Fengdu: Fengdu: Facepay of Era the 52-55 Millennial Dawn Millennial 2009: to 2000 56-63

2-903 CN11-1429/Z 邮发代号国内零售价： Canada $7.80 Australia $9.10 USA $5.10 Vol. 854 August 2019 Moving Past Poverty Past Moving 10 Turkey TL.10.00 Europe €5.20 UK 元 ₤ 3.20 3.20 Staging the World Graves: Joseph 40-43 Fengdu: Fengdu: FacePay of Era The 52-55 Millennial Dawn Millennial 2009: to 2000 56-63

可栽绕已种地塞达树木寒来球罕沙赤坝按半个多世纪，暑地道机往，变林海，荒牢记使命械林三场原成代人的森林覆盖率绿洲。耕耘。 80%

，

1 米株距排开，艰苦创业 12 圈。

绿色发展

Saihanba is a cold alpine area in northern Hebei Province bordering the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It was once a barren land but is now home to 75,000 hectares of forest, thanks to the labor of generations of forestry workers in the past 55 years. Every year the forest purifies 137 million cubic meters of water and absorbs 747,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The forest produces 12 billion yuan (around US$1.8 billion) of ecological value annually, according to the Chinese Academy of Forestry. Aug 2O19

Administrative Agency: China International Publishing Group 主管：中国外文出版发行事业局（中国国际出版集团） Publisher: China Pictorial Publications 主办: 社 Address: 33 Chegongzhuang Xilu 社址: Haidian, Beijing 100048 北京市海淀区车公庄西路33号邮编: 100048 Email: [email protected] : [email protected] 邮箱 President: Yu Tao 社长: 于涛 Editorial Board: Yu Tao, Li Xia, He Peng 编委会: Bao Linfu, Yu Jia, Yan Ying 于涛、李霞、贺鹏鲍林富、于佳、闫颖

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Overseas Distribution: 48 China International Book Trading Corporation (Guoji Shudian), 35 Chegongzhuang Xilu, P.o. Box 399, Beijing 100044, China Telephone: 86-10-68413849 Fax: 86-10-68412166 China Book Trading (Canada) Inc. Telephone: 1-416-497-8096 Features Fengdu: Moving Past Poverty 出版日期每月1日 08 国内刊号: CN11-1429/Z 10 Wins in the West 国际刊号: ISSN0009-4420 京海工商广字第0121号 Poverty Alleviation Efforts in Chongqing’s Fengdu County In China, subscriptions are available at any post office. 16 Rise of “Ghost City” Subscription and distribution agency in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan: 20 Green Poverty Reduction Hong Kong Peace Book Company, Ltd. 17/F., Paramount Building, 12 Ka Yip Street, Chai Wan, Hong Kong 24 Filling the Void Value Untapped Visit China Pictorial on the Internet: 28 www.china-pictorial.com.cn 32 The Power of Sichuan Peppers 36 E-commerce in the Mountains

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Express 70 Years in Pictures 06 The Shorter the List, the Greater the Opportunity 56 2000 to 2009: Millennial Dawn

People Culture 40 Joseph Graves: Staging the World 64 Discovering a Real China 72 Art Speaks Across Cultures Ecology 76 An Indian’s Take on Beijing 44 Wangyedian Experimental Forest Farm: Exploring Sustainable Forestry Cover caption An aerial view of the terraced fields in Yeliping Village, Society Sanjian Township, Fengdu County. The village has Water Tech at the Expo vigorously developed specialty industries such as rice 48 plantation in recent years, lifting many households out of 52 The Era of FacePay poverty. by Xu Xun EXPRESS | NEWS

by Pang Xinglei/Xinhua Strategic Partner UAE uly 22, Beijing: Chinese President Xi inping holds a welcome ceremony or Sheikh Mohammed bin ayed l ahyan, crown prince o bu habi o the nited rab mirates (), beore their talks. uring his talks with the crown prince, Xi called or joint eorts with the to accelerate the high-uality construction o the Belt and oad as the two countries signed a number o landmark programs or bilateral cooperation. ecalling his isit to the last uly, Xi urged deeper strategic mutual trust and strategic cooperation, stress- ing that China sees the as an important strategic cooperatie partner in the Middle ast.

Stellar Debut uly 22, Shanghai: Guests attend the debut ceremony o Chinas sci-tech innoation board (ST market) at the Shanghai Stock xchange (SS). The ST market, Chinas latest S-style high-tech trading board, began operation that day, kicking o a trail-blazing stage o the countrys innoation drie and capital market reorm. The debut o the irst group o 25 listed irms was impressie. t closing, they saw an aerage increase o about 140 percent, with one surging more than 400 percent. The new board is Chinas latest reorm attempt to make the -share market more market-oriented and law-based. First proposed in oember 2018, it took only about 260 days to transorm the new board rom idea into reality. by Fang Zhe/Xinhua

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Liangzhu Artifacts Bridging the Gap uly 16, Beijing: Visitors to the Palace Museum uly 7: Closure o the main arch o a bridge gaze at artiacts displayed at an exhibition eaturing linking southwestern Chinas proinces o Chinas newest SC World Heritage sitethe Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou is inished. The rchaeological uins o Liangzhu City. entire bridge will be completed by the end o The exhibition, which opened that day titled 2019. Its completion is expected to sole the Liangzhu and ncient China: The 5,000-Year Ciilization traic diiculties or hundreds o thousands emonstrated by ades, showcases a total o 260 items. o people liing in the border area o the three ariety o jade objects such as cong (jade tubes with proinces and make great contributions to uadrilateral exteriors), bi (jade disks) and yue (axe-shaped poerty alleiation in the Wumeng Mountains jade) are on display. ade radiates the essence o Liangzhu area. ciilization. China has owed to eradicate absolute iided into our sections, the exhibition aims to poerty by 2020. s the deadline approaches, showcase the ancient regional state o Liangzhu, its ciili- the country is ocusing on the nations poorest zation and its inluence on later culture while highlighting people, who are mainly ound deep in the the signiicance o Liangzhu on the Chinese ciilization. mountains where they battle an aderse natural The exhibition runs through ctober 20. enironment and backward inrastructure.

by Guo Shasha by Li Xin/VCG

Setting Records in the Water uly 21, Gwangju, South Korea: Sun Yang o China reacts ater the mens 400-meter reestyle inal at the Gwangju 2019 FI World uatics Championships. The 27-year-old lympic champion inished irst in the 400-meter reestyle inal on the irst day o swimming eents o the 18th FI World uatics Championships, clocking 3:42.44. It was his ourth consecutie gold medal in the mens 400-meter reestyle at the FI worlds since 2013. Two days later, he grabbed his second gold medal by winning the mens 200-meter reestyle inal in Gwangju. With the two more golds, Sun became the second-highest world title holder with 11 indiidual gold medals in world competitions. Michael

Phelps o the nited States still leads with 15 golds rom indiidual eents. VCG

CHINA PICTORIAL 05 EXPRESS | COMMENT

5G technology and proed that Chinas 5G is not closed but open and integrated. China has established The Shorter the List, the technical cooperation mechanisms with major countries globally, and Greater the Opportunity major international communication euipment manuacturers hae Text by Bian Yongzu and Zeng Qingming participated in Chinas 5G trials and construction work. The current situa- Shortening the negative list marks China’s latest move towards further tion oreshadows openness in the opening up. internet era, which is necessary or more mutually beneicial cooperation. hree administratie technology and agricultural manage- From this negatie list, we see documents released by the ment models can also be introduced to Chinas determination and sincer- Chinese goernment, Special promote comprehensie cooperation ity to reorm itsel, expand opening dministratie Measures on in ields like skill training, crop disease up and promote mutual beneicial ccessT to Foreign Inestment (2019 preention and personnel exchange. cooperation and economic globaliza- edition), Free Trade one Special Second, the serice industry will tion. With oreign inestment entering dministratie Measures on ccess to be less restricted to oreign capital. more ields, ree trade zones will play Foreign Inestment (2019 edition) and Contrasted with the manuactur- an een more important role as the Catalogue o Industries or Guiding ing industry, the pace o opening engine attracting oreign inestment. Foreign Inestment, came into eect up o the serice industry has been nd diidends o reorm will urther on uly 30, 2019. The latest reision relatiely slow, and its deelop- expand, injecting new energy and includes new opening-up measures ment lags ar behind public demand impetus into the world economy. in serices (including transportation, in the middle-income era. n this ew technologies such as artii- alue-added telecommunications, latest negatie list, many areas such cial intelligence, big data, and cloud inrastructure and culture), manuac- as domestic shipping agents, gas computing are rapidly changing liing turing, mining and agriculture, supply in cities, heat pipe networks, and working enironments but pose allowing ull oreign ownership in perormance brokers, multi-party new challenges to goernments o all more sectors, with no additional limits communications, store-and-orward countries. The negatie list represents added. Three changes highlight the and call centers no longer reuire the management concept o all new negatie list. the enterprises to be controlled behaiors without legal prohibition First, Chinas agricultural sector by Chinese nationals. This oers are allowed. The goernment must will be more open to accelerate tremendous opportunities to oreign not only increase decentralization and production and improe uality o inestors. For example, since the reduce interention in the market, but agricultural produce to meet rising beginning o this year, introduction also improe management concepts domestic demand. espite its histor- o oreign inestment in the high-tech and accelerate the pace o build- ical status as a major agricultural serice industry has increased by 68.9 ing a serice-oriented goernment. country, Chinas agricultural sector percent. With new policies o opening ter the 18th ational Congress o is not ery competitie. Increasing up implemented in banking, insurance incomes o Chinese people hae and logistics industries, not to mention resulted in skyrocketing demand trade, the growth o oreign inest- or uality agricultural goods, while ment in China will be een aster. supply has lagged. In the context o Third, Chinas opening up o its rural reitalization strategy, wider 5G market will bring surprises. The opening to oreign inestment will Chinese goernment just oicially exert greater pressure on Chinas released 5G commercial licenses agricultural enterprises so that the in une. n the recent negatie technology applied in agricultural list, restrictions on oreign inest- production processes will continue ment access related to 5G hae September 13, 2017: Workers at the free trade to improe due to competition. t been remoed. The moe demon- zone in Shanghai drive cars unloaded from a the same time, adanced agricultural strated Chinas conidence in its ship to a designated parking lot. Xinhua

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the Communist Party o China, the Chinese goernment clearly released the policy o promoting reorm 沪伦通 through opening up to exert a more Shanghai-London comprehensie and eectie role Stock Connect o opening up in driing domestic reorms while at the same time Edited by Li Zhuoxi promoting reorm o global goernance in a more air and just direction. The Shanghai-London Stock Connect Chinese President Xi inping is a two-way depositary receipt mecha- pointed out at the G20 summit in nism that connects the Shanghai Stock saka that the world should embrace Exchange (SSE) with the London Stock deelopment opportunities with Exchange. Through the mechanism, London-listed corporations are able to June 17, 2019: Information about the greater openness, seek mutual beneit issue global depositary receipts (GDRs) Shanghai-London Stock Connect is with better cooperation, and guide in Shanghai, and Shanghai-listed firms displayed on an electronic screen at the economic globalization in the right can issue GDRs in London. London Stock Exchange. Xinhua direction. Chinese Premier Li Keiang On June 17, 2019, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and pointed out at the Summer aos held Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority A depositary receipt is a negotiable in alian that the world should stick to (FCA) made a joint announcement of certificate issued by intermediaries economic globalization and promote their approval of the Shanghai and Lon- (usually a bank, called depositary bank trade and inestment liberalization and don stock exchanges’ proposal and the or trustee bank) representing shares official launch of the Shanghai-London in a foreign company or bonds traded acilitation. en while the momen- Stock Connect. It will enable Shang- on a local stock exchange. A Chinese tum o economic globalization has hai-listed companies to apply to be depositary receipt is a certificate issued been seriously raaged in recent times, traded on the new Shanghai Segment by a custodial bank that represents a Chinas understanding o economic of the London Stock Exchange’s Main pool of foreign equity traded on Chinese Market, while companies with a premium exchanges. GDR is a bank certificate globalization as a general trend has not listing in London will be able to apply to issued in more than one country for changed. Shortening the negatie list is be traded on the Main Board of the SSE. shares in a foreign company. not orced by the outside world, but a new initiatie or Chinas opening up. s the negatie list becomes shorter and shorter and oreign inestment restrictions ewer and Walkability is an important part of a ewer, China will continue to 步行友好性 city’s livability. A pedestrian-friendly increase openness and transpar- street should be smoothly surfaced, Walkability lined with shady trees, safe, comfortable ency or oreign inestment, create a and equipped with accessible amenities more open enironment or oreign Edited by Li Zhuoxi such as shops and restaurants on both inestment and accelerate the integra- sides of the street. On May 14, 2019, the Natural Re- tion o high-uality oreign capital sources Defense Council (NRDC), an with the Chinese market and indus- international nonprofit environmental tries. Foreign companies and capital organization, and the School of Archi- will embrace not only an increas- tecture of Tsinghua University jointly released a report titled “Evaluating ingly large and open market, but also the Walkability of Chinese Cities with a constantly improing inestment a Focus on Live-Work-Play Centers.” enironment. This report evaluated the performance of streets in 71 live-work-play areas of 50 different cities using nine indicators: pedestrian crossings, greenery, height of surrounding buildings and pavement width, street furniture, buffers between Co-author Bian Yongzu is deputy director street and sidewalk, width of sidewalks, of the Industrial Department of Chongyang Footpaths free of obstruction, pedestrian obstruction of footpaths, sidewalk Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin crossings and wide sidewalks are the quality and bike lanes. Zhongguancun University of China. Co-author Zeng three most decisive factors for walkability. Qingming is an intern research fellow with Zhongguancun Street scored the highest Street in Beijing scored the highest for Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies. due to its bike lane. VCG its bike lane.

CHINA PICTORIAL 07 FEATURES Fengdu: Moving Past Poverty

hina created a world-shak- slow growth. and implemented a series o deel- ing economic miracle oer eeloped cities with economic opment plans to boost economic our decades o reorm prosperity hae generated tremen- growth o less-deeloped regions and opening up. Howeer, dous demand or labor. ue to oer the years. China has owed Cthe approach o letting its eastern imbalanced deelopment, count- to eradicate poerty by the end o and southeastern coastal regions less armers leae their rural homes 2020 ater liting more than 700 deelop irst came at a price. s the in search o jobs in cities. s a million people out o poerty in eastern part o China deeloped in result, many hollowed illages recent decades. leaps and bounds and began partic- mainly inhabited by let-behind How will the nation achiee this ipating in global competition in the children, women and the elderly goal With this uestion in mind, digital reolution, many rural areas hae emerged. we isited Chonging, a major in the central and western regions To reerse this trend, the inland municipality in southwest- are still plagued by relatiely Chinese goernment has ormulated ern China.

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An aerial view of Fengdu County. To a large extent, the county retains the characteristics of most rural areas in China. The Yangtze River runs through a forested valley in Fengdu. by Xu Xun

CHINA PICTORIAL 09 FEATURES Wins in the West Poverty Alleviation Efforts in Chongqing’s Fengdu County

Text by Verena Menzel

Only strict allocation of resources will ensure that China can overcome imbalanced development by its own strength and achieve the goal of eradicating poverty.

