Boasting elements like stone bridges, winding rivers and elegant above-water architecture, ancient towns are highlights to the landscape of China's Jiangnan. Jiangnan is a geographic area that is commonly known as the south of the mighty Yangtze River.

Built with a touch of garden aesthetics, these towns are popular touristic destinations. Comparing to renowned sites like the Zhouzhuang Town in Jiangsu Province, the Puyuan Fashion Resort, opened to public in 2023, is an emerging spot that shows how an old rural town can sustain people's modern and fashionable lifestyles.

Old yet fashionable

Puyuan is located in Tongxiang, East China's Zhejiang Province. Its history dates back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), and the town is one of the stops where the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal flows through.

To promote the protection of the ancient canal culture heritage, in 2016, a renovation project was carried out in Puyuan, covering an area of approximately 858,000 square meters.

In order to preserve the traditional look of the town's above-water architectures, the renovation project followed the concept of "repairing old buildings by keeping their old aesthetics while also integrating new cultural and commercial elements into the town," Yao Jie, a manager of the resort, told the Global Times.

Nine well-preserved ancient bridges, including the Zong'an Bridge and the Dayou Bridge are distributed along the "H"-shaped river system of the Puyuan Fashion Resort. Many of those bridges date back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Some of those bridges connect to inns. For instance, an owner of the Xianzi Beach Inn told the Global Times that the inn is not the biggest one in the resort, but it can offer an "authentic taste of Puyuan" as guests can see the green and clear river flowing beneath their feet just by opening their bedroom's window.

Wooden boats and shuttle buses are always available in the resort. Boats take visitors underneath the bridges' arches to arrive at notable scenic spots in the ancient town. Two popular local destinations are the Meijing Theater, founded in 1947 and offering performances of the traditional Yue Opera, and the Xiangyun Taoist Temple, a symbol of the Taoist philosophy's development in the region, built in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368).

The ancient town's time-honored locations are mixed with new buildings including modern hotels, performance plazas, and a visitor center that boasts a T-stage venue for fashion shows.

Puyuan, where the resort is located, is one of China's most dynamic centers for fashion production, especially in the cashmere and knitwear sectors. Around 700 million sweaters made in Puyuan are sold worldwide every year.

Relying on the Town's solid foundation in the clothing industry, the resort has found its niche character of promoting shows and exhibitions that connect to the international market.

One of its strategies is to collaborate with the entertainment industry. It has invited highly popular reality shows such as Funny Team 2024 to film at the resort. In the show, Chinese stars such as Na Ying and Huang Zitao run around the resort, taking audiences on a visual journey around Puyuan's beautiful scenic spots.

In 2023, the resort organized a successful campaign in collaboration with the Chinese version of the fashion magazine Gentlemen's Quarterly, also known as GQ. By having superstars such as Fei Xiang (also known as Kris Phillips, is a Chinese-American pop icon and musical singer) posting photos of the resort, the fashion title of the ancient town was accentuated.

"There are many ancient towns in China, and we need to give them unique themes to make them stand out. This is the creative strategy we need to promote Chinese ancient towns," Xiao Junfu, a marketer of the touristic industry, told the Global Times.
Niche interests

Other than Puyuan, the Wuzhen Town and Xitang Town, two ancient water towns nestled in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang Province, have also embarked on a journey of remarkable transformation.

Wuzhen Town, whose roots trace back over 1,000 years, found a way to bridge the gap between past and future. Its once quiet canals, lined with Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1368-1644) buildings, became the stage for a new kind of digital dialogue: the town's transformation began with its establishment as the permanent home of the World Internet Conference, cementing its role as a digital pioneer.

But it was the birth of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival in 2013 that truly brought Wuzhen's spirit into full bloom. The event integrated Wuzhen's historical landscape with cutting-edge theater, making the town a beacon of artistic and cultural exchange.

A few kilometers away, Xitang Town embarked on its own revival journey. Originally created back in the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC), the town still thrives nowadays thanks to its own unique cultural initiatives. For example, the Xitang Hanfu Culture Week showcases not only the town's past but also its deep connection to Chinese tradition. During the week, people dress in elegant Hanfu attire strolling through the streets, bringing the past vividly to life as workshops and parades make the town a living museum of ancient fashion.

The Xitang Ancient Town Protection Regulations of Jiaxing City released in 2023, further promote the construction of an ecological cultural tourism zone and the integration of ancient town culture and tourism, while continuing to protect the cultural heritage and traditional architecture of the ancient town.

Together, the Wuzhen and Xitang water towns breathe a new life, exemplary for the cultivation of a new cultural ecology in historical towns, one that honors the past while embracing the future.

