年增加20万平方米,是26年历史上规模最大的一次。

    The park features nine major zones, recreating landmark landscapes of 42 countries and 3 regions that are members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in the form of ice-and-snow structures that can be illuminated at night, including replicas of the Temple of Heaven in China, Osaka Castle in Japan and the Taj Mahal in India.

    园区内设有九大主题区域,以冰雪形式还原了亚洲奥林匹克理事会(OCA)的42个成员国及3个地区的标志性景观,这些建筑夜间可以亮灯,包括中国天坛、日本大阪城和印度泰姬陵的复制品。

    The main tower stands on the main axis of the park, featuring towering ice columns that depict the official emblem of the OCA.

    主塔位于园区主轴线上,高耸的冰柱上雕刻着OCA的官方会徽。

    "The ice sculptures are incredibly exquisite. It's hard to imagine that they are made of ice blocks harvested from the Songhua River. Each piece of artwork showcases the superb craftsmanship of the artists," said Zhong Xueying, another tourist from Zhejiang.

    “这些冰雕精致无比。很难想象它们是用松花江上采集的冰块雕刻而成。每一件艺术品都展示了艺术家们的精湛技艺,”来自浙江的另一位游客钟雪英说。

    The most popular attraction in the park, the Super Ice Slide, has increased the number of its lanes to 24, with a 300-meter-long windproof warm house mounted at the queuing area, allowing visitors to take a break from freezing weather while overlooking the park's scenery.

    园区内最受欢迎的景点“超级冰滑梯”已增至24条滑道,排队区搭建了300米长的防风暖棚,游客在此避寒保暖的同时,还可俯瞰园区景色。

    Saturday also marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. The day not only means another solar term but also marks an important festive day on Chinese lunar calendar.

    12月21日周六也是冬至,这是一年中白天最短的一天。这一天不仅标志着另一个节气的到来,也是中国农历中一个重要的节日。

    Just one hour after the park opened, the queue for the Super Ice Slide stretched hundreds of meters.

    园区开放仅一个小时后,超级冰滑梯的等候队伍就长达数百米。

    In addition to ice-and-snow landscapes, the park has added fantasy shows, virtual reality projects and an immersive digital art museum to its inventory of winter wonders, offering new and exciting experiences for both global and domestic visitors.

    除了冰雪景观,园区还增添了奇幻表演、虚拟现实项目和沉浸式数字艺术馆等冬季奇观,为全球和国内游客提供新奇刺激的体验。

    The "Snow Disco" event, which attracted thousands of tourists last winter, will also be held at the Dream Stage in the park for this year's edition.

    去年冬天吸引了数千名游客的“雪地迪斯科”活动也将在本年度的园区梦想舞台上举行。


    "How lucky! Today is the last day of my trip to Harbin, and I didn't expect to witness the opening of the Ice-Snow World. I'm so happy that it feels like I'm celebrating the Chinese New Year in advance," said Dai Xiaoqin, a tourist from Wuhan city in Hubei province.

    “真幸运!这是我哈尔滨之行的最后一天,没想到能赶上冰雪大世界开园。我太高兴了,感觉像是提前在庆祝新年,”来自湖北省武汉市的游客戴小琴说。

    "We wish to showcase the enthusiasm and confidence of the people in participating in ice-and-snow sports, and integrate a variety of new elements into this edition of the park," said Guo Hongwei, Party secretary and chairman of Harbin Ice-Snow World Co., Ltd.

    “我们希望彰显全民参与冰雪运动的热情和信心,并将多种新元素融入冰雪大世界的设计中。”哈尔滨冰雪大世界股份有限公司党委书记、董事长郭宏伟说。

    An adult park ticket is priced at 328 yuan (about $45.6). The park also offers discounted tickets and free admission to certain groups of visitors.

    园区收取成人门票价格为328元人民币(约合45.6美元),并为部分游客提供优惠票和免费入园政策。

    As an established ice-and-snow theme park, Harbin Ice-Snow World stands out as one of China's iconic winter attractions. It surged in popularity on Chinese social media last winter, becoming an internet sensation as passion for winter sports and tourism continues to rise across the country.

    作为著名的冰雪主题公园,哈尔滨冰雪大世界是中国标志性的冬季景点之一。去年冬天,随着全国对冬季运动和旅游的热情不断高涨,哈尔滨冰雪大世界在中国社交媒体上走红,成为网红打卡地。

    Last year, China recorded over 385 million winter leisure visits nationwide, a year-on-year increase of 38 percent, with related revenue up 50 percent.

    去年,中国全国冬季休闲旅游人次超过3.85亿,同比增长38%,相关收入同比增长50%。

    In Harbin alone, last snow season saw over 87 million visitors, up 300 percent year on year, and 124.8 billion yuan in tourism revenue, up 500 percent. The 25th edition of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, in particular, received over 2.7 million tourists.

    上个雪季,仅哈尔滨一地就接待游客8700多万人次,同比增长300%,实现旅游收入1248亿元人民币,同比增长500%。其中第25届哈尔滨冰雪大世界接待游客超过270万人次。

    To accelerate growth of winter economy in the country's northeastern region, the Chinese government has recently unveiled initiatives including establishing dedicated ice-and-snow holidays, increasing flight routes and optimizing visa-free policies, all aimed at attracting more domestic and international visitors.

    为推动中国东北地区冬季经济发展,中国政府最近出台了包括设立冰雪旅游专列、增加航线、优化免签政策等一系列举措,旨在吸引更多国内外游客。


    emblem

    n.象征;徽章




  • The US Supreme Court announced on Wednesday it would consider TikTok's challenge to legislation that could force the popular social media platform to be sold to a US company by Jan 19 or face a nationwide ban.

    12月18日,美国联邦最高法院宣布将考虑TikTok对“不卖就禁”法案的抗议。该法案要求TikTok这款热门社交媒体平台于1月19日前出售给一家美国公司,否则这款应用程序将在美国被禁用。

    The announcement came two days after TikTok filed a petition with the nation's highest court. At the center of the challenge is the legislation called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.

    这一宣布是在TikTok向美国联邦最高法院提交诉讼请求两天后作出的决定。此次抗议聚焦于国会今年3月通过的《保护美国人免受外国对手控制的应用程序侵害法》。

    Passed by Congress and signed into law by US President Joe Biden in April, the act requires that TikTok's Chinese parent company, Byte-Dance, divest its ownership within 270 days or face a ban in the US market, where the platform has 170 million users.

    该法案于今年4月由美国国会通过并经美国总统乔·拜登签署成为法律,要求TikTok中国母公司字节跳动在270天内放弃所有权,否则禁止其在美运行,而TikTok在美国拥有1.7亿用户。

    The law would prohibit the TikTok app from being used on both Google's and Apple's app stores and require web-hosting services to stop supporting the platform or face substantial financial consequences.

    该法律将禁止谷歌和苹果的应用商店提供TikTok下载使用,并要求互联网托管服务停止支持该平台,否则将面临巨额罚款。

    TikTok has insisted that the Justice Department's allegations are unfounded. The company has denied accusations that it was sharing user data with Chinese authorities or serving as a conduit for "Chinese propaganda".

    TikTok坚称美国司法部的指控毫无根据。该公司否认了有关其与中国政府共享用户数据或充当“中国宣传”渠道的指控。

    "The bigger issue here is that social media platforms are manipulating users and abusing personal information", and all of them are doing it no matter where they are from, said Ker Gibbs, an executive in residence with the China Business Studies Initiative at the University of San Francisco. "All the focus is on China, but Congress really should be looking at all the platforms that Americans are using," he told China Daily.

    旧金山大学中国企业管理研究所驻校高管克尔·吉布斯向《中国日报》表示:“更大的问题是社交媒体平台操纵用户并滥用个人信息。所有社交平台都在这么做,无论它们来自哪里。现在的焦点都在中国身上,但国会真正应该审视的是所有美国人正在使用的平台。”

    "There's a political case to make because so many small businesses are making money on TikTok, and they will be sorry to see it banned from the US," Gibbs said.

    吉布斯说:“从政治角度来看是有道理的,因为有很多小商户都在TikTok上赚钱,一旦它在美国被禁,这些小商户会非常遗憾。”

    In May, TikTok sued the US government to block the controversial law. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the law earlier this month, finding the government's national security arguments legitimate.

