6 | DISCOVER SHANXI Friday, February 21, 2020 CHINA DAILY Getting back to business as outbreak tackled

Province refuses to demic. They are securing more orders for 2020. let epidemic get in “During the first two months, the the way of trading value of our new overseas orders increased about 10 percent com­ or local economy pared with the same period last year,” Li said.

By YUAN SHENGGAO Medical supplies The production of medical sup­ As the nationwide battle against plies is of paramount significance the novel coronavirus epidemic in Shanxi to respond to the nation­ came to a critical stage, authorities wide emergency. in North China’s Shanxi province Since late January, local manu­ applied equal emphasis to disease facturers have resumed production control and economic growth. of such products as medicines, face At a meeting in the provincial masks and protective clothing. capital of Taiyuan on Feb 14, Lou Xinhua Chemicals is the first Yangsheng, Party secretary of local medical supplies company to Shanxi, required that local entities resume production in the province. resume normal production and As a result of its 500­plus employ­ business, while applying strict ees working on normal and addi­ measures on disease control. tional shifts, Xinhua Chemicals can The Party chief stressed the now produce 5,000 medical masks importance of ensuring supplies of daily, according to the company. products crucial to people’s liveli­ Another major medical supplies hoods and disease control. producer is Jihua 3534 Garments On the same day of the meeting, based in Wenxi county, Shanxi prov­ Lou visited farms in Dongyang ince. township, Jinzhong city, to learn “With more than 500 workers about the development of local working on three shifts and 10 pro­ farming activities and agricultural duction lines operating at full products supply. capacity, we can currently produce He called on local governments to more than 10,000 disposable pro­ address problems such as the supply tective garments every day,” said of seeds, fertilizers and farming A farmer works in his greenhouse orchard in Pinglu county. LIU WENLI / FOR CHINA DAILY Wang Qingcai, executive board machines, as well as ensure smooth chairman of the company. channels for farming products’ There is also cross­industry col­ transportation. laboration for the production of “Spring is the crucial period for a medical supplies. year’s farming activities. Agricultur­ For instance, Bingjuan Garments al production cannot be delayed based in Linyi county is using the despite the challenge caused by the germ­free workshop of local Aoer coronavirus outbreak,” Lou said. Pharmaceuticals to produce medi­ This year is likely to be a good year cal protective clothing. It took only for grain production in Shanxi, 48 hours to start production after according to local agricultural equipment was installed and raw experts. materials bought. “The weather this winter, which Stabilizing supplies of daily featured more frequent snow, will necessities to ensure that residents’ benefit growth of wheat,” said Liu livelihoods are not disrupted by the Zhifeng, an expert at the Shanxi epidemic is also an important part Agricultural Technology Promotion of the current economic operations. Station. As many residential communi­ On Feb 6, farmers in Xiezhou ties are locked down to prevent the township in Yuncheng city were spread of the virus, a number of busy weeding on the fields. From left: A gas company worker in Taiyuan checks equipment to ensure smooth supplies to local households. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY retailers are offering delivery servi­ “The wheat grows better with Farmers in Qingxu county collect vegetables that are ready to be sold in Shanxi and the rest of the country. YUE SHENG / FOR CHINA DAILY ces to residents. higher temperatures and more snow To avoid crowding in areas like this winter. It looks set that we will supermarkets, Taiyuan­based agri­ have a good harvest in early sum­ country. We hope we can play a role machines in place to help farmers cial Industrial and Information the group, his company can pro­ cultural products chain Hongxin mer,” said Hou Biewa, a local farmer. in fighting against the epidemic by begin their work. Department, more than 44 percent duce more than one train wheel a called on outlets to deliver vegeta­ “We had a quiet Spring Festival stabilizing food supply,” said Wang “We require these companies to of the local businesses above desig­ minute. bles, food and other daily necessi­ because of the outbreak of the epi­ Zhimin, a farmer in the village. send disease­prevention messages nated scale — with an annual sales “The products will be delivered to ties to the gates of neighboring demic. But I believe it will be over to farmers while offering farming­ revenue surpassing 20 million yuan more than 50 countries according communities. eventually and the wheat on the Farming activities related services,” a local agricultural ($2.86 million) — have resumed to our orders secured last year,” Li “We have delivered more than field will be the hope of our better The county of Qingxu is well pre­ official said. their operations. said. 1,000 tons of food to communities in lives,” Hou said. pared for farming activities this Since the outbreak of the novel At a plant of the Taiyuan­based “At this critical moment, we have Taiyuan at reasonable prices during In Chengzi village in Xingxu spring. coronavirus pneumonia in Decem­ Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Group, implemented the strictest protec­ this Spring Festival. This is a two­ county, there are more than 130 hec­ According to Xingxu’s agricultur­ ber, authorities in Shanxi have held workers are busy producing train tive measures to ensure the health fold increase compared with the tares of greenhouses for various veg­ al bureau, local agricultural service several meetings, drafting plans to wheels. of our workers and the smooth same period of last year,” said Zhao etables. companies now have 300 metric ensure both disease control and According to Li Haitao, deputy delivery of products,” he added. Xuefeng, president of Hongxin. “We are supplying vegetables to tons of seeds, 6,000 tons of fertiliz­ normalization of business activities. general manager of Taiyuan Rail Li said the company’s exports cities in Shanxi and the rest of the ers and more than 1,300 farming According to the Shanxi Provin­ Transit Equipment, a subsidiary of have not been disrupted by the epi­ Guo Yanjie contributed to this story. Artists revive forgotten techniques China is a great country and I believe By YUAN SHENGGAO antique market in Changzhi, Shanxi province. it can win the battle Fahua, whose techniques used After studying historical docu­ against the for decorating color­glazed porce­ ments, Zhang learned that the por­ lain had been lost for more than celain ware is a homonym of epidemic.” 