# entry

guid: 1007545 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: The Original Matrix - What They Don&amp;#039;t Teach You About Money
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/original-matrix-what-they-dont-teach-you-about-money
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<div readability="1054.5785458655">
<p><a href="https://santiagocapital.substack.com/p/the-original-matrix?r=7p3jv"><em>Via Santiago Capital,</em></a></p>
<blockquote readability="8">
<p><em>"You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”</em></p>
<p>- Morpheus, The Matrix</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>What is Money?</h2>
<p>Some things in life are so deeply ingrained in our daily existence that we rarely stop to question them.</p>

<p>They are simply there, operating in the background, so fundamental to our existence that they feel as natural as the air we breathe.</p>
<p>We use them, rely on them, and move through the world assuming they are exactly as they should be.</p>
<p>For example, everyone is familiar with the phrase “Money makes the world go ‘round.”</p>
<p>This is rarely questioned and is rather accepted as self-evident.</p>
<p>Every day, you wake up, pay your bills, go to work, and check your bank account,—believing that you understand the system you operate within.</p>
<p>But have you ever stopped to ask yourself: <strong>What is money, really?</strong></p>

<p>Not the textbook definition.</p>
<p>Not the economic theory you learned in school.</p>
<p>But the truth.</p>
<p>Money is everywhere. It dictates who eats and who starves, who rises and who falls. It builds empires and crushes civilizations.</p>
<p>It has fueled revolutions, financed wars, and controlled the fate of entire nations.</p>
<p>It is arguably the most powerful force on Earth, yet most people never stop to question its origins, its purpose, or its true nature.</p>
<p>You use money every single day. You earn it, you spend it, you save it. You trade your time and energy for it. It determines where you live, what you own, and the opportunities available to you.</p>

<p>It is so deeply embedded in your life that questioning it feels absurd—like questioning gravity or the air you breathe.</p>
<p>But have you ever wondered who decided what money is? Who, or what, gave it value? Or who controls it?</p>
<p>And more importantly—what if you have been playing a game where the rules were rigged before you were even born?</p>
<p>For those who are willing to look beyond the surface, the answers may be surprising.</p>
<p>But be warned: <strong>once you start asking the right questions, there is no turning back</strong>.</p>
<h2><strong>Traditional Definitions of Money</strong></h2>
<p>Money is one of the most universally recognized yet least examined aspects of human civilization.</p>

<p>It influences every facet of our lives, dictating our economic opportunities, shaping global trade, and acting as a central force in ways few ever consider.</p>
<p>Yet, despite its ubiquity, money remains a concept that is deeply misunderstood.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T145952.918.jpg?itok=xNV_Hp-g" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T145952.918.jpg?itok=xNV_Hp-g"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d908cb16-7d68-41e8-b264-2ed7eaa1187c" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="270" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T145952.918.jpg?itok=xNV_Hp-g" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>While we all use money, few of us ever stop to truly evaluate what it is, how it functions, and whether it works the way we assume it does.</p>
<p>The goal here is not to convince anyone of a specific perspective but to think critically about money—what it really represents and whether the reality matches what we have been taught.</p>
<p>If you were to stop someone on the street and ask them whether they knew what money was, they would almost certainly respond with a confident yes.</p>
<p>However, if you pressed them further and asked them to give a proper definition, the response might not come quite as quickly. The initial certainty would likely give way to hesitation as they search for an answer.</p>
<p>Were you to push a little harder or direct the question toward someone well-versed in finance or economic theory, the answers would likely become more structured.</p>
<p>At this level, people might begin describing the attributes associated with a strong form of money—qualities that make it function effectively as a medium of exchange, store of value, and unit of account.</p>
<p>If the conversation were to then go even further, those thinking critically about the question might move past the attributes of money and instead focus on what money actually does.</p>
<p>They might start discussing its role in facilitating trade, its function in settling debts, or its importance in economic transactions.</p>
<p>Yet, even if all of these points are accepted as true, the core of the question still remains: What <em>“IS”</em> it?</p>
<p>At its most fundamental level, a medium of exchange must be some “thing.” And what are tangible things made of?</p>
<p>Commodities.</p>
<p>By this reasoning, money—when stripped to its most basic form—is a commodity.</p>
<p>And commodities are made up of elements found on the Periodic Table. However, not just any commodity (or any element) can serve as money.</p>
<p>If a particular commodity is widely demanded and possesses some (or all) of the attributes that define strong money, then it ceases to be just a commodity and instead also transcends to become money itself.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150009.488.jpg?itok=nahlG61p" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150009.488.jpg?itok=nahlG61p"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d3205134-3e72-4810-822b-61a5785917b8" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="256" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150009.488.jpg?itok=nahlG61p" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>At this point, it often becomes clear that money is <em>the most marketable</em> commodity, a good that serves as the final extinguisher of debt and that has been selected by free market forces over time.</p>
<p>This definition resonates with many who have studied the history of money and how different forms have evolved over time.</p>
<p>Taking this concept a step further, and recognizing that money is a commodity, and commodities are made up of elements from the Periodic Table, one might even evaluate the various elements to see which of them has the most attributes which would allow it to “ascend” to become money.</p>
<p>In doing so, one would realize that there in one commodity that has long been regarded as one of the strongest forms of money due to its unique set of attributes, which make it highly effective as a medium of exchange and store of value.</p>
<p>One of its most defining qualities is durability—unlike paper currency or other perishable goods, it does not corrode, tarnish, or degrade over time, ensuring that it retains its value across generations.</p>
<p>This durability allows it to function as a reliable form of wealth preservation, as it does not succumb to the forces of time or environmental conditions.</p>
<p>Another critical characteristic of this commodity is its divisibility.</p>
<p>Unlike other commodities, it can be melted down and divided into smaller units without losing its intrinsic value, allowing for transactions of varying sizes.</p>
<p>This makes it more practical as a medium of exchange compared to goods that cannot be easily broken down.</p>
<p>Additionally, it is fungible, meaning that each unit is identical to another unit of the same weight and purity. This interchangeability ensures that it can be exchanged without discrepancies in value, making it a highly efficient means of trade.</p>
<p>It is also prized for its portability.</p>
<p>Despite being a physical commodity, it possesses a high value-to-weight ratio, allowing individuals and institutions to transport significant amounts of wealth in a compact and convenient form.</p>
<p>This portability, combined with its recognizability, reinforces its status as a widely accepted and trusted form of money.</p>
<p>Across cultures and throughout history, it has been universally acknowledged as a store of value, and its distinct appearance and unique properties make it difficult to counterfeit.</p>
<p>Beyond these qualities, it also holds scarcity, a fundamental attribute that has preserved its value over time.</p>
<p>Its supply is naturally limited by the physical constraints of extraction and production.</p>
<p>This inherent scarcity prevents artificial inflation and ensures that it maintains its purchasing power over extended periods.</p>
<p>Lastly, its malleability adds to its utility, as it can be shaped into coins, bars, or intricate jewelry without losing its essential properties.</p>
<p>This adaptability makes it highly versatile, further cementing its place as one of the most effective and enduring forms of money.</p>
<p>We are, of course, talking about gold.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150030.029.jpg?itok=w04SDCys" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150030.029.jpg?itok=w04SDCys"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="da862ecd-15bf-4e78-98fa-07afeaf887fe" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="264" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150030.029.jpg?itok=w04SDCys" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>And indeed, throughout history, gold has embodied all the qualities of strong money—it is scarce, durable, divisible, portable, and widely recognized.</p>
<p>Its long-standing role in economic systems has led many to assert that it remains the ultimate form of money.</p>
<p>At this point, a show of hands might reveal broad agreement with this perspective.</p>
<p>But before reaching a final conclusion, it is worth pausing and asking: <strong>Has history always functioned under a free-market system?</strong></p>
<p>More importantly, has money always been determined by the free market, or has another force been at play?</p>
<h2><strong>Money as a State-Controlled Construct</strong></h2>
<p>A common assumption that must be accepted when using the definition of money found above, is that markets operate freely, driven by voluntary exchange and competition.</p>
<p>But does this match with historical reality?</p>
<p>Has history always been characterized by a Free Market? Or, more importantly, has the world <em>ever</em> been truly governed by Free Market principles?</p>
<p>These questions are essential, but they require us to look at the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. Which leads to a broader discussion about the nature of money itself.</p>
<p>If we assume that money is simply a commodity chosen by free market forces, then we must reconcile this assumption with historical evidence.</p>
<p>And the simple fact is, there exists another perspective—one that challenges the traditional definition of money and forces us to reconsider whether money has ever been purely a market-driven phenomenon.</p>
<p>If history tells us anything, it is that the state has played a significant role in the shaping of history as a whole. The state has also played a significant role in the development of monetary systems.</p>
<p>So, if we are dealing with the world as it actually is, rather than how we want it to be, this simple fact cannot be ignored.</p>
<p>Throughout history, governments have issued various forms of fiat currency, not as a response to free market demand, but as a mechanism to facilitate trade, assert control, and support economic systems.</p>
<p>Ancient empires often minted coins made of base metals, stamping them with the images of rulers or state symbols, ensuring that their value was determined by decree rather than intrinsic worth.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150052.539.jpg?itok=SaTKJ3o5" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150052.539.jpg?itok=SaTKJ3o5"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ad40b46e-bd82-40d1-81be-63111f91e642" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="257" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150052.539.jpg?itok=SaTKJ3o5" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>These early monetary systems established a precedent where the state, rather than market forces, dictated what functioned as money.</p>
<p>During the Renaissance and beyond, paper banknotes emerged as a widespread monetary tool. Initially, these notes were backed by precious metals, reinforcing their legitimacy and trust.</p>
<p>However, over time, they gradually evolved into pure fiat money, entirely detached from any physical commodity.</p>
<p>This transformation allowed governments and central banks to exert greater control over monetary systems, as they were no longer constrained by finite reserves of gold or silver.</p>
<p>Colonial governments also played a significant role in monetary history, issuing promissory notes as a means of managing trade and economic activity.</p>
<p>These notes functioned as early forms of government-backed currency, representing an obligation rather than a tangible store of value.</p>
<p>As time progressed, fiat currencies became the dominant form of money, with modern states embracing national currencies such as the dollar, euro, and yen.</p>
<p>Today, fiat money exists in both physical and digital forms, serving as a testament to the continued evolution of state-sponsored monetary systems.</p>
<p>If we accept this historical reality, then we must ask: Is money truly a product of free markets, or has it always been shaped and defined by those in power?</p>
<p>Or put another way: Is money really the most marketable commodity that is chosen by the free-thinking individuals, or is it a powerful tool that is dictated by the King?</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150110.621.jpg?itok=WH08mRBT" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150110.621.jpg?itok=WH08mRBT"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="62a72423-8eee-4cfa-ae3b-a25c5c33ba1d" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="275" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150110.621.jpg?itok=WH08mRBT" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>To answer these questions, it is first necessary to develop the skills needed to best understand one’s environment.</p>
<h2><strong>Situational Awareness</strong></h2>
<p>Situational Awareness is a fundamental skill that allows individuals to perceive, comprehend, and anticipate events in their surroundings, enabling them to make informed decisions and take effective action.</p>
<p>It consists of three essential components: first, the ability to perceive critical elements in the environment, such as people, objects, and unfolding events; second, the capacity to comprehend their meaning and potential impact; and third, the foresight to project future developments based on available information.</p>
<p>This skill is indispensable in high-stakes environments such as aviation, military operations, healthcare, and business, where the ability to recognize subtle cues and react accordingly can mean the difference between success and failure.</p>
<p>The same principle applies to portfolio allocation, where financial markets constantly shift, and a lack of awareness can lead to devastating losses.</p>
<p>Beyond professional fields, situational awareness plays a critical role in everyday life, enhancing personal safety, improving decision-making, and allowing individuals to navigate an ever-changing world effectively.</p>
<p>Without this skill, people risk being caught off guard, making poor choices, and suffering avoidable consequences.</p>
<p>Whether applied to personal security, financial decisions, or strategic thinking, situational awareness is a vital tool for optimizing outcomes in a world filled with uncertainty.</p>
<p>An example of applying situational awareness to our current topic at hand can be found in the below scenario.</p>
<h2><strong>The Prison Economy</strong></h2>
<p>As noted above; to optimize one’s circumstances, it is necessary to fully understand the environment in which one operates.</p>
<p>This principle is starkly illustrated in the closed ecosystem of prison economies, where traditional monetary systems do not exist.</p>
<p>In such environments, inmates rely on alternative forms of currency, selecting goods that are durable, widely accepted, and easily exchangeable.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150137.064.jpg?itok=Ibt9c0fR" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150137.064.jpg?itok=Ibt9c0fR"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c04ae727-2f0f-4ba3-9756-a96697ef0a30" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="266" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150137.064.jpg?itok=Ibt9c0fR" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>For example, cigarettes have historically functioned as an effective currency behind bars.</p>
<p>They are in high demand, easily divisible for small transactions, and widely recognized as a unit of exchange.</p>
<p>Cigarettes can be traded for food, services, or other necessities, creating a barter economy that mirrors traditional financial systems.</p>
<p>Similarly, cans of sardines have emerged as a valuable commodity in some prison settings.</p>
<p>Their non-perishable nature, combined with their nutritional value, makes them a reliable store of wealth that retains its usefulness over time.</p>
<p>In the absence of officially sanctioned money, these items take on the characteristics of a medium of exchange, a store of value, and a unit of account—the very principles that define money itself.</p>
<p>This informal economy within prisons serves as a microcosm of broader monetary systems, demonstrating that money is not defined by government decree alone, but by what people collectively recognize as having value.</p>
<p>The lessons from these controlled environments underscore the importance of adaptability, resourcefulness, and understanding economic forces, no matter where one operates.</p>
<p>Its also important to understand that while both cigarettes and sardines have become popular forms of money found in controlled environments, they have not become so <em>solely</em> due to the marketability of their intrinsic qualities.</p>
<p>Consider a scenario within a prison economy, where sardines are widely accepted as currency. In this system, they serve as a medium of exchange, a store of value, and a unit of account—fulfilling all the necessary functions of money.</p>
<p>However, what happens when an inmate is transferred to a different facility, where the power dynamics have changed?</p>
<p>In this new prison, the dominant figure—the one who holds the most influence—hates sardines but loves cigarettes.</p>
<p>He has declared, by fiat, that cigarettes are now the required form of payment.</p>
<p>In such an environment, it no longer matters that sardines once held monetary value. The rules have changed, and the new authority figure has dictated a new system.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150150.049.jpg?itok=c2qa_j_Z" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150150.049.jpg?itok=c2qa_j_Z"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5181cb82-9614-4168-b187-64f483d4632f" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="268" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150150.049.jpg?itok=c2qa_j_Z" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>In this situation, would it make sense to insist that sardines are still money?</p>
<p>Or would the prisoner be forced to adapt to the new standard, recognizing that money is not determined by intrinsic qualities alone, but rather by the power structures that enforce its use?</p>
<p>Would you take it upon yourself to try and convince the dominant figure that he is wrong to demand cigarettes and that he should rely on free market principles rather than his own wants and desires?</p>
<p>This example raises a critical question: If given the choice, would we prefer a market-based form of money, determined organically by free exchange, or a system where money is dictated by a central authority that holds power over the participants?</p>
<p>Most people would instinctively lean toward the former, believing that free markets should determine the best form of money.</p>
<p>And because they believe that free markets would be better, they then believe that that is how markets developed throughout history.</p>
<p>However, there is a problem with this perspective—one that is rarely acknowledged.</p>
<p>Despite its widespread acceptance in economic textbooks and theoretical models, there is little historical evidence that large-scale barter and free exchange ever formed the foundation of monetary systems.</p>
<p>The assumption that markets naturally produce money without some form of imposed structure does not align with much of the historical record.</p>
<p>This challenges the idea that money evolved as a product of free markets and forces us to reconsider whether its origins are more closely tied to power, authority, and enforced rules rather than voluntary exchange.</p>
<p>Most people assume money has always been determined by free market forces. But history tells a different story—one where power, control, and coercion have shaped financial systems in ways few ever stop to consider.</p>
<p><strong>So if money isn't what we think it is, what does that mean for everything else?</strong></p>
<h2><strong>Debt, Power, and the Evolution of Money Systems</strong></h2>
<p>The conventional narrative about the origins of money suggests that it naturally evolved from barter systems, where individuals directly exchanged goods and services.</p>
<p>However, David Graeber, in his book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1612194192/?bestFormat=true&amp;k=debt%20the%20first%205000%20years%20by%20david%20graeber&amp;ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_de_k0_1_8&amp;crid=1ZNBLD6F0FC6T&amp;sprefix=Debt%20the">Debt: The First 5,000 Years</a>, challenges this assumption, arguing that there is little historical evidence to support the idea that barter was ever the primary foundation of economic systems.</p>
<p>Traditional economics textbooks often depict early societies as engaging in barter before money was introduced, but Graeber’s research suggests otherwise.</p>
<p>Instead, he argues that debt—not barter—was the foundation of economic exchange.</p>
<p>In ancient societies, trade was often based on credit systems, where individuals exchanged goods and services based on mutual trust and obligations rather than immediate physical payment.</p>
<p>These systems did not require money in the traditional sense but instead relied on social contracts and informal agreements.</p>
<p>Over time, these credit systems became formalized into structured debt, eventually leading to the emergence of money as an institutionalized means of settling obligations.</p>
<p>Graeber traces the evolution of debt through history, illustrating how it became deeply embedded in economic and political systems, often serving as a means of control rather than mere facilitation of trade.</p>
<p>He critiques the ways in which debt has been used to enforce social hierarchies, shaping power dynamics, and limiting individual autonomy.</p>
<p>By reframing the history of money around debt, Graeber sheds light on the underlying social mechanisms that govern economic systems—mechanisms that have long been overlooked or misunderstood.</p>
<p>For example, it is well known that throughout history, rulers have exerted direct control over economic activity, using coercion, taxation, and structured debt to shape monetary systems.</p>
<p>In some cases, power was enforced through outright conscription, where the king would draft citizens into his army, demand their labor for infrastructure projects, or force them into servitude for state-building efforts.</p>
<p>There was little room for refusal—those who resisted often faced death or imprisonment.</p>
<p>In other cases, entire economies functioned under feudal systems, where peasants were forced to work the land, generating wealth that ultimately benefited the ruling class.</p>
<p>Under such systems, peasants were required to pay taxes “in kind,” meaning they surrendered a portion of their crops, livestock, or other goods directly to the monarchy.</p>
<p>After taxation, they were left with only what remained for their survival.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150220.311.jpg?itok=PeVWiHZH" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150220.311.jpg?itok=PeVWiHZH"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7da448b0-66a1-47a7-b4ca-cbca62160d2a" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="268" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150220.311.jpg?itok=PeVWiHZH" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>However, maintaining control through direct force has its limitations. It requires resources, effort, and an ever-present threat of violence.</p>
<p>A more efficient system would be one where control was maintained without constant enforcement—one where individuals voluntarily complied, believing they had agency in their economic decisions.</p>
<p>With that in mind, what if the king devised a system where, instead of demanding physical goods or direct labor, he issued a currency—a coin used to provision his kingdom?</p>
<p>What if, at the end of the season or the year, he required his citizens to pay back a portion of that currency as taxes?</p>
<p>Under this model, individuals would still be working to sustain the system, but instead of direct coercion, they would be compelled to participate in the economy to earn the issued currency.</p>
<p>The need to obtain coins to pay taxes would create demand for the currency itself, giving it value not because of intrinsic worth, but because it was the only way to satisfy obligations to the state.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150234.945.jpg?itok=cCMSH0bZ" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150234.945.jpg?itok=cCMSH0bZ"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1ccb351a-5214-404f-89fc-acdfc2150262" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="271" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150234.945.jpg?itok=cCMSH0bZ" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>In effect, this would achieve the same result as forced labor or direct taxation, but in a manner that was subtler, more efficient, and easier to manage. The system of control would still exist—but now, it would feel voluntary.</p>
<p>Before dismissing this idea as implausible, it is worth reflecting on the words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who once observed: <em>“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”</em></p>
<h2><strong>Debt, Control, and the Nature of Power</strong></h2>
<p>The concept of debt as a mechanism of control is powerfully illustrated in the film <em>The International</em>, where Umberto Calvini, a leading global weapons manufacturer, explains to money laundering investigators why a major European bank is brokering Chinese small arms to third-world conflicts.</p>
<p>The investigators assume that the bank is simply profiting from war, but Calvini clarifies that the true objective is not to control the conflict itself, but to control the debt that war creates.</p>
<p>He states:</p>
<p><em>"The IBBC is a bank. Their objective isn't to control the conflict, it's to control the debt that the conflict produces.</em></p>
<p><em>You see, the real value of a conflict—the true value—is in the debt that it creates.</em></p>
<p><em>You control the debt, you control everything. You find this upsetting, yes? But this is the very essence of the banking industry, to make us all, whether we be nations or individuals, slaves to debt."</em></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpp4vhAxzLU">Watch the scene here</a></p>
<p>Calvini’s words underscore a chilling reality: <strong>war (and debt) is not just about land, resources, or ideology—it is a financial instrument.</strong></p>
<p>By ensuring that governments and individuals remain indebted, financial institutions and those who control them can exert long-term influence over entire nations.</p>
<p>This shifts the focus from direct control through physical force to economic subjugation through perpetual debt cycles.</p>
<p>The idea that control extends beyond war and finance is further explored in the film <em>The Matrix</em>, where Morpheus reveals to Neo the unsettling truth about the world he lives in.</p>
<p>Neo, like everyone else, believes he exists in a reality where he makes his own choices.</p>
<p>But Morpheus exposes this as a fabricated illusion, designed to keep people enslaved without them realizing it.</p>
<p>When Neo asks what the Matrix is, Morpheus explains:</p>
<p><em>“The Matrix is a computer-generated dream world, built to keep people under control in order to change a human being into…this.”</em></p>
<p>At that moment, Morpheus holds up a battery, revealing the horrifying truth—humanity itself has been reduced to a power source for an unseen system.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6T69LFIg1k">Watch the scene here</a></p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150258.292.jpg?itok=DSndDP1I" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150258.292.jpg?itok=DSndDP1I"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="cc4dbdf2-76ba-4ab0-861a-0a57bd55b83b" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="264" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150258.292.jpg?itok=DSndDP1I" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>In the context of financial systems, this analogy is striking.</p>
<p>Just as the machines in <em>The Matrix</em> extract energy from humans, modern economic structures extract wealth, labor, and productivity from individuals, often without their conscious awareness.</p>
<p>Most people never question the system they are born into, just as Neo never questioned his world—until he was forced to confront an uncomfortable truth.</p>
<p>By drawing these connections, it becomes clear that debt, economic control, and systemic influence function in ways that extend far beyond what most people perceive.</p>
<p>The question then becomes: <strong>If the world we live in operates under a system we never consented to, and one that most don’t even understand, how much of our reality is truly our own?</strong></p>
<h2><strong>The Monetary Matrix</strong></h2>
<p>After exploring various perspectives, we arrive back at the fundamental question: <strong>What is money?</strong></p>
<p>But before we attempt to answer, consider this—are you ready to take the Red Pill?</p>
<p>What if, echoing the words of both Umberto Calvini in <em>The International</em> and Morpheus in <em>The Matrix</em>, money is not merely a tool for exchange, nor simply a product of free-market evolution?</p>
<p>What if money has never been neutral, but rather, it has always been a mechanism of control?</p>
<p>If this is the case, then money is not just an economic instrument—it is the original Matrix.</p>
<p>It has existed for as long as power structures have, shaping civilizations, ensuring compliance, and maintaining hierarchies thousands of years before modern financial systems were even conceived.</p>
<p>It did not emerge organically from free markets, but rather, it was implemented and imposed by those in power.</p>
<p>If this idea seems radical, consider the analogy: money is a government-created construct, built to keep people under control in the same way that the Matrix enslaved humanity—turning them into batteries for an unseen system.</p>
<p>Morpheus' words about turning humans into a battery displays this concept perfectly.</p>
<p>But when Neo is confronted with this reality, his first reaction is horror and denial.</p>
<p>He recoils at the idea, rejecting it outright:</p>
<p><em>“I don’t believe it. It’s not possible.”</em></p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150320.115.jpg?itok=vDaS9V5U" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150320.115.jpg?itok=vDaS9V5U"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4cf18664-745f-4d64-a61d-168248fd085e" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="280" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150320.115.jpg?itok=vDaS9V5U" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>And perhaps, right now, you are having the same reaction.</p>
<p>Perhaps this notion seems too far-fetched—too extreme to be real.</p>
<p>And yet… can you be completely certain that it is wrong?</p>
<p>The challenge is not to accept or reject this idea outright. The challenge is to look at the world as it is, not as we want it to be.</p>
<p>If you can do that, then you must at least be willing to ask:</p>
<p>What if everything you thought you knew about money was an illusion?</p>
<p>But before we jump to a conclusion, let us take a closer look at some of the evidence. Evidence that we all have direct experience with.</p>
<h2><strong>The Evidence</strong></h2>
<p>From the moment we are born, we enter a controlled environment—one where registration is mandatory, where each individual is assigned an identification number.</p>
<p>This system is not referred to as a prison, but rather as a state or a country.</p>
<p>And yet, despite the different terminology, the structure bears an unsettling resemblance to an institution designed to manage and contain its inhabitants.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150757.293.jpg?itok=PnXMAO1o" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150757.293.jpg?itok=PnXMAO1o"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2cd2c4d8-5794-47d6-9b19-c4d4aa4db7f9" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="280" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150757.293.jpg?itok=PnXMAO1o" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>But unlike traditional prisons, this system is far more sophisticated. Here, you are not simply locked away—you are made to believe you are free.</p>
<p>You do not get to live in this system for free. There is a cost, a recurring obligation that must be met. They do not call these payments prison fees—they call them taxes.</p>
<p>Even though you are required to pay, you have little to no control over how the money is spent.</p>
<p>And to make matters worse, in order to obtain the money necessary to pay these taxes, you must first work within the system itself.</p>
<p>The economy is structured so that you must earn the state-sanctioned currency, which can then be used to pay the fees imposed on you.</p>
<p>There is no alternative. At least not one that does not involve the threat of imprisonment or violence.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150811.804.jpg?itok=YmQueuCa" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150811.804.jpg?itok=YmQueuCa"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="dbecfe67-b28e-4715-8c19-7589635aeacd" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="282" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150811.804.jpg?itok=YmQueuCa" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>But it does not stop there.</p>
<p>The system does not just demand your labor—it also encourages you to take on debt.</p>
<p>It presents you with shiny new products, new luxuries, new promises, enticing you to borrow more, ensuring that you remain tied to the system, dependent on its currency, and locked in a cycle that is nearly impossible to escape.</p>
<p>Unlike a physical prison, where the boundaries are visible, this system’s walls are invisible—and that is what makes them so effective.</p>
<p>You may believe you are free to move, but try leaving without the required documentation—a passport, a visa, or an approval.</p>
<p>Your movements are tracked, monitored, and restricted.</p>
<p>In some cases, certain "facilities"—whether by nation, regulation, or economic constraint—do not allow you to leave at all.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150824.538.jpg?itok=AXuHTDSH" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150824.538.jpg?itok=AXuHTDSH"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8dd2ef87-11f3-4197-808a-37da28125c14" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="284" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20-%202025-03-01T150824.538.jpg?itok=AXuHTDSH" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>And yet, the most effective form of control is not force, but distraction.</p>
<p>The state provides news, entertainment, and endless engagement, ensuring that most people never even realize that the walls exist.</p>
<p>In fact, they are so skilled at this that the vast majority of individuals will never take a step back, never pause long enough to recognize the structure for what it truly is.</p>
<h2><strong>The Cognitive Dissonance of it all</strong></h2>
<p>Now, some of you may be thinking: <em>This is not really what money is. This is just that MMT mumbo jumbo.</em> And others may believe that if this were true, the system would have collapsed already.</p>
<p>But remember, inevitable does not mean imminent. Systems do not crumble overnight. They endure for decades, centuries, even millennia before their inherent flaws bring them to their inevitable collapse.</p>
<p>So, after examining the evidence—after considering the nature of the system we exist within—have you changed your mind at all?</p>
<p>Do you see the pattern, but simply hate what it implies?</p>
<h2><strong>Breaking Free</strong></h2>
<p>Understanding money as a mechanism of control does not mean outright rejecting the idea of free markets or market-based money.</p>
<p>Instead, it demands situational awareness—the ability to recognize and navigate the structures that shape financial systems, rather than blindly accepting them as immutable truths.</p>
<p>Free markets and commodity-based money may indeed be ideal, but reality tells a different story—one where monetary systems are largely centralized, manipulated, and designed to maintain power structures.</p>
<p>Acknowledging this reality is not about conceding defeat; it is about understanding the game you are playing so that you can engage with it on your own terms rather than being a passive participant in a system that was never built for your benefit.</p>
<p>The nature of money is inherently dualistic.</p>
<p>Sometimes, it is a market-chosen commodity, emerging organically from the free exchange of goods and services.</p>
<p>Other times, it is a state-imposed token, demanded by sovereign powers as the exclusive means to settle obligations like taxes.</p>
<p>And, in many instances, it is both at the same time—a hybrid of state control and market-driven value, existing within a framework that few ever stop to question.</p>
<p>None of this is meant to disparage free markets or the enduring role of gold.</p>
<p>On the contrary, history has shown time and time again that gold and sound money principles provide a more stable, trustworthy foundation for trade and wealth preservation.</p>
<p>If given the choice, most would prefer a system where markets, rather than governments, determine what functions as money.</p>
<p>But that is not the world we live in today.</p>
<p>To ignore this fact is to remain blind to the forces that shape global finance, leaving oneself vulnerable to the shifting tides of monetary policy, economic intervention, and centralized control.</p>
<p>Now more than ever, dogmatic beliefs about what money should be must not cloud our understanding of what money actually is.</p>
<p>In the years ahead, the ability to think critically, adapt, and remain aware of evolving financial realities will not just be valuable—it will likely be essential for financial survival.</p>
<p>Rather than clinging to an ideological framework that no longer aligns with reality, we must cultivate a mindset that allows us to see the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.</p>
<p>And situational awareness is the ultimate superpower in volatile markets—one that, if mastered, can not only help you survive, but to also thrive in the years to come.</p>
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guid: 1007519 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: 110 Year Old Filmmaking Company Technicolor Shutting Down, Laying Off 217 Employees
author: ;Tyler Durden
hash: )F�g�g�J�iN}�|��
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<p>Technicolor, the iconic 110-year-old company that transformed filmmaking, is reportedly shutting down. Known for classics like <em>The Wizard of Oz</em> and <em>Singin’ in the Rain</em>, the brand is closing operations, according to <em>Variety</em> and other sources, <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/hollywood-company-technicolor-layoffs-20190031.php">according to SFGate</a>.</p>
<p>Technicolor Creative Services filed a WARN notice Monday, announcing the permanent closure of its Culver City location and the loss of 217 jobs, with broader impacts likely. Facing financial struggles and lacking new investment, the company has been in decline for some time.</p>
<p>A notice to employees read: "As we have communicated over the past months, Technicolor has been facing severe financial challenges. Despite exhaustive efforts—including restructuring initiatives, discussions with potential investors, and exploring acquisition opportunities—we have been unable to secure a viable path forward. Unfortunately, this leaves us with no alternative but acknowledging that the Company may be forced to foreclose."</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-03-01%20at%2011.14.40%E2%80%AFAM.jpg?itok=BDxGlL3A" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-03-01%20at%2011.14.40%E2%80%AFAM.jpg?itok=BDxGlL3A"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="89e5c592-2350-4fd3-80c8-2346da5e2193" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="325" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-03-01%20at%2011.14.40%E2%80%AFAM.jpg?itok=BDxGlL3A" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>It continued: "In line with applicable state and federal legislation, please find attached a WARN Notice. If no viable solution is identified by the end of today, Friday, February 21, 2025, we will be required to cease our U.S. operations as early as Monday, February 24, 2025."</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/hollywood-company-technicolor-layoffs-20190031.php">SF Gate report</a> says that Technicolor's decline stems from a mix of industry challenges, including the pandemic’s economic impact, the Hollywood writers' strike, and the rise of AI in visual effects. The company's collapse would affect thousands of jobs across California, Europe, Canada, and India.</p>
<p>Technicolor Group, the France-based parent company of multiple VFX and post-production firms, has entered receivership in Paris Commercial Court, according to <em>The Verge</em>.</p>
<p>Some employees voiced frustration online, with one user, “Screwed MPC,” commenting: “No pay for last few weeks work. No severance pay. The c-suite have disappeared without a trace and left middle managers to try and help and answer the questions of the 4500 laid off.”</p>
<p>This will likely lead to a cascade of further job cuts in the industry...</p>
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link:
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/110-year-old-filmmaking-company-technicolor-shutting-down-laying-217-employees


guid: 1007546 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Three Ways To Restore Housing Affordability
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/three-ways-restore-housing-affordability
hash: b��Ã�]I�@�E<�:
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<p><a href="https://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2025/02/three-ways-to-restore-housing.html"><em>Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,</em></a></p>
<p><em>The choice is simple: housing is either shelter for citizens, or it's just another interchangeable speculative asset in the global financialization casino. It can't be both.</em></p>
<p><strong>We tend to think of housing becoming unaffordable as a matter of land prices, zoning and the cost of 2X4s, but it's fundamentally a matter of values.</strong> Subscriber John summarized this in an insightful comment on Substack:</p>
<blockquote readability="20">
<p><em>"For me, this issue is a reflection of the values of our culture.</em></p>
<p><em>1. Lack of value placed on community means that a house is primarily a financial asset, not a home.</em></p>
<p><em>2. Lack of valuing community, means that we have not supported local business / industry and allowed these to be centralized or outsourced.</em></p>
<p><em>3. Lack of valuing self-sufficiency means that the only way we can view a house as an asset is when it increases in value. How much income does your house generate every month? (even if you count that income in tomatoes).</em></p>
<p><em>Most of the housing being built is nothing more than boxes with a roof no matter how fancy the box. There is no awareness of how that housing is a part of the ecology that it is built in."</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>This boils down to a simple choice: either housing is shelter for the citizenry, or it's just another asset class to be snapped up for private profit / gain by global capital. Choose one.</strong> This is one of the many pernicious consequences of glorifying <em>Financialization</em> as the most important dynamic in our economy and society.</p>
<p><strong>Once an economy has been financialized, everything becomes a commodity in the global marketplace to be bought and sold as an interchangeable asset.</strong> A flat in Bangkok, a flat in Barcelona, a flat in Miami: they're all the same to global capital, which includes trillions of dollars of non-U.S. wealth sloshing around seeking profitable places to park surplus capital, and domestic wealth doing the same thing, moving wealth around interchangeable assets to maximize private gain.</p>
<p><strong>This is the iron logic of <em>Financialization</em> and <em>Globalization</em>: housing is just another asset class to exploit.</strong> What effect the tsunami of wealth has on the communities being shredded is of zero interest to non-resident owners, corporations and speculators. Buying up houses to rent as short-term vacation rentals (STVRs), or simply left empty is just like buying a corporate bond: you move your capital around to maximize private gains, there's no difference between housing, shares in a mining company, bonds or any other financial commodity.</p>
<p><strong>This is how you end up with entire residential buildings having only a few residents,</strong> as 90+% of the owners don't live there, they just own the flat or house as a place to safely park surplus capital or visit a few days of the year on vacation. This is a global reality that anyone can observe who cares to open their eyes.</p>
<p><strong>Is housing shelter for citizens or is it a commodity asset one buys for profit as a mini-hotel?</strong> In popular tourist areas, consequential percentages of the housing has been snapped up by the wealthy as STVRs, short-term rental housing, the vast majority of which are owned not by hosts who live in the house as their sole residence but by absentee hosts who live half a world away and who have zero interest in the locale or community their interchangeable rental happens to be in.</p>
<p><strong>Restrictions on new housing serve the self-serving interests profiting from locking down the status quo.</strong> Anything that might negatively affect valuations is resisted. This urge to pull the ladder up behind us is natural, but is it fair to the generations behind us? As for all the restrictions, regulations and permitting--has anyone looked at this mass of costs with fresh eyes, asking if it's truly serving the citizenry? Or can much of it be stripped away as bureaucratic clutter or lobbying imposed by self-serving interests? We need to ask <em>cui bono</em>-- to whose benefit?</p>