    TikTok于5月起诉美国政府,要求阻止这项备受争议的法案。但在本月早些时候,哥伦比亚特区巡回上诉法院维持了这一法律,认为美国政府关于国家安全的论点是合理的。

    In response to the ruling, TikTok said that the law "was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people".

    针对这一裁决,TikTok回应称,该法律“是基于不准确、有缺陷和假设的信息而构思并推动实施的,导致了对美国人民的彻底审查”。

    "The TikTok ban, unless stopped, will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on Jan 19,2025," the company said.

    该公司表示:“除非TikTok禁令被暂停,否则超过1.7亿美国人将于2025年1月19日被迫沉默。”

    The platform's legal challenge has garnered significant support from several civil rights organizations, who have voiced strong concerns over the constitutional implications of the potential ban.

    TikTok对该法律的抗议得到了一些美国民权组织的大力支持,他们对这项可能生效的禁令带来的宪法影响表示强烈担忧。

    A coalition, including the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, or EFF, and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed an amicus brief on Tuesday, urging the Supreme Court to block the enforcement of the law.

    包括美国公民自由联盟(简称ACLU)、电子前沿基金会(简称EFF)和哥伦比亚大学骑士第一修正案研究所在内的联盟于12月17日提交了一份法庭之友书状,敦促美国联邦最高法院阻止该法律的执行。

    Patrick Toomey of the ACLU's National Security Project called the law "mass censorship" and stressed that the US Constitution "imposes an extraordinarily high bar" on such censorship.

    ACLU国家安全项目的帕特里克·图米称该法律为“大规模审查”,并强调美国宪法对这类审查“设置了极高的门槛”。

    "The government should not be able to restrict speech, especially to the extent here, based on guessing about the mere possibility of uncertain future harm," said David Greene, civil liberties director at EFF, in a statement.

    EFF公民自由事务主管大卫·格林在一份声明中说:“政府不应基于对未来不确定危害的猜测而限制言论,尤其是达到这种程度的限制。”

    Negative consequences

    负面后果

    John Wihbey, an associate professor of media innovation and technology at Northeastern University, warned about negative consequences for US companies operating abroad, expressing concern over establishing a problematic global precedent.

    美国东北大学媒体创新与技术副教授约翰·维贝警告称这将对在海外运营的美国公司产生负面影响,并担忧这可能会树立一个有问题的全球先例。

    "My overall take is that there are going to be second- and third-order consequences from this we can't fully anticipate," he told the university's news outlet Northeastern Global News on Dec 6. "I think that's going to be really unfortunate," he added. "I'm worried about the precedent of it as a cascading norm around the world."

    12月6日,他告诉该校新闻机构《东北全球新闻》:“我的总体看法是,这将带来我们无法完全预见的二级和三级后果。我认为这将非常不幸。我担心这会成为世界各地普遍效仿的先例。”


    The law is set to take effect the day before the presidential inauguration on Jan 20. President-elect Donald Trump attempted to ban TikTok but failed in 2020 during his first term. He changed his stance by pledging to "save TikTok" during his campaign. Trump expressed having "a warm spot" for TikTok at a news conference on Monday. Then he met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

    该法律定于1月20日总统就职典礼前一天生效。当选总统唐纳德·特朗普在2020年第一任期内曾试图内禁止TikTok,但未能成功。他在竞选期间改变了立场,承诺要“拯救TikTok”。特朗普在12月16日的新闻发布会上表示,他对TikTok“颇有好感”。随后,他在佛罗里达州的马阿拉歌庄园会见了TikTok首席执行官周受资。

    The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Jan 10 from TikTok and government attorneys and representatives of app users challenging the ban.

    美国联邦最高法院将于1月10日听取TikTok、政府律师以及抗议禁令的应用用户代表的口头辩论。

    The court's swift acceptance of the case signals its recognition of the case's importance. As the final stop for a court case, the Supreme Court typically selects cases involving crucial constitutional questions or those that affect the entire nation.

    最高法院对此案的迅速受理表明其认为此案关系重大。作为法庭案件的最终裁决机构,最高法院通常只处理涉及关键宪法问题或影响全国的案件。

    The high court agrees to hear only about 80 cases each year from 7,000 to 8,000 petitions it receives, and it rules on only 1 percent of requests, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts.

    据皮尤慈善信托基金会称,在每年收到的7000至8000份份请愿中,最高法院只选择审理60至70起案件,并且只对其中1%的案件作出裁决。


    divest

    v.卖掉,出售(企业或其中一部分)





  • Report shows new economy sectors particularly competitive

    报告显示, 新经济行业竞争尤为激烈

    A new report released by Maimai, a Chinese professional networking platform, revealed that the talent market in China's digitally-fueled and high-tech new economy industries remains highly competitive, with the talent demand-supply ratio climbing steadily over the past few years.

    中国职场社区和求职平台脉脉发布的最新报告显示,中国数字经济和高科技新经济行业的人才市场竞争依然激烈,人才供需比在过去几年稳步攀升。


    Despite the rising competition, average monthly salaries in these sectors have shown slight increases, signaling a continuing demand for skilled professionals in emerging industries, the 2024 annual talent migration report said.

    《2024年度人才迁徙报告》显示,尽管竞争日趋激烈,这些行业的平均月薪仍保持微涨态势,这表明新兴产业对专业技术人才的需求仍在继续。


    The talent supply-demand ratio in new economy sectors, which encompass industries such as internet, gaming, fintech, e-commerce, artificial intelligence and new energy vehicles, has surged from 1.29 in 2022 and 2 in 2023 to 2.06 in the first 10 months of 2024, the report showed. This means that for every available job, there are over two candidates competing for it.

    报告显示,新经济行业(包括互联网、游戏、金融科技、电子商务、人工智能和新能源汽车等行业)的人才供需比已从2022年的1.29、2023年的2.00攀升至2024年前10个月的2.06。这意味着,每有1个工作岗位,就会有2个以上的求职者参与竞争。

    Although the job market in new economy sectors remains competitive for jobseekers, salaries have seen a moderate upward trend. Between January and October 2024, the average monthly salary for new job postings reached 42,874 yuan ($5,902), up from 42,789 yuan in 2023 and 41,394 yuan in 2022, the report said.

    尽管新经济行业的就业市场对求职者来说竞争依然激烈,但岗位薪资出现了温和上升趋势。报告称,2024年1月至10月,新发岗位的平均月薪达到42874元(5902美元),高于2023年的42789元和2022年的41394元。


    Lin Fan, founder and CEO of Maimai, said the report points to intensifying competition for positions in the job sector, adding that "there is still a shortage of core technical talent, particularly in AI-related fields".

    脉脉创始人兼首席执行官林凡表示,该报告表明就业领域的岗位竞争正在加剧,并补充说,“核心技术人才持续紧缺,尤其是人工智能领域”。


    The report said demand for technical professionals remains particularly strong, with technology roles comprising the majority of new job openings during the January-October period of this year.

    报告称,对专业技术人才的需求依然强劲,今年1月至10月期间的新发岗位中,技术类岗位占了大多数。


    Notably, AI-related positions are in the highest demand, including roles like algorithm engineers, AI engineers and natural language processing experts. Java, back-end developers, C++, and Android developers are also among the most sought-after positions.

    值得注意的是,与人工智能相关的岗位需求量最大,包括算法工程师、人工智能工程师和自然语言处理专家等。java、后端开发、 C++和Android开发等岗位需求也非常旺盛。


    In terms of salaries, the highest-paying technical roles among new job postings in the first 10 months are led by digital front-end engineers, who command an average monthly salary of 67,728 yuan. Nontechnical roles also see competitive salaries, with product management positions emerging as a major focus. Product supervisors earn an average monthly salary of 59,241 yuan, making it the highest among non-technical roles.

    在薪酬方面,前10个月的新发岗位中,薪酬最高的技术岗位为数字前端工程师,其平均月薪为67728元。非技术岗位的薪酬也很有竞争力,产品管理岗位成为焦点。产品主管的平均月薪为59241元,处于非技术岗位“天花板”。


    The report also revealed significant talent shortages in key technical fields, especially AI fields. Cloud computing, for instance, has the most significant talent gap, with a demand-supply ratio of just 0.27, meaning that there are approximately four job openings for each applicant. Other high-demand areas include search algorithms and deep learning, which continue to face talent shortages, despite strong recruitment activity in these fields over the past few years.

