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Archaeologists in Beijing have announced important discoveries in the recent excavation of the Jienko section of the Great Wall, where a large cannon has been unearthed.
The excavation focused on three beacon towers and their connecting walls, revealing numerous artifacts this year, including weapons, architectural parts and objects of daily use.
That is according to Xiang Heng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Institute of Archaeology, at a press conference on the latest archaeological findings in 2025.
Among these artifacts was a large cannon cast in the late Ming Dynasty, more than 380 years ago, measuring 89 centimeters in length and weighing 112 kilograms the largest artillery piece ever found in this section of the Great Wall.
Shang said that the well-preserved inscriptions on the cannon provide crucial new evidence for research on firearms manufacturing and historical military technology exchange during the period.
Also announced were the research findings of turquoise artifacts at the Xin Gong site, which is a rare settlement dating back to the Xia and Shang period, over 3000 years ago, in Beijing's urban area.
The site, featuring burial grounds, moats and residential remains, has revealed 28 turquoise artifacts.
Analysis indicates the turquoise likely originated from mines at the junction of the provinces of Hubei, Henan and Shanxi, providing key evidence of early cultural exchange in northern China.
That is according to Yang Zhu, a research fellow at the institute.
This is special english.
According to the beijing equity trading center, a specialized board for small and medium-sized enterprises in the chinese capital that developed advanced technologies to produce innovative and unique products, saw its number of listed companies hit 1000 by the end of November,
Among these companies, 221 are recognized as innovative small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs for short, 541 as specialized and sophisticated ones, and 187 as little giant enterprises a designation reserved for top-tier SMEs with high growth potential, cutting-edge technology and a robust competitive edge in the market.
Launched in August 2023 with an initial cohort of 50 firms.
The board is a tailored segment of beijing's equity market specifically designed to support technology driven and innovative smes.
Nearly 90 percent of its listed firms operate in cutting edge fields, including next generation information technology, artificial intelligence biotechnology, as well as advanced manufacturing and new energy.
According to the Beijing Equity Trading Center, to date, Companies on the board have raised over 40 billion yuan, about 566 billion US dollars, in equity financing, ranking among the top nationally in funding scale.
The development of SMEs that use specialized, sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products has been highlighted as a key national strategy.
It was included in the Communist Party of China Central Committee's recommendations for the formulation of the 15th five-year plan for China's economic and social development, spanning from 2026 to 2030.
You're listening to Special English.
China's electronic information sector saw steady growth in the first 10 months of this year.
That is according to data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The value added industrial output of major companies in the sector is expanded 106 percent year on year.
During the period, per the data, their combined operating revenues rose 83 percent to 14 trillion yuan, about 198 trillion us dollars, while total profits increased 128 to 570 billion yuan.
Major companies in the sector are those with main annual business revenue of at least 20 million yuan.
From January to October, China produced 1.02 billion smartphones, up 0.7% from a year earlier.
Its integrated circuit output reached 386.6 billion units. which was a 10.2% year-on-year increase.
This sustained growth comes amid China's continuous efforts to bolster the industry.
In September, China rolled out a plan to stabilize the growth of the electronic information manufacturing sector from 2025 to 2026, setting the target of about 7 for the average added value growth rate of the computer communication and other electronic equipment manufacturing industries.
This is Special English.
China Eastern Airlines Flight MU745 recently touched down in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.
The official launch of the first direct air route between China and Argentina.
The flight departed Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 2.19 a.m.
Beijing time, made a two-hour stopover in Auckland, New Zealand, and arrived in Buenos Aires after a whole flight of about 25 hours and 30 minutes.
Spanning over 20000 kilometers.
The new link has broken the record for the world's longest one-way flight.
China Eastern Airlines plans to operate two round-trip flights per week, departing Shanghai on Monday's and Thursdays and returning from Buenos Aires on Tuesdays and Fridays.
You're listening to Special English.
Watching red leaves has long been a favorite autumn pastime in China.
And the passion for this seasonal tradition is now becoming a powerful economic engine across the country, especially in rural areas.
In Wushan County in southwest China's Chongqing municipality, The 19th Red Leaf Festival is in full swing, with 12 million mu of forests ablaze in vibrant autumn colors, as the festival continues to play a key role in revitalizing the county's tourism sector.
From 1998 to 2006, the county struggled to attract visitors, with annual tourist numbers never surpassing.