<p><strong>Everyone is for solutions to housing unaffordability that don't diminish the value of their house. But the price is the problem.</strong> As I explained in <a href="https://www.oftwominds.com/blogfeb25/middle-class-crumbling2-25.html">Housing: The Foundations of the Middle Class Are Crumbling</a>, turning housing into just another table in the financialization casino has inflated a bubble of unprecedented proportions that has distorted not just affordability but the fabric of society.</p>
<p><strong>Those who bought homes long ago are now wealthy not from genius but simply from timing</strong>. Buying in before the bubble inflated has generated generational and regional divides of the haves and the have-nots that are corrosive to the economy and society.</p>
<p><strong>Let's start with housing affordability. It's in the basement.</strong></p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/housing-affordability1-25%20%281%29.jpg?itok=JpezbrrA" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/housing-affordability1-25%20%281%29.jpg?itok=JpezbrrA"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b10b2e94-425a-479b-9c3e-fe3331b5f869" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="383" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/housing-affordability1-25%20%281%29.jpg?itok=JpezbrrA" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p><strong>The generations who bought homes 25 or more years ago have accumulated most of the wealth.</strong> When houses increase in value ten-fold while wages rise by a third, this is the result:</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/generational-wealth2_1.jpg?itok=yyGxOuWl" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/generational-wealth2_1.jpg?itok=yyGxOuWl"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="aa6fc416-0721-49cc-b385-8efc3ab0a8ef" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="281" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/generational-wealth2_1.jpg?itok=yyGxOuWl" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p><strong>Here's the National Case Shiller Housing Index. I've added long-term trendlines to clarify the two housing bubbles inflated by rampant financialization.</strong> A return to the upper trendline would require a 40% drop in current valuations, and a return to the lower trendline would require a 50% decline.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/Case-Shiller-index2-25b.jpg?itok=2F9TPg-c" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/Case-Shiller-index2-25b.jpg?itok=2F9TPg-c"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b827b2dd-a682-4c8c-9fc2-72d9535bc11f" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="385" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/Case-Shiller-index2-25b.jpg?itok=2F9TPg-c" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p><strong>Since financialization inflated housing to unaffordable heights, the only way to restore affordability is to eliminate the perverse incentives and distortions of financialization by taking these steps to return housing to sheltering the citizenry:</strong></p>
<p>1. Impose a national ban on all short-term vacation rentals except those hosted by full-time owner-occupants. Those caught cheating would be fined $10,000 per violation (i.e. each rental to a new vacationer), with no upper limit.</p>
<p>I know all the rationalizations, hut here's the thing: if you want to own and operate a mini-hotel, go build one in a resort / commercial zone. Residential housing is for residents, not a place for global capital to park surplus wealth or stripmine for private gain.</p>
<p>Those full-time owner-occupants who want to rent out a room in their house to vacationers, that's fine.</p>
<p>2. Impose national limits on non-resident ownership of housing. An outright total ban on non-resident ownership of housing would be best, but if that's politically impossible, then requirements for residency would be the next best thing: if the owner leaves the home empty for 6 months or longer, a $100,000 fee is imposed annually. Anyone caught cheating would be fined the current value of the home.</p>
<p><strong>Once again, the choice is simple: housing is either shelter for citizens, or it's just another interchangeable speculative asset in the global financialization casino. It can't be both.</strong> Rationalizing excuses that it can serve both is why the few profiting from the rationalizations are so desperate to obscure this simple, fundamental choice.</p>

<p><strong>The third solution is to open the locked doors of zoning, planning and industry standards to new types of housing that would be unconventional but affordable.</strong> Every locale will have to wrestle with the forces of keeping the status quo locked down and the need to loosen restrictions and free up experimentation in housing. There isn't one-size-fits-all; every community will have to establish what works best for their economy and populace.</p>
<p><strong>One system builds communities, another destroys them.</strong> Take your pick, but choose wisely.</p>
<p>*  *  *</p>
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guid: 1007527 at https://www.zerohedge.com
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/trump-host-first-white-house-crypto-summit-march-7
hash: �K �(h�x�\9b��Gz
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
title:
"I Love BTC &amp; ETH" - Crypto Spikes As Trump Discusses Strategic Reserve Ahead Of White House Summit

content:
<div readability="151.05846035115">
<p><u><strong>Update (1045ET):</strong></u> On the heels of the announcement of a Cyrpto Summit at The White House this week, <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114093526901586124">President Trump took to Truth Social</a> to explain some of the details, specifically mentioning a Strategic Reserve.</p>
<blockquote readability="14">
<p><em><strong>A U.S. Crypto Reserve will elevate this critical industry after years of corrupt attacks by the Biden Administration,</strong> which is why my Executive Order on Digital Assets directed the Presidential Working Group to move forward on a Crypto Strategic Reserve that <strong>includes XRP, SOL, and ADA.</strong></em></p>
<p><strong><em>I will make sure the U.S. is the Crypto Capital of the World.</em></strong></p>
<p><em>We are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>All three of the 'altcoin's have shot up in price since the post:</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/bfm394.jpg?itok=SuDfqAg2" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/bfm394.jpg?itok=SuDfqAg2"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="556b4863-07c7-45cd-92ef-f315cc397a17" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="294" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/bfm394.jpg?itok=SuDfqAg2" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>And, despite the non-mention of Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency is spiking above $88k...</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/bfm287E.jpg?itok=qRGsJ8tg" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/bfm287E.jpg?itok=qRGsJ8tg"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="941417bd-31e2-4338-93ef-ed1af6a9bd50" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="293" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/bfm287E.jpg?itok=qRGsJ8tg" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>Many suggest the term 'includes' the altcoins does not mean 'excludes' bitcoin or ethereum. </p>
<p>We shall see if our suggestion from May of last year comes true...</p>
<blockquote readability="5.5471698113208" data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">Trump should announce if elected he will buy 2 milllion BTC and 10 million ETH as part of a strategic US crypto reserve</p>
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) <a href="https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1794539226031181953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
<p>Well that didn't take long for Trump to clarify...</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/2025-03-02_08-44-31.jpg?itok=JFa0aMWP" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/2025-03-02_08-44-31.jpg?itok=JFa0aMWP"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="71d29a69-4051-4bc1-abef-99af0f775094" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="136" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/2025-03-02_08-44-31.jpg?itok=JFa0aMWP" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>There's a lot of traders short Ethereum that could feel some serious pain if this comes to pass...</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/image%20%2888%29_3.png?itok=uwaMOMM7" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/image%20%2888%29_3.png?itok=uwaMOMM7"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9487112a-ba80-40a7-8351-8e20e9ee7eda" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="309" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/image%20%2888%29_3.png?itok=uwaMOMM7" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>And the squeeze is starting...</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/bfm1A5A_0.jpg?itok=JHpo6-9T" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/bfm1A5A_0.jpg?itok=JHpo6-9T"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="621c67ed-793c-4438-8711-68ac448bd893" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="295" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/bfm1A5A_0.jpg?itok=JHpo6-9T" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>*  *  *</p>
<p><a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/trump-white-house-crypto-summit-march-7"><em>As Zoltan Vardai detailed earlier via CoinTelegraph.com,</em></a> US President Donald Trump will host the first White House Crypto Summit on March 7, bringing together industry leaders to discuss regulatory policies, stablecoin oversight, and the potential role of Bitcoin in the US financial system.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/019497b0-db77-776c-abea-4e76a77f.jpg?itok=S3gfQrVx" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/019497b0-db77-776c-abea-4e76a77f.jpg?itok=S3gfQrVx"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="20ae40f6-5886-408a-93a9-bd17e7f37448" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="333" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/019497b0-db77-776c-abea-4e76a77f.jpg?itok=S3gfQrVx" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>The attendees will include “prominent founders, CEOs, and investors from the crypto industry,” along with members of the President’s Working Group on Digital Assets, according to an announcement shared by the White House “AI and crypto czar,” David Sacks, in a March 1 X <a href="https://x.com/davidsacks47/status/1895660834799698008/photo/1">post</a>.</p>
<p>The summit will be chaired by Sacks and administered by Bo Hines, the executive director of the Working Group.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/01955111-3253-7c42-9ef6-6bfd6b4f.jpg?itok=zpaDd7LV" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/01955111-3253-7c42-9ef6-6bfd6b4f.jpg?itok=zpaDd7LV"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c37ee081-c211-41ac-b6d9-c6cc016c978a" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="868" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/01955111-3253-7c42-9ef6-6bfd6b4f.jpg?itok=zpaDd7LV" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p><em>Source: </em><a href="https://x.com/davidsacks47/status/1895660834799698008/photo/1"><em>David Sacks</em></a></p>
<p>Sacks was appointed <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/trump-names-david-sacks-ai-crypto-czar">White House Crypto and AI and Czar</a> on Dec. 6, 2024, to “work on a legal framework so the Crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in the U.S.,” <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/trump-first-week-office-crypto-regulation-back-seat">Trump</a> wrote in the announcement. </p>
<p>Part of Sacks’ role will be to “safeguard” online speech and “steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship,” Trump added.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/01955110-bcc6-73c8-a43f-3f598a05.jpg?itok=asP9WxpX" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/01955110-bcc6-73c8-a43f-3f598a05.jpg?itok=asP9WxpX"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3220942c-8e83-415d-b522-695bd1044641" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="303" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/01955110-bcc6-73c8-a43f-3f598a05.jpg?itok=asP9WxpX" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p><em>Source: </em><a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113603133222686186"><em>Donald Trump</em></a></p>
<p>Trump has previously signaled that he intends to make <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/trump-executive-order-crypto-national-priority-bloomberg">crypto policy a national priority</a> and make the US a global hub for blockchain innovation. The upcoming summit may set the tone for crypto regulations over the next four years.</p>
<p><a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/david-sacks-2-years-push-meaningful-policies-lawyer">Sacks only has two years to push through</a> pro-crypto policies before the 2026 midterm elections in the US, Joe Doll, the general counsel for NFT marketplace Magic Eden, told Cointelegraph in an interview.</p>
<p>According to Doll, the threat of a gridlocked government could stifle regulations, and the current administration must push through pro-crypto policies while still in control of both chambers of Congress.</p>
<h2>Stablecoin, Bitcoin reserve regulation remain focus</h2>
<p>While there are no additional details about the summit’s agenda, stablecoin regulation and legislation related to a potential strategic Bitcoin reserve have been at the forefront of regulatory discussions in the US.</p>
<p>The White House announcement came days <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/stablecoin-firms-registered-us-circle-jeremy-allaire">after Jeremy Allaire</a>, co-founder of Circle, the company behind the world’s second-largest stablecoin, said that stablecoin issuers worldwide should be required to register with US authorities.</p>
<p>Citing consumer protection, Allaire argued that US dollar-based stablecoin issuers should not get a “free pass,” enabling them to “ignore the US law and go do whatever the hell you want wherever and sell into the United States.” Allaire told <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-25/circle-s-allaire-says-stablecoin-issuers-should-be-us-registered">Bloomberg</a>:</p>
<blockquote readability="9">
<p><em>“Whether you are an offshore company or based in Hong Kong, if you want to offer your US dollar stablecoin in the US, you should need to register in the US just like we have to go register everywhere else.”</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The upcoming summit may shed more light on upcoming stablecoin legislation, considering Sacks previously stated that stablecoins could “extend the dollar's dominance internationally.”</p>
<p>Interest in a US-based <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/kentucky-introduces-bitcoin-reserve-bill-as-16th-state-to-pursue-btc-reserves">strategic Bitcoin reserve</a> is also on the rise. So far, at least 24 states have introduced legislation related to a potential Bitcoin reserve, <a href="https://bitcoinlaws.io/">Bitcoinlaws</a> data shows.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/01955110-26c9-7957-a26c-ae23c98f.jpg?itok=LuW1qK26" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/01955110-26c9-7957-a26c-ae23c98f.jpg?itok=LuW1qK26"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9f57699a-a7cf-472a-8b00-8737d14ed34d" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="286" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/01955110-26c9-7957-a26c-ae23c98f.jpg?itok=LuW1qK26" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p><em>US states with Bitcoin reserve bill propositions. Source: </em><a href="https://bitcoinlaws.io/"><em>Bitcoinlaws</em></a></p>
<p>However, the state-level Bitcoin reserve initiatives may not represent a pivotal moment for Bitcoin; they are only a “symbolic move” unless a significant purchase is announced, according to Iliya Kalchev, dispatch analyst at Nexo.</p>
<p>“Unless the hearing unveils a near-term purchase plan or a major policy shift, the market’s response will likely be mild, as Texas’ pro-crypto stance is already well known,” Kalchev told Cointelegraph.</p>
<p>Bitcoin has averaged over 1,077% returns over the past five years, showing the lucrative potential of a long-term holding strategy.</p>
<p>*  *  *</p>
<p><strong>Back In Stock: Anza <a href="https://store.zerohedge.com/mini-swat-micarta">MINI-Swat</a>! Like it's <a href="https://store.zerohedge.com/swat-micarta-blued">big brother</a>, only more concealable...</strong></p>
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guid: 1007551 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: VDH: 10 Takeaways From The Zelenskyy Blow-Up
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/vdh-10-takeaways-zelenskyy-blow
hash: � IJ\��9࿟����
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content:
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<p><em><a href="https://x.com/vdhanson/status/1895892571664343159?s=46">Authored by Victor Davis Hanson via X</a>,</em></p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/image%281233%29_0.jpg?itok=a-CPxy5a" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/image%281233%29_0.jpg?itok=a-CPxy5a"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f62141d6-aa92-4b8b-8a5d-361e279f4d29" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="281" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/image%281233%29_0.jpg?itok=a-CPxy5a" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>1. Zelenskyy does not grasp—or deliberately ignores—the bitter truth: <strong>those with whom he feels most affinity (Western globalists, the American Left, the Europeans) have little power in 2025 to help him.</strong> And those with whom he obviously does not like or seeks to embarrass (cf. his Scranton, Penn. campaign-like visit in September 2024) alone have the power to save him. <strong>For his own sake, I hope he is not being “briefed” by the Obama-Clinton-Biden gang to confront Trump</strong>, given their interests are not really Ukraine’s as they feign.</p>
<p>2. <strong>Zelenskyy acts as if his agendas and ours are identical.</strong> So, he keeps insisting that he is fighting for us despite our two-ocean-distance that he mocks. We do have many shared interests with Ukraine, but not all by any means: Trump wants to “reset” with Russia and triangulate it against China. He seeks to avoid a 1962 DEFCON 2-like crisis over a proxy showdown in proximity to a nuclear rival. And he sincerely wants to end the deadlocked Stalingrad slaughterhouse for everyone’s sake.</p>

<p>3. <strong>The Europeans (and Canada) are now talking loudly of a new muscular antithesis</strong>, independent of the U.S. Promises, promises—given that would require Europeans to prune back their social welfare state, frack, use nuclear, stop the green obsessions, and spend 3-5 percent of their GDP on defense. <strong>The U.S. does not just pay 16 percent of NATO’s budget but also puts up with asymmetrical tariffs that result in a European Union trade surplus of $160 billion</strong>, plays the world cop patrolling sea-lanes and deterring terrorists and rogues states that otherwise might interrupt Europe’s commercial networks abroad, as well as de facto including Europe under a nuclear umbrella of 6,500 nukes.</p>
<p>4. <strong>Zelenskyy must know that all of the once deal-stopping issues to peace have been de facto settled</strong>: Ukraine is now better armed than most NATO nations, but will not be in NATO; and no president has or will ever supply Ukraine with the armed wherewithal to take back the Donbass and Crimea. So, the only two issues are a) how far will Putin be willing to withdraw to his 2022 borders and b) how will he be deterred? The first is answered by a commercial sector/tripwire, joint Ukrainian-US-Europe resource development corridor in Eastern Ukraine, coupled with a Korea-like DMZ; the second by the fact that Putin unlike his 2008 and 2014 invasions has now lost a million dead and wounded to a Ukraine that will remain thusly armed.</p>
<p>5. <strong>What are Zelenskyy’s alternatives without much U.S. help - wait for a return of the Democrats to the White House in four years? Hope for a rearmed Europe?</strong> Pray for a Democratic House and a 3rd Vindman-like engineered Trump impeachment? Or swallow his pride, return to the White House, sign the rare-earth minerals deal, invite in the Euros (are they seriously willing to patrol a DMZ?), and hope Trump can warn Putin, as he did successfully between 2017-21, not to dare try it again?</p>
<p>6. If there is a cease fire, a commercial deal, a Euro ground presence, and influx of Western companies into Ukraine, would there be elections? And if so, <strong>would Zelenskyy and his party win?</strong> And if not, would there be a successor transparent government that would reveal exactly where all the Western financial aid money went?</p>
<p>7. <strong>Zelenskyy might see a model in Netanyahu.</strong> The Biden Administration was far harder on him than Trump is on Ukraine: suspending arms shipments, demanding cease-fires, prodding for a wartime, bipartisan cabinet, hammering Israel on collateral damage—none of which Westerners have demanded of Zelenskyy. <strong>Yet Netanyahu managed a hostile Biden, kept Israel close to its patron, and when visiting was gracious to his host.</strong> Netanyahu certainly would never before the global media have interrupted, and berated a host and patron president in the White House.</p>
<p>8. If Ukraine has alienated the U.S. <strong>what then is its strategic victory plan?</strong> Wait around for more Euros? Hold off an increasingly invigorated Russian military? Cede more territory? What, then, exactly are Zelenskyy’s cards he seems to think are a winning hand?</p>

<p>9. If one views carefully all the 50-minute tape, most of it was going quite well - <strong>until Zelenskyy started correcting Vance firstly, and Trump secondly.</strong> By <strong>Ukraine-splaining to his hosts</strong>, and by his gestures, tone, and interruptions, he made it clear that he assumed that Trump was just more of the same compliant, clueless moneybags Biden waxen effigy. And that was naïve for such a supposedly worldly leader.</p>
<p>10. <strong>March 2025 is not March 2022</strong>, after the heroic saving of Kyiv—but three years and 1.5 million dead and wounded later. <strong>Zelenskyy is no longer the international heartthrob with the glamorous entourage</strong>. He has postponed elections, outlawed opposition media and parties, suspended habeas corpus and walked out of negotiations when he had an even hand in Spring 2022 and apparently even now when he does not in Spring 2025.</p>
<p>Quo vadis, Volodymyr?</p>
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guid: 1007577 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Israel Blocks All Humanitarian Aid To Gaza As Ceasefire Could Collapse
author: ;Tyler Durden
hash: EK\� W#ϱ�|�U8�
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div readability="92.960026428807">
<p>Regional Mideast sources are widely reporting that Israel's military has halted the entry of all humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip at a moment tens of thousands of Palestinians continue returning to their homes, especially in the war-ravaged north.</p>
<p>Phase one of the fragile ceasefire agreement has ended, but some <strong>Israeli hostages still remain captive in the Strip</strong>, and there's as yet no word that the sides have come to an agreement on the phase two part of the plan. Currently, there's talk of simply extending phase one, and the guns have remained silent so far.</p>
<p>But that may change given the cessation of food, medicine, and water shipments to the Strip. Both sides continue making threats, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has <strong>signaled the air and ground war could soon resume</strong>. Palestinians are accusing Israel of seeking to change the terms and framework of the ceasefire.</p>
<a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/gazaaidtrucks.jpg?itok=04nAYoxD" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/gazaaidtrucks.jpg?itok=04nAYoxD">
<figure role="group" data-sanitized-class="caption caption-img inline-images image-style-inline-images"><picture><img alt data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1ac6f68c-e25c-4c90-9a40-f458625e6505" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="281" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/gazaaidtrucks.jpg?itok=04nAYoxD" typeof="foaf:Image" width="500"></picture><figcaption><picture><em>Getty Images</em></picture></figcaption></figure></a>

<p>Netanyahu’s office said Sunday that <strong>"the entry of all goods and supplies to the Gaza Strip will be halted" </strong>- warning that this is due to Hamas rejecting the continuation of peace talks proposed by US special envoy Steve Witkoff.</p>
<p><strong>"Israel will not allow a ceasefire without a release of our hostages,"</strong> the statement said. "If Hamas persists in its refusal, there will be additional consequences."</p>
<p>The first phase of the agreement officially ended on Saturday, but <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/2/israel-reneges-on-ceasefire-deal-warns-hamas-of-consequences">Al Jazeera</a> reports that "Netanyahu’s office said Israel has agreed to a proposal by Witkoff to <strong>extend the first phase of the ceasefire for six weeks during Ramadan</strong> – the Muslim holy month that began over the weekend – and the Jewish Passover holiday, which ends on April 20."</p>
<p>A Hamas spokesman has responded by calling the blocked aid convoys a <strong>"cheap blackmail"</strong> and a "coup" on the ceasefire agreement. Hamas is urging international mediators to intervene.</p>
<p>"Netanyahu's decision to stop aid going into Gaza once again shows the ugly face of the Israeli occupation... The international community must apply pressure on the Israeli government to stop starving our people," the Hamas spokesman <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9q4w99je78o">said</a>.</p>
<p>Since the ceasefire was first agreed to in mid-January, thousands of trucks have entered Gaza each week, but given hundreds of thousands are starving and without continued access to basic necessities of life such as medicines - the situation remains desperate.</p>

<p><em><strong>Many have accused Biden of setting up the conditions</strong> for a total aid blockade of the Gaza Strip...</em></p>
<blockquote readability="9.667701863354" data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">Remember how many months Biden officials spent telling you Israel wasn’t deliberately blocking aid to Gaza? Yet, somehow, Israel can turn the switch on and off whenever they choose.</p><p>This is an open, public declaration of the intent to commit a war crime. <a href="https://t.co/QyR0aRYY4S">pic.twitter.com/QyR0aRYY4S</a></p>
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) <a href="https://twitter.com/AssalRad/status/1896111290428604627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>At various times throughout the conflict, international organizations including the UN have warned that parts of the Strip have <strong>stood on the brink of famine</strong>. Also, young children have died due to recent cold and winter conditions, amid lack of heating fuel or means.</p>
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link:
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/israel-blocks-all-humanitarian-aid-gaza-ceasefire-could-collapse


guid: 1007569 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Texas Company Lands On Moon In "First Successful Commercial Landing"
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/texas-company-lands-moon-first-successful-commercial-landing
hash: ��_��c�0������
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
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<div readability="92.975654450262">
<p>Firefly Aerospace's "Blue Ghost" lander became the first private spacecraft to successfully land on the Moon after descending from lunar orbit early Sunday morning.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/2025-03-02_08-40-41.png?itok=devpmCHj" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/2025-03-02_08-40-41.png?itok=devpmCHj"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="131c9d68-307c-47b8-ac4b-dbd8f87c937e" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="281" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/2025-03-02_08-40-41.png?itok=devpmCHj" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>Firefly confirmed on X around 0336 ET that the 6.6-foot-tall lander "stuck the landing" and "became the first commercial company in history to achieve a fully successful Moon landing. This small step on the Moon represents a giant leap in commercial exploration," adding this "paves the way for future missions to the Moon and Mars." </p>
<blockquote readability="7.4474474474474" data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">We have confirmation <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueGhost?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueGhost</a> stuck the landing! Firefly just became the first commercial company in history to achieve a fully successful Moon landing. This small step on the Moon represents a giant leap in commercial exploration. Congratulations to the entire Firefly team,…</p>
— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) <a href="https://twitter.com/Firefly_Space/status/1896117316326244674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2025</a></blockquote>

<p>Here is Blue Ghost's first image of the lunar surface. </p>
<blockquote readability="7.0368271954674" data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">Would you look at that view! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueGhost?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueGhost</a> captured its first image on the Moon that embodies everything this bold, unstoppable Firefly team has worked so hard for over the last 3+ years. And we’re just getting started! Find out what's next for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BGM1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BGM1</a> <a href="https://t.co/oEJhJu7KHx">https://t.co/oEJhJu7KHx</a> <a href="https://t.co/NsdljgQOpu">pic.twitter.com/NsdljgQOpu</a></p>
— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) <a href="https://twitter.com/Firefly_Space/status/1896127381670367703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>More images.</p>
<blockquote readability="4.7834101382488" data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">Blue Ghost’s shadow seen on the Moon’s surface! We’ll continue to share images and updates throughout our surface operations. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BGM1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BGM1</a> <a href="https://t.co/iP7fWOSths">pic.twitter.com/iP7fWOSths</a></p>
— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) <a href="https://twitter.com/Firefly_Space/status/1896158394295390367?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin congratulated the Austin-based space startup on X:</p>
<blockquote readability="8.9136490250696" data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">“Contact light, engine stop!”<br>Congratulations FireFly Aerospace for Blue Ghost’s Mission 1 successful Moon landing today!<br>It also marks a new milestone in the collaborations between NASA and private Space companies, as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)… <a href="https://t.co/Y5psA3qSu9">pic.twitter.com/Y5psA3qSu9</a></p>
— Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealBuzz/status/1896123720198180870?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2025</a></blockquote>

