10 big things about China you should not miss (Dec.7 -13)

1. China holds Central Economic Work Conference to make plans for 2025

The annual Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing from Wednesday to Thursday as Chinese leaders decided priorities for the economic work in 2025.

It was noted at the meeting that the Chinese economy has posted generally stable performance while making progress in 2024 and more proactive and impactful macro policies should be implemented to sustain the upward trend of the economy in 2025.

2. Three giant panda cubs return to China from Belgium

Three giant panda cubs born at animal park Pairi Daiza in Belgium, "Tian Bao," "Bao Di," and "Bao Mei," have safely returned to China, marking an important milestone in the panda conservation program between the two countries.

"Tian Bao," a male born on June 2, 2016, and twin siblings "Bao Di" and "Bao Mei," born on August 8, 2019, were accompanied by a team of experts from both countries during their journey to Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

3. Ice-cutting festival heralds promising northeast China winter tourism

In the presence of a biting wind, fur-clad workers wielded steel chisels in tackling the frozen surface of the Songhua River, producing a large crystalline chunk of ice to the cheers of spectators in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The ice chunk, dubbed the “first ice” of this year, was harvested amid the rhythmic chants of workers, signaling the start of Harbin's annual ice-cutting season on the Songhua River, which winds through the city.

This year, this iconic ice-cutting festival in Harbin, one of China's most popular ice-and-snow tourism destinations, attracted thousands of tourists from home and abroad on this bitterly cold Saturday.

4. High-rise building fire claims one life in Guangdong

One person was confirmed dead after a loud explosion was heard and a fire broke out Wednesday afternoon in a high-rise building at Phase II of the Shenzhen Bay Yuefu residential complex, located in Nanshan district of Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, local fire officials said.

According to a news release from the Shenzhen Fire Department, the fire started around 2:46 pm and was extinguished by 6 pm, with no other reported injuries or casualties.

The department dispatched 16 fire trucks and 80 firefighters to the scene, though the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

5. New cross-sea passage opens to traffic in China's Guangdong

The Huangmaohai Link, a cross-sea passage in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), opened to traffic on Wednesday.

The project's construction started in June 2020 and serves as another major cross-sea passage following the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link in the GBA.

The project is designed as a six-lane expressway with a speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour. It starts in Pingsha Town in the city of Zhuhai and ends in Doushan Town in the city of Taishan, spanning approximately 31 kilometers.

6. China holds national commemoration for Nanjing Massacre victims

In a solemn display of remembrance, the people of Nanjing observed a moment of silence as sirens resonated throughout the city on Friday, marking China's national memorial ceremony to mourn the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

Despite the winter chill, thousands of people clad in dark attire gathered in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, with white flowers pinned to their chests, to partake in the ceremony.

7. Ma Ying-jeou to lead delegation of Taiwan youth on mainland visit

Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, will lead a delegation of young people from Taiwan to visit the Chinese mainland from Dec. 18 to 26, a mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday.

8. China's Long March 8A rocket prepares for maiden flight

China's self-developed Long March 8A carrier rocket, the country’s primary launch vehicle for future medium and low Earth orbit missions, was transported to the launch center in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province on Monday for maiden flight in January 2025, according to its developer China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).

9. Drone mishap dampens Chinese artist's firework show in Quanzhou

Renowned Chinese contemporary artist Cai Guoqiang staged his much-anticipated daytime fireworks performance, Red Sail: A Pyrotechnic Plan for the Launch of the Cai Guoqiang Contemporary Art Center, in his hometown of Quanzhou on Sunday. However, the event encountered an unexpected interruption in which a large number of drones fell into the sea or crashed to the ground.

10. China's 2024 grain output tops 700 mln metric tons, a record high

China's 2024 grain output hit a record high of 706.5 million metric tons, an increase of 1.6 percent from the output last year, official data showed Friday.