    报告还显示,关键技术领域的人才严重短缺,尤其是人工智能领域。例如,云计算人才紧缺度最高,人才供需比仅为0.27,这意味着约4个岗位争夺1个人才。其他高需求领域包括搜索算法和深度学习。尽管过去几年这些领域的招聘活动十分活跃,但人才短缺问题依然存在。


    During the first 10 months, Beijing remains the leading city for new job openings, followed by Shanghai, Shenzhen in Guangdong province and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, the report said.

    报告称,前10个月,北京仍然是新发岗位最多的城市,其次是上海、广东深圳和浙江杭州。


    However, the report indicates that both Beijing and Shanghai are facing talent outflows, with their talent inflow-outflow ratios falling below 1, signaling that many professionals are leaving these hubs for other regions. In contrast, cities like Suzhou in Jiangsu province; Shenzhen; Hangzhou are seeing stronger talent inflows, reflecting their growing appeal as innovation and tech centers.

    然而,报告还显示,北京和上海都面临着人才外流的问题,其人才流入流出比低于1,这表明许多专业人才正在离开这些中心城市,前往其他地区。相比之下,苏州、深圳和杭州等城市的人才流入量更大,反映出这些城市作为创新和科技中心的吸引力正在不断增强。


    Tang Qiuyong, executive director of Chinese human resources think tank HRflag, emphasized that while Chinese companies are under pressure to cut costs and improve efficiency, this should not come at the expense of employee well-being.

    中国人力资源智库HRflag执行董事唐秋勇强调,虽然当前中国企业普遍面临降本增效的压力,但这不应以牺牲员工福利为代价。


    "Efficiency gains should be driven by technological innovation and the use of advanced tools, rather than by overburdening employees," Tang said.

    唐秋勇说:“效率提升应该依托于科学技术的创新与先进工具的使用,而不是加重员工的负担。”


    outflow

    v. 流出

    new economy sector

    新经济行业

    talent demand-supply ratio

    人才供需比



  • President Xi Jinping has urged the Macao Special Administrative Region to fully leverage the institutional advantages of the practice of "one country, two systems", work hard and be bold in making innovations to create a brighter future for the cherished pearl of the motherland.


    Xi made the remarks on Wednesday afternoon as he arrived in the SAR amid eager anticipation of people from all walks of life ahead of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, which falls on Friday.


    Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were warmly welcomed by hundreds of young people and representatives of the public, who flanked the red carpet waving the national and regional flags as well as colorful bouquets.


    "Every visit to this beautiful place has been very delightful for me," Xi said in a brief speech at the airport.


    This is the seventh time in 25 years that Xi has set foot in Macao, which has a land area of 33.3 square kilometers and is located close to Zhuhai in Guangdong province.


    In 2019, President Xi attended a gathering celebrating the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the inauguration ceremony of the fifth-term government of the Macao SAR. At that time, he called on all sections of society to build on what Macao has accomplished and take all undertakings in the SAR to the next level.


    "This time, I'm here to celebrate with fellow compatriots the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and see Macao's new developments and new changes in these years," he said.


    On behalf of the central government and Chinese people of all ethnic groups, Xi extended sincere greetings and best wishes to Macao's residents, and said that Macao's development and the wellbeing of its residents is always on his mind.


    Over the past 25 years, the practice of "one country, two systems "with Macao characteristics has achieved success widely recognized by the world, showcasing great vitality and unique charm, Xi said.


    It is the glory of Macao's residents and the pride of all Chinese people that the motherland is developing rapidly in an unstoppable way with each passing day and Macao is making steady progress with a promising future, he said.


    Xi added that he will spend time visiting different places in Macao during his three-day stay and hold extensive and in-depth exchanges with friends in Macao to discuss the region's development.


    Wong Ho-ian, a student of Escola Choi Nong Chi Tai, who stood near the podium when Xi was delivering his speech, held a bright yellow "pearl" in her hands — a prop she used during the dragon and lion dance performances held to welcome the president and his wife.


    "Although I'm only a high school student, I have learned a lot about how the motherland has supported Macao's development. I was very happy to hear him say that Macao is like'a pearl on the palm of the motherland'," Wong said, adding that the way Xi described the city struck a chord with Macao's residents.


    Wong Kit-cheng, a lawmaker in Macao, said that Xi's visit represents the central government's best wishes for the SAR.


    Wong, who also serves as the vice-president of the Women's General Association of Macao, said the president's arrival will set a clear path for Macao's development in the new era and the work of the new SAR government. "It also reflects the central government's high attention to Macao's sustained prosperity and stability," she said, adding that the motherland has always been a strong supporter of Macao.


    Duarte Alves, president of the General Assembly of the Macanese Youth Association, said it is a great honor to have Xi visit Macao for a gathering to mark such an important date. "Macao today is a result of the vision of the country's leaders for decades and we, as people in Macao, are very proud," he said.



  • With Christmas and year-end sales approaching in many Western countries, Chinese manufacturers are ramping up shipments to these markets via both air cargo and maritime container services, while experiencing a surge in sales on cross-border e-commerce platforms.

    随着许多西方国家圣诞节和年终促销季的临近,中国制造商正通过航空货运和海运集装箱服务,加大对这些市场的发货力度。同时,跨境电商平台的销售额也迎来激增。

    December and January are peak shopping seasons in Europe and the United States, and China's cross-border e-commerce exports to these markets—especially Christmas-themed products and small electronic products—have shown strong growth in recent weeks.
    12月和1月是欧美地区的购物高峰期。最近几周,中国对这些市场的跨境电商出口,尤其是圣诞主题产品和小型电子产品的出口,呈现出强劲增长态势。

    Christmas-themed products encompass a wide range of festive items that are popular during the holiday season. These include Christmas decorations like artificial trees, ornaments and lights, as well as figurines of Santa, reindeer and snowmen. They also cover gifts, Christmas cards, specialty food items and holiday-themed apparel such as sweaters and Santa hats.

    圣诞主题产品包括一系列节日期间广受欢迎的节庆用品,包括人造圣诞树、装饰品、灯具等圣诞装饰,以及圣诞老人、驯鹿和雪人等雕像。此外,还有礼物、圣诞贺卡、特色食品和节日主题服饰,如毛衣和圣诞帽等。

    To meet the soaring demand from Chinese exporters shipping Christmas-themed goods and other high-value items ordered through cross-border e-commerce platforms to global markets, Nanjing Lukou International Airport, located in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province, boosted its freighter routes by adding 48 extra flights between November and December.

    为满足中国出口商通过跨境电商平台向全球市场运输圣诞主题商品和其他高价值商品的激增需求,南京禄口国际机场(位于中国东部江苏省省会南京)在11月至12月间增加了48个航班,以扩大其货运航线。

    Customs authorities at the airport supervised foreign trade cargo volume of 67,200 metric tons during the January-November period, a year-on-year increase of 29.3 percent. Among this, exports of cross-border e-commerce goods amounted to 18,000 tons, jumping 51.8 percent on a yearly basis, statistics from Nanjing Customs show.

    据南京海关统计,今年1月至11月,京禄口机场海关监管进出口货运量6.72万吨,同比增长29.3%。其中,出口跨境电商商品1.8万吨,同比增长51.80%。

    Jiangsu Changxin Weaving Co Ltd, a Changzhou, Jiangsu province-based textile manufacturer, has been shipping about 10 containers abroad daily via containerships over the past two weeks.

    江苏常信纺织有限公司(位于江苏省常州市)在过去两周里每天通过集装箱船向国外运送约10个集装箱的货物。

    In addition to exporting Christmas-themed products, such as pillows, socks, blankets and carpets, the Chinese company has introduced Christmas tree sets with innovative designs this year to enhance the competitiveness of its products in overseas markets.

    除了出口圣诞主题的枕头、袜子、毯子和地毯等产品外,这家中国公司今年还推出了充满创意设计的圣诞树套装,以提升其产品在海外市场的竞争力。

    "In the past, our exported Christmas products were relatively simple and had low added value. However, this year, we established a dedicated design team for Christmas items. From traditional Santa Claus and reindeer designs to modern cartoon styles, we now offer a diverse range of products that are popular in many countries," said Chen Lin, head of the export unit at the company.

