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A Buddhist association from the island of Taiwan donated 30 lost relics to the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) at a donation ceremony held at the National Museum of China (NMC) on Monday, showcasing the cultural bonds between the Chinese mainland and the island of Taiwan.

Selected from precious lost artifacts collected from various sources overseas in recent years, the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism, Chunghua donated a total of 30 colored sculptures dating from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the NCHA, according to a document that the NMC sent to the Global Times on Monday night.

About 250 officials and guests from both the mainland and the island of Taiwan attended the ceremony. They pointed out that these artifacts bear witness to the profound historical and splendid and diverse cultural heritage of China. This donation once again underscores the deep-seated love and profound reverence of the island’s people for Chinese culture, the document noted.

Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, expressed appreciation for the efforts of Taiwan compatriots from all walks of life in protecting Chinese cultural relics and inheriting and promoting Chinese culture.

He emphasized that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are all Chinese people, and the magnificent Chinese culture is “our common foundation, pride, wealth, and soul.”

He called on compatriots on both sides to comprehend the overall situation of history, uphold national righteousness, firmly oppose “independence” and promote reunification, so as to unite and advance together and jointly promote the peaceful reunification of the motherland and create a better future for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The Taiwan guests said that Buddhist culture is an important part of traditional Chinese culture and that the collection and protection of these artifacts represent the inheritance of Chinese culture.

This donation event reflects the inheritance of the patriotic feelings of the older generation of venerable monks such as the late Master Hsing Yun by the younger generation. In 2014, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order, donated a national first-level cultural relic, a Buddha head statue from the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577), to the NCHA. The donation ceremony was held at the NMC in March 2016, attracting wide attention from all sectors of society across the Straits, according to the document.

The guests from the Buddhist association hope that the return of these artifacts will bring an opportunity for peace, harmony and unity across the Taiwan Straits. They also expressed their hope for more interactions, exchanges and visits between compatriots on both sides of the Straits, accumulating mutual trust and goodwill, and jointly promoting the revitalization of Chinese culture.

China has had over 1.09 billion netizens by the end of last year, 24.8 million more than the amount in 2022, a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center said on Friday.

The report showed that 2,577 websites and mobile phone applications optimized functions and provided barrier-free services for old and disabled users last year so that these people could benefit more from the internet.

Digital technologies have also been widely applied in public services, such as travel and healthcare, making more people live better lives, according to the report.

The numbers of netizens using online car-hailing and medical services increased significantly last year, up 90.57 million and 51.39 million respectively from December 2022, it said.

In addition, the rapid growth of the internet has stimulated consumption and promoted the sustainable development of the digital economy, it said.

As of December, for example, the number of users making online travel reservations reached 509 million, up 86.29 million from December 2022, it added.

Wang Changqing, an official from the center, said while introducing the report that live streaming platforms have become major channels to advance economic and cultural development.

For instance, in March last year, a large number of internet users watched basketball matches organized by Guizhou province through livestreaming platforms, attracting more people to visit the province and contributing a lot to local tourism, he added.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong established an innovation center on Tuesday that will use artificial intelligence technology to help the city pick those with the potential to be elite athletes in various sports and monitor their recovery from sports injuries.

The Global Sports and Wellness Innovation Centre will apply AI-based automatic retinal image analysis in the sports arena.

The technology, developed by the university in 2015, can provide insights into abilities related to cognition, concentration, physical strength, speed, agility, reaction time, balance and coordination.

The indicators can be factored into predictions of an athlete’s performance in various sports and during competitions, and can also be used to assess minor injuries from concussions during contact sports.

The center also plans to use AI technology to monitor athletes’ recovery from sports injuries, with a view of early intervention and the formulation of recovery plans.

The center was established with cooperation from enterprises and academic institutions in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

The enterprises are AquaBloom International Sports Technology Group, Innovax Holding Ltd, responsible for sourcing capital and resources for the center’s projects, and Funeng Intelligent Manufacturing (Beijing) Technology Service Co Ltd, which is responsible for producing a one-stop manufacturing service — including the production of equipment for taking retinal images.