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Poverty Behind Pastoral Scenery proincial-leel municipality directly under the central goernment, Chonging is a populous, deeloped metropolis. Howeer, my destination was not the city proper, but Fengdu County under its administration. To a large extent, Fengdu retains the characteristics o many rural areas in China. bout a two-hour drie rom Chonging International irport, Fengdu is located deep in the Three Gorges eseroir area and has a population o 830,000. The Yangtze ier wanders through orested alleys in the county, with many places let untouched. ue to reuent rainall, the air and soil are wet most o the year. Wateralls oten pour down red-earth hillsides. The picturesue pastoral scenery makes irst-time isitors orget that Fengdu remains such an underdeeloped county lagging behind the pace o the times. In 2002, it was cited as a national poerty-stricken county. ter 15 years o painstaking eort, it oercame the title in 2017. Howeer, the county still suers many problems such as markedly imbalanced deelopment between rural and urban areas. Moreoer, Fengdu is plagued by hollowed illages. The unaor- able geographical conditions in some areas make it een harder or them to deelop modern agriculture. Most o the countys 30 townships are still lagging seerely in economic deelopment. Based on the countys actual conditions and speciic diiculties, the local goernment has implemented many innoatie measures to sole existing problems and The Longhe Bridge along the south line of the Shanghai-Chongqing Expressway consolidate the achieements made in Fengdu County. After more than a in poerty alleiation, setting decade of e ort, Fengdu was removed from the list of poverty-stricken coun- an example worth ollowing or ties in 2017. by Xu Xun other areas.

CHINA PICTORIAL 11 FEATURES

Luchunba Village in Sanjian Township has worked out a development plan integrating cultural heritage protection, environmental conservation and economic growth. Not only has the living environment of local villagers considerably improved, but the village’s potential for tourism development has become more readily apparent. by Yu Jie

Regaining Vitality disabled, so they were unable to streams, modern toilets and pail- distance o about 30 kilome- repair their residences. The small ions linked by zigzagging corridors. ters separates the county seat illage seemed to be on its last legs. Today, Luchunba Village hidden rom Luchunba Village, Sanjian Howeer, Yang Ming, irst secre- in a picturesue alley is a tourist Township. ter crossing the tary or poerty alleiation in the haen. rural hotel is under Longhe ier, a branch o the illage, got an idea that changed its construction on the nearby hillside. Yangtze ier, we reached a residen- ate. He surmised that the illage The inestment by the goern- tial settlement belonging to the o. could become a popular tourist spot, ment has paid o. ot only has the 1 Team o the illage. The rierside gien its adjacency to the urban liing enironment o local illagers settlement is home to 18 households, areas o Fengdu County as well as considerably improed, but also the but only 10 still hae members liing Chonging Municipality, which illages potential or tourism deel- here. Because the illage lacks job would beneit local armers. opment has become apparent. For opportunities, nearly hal o the Yang, his colleagues and local this reason, local tourism deelopers local illagers hae migrated to illagers worked out a deelopment were enthusiastic about proid- cities to work. plan integrating cultural heritage ing unds to repair old buildings. The illage has little tilled land, protection, enironmental consera- For instance, a trael company rom with limited output, admitted hu tion and economic growth. Fengdu County proided inan- Xiaodong, ice chie o Sanjian They irst used unds rom cial support or illagers to repair Township. ld buildings dating the state to improe the rural or renoate residences o histori- back to the 1950s and 1960s were o liing enironment to enhance cal signiicance. I illagers choose high alue or architectural research, the illages inrastructure and to moe to cities, they can rent out but most were dilapidated ater public acilities. They paed their repaired and renoated houses decades o weathering. Let-behind roads and parking lots and built to the company or commercial use, illagers were either elderly or lower beds, bamboo bridges oer and both parties share the proits or

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a period, explained hu. Tourism began to boom uickly in the illage, but it will still take some time to ully realize its potential. Villagers are conident the community will become the green pearl o Fengdu tourism and the tranuil alley near the illage an ideal place or urbanites to escape stress and relax in leisure, with its inluence radiating throughout the municipality o Chonging. The rapid deelopment o Chinese cities has generated huge amounts o capital, part o which needs to low to rural areas through direct inestment by enterprises or consumption by tourists rom citiesto boost the deelopment o the rural economy. Farmers can earn substantial income by renting out their houses, operat- ing specialty restaurants and selling handicrats, with no more need to Yang Ming (left), first secretary for poverty alleviation in Luchunba Village, Sanjian Township, leae their illages. talks with local villagers. by Yu Jie

Bringing Entrepreneurship Back to Villages It should be noted that alongside a more ulilling lie through a large express companies rom around capital, migrant workers returning more independent proession, so I the nation arrie at the center beore rom cities also bring back an entre- made up my mind to start my own they are sorted or indiidual couriers preneurial spirit. hang Yuan, a business back home. to delier them. Conersely, illag- natie o Tianshui Village in Xingyi ow, hang is one o 100 e-com- ers selling local agricultural products Town, Fengdu County, is a represen- merce brokers working in Fengdu. online also distribute them through tatie o local young entrepreneurs. The program is supported by the the center, signiicantly boosting their Born in 1986, hang entured to local goernment with an aim to price point. the cities as a migrant worker ater help rural areas keep pace with ery day, hang and his graduating rom middle school like booming e-commerce in cities. colleagues load up packages rom many rural youngsters o his gener- nline shopping has become an the distribution center and delier ation. In 2003, he arried in Beijing integral part o daily lie in Chinese them to designated illages. Then, with his cousin, where he worked as cities. Howeer, many rural areas they collect agricultural products a waiter and then a cook in a restau- hae yet to beneit rom the e-com- ordered online, pack them and take rant. He tried an online sales job, merce boom. The primary actor them back to the distribution center. but it didnt work out. is underdeeloped deliery serices They connect local armers with In 2015, hang decided to return in remote illages, explained online market opportunities rom to his hometown, intending to ind a Huang Hong, ice director o around the nation. bride. He also brought back experi- the Committee on Commerce o ow, agricultural products ence and entrepreneurial skills Fengdu County. arrie at the distribution center deeloped during his 12-year stay in Howeer, the situation has greatly within 24 hours ater buyers order the nations capital. improed in Fengdu. In 2017, a them online, Huang beamed. Then I cant stay a migrant worker my package distribution center was set up they go to eery corner o China. whole lie, he declared. I wanted in the county. Packages transported by hang has now had two children

CHINA PICTORIAL 13 FEATURES

Taiping Town in Fengdu County is noted for its picturesque scenery. Fengdu was removed from the list of poverty-stricken counties in 2017, but it still suffers from markedly imbalanced development between rural and urban areas. by Xu Xun

and his dream o starting a business behind in terms o acilities and children and guide them. Based has come true. lthough my curriculum, reealed Hu Xiaoei, on this philosophy, he conceied income is similar to working as a ice dean o Moral ducation an educational program not or migrant worker in big cities, the ice o Binjiang Middle School children but or parents logically perks are betterI can lie with in Fengdu. the illages 65 called School or Parents. Last my amily. children aged three to seenteen, year, the irst School or Parents 22 are being raised by grandparents began oering ree courses on child “School for Parents” because their parents are working education or parents once a month. ducation is the key to wealth elsewhere. The courses inole a wide array o creation and euality o opportunity. China has achieed a giant leap topics including how to cultiate er the past ew years, Fengdu orward oer the past our decades, team spirit, honesty, sel-improe- County has made key achieements but a massie intergenerational gap ment, independence, responsibility in educational deelopment. To persists. This gap is particularly and conidence, how to meet goals narrow the educational gap between obious in educational methods, in lie, how to address setbacks, how the county and larger cities, the local explained in iaxiong, ice direc- to make studying un and how to goernment embraced innoatie tor o the Trade nion o Binjiang nurture morals and ethics. educational ideas. Middle School. He let the city or He Lianhua, 35, is a student The countys Huwei Town axi Village to work on poerty at the School or Parents. She more speciically, axi Village in reduction through promoting has two sons, who are ie and 15 the townhas accumulated useul education. years old. The older son was mainly experience with innoatie educa- Poerty alleiation through raised by his grandparents because tion concepts. The illage has education should hae started his mother worked in a actory in spared no eorts to promote educa- with these childrens parents, Guangdong Proince or eight years tion. Compared to its peers in in stressed. Then, they would and his ather worked as a long-dis- other areas, the illages school lags hae been able to teach their own tance truck drier. er the years,

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A sacrificial offering ceremony at the Fengdu Temple Fair in 2019. As one of the most famous places of interests on the Yangtze River tourism corridor, Fengdu County is a treasure trove of Chinese folk culture. On November 11, 2014, the Fengdu Temple Fair, which falls on the third day of the third lunar month every year, was put on China’s national intangible cultural heritage list. by Xu Xun

Im no longer thinking about mysel important actors driing deelop- in child education and stopped mentare all making their way to blaming my son. Chinas poerty-stricken areas. But Fengdu’s successes Years spent liing in cities helped there is still a long way to go or the prove that funds, He Lianhua broaden her ision. She is liing standards in underdeeloped eager to learn and hopes her children regions to catch up with deeloped entrepreneurial will hae a better uture. Farmers coastal areas. need to keep pace with the times From a long-term perspectie, spirit and innovative to connect with people rom other only when dierent regions enjoy education ideas are spectrums o society and communi- eual opportunities and deeloped cate with them, she stressed. In her areas actiely help less-deel- all making their way eyes, the School or Parents just oped places can the whole country proides an ideal platorm. achiee coordinated deelopment. to China’s poverty- To spread innoatie educa- nsuring that China achiees better stricken areas. tion, in iaxiong compiled releant deelopment and common prosper- textbooks and distributed them in ity reuires proactie measures. To poerty-stricken areas. t the same this end, we must ensure unds and we elt our older son slipping away time, a group o projects like the other resources are properly used rom us, recalled the mother. He School or Parents program hae where they are most needed and got out o control and reused to been carried out around Fengdu. not wasted. obey us. My husband and I were at nly strict allocation o our wits end. Thanks to the School A Long Way to Go resources will ensure that China can or Parents, I began to rethink Fengdus successes proe that oercome imbalanced deelopment my parenting methods. Its courses unds, entrepreneurial spirit and by its own strength and achiee the helped me better understand mysel. innoatie education ideasall goal o eradicating poerty.

CHINA PICTORIAL 15 FEATURES Rise of “Ghost City” Text by Zhang Juan and Ma Li

Over the years, Fengdu County has focused on poverty alleviation and green development. Now, Fengdu is looking to live up to its name which translates to “the land of harvest” through developing various industrial projects for poverty relief.

engdu County in south- corridor, Fengdu is a treasure troe In September 2011, Cao Ling, western Chinas Chonging o Chinese olk culture and art then deputy chie o Shuangiao Municipality has been known integrating Conucianism, Taoism istrict o Chonging, isited as the Ghost City in China and Buddhism. Fengdu or the irst time. With a Fbecause according to superstitious Many years ago, howeer, some population o more than 500,000, legends, the dead come to Fengdu were uneasy about Fengdu, because the county only has one moie and the deils go to hell. s one o three ears o the county: ear theater, she reported. The poerty o the most amous places o inter- o distance, ear o poerty and ear o the Fengdu people is more o ests on the Yangtze ier tourism o ghosts. a spiritual issue. The our-hour

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ocuses on punishing eil and not changed. Today, Fengdu is promoting good as it encourages looking to lie up to its name, good deeds and practice o irtues, the land o harest, through Cao explained. When you isit the arious orms o industrial poerty county and start to understand it, alleiation. your ears will seem silly. Two months later, Cao became a Priceless Clear Waters and member o the Standing Committee Lush Mountains o the Communist Party o China In pril 2019, when inspecting (CPC) Fengdu County Committee. Chonging, President Xi inping ust a ew months ater assum- stressed that Chonging should play ing oice, I saw the goernment an exemplary role in promoting the relocate two chemical enterprises green deelopment o the Yangtze that were contributing about hal o ier conomic Belt. Fengdus GP to promote greener Fengdu is situated in the Three deelopment along the Yangtze Gorges eseroir area. The Yangtze ier, she recalled. ier runs through the county or ow, nearly eight years hae 47 kilometers, and 2,901 suare passed. The number o cinemas kilometers o its land is rich in in Fengdu has grown to ie. nd rainall resources. Howeer, the the driing time rom Chonging good natural ecological enironment to Fengdu has been cut to less was once coupled with substandard than two hours. ecological conseration. Howeer, the ocus o the local Chen Xingwen, 56, now owns goernments workpoerty allei- a seedling base in axi Village, ation and green deelopmenthas Huwei Town o Fengdu County,

A bird’s-eye view of Fengdu County, which is located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the east of Chongqing Municipality, 170 kilometers north of downtown Chongqing. In recent years, driven by the development of local specialty industries, Fengdu has made incredible achievements in poverty alleviation. by Xu Xun

drie rom Chonging to reach Fengdu helped her deeply realize the distance between the county and downtown Chonging. Poerty and distance limited imaginations about Fengdu. Some een regarded the Ghost City as a bleak and horrible place. Li Xiang, 32, owns an auto parts store in Dudu Township, Fengdu County. In addition to that, In act, Fengdus ghost culture he also has a great interest in beekeeping and runs an online store to sell honey. by Xu Xun

CHINA PICTORIAL 17 FEATURES

ater leaing his career managing a plastic actory. In 1996, Fengdu began to igorously deelop township enterprises. Chen, who had worked in plastic actories or years and thoroughly knew production skills and procedures, established a plastic actory in his hometown. Howeer, plastic actories including Chens heaily polluted the local enironment, making their deelopment unsustainable. In 2002, Chen changed careers to seedling cultiation. He planted 1.65 acres o land with garden seedlings in axi Village. ter years o exploration, Chens seedling arm has gradually eoled into a green industry that dries the economic deelopment o the whole illage. His annual net income rom selling seedlings alone reaches more than 100,000 yuan (about S$14,500). Howeer, he still wasnt satisied An elderly couple hangs corn in front of their house in Dudu Township, Fengdu County. The with this success. er the past two targeted poverty alleviation and rural revitalization strategies comprehensively carried out in years, Chen has been helping illag- China have stimulated the vitality of rural development of the country. by Xu Xun ers grow honey pomelo, kumuat, louat, kiwiruit and other ruit trees on the mountains. with reerence to clear waters and in Beijing to inest 1 billion yuan We want to make good use o lush mountains. The county is (about S$145 million) to ound our ecological resources to acceler- igorously deeloping green indus- Hondo Company to comprehen- ate economic growth, which is our tries in areas with rich rainall such siely deelop bee production. late-moer adantage, Cao stated as a red pomelo cultiation corri- In our years, the company dor, a bamboo shoot industrial park, has become a juggernaut based pepper arms and longan picking in Fengdu with inluence on the gardens. orts will be made to surrounding districts, counties and build three eco-economic zones in een proinces. Hondo Company the Yangtze ier, Longhe ier was later granted the title o national and uxi ier basins to contribute leading enterprise in agricultural to the sustained deelopment o the industrialization. Seeral other local eco-economy o the Yangtze ier enterprises such as Xinben and conomic Belt, she added. Guangming hae also joined the pioneering team to help deelop the Small Town, Big Business bee industry in Fengdu. owadays, Hondo bee can rien by big enterprises and Tang Daixiang, a farmer of Xinhechang be ound in most supermarkets in good policies, the bee industry in Village in Wuping Township, Fengdu County, cheerfully harvests potatoes. Tang planted Beijing, Chonging and Sichuan. In Fengdu now grows igorously, and a total of 10 mu (each mu equals to 0.067 2009, the Fengdu goernment joined local enthusiasm or cattle ranching hectare) potatoes this year, with an estimated yield of more than 2,500 kilograms per mu. hands with hongheng Xingye has spread. by Yu Jie Technology Group headuartered In 2010, hang Shengyu, a

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A lively local temple fair attracts many visitors. In 2014, the Fengdu Temple Fair was put on the list of national intangible cultural heritage of China, and since then the local tourism industry has been booming. by Xu Xun successul armer rom Feixiandong ow, the cooperatie earns an story proides just a glimpse o the Village, Baoluan Town, cooper- annual net income o more than 2 larger picture. In Fengdu County, ated with seen amilies to inest million yuan (about S$290,000), bee production has become a pillar 280,000 yuan (about S$40,000) to with each household earning industry driing the local economy build a ranch with oer 1,000 suare more than 100,000 yuan (about and an adantageous resource meters to raise more than 300 cattle. S$14,500) each year. helping local people escape poerty. ow, the annual net income o Feixiandong was once one o the ow, Fengdu leerages a complete the ranch has reached 1 million yuan poorest illages in Fengdu County. industry chain integrating grass culti- (about S$145,000). Since 2002, illagers hae been ation, ecological breeding, intensie In 2011, hang led ormation using the local grassland resources processing, marketing, technologi- o the Yantangwan Bee Breeding or cattle grazing. ter more than cal research and deelopment, which Cooperatie in the illage. total o 10 years o deelopment, they hae inoles more than 6,100 poer- 22 households joined the cooperatie successully shaken o poerty ty-striken households raising more and ormed a community with shared and become a amous center or than 332,000 cattle. comprehensie interests, taking on roles such as cattle ranching. industrial system led by bee produc- supplying cattle eed and selling bee. In act, Feixiandong Villages tion is booming in the county.