    “过去,我们出口的圣诞产品相对简单且附加值低。但今年,我们为圣诞商品成立了一个专门的设计团队。从传统的圣诞老人和驯鹿设计到现代的卡通风格,我们现在提供多种产品,并在多个国家广受欢迎,”该公司出口部门负责人陈林表示。

    Liaoning Creative Arts and Crafts Co Ltd, a handicrafts manufacturer in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning province, secured over 4 million yuan ($549,018) worth of export orders to the US this year, mainly for various handicrafts made from bamboo, wood and grass weaving.

    手工艺品制造商辽宁创意工艺品有限公司(位于中国东北部辽宁省省会沈阳)今年获得了超过400万元人民币(549,018美元)的美国出口订单,主要涉及竹、木和草编的各种手工艺品。

    Demand for Christmas and other holiday decorations has been strong in the second half of this year, said Xie Pengfei, the company's general manager.

    公司总经理谢鹏飞表示,今年下半年,圣诞和其他节日装饰的需求一直很强劲。

    Shenyang Customs has supervised the export of Christmas-themed products, primarily made of bamboo, wood, rattan and grass weaving within its Customs territory in the first 11 months of this year, amounting to 350 million yuan, with exports covering 50 countries, including the US, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Australia.

    据沈阳海关统计,今年前11个月,该海关监管出口的圣诞主题产品主要以竹、木、藤和草编材料制成,货值达3.5亿元人民币,出口至包括美国、墨西哥、英国和澳大利亚在内的50个国家。

    "Instead of sea and air transportation, some Christmas goods bound for Europe can be exported via China-Europe freight train services," Xie said.

    “除了海运和空运,一些运往欧洲的圣诞商品还可以通过中欧班列服务出口,”谢鹏飞表示。


    container

    n.集装箱;货箱



  • China announced on Tuesday a significant relaxation of its visa-free transit policy, extending the period of stay for foreign travelers and expanding the list of accessible ports and provincial-level regions, in order to further promote openness and people-to-people exchanges.

    12月17日,中国宣布全面放宽优化过境免签政策,延长外国游客的停留时间,并扩大省(区、市)入出境口岸名单,以进一步促进对外开放和人员往来。


    Eligible travelers are permitted to stay in the country for up to 240 hours, or 10 days, the National Immigration Administration said.

    国家移民管理局表示,符合条件的旅客最长可在中国停留240小时(10天)。


    The period of stay was previously restricted to 72 or 144 hours.

    先前的停留时间仅限于72或144小时。

    The policy revision, effective immediately, also includes a substantial expansion of designated ports and travel regions, enhancing flexibility for international visitors.

    立即生效的政策修订还包括大幅扩大的指定口岸和停留活动区域,进一步为国际旅客提高了灵活性。


    Eligible citizens from 54 countries, including Russia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, can enter China visa-free when transiting to a third country or region. These travelers can now enter through any of the 60 ports across 24 provincial-level regions, up from 39 ports in 19 provincial-level regions, the NIA said.

    国家移民管理局规定,符合条件的俄罗斯、巴西、英国、美国、加拿大等54国人员,从中国过境前往第三国(地区)时,可免签来华。这些旅客现在可从24个省(区、市)60个对外开放口岸中任一口岸入境,而此前只有19个省(区、市)的39个口岸。


    The 21 newly included ports are located in the provinces of Shanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong, Hunan, Hainan, Sichuan and Guizhou, and in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. The five newly included provinces for visa-free transit stays are Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hainan and Guizhou.

    新增的21个口岸位于山西、江苏、浙江、安徽、福建、江西、山东、湖南、海南、四川、贵州以及广西壮族自治区等地。新纳入过境免签政策的五个省份是山西、安徽、江西、海南和贵州。


    China, which first implemented its visa-free transit policy in January 2013, has been improving it over the years. Mao Xu, deputy head of the NIA, said the 72- and 144-hour visa-free transit policy has been warmly welcomed both at home and abroad.

    中国于2013年1月首次实施过境免签政策,并多年来一直不断完善该政策。国家移民管理局副局长毛旭表示,72/144小时过境免签政策在境内外广受欢迎,引发热烈反响。


    From January to November, the number of visa-free transit travelers surged by more than 130 percent year-on-year, Mao noted. When the maximum duration of visa-free transit stay was restricted to 144 hours, more than 80 percent of travelers did not leave China until the last few hours, he said.

    毛旭介绍,从1月到11月,适用过境免签政策来华外国人数量同比上升130%以上。原来过境免签政策停留时间最长为144小时,80%以上人员临近期限届满方离开。


    "Many foreign friends hope they could spend more time traveling within China," Mao said, adding that the updated policy will allow them to explore more scenic places in the country as well as help them to get better acquainted with Chinese culture.

    “有不少外国朋友希望有更充足的时间在中国境内旅游”,毛旭表示,新政策将方便过境外国人更好地欣赏中华美景、体验中华文化。


    Anastasiia Shimko, from Russia, said the extension of visa-free transit stay will make China a more attractive destination for foreign travelers.

    来自俄罗斯的Anastasiia Shimko说,延长过境免签将使中国成为对外国游客更具吸引力的目的地。


    The 37-year-old, who is pursuing a doctoral degree at Beijing Language and Culture University, said the policy revision may also encourage her friends and family members in Russia to plan a stopover to China.

    37岁的Shimko正在北京语言大学攻读博士学位,她认为,政策的调整也可能鼓励她在俄罗斯的朋友和家人计划来中国进行中转。


    "When they plan a trip to a third country, they will perhaps choose to transfer in large Chinese cities, spend more time in China and understand the country better," she added.

    她补充说:“当他们计划去第三国旅行时,也许会选择在中国的大城市转机,在中国待更长的时间,更好地了解中国。”


    In recent years, China has taken a series of steps to streamline its inbound travel. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday afternoon that China has reached full mutual visa exemption agreements with 26 countries, and adopted a unilateral visa-free policy for travelers from 38 countries.

    近年来,中国采取了一系列措施简化入境旅游手续。12月17日下午,外交部发言人林剑表示,中国已经同26个国家达成了全面免签,并对38个国家实行单方面免签政策。


    Liu Jia, deputy head of NIA's Department of Foreigner Management, said a notable feature of the new policy adjustment is the introduction of cross-regional travel, allowing foreign visitors to move freely across the designated areas of 24 specified provincial-level regions.

    国家移民管理局外国人管理司副司长柳佳介绍,新政策调整的最大特点是允许跨区域通行,即过境免签的外国人可以在24个省(区、市)停留活动区域内跨省域旅行。


    The updated policy allows foreign travelers to better plan their itineraries and arrange flexible travel routes, enabling multicity tourism and business activities across various regions, he said.

    柳佳表示,新政策便于外国人合理规划行程,灵活安排旅行路线,跨省多地进行旅游、商务等活动。


    Liu noted that the visa-free transit policy now covers not only eastern regions of China, which boast stronger economic prowess and a higher level of opening-up, but also destinations in central and western regions that are popular and capable of offering good services.

    柳佳指出,政策优化后,不仅覆盖经济实力较强、对外开放水平较高的东部省份,还将扩大到入境游需求旺盛、管理服务基础较好的中西部地区。


    It will better serve China's major strategies to boost development of the central and western regions, "creating a comprehensive opening-up pattern of coordinated development between the inland and coastal regions and between the east and the west", he added.

    柳佳补充,这将更好服务中部地区崛起、西部大开发等区域重大发展战略,“助力形成陆海内外联动、东西双向互济的全面开放格局”。


    streamline

    v. 简化使效率更高

    itinerary

    n. 旅程;行程

    visa-free policy

    免签政策


  • When recalling the visit made by President Xi Jinping to the Premier School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School in Macao, Chao Lin-chai said she didn't realize that it had already been five years.

    Chao was then giving an open class in history to first graders at the school auditorium, ahead of the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

    The topic was to explore the reasons behind the strong vitality of the "one country, two systems "principle, an institutional arrangement for ensuring sustained prosperity and stability in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions after their return to the motherland.

    "I remember President Xi walked up to the students and said that history is the best subject, because by knowing our history, we can understand where we started from, what path we have taken, where we are now, where we are headed for and what the future holds," Chao said.