Carlos Law, Funeng’s deputy general manager, said mass production of the equipment could be realized this year with sufficient funding.

Benny Zee Chung-ying, director of the Centre for Clinical Research and Biostatistics at the university’s Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, said: “The innovation center, an embodiment of industry-university research collaboration, will help Hong Kong’s sports sector to identify elite athletes and bring out their potential while promoting the development of sports-related technology.”

Zee said he hopes the center will also help promote the economy and academic development in Hong Kong.

The development of sports will create jobs and business opportunities and also benefit public health, he said.

Zee said the technology is mature and can identify risks of stroke and depression, so widespread application could benefit the whole world.

Sports technology will be the start, he said, with other sectors such as traditional Chinese medicine to be explored in the future.

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A bag that contained potentially sensitive security plans for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was stolen on Monday from a train at the Gare du Nord station.

Confirming a report by BFM television, police sources revealed on Tuesday that the bag in question belonged to a 56-year-old engineer from Paris City Hall.

In his report to the police, the individual explained that he had placed the bag in the overhead luggage compartment of his seat during his journey around 7:30 pm on Monday.

When the engineer decided to change trains due to a delay, he discovered the theft, realizing that his work computer and two USB drives, which contained data including the municipal police’s organizational plans for securing the Olympics, had been stolen, Agence France-Presse reported.

According to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter who spoke to Reuters, the bag containing the stolen items was taken on a suburban train. However, the sensitivity of the data remains uncertain, as the sources were unable to provide specific details.

The regional transport police have initiated an investigation into the incident, AFP said. To enhance security during the Paris Olympics, due to start on July 26, exceptional measures will be implemented, including the utilization of intelligent, algorithmic video surveillance technologies.

The comprehensive security strategy will involve a daily deployment of approximately 35,000 security force personnel, with 2,000 municipal police officers specifically assigned to safeguard the event.

Paris’ military governor has revealed plans to deploy a temporary camp of 10,000 military personnel in the Bois de Vincennes public park located in eastern Paris, as part of security arrangements for the Olympics.

As a result of these measures, residents can anticipate certain zones being accessible only via QR codes, along with other security restrictions.

The government has further advised Parisians to refrain from having parcels delivered during the Games, which are scheduled to run until Aug 11, followed by the Paralympic Games from Aug 28 to Sept 8.

For the first time in Olympic history, the opening ceremony of the Games will take place outside of a sports stadium. The spectacle of boats carrying athletes along the River Seine is expected to draw as many as 600,000 spectators.

(ECNS) — The Chinese swimming team composed of Pan Zhanle, Wang Haoyu, Li Bingjie, and Yu Yiting won the championship with 3 minutes 21.18 seconds in the final of the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay at the Doha 2024 World Aquatics Championships on Saturday, breaking the Asian record set by the team in the preliminaries.

Traditionally, the Chinese team is not strong at the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay and it had never won a medal in this event at the World Championships before.

This marks the fourth relay gold medal for the Chinese swimming team at the Doha World Championships.

In the preliminaries, the Chinese team’s record was 3 minutes 24.47 seconds, breaking the Asian record previously held by the Japanese team (3 minutes 24.67 seconds),  advancing to the finals in first ranking.

Newly appointed head coach for Team China Branko Ivankovic is aiming at steering Team China to the soccer World Cup finals, and the 70-year-old Croatian hopes the squad can regain confidence to fulfill the goal.

“Our first goal is to get into the next round of qualification, but our ultimate goal is to build a new national team that is strong enough to get into the World Cup finals,” Ivankovic said on Friday at his first media conference as head coach in Tianjin.

“China has been investing heavily in soccer, but the results we have are not satisfying. Asian soccer is progressing fast, but I believe the Chinese team can still have its place in Asia. And the Chinese players are making some progress. I have been observing the squad for a while, and I’m sure they can produce better results.”