<p>Blue Ghost's lunar journey began earlier this year atop Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will last two weeks, during which the lander will conduct ten NASA-sponsored experiments.</p>
<p>Last year, Houston-based Intuitive Machines' Odysseus Lander crash-landed on the moon, dooming many of its onboard instruments. </p>
<p>Besides private companies, five nations—the former Soviet Union, the US, China, India, and, most recently, Japan—have successfully achieved soft landings on the lunar surface.</p>
<p>Missions like Firefly's Blue Ghost show the commercial space race is heating up. The <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/spacex-rockets-launched-86-all-upmass-space-q3">US leads this race because of Musk's SpaceX</a>, years ahead of the rest of the world (<a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/goldman-turns-bullish-starlink-satellite-parts-supplier-space-race-accelerates">Goldman went bull on Starlink satellite part suppliers</a> last month).</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/Gdj8YNoXkAA_MXO_2.jpg?itok=QpvlpQme" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/Gdj8YNoXkAA_MXO_2.jpg?itok=QpvlpQme"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bdc373b4-c4db-46f8-b13d-4fa3c0fa6299" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="463" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/Gdj8YNoXkAA_MXO_2.jpg?itok=QpvlpQme" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
<p>The US plans to send astronauts to the lunar surface in a series of crewed missions by the end of the decade. Musk recently <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/elon-musk-says-first-starship-mars-mission-two-years-make-america-healthy-again-ensure">stated</a> that the first Starship mission to Mars would be in two years.</p>
<p><a data-image-external-href data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/Startship-Elon-Musk_0.jpg?itok=_ztffQp1" data-link-option="0" href="https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/Startship-Elon-Musk_0.jpg?itok=_ztffQp1"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6e01ba77-fa1b-4997-9ef3-8d0691157fd5" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="281" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/Startship-Elon-Musk_0.jpg?itok=_ztffQp1" alt typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>CBS News noted that shortly after Blue Ghost touched down on the lunar surface, employees were handed "<strong>Make Space Great Again</strong>" hats. This is what '<strong>America First</strong>' looks like—the era of weakness and gender confusion is likely coming to an abrupt end.</p>
<p><strong>Americans have long been known as explorers, pioneers, and trailblazers, pushing boundaries to the extreme</strong>—from the frontier days to the Space Age. <strong>Democrats have totally lost the plot</strong> about nation with their <strong>weird obsession with woke Marxism and horrific child mutilations</strong>. </p>
<p>After decades of crisis in the so-called Fourth Turning, a <strong>new First Turning could emerge, centered around national renewal and Space Age 2.0</strong>. The young generation will find its heroes—those launching rockets and strong leaders (MAGA). The new <strong>Americana Party</strong> will likely take the reins and <strong>lead the nation into a new chapter</strong>—one driven by strong leaders and space exploration. </p>
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guid: https://brixsweden.org/?p=5104
title: China, the Belt and Road, and the world in 2025
author: ;brixsweden
link: https://brixsweden.org/china-the-belt-and-road-and-the-world-in-2025/
hash: ����������M��#
tags: #Artiklar #BRIX #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div><img src="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Happy-new-BRI-1.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>Hussein Askary<br>Vice-Chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden<br>Distinguished Research Fellow at Guangdong Institute for International Strategies</p>
<p>In his keynote address to the Third Belt and Road Forum in October 2023, President Xi Jinping said: “China can only do well when the world is doing well. When China does well, the world will get even better.”<br>President Xi used the above expression to reflect upon the reality of the world in which China, the world’s largest industrial economy and the super large market, finds itself. It also reflects the philosophy of common prosperity which the leadership and the people of China believe in. It has become obvious that the prosperity of China, as the world’s largest exporter of industrial and consumer goods, depends on the prosperity of other nations, on healthy and stable markets, and a peaceful world. But China, as it emerges as the largest market in the world, represents a great opportunity for other nations as trade and economic partners. Besides, resolving the problems of poverty, disease, and food insecurity in the world requires cooperation among all nations to reach the development goals of all, especially the least developed nations. China alone cannot resolve all the problems of the world, therefore, cooperation with the EU, USA, Japan, and other relatively advanced economies is a must now, if the aim is to bring about a stable and prosperous world.</p>
<p>As we approach the ushering of the new year 2025, the world does not seem to be doing well. The war in Ukraine is escalating and many analysts and policymakers are talking about WWIII and even nuclear war with unsettling ease. The genocide in Gaza is continuing with no end in sight, and the conflict in Palestine might expand to include Iran soon. The economies of the European Union, with some of China’s key trade partners like Germany are exhibiting a historically dismal performance. The U.S. is not doing so much better. The few bright spots in the world economy are China, ASEAN, India, and some countries in the Global South. The world is holding its breath until the inauguration in January 20, 2025, of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has made various contradictory statements since he one the vote in November. While he vowed to renew and reinvigorate the trade war with China, he also said in <a href="https://english.news.cn/20241217/fb65b7ac2c944b45a075061765882daf/c.html"><span>a speech</span></a> that the “U.S. and China can together solve all the problems in the world” if they cooperate.</p>
<p>When I was reflecting on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China earlier this year, the image popped up in my mind was of a gigantic ship with 1.4 billion passengers sailing in stormy weather at times and calm waters at others. The captain, i.e., the Communist Party of China (CPC) in this case, while manoeuvring the ship to avoid obstacles and come safely out of storms, is steadfastly keeping the compass needle in the direction of the destination. The destination is the “rejuvenation of the Chinese nation by 2049”, which will coincide with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. While the ship will continue its journey from there on to new and more fascinating destinations, its journey till now is already a remarkable achievement with no precedent in history, with 800 million people were pulled out of extreme poverty, and the world’s largest and most sophisticated industrial system is put in place. It is fascinating to think how a country as large as China with a massive population could move steadily in one direction.</p>
<p>The secret obviously lies in the wisdom of its leaders, on the one hand, and in the hard work of its people on the other. When China was fighting to liberate itself from imperialism, the CPC functioned in a certain way. When China became free, the CPC shifted to building the nation, its governance system and character. With the “Reform and Opening up” process in the 1980s and 80s, a new shift in this evolutionary process was made. China in the 21st century was completely transformed, and with the new era under President Xi’s leadership, China advanced rapidly into a higher-quality level of development which is unprecedented in world history at this scale and scope. It even managed to overcome and manoeuvre the ship of the nation around such dire crises as the 2008 global financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the current global inflation-deflation crisis since the Ukraine war broke out.</p>
<p>But what I think, as a foreigner and world citizen, is in this evolution of China and CPC for the world is its decisive role in 2025 in creating a peaceful and prosperous world. Here, I focus on four important aspects:</p>
<p><strong>1. Diplomacy and peace through economic development.</strong> China’s foreign policy is extremely important, since it focuses not only on diplomacy and achieving conflict resolution through peaceful means and dialogue, but that it addresses the root causes of conflicts. Respecting international law and UN-Charter-based system, not the so-called rules-based order invented by certain Western powers to suit their own purposes, is the key element in achieving an equitable and just global governance system. However, equally importantly is China’s advocacy and implementation of “peace through economic cooperation”. Therefore, I believe and wish that China will continue its drive in 2025 to end the wars in Palestine and Ukraine. This is of utmost urgency. China has proven its success in global diplomacy for example in bringing Iran and Saudi Arabia back together into normal relations in 2023 after 7 years of break up. This was a very important move in a highly unstable but very important region for the world. China has presented proposals for resolving the war in Ukraine and in Palestine too, but due to the attitude of the Western powers, these ideas were not implemented. The method of peace through economic cooperation and development is best exemplified by the Belt and Road Initiative.</p>
<p><strong>2. Continuing and expanding the building of the Belt and Road Initiative</strong>. The Communique of the Third Plenum Third Plenary Session of Central Committee of the CPC earlier this year declared that China will “refine the mechanisms for high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)”. It is already clear that the BRI is the greatest development initiative in history. The first 10 years of the BRI witnessed an unprecedented global infrastructure development process to connect nations, regions, and continents. However, the ultimate goal was not simply the promotion of trade, but lifting the world economy, especially in the Global South to a higher level.</p>
<p>“high-quality BRI” means that Africa and other nations of the Global South should leverage their comparative advantages to achieve industrialization, eliminate poverty, and raise the living standard for their people. China has responded by exporting capital, technology, and know how to these nations. China’s enormous trade and investments in ASEAN countries is well known. We see now industrial parks built by Chinese companies and employing local workers popping up in different parts of Africa, like in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Uganda. The nations in the Global South are gradually abandoning the role assigned to them by the unipolar world order as exporters of cheap raw materials and importers of expensive finished goods. China is not simply “offshoring” low-end production capacity to the Global South but building the necessary infrastructure and developing the skilled labour necessary for these nations to reach industrialization.</p>
<p>The economic rise of the Global South, with China leading the pack, is a factor to be reckoned with today. What the nations of the Global South see in China is a peaceful and stable partner with a long-term vision of development. What is different in the rise of the Global South from the Globalization of the 1980s and 1990s is not the “trickle down” of the prosperity of the West translating into the crumbs falling from their table to the poor and developing nations. What is new is that China’s rise becomes “a tide that lifts all other boats”, because China is sharing the fruits of its development with other nations. This is not only a show of compassion and respect, but a concrete translation of the scientific-economic principle of win-win cooperation, that China’s prosperity depends on the prosperity of other nations. China’s leaders realise that their country cannot prosper as an island in a sea of poverty and conflicts.</p>
<p><strong>3. “Made in China 2025” must go global!</strong> It is based on the previous point, that I think that technological and scientific development in China benefits the world while it makes China more prosperous. The emphasis in the Third Plenary Session was placed on the acceleration of science and technology development, innovation, talent development in every aspect of China’s economy and cultural advancement. This will lift China into the stratosphere of development in the world. This development will even get bigger when advancements in AI, digitalization, and robotics start permeating the whole industrial sector of China. I personally saw a very good example of this in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, when I participated with a delegation of the international Silk Road Think Tank Association in a visit to one of the industrial plants for autonomous electric vehicles there. All the elements mentioned above were incorporated into the production process which is now called “new-quality productive forces”. In combination with a young and highly skilled staff, the factory was like a scene from a science-fiction novel.</p>
<p>The reason I believe that China will achieve the next stage of its economic, scientific, and cultural evolution is not based on any wishful thinking or guessing, but on previous success stories. I give one example on how goals set forth are achieved with accuracy and timeliness and sometimes way ahead of time. When the State Council <a href="https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2015-05/19/content_9784.htm"><span>issued</span></a> the “Made in China 2025” plan on May 19, 2015, a ten-year action plan focusing on promoting advanced manufacturing in ten fields. China has become the world leader in all of them. Robotics and the use of robots in manufacturing was one of these, which I want to use as an example.</p>
<p>The “Made in China 2025” was greatly influenced by the deep understanding by President Xi of economics and the role of science and technology in economy, and the importance of moving from a high quantity to high-quality industrial production. Stressing the primacy of scientific and technological development over mere linear growth, on June 9, 2014, in a speech at the General Assembly of the Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Xi stated that scientific and technological innovation is constantly transcending geological, organizational and technological limitations. “Scientific and technological innovations, like a fulcrum which is said to be able to lever the earth, always create miracles. We cannot afford to lag behind in this important race. We must catch up and then try to surpass others”, he emphasized.</p>
<p>In the same speech he made the contrast between being a cheap labour market and being a modern industrial nation: “The old path seems to be a dead end. Where is the new road? It lies in scientific and technological innovation, and in the accelerated transition from factor-driven and investment-driven growth to innovation-driven growth.” He took one example of what his intentions are, Robotics. “Robots are dubbed ´pearls on the crown of the manufacturing industry´. A country’s achievement in robotics research, development, manufacturing, and application is an important yardstick with which to measure its level of scientific and technological innovation and high-end manufacturing. Major robot producing companies and countries have stepped up their efforts to gain advantages in terms of technology and markets. I couldn’t help wondering: China will be the largest robot market in the world, yet can its technology and manufacturing capability sustain it through the competition? We should make better robots and seize bigger market shares.”</p>
<p>Xi concluded: “The direction of our scientific and technological development is innovation, innovation, and more innovation. We should attach great importance to breakthroughs in basic theories, step up the construction of scientific infrastructure, continue to push ahead with basic, systematic, and cutting-edge research and development, and provide more resources for independent innovation.”</p>
<p>If we observe, then, what happened since, we can confidently say that whatever the CPC and President Xi put forth as a goal for themselves and for the nation, it will be achieved. We have to remember that the world was not doing well then either, but despite that China achieved this goal. According to a recent <a href="https://www.aspi.org.au/report/aspis-two-decade-critical-technology-tracker?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email"><span>study</span></a> made by the China-antagonistic Australian Strategic Studies Institute (ASPI)  “China is now the lead country in 57 of 64 technologies” in critical areas such as defence, space, energy, the environment, artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, robotics, cyber, computing, advanced materials and key quantum technology areas.</p>
<p>What is interesting here is that China is willing to export its newfound technological advancements and share with its partners globally, breaking a centuries-long monopoly held by Western powers.</p>
<p><strong>4. Pursue the dialog of civilizations!</strong> The Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), which was launched by President Xi in a <a href="https://english.news.cn/20230316/31e80d5da3cd48bea63694cee5156d47/c.html"><span>speech</span></a> he made in March 2023, is a unique proposal for establishing the goals of global governance and relations among nations and cultures. It raises the bar of political dialog to a completely new level to address such philosophical issues as the purpose of existence of nations and civilizations and the means through which the achievement of a peaceful co-existence among nations of the world who are so diverse in culture, history, religion, way of life, and political and social systems is reached. The GCI has revived an optimistic spirit for a dangerously divided world today. It can potentially bury both the “clash of civilizations” and “end of history” insane and dangerous fantasies.</p>
<p>The last time such a speech with such intellectual brightness and optimism was given by a leader of a super power was <a href="https://www.american.edu/initiatives/jfk/"><span>delivered</span></a> by President John F. Kennedy at American University on June 10th 1963. Speaking of global peace, Kennedy said: “What kind of a peace do I mean? What kind of a peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and build a better life for their children — not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women — not merely peace in our time but peace for all time.”</p>
<p>Xi stressed in his speech that the contributions of all civilizations and cultures must be respected and their contributions to human progress throughout history must be recognized. This in turn will contribute to further promotion of all nations and civilizations. “A single flower does not make spring, while one hundred flowers in full blossom bring spring to the garden,” Xi said.<br>In conclusion, China will step into the year 2025 with great confidence, even though realizing the great challenges lying ahead. And the world should be happy about that, because when China does well, the world would get even better.</p>
<p>Here in Sweden, we must embrace the dialogue of civilizations presented by the GCI and bring to the fore the best fruits of the Swedish humanist culture that made Sweden, which in comparison is a small nation, a great player in the global arena in many respects. Our economic, technological, and scientific capabilities, which are withering with the economic and social crisis Sweden and Europe are facing, can flourish again by joining hands with China and the Global South in building and expanding the BRI.</p>
<p>The Belt and Road Institute in Sweden wishes all a happy new year of peace, prosperity, and stronger friendship!</p>
<h6>Related items:</h6>
<p><a href="https://brixsweden.org/decoupling-or-bridging-civilizations-webinar-recording/"><span>Webinar: Decoupling or Bridging Civilizations!</span></a></p>
<p><a href="https://brixsweden.org/chinas-ambassador-to-sweden-global-civilization-initiaitve-brings-harmony-to-world/"><span>China’s Ambassador to Sweden: Global Civilization Initiaitve Brings Harmony to World</span></a></p>
<p><a href="https://brixsweden.org/global-civilization-initiative-rekindling-the-spark-of-reason/"><span>Global Civilization Initiative: Rekindling the spark of reason.</span></a></p>


guid: https://brixsweden.org/?p=5111
title: Webinar invitation: China-Africa relations in 2025 and beyond
author: ;brixsweden
link: https://brixsweden.org/webinar-invitation-china-africa-relations-in-2025-and-beyond/
hash: ID�B�l�=I Bf
tags: #Artiklar #BRIX #News #Podcasts #Resources #Videos #China-Africa #FOCAC #Wang Yi
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div><img src="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Bild1.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>The Belt and Road Institute in Sweden (BRIX) will host a webinar online on the China-Africa cooperation under the umbrella of the Belt and Road initiative on Thursday, January 9th, at 2 pm (Central European Time). We will host a group of experts from China and several African countries.</p>
<p>China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, is visiting Namibia, the Republic of Congo, Chad, and Nigeria from January 5 to 11, continuing the tradition of a Chinese foreign minister visiting Africa on the first overseas trip at the start of the year for 35 consecutive years.</p>
<p>According to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, the tour by Wang is aimed at promoting the implementation of the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit in 2024, deepening practical cooperation in various fields, and promoting the sustained and in-depth development of China-Africa relations.</p>
<p>At the FOCAC Beijing Summit last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed that bilateral relations between China and all African countries having diplomatic ties with China be elevated to the level of strategic relations, and that the overall characterization of China-Africa relations be elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. President Xi also proposed that China and Africa should jointly advance modernization characterized by six features and pledged that China will work with Africa to take the ten partnership actions for modernization, which have received warm response from the African side.</p>
<p>When the 2024 FOCAC summit was starting on September, 4, 2024 a <a href="https://brixsweden.org/plans-for-2063-should-be-launched-now/"><span>front page article</span></a> by the BRIX vice-Chairman Hussein Askary, was published by China Daily, outlining the importance and scope of cooperation that needs to be reached to achieve the goals of African Agenda 2063.</p>
<p>In the upcoming webinar, experts from China and Africa will join our BRIX members in discussing the strategic importance of China-Africa cooperation and how Sweden and Europe should respond to it.</p>
<p><strong>The webinar is free of charge and does not require registration. Just click the Zoom link below to join!</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85874806387?pwd=jCUIlo1Rau2vKWaJqp7HpqyCL0jBHT.1"><span>https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85874806387?pwd=jCUIlo1Rau2vKWaJqp7HpqyCL0jBHT.1</span></a></p>
<div data-sanitized-class="zm-form-item__header"><label for="meetingId" data-sanitized-class="zm-form-item__label">Webbinar ID:</label> <span>858 7480 6387</span></div>
<p>Date: Thursday, January 9, 2024</p>
<p>Time: 2 PM (Central European Time Zone)</p>


guid: https://brixsweden.org/?p=5123
title: African experts discuss the Belt and Road Initiative and Sino-African relations
author: ;brixsweden
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<div><img src="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Bild1-1.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>The Belt and Road Institute in Sweden (BRIX) hosted a webinar featuring African experts to discuss China-Africa relations in 2025 and beyond, and the importance of the Belt and Road Initiative for Africa’s development. The webinar was held on the occasion of the tour conducted by China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, to four African countries, which is part of a 35-year tradition of Chinese foreign ministers visiting African nations at the beginning of each year. This highlights the importance of Africa for China’s foreign policy and economic policy. This relationship has grown even more in significance after the United States and EU governments raised the level of tension and trade wars with China. China has been reorienting towards the Global South to mitigate the effects of this negative and zero-sum geopolitical strategy by the West.</p>
<p>Speakers were Mr. Ikenna Emewu, Director of <a href="https://africachinapresscentre.org/"><span>Africa-China Press Centre</span></a> in Nigeria, Dr. David Monyae, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations and Director for the <a href="https://cacs.org.za/"><span>Centre for Africa-China Studies</span></a> (CACS) at the University of Johannesburg, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmed-moustafa-27422814/"><span>Mr. Ahmed Moustafa</span></a>, Director of Asia Center for Studies and Translation in Egypt, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-camara-16852145/"><span>Mr. Martin Camara</span></a>, economic and strategic analyst from Guinea, Hussein Askary, Vice-chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden, and Mr. Stephen Brawer, Chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden.</p>
<p>The speakers presented a wide range of analysis and information about the scope and future potential of Africa’s economic and social development in light of the Belt and Road strategy and national and regional development strategies. A thorough discussion was also triggered by questions from the audience on the impact of the new American Administration under Donald Trump on China-Africa relations. The response of the African speakers was quite surprising and counterintuitive.</p>
<p>In addition, speakers presented views and ideas on developing Africa-EU relations and why it is beneficial for Europe to collaborate with African nations and China to build the Belt and Road to contribute to resolving a panoply of economic, social, and security issues facing the European continent. Immigration, for example, which is the talk of the day in the EU and the U.S. can only be dealt with in a constructive manner through the economic and social development in Africa.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE-fuinjIg0"><strong><span>Watch the full recording of the presentations and Q&amp;A session here!</span></strong></a></p>

<h6>Related items:</h6>
<p><a href="https://brixsweden.org/updated-high-level-brix-seminar-in-stockholm-the-new-africa-emerging-along-the-belt-and-road/"><strong><span>High-Level BRIX seminar in Stockholm “The New Africa Emerging” along the Belt and Road</span></strong></a></p>

link:
https://brixsweden.org/african-experts-discuss-the-belt-and-road-initiative-and-sino-african-relations/

tags:
#Artiklar #BRIX #News #Podcasts #Resources #Videos #Africa #Belt and Road Initiative #China-Africa #Wang Yi


guid: https://brixsweden.org/?p=5128
title: Interview: The Belt and Road Creates Wealth, Not Debt Traps!
author: ;brixsweden
link: https://brixsweden.org/interview-the-belt-and-road-creates-wealth-not-debt-traps/
hash: �{�ήᤧ0�/�h�
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<div><img src="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Bild1-2.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p><a href="http://en.chinadiplomacy.org.cn/2025-01/14/content_117662593.html"><span>China’s Diplomacy</span></a>, which is specialized in Chinese foreign policy affairs in China, conducred this interview with Hussein Askary, Vice-Chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden, in the Chinese city of Guangzhou as he was attending an international conference on the Maritime Silk Road and Belt and Road Initiative organised by the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies <a href="https://giis.gdufs.edu.cn/"><span>(GIIS)</span></a>.  Ms. Li Xiaohua conducted the interview.</p>

<p>The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) isn’t a debt trap — it’s a lifeline for developing nations, according to Hussein Askary, vice chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden. Speaking from his unique Iraqi-Swedish perspective, Askary challenges Western narratives about the China-proposed global initiative.</p>
<p>In this interview, Askary explains that Chinese loans work differently from Western ones. While Western loans demand quick repayment, Chinese infrastructure loans offer longer terms and target projects that boost economic growth. Using examples from Sri Lanka and Montenegro, he shows how China has been flexible with repayments during crises.</p>
<p>However, Askary notes that geopolitical pressure remains the initiative’s biggest challenge, with some countries given threats not to participate. Despite these obstacles, he sees the BRI as vital for global development, particularly in regions like the Middle East where economic growth is key to lasting peace and stability. Notably, the BRI has grown beyond just building roads and railways — it now helps countries develop their own industries and gain new technologies.</p>
<p>Following is the transcript of the interview.</p>
<p><strong>Diplomacy Talk: What inspired you to co-found the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hussein Askary: </strong>I have a long history of working on the idea of the Silk Road and the Belt and Road, but we realized at a certain stage that not only people in Sweden didn’t know anything about the Belt and Road and why it is important. Is it good for Sweden or not? But we also found that there are people writing negative things, which are not true. They are misleading the public. They are misleading the policy makers in parliament and in government by saying things which are not true.</p>
<p>So we started doing this kind of research. And then we started showing why some of these arguments that are negative are not correct. But also, the important part is that it’s very beneficial for Sweden. We are facing some economic problems, in productivity and infrastructure. Actually, Sweden will benefit from joining the Belt and Road, working with China.</p>
<p>So only China provided an initiative. How do we know it works? Because it worked in China. China shifted a lot from high quantity export-oriented economy to internal development and strengthened the Chinese economy by building large-scale infrastructure like the high-speed railway. That showed us that China has the right solution.</p>
<p>As the Chinese say, if you want to get rich, first build a road. And that’s a very scientific statement, actually, because by building infrastructure, you improve the productivity of society. And people can have new kinds of businesses, new activities. For example, everybody’s complaining about immigration from Africa to Europe. The solution is not to stop the people or let them drown in the sea. The solution is to give them a better life in Africa. How do you do that? You have to build infrastructure. This is what the Chinese did here to eliminate poverty.</p>
<p><strong>Diplomacy Talk: Why did you choose China’s initiative? There must be other initiatives proposed by other countries, why our initiative?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hussein Askary: </strong>First of all, the West, the United States, and EU have run out of initiatives. We don’t have initiatives anymore about long-term economic thinking. Everything in the West is short term and financialized. The whole economy is financialized. People who have resources and even governments are looking for financial gain quickly. And that is done by financial speculation in the stock markets and other projects that give money quickly. There is no long-term thinking anymore.</p>
<p>Our infrastructure, which was built in the 1950s and 1960s, is now worn out. We are not maintaining, developing the infrastructure and everybody say, “well, we don’t have money.” But the money is invested in financial speculation and activities. We have problems with the health care, education and many aspects of these things.</p>
<p><strong>Diplomacy Talk: You have created a model that shows the BRI is not a “debt trap.” Some Western countries claim it is. So could you please tell us more about how it works?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hussein Askary: </strong>I studied the case of Sri Lanka. I also studied the case of the Pakistani side at the same time. And I found many fallacies. There’s discrepancy. These things don’t fit together.</p>
<p>Then I started studying other countries, which they say there is a “debt trap.” So in every case of these countries, I find out that, first of all, these countries are already in financial problems. Most of these financial problems are created either by a combination of civil wars, wars, pandemics, natural disasters, which require those countries to borrow a lot of money, not from China, but from others who would offer money for a high interest rate, because they are in a desperate situation. Then, of course, when the time comes to pay back, they are in a new crisis. So they have to borrow new money to pay the old debt. That’s what the debt trap is actually happening.</p>
<p>China proposed the BRI that also loaned money. But in my study, I say we have to look at the quality of the loans. Where do those countries use the money? Chinese loans go to building infrastructure, mostly, and now, industries and agriculture. It increases the productivity of that society. It stimulates economic growth. And that way they will generate more money. And that way they can pay back the loan to China.</p>
<p>The Chinese loans are also very long term. Chinese loans to railways and other projects are like 15/20 years long for the payback. So the countries have to pay a little every year, not everything at once like the Western loans. That means that by the time they have to pay the whole debt, these projects would have created many times more wealth in that country than what they will pay back to China.</p>
<p>So in that way, there’s a quality difference between Chinese loans and other loans. And so this is what in every country I studied. I studied Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Zambia, Kenya, and Montenegro, which is in Europe.</p>
<p>I also found out that these countries are very dependent, like Sri Lanka and Montenegro, they are dependent on tourism. That’s the main source of income. In 2019, Sri Lanka was hit by terrorist attacks, suicide attacks on Easter Sunday, one in a church and one in a hotel. So tourism dipped. So they lost a lot of income. By the time they recovered in 2020, we had the COVID pandemic. And then the tourism completely collapsed in Sri Lanka and in Montenegro.</p>
<p>Montenegro had borrowed money to build a highway. Chinese company built a highway, like $900 million. So when the time Montenegro economy collapsed completely, and by the time they had to pay back a small, the first small batch over 20 years to China, they couldn’t even pay $30 million. And they told the Chinese side, “look, we don’t have money to pay.” China said, “no problem, you can pay next year.”</p>
<p>But in that time, everybody was writing about Montenegro that they have to pay $1 billion back to China this year. It’s not true. They have to pay only $30 million and China said, “we forgive you this year, you can pay next year.”</p>
<p>All these stories are created to give an image of China and the Belt and Road as something bad and dangerous. And this has become my specialty to show it’s not true. So this was a political campaign that has nothing to do with economics or financial studies.</p>
<p><strong>Diplomacy Talk: The BRI is starting its second decade. Can you outline the key changes you’ve observed in how countries are collaborating under this framework compared with its early years?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hussein Askary: </strong>There was a big emphasis at the beginning on building the infrastructure, which is transport, connectivity, power, electricity generation, water management systems, but also training the labor force.</p>
<p>But now China is at the next stage in the development of the BRI, focusing on industrialization, because many of those countries have resources. Now they have a labor force. But they don’t have the technology.</p>
<p>For example, in Egypt, in Ethiopia, in Uganda, many countries, we have industrial parks built by China, deploying Chinese technology and machinery. But the labor and the raw materials are from that country. So it’s like both sides meeting in the middle.</p>
<p>Because you need to get some production going on, so these nations can generate income. And China is willing to share technology. Other countries were not willing to share technology. This is the difference between the Chinese initiative and other initiatives. China is giving very good, advanced technologies for producing not only textiles, but even mobile phones, cars in Africa.</p>
<p>So those nations can stand on their feet and start producing the goods they need. China’s philosophy is to prosper your neighbor. When you say “to get rich, you first build a road.” I added to it, “to stay rich, make your neighbor rich.” So this is philosophy of win-win. Actually, it works in reality, because you have to have wealthy customers; making your customers poor is not a good policy. So China is making its customers, through technology, machinery, have a better economic situation. So there is a more equitable trade and cooperation. This is the new stage in the BRI.</p>
<p><strong>Diplomacy Talk: You bring a dual perspective on Middle Eastern affairs, having both an Iraqi and Swedish background. How do you view the current developments in the region? What kind of role can China play in helping solve the conflicts in Middle East?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hussein Askary: </strong>The Palestinian people should have their state. This is also China’s position. The majority of the world’s nations said it’s time to have a Palestinian state.</p>
<p>But after that, you have to have a program of economic development. So people can see that peace pays back. Because what they care about is the living conditions for their children and the future of their children. And if they are not secure about that, and that’s why we had this extremism continued in the 1990s and 2000s. So extremist groups were gaining ground because they could get financing from outside to pay people who are angry at the system, who say “we have peace, but I have no food to eat. My children don’t have a school. So what kind of peace is that?”</p>
<p>So that’s where things have to emerge. We have to have a ceasefire, a Palestinian state, but also economic development. I think the BRI is a fantastic model to get these things in place. We have lots of resources in the region. The region has a fantastic geographical location. We have also enormous financial wealth. The Arab countries export oil. They have $4 trillion in foreign currency reserves. These currency reserves are not really used for economic development. They are invested in Western banks, financial firms, and Western industries.</p>
<p>So if we get these $4 trillion to be part of the financial assets for building the BRI, this will be revolutionary. And these nations realize that they cannot rely on exporting oil forever. They have to have industries. They have to have agriculture, diversify their income, because oil price goes up and down. And if it goes down, you are in trouble. And this happened four times, three times in 10 years. So these countries suffer from dependence on oil.</p>
<p>Now China also has support from the Global South. The majority of the world nations actually support the Palestinian state. But what China should promote even more is that the future of this region depends on economic cooperation and economic development.</p>
<p>So if you put that on the table, at the same time, as you talk about political solutions, it will open people’s minds to a positive view of a solution. If you only say “let’s stop the war,” but you haven’t solved the core causes, the original causes of the problem, then you don’t solve anything. So I think the Chinese position is correct. There should be a Palestinian state. There should be implementation of the United Nations resolutions in 1967. There should be economic development.</p>
<p><strong>Diplomacy Talk: What challenges do you think the BRI will face in the coming years?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hussein Askary: </strong>The most important challenge is geopolitics, because there are other forces who don’t want the BRI to succeed. They are pressuring countries.</p>
<p>Today, in the conference, we had somebody who said clearly that why Brazil did not sign the memorandum for the BRI is because they were threatened directly, publicly by the United States not to do it.</p>
<p>This is a very big issue. I know this from Iraq. The Iraqi government is under enormous pressure not to work with China. Although China is the largest trade partner of Iraq, the largest oil importer from Iraq, but we are not allowed to build major infrastructure in Iraq with China based on the Belt and Road.</p>
<p>So it’s this geopolitical pressure, which is the main problem. Other problems include the financial problems of nations that they are unable to get the financial resources for building infrastructure.</p>
<p>So these are very big challenges for the BRI but the worst one is the lack of understanding and cooperation from the EU and the United States.</p>
<p><strong>Diplomacy Talk: What kind of a leader do you think our President Xi Jinping is?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hussein Askary: </strong>What President Xi Jinping worries about is if he’s doing something good for the Chinese people or not. Our idea of politicians is that they can say a lot of things to make people vote for them, but then they don’t have to implement what they are saying.</p>
<p>So I tell people to understand where China is going, you have to understand the mind of President Xi Jinping and the leadership generally. After understanding his economic thinking and the shift from high-quantity economic activity to high-quality economic development and all these things, I read what he calls “Achilles’ heel,” the weak point in China. Already, he said in 2014 that it’s innovation, and that this is dangerous for China. So the man is visionary, and he understands economics work.</p>
<p>Then by time, I realized that his speeches are very poetic. And he is very philosophical. He thinks about these things he’s saying, but also about the future of China.</p>
<p>He’s more of a thinker than a politician. He’s what we call a statesman. The difference between politician and statesman is very huge. A statesman doesn’t care about popularity. He’s trying to do what is right, what is good.</p>
<p>So that you have convinced me that Chinese people are in good hands with President Xi Jinping. And he loves the Chinese people. He loves China. And I can see it from his actions.</p>
<p><strong>Diplomacy Talk: Previously, you described Western and Middle Eastern societies as two quite different worlds. Why did you say so? And how would you characterize Chinese society in comparison?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hussein Askary: </strong>The issue is that whatever our differences are, we have to stick to certain common grounds and our respect for other humans, their life, their religion, their culture, and so on and so forth. So it should be seen more of an advantage rather than disadvantage that we have diversity.</p>
<p>It’s like in China, you have 56 different ethnic groups in China. This is a source of wealth. It’s not a source of problem, and because each group contributes something from inside to the rest. And that makes the society more colorful.</p>
<p>Maybe we in the Arab world have certain traditions and the family tradition and respect for the elderly and ancestors and so on. We have these in common. There are many features that are quite similar between Chinese and Arab or Muslim culture. We also have differences, but I think our differences will reinforce each other, complement each other rather than be problematic.</p>
<p>I traveled a lot around China last year and also this year in many parts of China—the South, the North, the East, and Xinjiang. I saw this wonderful diversity is like, as you say, a garden with a thousand flowers. That’s what makes a garden, not one type of flowers. And I think this is very, very beautiful to think about.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWkcDcbteZo&amp;t=108s"><span><strong>Watch the video on YouTube!</strong></span></a></p>

tags:
#Artiklar #BRIX #News #Podcasts #Resources #Videos #Belt and Road Initiative #Belt and Road Institute #China's Diplomacy #debt-trap #Hussein Askary


guid: https://brixsweden.org/?p=5134
title: American Hubris Generates Chinese Nemesis: Implications of Social Media Emigration to China
author: ;brixsweden
hash: ���n�^K��T�մ#[�
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<p>Hussein Askary<br>Vice-Chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden</p>
<p>The impending ban on the Chinese social media application TikTok in the United States (starting on January 19) has created a big wave of unprecedented numbers of American social media users, especially youth, to “emigrate” to other similar apps, but this time in mainland China. This has caused many of them to get in direct contact with Chinese netizens and find for themselves the shocking reality of the advanced, beautiful, and culturally advanced China contrary to what the U.S. mass media, think tanks, and government and elected officials have been telling them. TikTok has 170 million American users.</p>
<p>This incredibly ironical turn of events is showing, not only the obsoleteness of the policy of isolating and undermining China, but the total ignorance of American policy makers. Their arrogant move to ban TikTok, has backfired in the most powerful and comical way at the same time. American TikTok users have flocked by the millions to download a Chinese app with similar features, although it had no English instructions, forcing them to attempt to figure out what the Chinese figures meant. This Chinese app, called <a href="https://www.xiaohongshu.com/explore"><span>Xiaohongshu or RedNote</span></a> is a popular Chinese social media and e-commerce platform. The Chinese name means literally “Little Red Book” is attributed to Mao Zedong the former Chairman of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and founder of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It combines aspects of Tik Tok, Instagram, Pinterest, and an online shopping experience. Users can share lifestyle content, discover products, and purchase items directly within the app.</p>
<p>RedNote has been downloaded and installed by Americans at least 3,600,000 times up until the time of the writing of this article (See images below).</p>
<p><a href="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Rednote-Appstore.png"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Rednote-Appstore-300x155.png" alt width="534" height="276" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-5137"></a></p>


<p><a href="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Rednote-googleplay.png"><img decoding="async" src="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Rednote-googleplay-300x153.png" alt width="549" height="280" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-5139"></a></p>

<p>Already many of these Americans, now nicknamed “TikTok refugees”, are posting videos about their amazement at what they are seeing being posted by Chinese users regarding lifestyle in general in China, but also the advanced infrastructure, public transport, prices of food and groceries, healthcare, housing, and the cultural activities offered to the people of China. More importantly their previous sense that the Chinese people are oppressed and living a depressing life, an image induced by American mass media and politicians, is turned on its head as they see Chinese citizens expressing not only joy for living in China now but also pride. Many of these American users are expressing deep disappointment that they have been lied to for so long and wanting to learn more to discover the reality by themselves. So, many of them are learning to speak some basic Chinese words and sentences. They are making new friends in China, and are eager to learn more about China. It is almost certain that thousands and thousands of Americans, who never had any intention of travelling to China will now seize the opportunity of visa-free trips to China and travel to China to get more amazed and report back to millions of Americans the true China they have seen.</p>
<p>News have it that the most popular Chinese instant messaging application, Wechat, is being prepared by its mother company, Tencent, to receive American “social media refugees” by facilitating their signing up through their previous Facebook account instead of the previous complicated process involved in creating a new account. Most American’s and many people around the world use WhatsApp messaging service, which is owned by Meta Platforms, Inc. The latter owns Facebook and Instagram too and its founder and chairman is Mark Zuckerberg. It has been <a href="https://tv.guardian.ng/why-meta-shares-user-data-with-us-intelligence-agencies/"><span>revealed</span></a>  that U.S. major social media platforms share user data with U.S. intelligence agencies as part of a mass surveillance operation under the pretext of protecting national security.</p>
<p>The U.S. banned TikTok using the same pretext, alleging without providing any evidence, that the company and its parent company, China-based Bytedance, provide user data to Chinese authorities and is used as a propaganda instrument to influence American public opinion.</p>
<p>What has happened with the mass emigration from the U.S. to Red Note, is a true cultural awakening which the arrogant American leaders never envisioned could ever take place. This is a classical boomerang in politics. In Greek mythology, the term “hubris” is used to describe acts of utter pride, arrogance, combined with ignorance in defiance of natural law, or the gods. It is usually punished by a fatal retribution or “nemesis”, a concept derived from the Greek Goddess of Retribution, Nemesis. One famous example given in Greek mythology is that of the fall of Icarus. He was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus. Icarus and Daedalus escaped from King Menos using wings Daedalus constructed from birds’ feathers and threads and fitted them with beeswax. Before escaping, Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun because the heat would melt the wax. Icarus ignored Daedalus’ advice and flew too close to the sun and thus the beeswax in his wings melted and Icarus fell from the sky, plunged into the sea, and drowned.</p>
<p>Attempting to undermine China through sanctions, tariffs, and bans like this will not stop China’s rise. Ironically, they negatively affect the U.S. itself. It would be wiser for American leaders, and EU too, to cooperate with China and rise together for the sake of their own people, and also for the sake of eliminating poverty and achieving stability and peace in the world.</p>