    Xi also praised the students for being quick-witted, and expressed his confidence that the young people of Macao will mature into "a capable generation of which we are proud of" and serve as the backbone of both Macao and the country, Chao said.

    Starting on Wednesday, Xi will be in Macao again to attend a gathering marking the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland. He will also conduct an inspection tour during his three-day stay.

    "We are all very happy about President Xi's visit, which reflects his care and support for Macao. We also look forward to more opportunities for cooperation with the mainland that this trip might bring," Chao said, adding that local residents believe that Macao will continue to develop further and their quality of life will continue to improve.

    This is the seventh time in 25 years that Xi will set foot on Macao, which has a total area of 33.3 square kilometers.

    On June 10, 2000, less than half a year after the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Xi, then governor of East China's Fujian province, visited Macao to hold discussions on further strengthening the economic and trade cooperation between the province and the SAR.

    A year later, on Oct 23, Xi led a delegation to visit Macao and reached broad consensus with Ho Hau-wah, then chief executive of the SAR, on in-depth cooperation between Fujian and Macao.

    On Jan 19, 2005, Xi, then secretary of the Communist Party of China Zhejiang provincial committee, led a delegation to visit Macao for an event on economic and trade cooperation.

    Amid the global financial crisis in 2009, Xi, who was then Chinese vice-president, made a visit to Macao with the purpose of inspiring local people and helping them tide over the situation. During that trip, he announced that the central government had decided to commence the official development of Hengqin Island, Guangdong province, located less than 200 meters from Macao at its closest point.

    In 2014 and 2019, Xi attended gatherings marking the anniversaries of Macao's return to the motherland as Chinese president.

    Five years ago, in his speech marking the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the inauguration of the fifth-term government of the Macao SAR, Xi said that over the past two decades, the SAR government and the region's people had worked closely to usher in Macao's best period of development in history.

    Noting that the world is undergoing changes unseen in a century and Macao is facing new internal and external dynamics, Xi urged the SAR government and all sections of society to "build on what Macao has accomplished and take all undertakings in the SAR to the next level".

    New accomplishment

    In the past five years, the SAR government has received strong support from the central government to overcome challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and launched a series of innovative measures to promote economic development, social stability and cultural inheritance, achieving remarkable results.

    Last year, as the robust resurgence in tourism propelled Macao's economy to grow 80.5 percent year-on-year, the SAR was ranked fifth-wealthiest among regions globally, according to a report published by Global Finance magazine in May.

    In the first three quarters of this year, Macao's GDP increased 11.5 percent year-on-year to reach 301 billion patacas ($38 billion), data from the Statistics and Census Service showed.

    Macao was primarily relying on its casino industry to drive economic growth. However, the SAR government is now making dedicated and determined efforts to diversify Macao's industrial structure to reduce its dependence on the gaming sector.

    Xu Chang, a professor with the "One Country Two Systems "Research Centre at Macao Polytechnic University, said that Macao has revised its gaming law and regulations to strengthen supervision of casino operations and tackle gambling-related crimes in recent years.

    "Such efforts are of great significance for guiding this traditional lifeline industry toward legal, orderly and healthy development," he said.

    Last year, the SAR government released a development plan for Macao's economic diversification from 2024 through 2028. It is the first such plan drafted for Macao.

    The document outlines the"1+4"appropriate diversification development strategy that aims to enhance Macao's function as "One Centre "for integrated tourism and leisure, while facilitating the development of "four emerging industries", namely the traditional Chinese medicine and the health sector, modern financial services, high-tech industries, and cultural, sports and convention services.

    According to Xu, a series of public service facilities to improve people's well-being, such as government housing units for the elderly and low-income residents, in addition to convenient traveling options between Macao and Zhuhai, Guangdong, via new ports and a light railway link, have substantially enhanced the quality of life for Macao residents.

    "All these will help carry forward the fine tradition of loving the motherland and loving Macao, and speed up the SAR's integration into the modernization process of the motherland, thereby ensuring the steady implementation of the 'one country, two systems' principle," Xu said.

    When meeting with Sam Hou-fai, Macao's incoming chief executive, in Beijing last month, President Xi said the central authorities will stay committed to fully and faithfully implementing the "one country, two systems" principle and ensure there is no deviation or distortion in its implementation.

    The principle has proved to be the best answer to the question of Macao left by history and the best institutional guarantee for the long-term prosperity and stability of Macao after its return to the motherland.

    Wang Yu, a professor with the Faculty of Law at the University of Macau, said it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the principle as an unprecedented pioneering cause.

    "That's why President Xi has once and again emphasized that it must be applied without deviation or distortion to ensure Macao's steady and long-term progress," Wang said.

    Xu, from Macao Polytechnic University, said the fact that fellow compatriots in Macao can truly feel the care and concern of the motherland serves as the fundamental foundation for implementing the "one country, two systems "principle without deviation or distortion.

    Guarantee of progress

    In recent years, the central government has launched a series of policies and measures that benefit Macao and its people, continuously injecting new impetus into the SAR's long-term prosperity and stability and fully demonstrating the central government's care and love for Macao.

    In 2021, the central authorities decided to build the Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin, making the island an important new growth point for Macao's economy.

    As the nation moves to advance Chinese modernization, it was outlined in the resolution adopted at the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in July that efforts need to be made to improve relevant mechanisms to see Hong Kong and Macao playing greater roles in China's opening-up to the outside world.

    During their meeting in Beijing, Xi told Sam that this expression has pointed out the direction for Macao to integrate into Chinese modernization and achieve better development, creating a new historical opportunity for the SAR's development.

    Xu, from the polytechnic university, said that Macao should leverage its advantages in terms of location to advance China's reform and opening-up.

    The region should also use its traditional relations with Portuguese-speaking countries, convenient customs clearance in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the unique policy advantages of "one country, two systems" to make pioneering contributions to exploring the successful path toward Chinese modernization, he added.

  • As three new subway lines were put into operation on Sunday, Beijing's urban rail transit network has expanded to a total length of 879 kilometers, making it the longest in China, authorities said.

    12月15日,北京3条地铁新线同步开通。相关部门表示北京城市轨道交通网络总里程已达879公里,长度居全国首位。

    "The newly opened subway lines are crucial for easing traffic congestion in the city's central area and supporting the development of places along their routes," said Wu Yulan, deputy director of the rail transit operation management bureau at the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

    北京市交通委轨道交通运营管理处副处长吴玉兰表示:“新开通的地铁线对于缓解北京中心城区交通压力,服务沿线重点功能区建设具有重要意义。”

    The three new lines are the first phase of Line 3, connecting Dongsishitiao to Dongba North, Line 12, connecting Sijiqingqiao to Dongba North and the remaining section of the southern extension of the Changping Line. They contribute approximately 43 km to Beijing's urban rail transit network, according to the commission.

    据北京市交通委介绍,三条新线路分别为3号线一期(东四十条—东坝北)、12号线(四季青桥—东坝北)以及昌平线南延一期剩余段(西土城—蓟门桥站及朱房北站),北京城市轨道交通运营里程新增约43公里。

    Since the opening of Beijing's first subway line - Line 1, on Oct 1, 1969, the city has developed the longest urban rail transit network in the country, operating 29 subway lines and 522 stations. The subway system plays a foundational, supportive and

    leading role in the capital's development, Wu said.

    从1969年10月1日,作为北京第一条城市轨道交通的北京地铁1号线正式开通,到如今北京成为全国城市轨道交通运营里程最长城市,运营地铁线路29条、车站522座。吴玉兰表示,轨道交通在首都发展建设中发挥着基础性、支撑性、引领性作用。


    "The three new lines not only add new east-west routes in the city center but also connects several north-south lines, providing new public transportation options for residents living in areas such as Madian, Anzhen and Dongba," she added.

    “此次新开通3条地铁线,不仅在北京中心城区新增东西向轨道交通廊道,而且与多条南北向轨道交通线路连接,为马甸、安贞、东坝等居住区增添公共交通出行新选择。”她补充道。

    Notably, the first phase of Line 3, which includes (passes) Chaoyang Railway Station, will enhance the rapid dispersal capacity of passenger flow at the railway station. Passengers at Beijing Chaoyang Station will now have diverse transportation options, including subways, buses, taxis and private cars.