Chinese scientists have demonstrated their brain-computer interface (BCI) systems are successful and effective in rehabilitation, and have the potential to bridge biological and artificial intelligence.

In a video revealed by the China Central Television (CCTV) on Saturday, a young man surnamed Bai was trying to control his wheelchair by his mind.

What Bai needed to do was to focus his attention and imagine the movements. "The system is quite sensitive," he told CCTV.

In December 2023, a wireless minimally invasive BCI system developed by the Tsinghua team, also known as NEO, was implanted into the brain of Bai, 35, who had been paralyzed for years following a car accident.

Bai can now control a computer with his own thoughts and brain signals. He is also able to control a wheelchair with his mind. These prove that signal control of BCIs has been successful, Hong Bo from the School of Medicine with Tsinghua University who leads the research, told the Global Times.
Another patient, surnamed Yang, 54, who has been paralyzed for 14 years, also received the implantation surgery of the Tsinghua team's BCI system in 2023. He is now able to proficiently use his mind to control the exoskeleton glove. His hands have also regained some of its grabbing function, Hong said.

These all prove the effectiveness of our BCI system. Looking ahead, the team will, subject to regulatory approval, further expand the scale of medical clinical trials on the path to providing a commercially viable service to benefit the greatest number of patients, he noted.

BCI refers to the technology that establishes a direct connection pathway between the human brain's nerves and electronic or mechanical devices, to achieve information interaction and functional integration between the nervous system and external devices.

Many view the BCI technology as holding the key to an "era of neuroscience." According to reports of 21jingji.com, the global BCI market is expected to reach $3.3 billion by 2027, with an annual compound growth rate of about 14 percent in seven years.

Chinese scientists have achieved breakthroughs in domestic research and development in BCI technology in recent years and actively applying the technology in rehabilitation, epilepsy, and depression treatment. Research in technology in China has now reached a crucial stage, transitioning from the laboratory to the market. Industry observers noted that this shift is expected to play a significant role in driving economic development and creating new competitive advantages in the future.

The BCI technology encountered controversies in safety and ethics after Elon Musk said in January 2024 that his BCI company, Neuralink, had successfully completed the first human brain implantation surgery of its invasive BCI device. Concerns increased after the company revealed in May that a number of the implant's connective threads retracted from the brain a few weeks after the surgery, causing a reduction in the signals the device could capture.

In previous interviews, Hong told the Global Times that compared with Neuralink's invasive technology, his team's wireless semi-invasive BCI technology offers higher levels of safety and a longer product lifespan.

"I hope that the two recipients of our implants can achieve observable neurological repair within six months to one year," Hong said.

At the Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, the clinical research on a wearable robotic finger, also known as the Lingxi Finger, developed by a neuroengineering team from Tianjin University has also been ongoing for over half a year. A patient surnamed Qiao, who lost the ability to grip with his left hand due to acute cerebral infarction, is participating in the clinical research.

The Lingxi Finger is a non-invasive BCI rehabilitation system developed by the Medical School at Tianjin University. By putting a BCI cap on the patient's head, the system can help the patient to actively control machine fingers worn on his hand by reading his brainwave information. Research data has confirmed that this system can greatly accelerate the recovery progress of patients, according to the university.

Chinese scientists are also exploring the most cutting edge area of BCI technology.
The Global Times learned from the university that a team from the Haihe Laboratory of Brain-Computer Interaction and Human-Machine Integration, led by Tianjin University and their collaborators from the Southern University of Science and Technology have successfully developed an open-source brain-on-a-chip (BOC) interface system, MetaBOC, which enables a "lab-grown brain" to conduct unmanned control of robots to perform tasks such as obstacle avoidance, tracking, and grasping.

BOC is formed by coupling a lab-grown brain with electrode chips. As an emerging branch of brain-computer interface, the BOC interface refers to a technology that enables bidirectional interaction between a lab-grown brain and external devices through encoding and decoding techniques and stimulation feedback.

BOC interface system technology is widely believed to play a revolutionary role in the development of cutting-edge technologies such as hybrid intelligence and brain-like computing.

Li Xiaohong, a professor at the Medical School at Tianjin University and the head of the on-chip BCI team said, a lab-grown brain has the advantages of low power consumption and fast learning speed. Moreover, the brain-on-a-chip interface system represents a transformative approach to bridging biological and artificial intelligence.

MetaBOC is also the world's first full-chain, open-source brain-on-a-chip interface system designed to enable closed-loop interaction between a lab-grown brain and external devices. Li showed the Global Times MetaBOC's efficacy in performing intelligent control tasks, such as robotic obstacle avoidance, in both virtual environments and real-world scenarios.