<p>Related items</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="post_title entry-title"><a href="https://brixsweden.org/the-entanglement-of-global-supply-chains-why-decoupling-from-china-is-suicide/"><strong><span>The Entanglement of Global Supply Chains: Why Decoupling from China Is Suicide!</span></strong></a></p>

link:
https://brixsweden.org/american-hubris-generates-chinese-nemesis-implications-of-social-media-emigration-to-china/

tags:
#Artiklar #BRIX #Slider #Belt and Road Initiative #China-US #Hussein Askary #Little Red Book #RedNote #TikTok #TikTok Ban #Xiaohongshu


guid: https://brixsweden.org/?p=5174
title: Guest commentary: China’s $51 Billion Pledge to Africa as a Model of Leadership
author: ;brixsweden
hash: #G �[aB� t��( �
tags: #Articles #Guest article #News #Belt and Road Initiative #China-Africa
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div><img src="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/China-Africa.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p><em>This article is published courtsey of <span><a href="https://africachinacentre.org/"><span>Africa-China Centre for Policy &amp; Advisory</span></a> <span>(ACCPA), Accra, Ghana.</span></span></em></p>
<p>By: Sylvia Sinkari, Research Fellow, ACCPA</p>
<p><strong>C</strong>hina recently pledged $51 billion to Africa during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), representing a new paradigm in international collaboration aimed at mutual growth. This substantial investment underscores China’s evolving role in global leadership and bilateral engagement, with a targeted focus on sustainability and knowledge sharing.</p>
<p>By gradually shifting its attention beyond infrastructure and resource extraction to broader sustainability and skills development issues, China is positioning itself not merely as a major investor, but as a global leader in shaping Africa’s economic future. This article explores the implications of this pledge for both China and Africa, particularly in terms of sustainable development, knowledge transfer, and collaboration.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="has-large-font-size"><em><strong>The New Focus:</strong> From Infrastructure to People-Centric Development</em></p>
<p>Historically, China has been instrumental in Africa’s development through significant infrastructure projects, including railways, ports, and energy plants, enhancing connectivity across the continent. While these projects have brought people and places closer together, they have also raised concerns about creating dependency and neglecting the importance of fostering long-term economic empowerment. The relationship between China and Africa remains complex, showcasing both growth potential and the necessity for sustainable development.</p>
<p>The recent $51 billion pledge marks a significant shift in focus for:</p>
<ul data-sanitized-class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>Job Creation:</strong> This commitment aims to address Africa’s youth unemployment crisis by creating substantial employment opportunities, one of the continent’s most pressing challenges.</li>
<li><strong>Sustainability:</strong> The investment supports Africa’s green transition by integrating renewable energy and eco-friendly practices into development initiatives. Many African countries rely heavily on fossil fuels, posing environmental risks. This shift not only safeguards the environment but also generates jobs and enhances energy security for the future.</li>
<li><strong>Knowledge Transfer:</strong> By prioritizing skills training and capacity building, the pledge empowers African nations to cultivate local expertise, fostering long-term economic independence.</li>
</ul><h6 data-sanitized-class="has-large-font-size"><em>Sustainability at the Core</em></h6>
<p>Understanding sustainability is crucial. It means meeting today’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. This involves careful management of natural resources, environmental protection, and inclusive economic growth.</p>
<p>China’s focus on sustainability aligns with Africa’s increasing demand for climate-resilient infrastructure and renewable energy solutions. As the effects of climate change intensify, African nations require investments that address energy deficits while mitigating environmental risks. China’s pledge to Africa supports this vision, financing projects that promote sustainable development, such as clean energy initiatives and eco-friendly agricultural practices.</p>
<ul data-sanitized-class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>Green Energy Projects:</strong> In recent years, China has launched approximately 30 clean energy projects across Africa, including solar farms, wind energy installations, and hydroelectric plants. These initiatives aim to provide long-term energy security while reducing carbon emissions.</li>
<li><strong>Circular Economy Practices:</strong> Collaborations on waste management, recycling, and sustainable manufacturing illustrate China’s commitment to environmentally conscious development.</li>
</ul><p data-sanitized-class="has-large-font-size"><em><strong>Knowledge Transfer:</strong> Empowering Africa’s Workforce</em></p>
<p>Knowledge transfer is a cornerstone of China’s engagement with Africa. When China invests in Africa, it brings with it knowledge and technologies that can spur innovation. Skill-building programs help workers acquire new competencies, leading to better job opportunities. This knowledge exchange is essential for building local capacities, driving long-term growth, and achieving economic independence.</p>
<ul data-sanitized-class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>Technical Training:</strong> Chinese companies in Africa are increasingly focusing on training local workers in advanced technologies, particularly in the renewable energy and construction sectors.</li>
<li><strong>Educational Partnerships:</strong> Initiatives such as scholarships, vocational training centres, and exchanges between Chinese and African institutions are expanding access to knowledge.</li>
<li><strong>Entrepreneurship Support:</strong> China is nurturing Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by funding small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and encouraging innovation. These initiatives ensure that African nations are not merely aid recipients but active participants in their own development.</li>
</ul><h6 data-sanitized-class="has-large-font-size"><em>China’s Leadership in a Competitive Landscape</em></h6>
<p>China’s strategy stands in contrast to Western approaches to African development, which often emphasize conditional aid and governance reforms. China, however, presents itself as a partner focused on development and cooperation, embodying dialogue, mutual respect, and more equitable terms.</p>
<ul data-sanitized-class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>Flexibility in Partnerships:</strong> China’s agreements focus on mutual benefit without strict conditions, making them more attractive to African governments than Western donors/partners.</li>
<li><strong>Long-Term Vision:</strong> The $51 billion pledge reflects China’s strategic understanding of Africa’s economic potential and commitment to fostering enduring relationships.</li>
</ul><h6 data-sanitized-class="has-large-font-size"><em>Challenges and Criticisms</em></h6>
<p>Despite the positive aspects, the pledge faces several challenges:</p>
<ul data-sanitized-class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>Debt Concerns:</strong> Large-scale investments might exacerbate Africa’s debt burden, despite China’s efforts to restructure loans. Critics worry that these investments could lead to more financial strain for already indebted countries.</li>
<li><strong>Dependence on Chinese Technology:</strong> Expanding knowledge transfer must be coupled with efforts to ensure technological independence for African nations.</li>
<li><strong>Environmental and Social Risks:</strong> Sustainable development requires robust safeguards to prevent environmental degradation and ensure community benefits.</li>
</ul><p data-sanitized-class="has-large-font-size"><strong><em>Implications for Africa’s Future</em></strong></p>
<p>China’s $51 billion pledge signals a commitment to addressing Africa’s core challenges while fostering a more equitable partnership.</p>
<ul data-sanitized-class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>Economic Empowerment:</strong> China is helping African nations lay the foundation for self-sustaining growth by focusing on job creation and skills development. This shift is prompting Western nations to reconsider their strategies for engaging with Africa, recognizing the advantages of collaborative efforts over unilateral aid packages. This growing emphasis on partnership can lead to improved outcomes and more balanced relationships.</li>
<li><strong>Sustainable Development:</strong> Investments in green energy and infrastructure contribute to Africa’s long-term environmental resilience goals. China’s commitment represents a significant shift in the global economy, as more countries acknowledge the importance of sustainability and knowledge transfer. Consequently, investment standards are evolving, and African nations prioritizing long-term sustainable growth will attract development partners and investors with similar values, creating more opportunities for trade, partnerships, and investment.</li>
<li><strong>Strategic Positioning:</strong> African nations must leverage this partnership to negotiate terms that maximize local benefits and align with their development priorities. This approach can inspire other nations to adopt similar practices. Global challenges such as climate change, poverty, and health problems require collective action. The more countries work together sustainably, the better the chances of finding practical solutions.</li>
</ul><p data-sanitized-class="has-large-font-size"><strong><em>Conclusion</em></strong></p>
<p>China’s $51 billion commitment to Africa signifies a progressive approach to sustainability and knowledge transfer, highlighting collaboration rather than simple aid. By tackling critical issues such as unemployment, climate change, and technological capacity building, China is facilitating growth in African nations and establishing itself as a key player in global leadership.</p>
<p>Furthermore, China is setting a benchmark for inclusive and forward-thinking development partnerships. As nations increasingly recognize the importance of collective action in fostering sustainable futures, they can find guidance in China’s example. This initiative allows Africa to redefine its international standing, ensuring that external investments align with the continent’s goals for a sustainable and prosperous future.</p>
<h6>Related Items:</h6>
<p><span><span>Watch Webinar:</span> <a href="https://brixsweden.org/african-experts-discuss-the-belt-and-road-initiative-and-sino-african-relations/">African experts discuss the Belt and Road Initiative and Sino-African relations.</a></span></p>

link:
https://brixsweden.org/guest-commentary-chinas-51-billion-pledge-to-africa-as-a-model-of-leadership/


guid: https://brixsweden.org/?p=5197
title: Dialogue: Can the U.S. and EU survive without China?
author: ;brixsweden
link: https://brixsweden.org/dialogue-can-the-u-s-and-eu-survive-without-china/
hash: u�c���'<�P�z��D�
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div><img src="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Bild8.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>In this dialogue <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWFOhc-yYlQ&amp;t=1358s"><span>(watch!)</span></a>, Hussein Askary, Vice-Chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden, discusses with Adj. Professor Warwick Powell, Queensland University, the impact of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, the recent Chinese DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence industry earthquake, “Made in China 2025”, and why the characteristics of the Chinese economy makes it resilient in the face of pressures while the American one not so. China’s orientation to the Global South and BRICS nations is also discussed in this informative and deep going dialogue.</p>
<p>Professor Powell can be reached on Substack: <a href="https://warwickpowell.substack.com/"><span>https://warwickpowell.substack.com/</span></a></p>
<p>Visit our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@brixsweden6615"><span>YouTube channel!</span></a></p>

tags:
#Artiklar #BRIX #News #Podcasts #Resources #Videos #AI #Belt and Road Initiative #China-US #Deepseek #Hussein Askary #Made in China 2025 #Tariffs #Trade war #Warwick Powell


guid: https://brixsweden.org/?p=5205
title: A Solution for Gaza and Palestine in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative
author: ;brixsweden
hash: �?J Xe!q�%t�?��
tags: #BRIX #Belt and Road Initiative #Gaza #Peace #Peace through development #Trump
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div><img src="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Bild2.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>By Hussein Askary,</p>
<p>Vice-Chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden</p>
<p>The absurd statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump on relocating the Palestinians from Gaza, followed by the insults directed by Benjamin Netanyahu to some important Arab countries, have opened a window of opportunity for the Arab countries and the Global South to put forward an alternative plan that is realistic, humanitarian, and compatible with international law to save the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, resolve the Palestinian issue, and establish peace and development in the West Asian region (erroneously called the Middle East). But this requires guarantees and cooperation from international powers, most importantly the U.S. Administration, but not alone. China, Russia, the BRICS countries, that were joined this year by Egypt, the UAE, Iran and Ethiopia (and potentially Indonesia), and many other countries in the Global South have risen economically, militarily and politically today. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently recognized that the era of unipolarity is over and has been replaced by an era of multipolarity. This historical fact must be exploited by Arab countries, not to play the East against the East, but to build bridges through Arab countries between them.</p>
<p>First, it is imperative to uphold the two-state solution and the right of the Palestinian people to establish their own state with East Jerusalem as its capital on Palestinian lands in accordance with UN Resolution 242 of 1967 and the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002. However, for this state to be sustainable, there must be an economic policy for reconstruction and development and to compensate the Palestinian people and their younger generations for the tragedies and horrors they have faced so far.</p>
<p>The gates of humanitarian relief must be opened immediately to prevent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza from dying of hunger, immunodeficiency and infectious diseases due to water contamination and lack of sanitation and health care. Perhaps this is what the extremist Israeli government is counting on to drive the Palestinian people out of Gaza voluntarily. We must remember what happened in Iraq after Desert Storm in 1991, where nearly one million Iraqis, half of them children, were killed not by Anglo-American bombing, but by the consequences of the destruction of basic infrastructure and the economic blockade that led to malnutrition and the spread of diseases.</p>
<h6>The Oasis Plan</h6>
<p>As for the long-term plan, we are pleased with the statements made by the Egyptian government that there are two plans that will be discussed with the Arab countries before the upcoming summit at the end of this month. While we do not know the details of these plans, we would like to put forward a set of ideas within what we call the “Oasis Plan”, an idea launched by the late American economist Lyndon LaRouche in the 1970s and based on the concept of “peace through development”, where there is no peace without development and no development without peace, and where the two issues must go in parallel.</p>
<p>This is what did not happen in the Oslo Agreement, as the economic decisions in Annexes III and IV were neglected, albeit insufficient, and the focus was on political solutions only. This is what prompted LaRouche to predict the failure of the Oslo Accord and to warn of the role of the Israeli extreme right and its supporters from the Christian Zionist movements in the United States and Britain in destroying any foundations for peace and assassinating and imprisoning its advocates on both sides.</p>
<p>The Oasis Plan is to address the issues of water shortage and desertification in the region, the lack of modern basic infrastructure for development, and the lack of agricultural and industrial capabilities despite the existence of natural resources, geographical location, financial and human resources in the region but are unevenly distributed. The plan sees the issue of reconstruction in Gaza, Palestine, and the entire region (especially Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen) in a larger context. It is not possible to find solutions to local issues whose causes are global.</p>
<p>The plan in its new form developed by this author and his colleagues at the Schiller Institute in the last two years evolves in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative or the New Silk Road and the connectivity of West Asia’s infrastructure and its utilization as a bridge between Asia, Europe and Africa on the one hand and the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean on the other. This is done by building development corridors throughout the region consisting mainly of transportation lines such as railways, highways, water, electric power, oil and gas pipelines, and building new agricultural and industrial zones and cities on both sides of these development corridors, which will extend to Palestine (from Jordan to the West Bank, to Gaza, to the Mediterranean Sea, and from there to Egypt).</p>
<h6>Water and agriculture</h6>
<p>The plan first aims to solve the issue of water shortage, underdeveloped agriculture and desertification. The amount of water naturally available in this part of the region, especially the Golan Hights, South Lebanon, and the West Bank, most of which is appropriated by Israel, cannot be relied upon, even if it were hypothetically divided fairly. There is a need throughout the region to increase the amount of water available exponentially, and this can only be done through seawater desalination.</p>
<p>There are two major projects for desalination:</p>
<p><strong>First:</strong> Building two canals to the Dead Sea, one from the Red Sea and the other from the Mediterranean. The purpose of these two canals is not for maritime transportation, as is rumored, and they can be replaced by large diameter pipes. Rather, their purpose is to take advantage of the huge difference in elevation between the Red and Mediterranean Seas on the one hand and the Dead Sea on the other. The Dead Sea is four hundred meters below sea level. The rapid flow of water in the two channels sloping towards the Dead Sea can be used to generate energy for desalination and other uses.</p>
<p><strong>Second:</strong> In the future, nuclear plants with small modular reactors could be built to desalinate water and produce electricity. Similar plants powered by either natural gas or nuclear power should be built in the future on the Mediterranean coast and along the Suez Canal as well.<br>Agriculture must be significantly developed, using modern irrigation and seed development techniques in the Palestinian territories and in neighboring Arab countries to achieve food security and economic, political, and stability because a large part of the Arab countries’ resources are wasted on importing foodstuffs. Social and political shocks occur in Arab countries whenever there is a global crisis that leads to a rise in food prices, as happened in 2008 and 2009 and after the outbreak of the Ukraine war in 2022. Therefore, the cultivation and afforestation of dry and desert areas must be expanded throughout the Arab region.</p>
<h6>Industries</h6>
<p>Lyndon LaRouche proposed at an international conference on oil and gas in global politics in Abu Dhabi in May 2002 that oil-producing countries should build nuclear power plants both for water desalination and also to use their oil and gas resources for petrochemical, chemical and other industries that increase the added value of crude oil and gas exponentially. A few years later, the UAE launched its own peaceful nuclear program and completed the construction of four large-scale nuclear reactors in cooperation with South Korea last year. Egypt is currently building the Dabaa nuclear plant in cooperation with Russia.</p>
<p>China’s industrial and technological progress has also enabled it to localize some advanced industries in Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. All Arab countries should build industrial parks and special economic zones, in addition to establishing industries in Gaza and the West Bank, taking advantage of their geographical location, availability of raw materials and labor, and proximity to markets. The construction of a world-class port in Gaza, an airport, and rail and metro line should be implemented. The tunnel systems that were used for war fighting can be replaced by a metro system in time of peace.</p>
<p><strong>Financing</strong></p>
<p>We cannot rely solely on foreign aid to sustain the economic situation of the Palestinian people and their future state. The Oasis Plan includes the establishment of an Arab or regional development bank modeled after the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) with a capital of $100 billion. The Arab countries should collectively establish such a bank. Its purpose would be not only to issue low-interest, long-term credits to finance basic infrastructure projects throughout the region, especially in Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, but also to provide financial leverage for national development banks to be established, such as the Palestinian Development Bank (which was envisioned in the Oslo Accords but has not been established). National banks would be able to finance local projects for housing, agriculture and industry. This would save poor Arab countries and the Palestinian people from relying on foreign aid with strings attached including political concessions.</p>
<p>Funding could in addition be obtained from the AIIB and through bilateral “oil-for-construction” and “oil-for-technology” agreements, where a small portion of the region’s oil and gas exports (5% to 10%) could be used to finance the proposed Arab Development Bank and to obtain bilateral credits from oil and gas importing countries such as China, Japan, Korea, India, and European countries and utilize these credits in infrastructure, industry, and agriculture projects. We have explained this in detail in <a href="https://brixsweden.org/belt-and-road-countries-can-finance-their-own-progress-five-methods-of-doing-it/"><span>a previous article.</span></a></p>
<h6>How can Gaza be rebuilt without relocating its population?</h6>
<p>There are many simple solutions, but they need good organization and joint funding. For example, Asian countries, including China, have the capacity to manufacture small prefabricated mobile houses the size of a typical shipping container cheaply and quickly. The Palestinian people in Gaza cannot continue to live in tents without experiencing all sorts of health, psychological and social issues. Communal sanitation facilities could be built around clusters of such housing along Gaza’s coastline, supplied with water, electricity and sewage treatment via floating power and desalination plants that are available in many parts of the world or can be built quickly. Likewise, field hospitals and schools must be built.</p>
<p>The Oasis Plan is a plan that, although it is regionally comprehensive and needs global consensus, is capable of finding solutions to even local and national issues. Its details can be expanded upon in collaboration with local planners and engineers to adapt it to the local situation of each region and country. Our purpose in proposing the Oasis Plan is not to design precise policies for each country, but to develop a general but scientific and conceptual framework that reflects the economic, technical and political developments in today’s new world.</p>

<h6>Related items:</h6>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/OSEFlDmdzu0?si=gH_EV8hBsPTmTLj_"><span>The Details of the Oasis Plan</span></a></p>

link:
https://brixsweden.org/a-soultion-for-gaza-and-palestine-in-the-context-of-the-belt-and-road-initiative/


guid: https://brixsweden.org/?p=5221
title: An In-Depth Discussion with the Chairman of the Belt and Road Insitutute in Sweden
author: ;brixsweden
hash: �z���M�v�LDG�X\
tags: #BRIX
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div><img src="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/maxresdefault.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p><iframe title="An In-Depth Discussion with the Chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZiVttwGBeAw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin">[embedded content]</iframe></p>
<p>An insider’s view of a European’s visits to China.</p>
<p>In addition, as this year 2025 is the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sweden and China, how can we continue the good bilateral cooperation and move to a better understanding of why Sweden would benefit from active cooperation with the Belt and Road Initiative. Win-win is a much better deal for Sweden than geopolitical competition and conflict.</p>

link:
https://brixsweden.org/an-in-depth-discussion-with-the-chairman-of-the-belt-and-road-insitutute-in-sweden/


guid: https://brixsweden.org/?p=5220
title: Reconstruction Plan for Gaza in The Context of the Belt and Road: The Xinjiang Model
author: ;brixsweden
hash: �n�}��n[���z��
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div><img src="https://brixsweden.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Bild2.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>By: Hussein Askary<br>Vice-Chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden</p>
<p>The absurd statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump on relocating the Palestinians from Gaza, followed by the insults directed by Benjamin Netanyahu to some important Arab countries, have opened a window of opportunity for the Arab countries and the Global South to put forward an alternative plan that is realistic, humanitarian, and compatible with international law to save the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, resolve the Palestinian issue, and establish peace and development in the West Asian region (erroneously called the Middle East). But this requires guarantees and cooperation from international powers, most importantly the U.S. Administration, but not alone. China, Russia, the BRICS countries, that were joined this year by Egypt, the UAE, Iran and Ethiopia (and potentially Indonesia), and many other countries in the Global South have risen economically, militarily and politically today. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently recognized that the era of unipolarity is over and has been replaced by an era of multipolarity. This historical fact must be exploited by Arab countries, not to play the East against the West, but to build bridges through Arab countries between them.</p>
<p>First, it is imperative to uphold the two-state solution and the right of the Palestinian people to establish their own state with East Jerusalem as its capital on Palestinian lands in accordance with UN Resolution 242 of 1967 and the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002. However, for this state to be sustainable, there must be an economic policy for reconstruction and development and to compensate the Palestinian people and their younger generations for the tragedies and horrors they have faced so far.</p>
<p>The gates of humanitarian relief must be opened immediately to prevent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza from dying of hunger, immunodeficiency and infectious diseases due to water contamination and lack of sanitation and health care. Perhaps this is what the extremist Israeli government is counting on to drive the Palestinian people out of Gaza voluntarily. We must remember what happened in Iraq after Desert Storm in 1991, where nearly one million Iraqis, half of them children, were killed not by Anglo-American bombing, but by the consequences of the destruction of basic infrastructure and the economic blockade that led to malnutrition and the spread of diseases.</p>
<h6>The Oasis Plan</h6>
<p>As for the long-term plan, we are pleased with the statements made by the Egyptian government that there are two plans that will be discussed with the Arab countries before the upcoming summit at the end of this month. While we do not know the details of these plans, we would like to put forward a set of ideas within what we call the “Oasis Plan”, an idea launched by the late American economist Lyndon LaRouche in the 1970s and based on the concept of “peace through development”, where there is no peace without development and no development without peace, and where the two issues must go in parallel.</p>
<p>This is what did not happen in the Oslo Agreement, as the economic decisions in Annexes III and IV were neglected, albeit insufficient, and the focus was on political solutions only. This is what prompted LaRouche to predict the failure of the Oslo Accord and to warn of the role of the Israeli extreme right and its supporters from the Christian Zionist movements in the United States and Britain in destroying any foundations for peace and assassinating and imprisoning its advocates on both sides.</p>
<p>The Oasis Plan is to address the issues of water shortage and desertification in the region, the lack of modern basic infrastructure for development, and the lack of agricultural and industrial capabilities despite the existence of natural resources, geographical location, financial and human resources in the region but are unevenly distributed. The plan sees the issue of reconstruction in Gaza, Palestine, and the entire region (especially Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen) in a larger context. It is not possible to find solutions to local issues whose causes are global.</p>
<p>The plan in its new form developed by this author and his colleagues at the Schiller Institute in the last two years evolves in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative or the New Silk Road and the connectivity of West Asia’s infrastructure and its utilization as a bridge between Asia, Europe and Africa on the one hand and the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean on the other. This is done by building development corridors throughout the region consisting mainly of transportation lines such as railways, highways, water, electric power, oil and gas pipelines, and building new agricultural and industrial zones and cities on both sides of these development corridors, which will extend to Palestine (from Jordan to the West Bank, to Gaza, to the Mediterranean Sea, and from there to Egypt).</p>
<h6>Water and agriculture</h6>
<p>The plan first aims to solve the issue of water shortage, underdeveloped agriculture and desertification. The amount of water naturally available in this part of the region, especially the Golan Hights, South Lebanon, and the West Bank, most of which is appropriated by Israel, cannot be relied upon, even if it were hypothetically divided fairly. There is a need throughout the region to increase the amount of water available exponentially, and this can only be done through seawater desalination.</p>
<p>There are two major projects for desalination:</p>
<p><strong>First:</strong> Building two canals to the Dead Sea, one from the Red Sea and the other from the Mediterranean. The purpose of these two canals is not for maritime transportation, as is rumored, and they can be replaced by large diameter pipes. Rather, their purpose is to take advantage of the huge difference in elevation between the Red and Mediterranean Seas on the one hand and the Dead Sea on the other. The Dead Sea is four hundred meters below sea level. The rapid flow of water in the two channels sloping towards the Dead Sea can be used to generate energy for desalination and other uses.</p>
<p><strong>Second:</strong> In the future, nuclear plants with small modular reactors could be built to desalinate water and produce electricity. Similar plants powered by either natural gas or nuclear power should be built in the future on the Mediterranean coast and along the Suez Canal as well.<br>Agriculture must be significantly developed, using modern irrigation and seed development techniques in the Palestinian territories and in neighboring Arab countries to achieve food security and economic, political, and stability because a large part of the Arab countries’ resources are wasted on importing foodstuffs. Social and political shocks occur in Arab countries whenever there is a global crisis that leads to a rise in food prices, as happened in 2008 and 2009 and after the outbreak of the Ukraine war in 2022. Therefore, the cultivation and afforestation of dry and desert areas must be expanded throughout the Arab region.</p>
<h6>Industries</h6>
<p>Lyndon LaRouche proposed at an international conference on oil and gas in global politics in Abu Dhabi in May 2002 that oil-producing countries should build nuclear power plants both for water desalination and also to use their oil and gas resources for petrochemical, chemical and other industries that increase the added value of crude oil and gas exponentially. A few years later, the UAE launched its own peaceful nuclear program and completed the construction of four large-scale nuclear reactors in cooperation with South Korea last year. Egypt is currently building the Dabaa nuclear plant in cooperation with Russia.</p>
<p>China’s industrial and technological progress has also enabled it to localize some advanced industries in Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. All Arab countries should build industrial parks and special economic zones, in addition to establishing industries in Gaza and the West Bank, taking advantage of their geographical location, availability of raw materials and labor, and proximity to markets. The construction of a world-class port in Gaza, an airport, and rail and metro line (see proposal below) should be implemented.</p>
<p><strong>Financing</strong></p>
<p>We cannot rely solely on foreign aid to sustain the economic situation of the Palestinian people and their future state. The Oasis Plan includes the establishment of an Arab or regional development bank modeled after the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) with a capital of $100 billion. The Arab countries should collectively establish such a bank. Its purpose would be not only to issue low-interest, long-term credits to finance basic infrastructure projects throughout the region, especially in Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, but also to provide financial leverage for national development banks to be established, such as the Palestinian Development Bank (which was envisioned in the Oslo Accords but has not been established). National banks would be able to finance local projects for housing, agriculture and industry. This would save poor Arab countries and the Palestinian people from relying on foreign aid with strings attached including political concessions.</p>
<p>Funding could in addition be obtained from the AIIB and through bilateral “oil-for-construction” and “oil-for-technology” agreements, where a small portion of the region’s oil and gas exports (5% to 10%) could be used to finance the proposed Arab Development Bank and to obtain bilateral credits from oil and gas importing countries such as China, Japan, Korea, India, and European countries and utilize these credits in infrastructure, industry, and agriculture projects. We have explained this in detail in <a href="https://brixsweden.org/belt-and-road-countries-can-finance-their-own-progress-five-methods-of-doing-it/"><span>a previous article.</span></a></p>
<h6>How can Gaza be rebuilt without relocating its population?</h6>
<p>There are many simple solutions, but they need good organization and joint funding. For example, Asian countries, including China, have the capacity to manufacture small prefabricated mobile houses the size of a typical shipping container cheaply and quickly. The Palestinian people in Gaza cannot continue to live in tents without experiencing all sorts of health, psychological and social issues. Communal sanitation facilities could be built around clusters of such housing along Gaza’s coastline, supplied with water, electricity and sewage treatment via floating power and desalination plants that are available in many parts of the world or can be built quickly. Likewise, field hospitals and schools must be built.</p>
<p>The Oasis Plan is a plan that, although it is regionally comprehensive and needs global consensus, is capable of finding solutions to even local and national issues. Its details can be expanded upon in collaboration with local planners and engineers to adapt it to the local situation of each region and country. Our purpose in proposing the Oasis Plan is not to design precise policies for each country, but to develop a general but scientific and conceptual framework that reflects the economic, technical and political developments in today’s new world.</p>
<h6>The Xinjiang model</h6>
<p>Contrary to the unfounded allegations about the realities of the human rights and living conditions of the minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, it is uniquely positioned and fits squarely as a model for the four major initiatives launched by President Xi Jinping: the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, the Global Development Initiative (GDI) in 2021, the Global Security Initiative (GSI) in 2022, and the Globel Civilization Initiative (GCI) in 2023. Besides, it serves as a great example of the harmonious co-existence of the fascinating panoply of 56 ethnic groups of China striving together to prosper and live in peace and security.</p>
<p>Xinjiang, which this author visited and <a href="https://brixsweden.org/will-xinjiang-become-the-new-miracle-of-eurasia/"><span>reported on</span></a>, has long surpassed the stage of stabilization and establishment of peace and security and is moving into a new stage of industrialization. Its isolated geographical location has been transformed to a great advantage for all of China due to the BRI. Its ethnic diversity has been transformed from a potential source of divisiveness and separatism into a source national cultural enrichment and of unity for the whole nation with all its ethnic groups.</p>
<p>What makes Xinjiang a good model for the Arab countries and West Asia in general, besides this diversity, is its climate. The climate in Xinjiang is arid and with a very fragile ecosystem. It is host to the second largest shifting sand desert in the world, the Taklimakan Desert. The average annual precipitation in Xinjiang is less than 150 millimetres (mm) per year. Compare this to Afghanistan (250 mm/year), Iran (240 mm/year), Saudi Arabia (150 mm/year), and Morocco (300 mm/year). But despite this fact, Xinjiang is one of the great producers of cotton, fruits, nuts, etc. Even fresh seafood is locally produced in fish farms in the lakes of Xinjiang.</p>
<p>The desert-agricultural technology this author saw in the region is utilizing the most advanced tools, with water saving techniques such as drip irrigations and fumigation (covering the field with plastic film to prevent evaporation), and the use of precise mereological and satellite data for exact timing of sowing and harvesting. All these technologies and methods carry very important lessons for other nations along the New Silk Road. The narratives spread about the use of “forced labour” in cotton harvesting are absurd given the fact that this makes no economic sense. In one of the farms that we visited north of Korla, the full mechanisation of the process of harvesting cotton means that the cost per hectare of land is reduced by full five times, from 15,000 RMB per hectare if done manually to a mere 5000 RMB when done by machines.</p>
<p>The modern water resources management system and infrastructure which extends to all parts of Xinjiang, is a marvellous achievement. The water resources management infrastructure extends long into the desert areas along the roads, such as in Yuli County of the Bayin’gholin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, where land continues to be reclaimed not only for reforestation but also for agriculture.</p>
<p>These are the main features of Xinjiang’s success story in not only bringing peace and stability to the people, but also great economic prosperity and hope for the future that makes it a great model for Palestine and the region of West Asia.</p>
<h6>Proposal for a subway system in Gaza</h6>
<p>This author would like to propose that the government of Xinjiang province, with support from the central government of the People’s Republic of China, offers a gift to the people of Gaza buy building a subway line similar to the Metro Line 1 in Ürümqi, capital of Xinjiang province. The subway, which this author visited in 2024 is one of the most modern metro systems. Its length of 32 km is slightly shorter than the length of the Gaza Strip (40 km). The Hamas tunnel system that was used in war time can be replaced with a subway system in peace time, extending from the south to the north. The subway system can be used, besides passenger transport, as the core of a development corridor with logistics, power, water, telecommunications lines. It will save much of the surface area of this densely populated area. The geological structures of sedimentary limestone and sandstone layers are very easy to work for tunnelling. One advantage of the horrific destruction of 80% of the Gaza infrastructure and houses, is that it could be built from the ground up after clearing all the ruble and debris.</p>
<p>Replacing tragedy with hope and fear with joy of achievement will lift the people of Gaza, especially the children, from the very dark psychological effects of the war launched against them by the Israeli army. Economic, social, and cultural development will be the best remedy for despair, hatred, and extremism. The new name for peace, as proven by China, is development.</p>

link:
https://brixsweden.org/reconstruction-plan-for-gaza-in-the-context-of-the-belt-and-road-the-xinjiang-model/

tags:
#Articles #BRIX #News #Belt and Road Initiative #Gaza reconstruction #Palestine #Uyghur Autonomous Region #Xinjiang