    值得注意的是,北京地铁3号线一期(东四十条—东坝北)途经朝阳火车站,其开通将提升国铁北京朝阳站客流在北京市内快速集散能力。目前朝阳站的旅客可选择地铁、出租车、网约车、公交车、私家车等多样化方式出行。

    With the integration of Beijing Chaoyang Station into the urban rail transit network, all seven major railway stations and two airports in the capital are now included in the subway system.

    随着国铁北京朝阳站接入北京城市轨道交通运营网络,北京七大火车站、两大机场实现“地铁全覆盖”。


    Li Tian, the station manager of Beijing Chaoyang Station, said that to ensure smooth and convenient transfers between rail and subway, they have coordinated with local government and rail transit authorities, enabling full preparation for the passenger flow.

    北京朝阳站站长李添表示,为确保旅客在铁路与地铁间接驳顺畅,北京朝阳站提前与地方政府、轨道交通部门进行了协调,为应对客流做好了充分准备。

    Beijing's urban rail transit network operates like an underground megacity. It has recorded passenger flows of over 11 million people on weekdays, equivalent to half of Beijing's population moving underground, official reports said.

    北京的城市轨道交通线网就像一座地下运行的超大城市。官方报告显示,北京城市轨道交通路网工作日已承担超1100万人次的客流,相当于北京一半的人口在地下流动。


    congestion

    n.拥挤,阻塞

  • President Xi Jinping called on Monday for constant efforts to achieve new accomplishments that will stand the test of history and time and fulfill the expectations of the people, amid China's drive to build a strong country and advance national rejuvenation.


    Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while addressing a meeting held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of late top legislator Qiao Shi.


    Xi praised Qiao's outstanding contributions to the Party and the country, and called for learning from his revolutionary spirit and noble character.


    Qiao was a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. He served as head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection from 1987 to 1992, promoting the building of a clean Party and improving anti-corruption laws and rules.


    Widely known as a champion of rule of law, Qiao served as chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, from 1993 to 1998. He supervised revisions to the Constitution, which saw the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics written into the Constitution as a guiding principle. He also oversaw legislative work on a series of economic laws so that the legal framework of the socialist market economy could take shape.


    In his speech on Monday, Xi said that generations of outstanding communists have emerged in the great process of China's revolution, construction and reform, and he stressed that Qiao was one of them.


    Xi said that commemorating Qiao is for the purpose of learning from him in maintaining a noble character of upholding firm beliefs and ideals, promoting better Party conduct with strict Party discipline, serving the people with the original aspiration in mind, and carrying out bold reforms with great political courage.


    He also emphasized the need to learn from Qiao's unwavering pursuit of respecting and enforcing the rule of law and his practical and realistic work style.


    While highlighting the need to firm up the communist ideal, Xi urged upholding the overall leadership of the Party as well as the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee.


    It is important to steadfastly exercise full and rigorous governance over the Party, vigorously improve conduct and combat corruption in strengthening the Party, in order to maintain the Party's advanced nature and integrity, he said.


    Xi also underscored the necessity to always adhere to the fundamental purpose of wholeheartedly serving the people, uphold people-centered development, effectively safeguard the fundamental interests of the people and ensure that the achievements of modernization benefit all the people more fairly.


    He called for further deepening comprehensive reform and advancing high-level opening-up, and emphasized the need to build a modern socialist country on the track of rule of law.


    It is crucial to resolutely oppose formalism and bureaucratism, focus on promoting development and take solid steps to advance Chinese modernization, Xi added.




  • Taking flexible jobs has become one of the most sought-after career choices for young Chinese people who wish to be in the driver's seat of their careers and value work-life balance. Experts have called for more flexible social insurance programs and stricter supervision of platforms' algorithms to better secure the rights of the flexibly employed.

    对于那些希望掌控自己职业生涯、重视平衡工作与生活的中国年轻人来说,灵活就业已成为他们最热衷的职业选择之一。专家也呼吁推出更灵活的社保项目、加强对平台算法的监管,以更好地保障灵活就业者的权益。

    Zhaopin, an online recruitment portal, recently released a report stating that youths born after 2000 are more open-minded towards flexible jobs than older individuals.

    在线招聘平台智联招聘近日发布的一份报告显示,与年龄较大的群体相比,2000后出生的年轻人对灵活就业持更加开放的态度。

    Among the surveyed 20-somethings, over half—51.3 percent—said that they have already taken a flexible job or have a strong willingness to work flexibly because of the reduced work pressure and looser restrictions associated with flexible jobs. However, the platform didn't specify the exact number of people surveyed.

    在接受调查的20多岁年轻人中,超过一半(51.3%)表示已经或有强烈意愿准备从事灵活的主要原因是“工作限制少,压力小”。然而,该平台并未说明具体的受访人数。

    Zhaopin mentioned that it's not easy to take or keep a flexible job due to the fast growth and development of information technologies and digital economies, which require the employed to possess certain key working skills, time management abilities, clear personal career plans and strong intrinsic motivation to secure more sustainable development for themselves. Employers have also shown increasing interest in hiring flexible workers to save human resources costs and gain new inspiration from the flexibly employed, according to Zhaopin's report. The report indicated that nearly 38 percent of surveyed companies expanded their recruitment of flexible workers this year, with profitable companies taking more positive approaches to hiring flexible workers.

    智联招聘提到,由于信息技术和数字经济的蓬勃发展,从事或维持灵活就业并不容易,这要求从业者“掌握核心技能”、“具备时间管理能力”、“擅长个人规划”以及“具有较强自驱力”以实现个人可持续发展。报告还显示,企业对聘用灵活就业人员的兴趣也在增加,认为这能节省人力资源成本、提供新灵感。报告指出,今年近38%的被调查公司扩大了对灵活就业人员的招聘,而盈利公司表现更为积极。

    "I quit my full-time job in September last year and now work as a flexible interior designer. I get design projects from some small-sized architectural firms or platforms like Xiaohongshu, a Chinese life-sharing platform," said Zheng Yuan, a 28-year-old from Beijing.

    “我去年9月辞去了全职工作,现在是一名灵活就业的室内设计师。我的设计项目是从一些小型建筑公司或小红书(一个中国生活分享平台)等平台获取的,”来自北京的28岁郑元(音译)说。

    He said he had been stressed at his previous company and was overtasked even on weekends. "I was depressed sitting at the office from 9 am to 9 pm and quit the job due to some health problems. The projects I now take are mostly based on my interests, and I get much more respect from my employers. Payment varies from case to case, but I'm OK with that."

    他表示,之前在公司工作压力很大,甚至在周末也超负荷工作。“从早上9点一直坐到晚上9点,我都抑郁了,因为健康问题也辞职了。我现在接的项目大多出于个人兴趣,也得到了雇主的更多尊重。报酬因项目而异,但我感觉还行。”

    Feng Shuaizhang, dean of the Institute for Economic and Social Research of Jinan University in the southern province of Guangdong, said that flexible jobs are usually classified into two types: one is location-based, with registered flexible workers taking online orders but serving in a specific real-world location, such as food delivery workers; the other is cloud-based, with all services fulfilled online by workers usually having higher educational backgrounds and information technology-related skills.

    广东暨南大学经济与社会研究院院长冯帅章表示,灵活就业通常分为两类:一种是基于位置的灵活就业,从业者通过互联网平台接单,但需要到特定的地理位置提供服务,例如外卖配送员等;一种是基于云端的灵活就业,所有服务均可线上完成,其从业者通常具有较高学历背景和信息技术技能。

    "Both of these groups need help with working rights protection from the government," he said, suggesting that the government could develop more flexible social insurance programs to allow the flexibly employed to receive fairer returns and insurance coverage based on their contributions.

    “这两类群体都需要政府在劳动权益保护方面给予帮助,”他说,并建议政府可以制定更灵活的社保项目,让灵活就业者能够根据自己的付出获得更公平的收入和保险覆盖。

    "It's also important to tighten supervision over platforms' algorithms or involve flexible workers in algorithm design to ensure they receive fair and reasonable online orders and payment," he said.

    “加强对平台算法的监管,或让灵活就业者参与算法设计,以确保他们获得公平合理的线上订单和报酬,这一点也很重要。”他说。

    Li Qiang, vice-president of Zhaopin, added that flexible working or hiring will be a trendy labor relation in the future, attracting more white-collar workers with higher educational backgrounds.