Being appointed as the new Team China head coach in late February, Ivankovic’s first task is to lead Team China to victories at back-to-back qualifier matches against Singapore on March 21 and 26. The national team will fly to Singapore for the first qualifier, before heading to Tianjin for a home game.

The length of Ivankovic’s tenure will be dependent on results, with a clause in his contract reportedly allowing the CFA to terminate the deal if the team suffers an early exit in qualification.

The coaching team for the upcoming qualifiers will be a combination of an Ivankovic selection and Chinese coaches.

“I’m very proud to become the head coach of Team China. I believe with the joint efforts of everyone, we can bring better performance and results, which is also the hope of fans,” said Ivankovic.

“The position means great responsibility and challenges to me. With the help of the entire coaching team I hope to meet the expectations of all.”

Team China opened the second round of its World Cup qualifying campaign in November with a 2-1 win over Thailand before losing 3-0 to South Korea, in a match it was not expected to pick up any points in. China currently ranks third in Group C.

“The preparation time for us is very limited. And the Chinese Super League also just started. The players are not at their peaks. We need to have a training camp and adjust our players to their peak conditions,” the coach added.

Former officials in the soccer sector expressed remorse for how their corruption caused disorders in the sector in an anti-graft special aired on Tuesday night.

In November 2022, Li Tie, the former head coach of the Chinese national men’s football team, was placed under investigation.

Subsequently, more than a dozen high-ranking and mid-level officials of the Chinese Football Association came under scrutiny, including Du Zhaocai, former deputy director of the General Administration of Sport of China and former Party secretary of the CFA, and Chen Xuyuan, former president of the CFA.

The disciplinary and supervisory authorities and the public security agencies investigated dozens of individuals, including coaches, players, referees, club executives, and agents.

“Certain activities that seemed commonplace within the soccer circle were, in fact, illegal and criminal,” said Li Tie.

Li’s appointment as the head coach of the national team was attributed to his success in leading two China League One teams to promotion to the Chinese Super League.

However, investigations revealed that behind both instances of promotion, there were substantial instances of match-fixing.

After retiring as a player, Li transitioned to coaching and joined Hebei China Fortune Football Club in August 2015, and the club requested him to use his connections to influence opponents.

“During my time as a player, I detested those who engaged in match-fixing the most. However, because I knew that these actions might help increase our team’s chances of promotion, when I became an independent head coach for the first time, I also had a special desire to prove myself with this mindset,” he said.

Having tasted success through match-fixing at Hebei China Fortune, Li continued to promote match-fixing when he became the head coach of Wuhan Zall Football Club in 2017.

“By gaining ‘success’ through such improper means, it actually makes me more and more impatient and eager for quick results. In order to achieve good performance, I resorted to influencing referees, bribing opposing players and coaches, sometimes through clubs dealing with other clubs. This behavior becomes a habit, and eventually, there is even a slight dependence on these practices,” he said.

Li expressed regret, emphasizing the need to be down-to-earth, take the right path, avoid hasty pursuits of success, and refrain from trying to cut corners.

One significant reason for the rampant growth of corruption in football was the failure of the CFA, which should have taken on a supervisory role.

Over the years, several officials within CFA were involved in corruption and used their authority to help clubs gain undue advantages. Chen Xuyuan pointed out that corruption in Chinese soccer was pervasive and not limited to a specific aspect.

Chen admitted to accepting money from clubs, stating that if he were to crack down on such practices, it would be beating himself; then he just let the disorder go unchecked. Chen recalled that the night before he was elected as the sixth president of the CFA in August 2019, two local soccer association officials visited him, each offering 300,000 yuan ($42,200) as a token of appreciation and seeking his favor.

“They came into my room, casually placed their backpack on my sofa, and said, Congratulations, President Chen. We hope you can take care of us more. When I asked what they were offering, they responded it is just a tradition and they all do it this way,” Chen said.

