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Here's the news. An exhibition featuring hundreds of collections from Greek museums has opened to the public in Beijing.
offering a panoramic view of the history and culture of ancient Greece.
The show entitled, The Greeks, Agamemnon to Alexander the Great, runs until May 18, next year at the Capital Museum of China before moving to its next stop in Shanghai.
The exhibition features 270 items or sets of collections from 14 Greek museums and institutes, including pottery, stone statues and gold artifacts.
Zhang Lixin, director of the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Age Bureau said that more than 90 % of the selected cultural relics for this exhibition are being displayed in Beijing for the first time.
Beijing and Athens have a deep cultural connection.
The year 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of sister -city relations between the two sides.
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China Railway has conducted its first large -scale trial transportation of lithium batteries for electric vehicles.
Recently three trains loaded with lithium batteries departed from Chongqing municipality Sichuan province and Guizhou province all in and southwest China.
For China, the world's largest producer of lithium batteries, this is a major step forward in the transportation of these vehicle batteries which are listed as dangerous goods and were previously transported only by sea or road.
The transport of lithium batteries is risky, as they may burn or explode if jolted.
According to Jia Ping, Deputy General Manager of China Railway Chengdu Group Company, for the trial run the company used a new type of container designed solely for the transport of lithium batteries.
The containers are made of non -combustible materials and equipped with smoke and temperature detectors and venting devices.
Rail transport will facilitate the export of Chinese lithium batteries, as it has a larger capacity than road transport and is faster than sea transport.
The trial has been welcomed by Chinese battery giant CATL.
Liu Jie with The Battery Company noted that rail transport opens up a new channel for the efficient transportation of lithium batteries.
it will boost the battery's exports with lower logistics costs and higher efficiency.
You're listening to Special English The number of international passenger trips handled by Beijing Da Shing International Airport, has exceeded four million this year, doubling the figure for the same period last year.
That is according to the immigration inspection station at the airport.
Wu Nan with the inspection station said that Da Shing airport reached the milestone 47 days ahead of schedule.
Woo noted that the surge in passenger volume is attributed to a recovering tourism market, the implementation of visa -free policies, and an increase in international exchange activities.
Statistics show that as of November 13, the station had processed 452 ,000 trips of foreign travellers, more than three times last year's figure.
Among these, over 142 ,000 inbound foreign traveler trips were made under visa -free policies, while 46 ,000 utilized 144 -hour transit visa -free services.
Da Xing Airport operates flights to 43 destinations across 25 countries and regions in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with plans to further expand its international airline network.
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Chinese scientists have discovered a meteorite crater on a mountain ridge for the first time.
The meteorite craters on Earth are circular depressions formed by the impact of celestial bodies such as asteroids from space.
Meteorites are not only a fascinating presence in nature, but also one of the most important bases for the scientific study of outer space.
According to experts with the Beijing -based Centre for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, so far more than 200 meteorite craters have been identified and confirmed on Earth, But meteorite craters discovered within China are extremely rare.
The newly discovered impact crater is located in the northern mountains in Hialin City, in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
This crater was formed on the ridge of a mountain, with a diameter of 1 ,360 meters, shaped like an elliptical dustpan.
The height difference between the highest point on the rim and the lowest point in the center of the crater is over 100 meters, resembling a large funnel hanging on the ridge, a branch of the Changbai mountains.
Chun Ming, a researcher at the center, noted that this impact occurred in the late Cenozoic era, about hundreds of thousands of years ago.
This discovery helps enrich human understanding of the history of planetary collisions and provides a new perspective for exploring the impact cratering mechanisms and shock metamorphic effects of special terrain and landforms in China.
The findings result has been published in the academic journal, Matter and Radiation at Extremes.
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The global captive population of giant Pandas now stands at 757.
7. That is according to Guang Zhi Oh, head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China.
China has established 67 giant panda nature reserves and the giant panda National Park, covering a combined area of 2 .58 million hectares, and connecting the habitats of 85 % of the country's wild panda population.
Currently the The population of giant pandas in the wild in China is around 1 ,900.
Guan added that China has engaged in giant panda conservation research cooperation with 26 institutions in 20 countries as a result of which 71 cubs have been born.