guid: 67c35eec073095000113aa37
title: The Europeans Are in Shock
author: ;Carl Osgood
link: https://eir.news/2025/03/news/the-europeans-are-in-shock/
hash: ��^P�����J4NT�p
tags: #Collapsing Imperial System #Europe #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—The first response of the Europeans to the Feb. 28 blowup between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy was one of shock. “It’s too fresh to give a serious and considered opinion on it,” a European diplomat [told the <em>Washington Post]</em>(<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/02/28/trump-zelenskyy-meeting-russia-peace-deal/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/02/28/trump-zelenskyy-meeting-russia-peace-deal/</a>) of the Oval Office meeting. “It shifts the tone, but the fundamentals of why we need a peace settlement have not changed.” The diplomat, who was not named, said that while Trump’s “aggression” was striking, Zelenskyy “hit the wrong tone” in publicly challenging him.</p>
<p>EU leaders are trying to rally to Zelenskyy’s side. “Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President Zelenskyy,” tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/02/28/trump-zelenskyy-ukraine-europe-reactions">reported Axios</a>. The leaders of Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Lithuania, Sweden, and dozens of other EU countries issued similar statements heaping praise on Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people. Zelenskyy—whom Vice President Vance accused of not saying “thank you” during his White House visit—individually thanked each European leader who expressed solidarity with Ukraine.</p>
<p>“We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back the aggressor,” tweeted the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas. Then she added: “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.”</p>
<p>French President Emmanuel Macron said: “There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a victim: Ukraine. We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago—and to keep doing so.”</p>
<p>Friedrich Merz, presumably the next Chancellor of Germany posted (in English): “Dear Volodymyr Zelenskyy, we stand with Ukraine in good and in testing times. We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war.”</p>
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guid: 67c35f38073095000113aa43
title: Russian Foreign Ministry Comments on ‘Epic Failure’ of Zelenskyy&amp;#039;s White House Visit
author: ;Carl Osgood
hash: ��+�xgA�����uc
tags: #Collapsing Imperial System #News
content:
<div><img src="https://eir.news/content/images/2025/03/photo_2024-10-16_21-46-07.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman <a href="https://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/2000774/">Maria Zakharova</a>, in a statement issued today, called Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Feb. 28 visit to the White House “an epic political and diplomatic failure of the Kiev regime.”</p>
<p>“With his outrageously rude behavior during his stay in Washington, Zelenskyy re-affirmed his status of the most dangerous threat to the international community as an irresponsible figure that can stir up a big war,” she said. “It must be clear to everyone that this kind of attacks coming from a terrorist leader are quite unambiguous.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy “will stoop to anything in pursuit of his goals and is obsessed with preserving the power he has usurped,” Zakharova went on. “This is why he has destroyed the opposition, built a totalitarian state and is ruthlessly sending millions of his fellow citizens to their deaths. Under the increasingly deteriorating political conditions, this figure is unable to show a sense of responsibility and is therefore obsessed with continuing the war and rejects peace, which means death to him.</p>
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attributes:
{"enclosures":[{"url":"https://eir.news/content/images/2025/03/photo_2024-10-16_21-46-07.jpg","medium":"image"}]}


guid: 67c35f95073095000113aa4d
title: Some Russian Expert Responses to Trump-Zelenskyy Blowup
author: ;Carl Osgood
link: https://eir.news/2025/03/news/some-russian-expert-responses-to-trump-zelensky-blowup/
hash: 5W��ow���Zӓ�n
tags: #Collapsing Imperial System #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—Russian newspaper <a href="https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/7549678"><em>Kommersant</em></a>, in an article <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/613488-zelenskyy-trump-russian-experts/">translated and published by RT</a>, rounded up some responses of Russian experts to the blowup between President Donald Trump and Kiev regime leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.</p>
<p>• Anastasia Likhacheva, dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at HSE University: “Zelenskyy, with incredible persistence, demonstrated the behavior of a person without a plan B, which violates any negotiation logic. The simple conclusion is that his main goal was to demonstrate an unwillingness to negotiate.”</p>
<p>• Maksim Suchkov, director of the Institute of International Studies at MGIMO University: “Zelenskyy pressed all the ‘buttons’ that should never be pressed in negotiations with Trump—both in his style of communication with the U.S. president and in the content of his arguments. ... However, one shouldn’t be too optimistic about what was witnessed. The U.S. holds the keys to ending the conflict: it could disable Starlink, on which Ukraine’s entire military command system relies, and within a week, the war would be over. But the U.S. does not do this, because it feels it can extract even more from the situation. Zelenskyy’s visit gives Moscow an opportunity for an additional move. It must be used wisely.”</p>
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guid: 67c35fe8073095000113aa57
title: No Phase 2 Negotiations Between Hamas and Israel
author: ;Carl Osgood
link: https://eir.news/2025/03/news/no-phase-2-negotiations-between-hamas-and-israel/
hash: :�_j,�:�qj���~~-
tags: #Strategic War Danger #Southwest Asia #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—The Israeli delegation walked out of the Cairo negotiations on Phase 2 of the Gaza ceasefire yesterday. The walkout came after Hamas rejected the Israeli gambit of trying to extend Phase 1 rather than negotiating Phase 2.</p>
<p>“There are no negotiations with the movement regarding the second phase so far,” <a href="https://t.me/PalestineResist/74181">Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem</a> said in a statement to Al-Arabi TV. “The occupation bears full responsibility for not starting the second-phase negotiations of the Gaza agreement, which was supposed to begin on the 16th day after the ceasefire came into effect.”</p>
<p>“The occupation’s talk of extending the first phase aims to recover its captives while potentially resuming aggression on the Gaza Strip—contrary to the agreement’s text,” the statement continues. “The occupation evades its commitment to ending the war and fully withdrawing from Gaza. Extending the first phase in the form proposed by the occupation is unacceptable to us. Mediators and guarantor states must compel the occupation to adhere to the agreement in all its stages. The occupation is trying to reset matters to square one by shuffling the cards with its proposal to extend the first phase.”</p>
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guid: 67c36092073095000113aa63
title: State Department Approves New U.S. Arms Sale to Israel
author: ;Carl Osgood
link: https://eir.news/2025/03/news/the-europeans-are-in-shock-2/
hash: ��I���pp��֭�;
tags: #Collapsing Imperial System #U.S. and Canada #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
[unable to retrieve full-text content]<p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—The State Department announced its approval of more arms sales to Israel yesterday amounting to about $3 billion. The announcement came in three tranches. <a href="https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/israel-munitions-and-munitions-support">The first</a> was for 35,529 Mk 84/BLU-117 2,000 lb. bomb casings, along with 4,000 penetrator warheads, valued</p>


guid: 67c360c2073095000113aa6f
title: U.S. Federal Prosecutor Leading Crusade Against ‘Anti-Semitism’
author: ;Carl Osgood
link: https://eir.news/2025/03/news/federal-prosecutor-leading-crusade-against-anti-semitism/
hash: �kV�w�̵ܽ#@��i'
tags: #U.S. and Canada #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—The U.S. Department of Justice-led Task Force To Combat Anti-Semitism will soon file federal hate crime indictments against campus activists “supporting Hamas and trying to intimidate Jews,” Leo Terrell, who leads the efforts, told Israel’s Channel 12 News on Feb. 26, <a href="https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/head-of-doj-antiSemitism-task-force-well-put-hamas-supporters-in-jail-for-years/">reported the <em>Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle</em></a>. The effort follows from President Donald Trump’s Feb. 3 executive order entitled “Additional Measures To Combat AntiSemitism.”</p>
<p>Terrell, ironically a civil rights lawyer, is leading this charge to suppress freedom of speech by deliberately misdefining criticism of Israeli genocide against the Palestinians as hatred of Jews. Are Jews who protest against the murderous behavior of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also prosecutable as “anti-Semites”?</p>
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guid: 67c375e8073095000113aa8b
title: Treasury Secretary Bessent on Zelenskyy&amp;#039;s Great ‘Diplomatic Mishap’
author: ;Megan Dobrodt
link: https://eir.news/2025/03/news/treasury-secretary-bessent-on-zelenskyys-great-diplomatic-mishap/
hash: n���� ׬D��/�
tags: #U.S. and Canada #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6369466873112">candid interview</a> to Fox’s Laura Ingraham on Feb. 28, following the Zelenskyy Oval Office fiasco, which Bessent called “one of the greatest diplomatic mishaps of all time.” He told Ingraham that he traveled to Kiev earlier this month to work out the economic deal with Ukraine in order to “show Russia that there’s no daylight” between the U.S. and Ukrainian people. The “very tough” 45-minute meeting with Zelenskyy was “at a very loud decibel level,” and afterward, Zelenskyy told Bessent he wouldn’t sign the agreement that day, but that he would sign it in Munich at the Munich Security Council meeting. When that didn’t happen, Zelenskyy insisted that he would come to Washington to sign the agreement.</p>
<p>On Thursday, Feb. 27, the day before the ill-fated (for Zelenskyy) meeting, Bessent, with a much more reserved tone, <a href="https://x.com/SecScottBessent/status/1895280488958533749">told Fox Business</a> that the deal is done, it’s on paper, approved by the Ukrainian government, and that it only awaited the signature of the two Presidents—which would happen the next day.</p>
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guid: 67c37728073095000113aac4
title: The Jester&amp;#039;s Tale
author: ;Paul Gallagher
link: https://eir.news/2025/03/news/the-jesters-tale/
hash: a�'��\���:+ 31�
tags: #History and Culture #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<p>by Paul Gallagher</p>
<p>When that the Winter’s long and solid freeze</p>
<p>Gave way to March, and to a changing breeze,</p>
<p>Europe’s barons, with their teeth on edge</p>
<p>In fear, agreed to make a pilgrimage</p>
<p>To seek to meet th’ uncouth American kinge,</p>
<p>Who dared to say that peace was a good thinge;</p>
<p>They vowed to teach him warre, and gave their pledge.</p>
<p>First came the French pretender, sly Macron—</p>
<p>Whose name is sounded like the English “raw”—</p>
<p>He gripped the arm and patted the knee of Trump,</p>
<p>And if he dared he would have pinched the rump,</p>
<p>To show he was a jolly warrior boye</p>
<p>And tempt the kinge to think that warre is joye.</p>
<p>They smiled at him; he retreated in a slump.</p>
<p>Next flew the Lady Kallas from Estonia,</p>
<p>Suffering anti-Russian megalo-monia;</p>
<p>She knew that Rubio would welcome her,</p>
<p>And swore that with a chance, that she could stir</p>
<p>Even Trump to warre, and make him Putin’s foe.</p>
<p>But even Minister Rubio failed to showe.</p>
<p>The Lady’s furies are not what they were.</p>
<p>The British knight, Sir Keir—at home he snarls—</p>
<p>Now fawned on Trump with invites from King Charles</p>
<p>And a promise to spend more pounds on defence,</p>
<p>Scrooging the extra from the indigents.</p>
<p>But the British boffin paled at what he heard</p>
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guid: 67c37e7e073095000113aad3
title: Zelenskyy Flees Washington Into the Welcoming Arms of Keir Starmer
author: ;Megan Dobrodt
link: https://eir.news/2025/03/news/zelenskyy-flees-washington-into-the-welcoming-arms-of-keir-starmer/
hash: ;4� ��#�tNKԻ
tags: #Collapsing Imperial System #United Kingdom #News
content:
<div><img src="https://eir.news/content/images/2025/03/3cf9c6d55ea5dc1ea2acb39592745571_1740861533_extra_large.jpeg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—After leaving Washington following the dramatic and disastrous Oval Office meeting on Feb. 28, Ukraine’s Voloydymyr Zelenskyy flew to the embrace of Keir Starmer in London. Zelenskyy was welcomed warmly by the British Prime Minister outside 10 Downing Street with a comforting hug. Starmer promised him the U.K.’s undying support for Ukraine, “for as long as it may take.” The two went inside for an hour and twenty minute meeting which culminated in the signing of a loan agreement between Ukraine and the UK for $2.84 billion, to be repaid, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/03/01/donald-trump-volodymyr-zelenskyy-ukraine-peace-latest/">according to <em>The Telegraph</em></a>, with proceeds from frozen Russian assets.</p>
<p>Zelenskyy will stay in London through Sunday, March 2 for a meeting of some European leaders over Ukraine’s security in light of the change in U.S. policy (i.e., the desire for peace), and for a meeting with King Charles on Sunday evening.</p>
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attributes:
{"enclosures":[{"url":"https://eir.news/content/images/2025/03/3cf9c6d55ea5dc1ea2acb39592745571_1740861533_extra_large.jpeg","medium":"image"}]}


guid: 67c388bd073095000113aaf1
title: Smear Campaign Launched To Prevent Dilma Rousseff’s Second Term as NDB Chief
author: ;Gretchen Small
hash: p��L��O����rXԂ
tags: #Collapsing Imperial System #Economics #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—The Wall Street-City of London “money boys” are worried that the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) could be transformed into the key credit-issuing institution for the development of the Global South that it was intended to be, if former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is reappointed as president of the bank next July, as is currently scheduled. At the end of the 2024 BRICS summit in Kazan, host Russian President Vladimir Putin had thrown his considerable political weight behind Rousseff serving a second term.</p>
<p>The campaign to oust her was launched through <em>Folha de São Paulo</em>, one of Brazil’s big Anglo-American-allied Establishment dailies, which published an <a href="https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mercado/2025/02/mandato-de-dilma-no-banco-dos-brics-tem-metas-atrasadas-relatos-de-assedio-moral-e-alta-rotatividade.shtml">ad hominem attack</a> against Rousseff’s role at the bank on Feb. 28. <em>Folha</em>’s article was not journalism, but a hit-job, making wild assertions based on anonymous documents and sources to create an illusion that there might be something true in its claim that “about to start a second term at the helm of the New Development Bank, the BRICS bank, former President Dilma Rousseff has left a trail of late targets, reports of bullying, dismissals and criticism for mismanagement at the institution since she took over in April 2023.”</p>
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guid: 67c38b68073095000113aafd
title: Prime Minister Fico Insists, Slovakia Will Not Back Continuation of Ukraine War
author: ;Megan Dobrodt
hash: �N����E���I�`
tags: #Strategic War Danger #Europe #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—On March 1, Slovakian <a href="https://x.com/RobertFicoSVK/status/1895817406779703566">Prime Minister Robert Fico issued</a> a six-point statement titled, “Regarding Yesterday’s Trump-Zelenskyy Meeting.” The first two items get right to the point and belie the idea of a “unified” EU policy on the Ukraine war:</p>
<p>1. Slovakia will not support Ukraine either financially or militarily to enable it to continue the war. If others choose to do so, we will respect that.</p>
<p>2. Slovakia has reservations about the unrealistic strategy of “peace through strength,” which is only intended to serve as a justification for continuing the war in Ukraine. Ukraine will never be strong enough to negotiate from a position of military power.</p>
<p>The statement also says that Slovakia (which, like Hungary, is an EU/NATO country that borders Ukraine) proposes a ceasefire be supported at the upcoming March 6 EU summit, and demands that the transit of gas through Ukraine be reopened to meet Slovakian and European needs.</p>
<p>Point 5 warns, “If the summit does not respect that there are other opinions besides simply continuing the war, the European Council may not be able to agree on conclusions regarding Ukraine on Thursday,” March 6, at the EU Summit.</p>

link:
https://eir.news/2025/03/news/prime-minister-fico-slovakia-will-not-support-continuation-of-ukraine-war/


guid: 67c393fd073095000113ab1a
title: How Much Longer Can Milei Last in Argentina?
author: ;Cynthia Rush
link: https://eir.news/2025/03/news/how-much-longer-can-milei-last-in-argentina/
hash: S ��@�&I��.���
tags: #Collapsing Imperial System #Ibero-America and Caribbean #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—Since Feb. 14, when a cryptocurrency scam—$LIBRA—blew up in his face and engulfed his government in an international scandal, Argentina President Javier Milei has shown increasing signs of mental instability while desperately trying to distract Argentines’ attention away from the magnitude of what he has done. On the evening of Feb. 14, he sent a message on social media promoting the $LIBRA crypto token, whose price quickly rose before crashing, causing losses of $250 million for investors while those who bailed out early raked in huge profits. Far from being an innocent bystander as he claimed, Milei was in on the scam early—dating back to mid-2024 if not earlier—as was his sister Karina, the Secretary General of the Presidency.</p>
<p>The role in this scam of a sordid group of crypto experts, both American and Argentine, has also come to light, revealed in a lengthy <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/world/americas/argentina-crypto-scandal-president.html"><em>New York Times</em> article</a> published late on Feb. 28 which has rocked the country with its wealth of detail. Among other things, it revealed that Milei’s involvement in failed crypto projects dated back to 2022; that huge sums of money were involved in selling access to Milei in mid-2024, and that his sister Karina was confirmed accepting bribes from international investors to “sell” access to her brother. All this while Argentines suffer the ravages of Milei’s vicious austerity program which has dismantled the state, thrown 45,000 state workers out of jobs, gouged retirees’ pensions and increased the poverty rate to 53.9%.</p>
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guid: 67c396fa073095000113ab26
title: Merz Again Raises Possibility of British and French Nukes for Europe
author: ;Megan Dobrodt
link: https://eir.news/2025/03/news/merz-again-raises-possibility-of-british-and-french-nukes-for-europe/
hash: �m����'��n?M�U �
tags: #Strategic War Danger #Europe #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—In an <a href="https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/friedrich-merz-im-interview-ueber-seine-plaene-fuer-deutschland-und-die-usa-110327264.html">interview with <em>Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung</em></a> published on Friday, Feb. 28, Friedrich Merz, the likley next German Chancellor, reiterated his call for nuclear sharing with France and Britian.</p>
<p>Just prior to the Feb. 23 elections in which Merz’s CDU/CSU party came out on top, the former BlackRock executive <a href="https://eir.news/2025/02/news/britain-to-europes-rescue-with-tactical-nukes/">told <em>The Telegraph</em></a> that a discussion needed to happen with Britain and France to see whether nuclear sharing could apply to Germany. Now likely to take the Chancellorship, Merz doubled down in his interview with <em>FAZ</em>: “Today we have what is known as nuclear sharing with the Americans. I want to discuss whether we can go in this direction with France or the U.K. in the coalition negotiations and also with our partners in Europe, the EU and NATO.” Merz added, “The credibility of so-called extended deterrence by the Americans, which is also the backbone of German defense policy, is more in doubt than ever before. Never before has an American president shaken this credibility as much as Donald Trump.”</p>
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guid: 67c39ba5073095000113ab36
title: Rubio: Zelenskyy Not Acting Like Someone Who Wants Peace
author: ;Megan Dobrodt
link: https://eir.news/2025/03/news/rubio-zelensky-not-acting-like-someone-who-wants-peace/
hash: �+��!;�D�ڜ!V�
tags: #U.S. and Canada #News
content:
<div><img src="https://eir.news/content/images/2025/03/54351291441_7582d336d5_c.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—In an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1-bnv0YWbc">interview</a> with CNN following the Feb. 28 meeting of Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was straightforward in his assessment that Zelenskyy doesn’t behave like someone who actually wants peace: “Attacking Putin, no matter how anyone may feel about him personally, forcing the President into a position where you’re trying to goad him into attacking Putin, calling him names, maximalist demands about Russia having to pay for the reconstruction—all the sorts of things that you talk about in a negotiation. And so you start to perceive that maybe Zelenskyy doesn’t want a peace deal. He says he does, but maybe he doesn’t. And that act of open undermining of efforts to bring about peace is deeply frustrating for everyone who’s been involved in communications with them leading up to today.”</p>
<p>Side-stepping an attempt by interviewer Kaitlan Collins to get him to denounce Putin, Rubio stated, “I’m not going to fall into this trap of who’s bad and who’s evil…. [A]t the end of the day, this is not a political campaign, okay? This is a high-stakes international diplomacy and an effort to bring about an end to a very, very dangerous war.”</p>
<p>On the role of the State Department, Rubio insisted, “the State Department doesn’t fight wars, it ends them…. And that’s usually, by the way, celebrated…. I think we should be very proud and happy that we have a President whose prime objective is not to get into wars but to prevent wars and to get out of wars.”</p>
<p>Coming back to Zelenskyy, he reiterated: “What I have doubts about is whether he’s willing to say and do the things that we need in order to get a negotiation…. [M]y hope is that this all can be reset and maturity can kick in. Tonight, people will die in this conflict. We’re trying to bring an end to this conflict which is unsustainable.”</p>

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guid: 67c3a6f8073095000113ab68
title: It&amp;#039;s Time To Ensure Humanity&amp;#039;s Successful Survival
author: ;Megan Dobrodt
link: https://eir.news/2025/03/news/its-time-to-ensure-humanitys-successful-survival/
hash: � 䁗D�P�D_�#Iz]
tags: #Daily Lead
content:
<div><img src="https://eir.news/content/images/size/w1200/2025/03/Screen-Shot-2025-03-01-at-9.30.13-PM.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>March 1, 2025 (EIRNS)—As has been proven by economist and statesman Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr., successful—and not merely momentary—survival of the human species is characterized by a series of seemingly sudden, revolutionary changes in the mode of behavior of society which abandon outmoded and sometimes grossly flawed ideas in favor of a more truthful set of principles and way of operating. Such a monumental shift is underway today, though the successful establishment of a new paradigm is by no means secured.</p>
<p>In that light, consider the developments of the past 48 hours.</p>
<p>Described variously as a “fiasco,” “a fierce scolding in the Oval Office,” and “one of the greatest diplomatic mishaps of all time,” the meeting on Friday, Feb. 28 of U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Vlodymyr Zelenskyy has further demonstrated what Helga Zepp-LaRouche told the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/KAd3kMCPu9s?si=FOLQhU3JryvbPpjp">91st weekly meeting</a> of the International Peace Coalition: “we are experiencing a very unprecedented change in the strategic situation,” with “tectonic shifts going on which leave some people completely flabbergasted.…”</p>
<p>Departing Washington humiliated, empty-handed, and very publicly discredited, Zelenskyy’s next stop, unsurprisingly, was London, where he was warmly embraced and consoled outside 10 Downing Street by a Keir Starmer who renewed his vow of the U.K.’s undying, 100-year support for the Ukrainian cause. After meeting with Starmer on March 1, Zelenskyy will attend a meeting of European elite on March 2, “a moment to take stock” and discuss the next steps in keeping the war in Ukraine going, down to the last Ukrainian.</p>
<p>U.S. officials struck a refreshingly different tone in public comments following the Oval Office meeting, indicative of what Russian <a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/76338">President Vladimir Putin</a> noted in a Feb. 27 address to the Federal Security Service Board: “[A] realistic vision of things, [having] abandoned numerous stereotypes, the so-called rules, and messianic, ideological clichés of their predecessors, which, in fact, causes the crisis of the entire system of international relations.”</p>
<p>To wit: U.S. Secretary of State <a href="https://eir.news/2025/03/news/rubio-zelenskyy-not-acting-like-someone-who-wants-peace/">Marco Rubio called</a> Zelenskyy’s “act of open undermining of efforts to bring about peace … deeply frustrating for everyone,” and declared, “[M]y job working for the President is to deliver peace…. Ultimately, that is the job of the State Department. The State Department doesn’t fight wars; it ends them… And that’s usually celebrated.” Treasury Secretary <a href="https://eir.news/2025/03/news/treasury-secretary-bessent-on-zelenskyys-great-diplomatic-mishap/">Scott Bessent echoed</a> this primary goal, stating, “It’s impossible to have an economic partnership with someone who doesn’t want to be your partner in peace.”</p>
<p>The situation remains perilous. A flight forward into a European military posture aimed at keeping the Ukraine war going, as the British are demanding, and even, as probable next German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has <a href="https://eir.news/2025/03/news/merz-again-raises-possibility-of-british-and-french-nukes-for-europe/">called for</a>, extending the nuclear umbrella of British and French nuclear weapons to cover all of Europe, could quickly relight the fuse to World War III.</p>
<p>The situation in Southwest Asia also paints a perilous picture. Phase 1 of the Gaza ceasefire deal reached its end today with no Phase 2 in sight—Israeli negotiators walked out of talks with Hamas representatives on Friday, Feb. 28. A conference will occur in Cairo on March 4 to work out a counterproposal for the reconstruction of Gaza which includes the Palestinians—this or other interventions to pivot the trajectory of the situation in Israel and Palestine are desperately needed.</p>
<p>There is no solution within the habits of thinking which created the problem in the first place; the diseased thinking of geopolitics must be completely and happily abandoned and a new kind of relations among nations formed, which takes into account the security and anti-entropic development of all nations of the human family. This is something that Lyndon and Helga LaRouche and their organization have spent a lifetime in fighting for and is the level onto which the global strategic discussion must be catapulted. Indicative of the necessary level of proposals is Putin’s Feb. 27 call for “a dialogue on creating a system that will truly ensure a balance and mutual consideration of interests, an indivisible European and global security system for the long term, where the security of some countries cannot be ensured at the expense or to the detriment of the security of others countries,” a proposal that resonates strongly with Helga Zepp-LaRouche’s November 2022 call for [a new international security and development architecture](<a href="https://schillerinstitute.com/blog/2022/11/30/ten-principles-of-a-new-international-security-and-development-architecture/">https://schillerinstitute.com/blog/2022/11/30/ten-principles-of-a-new-international-security-and-development-architecture/</a> ).</p>
<p>Let us build our capability for successful survival. The Schiller Institute is holding a <a href="https://schillerinstitute.com/blog/2025/03/01/conference-invitation/">conference on May 24-25</a>, “A Beautiful Vision for Humanity in Times of Great Turbulence” to greatly advance that aim.</p>

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title: &amp;#039;Ne Zha 2&amp;#039; premieres in Macao SAR as box office surges
hash: lLa 7���,.�:1��
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-19/Mainland-blockbuster-Ne-Zha-2-premieres-in-Macao-SAR-1B7U29tf2hy/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

content:
<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-19/Mainland-blockbuster-Ne-Zha-2-premieres-in-Macao-SAR-1B7U29tf2hy/img/c9a8662c6daf42229e22d0079c7140b0/c9a8662c6daf42229e22d0079c7140b0.png" alt="The Chinese mainland's animated blockbuster " ne zha premieres in the macao special administration on february media layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The Chinese mainland's animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" premieres in the Macao Special Administration Region, China, on February 19, 2025. /China Media Group</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The Chinese mainland's animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" premieres in the Macao Special Administration Region, China, on February 19, 2025. /China Media Group</p>
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<p>The Chinese mainland's animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" premiered in the Macao Special Administration Region (SAR) on Wednesday. The movie is scheduled to hit theaters in the SAR on Saturday.</p>
<p>Leong Wai Man, director of Macao's Cultural Affairs Bureau, said the success of "Ne Zha 2" has brought important inspiration to the film and television industry in Macao SAR.</p>
<p>It encourages everyone to integrate elements of Chinese culture into animated films and other film and television works through creativity, better highlighting the long-standing characteristics of Chinese culture, Leong said.</p>
<p>Since its mainland release in January, "Ne Zha 2" has taken the global box office by storm and is now the world's highest-grossing animated film.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-19/Mainland-blockbuster-Ne-Zha-2-premieres-in-Macao-SAR-1B7U29tf2hy/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: American girl devoted to studying hanfu promotes cultural exchanges
hash: ��9H<ћޓ���\�]
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/American-girl-devoted-to-studying-hanfu-promotes-cultural-exchanges-1B975J6KTXa/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

content:
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="483920" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/American-girl-devoted-to-studying-hanfu-promotes-cultural-exchanges-1B975J6KTXa/video/wu_1ikh4rda9jedg581i2c13gg1s1ha/wu_1ikh4rda9jedg581i2c13gg1s1ha.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/American-girl-devoted-to-studying-hanfu-promotes-cultural-exchanges-1B975J6KTXa/video/wu_1ikh4rda9jedg581i2c13gg1s1ha/wu_1ikh4rda9jedg581i2c13gg1s1ha.png" data-title="American girl devoted to studying hanfu promotes cultural exchanges" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/American-girl-devoted-to-studying-hanfu-promotes-cultural-exchanges-1B975J6KTXa/video/wu_1ikh4rda9jedg581i2c13gg1s1ha/wu_1ikh4rda9jedg581i2c13gg1s1ha.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="483920" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/American-girl-devoted-to-studying-hanfu-promotes-cultural-exchanges-1B975J6KTXa/video/wu_1ikh4rda9jedg581i2c13gg1s1ha/wu_1ikh4rda9jedg581i2c13gg1s1ha.png" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoCULTURE_GENERAL_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>03:28</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/American-girl-devoted-to-studying-hanfu-promotes-cultural-exchanges-1B975J6KTXa/video/wu_1ikh4rda9jedg581i2c13gg1s1ha/wu_1ikh4rda9jedg581i2c13gg1s1ha.png" alt></div>
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<p>Hanfu, the traditional attire of Han people, the largest ethnic group in China, boasts a history spanning nearly 3,600 years. With a resurgence of interest in traditional culture, hanfu has regained popularity among young people not only in China, but also abroad. An American girl from Boston has taken it upon herself to research and showcase hanfu and promote cultural exchanges between the two countries.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/American-girl-devoted-to-studying-hanfu-promotes-cultural-exchanges-1B975J6KTXa/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: New additions update Sino-French exhibition at Hong Kong Palace Museum
hash: ?�Sۻ;Xk7�;���
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/New-additions-update-Sino-French-exhibition-at-Hong-Kong-Palace-Museum-1B95GEsoRpu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/New-additions-update-Sino-French-exhibition-at-Hong-Kong-Palace-Museum-1B95GEsoRpu/img/f04a07af3ee8444cad0a9f8d9fc5b38b/f04a07af3ee8444cad0a9f8d9fc5b38b.jpeg" alt="A set of egg-shaped vases from the Palace of Versailles is seen on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on February 19, 2025. /IC" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/New-additions-update-Sino-French-exhibition-at-Hong-Kong-Palace-Museum-1B95GEsoRpu/img/f04a07af3ee8444cad0a9f8d9fc5b38b/f04a07af3ee8444cad0a9f8d9fc5b38b.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A set of egg-shaped vases from the Palace of Versailles is seen on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on February 19, 2025. /IC</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A set of egg-shaped vases from the Palace of Versailles is seen on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on February 19, 2025. /IC</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/New-additions-update-Sino-French-exhibition-at-Hong-Kong-Palace-Museum-1B95GEsoRpu/img/967543822730461ca476ade466d17ddd/967543822730461ca476ade466d17ddd.jpeg" alt="Reflections of the paintings " portrait emperor yongzheng court and="Portrait" louis are seen a glass display case in exhibition hall of the hong kong palace museum on february layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/New-additions-update-Sino-French-exhibition-at-Hong-Kong-Palace-Museum-1B95GEsoRpu/img/967543822730461ca476ade466d17ddd/967543822730461ca476ade466d17ddd.jpeg"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Reflections of the paintings "Portrait of Emperor Yongzheng in Court Dress" (right) and "Portrait of Louis XIV" are seen in a glass display case in the exhibition hall of the Hong Kong Palace Museum on February 19, 2025. /IC</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Reflections of the paintings "Portrait of Emperor Yongzheng in Court Dress" (right) and "Portrait of Louis XIV" are seen in a glass display case in the exhibition hall of the Hong Kong Palace Museum on February 19, 2025. /IC</p>
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<div readability="38" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>The Hong Kong Palace Museum's exhibition, "The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles: China-France Cultural Encounters in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries," has unveiled new highlights, including the paintings "Portrait of Emperor Kangxi in Military Attire" and "Portrait of Madame de Pompadour."</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/New-additions-update-Sino-French-exhibition-at-Hong-Kong-Palace-Museum-1B95GEsoRpu/img/bb295e06cefb4da983069e0bef859684/bb295e06cefb4da983069e0bef859684.jpeg" alt="The painting " portrait of madame de is seen display at the hong kong palace museum on february layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/New-additions-update-Sino-French-exhibition-at-Hong-Kong-Palace-Museum-1B95GEsoRpu/img/bb295e06cefb4da983069e0bef859684/bb295e06cefb4da983069e0bef859684.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The painting "Portrait of Madame de Pompadour" is seen on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on February 19, 2025. /IC</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The painting "Portrait of Madame de Pompadour" is seen on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on February 19, 2025. /IC</p>
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/New-additions-update-Sino-French-exhibition-at-Hong-Kong-Palace-Museum-1B95GEsoRpu/img/7a9dba0d70314d0ba8ccf3ec3bba171c/7a9dba0d70314d0ba8ccf3ec3bba171c.jpeg" alt="Visitors browse new exhibits at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on February 19, 2025. /IC" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/New-additions-update-Sino-French-exhibition-at-Hong-Kong-Palace-Museum-1B95GEsoRpu/img/7a9dba0d70314d0ba8ccf3ec3bba171c/7a9dba0d70314d0ba8ccf3ec3bba171c.jpeg"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Visitors browse new exhibits at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on February 19, 2025. /IC</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Visitors browse new exhibits at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on February 19, 2025. /IC</p>
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<div readability="40" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>Updating the collection with some 20 rare artifacts from the Palace Museum and the Palace of Versailles, the exhibition explores the rich cultural exchanges between China and France. It delves into their historical interactions in the fields of science, technology, art, and philosophy, reflecting the role of the Forbidden City and Versailles as cultural and artistic hubs in the 17th and 18th centuries. The exhibition runs until May this year.</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/New-additions-update-Sino-French-exhibition-at-Hong-Kong-Palace-Museum-1B95GEsoRpu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Yak butter sculptures brighten Tibetan New Year celebrations in Xizang
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Yak-butter-sculptures-brighten-Tibetan-New-Year-celebrations-in-Xizang-1B91eVUpHIk/img/452c1e94dee4417ebc1b1f81132b8f13/452c1e94dee4417ebc1b1f81132b8f13.jpeg" alt="Rows of Tibetan butter sculptures are displayed in Lhasa, Xizang on February 19, 2025. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Yak-butter-sculptures-brighten-Tibetan-New-Year-celebrations-in-Xizang-1B91eVUpHIk/img/452c1e94dee4417ebc1b1f81132b8f13/452c1e94dee4417ebc1b1f81132b8f13.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Rows of Tibetan butter sculptures are displayed in Lhasa, Xizang on February 19, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Rows of Tibetan butter sculptures are displayed in Lhasa, Xizang on February 19, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Yak-butter-sculptures-brighten-Tibetan-New-Year-celebrations-in-Xizang-1B91eVUpHIk/img/5d961b531c3349fca324ce4c9ab70aed/5d961b531c3349fca324ce4c9ab70aed.jpeg" alt="A vendor holds up two Tibetan butter sculptures in Lhasa, Xizang on February 19, 2025. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Yak-butter-sculptures-brighten-Tibetan-New-Year-celebrations-in-Xizang-1B91eVUpHIk/img/5d961b531c3349fca324ce4c9ab70aed/5d961b531c3349fca324ce4c9ab70aed.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A vendor holds up two Tibetan butter sculptures in Lhasa, Xizang on February 19, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A vendor holds up two Tibetan butter sculptures in Lhasa, Xizang on February 19, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Yak-butter-sculptures-brighten-Tibetan-New-Year-celebrations-in-Xizang-1B91eVUpHIk/img/7ad258f2b52e4363886ccaa3814deea8/7ad258f2b52e4363886ccaa3814deea8.jpeg" alt="A woman works on a Tibetan butter sculpture in Lhasa, Xizang on February 19, 2025. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Yak-butter-sculptures-brighten-Tibetan-New-Year-celebrations-in-Xizang-1B91eVUpHIk/img/7ad258f2b52e4363886ccaa3814deea8/7ad258f2b52e4363886ccaa3814deea8.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A woman works on a Tibetan butter sculpture in Lhasa, Xizang on February 19, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A woman works on a Tibetan butter sculpture in Lhasa, Xizang on February 19, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p>These butter sculptures have appeared just in time for Tibetan New Year, which begins next week.</p>
<p>Known as "ziza" in the Tibetan language, the sculptures are crafted with refined yak milk that changes form when heated. This yak butter is mixed with mineral pigments to create the bright colors seen in the designs.</p>
<p>Flowers, trees, birds, animals and figures of humans and Buddha are seen in the sculptures, which often tell Buddhist stories. Tibetan butter sculptures were included in China's national-level Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2006.</p>
<p>These items are a must-have for Tibetan New Year, or Losar, which is observed as a multi-day celebration in Xizang.  </p>
<p>Losar customs begin with house cleaning on the penultimate day of the Tibetan calendar and progress to Tibetan New Year's Day when people have an early bath, make sacrifices at shrines, and visit their neighbors to exchange gifts. </p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Yak-butter-sculptures-brighten-Tibetan-New-Year-celebrations-in-Xizang-1B91eVUpHIk/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Zhajiangmian: The soul of Beijing noodles
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<div data-width="3840" data-height="2160" data-ratio="3840:2160" data-news-id="483930" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Zhajiangmian-The-soul-of-Beijing-noodles-1B98mVytdhm/video/wu_1ikh53tf21e1914inus71lvsghp28r/wu_1ikh53tf21e1914inus71lvsghp28r.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Zhajiangmian-The-soul-of-Beijing-noodles-1B98mVytdhm/video/wu_1ikh53tf21e1914inus71lvsghp28r/wu_1ikh53tf21e1914inus71lvsghp28r.png" data-title="Zhajiangmian: The soul of Beijing noodles" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="3840" data-height="2160" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Zhajiangmian-The-soul-of-Beijing-noodles-1B98mVytdhm/video/wu_1ikh53tf21e1914inus71lvsghp28r/wu_1ikh53tf21e1914inus71lvsghp28r.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="483930" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Zhajiangmian-The-soul-of-Beijing-noodles-1B98mVytdhm/video/wu_1ikh53tf21e1914inus71lvsghp28r/wu_1ikh53tf21e1914inus71lvsghp28r.png" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoBUSINESS_VIDEO_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>00:54</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Zhajiangmian-The-soul-of-Beijing-noodles-1B98mVytdhm/video/wu_1ikh53tf21e1914inus71lvsghp28r/wu_1ikh53tf21e1914inus71lvsghp28r.png" alt></div>
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<p>Zhajiangmian is one of Beijing's most famous dishes, known for its thick, savory soybean paste and hand-pulled noodles. This simple yet flavorful dish has been a staple of Beijing cuisine for generations, with each ingredient carefully selected to create the perfect balance of taste and texture. Learn how this iconic noodle dish captures the essence of Beijing's food culture.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Zhajiangmian-The-soul-of-Beijing-noodles-1B98mVytdhm/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Traditional Chinese medicine boosts Vancouver residents&amp;#039; wellbeing
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guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-21/Traditional-Chinese-medicine-boosts-Vancouver-residents-wellbeing-1BaJqJD8EcE/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