Li said MetaBOC represented a significant advancement in the field of BOC technology, offering a versatile platform for exploring the computational mechanisms of biological intelligence.

At a forum in April in Beijing, Gao Xiaorong from the Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence said, "The interaction between AI and BCI is bidirectional. A certain part of the development of BCI, especially in terms of algorithms, is aided by advancements in AI technology, allowing BCI developers to extract brainwave information. At the same time, BCI technologies can also promote the development of AI. For example, the uniqueness of brainwave information will further enhance the operational capabilities of AI and even influence its evolutionary direction."

At the forum, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also called on national colleges, institutes, and companies to cooperate to promote a combination of the two fields and accelerate the research and development of core technologies and products.

China's top 500 enterprises have moved ahead steadily, setting new records for revenue growth, rapid innovation-driven advancement and ongoing structural optimization, despite a complex and volatile global economic climate, an industry ranking report showed on Wednesday.

The 2024 list of the top 500 Chinese enterprises has been released by the China Enterprise Confederation and the China Enterprise Directors Association, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The total revenue of the 500 companies reached 110.07 trillion yuan ($15.45 trillion) last year, up 1.58 percent year-on-year to a record high, per the report.

Their net profits totaled 4.51 trillion yuan last year, up 5.01 percent from one year earlier.

Experts attribute the growth to technological innovation driven by new quality productive forces, accelerated optimization of enterprise structures, and the deep integration of the real economy and the digital economy -- driving forces that will anchor China's steady economic growth amid rising global uncertainties.

According to the report, the average research and development (R&D) intensity of these top companies increased for the seventh consecutive year, with total R&D investment accounting for 1.9 percent of their total revenue, the highest level since 2002.

Moreover, innovation output rose, with these enterprises holding 2.03 million valid patents in 2024, up 7.66 percent year-on-year, underscoring a steady boost in innovation capabilities.

These figures show that the leading domestic companies are on an upward trajectory not only in financial performance but also in structural improvement and technological innovation, Li Jin, chief researcher at the China Enterprise Research Institute in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"China has accelerated the restructuring of state-owned enterprises in recent years to optimize the distribution of state-owned capital and speed up the shift toward emerging and future industries," Li said.

The report also pointed to a rising number of advanced manufacturing and modern services enterprises among the top 500. The number of companies in sectors like new-energy equipment, power storage batteries, communication equipment and semiconductor manufacturing have increased to 31, up by 18, during the past five years.

Li further highlighted the record-high technology investment by China's private enterprises over the years, with various emerging sectors showing steady growth, thanks to the government's push for new quality productive forces.

Despite rising global violability, Chinese firms' steady growth reflects the resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy and will contribute to the country's continued healthy growth, experts said.

Planning to send warships to pass through the Taiwan Straits, Germany is abandoning its prudent and rational approach of over 20 years by undertaking a move with nothing to gain and everything to lose.  

Two German warships, the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, are set to pass through the Taiwan Straits in the middle of this month, becoming the first German naval vessels to do so in 22 years, Spiegel magazine reported on Saturday. The head of the German Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael Roth, posted on X that the move aims to strengthen "freedom of navigation and stability" in the region. 

Does "freedom of navigation" really necessitate choosing a route that is highly sensitive and clearly offends China's core interest? Both the German government and military are fully aware of the political implications of crossing the Taiwan Straits. They know that, for China, such a move constitutes a provocation. Respecting each other's core interests and major concerns is essential for a comprehensive strategic partnership. Is today's Germany about to forsake its previous political maturity?

Germany has recently increased its presence in the Asia-Pacific region. This year, it has not only signed a new defense agreement with Japan but also witnessed its defense minister make a historic visit to the Philippines, with plans to sign a defense cooperation agreement with Manila later in 2024. 

Behind this series of moves lies the push from the US and NATO. The US has been endeavoring to expand NATO into the Asia-Pacific region. However, this planning is inconsistent with NATO's original mandate. After all, NATO stands for "North Atlantic Treaty Organization," not "North Atlantic-Pacific Treaty Organization." Consequently, a roundabout tactic has emerged - a growing number of individual NATO members are strengthening their military and defense cooperation with the Asia-Pacific region through joint military drills or by deploying aircraft carriers and warships. This trend does not occur under NATO's official banner; yet, in practice, it results in NATO's influence extending into the Asia-Pacific. 

NATO countries' relevant strategies often reflect US policy, and it is not sure how much control other members really have, a retired US official told the Global Times recently. 