A turning point came in 2007 when local authorities, recognizing the county's natural advantage of its red leaves, launched the first Red Leaf Festival.
Since then, the event has grown steadily.
In 2024, Wuxian welcomed nearly 42 million visitors, generating almost 29 billion yuan about US410 million in tourism revenue during the festival.
Hou Yufeng, An expert with the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, said that autumn and winter used to be low seasons for tourism in Wushan and the surrounding areas, but The red leaves transformed the off-season into a peak season, serving as a key driver of the local tourism industry.
The enthusiasm for enjoying these vibrant autumn landscapes can be seen across the country.
Bunxi City In northeast China's Liaoning province, where the colder weather brought an earlier display of red leaves, saw tourist arrivals rise 13 year on year, along with a 14 increase in total tourism revenue during this year's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday period.
This year, Wushan offers visitors a variety of ways to enjoy red leaves.
Travelers can take in the scenery by boat, by road or on foot, while new experiences such as hot air, balloon rides and low-altitude flights provide fresh perspectives on the autumn landscape.
Javier Fernandez, a tourist from Spain, said that seeing the red leaves from so many angles was breathtaking, adding that he not only took a boat tour but joined hiking activities to experience the scenery up close.
In Nanjing City in East China's Jiangsu Province, The Qixia Mountain is currently in the midst of its annual red leaf season.
Beyond the vibrant scenery, Qixia Mountain boasts a rich historical and cultural heritage, which the scenic area is showcasing through a variety of immersive experiences.
Visitors can enjoy historical drama performances and open-air folk music concerts.
In addition, the rental service of traditional Chinese clothing Hanfu allows visitors to fully immerse themselves in the local cultural atmosphere.
The scenic area also introduced a special marketplace featuring local delicacies and red leaf themed handicrafts.
Here visitors can gain a deeper understanding of the mountain's history and unique local traditions.
Red leaves have significantly boosted economic development in China's rural areas.
Liu Zhongmei, A resident of Anjing Village in Wushan County, recalled a time when the village's stunning red leaves went largely unnoticed, saying that back then, these beautiful leaves were simply used as firewood.
Things have changed with the arrival of the festival, which has drawn an influx of tourists to the area.
Villagers have since found creative ways to turn the red leaves into income crafting intricate leaf carvings and opening BBs.
Liu said that a leaf, if made into a carving, can sell for at least 10 yuan.
These red leaf products have become a popular souvenir for visitors.
He Qiongfeng, head of the Statistical Research Institute of the China Tourism Academy, said that in China, most red leaf resources are located in the mountainous rural regions.
Developing the red leaf economy can transform ecological advantages into economic advantages, making it an effective approach to advancing rural revitalization.
That's 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.
According to the Beijing Equity Trading Center, a specialized board for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Chinese capital that develop advanced technologies to produce innovative and unique products, saw its number of listed companies hit 1000 by the end of November.
Among these companies, 221 are recognized as innovative small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs for short.
541 as specialized and sophisticated ones and 187 as little giant enterprises a designation reserved for top-tier SMEs with high growth potential, cutting-edge technology and a robust competitive edge in the market.
Launched in August 2023 with an initial cohort of 50 firms.
The board is a tailored segment of Beijing's equity market specifically designed to support technology-driven and innovative SMEs.
Nearly 90 of its listed firms operate in cutting-edge fields, including next-generation information technology, artificial intelligence biotechnology, as well as advanced manufacturing and new energy.
According to the Beijing Equity Trading Center, to date, companies on the board have raised over 40 billion yuan, about US566 billion, in equity financing, ranking among the top nationally in funding scale.
The development of SMEs that use specialized, sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products has been highlighted as a key national strategy.
It was included in the Communist Party of China's Central Committee's recommendations for the formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan for China's Economic and Social Development, spanning from 2026 to 2030.
You're listening to Special English.
China Eastern Airlines flight MU745 recently touched down in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, marking the official launch of the first direct air route between China and Argentina.
The flight departed Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 219am Beijing time, made a two-hour stopover in Auckland, New Zealand, and arrived in Buenos Aires after a whole flight of about 25 hours and 30 minutes.
Spanning over 20000 kilometers.
The new Link has broken the record for the world's longest one-way flight.
China Eastern Airlines plans to operate two round-trip flights per week, departing Shanghai on Mondays and Thursdays and returning from Buenos Aires on Tuesdays and Fridays.
This is the end of today's program.
I hope you'll join us every day to learn English at a slower pace.
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