content:
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<div data-width="1692" data-height="952" data-ratio="1692:952" data-news-id="484195" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-21/Traditional-Chinese-medicine-boosts-Vancouver-residents-wellbeing-1BaJqJD8EcE/video/wu_1ikjlhp6g1mgi1dmdee3gptaqk2o/wu_1ikjlhp6g1mgi1dmdee3gptaqk2o.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-21/Traditional-Chinese-medicine-boosts-Vancouver-residents-wellbeing-1BaJqJD8EcE/video/wu_1ikjlhp6g1mgi1dmdee3gptaqk2o/wu_1ikjlhp6g1mgi1dmdee3gptaqk2o.png" data-title="Traditional Chinese medicine boosts Vancouver residents' wellbeing" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1692" data-height="952" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-21/Traditional-Chinese-medicine-boosts-Vancouver-residents-wellbeing-1BaJqJD8EcE/video/wu_1ikjlhp6g1mgi1dmdee3gptaqk2o/wu_1ikjlhp6g1mgi1dmdee3gptaqk2o.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="484195" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-21/Traditional-Chinese-medicine-boosts-Vancouver-residents-wellbeing-1BaJqJD8EcE/video/wu_1ikjlhp6g1mgi1dmdee3gptaqk2o/wu_1ikjlhp6g1mgi1dmdee3gptaqk2o.png" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoCULTURE_GENERAL_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>03:17</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-21/Traditional-Chinese-medicine-boosts-Vancouver-residents-wellbeing-1BaJqJD8EcE/video/wu_1ikjlhp6g1mgi1dmdee3gptaqk2o/wu_1ikjlhp6g1mgi1dmdee3gptaqk2o.png" alt></div>
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<p>Acupuncture, a cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine with a history spanning over 2,000 years, was recognized by the UNESCO in 2010, as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Today, it is practiced in nearly 200 countries and regions. We explore this ancient practice with Joshua Jones, a Canadian practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine.</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-21/Traditional-Chinese-medicine-boosts-Vancouver-residents-wellbeing-1BaJqJD8EcE/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: The Dong Grand Song in &amp;#039;Ne Zha 2&amp;#039;
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<div data-width="3359" data-height="1889" data-ratio="3359:1889" data-news-id="483891" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/The-Dong-Grand-Song-in-Ne-Zha-2--1B8YKDEj9vi/video/wu_1ikhngpffo2j4uhs6ln6gsqpa/wu_1ikhngpffo2j4uhs6ln6gsqpa.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/The-Dong-Grand-Song-in-Ne-Zha-2--1B8YKDEj9vi/video/wu_1ikhngpffo2j4uhs6ln6gsqpa/wu_1ikhngpffo2j4uhs6ln6gsqpa.jpeg" data-title="The Dong Grand Song in 'Ne Zha 2'" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="3359" data-height="1889" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/The-Dong-Grand-Song-in-Ne-Zha-2--1B8YKDEj9vi/video/wu_1ikhngpffo2j4uhs6ln6gsqpa/wu_1ikhngpffo2j4uhs6ln6gsqpa.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="483891" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/The-Dong-Grand-Song-in-Ne-Zha-2--1B8YKDEj9vi/video/wu_1ikhngpffo2j4uhs6ln6gsqpa/wu_1ikhngpffo2j4uhs6ln6gsqpa.jpeg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoBUSINESS_VIDEO_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>08:16</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/The-Dong-Grand-Song-in-Ne-Zha-2--1B8YKDEj9vi/video/wu_1ikhngpffo2j4uhs6ln6gsqpa/wu_1ikhngpffo2j4uhs6ln6gsqpa.jpeg" alt></div>
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<p>The Kam Grand Choirs, or Dong Grand Songs, celebrate labor, joy and community. This traditional music recently featured in the animated film hit "Ne Zha 2." The Dong Grand Song incorporates elements from nature. Wu Pinxian, at the age of 80, remains a passionate exponent of the Dong Grand Song, a traditional polyphonic vocal art form. In a career spanning many decades, she has not only kept this unique tradition alive, but also brought it to an international audience. Wu's voice, rich with the echoes of nature and life, continues to bridge generations and cultures. By sharing her wisdom and melodies, Wu ensures that the timeless beauty of the Dong Grand Song is flourishing in the modern world. </p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/The-Dong-Grand-Song-in-Ne-Zha-2--1B8YKDEj9vi/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Ne Zha-themed cinnabar handicrafts thrive in Guizhou
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Ne-Zha-themed-cinnabar-handicrafts-thrive-in-Guizhou-1BckaiVqoM0/img/7c80b08c0bcd4b82a0659bc0f6888181/7c80b08c0bcd4b82a0659bc0f6888181.jpeg" alt="Cinnabar handicrafts inspired by Chinese animated blockbuster " ne zha are seen in southwest guizhou province on february provided to layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Ne-Zha-themed-cinnabar-handicrafts-thrive-in-Guizhou-1BckaiVqoM0/img/7c80b08c0bcd4b82a0659bc0f6888181/7c80b08c0bcd4b82a0659bc0f6888181.jpeg"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Cinnabar handicrafts inspired by Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" are seen in Tongren, southwest China's Guizhou Province on February 20, 2025. /Photo provided to CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Cinnabar handicrafts inspired by Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" are seen in Tongren, southwest China's Guizhou Province on February 20, 2025. /Photo provided to CGTN</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Ne-Zha-themed-cinnabar-handicrafts-thrive-in-Guizhou-1BckaiVqoM0/img/ae90400667da471bad887af3ef557083/ae90400667da471bad887af3ef557083.jpeg" alt="A cinnabar handicraft item inspired by Chinese animated blockbuster " ne zha is seen in southwest guizhou province on february provided to layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Ne-Zha-themed-cinnabar-handicrafts-thrive-in-Guizhou-1BckaiVqoM0/img/ae90400667da471bad887af3ef557083/ae90400667da471bad887af3ef557083.jpeg"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A cinnabar handicraft item inspired by Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" is seen in Tongren, southwest China's Guizhou Province on February 20, 2025. /Photo provided to CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A cinnabar handicraft item inspired by Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" is seen in Tongren, southwest China's Guizhou Province on February 20, 2025. /Photo provided to CGTN</p>
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<p>As Chinese blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" – which has become the highest-grossing animated film of all time worldwide – maintains a sustained high popularity, its related cultural products based on the traditional Chinese mythological figure Ne Zha have also won the love of many movie fans. Enterprises in Tongren, southwest China's Guizhou, have launched cinnabar handicrafts in the shape of Ne Zha which integrate traditional culture and trendy elements. </p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Ne-Zha-themed-cinnabar-handicrafts-thrive-in-Guizhou-1BckaiVqoM0/img/cdb5c4310f544db890617d61efebdf31/cdb5c4310f544db890617d61efebdf31.jpeg" alt="Cinnabar handicrafts inspired by Chinese animated blockbuster " ne zha are seen in southwest guizhou province on february provided to layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Ne-Zha-themed-cinnabar-handicrafts-thrive-in-Guizhou-1BckaiVqoM0/img/cdb5c4310f544db890617d61efebdf31/cdb5c4310f544db890617d61efebdf31.jpeg"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Cinnabar handicrafts inspired by Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" are seen in Tongren, southwest China's Guizhou Province on February 20, 2025. /Photo provided to CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Cinnabar handicrafts inspired by Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" are seen in Tongren, southwest China's Guizhou Province on February 20, 2025. /Photo provided to CGTN</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Ne-Zha-themed-cinnabar-handicrafts-thrive-in-Guizhou-1BckaiVqoM0/img/f28e4f6c950144988d855dad9a928ca5/f28e4f6c950144988d855dad9a928ca5.jpeg" alt="Cinnabar handicrafts inspired by Chinese animated blockbuster " ne zha are seen in southwest guizhou province on february provided to layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Ne-Zha-themed-cinnabar-handicrafts-thrive-in-Guizhou-1BckaiVqoM0/img/f28e4f6c950144988d855dad9a928ca5/f28e4f6c950144988d855dad9a928ca5.jpeg"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Cinnabar handicrafts inspired by Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" are seen in Tongren, southwest China's Guizhou Province on February 20, 2025. /Photo provided to CGTN</p>
<div readability="10" data-sanitized-class="wrapper-visible">
<p data-sanitized-class="title">Cinnabar handicrafts inspired by Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" are seen in Tongren, southwest China's Guizhou Province on February 20, 2025. /Photo provided to CGTN</p>
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<p>The color of cinnabar is considered auspicious in Chinese culture. The cultural products enable movie fans to experience the charm of cinnabar culture. These new products won the favor of consumers as soon as they were launched on the market, and the sales volume is continually rising.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Ne-Zha-themed-cinnabar-handicrafts-thrive-in-Guizhou-1BckaiVqoM0/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Lucy&amp;#039;s Journey: Yangmeizhu Street
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Lucy-s-Journey-Yangmeizhu-Street-1Bcp0UeHuIo/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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<div data-width="2160" data-height="3840" data-ratio="2160:3840" data-news-id="484455" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Lucy-s-Journey-Yangmeizhu-Street-1Bcp0UeHuIo/video/wu_1ikm7a9rl1iosvgk1ms2o0fe1ma/wu_1ikm7a9rl1iosvgk1ms2o0fe1ma.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Lucy-s-Journey-Yangmeizhu-Street-1Bcp0UeHuIo/video/wu_1ikm7a9rl1iosvgk1ms2o0fe1ma/wu_1ikm7a9rl1iosvgk1ms2o0fe1ma.jpg" data-title="Lucy's Journey: Yangmeizhu Street" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="2160" data-height="3840" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Lucy-s-Journey-Yangmeizhu-Street-1Bcp0UeHuIo/video/wu_1ikm7a9rl1iosvgk1ms2o0fe1ma/wu_1ikm7a9rl1iosvgk1ms2o0fe1ma.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="484455" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Lucy-s-Journey-Yangmeizhu-Street-1Bcp0UeHuIo/video/wu_1ikm7a9rl1iosvgk1ms2o0fe1ma/wu_1ikm7a9rl1iosvgk1ms2o0fe1ma.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoCULTURE_GENERAL_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>01:42</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Lucy-s-Journey-Yangmeizhu-Street-1Bcp0UeHuIo/video/wu_1ikm7a9rl1iosvgk1ms2o0fe1ma/wu_1ikm7a9rl1iosvgk1ms2o0fe1ma.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>Yangmeizhu Street, or Yangmeizhu Xiejie, is a historic hutong in Beijing's Qianmen area, known for its blend of traditional charm and modern creativity. </p>
<p>Once a cultural hub for writers and intellectuals, it now features trendy cafes, boutique shops and art spaces while preserving its old Beijing atmosphere. The narrow, slanted street offers a unique mix of history and contemporary life, making it a great spot for a leisurely stroll and cultural exploration.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/Lucy-s-Journey-Yangmeizhu-Street-1Bcp0UeHuIo/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: &amp;#039;Ne Zha 2&amp;#039; hits China&amp;#039;s Hong Kong and Macao as box office soars
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content:
<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/-Ne-Zha-2-hits-China-s-Hong-Kong-and-Macao-as-box-office-soars-1BcDsw4Z0pq/img/2d351da24ac1478f9f0cc565d1c3dc9c/2d351da24ac1478f9f0cc565d1c3dc9c.png" alt="People watch " ne zha at a cinema in the macao february layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>People watch "Ne Zha 2" at a cinema in the Macao SAR, China, February 22, 2025. /CMG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">People watch "Ne Zha 2" at a cinema in the Macao SAR, China, February 22, 2025. /CMG</p>
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<p>The highly anticipated animated film "Ne Zha 2" was officially released in over 60 cinemas in China's Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SAR) on Saturday.</p>
<p>Jointly distributed by Mandarin Motion Pictures, Intercontinental Film Distributors, Sil-Metropole Organization and Emperor Motion Pictures, "Ne Zha 2" has broken records for the number of local distributors and daily screenings for a Chinese mainland film in the two SARs.</p>
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<div data-width="1890" data-height="1063" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/-Ne-Zha-2-hits-China-s-Hong-Kong-and-Macao-as-box-office-soars-1BcDsw4Z0pq/video/wu_1ikmrtjve1c9j1mv6aj1oqskp516/wu_1ikmrtjve1c9j1mv6aj1oqskp516.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="484520" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/-Ne-Zha-2-hits-China-s-Hong-Kong-and-Macao-as-box-office-soars-1BcDsw4Z0pq/video/wu_1ikmrtjve1c9j1mv6aj1oqskp516/wu_1ikmrtjve1c9j1mv6aj1oqskp516.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_TIANFU_checkvideo2Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>01:39</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/-Ne-Zha-2-hits-China-s-Hong-Kong-and-Macao-as-box-office-soars-1BcDsw4Z0pq/video/wu_1ikmrtjve1c9j1mv6aj1oqskp516/wu_1ikmrtjve1c9j1mv6aj1oqskp516.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>Jin Ling, an audience member in Hong Kong told China Media Group (CMG) that she intentionally brought her children to watch the movie as it contains many elements of traditional Chinese culture, as well as family values.</p>
<p>"After watching the movie, I really hope to bring my family and children to experience the scenery shown in the movie, and I also hope to taste the food. I hope that our Chinese culture ad Chinese elements can be seen by the world," she added.</p>
<p>Arne, a German audience member currently living in Hong Kong, called the movie "spectacular." He said he is so impressed and believes the visual effects of the film are not inferior to that of Hollywood animation.</p>
<p>After seeing the movie, Arne also said he would like to travel with his family to the places seen in the movie.</p>
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<p>The premiere of the movie in the two SARs earlier this week already drew large crowds.</p>
<p>Since its Spring Festival debut in the Chinese mainland, the animation has earned widespread acclaim and achieved significant box office success, breaking multiple records in both Chinese and global film history.</p>
<p>The Chinese film has also hit overseas markets, including Australia, New Zealand and North America.</p>
<p>As of Saturday, "Ne Zha 2" had seen its box office revenue surpass 13 billion yuan (about $1.8 billion) worldwide, including presales, according to ticketing platforms.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/-Ne-Zha-2-hits-China-s-Hong-Kong-and-Macao-as-box-office-soars-1BcDsw4Z0pq/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: China&amp;#039;s grand Spring Festival travel rush ends with record numbers
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content:
<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/China-s-grand-Spring-Festival-travel-rush-ends-with-record-numbers-1BcHEo8rNBu/img/692729f2bffa4fd78d2408109618a272/692729f2bffa4fd78d2408109618a272.png" alt="Passengers board a train at a railway station in Fuyang City, east China's Anhui Province, February 22, 2025. /VCG " layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Passengers board a train at a railway station in Fuyang City, east China's Anhui Province, February 22, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Passengers board a train at a railway station in Fuyang City, east China's Anhui Province, February 22, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p>The 2025 Spring Festival travel rush, or <em>Chunyun</em> in Chinese, officially wrapped up Saturday, with transportation authorities reporting record-breaking figures, highlighting the surge in travel activity and evolving trends in China's mobility landscape.</p>
<p>This year, travel demand was exceptionally high. Over the course of the past 40 days, an estimated nine billion trips were made, marking the highest passenger volume in history. Passenger numbers on railways and civil aviation both surpassed previous records. Maritime travel also reached new milestones, with over 500 million domestic trips made. The surge in travel highlights both the growing mobility across China and the expanding reach of its transportation networks.</p>
<p>Equally notable was the rise of new travel habits and trends. The extended eight-day holiday sparked a surge in both domestic and international tourism. With China's official holiday lengthened by one day this year, more people had the opportunity to balance family reunions with travel. For example, Fang Ying from Lanzhou, Gansu Province, shared her excitement: "The longer holiday gave me the chance to visit my family and take a skiing trip to Japan."</p>
<p>As travel surged, so did economic activity, reflecting China's vibrant economic growth. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, domestic tourism market saw a 5.9-percent year-on-year increase, with 501 million domestic trips made during the eight-day holiday period from January 28 to February 4. Total spending on domestic tourism reached 677 billion yuan ($93.4 billion), a seven percent increase from the previous year, and a 31.7-percent jump from 2019, underscoring the enduring vitality of China's tourism sector.</p>
<p>In addition to tourism, cultural experiences and traditional activities also saw significant interest. With the successful inclusion of the Spring Festival in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, visitors flocked to ancient architectural sites, cultural festivals, and local craft exhibitions. Famous events such as Quanzhou's puppet shows, Shantou's Yingge dance, and the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival in Shanghai are becoming must-see attractions for both locals and visitors.</p>
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<div readability="8.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/China-s-grand-Spring-Festival-travel-rush-ends-with-record-numbers-1BcHEo8rNBu/img/05908abc83034523a84dbd9bd4acf944/05908abc83034523a84dbd9bd4acf944.jpeg" alt="A giant Ne Zha model is displayed in a shopping mall as the box office for " ne zha surges in zhuhai south guangdong january layout="responsive"><div readability="15.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A giant Ne Zha model is displayed in a shopping mall as the box office for "Ne Zha 2" surges in popularity, Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province, January 25, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A giant Ne Zha model is displayed in a shopping mall as the box office for "Ne Zha 2" surges in popularity, Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province, January 25, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p><strong>Entertainment sector booms during Spring Festival</strong></p>
<p>The economic ripple effect was particularly strong in the entertainment sector, where the release of blockbuster films such as "Ne Zha 2" provided a major boost. By February 16, China's 2025 film market had surpassed 20 billion yuan in box office revenue, setting a new record for the fastest box office milestone in Chinese cinema history. By February 21, China's film market also overtook North America, temporarily ranking as the world's top single-market box office.</p>
<p>The surge in cinema revenue is driven by China's rapidly advancing film technology, including improvements in special effects, 3D, and IMAX formats. These innovations are enhancing the movie-going experience, attracting larger audiences. As Chinese consumers' income continue to rise, demand for high-quality films is expected to fuel further growth in the sector, both domestically and internationally.</p>
<p>Beyond ticket sales, the film industry's influence extends into broader cultural and commercial spheres. The popularity of "Ne Zha 2" has sparked a range of tourism initiatives, such as the "Ne Zha Cultural One-Day Tour" in Jiangyou City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, and immersive VR experiences in Jiangxi's scenic areas. Local businesses have also capitalized on the film's success, offering themed experiences and merchandise, which, in turn, boosts regional economies.</p>
<p>In addition, the entertainment industry, including films, documentaries and games, has had a clear impact on driving the popularity of tourist destinations. Last year, the success of the TV series "My Altay" sparked a tourism boom in Xinjiang's Altay region, while the game "Black Myth: Wukong" drove interest in north China's Shanxi Province.</p>
<p>This year, data shows that the spillover effect of "Ne Zha 2" has been particularly noticeable. </p>
<p>According to Tongcheng Travel, driven by Valentine's Day, from February 14 to 16, hotel search volumes around cinemas nationwide increased more than five times compared to previous weeks. In Yibin City's Cuiping District, home to Ne Zha-themed attractions such as Ne Zha Palace, Ne Zha Cultural Experience Hall, and Ne Zha Happy World, hotel bookings increased by more than 40 percent compared to the previous period. Similarly, in Tianjin's Hexi District, which features Ne Zha-themed attractions like Chentang Village and Ne Zha Town, hotel bookings rose by nearly 30 percent.</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-22/China-s-grand-Spring-Festival-travel-rush-ends-with-record-numbers-1BcHEo8rNBu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: CGTN The Vibe 20250220
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<div data-width="789" data-height="444" data-ratio="789:444" data-news-id="483949" data-video="https://english-live-replay.cgtn.com/recorder/CGTN-EN-7x24h/2025-02-20/replay8460-0.m3u8?v=1740067596888" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-CGTN-The-Vibe-20250220-1B9b4R1ulzO/img/a1c6081333e64e0097f4ee79cb1d2f39/a1c6081333e64e0097f4ee79cb1d2f39.png" data-title=" CGTN The Vibe 20250220" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="789" data-height="444" data-video="https://english-live-replay.cgtn.com/recorder/CGTN-EN-7x24h/2025-02-20/replay8460-0.m3u8?v=1740067596888" data-is360="false" data-newsid="483949" data-poster="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-CGTN-The-Vibe-20250220-1B9b4R1ulzO/img/a1c6081333e64e0097f4ee79cb1d2f39/a1c6081333e64e0097f4ee79cb1d2f39.png" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoCULTURE_GENERAL_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-CGTN-The-Vibe-20250220-1B9b4R1ulzO/img/a1c6081333e64e0097f4ee79cb1d2f39/a1c6081333e64e0097f4ee79cb1d2f39.png" alt></div>
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<p>【Ne Zha 2】Hit blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" is set for a wider release in Hong Kong and Macao on Saturday.</p>
<p>【Cultural Exchange】Where'd you get your dress?... A Bostonian girl shares her mission to explore and showcase the beauty of traditional Hanfu.</p>
<p>【Visa-free Travel】A group of tourists becomes the first ASEAN visa-free group to utilize the policy to visit Yunnan Province.</p>
<p>【Mystical Snakes】A special exhibition at the Shanghai Natural History Museum offers an in-depth look at snakes.</p>
<p>If you have any further questions or inquiries for collaboration, please email us at vibeteam@cgtn.com.  </p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-CGTN-The-Vibe-20250220-1B9b4R1ulzO/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Springtime fun: Flying kites in Beijing
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<div data-width="1000" data-height="563" data-ratio="1000:563" data-news-id="484810" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Springtime-fun-Flying-kites-in-Beijing-1BftXWvHwOc/video/wu_1ikr1frv215ff3hc1hnn2f0qc6a/wu_1ikr1frv215ff3hc1hnn2f0qc6a.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Springtime-fun-Flying-kites-in-Beijing-1BftXWvHwOc/video/wu_1ikr1frv215ff3hc1hnn2f0qc6a/wu_1ikr1frv215ff3hc1hnn2f0qc6a.jpg" data-title="Springtime fun: Flying kites in Beijing" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1000" data-height="563" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Springtime-fun-Flying-kites-in-Beijing-1BftXWvHwOc/video/wu_1ikr1frv215ff3hc1hnn2f0qc6a/wu_1ikr1frv215ff3hc1hnn2f0qc6a.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="484810" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Springtime-fun-Flying-kites-in-Beijing-1BftXWvHwOc/video/wu_1ikr1frv215ff3hc1hnn2f0qc6a/wu_1ikr1frv215ff3hc1hnn2f0qc6a.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoCULTURE_GENERAL_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>01:00</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Springtime-fun-Flying-kites-in-Beijing-1BftXWvHwOc/video/wu_1ikr1frv215ff3hc1hnn2f0qc6a/wu_1ikr1frv215ff3hc1hnn2f0qc6a.jpg" alt></div>
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<div readability="38" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>Kites originated in the Spring and Autumn Period, over 2,000 years ago. They have been described as "the world's earliest flying machines." With the advent of papermaking, one of China's four great inventions, people began making kites out of paper to convey their hopes for peace.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Springtime-fun-Flying-kites-in-Beijing-1BftXWvHwOc/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Chinese blockbuster &amp;#039;Ne Zha 2&amp;#039; brings boom beyond theaters
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="484812" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-blockbuster-Ne-Zha-2-brings-boom-beyond-theaters-1Bfuyv0IMco/video/wu_1ikr1lec7116g1nh1ntel181cjiku/wu_1ikr1lec7116g1nh1ntel181cjiku.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-blockbuster-Ne-Zha-2-brings-boom-beyond-theaters-1Bfuyv0IMco/video/wu_1ikr1lec7116g1nh1ntel181cjiku/wu_1ikr1lec7116g1nh1ntel181cjiku.png" data-title="Chinese blockbuster 'Ne Zha 2' brings boom beyond theaters" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-blockbuster-Ne-Zha-2-brings-boom-beyond-theaters-1Bfuyv0IMco/video/wu_1ikr1lec7116g1nh1ntel181cjiku/wu_1ikr1lec7116g1nh1ntel181cjiku.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="484812" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-blockbuster-Ne-Zha-2-brings-boom-beyond-theaters-1Bfuyv0IMco/video/wu_1ikr1lec7116g1nh1ntel181cjiku/wu_1ikr1lec7116g1nh1ntel181cjiku.png" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoCULTURE_GENERAL_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>02:47</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-blockbuster-Ne-Zha-2-brings-boom-beyond-theaters-1Bfuyv0IMco/video/wu_1ikr1lec7116g1nh1ntel181cjiku/wu_1ikr1lec7116g1nh1ntel181cjiku.png" alt></div>
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<div readability="37" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>Chinese animation powerhouse "Ne Zha 2" has been a smashing success in cinemas around the world, joining the top 10 club of highest-grossing films at the global box office. Not only has the blockbuster broke several box office records and sparked diverse discussions among the global Chinese community, it's also transcended the realm of cinema to become a powerful driver of cultural tourism and a merchandising craze.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-blockbuster-Ne-Zha-2-brings-boom-beyond-theaters-1Bfuyv0IMco/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Opera Trails: &amp;#039;The Legend of the White Snake&amp;#039; in Kunqu Opera
hash: ���0;�r�lA�'�R�!
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Opera-Trails-The-Legend-of-the-White-Snake-in-Kunqu-Opera-1BfnkBe6FjO/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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<div data-width="2279" data-height="1280" data-ratio="2279:1280" data-news-id="484793" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Opera-Trails-The-Legend-of-the-White-Snake-in-Kunqu-Opera-1BfnkBe6FjO/video/wu_1ikrdtoju3of1j7gv94q2a34ca/wu_1ikrdtoju3of1j7gv94q2a34ca.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Opera-Trails-The-Legend-of-the-White-Snake-in-Kunqu-Opera-1BfnkBe6FjO/video/wu_1ikrdtoju3of1j7gv94q2a34ca/wu_1ikrdtoju3of1j7gv94q2a34ca.jpg" data-title="Opera Trails: 'The Legend of the White Snake' in Kunqu Opera" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="2279" data-height="1280" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Opera-Trails-The-Legend-of-the-White-Snake-in-Kunqu-Opera-1BfnkBe6FjO/video/wu_1ikrdtoju3of1j7gv94q2a34ca/wu_1ikrdtoju3of1j7gv94q2a34ca.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="484793" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Opera-Trails-The-Legend-of-the-White-Snake-in-Kunqu-Opera-1BfnkBe6FjO/video/wu_1ikrdtoju3of1j7gv94q2a34ca/wu_1ikrdtoju3of1j7gv94q2a34ca.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>08:07</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Opera-Trails-The-Legend-of-the-White-Snake-in-Kunqu-Opera-1BfnkBe6FjO/video/wu_1ikrdtoju3of1j7gv94q2a34ca/wu_1ikrdtoju3of1j7gv94q2a34ca.jpg" alt></div>
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<div readability="56" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>Known as the "ancestor of all types of operas in China," Kunqu Opera is famous for its melodic singing and delicate performances. "The Legend of the White Snake" is a classic play in traditional Chinese opera, based on an ancient Chinese folktale. It tells the love story between a white snake spirit, Bai Suzhen, and a young man named Xu Xian.</p>
<p>The play, produced by the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre, has been invited to perform abroad many times in countries such as Greece, Italy and the UK. It also won Best Production at the 2024 Asian Arts Awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the UK.</p>
<p>CGTN spoke with four young performers from the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre, who play the main characters in "The Legend of the White Snake." They explained how Kunqu Opera differs from other Chinese operas and how foreign audiences have reacted to the performance. They also shared how the younger generation preserves tradition while making innovations. Check out the video to learn more.</p>
<p><em>Video editor: Xu Wen</em></p>
<p><em>Videographers: Li Yue, Wang Zekui, Chen Hongyu</em></p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Opera-Trails-The-Legend-of-the-White-Snake-in-Kunqu-Opera-1BfnkBe6FjO/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: &amp;#039;Ne Zha 2&amp;#039; highlights the charm of ancient Chinese architecture
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-Ne-Zha-2-highlights-the-charm-of-ancient-Chinese-architecture-1BfLR7A93P2/img/76ec95ee88e14fa1843c4615b2f28f20/76ec95ee88e14fa1843c4615b2f28f20.jpeg" alt="A pottery chiwei is seen on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai on February 23, 2025. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-Ne-Zha-2-highlights-the-charm-of-ancient-Chinese-architecture-1BfLR7A93P2/img/76ec95ee88e14fa1843c4615b2f28f20/76ec95ee88e14fa1843c4615b2f28f20.jpeg"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A pottery chiwei is seen on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai on February 23, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A pottery chiwei is seen on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai on February 23, 2025. /VCG</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-Ne-Zha-2-highlights-the-charm-of-ancient-Chinese-architecture-1BfLR7A93P2/img/c09fb50509924c2d999a15f2738003f1/c09fb50509924c2d999a15f2738003f1.jpeg" alt="A pottery chiwei is seen on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai on February 23, 2025. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-Ne-Zha-2-highlights-the-charm-of-ancient-Chinese-architecture-1BfLR7A93P2/img/c09fb50509924c2d999a15f2738003f1/c09fb50509924c2d999a15f2738003f1.jpeg"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A pottery chiwei is seen on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai on February 23, 2025. /VCG</p>
<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="wrapper-visible">
<p data-sanitized-class="title">A pottery chiwei is seen on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai on February 23, 2025. /VCG</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-Ne-Zha-2-highlights-the-charm-of-ancient-Chinese-architecture-1BfLR7A93P2/img/f9cecd6e49604bbf9dff3965100a6851/f9cecd6e49604bbf9dff3965100a6851.jpeg" alt="A pottery chiwei is seen on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai on February 23, 2025. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-Ne-Zha-2-highlights-the-charm-of-ancient-Chinese-architecture-1BfLR7A93P2/img/f9cecd6e49604bbf9dff3965100a6851/f9cecd6e49604bbf9dff3965100a6851.jpeg"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A pottery chiwei is seen on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai on February 23, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A pottery chiwei is seen on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai on February 23, 2025. /VCG</p>
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</div>
</div>
<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-Ne-Zha-2-highlights-the-charm-of-ancient-Chinese-architecture-1BfLR7A93P2/img/d60cf41240434c7fb5decdec5a0989c5/d60cf41240434c7fb5decdec5a0989c5.jpeg" alt="A pottery chiwei is seen on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai on February 23, 2025. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-Ne-Zha-2-highlights-the-charm-of-ancient-Chinese-architecture-1BfLR7A93P2/img/d60cf41240434c7fb5decdec5a0989c5/d60cf41240434c7fb5decdec5a0989c5.jpeg"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A pottery chiwei is seen on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai on February 23, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A pottery chiwei is seen on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai on February 23, 2025. /VCG</p>
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</div>
</div>
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<p>This ceramic artifact, known as a chiwei, is a type of ornament for the ends of the ridge poles on the roofs of ancient Chinese palaces. In the shape of fishtail, it is said to be the prototype for the architectural ornaments found on the roofs of the magnificent Yuxu Palace in the Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2." It is currently on display at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai, drawing crowds of visitors to appreciate its unique charm.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/-Ne-Zha-2-highlights-the-charm-of-ancient-Chinese-architecture-1BfLR7A93P2/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Guangfu Ancient City: A cradle of tai chi
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content:
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<div data-width="2480" data-height="1395" data-ratio="2480:1395" data-news-id="484137" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Guangfu-Ancient-City-A-cradle-of-tai-chi-1BauLu11Tqg/video/wu_1ikj9jlbv13bg4seg0v1s8ud4ua/wu_1ikj9jlbv13bg4seg0v1s8ud4ua.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Guangfu-Ancient-City-A-cradle-of-tai-chi-1BauLu11Tqg/video/wu_1ikj9jlbv13bg4seg0v1s8ud4ua/wu_1ikj9jlbv13bg4seg0v1s8ud4ua.jpg" data-title="Guangfu Ancient City: A cradle of tai chi" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
<div data-sanitized-class="cg-player-position">