“While fans could tolerate the backwardness of Chinese soccer, they could not forgive corruption,” Chen said.

As the president of the Chinese Football Association, Chen admitted primary responsibility and extended a deep apology to soccer fans nationwide.

Du Zhaocai, former deputy director of the GASC and former Party chief of CFA, similarly abused his position for personal gain, accepting millions of yuan in gifts and money while turning a blind eye to the irregularities in soccer.

Du admitted to using money and gifts as a common way to facilitate various matters, suggesting that this practice had become somewhat routine. “I also failed to play the role of a ‘goalkeeper’ in the anti-corruption campaign in Chinese soccer. In the midst of the club owners’ pursuit of interests, which was actually a subjective reason, I didn’t exert strict control and, in some cases, went along with the corrupt,” Du said.

On Sunday, infrared cameras in a nature reserve in southwest China’s Sichuan Province captured footage of a wild giant panda mother and her cub hanging out together.　

The video clips showed an adult panda strolling in the woods. She was followed by a panda cub who stumbled into the cameras. The infrared cameras also captured images of snow leopards, antelopes, red pandas, and other wildlife foraging for food.　

(Reported by Liu Gang;　Edited by　Qi Yiling)

　

China’s top women’s ace Zheng Qinwen secured her career-first Grand Slam semifinal berth in Melbourne on Wednesday after beating Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya 2-1 in a quarterfinal clash at the Australian Open.

Currently ranked No 15 this week, Zheng overcame a first-set scare and regained her focus to outlast 75th-ranked Kalinskaya, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-1, in two hours and 20 minutes at Rod Laver Arena to cruise into a major semifinal for the first time in her young career.

Zheng, who made her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the U.S. Open last year, won 10 of the last 11 games of the match to become the third Chinese major semifinalist in history.

She follows in the footsteps of two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na, the winner in Melbourne just 10 years ago, retired star Zheng Jie, who reached the semis at 2008 Wimbledon as a qualifier, and Peng Shuai at the 2014 U.S. Open to become the fourth Chinese woman to make it to the major semifinals.

The result also guarantees that Zheng will make her top-10 debut on the WTA rankings next week after the Aussie Open, making her the second Chinese woman after Li to crack the top echelon. Last month, the 21-year-old was named Most Improved Player of the Year after winning her first two WTA Tour titles in Palermo in July and on home soil in Zhengzhou in October.

“Thanks for letting me know that, nobody told me anything about that,” Zheng said of her top-10 breakthrough during the post-match interview.

“It’s good news for me, another motivation, especially I said last year when I was at the Australian Open that I wanted to be in the top 10. One year later I realized the goal,” said Zheng, who lost in the second round at the 2023 AO.

Opening the match with an obvious big-time nerve, Zheng made a string of unforced errors in the first set, but hit her groove midway through the second, hitting 42 winners, including 10 aces, as she pulled away for victory in the decider.

“She played really well today. Really good baseline strokes. The match was really tough for me,” said Zheng, who will play Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska on Thursday for a final berth at the season-opening major.

“I just try to stay focused, don’t think anything else. I am really excited for the first time for me to be in the semifinals, especially with such a good performance like this,” said Zheng.

(ECNS) — Giant panda Qing Ci died on March 23 due to a rare complication of intestinal intussusception, the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda said on Wednesday.

Qing Ci, a female giant panda, was born at the center’s Hetaoping base in Wolong, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on June 21, 2022.

The panda was diagnosed with an intestinal obstruction on March 2 this year. The center invited experts from West China Hospital and conducted surgery for it on March 5.

Qing Ci experienced a sudden intussusception during recovery, leading to a secondary obstruction.

Emergency surgery was performed on March 17, and the necrotic intestinal segment was successfully removed.

However, despite the care provided by the expert team around the clock, the panda failed to survive.

Intestinal intussusception in giant pandas is a dangerous abdominal emergency with a very short time for intervention.

Qing Ci was the first case of the disorder discovered at the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas in recent years.