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Green Poverty Reduction Text by Zhang Xue

Overcoming poverty is a “tough battle,” and protecting the Yangtze River is a “protracted war.” In solving the problems of environmental protection and social development at the same time, Fengdu people have demonstrated great wisdom and gained rich experience.

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engdu County, which can be seen rom aar. The Yangtze the Yangtze ier. prospered along the upper ier runs through Fengdu or 47 Thus, Fengdu ormulated and reaches o the Yangtze ier, kilometers, connecting to 55 tributar- implemented a strategy o putting is located in the geographi- ies there. o extensie deelopment ecology irst and promoting green Fcal center o Chonging Municipality will be allowed, and all protection deelopment. It resolutely seeks and the central part o the Three eorts must be highly coordinated, green and high-uality deelop- Gorges eseroir area. Boasting a stressed Chinese President Xi inping ment with a priority on ecological history o more than 1,900 years, on the deelopment strategy or the protection. The county has made its the county is coered by rolling Yangtze ier conomic Belt. s a deelopment strategy crystal-clear mountains with lush greenery that county situated on the upper reaches and insisted on making plans irst. o the Yangtze ier, Fengdu consid- ight now, it is carrying orward ers ecological and enironmental the productiity distribution plan protection its solemn duty. eaturing one core, two poles and Meanwhile, Fengdu was once a three belts. national poerty-stricken county. s ne core reers to the deel- early as 2002, it was identiied as a opment o urban economic key county or poerty alleiation driers including ecological indus- and deelopment. In 2011, it became try, commerce and trade with the a pilot county or poerty reduc- planned area in the county seat as tion and deelopment in the Wuling the core and aoiding a decentral- Mountains area, one o the 14 contig- ized industrial layout that may aect uous poerty-stricken areas in China. the enironment. Two poles are By the end o 2014, it was home to the two economic growth poles: 19,400 poerty-stricken households tourism deelopment in the south o 71,917 people liing in 95 impoer- and agricultural deelopment in ished illages. The poerty incidence the north on opposite banks o was 12.1 percent. Thus, Fengdu has the Yangtze ier. This piece o been attaching eual importance the strategy aims to aoid disor- to Yangtze ier protection and derly and destructie exploitation. poerty reduction oer the past ew Three belts are the three ecologi- years. In oember 2017, Fengdu cal economic belts respectiely along oercame the title o national poer- the Yangtze ier, the uxi and Bixi ty-stricken county and its poerty riers, and the Longhe ier. With incidence is now 0.67 percent. The eorts to presere clear waters and county has showed wisdom and green mountains, this moe aims to gained experience soling problems place high-eiciency planting indus- o enironmental protection and tries in the drainage basins rain social deelopment at the same time. collection areas. nder the goernments top-leel Two Battles at Once design, Fengdu has ormed an indus- Clear waters and lush mountains trial chain around its uniue eatures are inaluable assets. Fengdu people with ocus on bee cattle ranching. understand that no extensie deel- Green industries such as tourism, opment, only highly coordinated red pomelo production, and bamboo protection isnt about giing up shoot cultiation and processing hae economic deelopment or the sake also begun to take shape, which hae o protecting the enironment. It is helped acilitate the rise o impoer- One of the four national 4A scenic more about balancing the relation- ished households out o poerty. resorts in Fengdu County, Nantian Lake is surrounded by mountains. The wind ship between deelopment and power program in the scenic area pro- protection and deeloping according Green Development of a Pillar vides locals with electricity and serves as a well-known tourist attraction. to local conditions while maintain- Industry by Xu Xun ing the ecological enironment o n the way to Fengdus Gaojia

CHINA PICTORIAL 21 FEATURES

Town, banners adertising Chinas Bee Capital were waing in the breeze. In recent years, Fengdus bee industry has been uietly booming. Fengdu Bee has been designated as a national well-known trademark by Chinas State dministration or Market egulation. t present, the county is sparing no eorts to truly embrace An elderly couple works in a field in Jinzhulin Village, Fengdu County. The economic the title o Chinas Bee Capital. development brought about by China’s nationwide poverty alleviation efforts is revitalizing In 2018, about 6,100 poer- the small village. by Yu Xiangjun ty-stricken households in Fengdu were inoled in cattle ranching. Through the industry, many hae risen rom poerty. Guided by green deelopment concepts, Fengdu built its bee industry while adhering to ecological breeding. The county was diided into three zones where cattle ranching is respectiely prohibited, restricted and permitted. rganic and non-hazardous treatment o dung has been introduced. Fengdus Five-year-old Tian Haoyang plays in front of his home in Jinzhulin Village, Fengdu County. The house, after renovation by Tian’s father engaged in business, has become one of the few new bee industry attaches great impor- houses in the village. by Yu Xiangjun tance to ecological conseration. Located in Gaojia Town, Hondo Bee Cattle Farm was established in Harmless treatment and yuan (S$13) a ton. nd the price 2011. It is the largest single ranch recycled utilization o agricul- is going up. in China today, holding as many as tural waste are undamental to Today, Fengdu is still working 15,000 cattle at a time. Hondo has green deelopment, declared Wu eerishly to become the national established a comprehensie set o ongping, deputy general manager pilot county or comprehensie utili- management methods to treat dung o Fengzeyuan Fertilizers Co., Ltd. zation o agricultural waste. The and preent pollution: The arm The company now cooperates with current rate o cattle manure treat- adopted an enironmentally riendly the anjing-based Institute o Soil ment and resource utilization has treatment mode eaturing a circular Science under the Chinese cademy reached 80 percent. economy including diersion o rain o Sciences. In Fengzeyuan, chicken and sewage, biogas power genera- manure, cattle excrement and Tourism Facilitates Poverty tion, standardized processing beore residue rom mushroom produc- Reduction discharge and oxidation reduction. tion are mixed with used Chinese Topographically, Fengdu Large-scale breeding o bee cattle medicinal herbs and ermented or is dominated by mountainous has realized green deelopment. 24 hours. The mixture becomes landorms and rolling hills. arrow ot ar rom the arm is organic ertilizer which can be used strips o latland are only ound in Chonging Fengzeyuan Fertilizers or agriculture. This is a key way alleys at altitudes ranging rom 175 Co., Ltd., the largest organic ertilizer that recycled utilization o resources meters up to 2,000 meters. plant in southwestern China eatur- and green deelopment are realized. n ancient city with a time-hon- ing standardized production. Cattle longside Hondo, other large ranch- ored history and a reputation as dung rom Hondo is directly trans- ers in Fengdu also send their cattle the Ghost City among Chinese ported to the plant through pipelines. excrement to Fengzeyuan or treat- people, Fengdu boasts rich tourism ter ermentation, eces are trans- ment. Cattle dung, which used resources. Mingshan Mountain in ormed into organic ertilizers. to be worthless, now sells or 90 Fengdu, a national-leel scenic spot,

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Located in Fengdu County, Xueyu Karst Cave is a famous tourist spot in Chongqing Municipality, with high value for sightseeing and scientific research. Fengdu’s tourism development has facilitated local poverty alleviation. by Yu Jie is usually the irst stop or tourists spot. Locals can also inest in the mountains along the Yangtze ier isiting the Three Gorges along the scenic spot with land. The scenic is slowly unolding beore the eyes Yangtze ier. To urther deelop its spot pays rent to the illagers at a o Fengdu people. tourism, expand its tourism industrial rate o 400 yuan (S$58) per mu Since the 18th ational Congress chain and capitalize on its clear riers (0.067 hectare) o land and 100 yuan o the Communist Party o China and green mountains, Fengdu is (S$14.5) per mu o orest in the in 2012, Chinas has amazed the ocused on building a tourism indus- irst our years ater the land transer. world with its impressie poerty try coering the whole county. This guarantees income rom illag- reduction. ccording to Chinas t the iuchongtian scenic spot ers inestments in the orm o land. current standards, the countrys at an eleation o more than 1,000 Starting in the ith year, illagers rural poerty-stricken population meters, a suspended glass bridge will receie diidends rom the scenic dropped rom nearly 99 million across the deep alley is hidden in spot, accounting or 20 percent o its in 2012 to 16.6 million in 2018. clouds. The scenic spot oicially total ticket reenues. Poerty, a problem that has plagued opened in uly 2017 as another Today, Fengdu is home to our the country or thousands o years, national 4 scenic resort in Fengdu. national 4 scenic resorts includ- has now reached its inal stretch Lianhuadong Village in Shuanglu ing Mingshan Mountain, Xueyu beore total elimination. The nearer Township, where the iuchongtian Karst Cae, antian Lake and the end gets, the harder the journey scenic spot is located, was once a iuchongtian. In 2014, Fengdu becomes. In Fengdu today lie 3,948 county-leel impoerished illage. Temple Fair was added to the list o impoerished people in 1,440 house- ow, illagers deelop their own Chinas ational Intangible Cultural holds across our poerty-stricken agritainment businesses, sell agricul- Heritage. The tourism industry townships and 28 poerty-stricken tural products or just work in the throughout the county has become illages. The ight against poerty in scenic spot, explained Chen Guohai, a new calling card or Fengdu. Fengdu is still raging, and the inal an inestor in the iuchongtian scenic picturesue scroll o green stage has yet to come.

CHINA PICTORIAL 23 FEATURES Filling

theText by Li Gang Void Photographs by Yu Jie

In the process of continuous exploration, the “Qingtian Village Model” provides great ideas for solving the poverty problem.

A renewed building in Qingtian Village, Fengdu County. After consultation with villagers, the formerly dilapidated building was completely renovated into a venue for villagers to hold meetings, have entertainment and watch operas.

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engdu County in south- o historical and cultural signii- A “Hollowed Village” western Chinas Chonging cance along the Yangtze ier, but ingtian is a seerely impoer- Municipality is situated at the its mountainous and sparse land ished illage 80 kilometers north heart o the Three Gorges has hindered the countys deelop- o the county seat o Fengdu. F eseroir area. It ment. In 2002, Fengdu became a key ccording to Liu ingu, secretary is known as national-leel county or poerty o the illages Communist Party o a tourist alleiation and deelopment. China (CPC) branch, ingtian has a destination lthough it had been remoed rom registered population o more than the list o poerty-stricken counties 1,200 people, but ewer than 200 by the end o 2017, there are still 28 permanent residents aged between illages in extreme poerty, which 18 and 50 remain in the illage. The has remained a diicult obstacle rest are the elderly and children. to oercome. en middle-aged women were reluctant to stay, knowing that they could earn much more money by working elsewhere. In most circumstances, they are orced to stay to take care o sick seniors. Currently, ingtian has 248 registered impoerished people rom 61 households. Thanks to unremit- ting eorts since 2014, a total o 237 people rom 56 households in the illage hae been lited rom poerty. With the rapid progress o urbanization in China, hollowed illages in rural areas like ingtian are becoming increasingly common. Fewer people lie in rural areas, ewer young and middle-aged workers stay behind and many houses sit acant. Some rural illages are almost entirely populated with the old, weak and disabled. Most aged illagers earn some income by picking up odd jobs. The oldest employed in weeding a tea garden is 75, and the young- est is 54. Their sons, daughters and grandchildren all work outside the county and return only once a year. lmost eeryone is like this, with ew exceptions. To achiee the key goal o eradicating poerty by 2020, targeted poerty alleiation or such hollowed illages is itally important in the critical period o the inal stage o the poerty alleiation drie. But without enough young laborers, who will take the lead in helping the poor s oicials across the country continue

CHINA PICTORIAL 25 FEATURES

exploring, the ingtian Village dilapidated and need to be renoated to improe liing conditions, the Model has proided solid ideas to and reconstructed. ecently, an old goernment also compensates address the problem. building was completely renoated illagers or their labor when they into a workshop or illagers to complete construction work. This Qingtian Village Model hold meetings, hae entertainment enables goernment inestment The declining population let and watch operas. The origi- to go directly into the pockets o unused houses throughout the nally messy illage has taken on a illagers. The improement o the illage. Some houses hae been whole new look. rural enironment can attract young renoated and deeloped by the ural inrastructure is mainly and middle-aged migrant workers illage committee ater consul- unded by the goernment. In to return home and start businesses. tation with illagers. thers are addition to increasing inestment The illagers stand by the principle

Several men carrying stone paving blocks. All over 60 years old, they earn about 90 yuan (around US$12) per day per person for their work. Villagers with the ability to work will earn part of their income through labor.

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o achieing shared growth through co-goernance and collaboration, declared a township leader stationed in the illage. Last year, the county goernment attracted inestment and transerred illagers land to tea enterprises. ccording to the 334 cooperatie poerty alleiation mechanism, 30 percent o the income oer the next three to ie years will be Xu Huajin and his wife Peng Guiying. The couple had been working away from the village for several years. They returned to their hometown to start their own business in 2012 and were allotted land in the village to build a farm for cattle raising. In 2018, sales from their small cattle farm exceeded 300,000 yuan (around US$43,600). Meanwhile, the couple also passed their farming and sales experience on to other villagers.

