The world is changing fast, but you can learn it at a slower pace.
Special English You're listening to Special English.
Here is the news. Beijing has a rich ecological landscape with 7 ,121 species across 151 natural and semi -natural ecosystems, according to the city's first -ever biodiversity white paper.
These figures, based on field surveys conducted between 2020 and 2024, demonstrate that Beijing is one of the world's most biodiverse megacities and highlight the city's significant achievements in biodiversity conservation.
Liu Xianshu, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, said that the field surveys documented 151 types of natural and semi -natural ecosystems, including forests, shrublands, grasslands, marshes, and aquatic vegetation.
Liu added that the 7 ,121 recorded species include diverse groups such as algae, higher plants, vertebrates, insects, as well as macro fungi and benthic macroinvertebrates.
You're listening to Special English.
China is set to establish a Unified Cross -Basin Ecological Compensation Mechanism for the main streams of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers by 2027 as part of its broader efforts to improve water environment management.
According to a plan jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and four other government departments, the mechanism will expand to cover the main streams and major tributaries of key river basins, including the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, by 2035.
The system will feature diversified compensation measures, flexible approaches, refined standards and a mature operational framework.
China's central fiscal authorities will play a coordinating and guiding role in implementing this mechanism, ensuring that compensation indicators and funding scales align with the water ecological conservation situation while remaining in place.
fiscally sustainable for local governments.
China first introduced plans for Yangtze and Yellow River compensation mechanisms in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Since then, the country has made significant progress in terms of ecological conservation and restoration of these rivers.
For example, the Yangtze River basin has seen a recovery in aquatic biodiversity following the imposition of a 10 -year fishing ban in 2020.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 344 native fish species were recorded in the river from 2021 to 2024, an increase of 36 species compared to the 2017 -2020 period before the ban took effect.
Meanwhile, the Yellow River, China's second -longest waterway, has also experienced steady ecological improvements, including enhanced water security and environmental quality.
This is Special English.
Almost every morning in Panjin, a city in northeast China's Liaoning province 68 -year -old Yang Yonghua walks to a neighborhood elderly care center accompanied by his son a local barbecue restaurant owner At this care center he socializes, crafts things shares meals and receives therapy with friends.
This is China's burgeoning model of daytime elderly care, a hybrid solution bridging home care and full -time nursing homes.
Dubbed elderly kindergarten, these centres offer a structured schedule.
breakfast, activities, lunch and naps, followed by afternoon therapy, dinner and evening freshening up, all before families return for pick -up.
Young said it's more interesting than home, reflecting the sentiment of many seniors finding unexpected joy in this new routine.
His son, grappling with late night shifts at the diner, found immediate relief after the centre started operation in the summer of 2023.
This shift in terms of elderly care is being propelled by both an urgent need and national policy.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's population aged 60 and over had surpassed 310 million as of the end of 2024, accounting for 22 % of its citizens.
Recognising that many seniors have deep ties to their communities and families, authorities are promoting neighbourhood -based solutions.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs mandated community -level daytime centres offering daily care, meals, hygiene aid, emergency response and companionship.
Local governments have tailored these mandates into concrete services, bathing assistance, medical escort and housekeeping.
The city of Hengshui in north China's Hebei province has integrated businesses and community resources in launching 22 model hubs combining long -term stays, daycare, entertainment and dining for the elderly.
Notably, innovations continue to unfold.
Cities like Beijing and South China's Guangzhou are piloting co -care spaces, merging child care and elder care, supported by free public venues and subsidized utilities.
Experts believe that for people navigating work and filial duty, these daytime havens are more than a convenience.
Instead, they're becoming becoming indispensable threads in the fabric of family life, offering community and care where it matters most, close to home.
You're listening to Special English.
Digital innovation, spanning immersive exhibitions, artifact restoration, and preventative conservation, is reinvigorating China's museums and transforming historical treasures into interactive storytellers.
At the Sanxingdui ruins, a Bronze Age marvel in southwest China's Sichuan province, digital technologies have revolutionized cultural relic restoration.
Among countless unearthed fragments, AI has assisted archaeologists in identifying compatible segments for restoration.
A striking example of technological achievement is a bronze statue depicting a kneeling figure atop a beast crowned with a ceremonial vessel.
By scanning fragments to create 3D models, archaeologists employed AI to analyze geometric patterns, calculate alignment probabilities, and simulate structural stability.
Through this approach, researchers collected fragments from separate excavation sites to reconstruct this sculpture.
China's cultural digitisation agenda gained momentum in 2021, when the central government unveiled a plan to advance the preservation of cultural relics and related technological innovation during the 14th Five -Year Plan period, from 2021 through to 2025 The digital revitalisation of the Ya 'ar Lake Grottos part of the Jiaohe Ruins along the ancient Silk Road in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region further exemplifies China's efforts to preserve and display cultural relics.
Following a 12 -month conservation project, the grottoes opened to the public in April.
Through AR -enabled devices, visitors can immerse themselves in the regenerated murals with the serene countenance of Buddhist deities clear for all to see.
Wang Jiandong, head of the Zhao He ruins administrative office, said that the restoration team achieved high -precision reconstruction of the grotto murals and generated accurate data sets for academic research. Wang added that digital technologies had allowed the team to transcend the long -standing dilemma of whether to preserve relics or display them to the public, while authentically recreating the artistic grandeur of the grottos.
Empowered by digital technologies, museum visitor engagement is undergoing a leap, driving a surge in attendance.