300 years, has been brought back religious solemnity used in Bud­ Al-Maqtari Ahmed Ali Moham- to life by innovative craftsmen in dhist ceremonies. med Hasan, a Yemeni student Shanxi province. A featured exhibit was a fahua Zhang and his colleagues visited at Shanxi University The term fahua refers to Chinese pot decorated with egrets at a lotus many museums and libraries, and porcelain wares with bold, deep pond, designed and fired by Zhang talked with many elder craftsmen blue decoration and glazes in tur­ Yongyong. in the process of their research. Nigeria is also a student at Shanxi quoise, purple, green, yellow and A visitor named Deng Hongxia He learned about the firing proc­ University. She said she talks to her white. Fahua wares are regarded as said she was astonished by the ess and the application of colored International students in Taiyuan University of Technology follow parents on the phone every day, let­ the ceramic versions of cloisonné, beauty and intricacies of the work. glazes in different areas separated online classes in their dormitory. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY ting them know she is “safe and where the design elements are sep­ “The gem­blue color is the most by raised slip lines — the most diffi­ sound in China”. arated by copper wires. impressive. It’s so deep blue that it cult of the fahua techniques. A total of 106 international stu­ Porcelain featuring these tech­ gives a sense of remote antiquity,” “We had more than 10,000 tests dents are remaining during their niques is fired at lower tempera­ Deng said. and trials for the technique before International students winter vacation at Shanxi Medical tures with the different colored The fahua techniques have been we successfully made one in 2017,” University in Taiyuan. glazes and enamels applied to indi­ revived from those that had been Zhang said. Among them are Safa Ashiq, vidual areas created by the slip lost for about 300 years, Zhang Zhang’s team can now apply Marva Ashiq and Amna Ashiq, lines. said, adding that it is the result of a more than 50 colors to fahua staying safe in Shanxi three sisters from Pakistan, study­ At an exhibition during the fourth decade of hard work. wares. ing in the same class. Shanxi Cultural Industry Expo held Zhang and his research team Zhen Guomin, 67, is another By YUAN SHENGGAO thanks to the school’s measures for They planned to visit Pingyao, in Taiyuan in December, visitors got began to study the fahua tech­ craftsman contributing to the disease prevention and ensuring Datong and Beijing but the trips an up­close look at fahua wares cre­ niques in 2005, after becoming revival of the techniques. Life is still safe for international enough supplies. were canceled because of the epi­ ated by local craftsmen. obsessed with fahua wares on the He began studying fahua in students in North China’s Shanxi “The school takes our tempera­ demic. 2003. province, despite the outbreak of tures and we report our health con­ “We told our parents that the Like Zhang, Zhen also discov­ the novel coronavirus pneumonia ditions every day. Our dormitories school is the safest place because of ered the secrets in the coloring in the country. are disinfected every day and the the preventive measures,” Marva process. He used the raised slip According to the Shanxi Provin­ school’s logistics department sends Ashiq said. lines to inhibit enamels of different cial Education Department, there us food and other daily necessities To ensure their education is not colors from flowing into each oth­ were 748 international students in every two days,” Shahir said. disrupted by the disease, there are a er. Shanxi as of February. Al­Maqtari Ahmed Ali Moham­ number of online classes available Zhen and his son Zhen Shiqiang, “We have paid close attention to med Hasan, a Yemeni student at at the university. who is a member of his team, have every international student since Shanxi University, said the school’s Zafar Muhammed Waleed Bin, a been named master inheritors of January and we require every teachers have shown great consid­ Pakistani student at Shanxi Uni­ the intangible cultural heritage in school to take effective measures to eration for the international stu­ versity of Chinese Medicine, has Shanxi by the provincial govern­ make sure that they can live and dents. been paying close attention to the ment. study safely in Shanxi,” said Han “They send us masks and messa­ development of the epidemic in “Instead of inheritors, we are Ruiyong, chief of international ges of caution. Despite strict pre­ China. actually innovators in intangible cooperation and exchanges at the ventive measures, life is as usual He said he believed China can cultural assets. Innovation can play provincial education department. here in Shanxi,” he said. “China is a eventually win the battle because of a big role in preserving and reviv­ Sharifi Shahir, an Afgan student great country and I believe it can the Chinese people’s courage in the ing historical heritage,” said Zhen, studying at Taiyuan University of win the battle against the epidem­ face of difficulties. the father. Technology, said his life hadn’t ic.” Visitors take photos of a fahua pot on exhibit at the fourth Shanxi been disrupted by the epidemic Agba Chinaza Frances from Li Linxia contributed to this story. Cultural Industry Expo. HU XUGUANG / FOR CHINA DAILY Bai Jie contributed to this story.

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