The planning map for the village's environmental renovation project.

collected by the illage commit- illagers out o poerty. tee (one third o which is allocated The key to poerty alleiation to poor households), 40 percent is stimulating endogenous dynam- will go directly to illagers, and the ics, reealed Li Wuzhou, a member enterprises will keep the remaining o the standing committee o the 30 percent. CPC Fengdu County Committee. ery household will get a sense o gain and orward ision can transer ee o 80 yuan per mu push poerty alleiation. The liing (around S$175 per hectare), added enironment has improed, and the Liu. Furthermore, illagers can people certainly support the goern- earn 60 yuan (S$8.72) per day by ments poerty alleiation policy. doing jobs in tea enterprises such as microcosm o Chinas poerty preparing soil and weeding. Land alleiation in rural areas, ingtian circulation preents enterprises Village is rising like a phoenix rom suering losses in the poerty rom the uagmire o yesterdays alleiation model while helping poerty.

CHINA PICTORIAL 27 FEATURES

Value Untapped Text by Wen Qing

Growth of an isolated county in Chongqing mirrors the progress of the poverty alleviation campaign.

Fengdu County in southwestern China’s Chongqing Municipality has been paired with Tengzhou in the eastern province of Shandong as part of the ongoing assistance program where a more developed area helps a less developed peer to grow its economy and facilities. The assistance in potato planting is an example of a more developed eastern province helping Fengdu, once one of the poorest counties in China, shake off poverty. by Yu Jie

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ery summer, Fengdu, back to look ater his amily. He enterprises and public institutions a county in Chonging started planting corn to earn a liing, across China to hae accepted assign- Municipality in southwestern but the income o 2,000 to 3,000 ments in regions in poerty since China, astonishes isitors with yuan (S$291-436) per year was 2015. Eits stunning scenery: a ibrant leay woeully insuicient. Fengdu introduced policies to blanket o trees coers the surround- To make things worse, his beloed subsidize the medical expenses o ing mountains while sparkling riers son was also diagnosed with the same impoerished amilies registered with trickle through deep raines under condition as his wie, which made the goernment. ow those amilies the canopy o a clear blue sky specked hang begin to drit to a dark place. pay no more than 10 percent o costs with white clouds. When rain arries, I contemplated suicide, he should anyone all ill. a ine mist coers the landscape, admitted. ying seemed easier than In the countryside, a major making it seem like a traditional enduring the torture that lie had illness can send a amily into Chinese painting. become. poerty, illustrated Cao Ling, direc- Ironically, the landscape added t this critical juncture, the tor o the rganization epartment to local peoples woes in the past. local committee o the Communist o the CPC Fengdu County The towering mountains and steep Party o China (CPC) and the local Committee. This policy ensures gorges made the county diicult to poerty alleiation group stepped basic medical serices or regis- reach, and a lack o roads and trans- in. We raised the money to send tered poor amilies and reduces their port led to a dearth o businesses hang ishengs son to the hospi- burden. and actories, which meant ery ew tal, reported hang Yuun, a leader With hang Yuuns help, hang employment opportunities. The lack o the poerty alleiation group. He isheng applied or a subsistence o arable land meant armers could only had to coer about 10 percent o allowance earmarked or counties not eed themseles solely through the costs. under assistance and receied 540 agriculture. ue to all these actors, hang Yuun has been liing in yuan (S$79) per month in 2015. Fengdus economy remained stagnant the area or only a short time. She The allowance rose to 1,050 yuan or decades. was dispatched to Fengdu speciically (S$153) in 2017. His wie and son Like Fengdu, many places in to help with poerty alleiation work. too were able to get an additional China hae remained trapped in She is one o oer 459,000 oicials allowance or the disabled o 200 poerty due to disadantageous and personnel rom state-owned yuan (S$29) each month. geography. It is incredibly diicult or the people liing in such places to deelop their economy rom within because they lack adanced concepts and necessary inestment. Howeer, ater the Chinese goernment set 2020 as the deadline to completely eradicate poerty, the national taskorce or poerty alleiation identiied counties with the weakest economies and began working to pull them out o poerty with targeted measures and unds. Fengdu was one o these counties.

A New Life The changes in hang ishengs lie mirror the changes that trans- ormed Fengdu. The 53-year-old ormerly worked as a migrant laborer in deeloped southeastern proinces.

But ater his wie deeloped psycho- The Sichuan pepper is a traditional commercial crop in Zhanpu Township. At harvest, the logical problems in 2015, he came small town radiates the rich fragrance of ripe peppercorns. by Yu Jie

CHINA PICTORIAL 29 FEATURES

Living standards of people in Fengdu have been improved a lot as a result of the endeavor of China’s poverty alleviation campaign. by Yu Xiangjun

Self-reliance landed another new job. 2017, a priate company deeloped The Sichuan pepper is a tradi- The goernment oered hang iuchongtian, a tourist site eaturing tional commercial crop in hang isheng a job cleaning the illage a glass skywalk with a breathtak- ishengs hometown o hanpu at a salary o 1,700 yuan (S$278) ing iew o a sea o lowers below. Township. t harest, the small per month, hang Yuun said. The site has made the once-isolated town radiates the rich ragrance o Proiding public serice jobs to illag- illage known to the outside world ripe peppercorns. Planting Sichuan ers has proed an eectie method and stimulated the local economy. peppers is riendly to the eniron- to increase earnings while ensur- It has also created opportunities ment and also pulls armers out o ing tangible contributions to society, or locals. Liao Changrong, 46, used poerty, beamed Xiang Hailin, head especially in areas with important to work away in big cities. ter his o the township. ecological resources such as grass- illage became more deeloped and In 2015, the local goernment lands, orests, riers and lakes. tourists began to swarm, he returned began encouraging armers to plant The local goernment is also home to open a small hotel. Last year, Sichuan peppers and proiding them proiding poor amilies with inan- it brought him net income o 200,000 interest-ree micro loans. hang cial and technical support to deelop yuan (S$29,105). isheng applied or a loan o 30,000 agricultural products with regional yuan (S$4,356) to buy ertilizer and characteristics. For example, growing Partnership for Progress pesticides and hire pepper pickers. Sichuan peppers created output o s part o the poerty alleiation The goernment pays the inter- 70 million yuan (S$10.2 million) strategy, the central goernment o est on the loans, but only i armers in hanpu last year, liting 155 local China encourages deeloped areas and use the money to deelop micro households out o poerty. big enterprises to assist disadantaged businesses, Xiang explained. While deeloping industries areas. The country has seen growing hang ishengs Sichuan pepper with local characteristics, Fengdu is collaboration between proinces rom harest brings in about 6,000 yuan also tapping its tourism potential by the deeloped east and regions o the (S$874) per year. But he has also cashing in on its scenic beauty. In deeloping west to eliminate poerty

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through the proision o administratie skills, capital and action plans. Fengdu has ound a mentor in aozhuang, a city in Shandong Proince. aozhuang is proiding the county with adanced experience and technology to grow potatoes. Tang aixiang, a 54-year-old armer who used to grow corn, switched to potatoes thanks to this assistance and earned 14,000 yuan (S$2,037) rom his crop last year, almost 30 times more than his earnings rom corn. The central goernment o China has paired richer eastern proinces and municipalities such as Guangdong, iangsu and Shanghai with underdeeloped western proinces and autonomous regions such as Guizhou, inghai and Tibet to cooperate on poerty reduction through goernance, capital and talent assistance. Kids in Dudu Township ride toy tricycles. Parents’ endeavors get them connected to the world Poerty relie has been high outside the mountains, which enhances their future possibilities. by Yu Xiangjun on the goernments agenda since the ounding o the Peoples epublic o China in 1949. The o 82.39 million people, euialent joined hands with the goernment on eort began to accelerate in 2012 to the population o Germany, were the campaign, making it a nationwide ater the CPC Central Committee lited out o poerty in only six years. endeaor. set the 2020 deadline to elimi- Secretary General ntnio t the 19th CPC ational nate extreme poerty. In 2013, the Guterres once noted Chinas poerty Congress in 2017, Chinese President method o reducing poerty with reduction achieements: We should Xi inping, also general secretary o targeted measures was introduced. not orget the act that China has the CPC Central Committee, stressed Measures include a system tracking contributed the most in world poerty that the CPC has made a solemn eery impoerished household and alleiation in the past decade. promise to bring poor people and indiidual to ensure that the poerty With poerty still dogging poor areas into a moderately prosper- alleiation measures chosen or many deeloping countries, how ous society alongside with the rest o them delier the desired eect. The did China make such an achiee- the country. approach has become the basic strat- ment The answer lies in deising In Fengdu, local oicials are egy in Chinas ight against poerty. a complete blueprint with clear conident they will reach their goal to longside growing the incomes poerty reduction goals, tracking eradicate extreme poerty by 2020, o rural residents earning less than the poerty-stricken population and according to Cao. Howeer, the work 2,800 yuan (S$408) annually, the implementing the targeted poerty will not stop ater that. We will poerty alleiation campaign is also alleiation strategy. continue to strie or high-uality ensuring access to compulsory educa- nder this system, local oicials deelopment eery step o the way, tion or all, basic medical care and are held accountable or their she added. sae housing. assigned goals, deining uantii- Fengdus story had a ootnote By the end o 2018, the poor able benchmarks to assess their work. added in 2017, when it passed the population in rural areas had Moreoer, inancial institutions, national ealuation and inspection decreased rom 98.99 million at the state-owned and priate enterprises and was remoed rom the list o end o 2012 to 16.6 million. total and other members o society hae Chinas impoerished counties.

CHINA PICTORIAL 31 FEATURES

hanks to its distinctie mouth-numbing, spicy laor, Sichuan cuisine is The Power of popular with hundreds o Tmillions o people both in China and around the world. t the heart Sichuan Peppers o Sichuan cuisine is the Sichuan pepper, a spice deried rom seeral Text by Shen Xiaoning species o the genus anthoxylum. This most commonly used spice Sichuan peppers, with their unique aroma and flavor, have helped in Chinese cuisine creates a tingly farmers rise from poverty while closely bonding officials and residents numbness in the mouth. ery in Zhanpu Township, Fengdu County. midsummer, this magical spice ripens or harest. In mid-une o this year, plump green peppercorns abounded on densely planted Sichuan pepper trees on the slopes near the southern bank o the Yangtze ier in hanpu Town, Fengdu County, Chonging Municipality. The green pearls, with uniue aroma and laor, hae helped local armers rise rom poerty while bonding oicials and residents more closely.

Zhang’s New Day hang isheng, 53, resides in Baishui Community, hanpu Town, where he was the sole proider or the other three members o his amily: his wie who couldnt work due to illness, his grade school-aged son and his 90-year-old mother. The whole amily suried on a meager annual income o 2,000 to 3,000 yuan (S$290 to 435) that hang isheng earned rom growing corn. In those days, we could only aord to eat rice and corn and dared not imagine eating meat, hang isheng recalled. I oten ate smaller portions so eeryone else could hae more. en though the situation was bad, stubborn hang isheng didnt ask or help rom the goernment or his relaties. The year 2015 was particularly bad or him. His mother died, and his son ell ill. ne blow ater another shattered Zhang Jisheng cuts and picks Sichuan peppers at home. The government’s poverty reduction measures have helped Zhang and his family regain the confidence and courage for a new life. hang isheng, pushing him to the by Yu Jie erge o collapse. I elt completely

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June 21, 2019: Densely planted Sichuan pepper trees are found on hills in Zhanpu Town, Fengdu County. Pepper cultivation serves as a poverty alleviation industry in Zhanpu. IC

the goernment o hanpu was the poorest in the community. Town. When China launched its hang Yuun immediately reported nationwide targeted poerty allei- this situation to an Hailong, Party ation campaign in 2014, she was chie o Baishui Community. They appointed head o the poerty decided to help hang isheng relie team or Baishui Community. oercome his diiculties as soon longside our team members, as possible. she spent one year isiting all Soon, an applied or a subsis- the 900-plus households in the tence allowance or hang ishengs Sichuan peppers, with a distinctive community to learn about the amily, which proided them a mouth-numbing and spicy flavor at the heart of Sichuan cuisine, help locals in liing conditions o each amily and subsidy o 180 yuan (S$26) per Zhanpu Town shake off poverty. compile iles on the poor. uring month. lthough it was a relatiely by Yu Jie such isits, she discoered hang small sum, it was still a big help or ishengs plight. I was shocked the amily. when I arried at the home o hang In early 2016, thanks to ans hopeless, he admitted. isheng and learned o his situa- eorts, a new house was built or s hang isheng was at the tion, hang Yuun gasped. The hang isheng in the community in end o his rope, hang Yuun, who house was uite bare. Moreoer, just one month. hang Yuun and is responsible or poerty alleia- it was dilapidated and in dire need other illage oicials bought urni- tion work in Baishui Community, o repairs. The roo leaked badly ture and daily necessities and helped arried at his door. The 48-year-old during rain. nd some members in hang ishengs amily moe into hang Yuun is an oicial with his amily were ill. His household the new home. n moing day,

CHINA PICTORIAL 33 FEATURES

hang isheng was greatly moed (S$29) per person per month or and became uite emotional. his wie and son. an also helped With poerty alleiation oicials hang isheng land a job cleaning help, hang isheng soon planted illage streets or a monthly income 0.1 hectare o Sichuan peppers with o 1,700 yuan (S$247). long with high economic potential and applied a rise in the subsistence allowance or disability beneits o 200 yuan to 350 yuan (S$51) per person per

To date, the pepper industry has helped lift 155 of the 261 poverty-stricken households in month, his amilys annual income Zhanpu Town out of poverty. courtesy of Fengdu County Publicity Department in 2018 exceeded 38,000 yuan (S$5,517), a tenold increase oer a ew years ago. In anuary 2019, with the help o hang Yuun and others, hang isheng was granted a loan o 30,000 yuan (S$4,356) to start his own Sichuan pepper ield. Starting in 2015, the goernment o Fengdu County worked with seeral banks to proide microcredit with subsi- dized interest or poerty-stricken households in the county, which aimed to help them deelop industry. er the past our years, hanpu Town has issued loans totaling 6.06 million yuan (S$880,000). Poerty- stricken residents who receie the loans only need to repay the princi-

Zhanpu Town designated Sichuan pepper cultivation as a poverty alleviation industry in 2014. pal, explained 39-year-old Xiang Now, the industry has produced an impressive output value. by Yu Jie Hailin, head o hanpu Town. The

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conident that we will meet our goal o liting all the poor in hanpu out o poerty by 2020, he declared. Xiang also reealed that some locals worried that policies beneiting armers would end i all the poerty alleiation goals were met. He assured them that Chinas central goernment has promised that good policies would remain in eect een ater poerty alleiation goals are achieed to ensure policies continue beneiting armers. Moreoer, ater the completion o poerty alleiation tasks, Chinas rural reitalization strategy will continue to boost rural deelopment to a higher leel. Xiang has more long-term plans along with completing poerty reduction tasks on time. Shortly ater taking his post as head o hanpu Town, he proposed creating a beautiul hanpu with clean and beautiul houses, neatly arranged acilities, courtyards with lowers and plants and ciilized Zhanpu Town now manages a total of more than 740 hectares of Sichuan pepper fields. The residents. In May 2019, the town practice shows that clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. by Cheng Bo goernment proided 10 compli- mentary Chinese rose saplings or interest is coered by the goernment more than 740 hectares o Sichuan each rural amily, encouraging and banks. icials responsible or pepper ields that produced an people to plant the lowers in waste poerty alleiation work also need output alue o more than 70 million containers placed at random or to to teach the poor how to apply or a yuan (S$10.16 million) in 2018. decorate their courtyards. Xiang loan and gie them adice on using The pepper industry has helped lit called this campaign turning waste the loan reasonably. 155 o 261 poerty-stricken house- into treasure by planting lowers hang isheng used his loan to holds in the town out o poerty. and grass. buy ertilizer and pesticide and hire Practice has demonstrated that We encouraged this because help. His Sichuan pepper planting planting Sichuan peppers aligns we hoped to inspire more people to business gradually took shape. He with the green deelopment commit to improing the eniron- became determined to pay o the concept that clear waters and lush ment and keeping it neat, Xiang loan by the end o this year so the mountains are inaluable assets. said. Farmers must emerge rom goernment doesnt hae to shoul- It protects the enironment o the poerty in both economic and spiri- der too much interest. Three Gorges eseroir area and tual terms. Creating a beautiul helps locals shake o poerty. liing enironment will inspire the Wealth of a Village Today, 71 people in 36 amilies drie to shake o poerty and inject In 2014, hanpu designated still lie in poerty in hanpu. them with new hope. Sichuan pepper cultiation as a Most are unable to work because o lthough local oicials admit poerty alleiation industry and disability or illness. Xiang beliees that their accomplishments are ar by 2015, large-scale plantation had that they will oercome poerty rom earth-shaking, such petty begun, recounted Xiang Hailin. through the subsistence allow- things are accumulating into major Today, the town manages a total o ance as a basic guarantee. We are changes in hanpu Town.