    智联招聘执行副总裁李强补充道,灵活就业或灵活用工将会成为未来的一种流行劳动关系,吸引更多高学历的白领加入。

    Feng, the dean, added that in addition to policy support, it's also necessary for the public to change its stereotypical view of flexible jobs, as many consider such work to be unstable or indecent.

    冯帅章院长还表示,许多人认为灵活就业不稳定或不体面,因此除了政策支持外,公众也需要改变对灵活就业的刻板印象。

    sought-after

    adj.热门的,广受欢迎的



  • Ahead of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, which falls on Friday, national and regional flags fluttered high along a Macao street that houses the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Commercial and Trade Service Platform Complex, a pivotal hub for activities boosting collaboration between the two sides.

    12月20日,澳门将迎来回归祖国25周年。在澳门的一处街道上,国旗和特区区旗迎风飘扬,中国与葡语国家商贸合作服务平台综合体大楼在此坐落,它也是促进双方合作的重要活动枢纽。

    Initiated as a way to cement Macao's role as a commercial and trade service platform for China and Portuguese-speaking countries, the complex's launch was announced in Macao in 2016 on the sidelines of the 5th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, also known as Forum Macao.

    为巩固澳门作为中国与葡语国家商贸合作服务平台的地位,该综合体大楼于2016年中国—葡语国家经贸合作论坛(澳门)(以下简称“中葡论坛”)第五届部长级会议上提出建造。


    The first phase of the complex was completed in 2019, which marked the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

    综合体大楼的一期工程于2019年竣工,正值澳门回归祖国20周年。

    The complex was one part of President Xi Jinping's inspection tour to Macao that year to celebrate the anniversary.

    该综合体是习近平总书记当年视察澳门以庆祝澳门回归周年的活动之一。


    While visiting, Xi recognized the complex as giving a fresh boost to the development of the service platform.

    考察期间,习近平总书记肯定了该综合体为服务平台的发展注入了新的活力。


    The subsequent five-year evolution saw major scale-ups of the complex as the regular meeting venue for Forum Macao and as a multifunctional facility that houses the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute and the Supporting Office to the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao.

    在随后的五年发展过程中,该综合体大楼的规模不断扩大,不仅成为中葡论坛的固定会议场地,还是容纳澳门特别行政区招商投资促进局和中葡论坛常设秘书处辅助办公室的多功能设施。


    "It provides excellent venues for institutes based in the city dedicated to propelling commercial and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, having greatly facilitated their daily operations and event hosting," said Ji Xianzheng, secretary-general of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao.

    中葡论坛常设秘书处秘书长季先峥表示:“这为致力于推动中国与葡语国家商贸合作的驻澳机构提供了绝佳的场所,极大地方便了它们的日常运作和活动举办。”


    Data released by the General Administration of Customs shows that China's trade in merchandise with Portuguese-speaking countries in the first 10 months of 2024 reached $191.2 billion, a 6 percent year-on-year increase.

    海关总署发布数据显示,2024年前10个月,中国与葡语国家的商品贸易额达1912亿美元,同比增长6%。


    The latest slate of high-profile events hosted in the complex included the sixth edition of the Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao in April.

    最近在该综合体大楼举办的一系列高规格活动包括4月举行的中葡论坛第六届部长级会议。


    Ji hailed the forum as among the most pronounced accomplishments in advancing cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, as it enables high-level intergovernmental exchanges between China and these countries.

    季先峥称赞中葡论坛是推动中国与葡语国家合作的最显著成就之一,因为它促成了中国与这些国家之间的高级别政府间交流。


    Ji highlighted the Strategic Plan for Economic and Trade Cooperation (2024-27) hammered out at the ministerial conference in April as a blueprint for future actions to drive more multilateral partnerships.

    季先峥强调,4月份部长级会议制定的《经贸合作行动纲领(2024—2027)》是未来行动的蓝图,旨在推动更多的多边合作关系。


    The plan clarified key fronts for collaboration, encompassing trade and investment, industry, human resources, medical care and healthcare, as well as education and cultural affairs.

    该纲领明确了合作的主要领域,包括贸易投资、工业、人力资源、医疗保健、教育和文化事务等。


    Asked about the secretariat's future priorities, Ji emphasized its resolve to enhance financial services, promote technological exchanges and build a joint mechanism to give full play to Macao's role as a cooperation platform for China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

    在被问及中葡论坛常设秘书处未来的工作重点时,季先峥强调,秘书处将加强金融服务,促进科技交流,建立联合机制,充分发挥澳门作为中国与葡语国家之间的合作平台作用。


    "The platform role that Macao aims to play is multidimensional in nature, requiring support from many relevant parties, not just the central and regional governments, industry associations and even private think tanks," said Ji, who attended the 6th Meeting of the Forum Macao China Follow-up Action Committee, which was held on Dec 3 in Beijing.

    “澳门要发挥的平台作用是多维度的,需要很多相关方面的支持,不仅仅是中央和地方政府、行业协会,甚至民间智库。”出席12月3日在北京召开的中葡论坛中方后续行动委员会第六次会议的季先峥说。


    "Our next step will be briefing Portuguese-speaking countries on the work we have been carrying out, gathering pace for more solid implementation of the strategic plan that was charted," he said.

    季先峥表示:“下一步,我们将向葡语国家介绍我们一直在开展的工作,为更扎实地落实所制定的战略计划积蓄力量。”


    The complex, whose Pavilion of China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Commercial and Trade Service Platform was unveiled in 2022, and which features several meeting and activity facilities, is also conducive to deepening trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. 

    该综合体的中国与葡语国家商贸合作服务平台展示馆于2022年揭幕,设有多个会议场地和活动设施,有助于深化贸易合作和人文交流。


    The pavilion, covering an estimated 1,800 square meters, is one of the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute's major recent endeavors to create more commercial and business ties between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

    该展示馆占地约1800平方米,是澳门招商投资促进局近期为加强中国与葡语国家之间的商贸联系而做出的主要努力之一。


    Kathy Lam, a Permanent Secretariat staff member who works as a tour guide in the pavilion, said she always likes to introduce visitors at the onset to the pavilion's logo, which she described as epitomizing the pavilion's core vision.

    在展示馆担任导游的常设秘书处工作人员Kathy Lam说,她总是喜欢在一开始就向参观者介绍展馆的标志,她说这是展馆核心理念的缩影。


    According to Lam, the logo is inspired by the first two strokes of the Chinese character he, meaning "joint", which is also the first character of the Chinese term for "collaboration" and resembles two clasped hands.

    据她介绍,展馆标志的灵感来自汉字“合”的前两笔,意为“联合”,也是中文“合作”一词的首字,形似两只紧握的手。


    Seven areas of the pavilion present a panorama of the concerted work of China and Portuguese-speaking countries, starting with multimedia displays of relevant preferential policies, supportive programs and collaboration milestones, and topped off with an exhibition of more than 2,000 products from Portuguese-speaking countries. Each item has a QR code for accessing information about the supplier.

    展馆的七个区域全景呈现了中国与葡语国家的合作成果,以多媒体形式展示中国与葡语国家的相关优惠政策、支持计划和合作里程碑,并展出了2000多件来自葡语国家的产品。每件产品都有对应的二维码,可用于获取供应商的相关信息。


    Lam said the pavilion, which is open to the public, was warmly received by companies on the Chinese mainland that seek to expand operations to Portuguese-speaking countries.

    Lam表示,该展馆向公众开放,受到了寻求将业务拓展至葡语国家的中国大陆公司的热烈欢迎。


    Ji, the secretary-general of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, said the complex also hosts themed workshops for government officials from Portuguese-speaking countries as well as experts. The workshops touch upon many areas of collaboration, including traditional Chinese medicine, and more are planned in fields such as the digital economy, green development and the blue, or ocean, economy.

    中葡论坛常设秘书处秘书长季先峥表示,该综合体还为葡语国家的政府官员和专家举办主题研讨会。这些研讨会涉及传统中医药等多个合作领域,并计划在数字经济、绿色发展和蓝色经济(海洋经济)等领域开展更多合作。


    More people have begun to hear about the complex, which "has become one of Macao's new landmarks", Ji added.

    季先峥补充,越来越多的人开始了解这座“已成为澳门新地标之一”的综合体。

    complex

    n. 复合体;综合设施

    pivotal

    adj. 中枢的, 关键的

    pavilion

    n. 展示馆



  • Li Tie, former head coach of the Chinese national men's soccer team, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a court in Hubei province on Friday for bribery-related crimes.