If Germany aims to showcase its military presence in the Asia-Pacific, sending warships through the Taiwan Straits is the most ill-advised approach. This action appears to be primarily a favor for the US, signaling a supportive stance toward the US' tactics regarding the Taiwan question. However, Germany is unlikely to gain any benefits in return. Why is the US urging its allies to invest more efforts in the Asia-Pacific? Because it is bogged down by multiple crises and is struggling to maintain high-intensity military deployments there on its own. Therefore, Washington is utilizing its allies to create disturbances in the region to distract China. 

If Germany does not take this step and simply continues its consistent policy of the past 22 years, there will be no significant loss. Its position within NATO and its relationship with the US would remain unchanged. However, if German warships were to sail through the Taiwan Straits, it would damage Germany's ties with China. 

From any perspective, sending German warships through the Taiwan Straits is a move that offers all harm and no gain. Provoking China over its core interests does not seem like a decision made by a mature major power. There is no reasonable reason for Germany to do so and it still has time to reconsider. 

Spain needs to reconsider its position on EU’s proposed additional tariffs for Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday, amid his visit to China.

“Frankly, I think we need to reconsider - all of us, not only [EU] member states, but also the [European] Commission - our position toward this movement,” Sanchez said at a press conference being held on Wednesday at Kunshan City, East China’s Jiangsu Province, responding to a media question on whether Spain is reconsidering its position on proposed tariff expansion on Chinese electric vehicles.

“As I said before, we don’t need another trade war,” Sanchez said. He noted that the Spanish side wants to play a constructive role in building bridges between the EU and China, and tries to find a solution and compromise between China and the EC.

Sanchez reiterated that trade wars are inappropriate and we must find a negotiation solution to help strengthen the bilateral relationship between China and the EU, which he believes is fundamental for both Chinese and European societies.

“I am grateful for the constructive attitude of the Chinese authorities,” he said.

Sanchez’s four-day visit to China from September 8 to 11, 2024 covered cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Kunshan. The Wednesday press conference was held at Kunshan Mondragon Industrial Park, an industrial and technological cluster where some Spanish companies are located.

Sanchez remarked that he noticed “the enormous growth potential between Spain and China.”

“This spirit of cooperation transcends the bilateral relationship between Spain and China, and reaches the European Union,” he said in Spanish.

International fashion brands in jewelry, handbags, and apparel are now eyeing opportunities in China's booming coffee market, starting to expand their businesses to cross-industry products and services. Chinese experts attribute the new market evolution to China's widening opening-up which has created vast opportunities for global corporations.

ROCK&RIDE, a US-based jewelry brand, told the Global Times on Tuesday that it has expanded its offerings this year by adding coffee services and a dedicated "coffee space," with its first coffee store officially launched in downtown Beijing.

The "coffee space" named ROCK&RIDE TASTE, was launched in August within Beijing's 798 Art District. Currently, ROCK&RIDE TASTE offers a limited menu of four beverages including three coffee options and one caffee-tea beverage, all served cold.

"China's coffee market is widely acknowledged for its vast growth potential. Coffee and tea are popular beverages globally, and the relationship between the two is not a zero-sum game in China." the CEO of ROCK&RIDE told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

"We believe that the growing demand for coffee in China doesn't necessitate altering consumers' existing beverage preferences. Instead, it offers an additional choice for consumption and experience," he said.

Recently, several international brands have shown a strong interest in China's coffee market, exploring cross-industry opportunities.

Vivienne Westwood operated its new caféat Beijing's Sanlitun Street on August 8. On July 28, Coach officially launched its first café in China, located in Shanghai's Huangpu district.

In response to market demand, another Vivienne Westwood café in Beijing is expected to open for business at the year-end, a representative from Vivienne Westwood Café told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Many consumers told the Global Times that the coffee products offered by the globally well-known brands are appealing to them. They enjoy the combination of their favourite fashionable brands with coffee, making it a must-have purchase.

"China's market is highly diverse, open, and inclusive. It's not just coffee but also tea beverage that has seen rapid growth in business," Bian Yongzu, executive deputy editor-in-chief of Modernization of Management magazine, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

He noted that this growth underscores the strong adaptability of Chinese consumers, especially the younger generation to the evolving market trends.

Bian said that foreign brands' swift decision-making in China is closely tied to the country's commitment to sticking to high-level opening-up.

A recent report revealed that China's coffee industry reached 265.4 billion yuan ($32.29 billion) in size last year, with market projections estimating it to grow to 313 billion yuan in 2024. The industry's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the past three years reached 17.14 percent.