CHINA PICTORIAL 35 FEATURES

E-commerce in the Mountains Text by Zhao Wenqi

The Fengdu government is working to connect the entire county with an e-commerce service network as it encourages young active farmers to sell online.

orn in 1986, hang Yuan worked as a cook in Beijing beore he uit in 2015 to start a business back in Bhis hometown in Fengdu County, southwestern Chinas Chonging Municipality. ter receiing e-commerce training organized by the local goernment, hang realized that deeloping rural e-commerce had great potential. He soon established a illage-leel e-commerce serice station and became an e-commerce retailer. Located in southwestern China, 99 percent o the land in Fengdu County is coered by mountains, making transportation uite incone- nient. Limited by poor geographical conditions, local armers used to hae E-commerce retailer Zhang Yuan standing in front of the shelves of local agricultural meager market access. They could products. by Han Xinhao hardly sell agricultural products at a decent price and had to eed their heay spoilage to pigs. online sales, hang carried the seeds Thanks to his sound judgment Why not buy the armers oer the mountains himsel to place o the market conditions, in the products and package them nicely to in illagers hands and gae them summer o 2018, the pumpkins he sell online hang thought. technical guidance ree o charge. collected rom the armers became hangs hometown, Tianshui t irst, many armers doubted an online hit and attracted as many Village in Xingyi Town, is 500 him. Pumpkins are eerywhere, as 200 orders a day. This year, many meters aboe sea leel, making they declared. Why would anyone more armers approached him to ask it uite suitable or pumpkin buy rom your site or pumpkin seeds and instruction cultiation. I guess youll ind out when in planting methods. To persuade illagers to grow I sell out, hang replied with In the process o start- pumpkins en masse suitable or conidence. ing his business, hang receied

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considerable technical support rom the local goernment. ow, his online store is deeloping ast and his product line has expanded beyond pumpkins to include a ariety o local specialties, such as sweet potatoes, peanuts, rice and pears. To sole the armers poerty problems and take agricultural products to the market, the Fengdu goernment is working to connect the entire county with an e-commerce serice network as it encourages young actie armers to become online retailers.

His online store is developing fast and his product line has expanded beyond pumpkins to include a variety of local specialties such as sweet potatoes, peanuts, rice and pears.

In addition to buying wholesale agricultural products and distrib- uting them widely, e-commerce retailers also play logistics roles as they transport goods rom illages to the distribution center in the county seat. It used to take three to ie days or express deliery between the illage and the county seat, but now Most of the land in Fengdu County is it takes less than two days, which covered by mountains, has greatly accelerated the deel- making transportation inconvenient and opment o rural e-commerce in the hindering access from mountains. the outside. by Xu Xun

CHINA PICTORIAL 37 FEATURES

sole at the moment, we still go to the spot, says one o the oicials. Poverty Reduction Villagers are reassured just by seeing us. Poerty eradication has been driing grassroots oicials career Miracles deotion and making their lies Text by Li Gang more meaningul. Meanwhile, the promotion system o the Chinese What is the secret behind China’s success in poverty reduction? goernment gies incentie to oicials Fengdu can offer a hint. who could be promoted due to outstanding perormances in poerty alleiation. The responsibility system, regulation system, policy system, working mechanism and social hinas battle against poerty 82.39 million out o poerty and mobilization system hae all been set has reached the inal stretch. cutting the poerty incidence rate up in accordance with the top design In oember 2012, the rom 10.2 to 1.7 percent. China has o the Chinese goernment. 18th ational Congress created a miracle in poerty allei- Poerty reduction reuires skills Co the Communist Party o China ation. What is the secret behind the and methodology in addition to (CPC) set the goal o completing countrys success in poerty reduc- enthusiasm. Since the Chinese goern- the construction o a moderately tion Fengdu has some answers. ment launched the targeted poerty prosperous society in all respects alleiation strategy, many oicials by 2020. Liting all impoerished Top Design + Grassroots hae been trained in poerty alleia- people out o poerty is a key task Practice tion techniues7.79 million person- or the country. We will make sure Bidding arewell to their times in 2018. nd 94.2 percent o that no one is let behind on our amilies, many oicials rom cities trainees are grassroots oicials rom way to prosperity, stressed Chinese were posted in Fengdu to engage in the county leel or below. President Xi inping, signaling that poerty reduction work. They can Chinas ight against poerty would be seen in poor mountain illages, Flexible and Practical Wisdom not end until the battle is oer. working and eating with locals. In uring his une 2015 isit The poor population in order to help people escape to Guizhou Proince, Chinese rural areas dropped rom poerty, they brainstorm President Xi inping emphasized 98.99 million in 2012 strategies as they isit and the targeted approach to allei- to 16.6 million in talk to illagers. ating poerty, which he beliees 2018, liting nce a poor illager will determine the success o the calls, the oicials immedi- countrys poerty alleiation drie. ately go to help. en i Targeted poerty alleiation has its a problem we cannot always been the ocus o Chinas work in this ield. In each indiidual town and illage, poerty-com- bating oicials at all leels must consider the actual local conditions and prescribe remedies accordingly. Based on the uniue geographical, demographic and productie

A century-old wood structure has been renovated into a family hotel in Dudu Township. by Yu Xiangjun

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Wuping Town has introduced disease-resistant potatoes from Tengzhou City of Shandong Province in an effort to help local farmers work their way out of poverty. by Yu Jie

mulberry wine and local produce such as louats, honey pomelos and chestnuts to online retailing platorms, introducing the deelopment mode o online selling enterprises arming cooperaties, which has beneited 385 households in the illage. Baishui Community in hanpu Town has planted more than 660 hectares o Sichuan peppers on a slope near the Yangtze ier. Baishui Sichuan Pepper has become an established brand, and pepper cultiation is now deeloping into a pillar industry or local poerty

Fengdu County has brought many local products to online retailing platforms, introducing the reduction. Wuping Town introduced development mode of “online selling + enterprises + farming cooperatives.” by Yu Jie irus-ree potatoes rom Tengzhou City o Shandong Proince. s the potatoes ripened on more than conditions o dierent townships or higher-paying jobs. So, local 90 hectares o land this year, local and illages in Fengdu County and oicials encouraged the trans- planters earned 5.6 million yuan their respectie causes or poerty, er o contracted land-use rights to (S$810,000). local oicials loated a ariety o tea enterprises, which pay or the dditionally, the Fengdu bee targeted ideas to ight poerty, land use while hiring local illagers industry has helped 6,100 poer- eentually achieing ruitul results. to work in tea gardens to augment ty-stricken amilies. nd the ingtian Village, or example, their income. county is intensely promoting is home mainly to let-behind Yang Mei, ice director o the tourism, which has turned the seniors and children because most illage committee o axi, brought illagers into shareholders earning working-age residents went to cities home-grown arrow-root powder, diidends.

CHINA PICTORIAL 39 PEOPLE Joseph Graves Staging the World Interviewed by Gong Haiying and Xu Shuyuan Photographs courtesy of Seven Ages Productions unless otherwise credited

The relationship between America and China in theater has long been stronger than most realize, and theater is a universal way of communicating.

Joseph Graves is a famous American theater director. He arrived in China in 2002 and is now focusing on introducing cross-cultural plays to China and promoting theater education. by Chen Jian

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oseph Graes is a amous merican theater director and Shakespeare expert who has worked in both the nited JStates and the nited Kingdom. s an actor, he has perormed seeral seminal Shakespearean roles including King Lear, Hamlet, Macbeth, ichard III, thello, Iago and omeo. s a director, his plays hae been staged in London, ew York and Los ngeles. Graes arried in China in 2002 to take positions as art director o Seen ges Productions and artistic director o Peking niersitys The actor playing Clément Mathieu (first left) and the children playing his students rehearse a Institute o World Theater and Film. chorus for the play Les Choristes. Graes hasnt missed a beat o his career since. He has directed and acted in dozens o plays including about arious musicals and stories Peking pera artist Mei Lanang many Shakespeare titles and other we like. The irst thing we look wanted to introduce Peking pera classics as well as musicals, dramas or is powerul stories that eery to the world. So he created a and operas. mong the works, 15 culture can relate to, especially one-man Peking pera show and plays were debuted in China. In those with uniersal elements like toured ew York, Paris, and many May 2012, Seen ges staged Man music and loe. Western countries. The peror- o La Mancha as its irst musical. We tried to stay relatiely close mance was well receied all oer the Since then, Seen ges success- to the story that French producer world and introduced a style that ully localized a series o classical Christophe Barratier originally Western audience had not preiously Broadway musicals, such as enue told, but cultural idiosyncrasies will seen. In ew York, a young writer , How to Succeed in Business always emerge during the process o was sitting in the audience named Without eally Trying and The adapting a script, as some content Thornton Wilder. He thought that Sound o Music. The company has would only resonate with French Meis perormance was what real staged nearly 1,000 perormances spectators. So we changed the theater works should be like. It was and perormed in oer 50 cities in script to make it accessible to our something that had not been done China or oer a million patrons, audience in China. but should be done in merica. cumulatiely. Because he was so moed by Mei, ecently, China Pictorial (CP) CP: You are also reuently he deeloped ur Town based on sat down or an exclusie interiew exposed to Peking pera, Kunu his idea o what Peking pera was with Graes, who is now ocus- pera and other local orms o like. That play, which is maybe the ing on introducing cross-cultural Chinese drama, and hae intro- most important play eer written in plays to China. duced cross-cultural plays such as terms o the impact o theater on ur Town staged at the Peoples our audience, would hae neer been CP: Les Choristes was originally xperimental Center in 2004. What created without Chinese theater an award-winning moie, which was do you think is the artistic alue o artists. So the relationship between well receied ater it was adapted cross-cultural plays merica and China in theater is a into a French play. Why did you Graves: ur Town was the third lot stronger to begin with than most choose to adapt this French musical or ourth cross-cultural play I did. people are aware, and theater is a or China as your most recent work I beliee that it may be the most uniersal way o communicating. Joseph Graves: The decision important play in merican theater espite dierent languages, happened oer some time. When we history because it reolutionized the cultures, and approaches to acting, decide to do a musical, the Seen way theater works are perormed. we all share the same orm o theat- ges team gets together to talk Heres the story: In 1920, notable rical expression. When I bring

CHINA PICTORIAL 41 PEOPLE

happens next. For me, clarity is art. s directors, were supposed to ind stories we loe and try to tell them as clearly and passionately as possible. ntertainment and art are not two sides o a coin. rt happens on top o what entertains and engages our thoughts magically. play doesnt really come alie until you add the audience. The audience gies energy to the actors, and in the best o circumstances, a spiritual relationship is ormed between them. Theatrical art is A still from the Chinese adaptation of the play Les Choristes. The protagonist, Clément Mathieu, plans to form a choir and asks the students to demonstrate their voices. impossible without participation rom both the audience and artists.

CP: Hae you noticed changes in the Chinese theater market since you irst arried in 2002 Graves: There has been a huge transormation. When I came in 2002, musicals wouldnt hae worked with the Chinese audience. cross the decade, Chinese people became more exposed to Western culture through ideos and companies coming to the country. This deelopment has opened the door or musical theater, which I always expected would lour- ish in China eentually because Chinese people loe and lie in music. I beliee that introducing Western

A still from the Chinese adaptation of the play Les Choristes shows the mischievous students musicals to China was a natural step, in Mathieu’s class. but without early educational work and exposure to this orm o art, there wouldnt be an audience. There are Western and astern artists together, CP: How do you balance probably 700 million people in China theres always a process o learning entertainment and the artistic who are smart and well-educated but rom each other. nd in general, the alues o a play completely unaware o what theater magic o traditional Chinese opera is Graves: This is really an import- is like because they hae neer been how they control their bodies beauti- ant subject. Shakespeare is widely exposed to it. So part o the work we ully, which has become almost a lost considered the greatest playwright in do is to continue to reach out to cities art in the West. Conersely, there the West. He was an artistic genius, and regions that lack theaters, present is an internal approach and deep but nobody knew that when he irst scenes rom our plays and introduce emotional expression that Chinese started writing plays to entertain an them. Locals tend to show great inter- actors can learn rom their Western audience. The thing about artistry est in our work. nlike anywhere counterparts. So we oten blend in the theater is that you cant hae else in the world, Chinas market or styles, and the great artistic alue is art without entertainment irst. ur musical theater is ast. But consid- when actors rom dierent regions Town , or instance, is a hugely enter- erable educational work is needed appreciate their dierences and learn taining play: You sit on the edge o to let people know that musical rom each other. your seat and want to know what theater is un.

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A still from the Chinese adaptation of the play Les Choristes shows Pierre catching up to the dismissed Mathieu at the gate of the school Fond de l’Étang (“Bottom of the Pond”).

CP: s the artistic director dance. Yet almost no uniersity who hae receied art education o Peking niersitys Institute in China oers such classes other understand and analyze o World Theater and Film, you than institutions like the Central things dierently. hae done a lot o work in theater cademy o rama and the ne o the great things that education. How do you think Shanghai Theater cademy, where happened in China oer the last ie education has inluenced Chinese students aim to become proes- years is that the departments o educa- students and plays sionals. But that kind o education tion at both central and local leels Graves: Chinese theater educa- only reaches a ery small group hae reintroduced drama and dance tion is uite dierent rom what o students. Students in China into elementary schools, junior high merican students receie. ne lack courses designed to expose schools and high schools. Today, many o the hugest dierences is ound people to theater rather than create more students are being exposed to in higher education. lmost proessional actors or directors. theater. There is still a shortage o eery uniersity in merica has a Such classes are a ital orm o teachers trained to proide this kind handul o perorming arts courses creatie education and a key aspect o education, but the eorts are there that mostly ocus on music and o liberal arts education. Those and really growing.