In the future, China will boost the development of the giant panda national park, build a world class giant panda research cooperation platform, and carry out extensive cooperation and exchanges on giant pandas.
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For people in the northern hemisphere, it is now wintertime.
What special meanings does winter carry for the Chinese people?
winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates between autumn and spring.
To the ancient Chinese people who mainly dwelt in the Yellow River Basin that had temperate climate, winter was always freezing cold and the whole world seemed to be quiet and lifeless.
Undoubtedly the season speaks quietly of endings and termination.
That could well explain why the Chinese character of winter dong was developed from the hieroglyph depicting the meaning of ending.
From From this linguistic origin, winter has acquired rich cultural connotations in Chinese tradition, inspiring customs and practices passed down through generations.
as one of the four solar terms marking seasonal transitions.
The beginning of winter claims an important position in the Chinese culture.
It fell on November enjoy the harvest, as well as to take a good rest and recuperate to hope for prosperity and auspiciousness of the coming year.
In ancient China, the beginning of winter was always celebrated as a big festival with some sacrificial activities.
At the end of the year, people would pay tribute to their ancestors and reward themselves for the hard work of the past year with banquets.
It was also a time to pray for the harvest of the year ahead.
The Chinese have a long -standing tradition of adapting their lifestyle to seasonal changes.
Winter, when plants wither, animals hibernate, and life slows down, is seen as a time for humans to rest and nourish the body.
In South China, winter dishes like stewed duck with ginger and sesame oil chicken are popular.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, these dishes are warming, nutritious, and ideal for cold weather.
Meanwhile, in North China, dumplings qiaozi take center stage.
The word qiaozi sounds similar to terms, meaning the meeting of two seasons, making it a fitting dish to celebrate the transition from autumn to winter.
The beginning of winter is just a start for the Chinese people to celebrate the season of winter.
The climax would arrive on the day of winter solstice, when the coldest time of the year is right at the threshold.
Many poems have been composed throughout the Chinese literary history, to mark the beginning of winter.
Here I pick one to share with you.
It was composed by a poet named Qio Yuan in the Song Dynasty.
The drizzle has brought the coldness but no frost, with trees in the courtyard half green and half yellow.
Since the spring is not far away from now, I might find somewhere the fragrance of the plum blossoms.
Are you familiar with this poem?
especially the last two lines.
I remember in the British poet Percy Bish Shelley's most famous poem, Ode to the West Wind, Shelley finished the poem with the line of if winter comes can spring be far behind.
See both the Chinese and western poets share the same emotion toward the winter season.
Although it might be cold and lifeless, It is nevertheless both the end of the year and the beginning of a new year.
In traditional Chinese philosophy, the seasons symbolize stages of life.
If spring represents sprouting, summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter storage.
Beneath winter's cold and quiet surface lies the promise of renewal and vitality.
Probably, it is also good for people to keep a peaceful and quiet mind and enjoy this time for reflection and meditation, for thinking of the past year and hoping for the best in the New Year.
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That's the end of this edition of Special English.
To recap, I'm going to read one of the news items again at normal speed.
Please listen carefully.
China Railway has conducted its first large -scale trial transportation of lithium batteries for electric vehicles.
Recently, three trains loaded with Lithium batteries departed from Chongqing Municipality, Sichuan Province and Guizhou Province, all in southwest China.
For China, the world's largest producer of lithium batteries, this is a major step forward in the transportation of these vehicle batteries, which are listed as dangerous goods and were previously transported only by sea or road.
The transportation of lithium batteries is risky as they may burn or explode if jolted.
According to Jia Ping, deputy general manager of China Railway Chengdu Group Company, for the trial run the company used a new type of container designed solely for the transportation of lithium batteries.
The containers are made of non -combustible materials and equipped with smoke and temperature detectors and venting devices.
Rail transport will facilitate the export of Chinese lithium batteries as it has a larger capacity than road transport and is faster than C transport.
The trowel has been welcomed by Chinese battery giant CATL.
Liu jie, with the battery company, noted that rail transport opens up a new channel for the efficient transportation of lithium batteries.
It will boost the battery's exports with lower logistics costs and higher efficiency.
This is the end of today's program.
I hope you'll join us everyday to learn English at a slower pace.