During the recent May Day holiday, over 60 million visitors flocked to museums across China within five days, setting a new record. This is Special English.
Chinese researchers have developed an innovative degradable silicone hydrogel coating that shows exceptional antibiofouling performance in marine applications.
The study, conducted by researchers from East China's Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has been published in the journal Small.
It presents a sustainable solution for combating microbial fouling, a major challenge in terms of marine engineering and underwater infrastructure.
Marine equipment and underwater structures often face serious biofouling problems caused by microorganisms, which can reduce performance, increase maintenance costs and create safety risks.
Current solutions either use highly toxic biocides that harm marine ecosystems or eco -friendly alternatives that have limited effectiveness and durability.
To solve this problem, the research team created a coating by combining a simple Sol -gel method with Schiff -based chemistry.
This approach allowed them to mix different types of monomers, some that resist fouling, others that kill microbes.
and some that make the coating flexible and able to break down over time.
The resulting coating works in four ways to prevent biofouling.
It makes surfaces amphiphilic so organisms can't stick, thick, resists microbial attachment, kills attached bacteria and slowly renews itself as it degrades.
Tests showed that the material is both flexible and long -lasting, with a hardness measurement of 0 .135.
In laboratory experiments, the coating demonstrated outstanding performance, killing 98 .8 % of bacteria and preventing 99 .8 % of microbial attachment.
Yanming Long, the study's lead author, explained that this new coating lasts longer than current options, with an estimated 5 .5 year lifespan when applied at a thickness of 200 micrometres.
According to co -corresponding author Zhao Wenjie, this innovation could significantly improve marine equipment such as ships and underwater structures, while being more environmentally friendly than traditional anti -fouling methods.
The technology may also be useful in medical devices that need to resist bacterial growth.
You're listening to Special English.
That is the end of this edition of Special English.
To recap, I'm going to read two of the news items again at normal speed.
Please listen carefully.
Beijing has a rich ecological landscape, with 7 ,121 species across 151 natural and semi -natural ecosystems, according to the city's first -ever Biodiversity White Paper.
These figures, based on field surveys conducted between 2020 and 2024, demonstrate that Beijing is one of the world's most biodiverse megacities, and highlight the city's significant achievements in biodiversity conservation.
Liu Xianxu, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, said that the field surveys documented 151 types of natural and semi -natural ecosystems, including forests, shrublands, grasslands, marshes and aquatic vegetation.
Liu added that the 7 ,121 recorded species include diverse groups such as algae, higher plants, vertebrates, insects, as well as macro fungi and benthic macro invertebrates.
This is Special English.
Almost every morning in Panjin, a city in northeast China's Liaoning province, 68 -year -old Yang Yonghua walks to a neighborhood elderly care center accompanied by his son, a local barbecue restaurant owner.
At this care center, he socializes, crafts things, shares meals and receives therapy with friends.
This is China's burgeoning model of daytime elderly care, a hybrid solution bridging home care and full -time nursing homes.
Dubbed Elderly Kindergarten, these centres offer a structured schedule – breakfast, activities, lunch and naps, followed by afternoon therapy, dinner and evening freshening up, all before families return for pick -up.
Yang said it's more interesting than home, reflecting the sentiment of many seniors finding unexpected joy in this new routine.
His son, grappling with late -night shifts at the diner, found immediate relief after the centre started operation in the summer of 2023.
This shift in terms of elderly care is being propelled by both an urgent need and national policy.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's population aged 60 and over had surpassed 310 million as of the end of 2024, accounting for 22 % of its citizens.
Recognising that many seniors have deep ties to their communities and families, authorities are promoting neighbourhood -based solutions.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs mandated community -level daytime centres offering daily care, meals, hygiene aid, emergency response and companionship.
Local governments have tailored these mandates into concrete services, bathing assistance, medical escort and housekeeping.
The city of Hangshui in north China's Hebei province has integrated businesses and community resources in launching 22 model hubs, combining long -term stays, daycare, entertainment and dining for the elderly.
Notably, innovations continue to unfold.
Cities like Beijing and South China's Guangzhou are piloting co -care spaces, merging childcare and eldercare, supported by free public venues and subsidized utilities.
Experts believe that for people navigating work and filial duty, these daytime havens are more than a convenience.
Instead, they're becoming indispensable threads in the fabric of family life, offering community and care where it matters most, close to home.
That is the end of today's programme.
I hope you'll join us every day to learn English at a slower pace.
You've been listening to programs from CGTN Radio.
We invite you to visit us online for more audio, pictures, and in -depth reports.
At radio .cgtn .com, you can access a wide range of programs and find your favorite news, talk, features, entertainment shows, and podcasts.
Hear the difference with CGTN Radio.
He can't live without the Yellow River in his eyes.
The Yellow River is so noble and elegant.
Both my grandpa and dad made a living from the river.
Would you like to move away from the Yellow River?
I don't think I will.
I love it so much. The Yellow River, the second longest river in China, is regarded as a shaping force in the history, economy and culture of northern China.
Today, about 100 million people live within its water basin, making up nearly 9 % of the country's population.
How is climate change felt at its headwaters?
and what are the locals doing to cope with it?
What are the descendants of the boatmen doing?
What has kept some people from leaving their home village by the river and what has drawn others back?
Could the fading fishing community revive in a time of digital transformation?
From 2021 to 2024, our reporters visited the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, talk to the herders, farmers, boatmen, fishermen, and eco -activists who share a close bond with the river and present their stories in pictures, podcasts, and videos all in our 12 -part series, The Yellow River Mosaic available only on CGTN Radio