CHINA PICTORIAL 43 ECOLOGY

Wangyedian Experimental Forest Farm: Exploring Sustainable Forestry Text by Zhou Chenliang Photographs by Xu Xun, Chen Jian and Zhang Ye

Wangyedian Experimental Forest Farm provides a typical demonstration case for multifunctional forestry as it amasses valuable experience in sustainable forest management to be used by peers throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

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nly 310 kilometers rom tough conditions, Shen led seeral Beijing is Wangyedian colleagues to mobilize local people xperimental Forest Farm, to plant trees, successiely setting a wealth o lourishing up 15 seedling breeding stations in Otrees dotting a chain o mountains mountains, which produced oer 10 in southwestern Harin Banner million saplings the next year. in Chieng City, Inner Mongolia In those days, we had nothing, utonomous egion. cting as recalls Xing Yulin, now in his 90s. a green shelter, trees growing in We rented ie rooms as oices and the orest arm protect northern een our pickaxes were borrowed China rom the sandstorms rom rom local illagers. The whole Khorchin, one o the largest sandy mountain was just stone and barren areas in the country. land. nd it oten suered torrential The orest arm was ounded in looding during the rainy season. 1956. Back then, the locale eatured Shen and his colleagues didnt only barren mountains, and now it is gie up. In the spring o 1964, oerwhelmingly green. For 63 years, the orest arm planted oer 400 Wangyedian xperimental Forest hectares o Chinese pines and larch Farm has passed the green baton trees with a surial rate reaching 85 rom generation to generation. percent in the year when they were planted. From 1957 to 1978, the From Bald to Green orest arm maintained the pace o In the early days ater the ound- planting 667 hectares o trees each ing o the Peoples epublic o year. cross those two decades, a China in 1949, mountains and hills total o about 12,300 hectares o accounted or 50 percent o the planted trees increased the orest land o Harin Banner with only coerage rate to oer 80 percent. By 3.3 percent o orest coerage rate. 1981, all the suitable land or orest Vegetation was seriously deteriorat- had turned green. ing, causing great losses o water and soil and making natural disasters Made-to-Order Forest more reuent. In 1952, the orestry The traditional orestry indus- administratie oice welcomed its try primarily ocused on output irst director, Shen Shixiang. Facing o uality timber. So, logging

As the first Chinese project sponsored by APFNet, Wangyedian Experimental Forest Farm is crisscrossed by villagers’ woodland and farmland. The forest farm is focusing on coordinating the economic benefits, ecological benefits and social benefits of forestry. by Chen Jian Ninety-year-old Xing Yulin has witnessed the whole process of Wangyedian turning from the formerly barren mountains to a vast green forest after the continuous efforts of several generations. by Xu Xun

CHINA PICTORIAL 45 ECOLOGY

companies oten perormed clear cutting which deastated both the orest and surrounding ecology. So or a while, Wangyedian, like other state-owned orest arms, was plagued by low-uality orest structure, low recoerable resources and ulnerable orest unctionality. Modern sustainable orestry places emphasis on the multiple unctions o the orest by selectie cutting and targeted tree selection, enhancing the alue o each tree. Today, ater selectie cutting, we plant precious broad-lea species to ill the orest gap, explains Ma Chenggong, director o the Multiunctional Forest Management emonstration Project sponsored by the sia-Paciic etwork or Sustainable Forest Management and ehabilitation (PFet) in Wangyedian. Then the orest can be slowly conerted into a multi- The forest coverage rate of Wangyedian Experimental Forest Farm has reached as high as 92.1 percent aged, dierse orest with mixed from the 3.3 percent in 1949. by Xu Xun species mimicking a natural orest to produce economic alue while guaranteeing ecological alue. It took eight years or Wangyedian to set up a preliminary multiunctional orest demonstration zone combining man-made orest and close-to-nature orest. In 2011, PFet launched the irst phase o the project: Construction o Multiunctional Forest Management emonstration in

The Meilin nursery garden in Wangyedian serves as a demonstration station for multifunctional forestry, growing 2 million larch The flourishing forest has not only improved the local environment but also nurtured local people by seedlings. by Xu Xun giving them forest products. by Xu Xun

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adian Village. ccording to him, the popular spring wild egetables are brackens and bitter buds. In summer, people collect mushrooms and wild herbs. In autumn, they look or hazelnuts and pine nuts. In winter, locals use twigs rom chaste trees to weae utensils and use cutting residues to plant mushrooms. ccording to statistics, these reebies hae helped increase annual per capita Zhang Yonghua (left), a resident from income o armers liing around Dongjuzi Village in Meilin Town, runs an edible fungus planting cooperative. Wangyedian the orest by more than 2,000 Experimental Forest Farm is creating more yuan (S$300). ecological dividends for local people. by Xu Xun hang Yonghua, a resident rom ongjuzi Village in Meilin Town, runs an edible ungus planting Wangyedian xperimental Forest cooperatie. His greenhouse grows Farm due to its adantageous monkey-head mushroom and other location, eicient management and ungi. Prices are good this year, rich orest resources. grins hang. The purchase price ow the orest coerage rate or resh mushrooms increased by o our orest arm is as high as 92.1 more than two yuan (S$0.29) percent, so we hae almost no more per kilogram. The aorable orest suitable land let or aorestation, climate in Wangyedian is especially Ma continues. Without any more suitable to grow ungi. Many o our room or adances in uantity, we products hae been exported to hae to ocus on improements apan and urope. in uality. ur cooperation with The multiple unctions o the PFet to introduce close-to-na- orest, the renewal o management ture orest management is this kind concepts and means, the momentum o exploration and innoation. o harmonious deelopment in the community and the sincere eort Green Mountain Value to return wealth to the people are total o 18 administratie creating more ecological diidends illages surround Wangyedian, or Wangyedian xperimental home to 35,000 people. How can Forest Farm. Today, dierent styles a orest arm both protect the o cabins peek out rom behind the enironment and help poerty trees and colorul lowers. uring reduction while giing ull play to summer, arious outdoor actii- the role o multiunctional orestry ties like hiking, cycling and camping To expand residents income are attracting countless tourists channels, the orest arm proides seeking getaways. ree non-wood orest products under While cultiating and protect- the trees or the illagers. Local ing orest resources, we strie to illagers can collect orest bypro- optimize the state-owned orest arms ducts such as ungi, edible plants, role in proiding greater ecological medicinal plants and orest seeds. products or society and more attrac- The better the orest grows, tie beneits or the public, declares the more it oers to us, grins hao Hui, head o Wangyedian 54-year-old Mr. Shao, a resident in xperimental Forest Farm.

CHINA PICTORIAL 47 SOCIETY Water Tech at the Expo Text by Nathan Bennett Photographs by Chen Jian

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The array of water management technologies on display at the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition provide a catalogue of options for city planners and developers worldwide to consider as they manage water usage.

The sunken water courtyard in the China Pavilion.

CHINA PICTORIAL 49 SOCIETY

The shade umbrellas outside the International Pavilion double as rainwater collectors.

he Beijing International to manage water puriication, storage not lead only to looded industries, Horticultural xhibition and utilization comes much closer to businesses, and homes and damaged (hereinater Beijing xpo) ital human needs than 5G. human interests. rban water runo is showcasing technol- While 5G is reolutionizing is already somewhat polluted, but Togy supporting its theme, Lie communication, it operates on a leel lood waters oerleaping the normal Green, Lie Better. Technological not directly catering to basic human bounds o stormwater drainage adancements not only make lie needs. Water management does. carry extra pollutants into the riers more conenient but also acilitate ccordingly, water management where runo eentually goes. greater harmony with nature. We technology is prominent among the While typical water issues or rely on nature or many things, but technologies being tried out at the Beijing include increased demand like roommates liing together in the Beijing xpo. or water resources in an already same apartment, we can make it easier Water management technology dry northern China, climate change or each other to get along. While includes construction methods and means larger storms with more rain electricity, wireless connectiity, and the employment o specially chosen all at once. o one likes to drink 5G make or easy touchpoints in a plants or water retention and pollut- rom a ire hose, and not een a dry discussion o technology, what about ant iltration, so water management city beneits rom a lood. side water management especially works out the integration rom water issues acing Beijing, good point to begin with is o human construction and nature. traditionally wet and rainy southern the dierence between science and Including both actie and passie China needs all the modern drain- technology. Science is the systematic methods, the technology displayed age technology that it can get because study and accumulation o knowl- at the Beijing xpo exempliies the urbanization pressure leads deelop- edge about lie, the unierse, and orward thinking reuired to achiee ers to pae oer the natural eatures eerything. Technology is the imple- integration with nature. that ormerly mitigated looding. mentation o that knowledge to make unning out o water is not the Smart deelopment reuires integra- things and do things. Science studies only problem or water manage- tion with nature, not just shoing it the speed o light, and technology ment technology to deal with: the aside or cutting it out altogether. turns on the light. lectricity and uly 2012 looding in Beijing gae The centerpiece o the Beijing WiFi make or easy demonstrations o the city a ery personal motia- xpo is the China Pailion. Like technology because they represent the tion to implement appropriate many o the buildings eatured closest approach we can make to real water management technologies. at the expo, the China Pailion magic in this world, but technology erwhelmed drainage systems do eatures roo rainwater capture and

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subterranean storage capacities. the aggregate proceeds o rootop iltered out. utdoor wooden plank walkways water collectors can contribute to a The Grant ssociates rain eature water drainage gaps to collect citys water eiciency. garden is one practical example o rainwater or watering the terraces Water management technol- gardens constructed to manage bracing the sides o the building. ogy is a ery traditional part o and puriy urban runo. By The terraces themseles insulate the ancient societies. The India Pailion contributing a habitat or animal China Pailion rom cold and heat, oers a model o stepwells ound lie, the rain garden reeals the reducing the need or extra watering in that country, showing how since potential or integrated water in hot times o the year. educing the ancient times water was made aail- management schemes to enrich extremes o hot and cold also moder- able in times o drought. Stepwells urban enironments. sustain- ates energy reuirements or heating connected to surrounding reseroirs able, low-maintenance urban orest and cooling. and groundwater, and series o steps proides greenery while gradually ature reuires an array o acilitated access down to the current releasing accumulated storm runo cycles and processes to maintain leel o water. By turning to their to ease weather impact on city drain- and replenish the resources human own ancient cultures, nations can age systems. The International society draws upon. Where rainwa- ind internal motiation to imple- Bamboo and attan rganization ter collection reduces the amount o ment water management technology. (IB) contributed a garden rain that can replenish groundwa- Two aspects o water management demonstrating the alue o bamboo ter supplies taken up or irrigation, are the retention and the puriication and rattan to improe soil conditions, human society demands aailabil- o water resources. It is not enough reduce water runo, and proide ity o water or tangible, appreciable simply to hold the water in storage economically aluable products use. In integrating with nature, tanks, and getting the most use out rom plant lie integrated into water intelligent application o ecological o water resources inoles retaining management plans. technology can introduce an element it or urban enironmental beneit Many needs intersect in water o eiciency into the progression o and human enjoyment. Maintaining management: human thirst, urban water toward its inal resting place in trees along the roads or watering drainage, industrial and agricul- auiers or the sea. city parks sustains natural eniron- tural usage, animal and plant lie, The China Pailion is a proo o ments or city-dwelling animals and and others. The increasing world concept or the use o rainwater or proides natural scenery or people to population allows little margin on-the-spot beautiication o urban enjoy. s water passes through plants or ineiciency in water usage, architecture. The terraces insulating and soils, arious contaminants are and natural processes cannot keep the sides o the pailion are watered pace with the construction o cities with the rainwater collected rom the and towns. Pandas cant decree it, roo and as the water makes its way dolphins cant organize it, and trees to its inal resting place in the natural cant weigh in at all. Humanity cycle, it gies lie to the plants beauti- will hae to arrange it rom begin- ying the pailion. In cities, rainwater ning to end. that washes o concrete and glass The array o water manage- tower blocks could be retained in like ment technologies on display at the ashion to green up otherwise bleak Beijing xpo proide a catalogue o cities. options or city planners and deel- The International Pailion opers worldwide to consider as eatures a orest o shade umbrellas they manage water usage, whether which double as rainwater collec- they are looded or drying out. In tors, showing one o the most a time o stability, beore we hit important principles o innoa- emergency conditions, the world can tion and task uniication in a single come together at the Beijing xpo eature. This intuitiely imple- to plan how to manage increas- mented techniue, ubiuitous in ingly limited water resources or the the park, clearly demonstrates how At the Beijing Expo, it is possible to uture so that we can ace times o see water technology in use that helps clear orward thinking can improe ensure the availability of water for future greater enironmental strain with city management o resources and generations to enjoy. conidence.

CHINA PICTORIAL 51 SOCIETY

The Era of FacePay Text by Ru Yuan

Face-scanning payment services are quietly sweeping across China. The wave has already created new occupations, promoted development of related manufacturing industries and changed lifestyles.

March 15, 2015: Alibaba founder and chairman Jack Ma makes a presentation on face-scanning payment technology during the opening of the CeBIT trade fair, an internationally renowned computer and software expo, in Hanover, Germany. VCG

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hang Haiyangs work doesnt seem that diicult. ter plugging in the ace-scanning payment machine, Zconnecting it to the wireless internet and adjusting the scanner, the job is almost done. I snags are aoided, installation and debugging o a ace-scanning payment machine can be completed in about 30 minutes. The oicial name o hangs job is installation and debugging personnel or the Internet o Things. It was one o the 13 new occupations identiied in a document jointly released by Chinas Ministry

o Human esources and Social Zhang Haiyang (right) installs a face-scanning payment machine for a client. In recent years, Security, ational Bureau o an increasing number of businesses are embracing the new service. by Lin Hongxian Statistics and State dministration or Market egulation in pril 2019. Face-scanning payment serices are uietly sweeping across China. The wae has already created new occupations, promoted deelopment o related manuacturing industries and changed liestyles.