    2024年12月13日,湖北省一法院对中国国家男子足球队原主教练李铁以贿赂相关罪行判处有期徒刑二十年。

    The Xianning Intermediate People's Court in Hubei announced Li's convictions and sentence in a statement through its WeChat account.

    湖北省咸宁市中级人民法院通过其微信公众号发布声明,宣布了对李铁的定罪和判决。


    Li, 47, a native of Shenyang, Liaoning province, was a former professional soccer player who transitioned to coaching after retiring in 2012.

    李铁,47岁,辽宁省沈阳市人,前中国职业足球运动员,2012年退役后转为教练。


    He has received widespread attention from the public since late 2022 when he was placed under investigation for suspected serious violations of the law.

    2022年末,李铁因涉嫌严重违法接受调查,受到了公众的广泛关注。

    In March this year, he pleaded guilty to the bribery offenses at the Xianning court.

    今年3月,他在咸宁市中级人民法院对贿赂指控表示认罪。


    Evidence provided by prosecutors not only showed how Li offered bribes to those who helped him become head of the national men's soccer team and head of the selection panel but also proved how he accepted bribes after using the positions to benefit others, as well as engaging in bribe-taking and bribe-giving by using football clubs to cooperate in match-fixing.

    检察机关提供的证据显示,李铁不仅通过行贿请托他人提供帮助以当选男足国家队主教练和选拔队主教练,还利用这些职务收受贿赂、为他人谋取利益,并利用足球俱乐部合作操纵比赛、参与行贿和受贿。

    China has strengthened the fight against corruption in the soccer field over the past few years, with several former officials facing prison terms and fines.

    过去几年,中国加强了足球领域的反腐斗争,多名前官员被判入狱和罚款。

    For instance, Liu Yi, former secretary-general of the Chinese Football Association, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after he was convicted of bribery. In addition to his sentence, he was also fined 3.6 million yuan ($495,000).

    如中国足协原秘书长刘奕因受贿罪被判刑11年,并处罚金360万元人民币(49.5万美元)。


    prosecutor

    n.检察官;公诉人

  • Baby cabbage, broccoli and meatballs are placed in a pot while a shop staff member asks how spicy you'd like the dish. Though in a setting resembling a restaurant, these "ingredients" are actually plush toys designed by the Gansu Provincial Museum.

    在一家模拟餐厅环境的区域内,店员一边往锅里添加娃娃菜、西兰花及肉丸子,一边询问你想要多辣的口味。实际上,这些“食材”是甘肃省博物馆设计的毛绒玩具。

    The museum introduced a series of food-inspired plush toys influenced by the growing popularity of local spicy hot pots. These lively representations of spicy hot pot ingredients have become a hit among visitors.
    随着甘肃麻辣烫的火爆,该博物馆以此为灵感推出了生动形象的“麻辣烫系列”毛绒玩具,受到了游客热捧。


    China's rich culinary heritage continues to inspire creative cultural products. With various expressions on their fluffy faces, plush toys based on local food traditions have gained nationwide popularity recently. People traveling to different regions not only indulge in local cuisines but also seek out plush toys representing these specialties.
    中国丰富的饮食文化遗产为文创产品提供了不竭的灵感源泉。最近,以地方美食为原型、表情丰富各异的毛绒玩具火遍全国。游客们来到不同地区,不仅会品尝当地美食,还会寻找融入美食元素的毛绒玩具。


    A cultural product shop in Shaanxi province has introduced a plush version of the Chinese hamburger, or roujiamo, with meat sandwiched in a steamed bun. When a consumer purchases the toy, the packaging process mimics the real-life assembly of the burger—from selecting the bun and pouring sauce to adding the meat.

    陕西一家文创店推出了“中国汉堡”肉夹馍毛绒玩具,其造型为一片肉夹在馒头里。顾客在购买时可以像制作真正的肉夹馍一样,体验选馍、浇汁、夹肉等工序,最后打包带走。

    Videos of the packaging process for these food toys have garnered millions of views online, with comments like "so cute" and "full of emotional value". Some people even described the toy-purchasing experience as an adult version of playing house.

    这些食物玩具的包装过程视频在网上获得了数百万次观看,评论区满是“太可爱了”和“充满情绪价值”之语。有些人甚至将购买玩具的体验称为成年人的“过家家”。

    "The short interaction could immerse buyers in the experience. We are not just selling products, we are also selling culture and creating connections," Zhang Bo, co-founder of the Da Xiang Culture and Tech Company, the company behind the burger toy, was quoted by Guangming Daily newspaper as saying.

    据《光明日报》报道,推出肉夹馍玩具的大相文化科技公司联合创始人张博表示:“小小的互动过程,让购买者沉浸式体验。我们售卖的不仅是产品,更是文化与交流。”

    In Suzhou, Jiangsu province, consumers have lined up to buy plush toys inspired by the region's famous hairy crabs. Similarly, Changsha in Hunan province offers plush toys shaped like its iconic stinky tofu, while Tianjin has plush toys of Chinese crepes or jianbing.

    在江苏苏州,为了抢购以当地著名大闸蟹为原型的毛绒玩具,消费者们排起了长龙。同样,湖南长沙也推出了以标志性美食“臭豆腐”为灵感的毛绒玩具,而天津市则推出了煎饼果子毛绒玩具。

    Just as foodies have their own cuisine guide, toy fans are mapping out food toys across China on social media. Some even asked local gift shops to create plush toys of their favorite local dishes.

    就像美食爱好者有他们的美食地图一样,玩具爱好者也在社交媒体上绘制了中国的食物玩具地图。有些人甚至要求当地的礼品店创作出以他们最爱的当地菜肴为原型的毛绒玩具。

    This growing trend aligns with the emerging "cute economy", which is especially popular among younger generations. A trending hashtag online reads, "Chinese have our own Jellycat," referring to the famous British toy brand known for its wide range of food-based plush toys.

    这一增长趋势与新兴的“可爱经济”不谋而合,尤其受到年轻一代的欢迎。网络上有热门话题写道:“中国人有自己的Jellycat(一个以制作美食毛绒玩具而闻名的英国玩具品牌)”。

    In addition to food-themed toys, many museums in China have embraced the concept of transforming historical artifacts into plush toys, receiving positive responses from consumers.

    除了美食毛绒玩具,中国许多博物馆还将历史文物设计为毛绒玩具,引发了消费者的踊跃抢购。

    The Hubei Provincial Museum offers a plush toy based on the Sword of Goujian, a key artifact from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). As the centerpiece of the museum's collection, the sword toy was one of the museum's top three best-selling products last year. People nicknamed it the "little chubby sword."

    湖北省博物馆推出了以春秋时期(公元前770-476年)重要文物越王勾践剑为原型的毛绒玩具。这款“镇馆之宝”的毛绒玩具挤进了该馆2023年最畅销文创产品前三名。人们亲切地称之为“小胖剑”。

    When centuries-old artifacts are redesigned as soft, cuddly toys, the contrast fascinates consumers. With their fluffy texture and adorable faces, these plush toys have become popular cultural products.

    历史悠久的文物被重新设计成柔软可爱的毛绒玩具,这种反差让消费者为之着迷。这些毛绒玩具凭借软弹手感和可爱造型,成为了爆款文化产品。

    Whether representing regional cuisine or historical artifacts, these plush toys serve as tangible expressions of culture. "Traditional culture doesn't have to exist in the past," said Xu Zhe, a staff member from the cultural and creative department of the Suzhou Museum, in an interview with Guangming Daily. "It can connect with different generations and create new meanings through design."

    无论是以地方美食还是历史文物为原型,这些毛绒玩具都是文化的有形表现。“传统文化并不一定要以过去形态存在,”苏州博物馆文化创意部工作人员许哲在接受《光明日报》采访时说,“也可以通过‘设计’这个通道与每一代人产生新的连接、创造新的意义。”

    Xu believes that cultural products, combined with contemporary trends and aesthetics, can convey traditional values in a way that resonates with the younger generation.

    许哲认为,文创可以与当代风潮、新世代审美相结合,以更年轻的表述方式来传递文化价值。


    plush

    n.绒布

    chubby

    adj.胖乎乎的