<div data-width="2480" data-height="1395" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Guangfu-Ancient-City-A-cradle-of-tai-chi-1BauLu11Tqg/video/wu_1ikj9jlbv13bg4seg0v1s8ud4ua/wu_1ikj9jlbv13bg4seg0v1s8ud4ua.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="484137" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Guangfu-Ancient-City-A-cradle-of-tai-chi-1BauLu11Tqg/video/wu_1ikj9jlbv13bg4seg0v1s8ud4ua/wu_1ikj9jlbv13bg4seg0v1s8ud4ua.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoBUSINESS_VIDEO_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>01:06</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Guangfu-Ancient-City-A-cradle-of-tai-chi-1BauLu11Tqg/video/wu_1ikj9jlbv13bg4seg0v1s8ud4ua/wu_1ikj9jlbv13bg4seg0v1s8ud4ua.jpg" alt></div>
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<div readability="40" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>Guangfu Ancient City in Handan, Hebei Province has gone through 2,600 years of ups and downs. It enjoys a widespread reputation for not only its well-preserved ancient walls, ancient streets and rich historical and cultural heritage, but also for its role as the cradle of tai chi. Walking around the ancient city, you can often see tai chi lovers practicing their postures at dawn.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Guangfu-Ancient-City-A-cradle-of-tai-chi-1BauLu11Tqg/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: In search of Ne Zha: A travel guide
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/In-search-of-Ne-Zha-A-travel-guide-1BfRalrBNug/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

content:
<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/In-search-of-Ne-Zha-A-travel-guide-1BfRalrBNug/img/bdb28be847b642529e3f204430f905c9/bdb28be847b642529e3f204430f905c9.jpeg" alt="People take photos of a Ne Zha-themed graffiti wall in Kunming, Yunan Province on February 22, 2025. /VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>People take photos of a Ne Zha-themed graffiti wall in Kunming, Yunan Province on February 22, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">People take photos of a Ne Zha-themed graffiti wall in Kunming, Yunan Province on February 22, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<div readability="39" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>The Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" has not only taken the world by storm in cinemas but also ignited a travel craze among fans eager to explore locations associated with the film and its mythological roots. Here's a must-visit travel guide for Ne Zha fans – pack your bags and embark on your adventure!</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle"><strong>Sanxingdui Museum, Guanghan, Sichuan Province</strong></p>
</div>
<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/In-search-of-Ne-Zha-A-travel-guide-1BfRalrBNug/img/8618a4e62f5d475da4e233f94350ef79/8618a4e62f5d475da4e233f94350ef79.jpeg" alt="A screenshot of a scene from the Chinese animated film " ne shows the barrier beasts. layout="responsive"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A screenshot of a scene from the Chinese animated film "Ne Zha" (2019) shows the Barrier Beasts. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A screenshot of a scene from the Chinese animated film "Ne Zha" (2019) shows the Barrier Beasts. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="37" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>The two Barrier Beasts, a key source of comic relief in the "Ne Zha" film series, have delighted audiences with their playful charm. Featuring thick eyebrows and distinctive noses, their designs closely resemble artifacts displayed at the Sanxingdui Museum.</p>
</div>
<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/In-search-of-Ne-Zha-A-travel-guide-1BfRalrBNug/img/20100542645046ba8fe21efe0166930f/20100542645046ba8fe21efe0166930f.jpeg" alt="A bronze head with a gold mask (left) and a bronze mask are seen on display at the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan, Sichuan Province. /CGTN" layout="responsive"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A bronze head with a gold mask (left) and a bronze mask are seen on display at the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan, Sichuan Province. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A bronze head with a gold mask (left) and a bronze mask are seen on display at the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan, Sichuan Province. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="48" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>Located in Guanghan, Sichuan Province, the Sanxingdui Ruins are believed to be the remnants of the Shu Kingdom, which dates back some 3,000 to 4,500 years. Covering an area of 12 square kilometers, the ruins were accidentally discovered by a farmer in the 1920s. Since then, more than 60,000 cultural relics have been unearthed from the site.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle"><strong>Golden Light Cave, Qianyuan Mountain, Jiangyou, Sichuan Province</strong></p>
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/In-search-of-Ne-Zha-A-travel-guide-1BfRalrBNug/img/2c5915eb0a9f480599aae54e16085182/2c5915eb0a9f480599aae54e16085182.jpeg" alt="Qianyuan Mountain in Jiangyou, Sichuan Province is seen shrouded in mist. /VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Qianyuan Mountain in Jiangyou, Sichuan Province is seen shrouded in mist. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Qianyuan Mountain in Jiangyou, Sichuan Province is seen shrouded in mist. /VCG</p>
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<p>Taiyi Zhenren's Sichuan dialect in the "Ne Zha" film series has left a lasting impression on audiences. This linguistic choice is linked to mythology. Taiyi Zhenren is said to have practiced Taoism at Jinguang Cave (Golden Light Cave) on Qianyuan Mountain in Sichuan Province, where he also trained Ne Zha.</p>
<p>Since the release of "Ne Zha 2," online searches for this scenic area have soared over 450 percent, and the number of visitors has increased eight-fold.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle"><strong>Li Jing's Former Residence, Sanyuan County, Shaanxi Province</strong></p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/In-search-of-Ne-Zha-A-travel-guide-1BfRalrBNug/img/3abc5f8757be4c4f9aebe1958a127b0a/3abc5f8757be4c4f9aebe1958a127b0a.jpeg" alt="The statue of Li Jing is seen at Li Jing's Former Residence in Sanyuan County, Shaanxi Province. /VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The statue of Li Jing is seen at Li Jing's Former Residence in Sanyuan County, Shaanxi Province. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The statue of Li Jing is seen at Li Jing's Former Residence in Sanyuan County, Shaanxi Province. /VCG</p>
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<div readability="42" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>With a history of more than 1,300 years, Li Jing's Former Residence in Shaanxi Province is the historic estate of Tang Dynasty General Li Jing, the real-life prototype for Ne Zha’s father in mythology. Amid the success of "Ne Zha 2," the residence is offering free admission to visitors with a ticket for the film.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle"><strong>Xixia County, Henan Province</strong></p>
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/In-search-of-Ne-Zha-A-travel-guide-1BfRalrBNug/img/854163a559034a87b20720efe21c05c7/854163a559034a87b20720efe21c05c7.jpeg" alt="A view of the Laojieling scenic spot in Xixia County, Henan Province /IC" layout="responsive"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the Laojieling scenic spot in Xixia County, Henan Province /IC</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the Laojieling scenic spot in Xixia County, Henan Province /IC</p>
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<p>Believed to be one of Ne Zha's possible hometowns, Xixia County in Henan Province is steeped in Ne Zha folklore. Notable attractions include the Ne Zha Temple and the Laojieling scenic spot, renowned for its breathtaking natural landscapes, dense forests, and rich biodiversity. Until February 28, visitors with a paper or digital "Ne Zha 2" ticket can enjoy free entry to Laojieling.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle"><strong>Chentangzhuang, Tianjin</strong></p>
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<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/In-search-of-Ne-Zha-A-travel-guide-1BfRalrBNug/img/681c4384fd014dbb8fee94fc465562ff/681c4384fd014dbb8fee94fc465562ff.jpeg" alt="People visit Chentangzhuang in Tianjin, a place believed by many to be the site of the Chentang Pass in the " ne film on february layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>People visit Chentangzhuang in Tianjin, a place believed by many to be the site of the Chentang Pass in the "Ne Zha" film series, on February 9, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">People visit Chentangzhuang in Tianjin, a place believed by many to be the site of the Chentang Pass in the "Ne Zha" film series, on February 9, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p>Chentangzhuang in Tianjin is a place believed by many to be the site of the Chentang Pass, and has long been steeped in Ne Zha mythology. In "Ne Zha 2," the residents of the Chentang Pass and the octopus general at the Dragon Palace speak in a Tianjin dialect. The film's popularity has drawn many fans to explore Ne Zha's legacy there.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle"><strong>Yibin City, Sichuan Province</strong></p>
</div>
<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/In-search-of-Ne-Zha-A-travel-guide-1BfRalrBNug/img/15bd35a18c0440debe113f7e3c721eda/15bd35a18c0440debe113f7e3c721eda.jpeg" alt="A statue of Ne Zha is seen at the Ne Zha Palace in Yibin, Sichuan Province. /VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A statue of Ne Zha is seen at the Ne Zha Palace in Yibin, Sichuan Province. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A statue of Ne Zha is seen at the Ne Zha Palace in Yibin, Sichuan Province. /VCG</p>
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<div readability="40" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>Boasting more than 20 Ne Zha-related landmarks, Yibin City has become a major pilgrimage site for Ne Zha fans. As crowds of tourists arrive, the city has seen a surge in hotel bookings. A highlight of the visit is the Ne Zha Palace, recognized as the only ancestral temple of Ne Zha in China.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle"><strong>Dong Villages, Guizhou Province</strong></p>
</div>
<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/In-search-of-Ne-Zha-A-travel-guide-1BfRalrBNug/img/040febec19a24a29a58840c4c422e39a/040febec19a24a29a58840c4c422e39a.jpeg" alt="Women of the Dong ethnic group perform the Grand Song at a Dong village in Guizhou Province. /VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Women of the Dong ethnic group perform the Grand Song at a Dong village in Guizhou Province. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Women of the Dong ethnic group perform the Grand Song at a Dong village in Guizhou Province. /VCG</p>
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<div readability="40" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>The Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group featured in "Ne Zha 2" creates a stunning auditory experience, blending seamlessly with the film’s visuals. For a deeper appreciation of this musical tradition, immerse yourself in the enchanting Dong Grand Songs in the Dong Villages of Guizhou.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle"><strong>Hebei Museum, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province</strong></p>
</div>
<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/In-search-of-Ne-Zha-A-travel-guide-1BfRalrBNug/img/61ac4d1d3ade4302981949ebe3924941/61ac4d1d3ade4302981949ebe3924941.jpeg" alt="A screenshot of the Seven-colored Lotus from the Chinese animated film " ne zha and a vcg photo of gold-inlaid boshan bronze incense burner from western han dynasty housed at the hebei museum layout="responsive"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A screenshot of the Seven-colored Lotus from the Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" (left) and a VCG photo of the gold-inlaid Boshan bronze incense burner from the Western Han Dynasty housed at the Hebei Museum /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A screenshot of the Seven-colored Lotus from the Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" (left) and a VCG photo of the gold-inlaid Boshan bronze incense burner from the Western Han Dynasty housed at the Hebei Museum /CGTN</p>
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<p>The gold-inlaid Boshan bronze incense burner from the Western Han Dynasty, housed at the Hebei Museum, has drawn renewed attention due to its resemblance to the Seven-colored Lotus, one of the most powerful magical treasures in "Ne Zha 2," which enables Taiyi Zhenren to rebuild the bodies of Ne Zha and Ao Bing.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle"><strong>Yuejie Cinema, Guiyang, Guizhou Province</strong></p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/In-search-of-Ne-Zha-A-travel-guide-1BfRalrBNug/img/7295bd3448bf4e10b493518f72b611c4/7295bd3448bf4e10b493518f72b611c4.jpeg" alt="A view of the Yuejie Cinema in Guiyang (left) and the largest IMAX-GT theater in Asia /VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the Yuejie Cinema in Guiyang (left) and the largest IMAX-GT theater in Asia /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the Yuejie Cinema in Guiyang (left) and the largest IMAX-GT theater in Asia /VCG</p>
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<p>Although not directly related to Ne Zha's mythology, the Yuejie Cinema in Guiyang is a must-visit for film lovers. Home to the largest IMAX-GT theater in Asia, this venue offers the ultimate cinematic experience for fans eager to relive the stunning visuals of "Ne Zha 2" on the big screen.</p>
</div>

link:
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hash: �r̡C��Oq� ����
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Is-Marvel-losing-its-grip-When-Captain-America-4-meets-Ne-Zha-2--1BfyqhUsIlW/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

title:
Is Marvel losing its grip? When &amp;#039;Captain America 4&amp;#039; meets &amp;#039;Ne Zha 2&amp;#039;

content:
<div><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Is-Marvel-losing-its-grip-When-Captain-America-4-meets-Ne-Zha-2--1BfyqhUsIlW/img/8a47133ac92b4d9ba728e78e1b87b421/8a47133ac92b4d9ba728e78e1b87b421-1280.png" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>Marvel Studios' "Captain America: Brave New World" has stumbled at the box office since its Valentine's Day release, underscoring the studio's creative stagnation.</p>
<p>The Hollywood blockbuster is the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, who has taken on the mantle of Captain America. The sequel delves into political intrigue, with President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) seeking to rectify past mistakes while contending with a potential assassination attempt.</p>
<p>Critically, the film has received a lukewarm reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 49 percent approval rating based on 300 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The consensus notes that while Mackie capably steps into the role of Captain America, the film is "too routine and overstuffed with uninteresting easter eggs to feel like a worthy standalone adventure for this new Avengers leader." Meanwhile, IGN said the movie "feels neither brave, nor all that new."</p>
<p>Though reviews are not universally negative – The New York Times describes the film as "a decent political thriller with something culturally resonant to say that exceeds mere comic-book particulars" – the film's underwhelming box office performance highlights Marvel's recent struggles with audience engagement.</p>
<p>The movie has been struggling to make an impact commercially. Despite a strong showing in its opening weekend, it experienced a significant 68 percent drop in its second weekend, earning $28.2 million domestically, bringing its total to $141 million. Globally, "Brave New World" has swiftly grossed over $289.4 million, with expectations that it will safely surpass the $425 million worldwide break-even point. But some point out that the scarcity of big-budget offerings arriving in theaters in the coming weeks might be a contributing factor.</p>
<p>"Brave New World" is entering the global market at a time when the Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" is achieving unprecedented success. Last week, "Ne Zha 2" took the No. 1 spot as the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. With limited releases in overseas markets, it has now earned 13.7 billion yuan ($1.9 billion) globally and is continuing to break records on the all-time global box office chart.</p>
<p>The contrasting performances of these two films highlight a shift in audience preferences and the evolving dynamics of the global film market. While Marvel's latest offering has struggled to meet expectations, "Ne Zha 2" has captivated audiences with its compelling storytelling and high-quality animation. This trend suggests that audiences are increasingly seeking fresh narratives and diverse perspectives, which "Ne Zha 2" provides.</p>
<p>In China, "Captain America: Brave New World" is steeply trailing behind at the box office, with moviegoers showing a clear preference for domestic productions over what were once beloved Hollywood sequels. In the nearly two weeks since its release, the film has only grossed 98 million yuan, a stark contrast to the first-week earnings of "Detective Chinatown 1900" at 1.8 billion yuan and "Ne Zha 2" at 3.1 billion yuan. Ticketing platform Maoyan has since downgraded its final box office projection for "Brave New World" to 120 million yuan.</p>
<p>The film has also faced harsh backlash critically, earning a dismal 5.2/10 on media review platform Douban, aligning it with poorly received predecessors like "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" and "The Marvels," the two movies that experienced similar box office drops as the new sequel. Industry experts say the film's underperformance reflects systemic issues plaguing Marvel rather than a wholesale rejection of "individual heroism."</p>
<p>Zhang Peng, a film researcher at Nanjing Normal University, said Marvel's recent decline in China stems from "a combination of quality deterioration, disjointed storytelling and formulaic character development, which have fueled global audience fatigue."</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the rise of domestic Chinese cinema has raised viewers' expectations, with audiences increasingly gravitating toward collectivist narratives over Hollywood's individualistic hero tropes, Zhang told the Global Times.</p>
<p>"Marvel's struggles are the result of quality, cultural disconnect and flawed market strategies," Zhang added. "The implied values in Marvel's works feel alien to Chinese sensibilities, exacerbating the disconnect."</p>
<p>He said for Hollywood to regain relevance in China, it must prioritize compelling storytelling while balancing cultural sensitivity and market adaptability. "A good story transcends borders, but its delivery must evolve with the times."</p>

link:
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title: CGTN The Vibe 20250224
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<img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/CGTN-The-Vibe-20250224-1BfUVh6OTlu/img/f22366eb60c74e14bf2a7c5efaa26d44/f22366eb60c74e14bf2a7c5efaa26d44.png" alt></div>
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<p>【"Ne Zha 2"】Box office tourism… "Ne Zha 2" has gained popularity globally, helping cultural tourism thrive across China.  </p>
<p>【Year of the Snake exhibition】Slithering into Spring… Shanghai Museum unveils its latest exhibition.</p>
<p>【"Creation of the Gods II"】Chinese cinema goes global… "Ne Zha 2" is not the only Chinese movie making waves overseas, "Creation of the Gods II" is also generating buzz.  </p>
<p>【Giant Pandas in Washington】Playful pandas return… The National Zoo in Washington DC debuts its new pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao.</p>
<p>If you have any further questions or inquiries for collaboration, please email us at vibeteam@cgtn.com.</p>
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link:
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title: Chinese film premieres at Slamdance Film Festival
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="15745" data-video="https://videous.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Chinese-film-premieres-at-Slamdance-Film-Festival--1BiicclcfYc/video/wu_1ikv86cg91im082r1mrl159e1sgi7n1/wu_1ikv86cg91im082r1mrl159e1sgi7n1.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://videous.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Chinese-film-premieres-at-Slamdance-Film-Festival--1BiicclcfYc/video/wu_1ikv86cg91im082r1mrl159e1sgi7n1/wu_1ikv86cg91im082r1mrl159e1sgi7n1.jpg" data-title="Chinese film premieres at Slamdance Film Festival" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://videous.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Chinese-film-premieres-at-Slamdance-Film-Festival--1BiicclcfYc/video/wu_1ikv86cg91im082r1mrl159e1sgi7n1/wu_1ikv86cg91im082r1mrl159e1sgi7n1.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="15745" data-poster="https://videous.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Chinese-film-premieres-at-Slamdance-Film-Festival--1BiicclcfYc/video/wu_1ikv86cg91im082r1mrl159e1sgi7n1/wu_1ikv86cg91im082r1mrl159e1sgi7n1.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>02:40</p>
<img src="https://videous.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Chinese-film-premieres-at-Slamdance-Film-Festival--1BiicclcfYc/video/wu_1ikv86cg91im082r1mrl159e1sgi7n1/wu_1ikv86cg91im082r1mrl159e1sgi7n1.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>The Slamdance film festival is being held for the first time in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>The event draws some of the most talented film makers from around the world, and this year’s selection includes a documentary style film called “Banr” from China.</p>
<p>Its world premiere was held in a Hollywood red carpet event, highlighting another milestone for the Chinese film industry this year, following the animation blockbuster “Ne Zha 2,” which broke several box office records in recent weeks.</p>
<p>CGTN’s Ediz Tiyansan reports.</p>
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<div readability="27.324561403509" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>For more, check out our exclusive content on <a href="https://www.cgtnnow.com/browse">CGTN Now</a> and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, <a href="https://mailchi.mp/cgtnamerica/china-newsletter-landing-page">The China Report.</a></p>
</div>