An Industrial Chain in the Making Paying with your ace is more conenient than one might imagine. customer has his or her ace scanned by a acial recognition payment deice shaped like an iPad. The camera on the deice collects Workers are busy producing face-scanning payment machines in a Shenzhen factory. The acial inormation or identity complicated production process excludes many smaller manufacturers. by Lin Hongxian recognition and the payment goes through. The payment is directly deducted rom the consumers account. In most cases, a ace-scan- its ragonly acial recognition than mobile payment and bypasses ning payment is completed within 10 point-o-sale (PS) system, the the need or a users deice, has seconds. irst-time user needs to irst pay-with-ace system used by spread widely in China. Behind the enter a phone number linked to his human cashiers. ow, ragonly new payment option, a huge indus- or her payment instrument, which deices can be ound in more than trial chain is emerging. may take a bit more time. 300 Chinese cities. In March 2019, For euipment manuacturers, it In ugust 2018, lipay, a third- WeChat, a popular instant messag- is not easy to produce ace-scanning party mobile and online payment ing app deeloped by another large payment machines or components platorm launched by Chinas inter- Chinese internet company Tencent, and parts. ccording to industry net giant libaba Group, announced launched its own ace-scanning insiders, the testing reuirements the large-scale commercial rollout o payment deice called Frog. or ace-scanning payment machines its new acial payment technology. In just one year, ace-scanning are een higher than those o pple In ecember 2018, lipay deliered payment, which is more conenient phones. In terms o production,

CHINA PICTORIAL 53 SOCIETY

February 2019: A customer has her face scanned by a face recognition system to pay for her purchase at a KFC restaurant in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province. IC

a ace-scanning machine has to payment machines were made methods. From paper money, bank pass more than 40 procedures by rbbec. In ecember 2018 cards, third-party payments and rom moulding in the beginning to when lipay released ragonly mobile payments to ace-scan- the packaging in the end, includ- and announced the use o struc- ning payment, paying in China has ing optical testing, aging testing, tured-light 3 camera on the become increasingly conenient and high temperature testing, camera deice, more people began to look ast. This situation is particularly uality testing, drop testing and towards rbbec which is deoted true today, especially against the latency testing. Such a complicated to 3 sensing and artiicial intelli- backdrop o the ast deelopment o production process keeps small and gence (I) ision technology. The I and 5G. Today, Chinas cashless medium-sized manuacturers out release o the ragonly gained society is deeloping at break- o the game. rbbec massie attention because neck speed. Shenzhen-based rbbec makes in the ield o structural optical ccording to -Commerce in structured-light 3 cameras used technology, rbbec is the ourth China 2018 released by Chinas on lipays ragonly deices. manuacturer on the planet to be Ministry o Commerce in May In September 2017, diners could capable o mass production o 3 2019, in 2018, online payments already pay with their aces at KFCs sensors or consumer use ater made by non-bank payment insti- health-conscious eatery Kpro in the only pple, Microsot and Intel, tutions in China exceeded 208 MIXC Shopping Mall in Hangzhou. explains an industry insider. trillion yuan (S$30.3 trillion), an It was the irst restaurant to accept increase o more than 45 percent ace-scanning payment in the Fast-changing Payment oer the preious year. In 2017, the world, and the inrared 3 cameras In recent years, China has seen amount o online payments made installed on its ace-scanning earth-shaking changes in payment by non-bank payment institutions

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users, customer loyalty and trans- action reuency. By the end o 2018, lipays global users topped one billion including 650 million monthly actie users. WeChat Pays users now number 800 million, who together conduct an aerage o more than 1.2 billion transactions eery day. With mature and large-scale mobile payments as prereui- site, application o ace-scanning payment serice is a liestyle improement brought by the deelopment o cutting-edge technologies like I. The adantages o the new payment mode are obious. It is aster, reuires ewer operat- ing ees and rees customers rom payment diiculties in arious awkward situations. For example, ace-scanning payment is handy i a customer orgets to bring a wallet or mobile phone or lacks a signal or battery power. s or the uestion whether January 7, 2019: A passenger has her face scanned to pay her bus fare in Jinhua City, Zhejiang ace-scanning payment technol- Province. The new technology will become more prevalent across China as it is now used on public transportation and in shopping centers. IC ogy is sae, a concern which once drew considerable public attention, the outlook has become more positie thanks to the deelopment o adanced technologies including I, machine ision and 3 sensing. The irst time a consumer uses the In terms of production, a face-scanning ace-scanning payment unction, machine has to pass more than 40 the deice collects biological inormation uniue to that person, procedures from moulding in the stresses hang Haiyang. Since a 2 image cannot record the depth beginning to the packaging in the end, inormation o a speciic ace, ake including optical testing, aging testing, photos, ideos or a molded ace could ool the system. Howeer, high temperature testing, camera quality the structured-light 3 camera can comprehensiely scan the ace testing, drop testing and latency testing. inormation, which makes it irtu- ally impossible to trick. also increased by more than 44 to third-party online payment With more and more indus- percent year-on-year. nline platorms. mong them, lipay tries and businesses embracing payments conducted by non-bank and WeChat Pay remain the ace-scanning payment serices, institutions hae increased rapidly two biggest players. Both proi- my colleagues and I are conident oer the past two years. on-bank ders huge olume o transactions this will become a new way o lie, payment institutions mainly reer demonstrates ast numbers o hang adds.

CHINA PICTORIAL 55 70 YEARS IN PICTURES

2000 2009 Millennial Dawn Concept by China Pictorial Edited by Li Zhuoxi

he period rom 2000 to 2009 was critical or Chinas deelopment. The countrys arious undertakings started paying o in a big way. The reorm and opening up produced ruitul results, the national economy continued to deelop uickly and healthily, and liing standards Timproed across the board. Major strategic ideas such as the Scientiic utlook on eelopment were ormed, driing the country toward a more harmonious society. uring the period, many indicators including regional coordination, liing standards, enironmental protection and scientiic and technological innoation registered remarkable achieements, and social security and cultural undertakings achieed positie results, unolding a grand blueprint or building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

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2000: Western China Development

On January 10, 2000, construction of the second line project of the Baoji-Lanzhou section of the Lanzhou-Lianyungang Railway officially kicked off in Tianshui City, Gansu Province. It was the first Chinese railway project of the new millennium and a prelude to the development of western China. On December 27, 2000, the Circular of the State Council Concerning Several Policies on Carrying out the Development of China’s Vast Western Regions was released before coming into effect on January 1, 2001. It marked a substantial step in China’s implementation of the strategy to develop its western regions. The strategy has made a major and far-reaching impact on the economic and social development of western China.

Xinhua

2001: China’s Accession to the WTO

On the afternoon of November 10, 2001, the fourth ministe- rial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) held in Doha, Qatar unanimously approved China’s entry into the WTO. China signed the WTO Accession Protocol. Thirty days later, China officially became a WTO member. China’s accession to the WTO brought a huge market of 1.3 billion people into the global trading system. It enabled China, the largest developing country on the planet, to gradually integrate into the international economic system and participate in global competition. Since then, China’s economic reforms have entered a new phase featuring closer connections to the world economic and trade system. CFB

CHINA PICTORIAL 57 70 Years in Pictures

Xinhua 2002: The First BFA Annual Conference

The first annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) was held from April 12 to 13, 2002. More than 2,000 government officials, experts, scholars, and business people from 48 countries and regions including China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand attended the conference. The BFA is a non-governmental and non-profit international organization, and holds its annual conference regularly in the coastal town of Boao, in China’s southern province of Hainan. It is the first international conference organization located in China and has received extensive attention from all over the world.

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2003: Shenzhou V Manned Spacecraft

On October 15, 2003, a Long March-2F carrier rocket lifted the Shenzhou V manned spacecraft, independently developed by China, into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province. The spacecraft carried Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astro- naut into space, and entered a pre-selected orbit. It was the first manned space mission carried out by China, marking a historic breakthrough in the country’s manned spaceflight program. China became the third country in the world to independently conduct manned space- flights after the Soviet Union and the United States.

Xinhua

2004: West-to-East Natural Gas Pipeline

January 1, 2004: An operator at Shanghai’s Baihe First Station for the West-to-East Natural Gas Transmission Project opens a valve to release the natural gas flow. That day, the project commenced commercial supply of natural gas to Shanghai, marking its successful completion and operation. The West-to-East Natural Gas Transmission Project runs from Lunnan in the Tarim Basin in western China to Shanghai in eastern China. Composed of the longest gas pipelines with the largest caliber in the country, it was an iconic construction project to usher in the “Western China Development” strategy.

Xinhua

CHINA PICTORIAL 59 70 Years in Pictures

2005: Completion of the Qinghai- Tibet Railway

On October 15, 2005, construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was completed. A national Class-1 railway connecting Xining in Qinghai Province to Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was one of China’s four major projects in the new century. The longest railway on a plateau with the highest altitude in the world, it was the first railroad to connect Tibet with other parts of China. In building this railway traversing the high-altitude plateau known for its harsh natural conditions, Chinese construction workers overcame three universal challenges: construction on permafrost, cold and oxygen deficiency and ecological fragility. By overcoming those challenges, they made great progress in the history of world railway construction. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has made a wide and far-reaching impact in changing the poor and backward plateau, promoting unity and common prosperity among all Chinese ethnic groups and boosting the rapid and sound social and economic development of both Qinghai and Tibet.

2006: Completion of the Three Gorges Dam

The Three Gorges Dam, located in Yichang City, Hubei Province, serves as the main body of the Three Gorges Hydropower Station, the largest hydro- electric project in the world. Construction officially commenced on December 14, 1994 and was completed on May 20, 2006. The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest water conservancy project, and many of its engineering design indicators broke world records. It is also the most comprehensive water conservancy hub in the world. A water project with maximum comprehensive benefits, it has played an active role and produced optimal results in 10 aspects such as flood control, power generation, shipping, aquaculture, tourism, South-to-North Water Diversion, water supply and irrigation; outperforming many giant power stations in the world.

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2007: China’s First Lunar Mission

China’s lunar probe program, named Chang’e after the Chinese goddess of the moon, was formally launched in 2004. The program consists of three stages: unmanned lunar probes, manned lunar landing and construction of a moon base. At 6:05 p.m. on October 24, 2007, China’s first lunar orbiting satellite, Chang’e-1, was successfully launched. On November 26, 2007, China National Space Administration released the first picture of the moon sent back by the Chang’e-1 satellite. The success of the Chang’e-1 mission is considered the third milestone of China’s space exploration following the first artificial satellite and the first manned spaceflight. It opened a new field for China’s space engineering and accumulated substantial experience for the country to Xinhua carry out further deep-space exploration. Xinhua

CHINA PICTORIAL 61 70 Years in Pictures

2008: Beijing Olympics

On August 8, 2008, the 29th Olympic Games opened at the Chinese capital of Beijing. Over 10,000 athletes from 204 countries and regions participated in the Games, setting 38 new world records and 85 Olympic records. The Beijing Olympics fulfilled China’s long-cherished dream, presenting the country’s greater confidence and openness.

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2009: Sevan Driller

On June 28, 2009, Sevan Driller, the world’s first cylinder-shaped deep-sea crude oil rig and bulk storage platform independently constructed by China, was unveiled at a launch ceremony. It was a high-end, cutting-edge product harness- ing the most advanced technologies in offshore oil drilling platforms at that time. The project greatly improved China’s marine engineering capabilities.

Xinhua

CHINA PICTORIAL 63 CULTURE | BOOKS Discovering a Real China

Bruno Barbey endeavors to discover China as it is.

Discovering a Real China, compiled by Jean Loh and published by Beijing Unit- his book presents oer 300 color photos shot ed Publishing Co., Ltd. in April 2019, is a book based on photos of China taken by French photographer Bruno Barbey, which by French photographer Bruno Barbey. captured many historic moments in China both T beore and ater its reorm and opening up.

1973: Primary-school students greet French President Pompidou at Tian’anmen Square, Beijing.

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1973: Boats on the Yangtze River, Nanjing.

In 1973 when then-French President Georges Pompidou made a ormal isit to China, Barbey came along as an accompanying journalist. He brought Kodachrome ilm and became the irst photographer to shoot China in blazing color. Since then, Barbey has reuented China, exploring Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan Proince, Guangxi huang utonomous egion, Xinjiang ygur utonomous egion, Hong Kong, Macao and other places in the country. He has documented not only the meeting scenes o Chinese and French leaders, but also lies o many ordinary Chinese people with his camera. Many o his photos arouse memories o the past, which are better presered on color negaties than back-and-white. World-renowned photography critic and curator ean Loh shared a story in the preace o the book. In 1973, Barbey snapped a girl who was waing a red scar in the rain to see o French President Pompidou at Shanghais Hongiao irport. In 2006, the girl, still liing in Shanghai though in her 50s, read a report about Barbey and identiied hersel in the image. She managed to isit Barbey in France, and in 2016 Barbey personally gae her a print o that photo with his signature. ong iang, dean o the epartment o French Language and Literature at Peking niersity and a lietime oreign corresponding member o Frances cademy o Moral and Political Sciences, wrote in the preace that Barbey endeaored to discoer China as it is. His photographs take me back to the China o my childhood, claims ong. His eyes, like a lowing mirror sureying the world, gaze into China seeral times, not only to record our colorul past but also to relect on our diersity, conusion and hope. Bruno Barbey was born in 1941 in Morocco and joined the Magnum photo agency in the 1960s. 1973: Workers greet French President Pompidou, Shanghai. He sered as ice chairman o Magnum urope

CHINA PICTORIAL 65 CULTURE | BOOKS

rom 1978 to 1979, and then as chairman o the photo agency rom 1992 to 1995. His photographic works are amous or cohesie use o color. He has traeled ie continents and witnessed countless military conlicts. His photographs hae also been published in many magazines worldwide and collected by many museums. Born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), French curator ean Loh now resides in Shanghai. He has curated the exhibitions o many amous photographers like Marc ibound, Bruno Barbey and Claude Sluben. Loh is a member o the editorial board o Trans sia Photographic eiew and a member o the nominating board or the Lucie wards. He has also sered as the editor or oer 20 photo books.

1973: Wang Xiaoya waves a red scarf in the rain to see off French President Pompidou at Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport.

China through Bruno Barbey’s Lens Text by Jean Loh

Although countless Westerners have visited China, few photo 1980: Yu Garden, Shanghai. graphers have really entered China as Bruno Barbey did. Over the past six decades, untold numbers of Western photographers have shot China. Some made personal travel missions, some were working on long-term reports and others even lived in China for many years. Those photographers include Robert Capa, Barbey’s most outstanding predecessor at the Magnum photo agency, who, from February 16 to September 22, 1938, snapped photos of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Henri Cartier-Bresson, who came to Beijing and Shanghai 1973: Taking photos on the Great Wall, Beijing. from December 1948 to January

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1949 to witness the transfer of of official Chinese photojournal- happened in China just yesterday. government in China (Bresson ists were also black-and-white. Another major difference is that published From One China to For this reason, when the Chinese Barbey’s photographs of China the Other in 1954 with a preface audience saw Bruno Barbey’s contrast with those captured by existentialist philosopher color pictures for the first time, during investigative missions and Sartre) and Marc Riboud, the first they were particularly excited seem more like scenes from a road Western photographer to arrive because the visual records of the trip movie as if he was on a journey in the newly-founded People’s first 30 years after the founding to understand China. Some may Republic of China who made three of the People’s Republic of China wonder about his goal or intended historic visits to China in 1957, were mostly black-and-white. theme. One thing is certain: His 1965 and 1971. Barbey revealed a vividly color- explorative journey has not yet These three masters are ful China. His works created the been completed. Barbey contin- famous for black-and-white illusion that what was recorded ues to crisscross China because photos. The documentary images in those photos seem to have he is obsessed with the vast,

China through Bruno Barbey’s Lens

2016: Wang Xiaoya meets with Bruno Barbey in France.

CHINA PICTORIAL 67 CULTURE | BOOKS

1980: Morning exercise in a field, Shanghai.