Additionally, the report stated that 930 million cups of coffee were consumed nationwide through delivery platforms. Over the past four years, coffee delivery orders have experienced a compound growth rate of 66 percent.

"The Chinese government is intensifying efforts to fully implement national treatment for foreign-funded enterprises. Initiatives like reducing the negative list for foreign investment, simplifying the investment process, and facilitating smoother capital flows have boosted the efficiency of foreign investment in China while cutting costs," Bian said.

Editor's Note:

The 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit will be held in Beijing from September 4 to 6. The theme of this year's summit is "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future." In light of this, the Global Times launches a series of China-Africa stories, including interviews with political leaders, stories of exchanges between young people from China and African countries, and intensive cooperation in various fields. Through these stories, we will see how China and Africa are deepening their ties and building a brighter future together.

In this instalment, Global Times reporter Zhao Yusha talked with Endalkachew Sime, PhD student at Peking University, ex-state minister of planning and development of Ethiopia and ex-secretary general of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations.
Endalkachew Sime, once the state minister of Ethiopia, is now a PhD candidate at Peking University in China.

When discussing China's cooperation with Africa, Sime said it is just like his studies in Beijing.

"My studies here in China are equipping me with the knowledge that I can apply in Africa. This cooperation extends beyond mere financial transactions; it's about long-term development and capacity building," Sime, currently a student from Peking University Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development, told the Global Times.

With an approximate population of 126.5 million people (2023), Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in Africa after Nigeria, and one of the fastest-growing economies in the region, according to the World Bank.

Ethiopia stands at the forefront of the China-Africa strategic partnership.

"China has been the largest trading partner to Ethiopia and a top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country, accounting for nearly 50 percent of all FDI inflow into the country," Gebeyehu Ganga, director general of the Middle East, Asia, and Pacific Affairs at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in June this year, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
For Sime, there's still much potential for cooperation between the two countries. "Ethiopia has significant potential for future cooperation with China, particularly in areas like infrastructure, power, and trade. Specifically, there is potential in value-added manufacturing, where Ethiopia can convert its immense agricultural and natural resources into finished goods for export to the world's fastest-growing domestic market," Sime, who formerly served as the state minister of planning and development of Ethiopia and secretary general of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations, told the Global Times.

Sime recalled that he first came to China in 2004, and has witnessed the development trajectory that China has undergone in the past decades. Such experience sparked a strong interest in him to study academically and professionally in this country.

"Many people describe China's development as a miracle, but there's no such thing as a miracle. If you explain it well, it's something that can be replicated. If you frame it as a miracle, then it becomes unrepeatable. That's why I came here - to learn and see," he said.

"China has managed to plan and implement its development strategy consistently over a long period. I compared this with my own country, which had a very different economic background three decades ago," said Sime.

He said Ethiopia started to follow a similar model to China, and initially had an encouraging start. However, due to various reasons, the development could not be sustained.

"So having a solid state formation process and strong leadership are, in my view, critical elements that developing nations can learn from China. There might be other aspects to consider, but these are the two that stand out to me," said Sime.

Ethiopia was among the first batch of African countries to sign the "Belt and Road Initiative Cooperation Documents" to jointly build the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

"What sets the BRI apart when it comes to Africa's engagement with the rest of the world? Let me provide a specific example." Sime said. "Ethiopia, for instance, was seeking financial access for critical projects, and the most flexible and accessible source of finance turned out to be the BRI."

He praised the BRI's financing as more flexible and it considers the developmental challenges that Africa faces. "However, this does not mean that projects are financed without rigorous screening. There are thorough banking and financial procedures that must be followed. The flexibility is in addressing Africa's needs better than other financing bodies," said Sime.

Over the last decade, many African projects have benefited from the BRI's flexibility. Compared to other engagements, the BRI gives African countries more freedom to choose projects that align with their national interests and development goals compared to other financing options, according to Sime.

In recent years, green-eyed about China's cooperation with African countries, some Western politicians and institutions have hyped that through investment, loans, political influence, and migration, China is utilizing an inventive form of "neocolonialism" on African nations.

In response, Sime said that "no one enters a partnership for a free lunch. Africa, like any other region, has its interests, and so do China and Western countries. The essence of the deal is cooperation based on mutual benefit and nonintervention, which is gaining acceptance among many African nations."

Why do these countries choose such partnerships? It's a decision made through rigorous studies and evidence-based processes. Africa partners with all parts of the world based on its preferences and priorities, Sime noted.

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who is here for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged beefed-up disaster relief efforts after Super Typhoon Yagi struck the country's southern region.