link:
https://newsus.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Chinese-film-premieres-at-Slamdance-Film-Festival--1BiicclcfYc/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Beijing&amp;#039;s ancient buildings take center stage in films
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/cb0cab5501c94eed8a2e8f058eda8d23/cb0cab5501c94eed8a2e8f058eda8d23.jpeg" alt="The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, Dongcheng District. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/cb0cab5501c94eed8a2e8f058eda8d23/cb0cab5501c94eed8a2e8f058eda8d23.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, Dongcheng District. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, Dongcheng District. /VCG</p>
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</div>
</div>
<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/649edb83abab420d91ce4c4d29a3f987/649edb83abab420d91ce4c4d29a3f987.jpeg" alt="A view of the Forbidden City. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/649edb83abab420d91ce4c4d29a3f987/649edb83abab420d91ce4c4d29a3f987.jpeg"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the Forbidden City. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the Forbidden City. /VCG</p>
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</div>
</div>
<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/bec1e831349d4688b68faf3911b7ecc3/bec1e831349d4688b68faf3911b7ecc3.jpeg" alt="The Forbidden City in snow. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/bec1e831349d4688b68faf3911b7ecc3/bec1e831349d4688b68faf3911b7ecc3.jpeg"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The Forbidden City in snow. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The Forbidden City in snow. /VCG</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/911f9dbfe8b843bb93fc1f0a7666a3b5/911f9dbfe8b843bb93fc1f0a7666a3b5.jpeg" alt="A corner tower of the Forbidden City. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/911f9dbfe8b843bb93fc1f0a7666a3b5/911f9dbfe8b843bb93fc1f0a7666a3b5.jpeg"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A corner tower of the Forbidden City. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A corner tower of the Forbidden City. /VCG</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/9af563bd88bc40e3af07275e0920a756/9af563bd88bc40e3af07275e0920a756.jpeg" alt="The Temple of Heaven, Dongcheng District. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/9af563bd88bc40e3af07275e0920a756/9af563bd88bc40e3af07275e0920a756.jpeg"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The Temple of Heaven, Dongcheng District. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The Temple of Heaven, Dongcheng District. /VCG</p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/a80432eb807b4b5383f5b3011c5a2cf6/a80432eb807b4b5383f5b3011c5a2cf6.jpeg" alt="Another view of the Temple of Heaven. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/a80432eb807b4b5383f5b3011c5a2cf6/a80432eb807b4b5383f5b3011c5a2cf6.jpeg"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Another view of the Temple of Heaven. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Another view of the Temple of Heaven. /VCG</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/66e7530f91b24ece901eaddaf7a248b4/66e7530f91b24ece901eaddaf7a248b4.jpeg" alt="The Juyongguan section of the Great Wall, also known as Juyong Pass, Changping District. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/66e7530f91b24ece901eaddaf7a248b4/66e7530f91b24ece901eaddaf7a248b4.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The Juyongguan section of the Great Wall, also known as Juyong Pass, Changping District. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The Juyongguan section of the Great Wall, also known as Juyong Pass, Changping District. /VCG</p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/10c84f2246004a2bae6ed440d9f12c62/10c84f2246004a2bae6ed440d9f12c62.jpeg" alt="A view of Juyong Pass. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/10c84f2246004a2bae6ed440d9f12c62/10c84f2246004a2bae6ed440d9f12c62.jpeg"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of Juyong Pass. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of Juyong Pass. /VCG</p>
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/2abc5a7a37af4ecf94133c3eac65fef1/2abc5a7a37af4ecf94133c3eac65fef1.jpeg" alt="A snow scenery, Juyong Pass. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/2abc5a7a37af4ecf94133c3eac65fef1/2abc5a7a37af4ecf94133c3eac65fef1.jpeg"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A snow scenery, Juyong Pass. /VCG</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/f846a3deb3524a3bbbca0b9cf9c58a47/f846a3deb3524a3bbbca0b9cf9c58a47.jpeg" alt="Dingdu Pavilion is atop Dingdu Peak, Mentougou District. It is the perfect spot to have a panorama of Beijing. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/f846a3deb3524a3bbbca0b9cf9c58a47/f846a3deb3524a3bbbca0b9cf9c58a47.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Dingdu Pavilion is atop Dingdu Peak, Mentougou District. It is the perfect spot to have a panorama of Beijing. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Dingdu Pavilion is atop Dingdu Peak, Mentougou District. It is the perfect spot to have a panorama of Beijing. /VCG</p>
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</div>
<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/5ba5596d827e417bb359c9158eccd4fc/5ba5596d827e417bb359c9158eccd4fc.jpeg" alt="Dingdu Pavilion with the moon, February 12, 2025. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/5ba5596d827e417bb359c9158eccd4fc/5ba5596d827e417bb359c9158eccd4fc.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Dingdu Pavilion with the moon, February 12, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Dingdu Pavilion with the moon, February 12, 2025. /VCG</p>
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</div>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/4dc1661ca56143a1afb58bfaee5bf7ac/4dc1661ca56143a1afb58bfaee5bf7ac.jpeg" alt="Dingdu Pavilion at night, January 24, 2023. /VCG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/img/4dc1661ca56143a1afb58bfaee5bf7ac/4dc1661ca56143a1afb58bfaee5bf7ac.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Dingdu Pavilion at night, January 24, 2023. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Dingdu Pavilion at night, January 24, 2023. /VCG</p>
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<p>Beijing is the city with the largest scale and number of cultural relics and ancient buildings in China. Attractions such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven top the list of visits. These ancient buildings, with their unique architectural styles, have served as the settings for many films. </p>
<p>"The Great Wall," directed by Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, is an epic action-adventure centered on the Great Wall, one of mankind's greatest wonders. The film was primarily shot on location, showcasing its historical significance as a defensive structure.</p>
<p>Set in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the story follows a group of European mercenaries searching for the secret to gunpowder. They encounter a secret Chinese army that maintains and defends the Great Wall against a horde of monstrous creatures. </p>
<p>"The Last Emperor" was filmed inside the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, an imperial complex in the heart of Beijing. Released in 1987, it is a historical epic directed by Italian film director Bernardo Bertolucci. </p>
<p>The film recounts the story of Puyi, the last emperor of China. The Forbidden City was featured prominently in the film, garnering multiple Academy Awards, including the Best Picture.</p>
<p>(Cover: A view of buildings in the Forbidden City, Dongcheng District, Beijing. /VCG)</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Beijing-s-ancient-buildings-take-center-stage-in-films-1BhFgaw9qQ8/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Chinese film &amp;#039;Creation of the Gods II&amp;#039; set to hit cinemas in France
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content:
<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Chinese-film-Creation-of-the-Gods-II-set-to-hit-cinemas-in-France-1BiH6Qg0dHy/img/3169bdab1221498195ae3b10c02b0e4c/3169bdab1221498195ae3b10c02b0e4c.png" alt="A poster for " creation the gods ii: demon seen at a theater in capital of february layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A poster for "Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force" in seen at a theater in Beijing, capital of China, February 14, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A poster for "Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force" in seen at a theater in Beijing, capital of China, February 14, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p>Chinese film "Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force" officially hits French cinemas today (Wednesday).</p>
<p>The film can be watched in major French theaters, such as UGC and PATHE, with screenings in over 100 cinemas across more than 70 cities, including Paris, Lyon and Marseille. It is expected to reach an audience of around 150,000 viewers.</p>
<p>The movie is the second installment of China's epic mythological film series "Creation of the Gods." Since the release of "Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms" in France last year, the series has received widespread acclaim for its breathtaking visual effects, rich cultural narrative and captivating storytelling.</p>
<p>"Creation of the Gods II" takes the franchise to new heights, with enhanced visual effects and intense action sequences. Featuring nearly 2,000 special effects shots, the film showcases grand battlefields, fierce combats and magical duels.</p>
<p>Another Chinese film, "The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero," also premiered in France on Friday.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Chinese-film-Creation-of-the-Gods-II-set-to-hit-cinemas-in-France-1BiH6Qg0dHy/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Meet the travelers: Exploring Xi&amp;#039;an through foreign eyes
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<div data-width="3840" data-height="2160" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Meet-the-travelers-Exploring-Xi-an-through-foreign-eyes-1BiO40n6muA/video/wu_1il05rtq2eqmp8p1r6q1dg7gs7a/wu_1il05rtq2eqmp8p1r6q1dg7gs7a.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="485473" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Meet-the-travelers-Exploring-Xi-an-through-foreign-eyes-1BiO40n6muA/video/wu_1il05rtq2eqmp8p1r6q1dg7gs7a/wu_1il05rtq2eqmp8p1r6q1dg7gs7a.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoCULTURE_GENERAL_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>01:05</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Meet-the-travelers-Exploring-Xi-an-through-foreign-eyes-1BiO40n6muA/video/wu_1il05rtq2eqmp8p1r6q1dg7gs7a/wu_1il05rtq2eqmp8p1r6q1dg7gs7a.jpg" alt></div>
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<div readability="38" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>Rachel is in Xi'an, connecting with travelers from around the world! Today, she meets visitors from Brazil and the US who have come to experience the city's rich history and culture. From trying local food to exploring ancient sites, they share what they’re most excited about on their journey. Let's see Xi'an through their eyes!</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Meet-the-travelers-Exploring-Xi-an-through-foreign-eyes-1BiO40n6muA/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Culture commissioner in Xitou Village preserves cultural heritage
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="485486" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Culture-commissioner-in-Xitou-Village-preserves-cultural-heritage-1BiUu3CT1yU/video/wu_1il0b7jfu1lkj1i001vvn5ku14iea/wu_1il0b7jfu1lkj1i001vvn5ku14iea.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Culture-commissioner-in-Xitou-Village-preserves-cultural-heritage-1BiUu3CT1yU/video/wu_1il0b7jfu1lkj1i001vvn5ku14iea/wu_1il0b7jfu1lkj1i001vvn5ku14iea.png" data-title="Culture commissioner in Xitou Village preserves cultural heritage" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Culture-commissioner-in-Xitou-Village-preserves-cultural-heritage-1BiUu3CT1yU/video/wu_1il0b7jfu1lkj1i001vvn5ku14iea/wu_1il0b7jfu1lkj1i001vvn5ku14iea.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="485486" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Culture-commissioner-in-Xitou-Village-preserves-cultural-heritage-1BiUu3CT1yU/video/wu_1il0b7jfu1lkj1i001vvn5ku14iea/wu_1il0b7jfu1lkj1i001vvn5ku14iea.png" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoCULTURE_GENERAL_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>03:40</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Culture-commissioner-in-Xitou-Village-preserves-cultural-heritage-1BiUu3CT1yU/video/wu_1il0b7jfu1lkj1i001vvn5ku14iea/wu_1il0b7jfu1lkj1i001vvn5ku14iea.png" alt></div>
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<p>In Xitou Village, east China's Zhejiang Province, Longquan celadon attracts visitors eager to engage with the craft of traditional porcelain production. Under the guidance of cultural commissioner Wu Maoying, the village is breathing new life into its heritage through lively performances and active community participation, honoring its deep-rooted history while looking towards a brighter future.</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Culture-commissioner-in-Xitou-Village-preserves-cultural-heritage-1BiUu3CT1yU/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: &amp;#039;Creation of the Gods: Demon Force&amp;#039; officially premieres in France
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content:
<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Creation-of-the-Gods-Demon-Force-officially-premieres-in-France-1Bj2yKT5vXO/img/2d2832dfb7484455bcb1f912e7d976f0/2d2832dfb7484455bcb1f912e7d976f0.png" alt="A photo taken on February 1, 2025 shows posters for the movie " creation of the gods: demon at a movie theater in liaoning china. layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A photo taken on February 1, 2025 shows posters for the movie "Creation of the Gods: Demon Force" at a movie theater in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A photo taken on February 1, 2025 shows posters for the movie "Creation of the Gods: Demon Force" at a movie theater in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. /VCG</p>
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<p>The second installment of the Creation of the Gods trilogy, "Demon Force," premiered in France on February 26, 2025. Following the success of "Kingdom of Storms," the first chapter of the epic saga, which captured the imagination of French audiences last year, this new chapter promises even more breathtaking visuals, immersive storytelling, and deep cultural resonance.</p>
<p>The scene was set for the Battle of Muye, one of the most celebrated conflicts in ancient Chinese history. This decisive battle took place between the Shang Dynasty and the Zhou Kingdom, a challenger to the throne who would go on to rule China after the fall of the Shang.</p>
<p>In "Creation of the Gods: Demon Force," nearly 2,000 special effects shots elevate the spectacle, with grand battlefields and mesmerizing magical displays showcasing the high level of production quality in Chinese cinema. This new chapter takes the mythological narrative to unprecedented levels, pushing the boundaries of epic fantasy storytelling.</p>
<p>The film is now showing in over 100 cinemas across more than 70 cities in France, including major theaters like UGC and Pathé in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and beyond.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Creation-of-the-Gods-Demon-Force-officially-premieres-in-France-1Bj2yKT5vXO/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: A gothic miracle in Daming County, Hebei Province
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/img/15963e2421694d6abaac2839c570c299/15963e2421694d6abaac2839c570c299.png" alt="A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/img/15963e2421694d6abaac2839c570c299/15963e2421694d6abaac2839c570c299.png"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/img/ba847719b36e4a5a8f66142699b9c8b0/ba847719b36e4a5a8f66142699b9c8b0.png" alt="A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/img/ba847719b36e4a5a8f66142699b9c8b0/ba847719b36e4a5a8f66142699b9c8b0.png"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/img/c64743696cd344bbb31b446a38264514/c64743696cd344bbb31b446a38264514.png" alt="A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/img/c64743696cd344bbb31b446a38264514/c64743696cd344bbb31b446a38264514.png"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/img/03b5fae140d14fe5b34f79279cef9a3d/03b5fae140d14fe5b34f79279cef9a3d.png" alt="A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/img/03b5fae140d14fe5b34f79279cef9a3d/03b5fae140d14fe5b34f79279cef9a3d.png"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/img/f97d9135c0504180b7146e5572007aa1/f97d9135c0504180b7146e5572007aa1.png" alt="A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/img/f97d9135c0504180b7146e5572007aa1/f97d9135c0504180b7146e5572007aa1.png"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/img/67ae7601d21d4c55a46f7b28e13464da/67ae7601d21d4c55a46f7b28e13464da.png" alt="A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/img/67ae7601d21d4c55a46f7b28e13464da/67ae7601d21d4c55a46f7b28e13464da.png"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of Daming Catholic Church in Daming County, north China's Hebei Province. /CGTN</p>
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<p>Tucked away in a hidden corner of Daming County, Hebei Province, is a century-old gothic building known as Daming Catholic Church. It was founded in 1918 to become the second largest Catholic church in China when it was completed. The church has a magnificent exterior. Its European architectural style exudes an immersive and exotic appearance.</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/A-gothic-miracle-in-Daming-County-Hebei-Province-1Bav2Eha74I/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Explore a new digital art landmark in downtown Beijing
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/img/dd72a9f3d6274265b7babaa5185324d4/dd72a9f3d6274265b7babaa5185324d4.jpeg" alt="An exhibition facility featuring ancient patterns is displayed at the immersive digital art exhibition " spiritual land: future world of in beijing on february layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/img/dd72a9f3d6274265b7babaa5185324d4/dd72a9f3d6274265b7babaa5185324d4.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>An exhibition facility featuring ancient patterns is displayed at the immersive digital art exhibition "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" in Beijing on February 23, 2025. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">An exhibition facility featuring ancient patterns is displayed at the immersive digital art exhibition "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" in Beijing on February 23, 2025. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/img/45890b8a125b439a97b9b42698ac0a0a/45890b8a125b439a97b9b42698ac0a0a.jpeg" alt="An exhibition facility featuring ancient patterns is displayed at the immersive digital art exhibition " spiritual land: future world of in beijing on february layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/img/45890b8a125b439a97b9b42698ac0a0a/45890b8a125b439a97b9b42698ac0a0a.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>An exhibition facility featuring ancient patterns is displayed at the immersive digital art exhibition "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" in Beijing on February 23, 2025. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">An exhibition facility featuring ancient patterns is displayed at the immersive digital art exhibition "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" in Beijing on February 23, 2025. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/img/30c02e8d8ce1436a9f3f878990d290f7/30c02e8d8ce1436a9f3f878990d290f7.jpeg" alt="An interior view of the immersive digital art exhibition " spiritual land: future world of in beijing is seen on february layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/img/30c02e8d8ce1436a9f3f878990d290f7/30c02e8d8ce1436a9f3f878990d290f7.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>An interior view of the immersive digital art exhibition "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" in Beijing is seen on February 23, 2025. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">An interior view of the immersive digital art exhibition "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" in Beijing is seen on February 23, 2025. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/img/49cf676418054f64a54d8bdadbc19dd3/49cf676418054f64a54d8bdadbc19dd3.jpeg" alt="An installation featuring a Western painting is seen on display at the immersive digital art exhibition " spiritual land: future world of in beijing on february layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/img/49cf676418054f64a54d8bdadbc19dd3/49cf676418054f64a54d8bdadbc19dd3.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>An installation featuring a Western painting is seen on display at the immersive digital art exhibition "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" in Beijing on February 23, 2025. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">An installation featuring a Western painting is seen on display at the immersive digital art exhibition "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" in Beijing on February 23, 2025. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/img/efe32b711bb8454cae5a6186b3531e93/efe32b711bb8454cae5a6186b3531e93.jpeg" alt="An installation featuring a contemporary Chinese artwork is seen on display at the immersive digital art exhibition " spiritual land: future world of in beijing on february layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/img/efe32b711bb8454cae5a6186b3531e93/efe32b711bb8454cae5a6186b3531e93.jpeg"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>An installation featuring a contemporary Chinese artwork is seen on display at the immersive digital art exhibition "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" in Beijing on February 23, 2025. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">An installation featuring a contemporary Chinese artwork is seen on display at the immersive digital art exhibition "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" in Beijing on February 23, 2025. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/img/91c7b4bcd5d542fea7c25907da29b3c2/91c7b4bcd5d542fea7c25907da29b3c2.jpeg" alt="A futuristic human-machine installation is seen on display at the immersive digital art exhibition " spiritual land: future world of in beijing on february layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/img/91c7b4bcd5d542fea7c25907da29b3c2/91c7b4bcd5d542fea7c25907da29b3c2.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A futuristic human-machine installation is seen on display at the immersive digital art exhibition "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" in Beijing on February 23, 2025. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A futuristic human-machine installation is seen on display at the immersive digital art exhibition "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" in Beijing on February 23, 2025. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="51" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>An immersive digital art exhibition titled "Spiritual Land: Future World of Inspiration" is being held on the fourth floor of Beijing Wangfujing Department Store. This permanent exhibition combines elements of technology such as AI, 8K, VR, and 3D with traditional Chinese culture to offer visitors an immersive and participatory artistic digital cultural experience.</p>
<p>Since its opening on October 15, 2024, the exhibition has attracted a large number of tourists from home and abroad. It's divided into three sections: Ancient, Present and Future, and includes more than 10 installations. The exhibition guide connects them through a tour route, integrating high-tech displays of prehistoric rock paintings, ancient patterns, works of Eastern and Western art paintings, and the future of human-machine symbiosis.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Explore-a-new-digital-art-landmark-in-downtown-Beijing-1Bj5229WMA8/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: &amp;#039;Super Dunfun&amp;#039; makes Dunhuang culture full of fun
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/img/52689320b61b441b86ce428b23dd5311/52689320b61b441b86ce428b23dd5311.jpeg" alt="A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition " super held wangfujing in downtown beijing. layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/img/52689320b61b441b86ce428b23dd5311/52689320b61b441b86ce428b23dd5311.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition "Super Dunfun" held in Wangfujing in downtown Beijing. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition "Super Dunfun" held in Wangfujing in downtown Beijing. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/img/c1d07e03aa8e42ed8c8a5c90849761a5/c1d07e03aa8e42ed8c8a5c90849761a5.jpeg" alt="A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition " super held wangfujing in downtown beijing. layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/img/c1d07e03aa8e42ed8c8a5c90849761a5/c1d07e03aa8e42ed8c8a5c90849761a5.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition "Super Dunfun" held in Wangfujing in downtown Beijing. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition "Super Dunfun" held in Wangfujing in downtown Beijing. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/img/5bd3e4717c9f4f518225126799e2231f/5bd3e4717c9f4f518225126799e2231f.jpeg" alt="A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition " super held wangfujing in downtown beijing. layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/img/5bd3e4717c9f4f518225126799e2231f/5bd3e4717c9f4f518225126799e2231f.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition "Super Dunfun" held in Wangfujing in downtown Beijing. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition "Super Dunfun" held in Wangfujing in downtown Beijing. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/img/c90e514785e64fdd9b17670a513f042a/c90e514785e64fdd9b17670a513f042a.jpeg" alt="A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition " super held wangfujing in downtown beijing. layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/img/c90e514785e64fdd9b17670a513f042a/c90e514785e64fdd9b17670a513f042a.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition "Super Dunfun" held in Wangfujing in downtown Beijing. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition "Super Dunfun" held in Wangfujing in downtown Beijing. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/img/c0d7907390df4547a8acd9eb5ac02507/c0d7907390df4547a8acd9eb5ac02507.jpeg" alt="A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition " super held wangfujing in downtown beijing. layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/img/c0d7907390df4547a8acd9eb5ac02507/c0d7907390df4547a8acd9eb5ac02507.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition "Super Dunfun" held in Wangfujing in downtown Beijing. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition "Super Dunfun" held in Wangfujing in downtown Beijing. /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/img/7986d551c2a541aab7800d72d19660ce/7986d551c2a541aab7800d72d19660ce.jpeg" alt="A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition " super held wangfujing in downtown beijing. layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/img/7986d551c2a541aab7800d72d19660ce/7986d551c2a541aab7800d72d19660ce.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition "Super Dunfun" held in Wangfujing in downtown Beijing. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A photo taken on February 23, 2025 shows an interior view of the digital art exhibition "Super Dunfun" held in Wangfujing in downtown Beijing. /CGTN</p>
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<p>The exhibition "Super Dunfun," jointly hosted by the EDCC Ewin Digital Art Center and Dunhuang Art, offers visitors the chance to experience the beauty of Dunhuang over thousands of years through digital interactions.</p>
<p>Through 13 exhibition areas divided into seven sections and based on the creative achievements of artists from Dunhuang Art, "Super Dunfun" integrates the essence of Dunhuang murals and grotto art, cultural heritage and modern digital technology to rejuvenate the historic culture of Dunhuang and immerse visitors in a fantasy-filled metaverse.</p>
<p>The exhibition, held at the fifth floor of Beijing Wangfujing Department Store in downtown Beijing, will run until March 25, 2025.</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-Super-Dunfun-makes-Dunhuang-culture-full-of-fun-1Bj5D6kF1Ly/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Lucy&amp;#039;s Journey: Beijing&amp;#039;s Qianmen area
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<div data-width="1179" data-height="2096" data-ratio="1179:2096" data-news-id="485524" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Lucy-s-Journey-Beijing-s-Qianmen-area-1Bj4hDUyWHu/video/wu_1il0jfoqcn130s10gj16ev155113/wu_1il0jfoqcn130s10gj16ev155113.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Lucy-s-Journey-Beijing-s-Qianmen-area-1Bj4hDUyWHu/video/wu_1il0jfoqcn130s10gj16ev155113/wu_1il0jfoqcn130s10gj16ev155113.jpg" data-title="Lucy's Journey: Beijing's Qianmen area" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1179" data-height="2096" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Lucy-s-Journey-Beijing-s-Qianmen-area-1Bj4hDUyWHu/video/wu_1il0jfoqcn130s10gj16ev155113/wu_1il0jfoqcn130s10gj16ev155113.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="485524" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Lucy-s-Journey-Beijing-s-Qianmen-area-1Bj4hDUyWHu/video/wu_1il0jfoqcn130s10gj16ev155113/wu_1il0jfoqcn130s10gj16ev155113.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoCULTURE_GENERAL_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>00:33</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Lucy-s-Journey-Beijing-s-Qianmen-area-1Bj4hDUyWHu/video/wu_1il0jfoqcn130s10gj16ev155113/wu_1il0jfoqcn130s10gj16ev155113.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>Qianmen and Dashilan are two closely connected historic districts in Beijing, both part of the vibrant Qianmen area just on the Central Axis of the capital city. Qianmen Street, with its grand architecture and modern shops, serves as the gateway to Dashilan, a maze of narrow alleys filled with traditional silk, tea, and snack vendors. A short walk from Qianmen brings you into Dashilan's lively atmosphere of old Beijing, where heritage brands and local delicacies preserve the city's rich cultural history.</p>
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Lucy-s-Journey-Beijing-s-Qianmen-area-1Bj4hDUyWHu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Why Chinese viewers are losing interest in the latest Captain America
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<p><em>In short: The passion for superhero movies is fading for Chinese audiences. It can be assumed that the carefree days for a Hollywood flick to easily rake in millions of dollars in China are history.</em></p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Why-Chinese-viewers-are-losing-interest-in-the-latest-Captain-America-1BjcrLLCw3C/img/5e02053e8daf441b8724f54f56abc16d/5e02053e8daf441b8724f54f56abc16d.jpeg" alt="Anthony Mackie in Captain America: Brave New World /LMKMEDIA via VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Anthony Mackie in Captain America: Brave New World /LMKMEDIA via VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Anthony Mackie in Captain America: Brave New World /LMKMEDIA via VCG</p>
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<p>In "Captain America: Brave New World," the captain seems unable to manifest his bravery. And the film's sluggish box-office performance suggests that the "Cap" has deeply disappointed his patient Chinese fans.</p>
<p>As an African American, Sam Wilson is driven to stand up for his oppressed ethnic group. Inheriting the title of "Captain America" from Steve Rogers, he is compelled to cooperate with the U.S. government, placing him at a crossroads. Balancing these two roles, he frequently serves as an impartial decision-maker. Yet, the more he adheres to neutrality and political correctness, the more the plot loses its suspense and the hero loses his edge.</p>
<p>Since "Captain America: Brave New World" fails to depict a hero who is upright, kind-hearted, and brave enough to break free from the constraints, it is, in fact, the most steadfast adherent to the old formulas.</p>
<p>Hollywood, once a "super-creative power" now only pursues "money-making power," and no longer fuels audiences with dreams. Backing the industry are a slew of highest market-value movie companies, controlled by monopolistic big business. In a rapidly changing world and political landscape, Wall Street CEOs plan their productions according to financial statements to reduce risk. What kind of movies are the least risky? That's easy — sequels to old intellectual property!</p>
<p>As a result, we see one installment after another of Captain America, Avengers, and the Fast &amp; Furious franchises. Only in this way can Hollywood CEOs maintain their multi-million dollar annual salaries, and naturally, they have no incentive to develop new content. Without innovation and creativity, it is safe to assume that Hollywood movies are doomed to lose their appeal.</p>
<p>Marvel's endeavors to renew old intellectual properties with diversified cast have their merits. But owing to the poorly executed adaptations by its screenwriters and the dearth of innovation in satisfying the audience's desires, Chinese viewers are evidently not willing to pay for this particular diversity initiative.</p>
<p>Chinese audiences' interest in superhero movies has waned in recent years, and they no longer top the charts. Gone are the days when a Hollywood movie could easily make hundreds of millions of dollars in China. As Chinese audiences' aesthetic standards continue to evolve and mature, they have developed a stronger preference for deriving personal emotional fulfillment and a sense of purpose from the time and money they invest in the movies.</p>
<p>Today, Hollywood movies are no longer offering audiences love and dreams, and the United States is no longer at the forefront of leading global culture. Its military interventions around the world have caused widespread chaos. Hollywood, indifferent to the tragedy in Gaza, has done little to help where children suffer. As a result, the once-appealing plot of superheroes saving the world fails to resonate with audiences globally. It has become difficult for people outside of the U.S. to find solace or inspiration in such fictional narratives that seem so detached from the harsh realities we live in.</p>
<p>Chinese audiences seem to be the first to notice this shift and reflect it in the box office results. When it comes to the future direction of the world, China has put forward the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind. This is evident in "The Wandering Earth" movie series, where highly imaginative science fiction stories vividly illustrate the spirit of humanity's unity and cooperation in pursuit of the common goal of survival.</p>
<p>Beyond ideology, the visual spectacle that Hollywood films once prided themselves on has also lost its luster. The Chinese film, animation and gaming industries have caught up and are producing works of equal quality. The "post-90s" and "post-00s," the mainstay of China's moviegoing public, have already been exposed to comparable or even more intense visual thrills in 3A games, VR, AR, and other forms of entertainment. As a result, Hollywood's reliance on these visual effects can no longer captivate audiences as it did in the past.</p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Why-Chinese-viewers-are-losing-interest-in-the-latest-Captain-America-1BjcrLLCw3C/img/64806b5121b645fa8fb9533601358c81/64806b5121b645fa8fb9533601358c81.jpeg" alt="A combined photo of posters of Chinese film Ne Zha 2 and Captain America: Brave New World. /CGTN" layout="responsive"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A combined photo of posters of Chinese film Ne Zha 2 and Captain America: Brave New World. /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A combined photo of posters of Chinese film Ne Zha 2 and Captain America: Brave New World. /CGTN</p>
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<p>The extremely popular domestic film "Ne Zha 2" serves as a prime example in this regard. Its production quality is on a par with Hollywood's industrial standards, vividly demonstrating the remarkable advancements achieved by China.</p>
<p>Since joining the World Trade Organization three decades ago, China has opened its doors wide to the world's films. Each year, China imports a certain number of foreign productions on either a revenue-sharing or flat-fee basis, fostering a diverse cinematic landscape.</p>
<p>According to a revenue-sharing agreement signed by China and the United States in 2012, China can import 34 films from the United States each year. Of these, 14 are IMAX and 3D films. In the past, this quota of 34 films was often fully utilized. As a result, additional American films entered the Chinese market on a flat-fee basis, further fueling exchanges between the film industries of the two countries.</p>
<p>However, the situation has changed significantly. In 2024, out of a total of 93 imported films in China, there were only 33 American films. This notable decline not only indicates a shift in import volume, but also reflects the evolving dynamics of the Chinese film market, which has become more diversified and selective in its choice of foreign films. Although Hollywood still maintains a strong dominance in the U.S. market, it is finding it increasingly challenging to replicate its past glories in the Chinese market.</p>
<p>As we look towards the future, the Chinese film market will continue to open up to the world, with more films being imported and exported through dynamic exchanges. Chinese audiences will be exposed to a wider range of outstanding works from different cultural backgrounds, which will further refine their discernment. Whether American films can regain the favor of Chinese audiences may be revealed by the upcoming releases of "Snow White" and "Zootopia 2."</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/Why-Chinese-viewers-are-losing-interest-in-the-latest-Captain-America-1BjcrLLCw3C/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: CGTN The Vibe 20250226
hash: �����>�teN �7:
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-CGTN-The-Vibe-20250226-1Bja6HvvQT6/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="485560" data-video="https://english-live-replay.cgtn.com/recorder/CGTN-EN-7x24h/2025-02-26/replay6300-6480.m3u8?v=1740564448626" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-CGTN-The-Vibe-20250226-1Bja6HvvQT6/img/91c0d14f95fe424fbcee56ecd5944fde/91c0d14f95fe424fbcee56ecd5944fde.png" data-title=" CGTN The Vibe 20250226" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://english-live-replay.cgtn.com/recorder/CGTN-EN-7x24h/2025-02-26/replay6300-6480.m3u8?v=1740564448626" data-is360="false" data-newsid="485560" data-poster="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-CGTN-The-Vibe-20250226-1Bja6HvvQT6/img/91c0d14f95fe424fbcee56ecd5944fde/91c0d14f95fe424fbcee56ecd5944fde.png" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoCULTURE_GENERAL_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-CGTN-The-Vibe-20250226-1Bja6HvvQT6/img/91c0d14f95fe424fbcee56ecd5944fde/91c0d14f95fe424fbcee56ecd5944fde.png" alt></div>
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<div readability="46" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>【Film &amp; Tourism】Filming on location… "Detective Chinatown 1900" helps boost cultural tourism in Shandong.</p>
<p>【Going Global】Chinese micro dramas are growing in popularity on a global scale.  </p>
<p>【Classics on the Paddies】Qianxi village's harvest spectacle: Farmers become living art in stunning fields-to-frames cosplay of world-famous paintings.</p>
<p>【Yingge Dance】Keeping tradition alive… Chen Laifa is passing on the tradition of Yingge Dance, bringing popularity to the three-century-old dance.</p>
<p>If you have any further questions or inquiries for collaboration, please email us at vibeteam@cgtn.com.  </p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/-CGTN-The-Vibe-20250226-1Bja6HvvQT6/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Beyond Tai Chi: The royal splendor of Wudang&amp;#039;s Zixiao Palace
hash: 8��Y%~���K��
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Beyond-Tai-Chi-The-royal-splendor-of-Wudang-s-Zixiao-Palace-1BljrMnowDu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

content:
<div><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Beyond-Tai-Chi-The-royal-splendor-of-Wudang-s-Zixiao-Palace-1BljrMnowDu/img/d5028150f2654f15a4ed4480ecb55384/d5028150f2654f15a4ed4480ecb55384-1920.png" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><div readability="40" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>For centuries, the Wudang Mountains in Shiyan City, central China's Hubei Province, have stood as a vital center of Taoism, renowned particularly for the development of Taoist martial arts, including Tai Chi. The ancient palaces and temples that grace these mountains showcase the pinnacle of Chinese art and architecture.</p>
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<div readability="42" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>Among them, the Zixiao Palace, or Purple Heaven Temple, commands a majestic presence atop Zhanqi Peak in the Wudang Mountains. Historically, it served as a sacred space where Wudang Taoists prayed for the imperial family, with emperors from the Song (960-1279) to Qing (1644-1911) dynasties commissioning altars for ancestral blessings and divine intervention for prosperity and bountiful harvests.</p>
<p>(All photos taken by CGTN at the Zixiao Palace in the Wudang Mountains.)</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Beyond-Tai-Chi-The-royal-splendor-of-Wudang-s-Zixiao-Palace-1BljrMnowDu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Cultures blend in Xiangtangshan Caves&amp;#039; honeysuckle patterns
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/img/aed6b695bb194bc18b58305b93fb9b71/aed6b695bb194bc18b58305b93fb9b71.png" alt="A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/img/aed6b695bb194bc18b58305b93fb9b71/aed6b695bb194bc18b58305b93fb9b71.png"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/img/d72418f55c4d497f9a213cf436c77cf0/d72418f55c4d497f9a213cf436c77cf0.png" alt="A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/img/d72418f55c4d497f9a213cf436c77cf0/d72418f55c4d497f9a213cf436c77cf0.png"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/img/249fee38b37e47bab6d507974d6c8641/249fee38b37e47bab6d507974d6c8641.png" alt="A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/img/249fee38b37e47bab6d507974d6c8641/249fee38b37e47bab6d507974d6c8641.png"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/img/f534b0d89dcc42f79e117642a08dbab0/f534b0d89dcc42f79e117642a08dbab0.png" alt="A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/img/f534b0d89dcc42f79e117642a08dbab0/f534b0d89dcc42f79e117642a08dbab0.png"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/img/3bdd382c6137443786a0231eaa920760/3bdd382c6137443786a0231eaa920760.png" alt="A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/img/3bdd382c6137443786a0231eaa920760/3bdd382c6137443786a0231eaa920760.png"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN</p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/img/93548e3183a341aa9a20f3f33a5d3d26/93548e3183a341aa9a20f3f33a5d3d26.png" alt="A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/img/93548e3183a341aa9a20f3f33a5d3d26/93548e3183a341aa9a20f3f33a5d3d26.png"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the honeysuckle patterns in the Xiangtangshan Caves /CGTN</p>
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<p>The honeysuckle patterns seen at the Xiangtangshan Caves in Handan, Hebei Province, are an example of the blending of Indian Buddhist culture and traditional Chinese culture. With the introduction of Buddhism into China, the patterns began to appear on the statues of grottoes. As one of the most notable features of the Xiangtangshan Caves, the honeysuckle patterns there include Chinese honeysuckles, representing a new type of diversified Buddhist decorative art. They are of high artistic and research value.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Cultures-blend-in-Xiangtangshan-Caves-honeysuckle-patterns-1BavNBsllmw/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Zhangjiajie: The real-life &amp;#039;Pandora&amp;#039; from the movie &amp;#039;Avatar&amp;#039;
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/9cf3783cf9a34d2f9d856b1d15f39e87/9cf3783cf9a34d2f9d856b1d15f39e87.jpeg" alt="Liuqi Pavillion in the snow of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. /CMG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/9cf3783cf9a34d2f9d856b1d15f39e87/9cf3783cf9a34d2f9d856b1d15f39e87.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Liuqi Pavillion in the snow of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. /CMG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Liuqi Pavillion in the snow of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. /CMG</p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/d3d9cde462c24b2aa97f6afc96b94057/d3d9cde462c24b2aa97f6afc96b94057.jpeg" alt="Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in snow and mist in central China's Hunan Province. /CMG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/d3d9cde462c24b2aa97f6afc96b94057/d3d9cde462c24b2aa97f6afc96b94057.jpeg"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in snow and mist in central China's Hunan Province. /CMG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in snow and mist in central China's Hunan Province. /CMG</p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/ec0caae3975f48259ede259424da5c64/ec0caae3975f48259ede259424da5c64.jpeg" alt="Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in snow and mist in central China's Hunan Province. /CMG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/ec0caae3975f48259ede259424da5c64/ec0caae3975f48259ede259424da5c64.jpeg"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in snow and mist in central China's Hunan Province. /CMG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in snow and mist in central China's Hunan Province. /CMG</p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/28a7dd3341f84c0aa5df76aca7d18d0b/28a7dd3341f84c0aa5df76aca7d18d0b.jpeg" alt="Peaks and sandstone pillars inspiring the sci-fi movie " layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/28a7dd3341f84c0aa5df76aca7d18d0b/28a7dd3341f84c0aa5df76aca7d18d0b.jpeg"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Peaks and sandstone pillars inspiring the sci-fi movie "Avatar." /CMG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Peaks and sandstone pillars inspiring the sci-fi movie "Avatar." /CMG</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/6ec86cb5e72b43df9629f9f4341e1c8d/6ec86cb5e72b43df9629f9f4341e1c8d.jpeg" alt="Mist shrouds the sandstone pillars in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. /CMG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/6ec86cb5e72b43df9629f9f4341e1c8d/6ec86cb5e72b43df9629f9f4341e1c8d.jpeg"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Mist shrouds the sandstone pillars in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. /CMG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Mist shrouds the sandstone pillars in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. /CMG</p>
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/3d453224e8264b9ca7e938b47d9124a5/3d453224e8264b9ca7e938b47d9124a5.jpeg" alt="Sea of clouds in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. /CMG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/3d453224e8264b9ca7e938b47d9124a5/3d453224e8264b9ca7e938b47d9124a5.jpeg"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Sea of clouds in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. /CMG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Sea of clouds in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. /CMG</p>
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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/a47e9254603b4463a9165824f9b58183/a47e9254603b4463a9165824f9b58183.jpeg" alt="Peaks and sandstone pillars inspired the sci-fi movie " layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/a47e9254603b4463a9165824f9b58183/a47e9254603b4463a9165824f9b58183.jpeg"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Peaks and sandstone pillars inspired the sci-fi movie "Avatar". /CMG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Peaks and sandstone pillars inspired the sci-fi movie "Avatar". /CMG</p>
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<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/9af16ec02b174fe39af35b396f3ca77b/9af16ec02b174fe39af35b396f3ca77b.jpeg" alt="Sea of clouds in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. /CMG" layout="fixed-height" height="210" lightbox="collection" aria-describedby="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/img/9af16ec02b174fe39af35b396f3ca77b/9af16ec02b174fe39af35b396f3ca77b.jpeg"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Sea of clouds in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. /CMG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Sea of clouds in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, central China's Hunan Province. /CMG</p>
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<p>Amid the mist-shrouded peaks, Zhangjiajie in central China's Hunan Province stands as a masterpiece of nature, with its otherworldly quartz sandstone pillars inspiring the first-ever 3D sci-fi blockbuster: Avatar. </p>
<p>The mysterious and mesmerizing world of Pandora, as envisioned by director James Cameron, draws direct inspiration from Yuanjiajie Scenic Spot, located in the heart of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park within Wulingyuan Scenic Area. Towering with approximately 3,000 quartz sandstone pillars reaching into the sky, this surreal landscape served as the real-world shooting location for the legendary Hallelujah Mountains seen in the film.</p>
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<p>Zhangjiajie is not just a marvel of nature – it is a living, breathing masterpiece of landscape artistry. For centuries, this land has preserved rich geological wonders, folklore and the cultural heritage of the Tujia ethnic group, giving it a unique soul. Mist drifts between the towering peaks, rising and falling like the breath of the earth itself, adding an ethereal, dreamlike quality to the scenery.</p>
<p>In 1992, Wulingyuan was officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, securing its place as one of the world's most extraordinary natural treasures. And in 2004, Zhangjiajie was designated as one of the world's first UNESCO Global Geoparks, recognized as a quintessential representation of quartz sandstone peak forest landscapes. </p>
<p>Today, Zhangjiajie continues to captivate visitors from around the globe, sparking boundless imagination about the harmony between nature and fantasy. Whether standing atop Yuanjiajie's peaks, gazing at the breathtaking landscape, or strolling along Golden Whip Stream, immersed in the serenity of nature, every moment spent there is a conversation with the soul of Earth itself.</p>
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<p>(All images taken by Zhang Hongtao)</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Zhangjiajie-The-real-life-Pandora-from-the-movie-Avatar--1Bm7ZrSbMti/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Animated film &amp;#039;Chang&amp;#039;an&amp;#039; boosts international cultural tourism
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<p>03:18</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Animated-film-Chang-an-boosts-international-cultural-tourism-1Bmhmt0ahos/video/wu_1il5iimnn1g1k53pdj79h918ffa/wu_1il5iimnn1g1k53pdj79h918ffa.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>The animated film "Chang'an" showcases the brilliance of Tang Dynasty (618-907) poets, captivating audiences. The enduring nature of these poems, which are still recited today, has sparked a renewed passion for traditional Chinese poetry and boosted the development of cultural and tourism resources in China. </p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Animated-film-Chang-an-boosts-international-cultural-tourism-1Bmhmt0ahos/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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title: Chengdu makeup artist stuns with bridal looks
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<div data-width="3353" data-height="1876" data-ratio="3353:1876" data-news-id="486164" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Chengdu-makeup-artist-stuns-with-bridal-looks-1BmhTTH84xy/video/wu_1il5j2nn4134oav61hcs1lptpu75to/wu_1il5j2nn4134oav61hcs1lptpu75to.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Chengdu-makeup-artist-stuns-with-bridal-looks-1BmhTTH84xy/video/wu_1il5j2nn4134oav61hcs1lptpu75to/wu_1il5j2nn4134oav61hcs1lptpu75to.jpg" data-title="Chengdu makeup artist stuns with bridal looks" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="3353" data-height="1876" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Chengdu-makeup-artist-stuns-with-bridal-looks-1BmhTTH84xy/video/wu_1il5j2nn4134oav61hcs1lptpu75to/wu_1il5j2nn4134oav61hcs1lptpu75to.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="486164" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Chengdu-makeup-artist-stuns-with-bridal-looks-1BmhTTH84xy/video/wu_1il5j2nn4134oav61hcs1lptpu75to/wu_1il5j2nn4134oav61hcs1lptpu75to.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoCULTURE_GENERAL_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>02:53</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Chengdu-makeup-artist-stuns-with-bridal-looks-1BmhTTH84xy/video/wu_1il5j2nn4134oav61hcs1lptpu75to/wu_1il5j2nn4134oav61hcs1lptpu75to.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>Traditional Chinese looks remain trendy among makeup styles. In Chengdu, makeup artist Chen Shasha not only creates stunning bridal looks, but also teaches the next generation of beauty professionals. Her studio is now a hot spot for those looking to learn the art of traditional Chinese makeup.</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Chengdu-makeup-artist-stuns-with-bridal-looks-1BmhTTH84xy/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Culture

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