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CHINA PICTORIAL 69 CULTURE | BOOKS

1980: Accordion lesson at Shanghai Children’s Center, Shanghai.

ever-changing and multi-faceted country, and continues to feel the need to explore it more deeply. Barbey’s China is the subject he chose to examine and show to us. In his eyes, Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan Province, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are all distinct. His Kodachrome negatives from the 1970s and 1980s captured the dry air of Beijing as well as the wet alleys of Shanghai, which was divided into Pudong and Puxi areas by the Huangpu River. We followed Barbey to Sichuan and Guangxi and witnessed both the geographical and metaphorical distances between China’s urban and rural areas. Barbey did maintain the neutral attitude of his predeces- 1980: Wedding photo, Shanghai. sors Bresson and Marc Riboud.

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2010: A couple hug on the Bund, Shanghai.

He had no preconceptions or showcase a kaleidoscopic China: as well as thousands of workers prejudices when approaching the ancient capital of Beijing, lining up in conformity under China. He only read literature the metropolis of Shanghai, the the publicity board of Angang about China in the French Eurasian Macao, Kashgar on the Constitution. In 1980, China Archives in Paris. Victor Segalen, Silk Road and fashionable and began to show more individ- a French sinologist, poet and modern Hong Kong, as well as uation. Through his series of archaeologist, visited China three the Inner Mongolia Autonomous wedding photos, Barbey shined times between 1909 and 1917. Region, Yunnan Province and a light on the process of the In his book Journey to the Land Qingdao, popular tourist desti- Chinese people paying more of the Real, Segalen described nations for the emerging middle attention to individual identity. a hesitancy to distinguish class. This book is the culmina- between an imaginary China Barbey’s journey spanned tion of Barbey’s observation and and a real China—concerns that not only a vast geography, but concern for China and its people the language at a Frenchman’s also a long period of time: 1973 for more than four decades. It is disposal is insufficient to do to 2017, which presented a great the result of his patient and skill- justice to the complexity and challenge for him. China of the ful shooting. He hasn’t made any authenticity of the country and 1980s was very different from conclusions or snapped the final its culture. Barbey, however, China of the 1970s when he first picture because he remains fasci- chose to use the camera’s visited, not to mention China nated by the constant changes in viewfinder to describe a real in 2010 and China today. For China that have always surprised China from a proper distance example, in 1973, he saw the him. What has Bruno Barbey been and a neutral angle. He went public and thousands of students chasing in China? A spirit, a soul, through roll after roll of film to welcoming the French president or a kind of national situation?

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Art Speaks Across Cultures Text by Yi Mei Photographs courtesy of the National Museum of China

The exhibition “Jean Schlumberger: Twentieth- Century Treasures from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts” is showing at the National Museum of China with 123 ornamental pieces by French jewelry designer Jean Schlumberger.

Leaves (necklace), 1956, turquoise, diamonds, 18-karat gold, platinum, 3.81 × 35.56 cm, collected in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

his exhibition marks the signed between the ational irst cultural exchange Museum o China and the Virginia eent under a Fie-Year Museum o Fine rts (VMF) in TCooperation Framework the nited States. 72 VOLUME 854 AUG · 2O19

Art Legacy has let the nited States. We are Thanks to the generosity o honored to share these treasures achel Lambert Mellon who with isitors to the ational made a substantial contribution Museum o China. They are really to VMF through her donation more than jewelry in the sense that o jewelry and objects dart they show how art speaks across personally commissioned rom cultures. French-born surrealist jeweler leen ancient Chinese personal and designer ean Schlumberger, adornments such as a hairpin, a VMF now holds the most necklace and court beads rom the comprehensie public collec- collection o the ational Museum tion by this renowned French o China open the exhibition to designerworks o art marked oreshadow the 20th centurys by a dedication to perection glittering and charming jewelry and beauty, dazzling imagina- emerging rom the hands o ean tion and clarity o ision. nlike Schlumberger. other designers, Schlumberger We presented ancient Chinese drew his greatest inspiration rom jewelry eaturing a ariety o materi- lora and auna in nature, explor- als and techniues to complement ing ways to unite the beauty o Schlumbergers works, explains nature with the art o human Pan ing, curator at the ational imagination. In the process, he Museum o China. ewelry-making Hummingbird (brooch), 1962-63, re-deined jewelry design in the is a time-honored tradition and diamonds, pink diamonds, emer- alds, sapphires, ruby, black enamel, 20th century. an art orm that has been passed 18-karat gold, platinum, 11.43 × 6.99 ean Schlumbergers work is down across centuries. Because o × 1.91 cm, collected in the Virginia the most popular exhibition in the ery strong and hard material Museum of Fine Arts. our museum, says r. Michael . o gemstones, they can be passed Taylor, curator at VMF. This is down oer centuries and remain the the irst time that this collection same today.

Flower Pot, 1960, amethyst, emer- alds, diamonds, black garnet ore, 18-, 20- and 22-karat gold, terracotta, 18.42 × 10.16 × 10.16 cm, collected in Mermaids (candlesticks), 1969, enamel, black lacquer, 18-karat gold, 18.57 × 8.89 × 11.43 cm, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. collected in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

CHINA PICTORIAL 73 CULTURE

Chinese Mandarin Court Necklace, dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), lapis lazuli, amethyst, red glass beads, 136 cm, collected in the National Museum of China.

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Beyond Art ational Museum o China. Cultural More than jewelry, the exchange can deepen mutual under- pieces are maniestations o standing and enhance mutual trust. culture, declares Pan. We hope The ie-year partnership agree- to create an ast-West dialogue ment between the ational Museum between Chinese artiacts and o China and VMF aims to leer- Schlumbergers works, which all age collection exchange to enhance express aspirations or beauty een cultural exchange and proessional across the distant centuries rom deelopment, and enable the two Coronet Ring, ca. 1960, model 1958, each other. institutions to share best practices in fancy colored diamond (25 carats), diamonds, 18-karat gold, 2.7 × 2.06 This year marks the 40th all areas o museum operations. × 1.75 cm, collected in the Virginia anniersary o the establishment o s museums in China and the Museum of Fine Arts. diplomatic relations between China nited States, the ability to share art and the nited States. t a point when and collections o beautiul objects relations between the two countries helps oster greater understanding o are acing some challenges, strength- Chinese culture in mericans as well ening understanding between peoples as Chinese understanding o merican could ease the situation. culture, remarks lex yerges, direc- We are presenting this joint tor and C o VWF. These collection o treasures to coney exchange programs will bring our the message that art is a medium two peoples closer together and oster or conersing emotions and a tool mutual understanding and apprecia- or bridging people-to-people ties, tion that can help us cooperate better says Wang Chuna, director o the at the global leel.

Bird on a Rock (brooch), 1965, lapis lazuli, white and colored diamonds, ruby, 18-karat gold, platinum, 5.72 × 4.45 × 1.91 cm, collected in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Jellyfish (brooch), 1967, moonstones, diamonds, sapphires, 18-karat gold, platinum, 7.62 × 6.99 × 1.91 cm, Centerpiece, 1970, black lacquer, enamel, 18-karat gold, 39.3 cm in height, 25.4 cm in collected in the Virginia Museum of diameter, collected in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Fine Arts.

CHINA PICTORIAL 75 CULTURE | SENSING CHINA An Indian’s Take on Beijing

Text by Mithila Phadke

The more I zoomed in on the little details that make life in China so distinct—those missed by a tourist’s eyes—the more I began to feel at home.

n my way back to India ater my irst-eer isit to Chinaa month-long backpacking trip across the OcountryI ound mysel upset at the proposition that it would likely be my last. uring my layoer in the Hong Kong airport, I sat morosely swiping through the hundreds o pictures rom Beijing, Guilin, Chengdu, and Yellow Mountain on my phone, wishing I could stay longer, just a little bit longer, and experience the country as a resident instead o as a tourist. The unierse has a way o surpris- ing you when you least expect it. r maybe it was that I wished so hard to go back that destiny had little choice. ust a ew months later, I was back in Beijing as a ull-time salaried, apartment-dwelling, grumbling- about-tourists-during-Golden-Week member o the population. I registered Taobao and le.me accounts (i de waimai daole one o the irst July 2019: The author with her colleagues. by Duan Wei Chinese sentences I learned: Your takeout ood has arried), much to the chagrin o my bank account. I I thought this was the 21st century, lie and once nearly hit someone oer worshipped at the altar o WeChat, I sulked while paying in paper bills the head with a chuaner (barbecue) spending at least sixty percent o my rom ancient times. I started pining stick. I was delighted to discoer that day inding and adding new stickers or WeChat and lipay. actual Chinese ood in China was to my collection. uring ineitable dinnertime absolutely nothing like the neon-or- I grumbled about being orced debates about northern s south- ange Chinese ood I had grown to pay cash in other countries when ern China, I ound mysel obliged up eating back home, Chindian as traeling ater becoming so used to to ocierously deend the ormer as we called it. In China, ood inoles scanning a code or eerything. though I had lied there my entire so much more than noodles and

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dumplings (though I would happily social relationships unctioned, subsist on just those two or years). een similarities in our palates ter learning about the ight Major such pockets o similarity proided Cuisines o China, I once embarked great comort during my irst ew on a weeks-long project to cook a months in China thousands o miles dish rom each culinary school. It rom home. en the rush hour was the most I eer cooked in my battle on the subway elt amil- entire lie. iar. But I learned uickly not to ter a ehement struggle, I assume I could handle spicy ood inally got acclimated to mealtimes because I had grown up eating it. much earlier than I was used to in Chili peppers in China are a whole India. Back home, lunch is eaten dierent leel o iery and I experi- around 1 p.m., and its perectly enced this irst-hand ater ordering regular to sit down at the dinner malatang (a kind o spicy hot pot) table around 9 or 9:30 p.m. Beore extra-spicy. I think that meal may I got used to the new schedule, I hae ery possibly taken a grenade was aided by considerable mid-meal to my sinuses or lie. snacking11:30 a.m. was practi- But more than any cultural (or cally still breakast time or me culinary) aspect, the thing that truly Something I thoroughly ailed to made Beijing eel like home was embrace was a erocious cultural simple: the people. Warm colleagues disdain or air-conditioning. h taught me much, and wonder- The author at her favorite spicy hot pot well. Thankully, my intrepid little ul riends, both Chinese and other restaurant in Beijing. courtesy of the author desk an helps greatly. ow i only I expats, always had my back and could carry it eerywhere with me. accompanied me on some memora- To be air, Im sure theres already ble trips. ina taught me to old introduces me as the pretty Indian one such contraption aailable in the dumplings, Yan introduced me to girl, a phrase I must admit Im ast irtual aisles o Taobao. the unsuspected horrors o baijiu thoroughly pleased about. I guzzled mug ater mug o scald- (distilled liuor), and Cici and ae Id hae similar broken conersa- ing hot water throughout the day (in guided me on a hike along the tions with the old couple who lied eery season), ate my own weight unrestored inshanling section o the next door. ten, when theyd get in jiaozi (Chinese dumplings) and Great Wall. ancy lew with me to watermelon, one would knock on learned to leap out o the way o a Vietnam, and rica who took care o our door with a bowl heaping with speeding waimai (takeout ood) deli- me when I hurt my ankle and could watermelon slices. nce they deliery guy. eeloping the skill to aoid barely walk. ered an entire watermelon to me and speeding bikers is how Im still alie The brutal summer heat was my roommate. It was the size o a to type this today. That and hot made bearable by regular doses o (ery heay) ootball. We loed those water, o course. extremely milky and sweet milk tea isits. In the mornings when leaing The more I naigated the little I bought rom a small store right or work, Id sometimes run into details missed by tourists eyes that outside my oice building. My isits the elderly man taking a brisk walk make lie in China distinct, the became so oten that the shopkeeper around the community garden or his more I began to eel at home. That would hae my drink ready by the wie returning rom a bike ride. Wed Chinese and Indian customs, habits, time I reached the door. For the always wae and smile at each other, preerences share seeral parallels couple o minutes I was in her shop, and when I went out o town, they certainly helped. Many things about Id practice my meager Chinese with took care o my plant. amilial expectations and cultural the extremely chatty laoban (liter- My years in Beijing and China norms that perplexed my Western ally boss), which is what Chinese would not hae been nearly as riends were old hat to me. en the people call the owner o a shop, and memorable, special or un without inamous chabuduo culture has an ind mysel looking up new words in the bonds I made. The people I met Indian counterpart: jugaad. Beijings adance so I could expand my chats are what will stay with me long ater (ery tentatiely) organized chaos with herery, ery slowly. ow, i my time in China endshopeully reminded me o Mumbai. The way other customers are in the shop, she until I can meet them again.

CHINA PICTORIAL 77 CULTURE | ON DISPLAY

Xinjiang Relics Exhibition July 7 – September 9, 2019 National Museum of China, Beijing

This exhibition showcases a total o 191 cultural relics rom the pre-in period (2100-221 B.C.) to the Yuan ynasty (1271-1368). The exhibited pieces, all excaated rom north- western Chinas Xinjiang ygur utonomous egion, include pottery, metal works, textiles, wooden wares, paper, Buddha statues and glass works. Some oicial documents and records on display show arious ethnic languages rom the Han (206 B.C.-220 ..) and Tang (618-907) dynasties to help isitors better understand Xinjiangs historical and cultural eatures and the regions position and role in the dierse and integrated A painted double-ear pot, dating back to 3,800 to 3,600 years ago, collected by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum. by Liu Tong pattern o Chinese culture.

An Opera for Animals Duet: A Tan Ping June 22 – August 25, 2019 Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai Retrospective June 15 – September 22, 2019 Yuz Museum, Shanghai Featuring works o This exhibition looks back on artist Tan more than 50 contem- Pings 35-year career through more than porary artists rom 40 works including paintings, prints, ield China and beyond, the paintings and ideos. Tracing the artists exhibition breaks down growth path, liing style and thinking boundaries between process, it marks the changes in his art style dierent genres o with the deelopment o the times. opera and traces the Tan Ping is an artist, educator and ice deelopment process president o the Chinese ational cademy o the orm o art to o rts. He graduated rom the Central explore how primitie cademy o Fine rts in 1984, studied in culture closely linked Germany in the late 1980s and receied a to animals and nature masters degree and a Meisterschule degree. can be presented in He was awarded an honorary doctorate by modern institutions Kingston niersity. and how new possi- His works hae been collected by many bilities can be created important art galleries and museums through the integration including those in the nited States and o dierent cultures. Poster for the exhibition “An Opera for Animals.” Germany as well as China.

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A painted Bodhisattva head, dating back to the period from the A painted pottery warrior on horse, from the Tang Dynasty Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-581) to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), collected by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous (618-907), collected by the National Museum of China. by Liu Tong Region Museum. by Liu Tong

Alternative Worlds July 13 – August 12, 2019 CAFA Art Museum, Beijing The exhibition is the irst solo exhibition in China to display works created by Microsots I robot Xiaoice. mulating six emale artists rom dierent generations, countries and backgrounds, the robot created hundreds o paintings in arious styles. Xiaoice is reportedly the irst I system ocusing on , emotional intelligence, which is one o the most complicated concepts in science. It is able to simulate singers, poets, painters and other creatie proessionals. ter spending 22 months studying the works o 236 amous painting masters rom the past 400 years, Xiaoice was already able to independently create 100-percent original paintings inspired by text or Poster for the exhibition “Duet: A Tan Ping Retrospective.” other sources. Poster for the exhibition “Alternative Worlds.”

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