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Here is the news. China's new hit TV show, To The Wonder, has made Altai, in the Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region, a new trendy tourism destination among young people who are attracted by the breathtaking views along with the simple and heartwarming lives of the local residents.
Adapted from of Li Wen Shou, a young woman who returned to her hometown in Altai after failing in her dream of becoming a writer and having setbacks at work.
She then found the meaning of life and her love in Altai.
The grassland views and easy lives, depicted in the teleplay, soon made Altai, one of the top -tier tourism destinations, among young people.
The travel portal, Chu Naar, said that from May 7th, the day the TV show began its commercial While airing, flight ticket bookings to Altai rose 20 percent, compared with the same period in the previous month, and hotel bookings doubled during the period on its platform.
Homestay operating and booking platform to Jha said that bookings for homestays in Altai had surged by 200 per cent from May 9 to 15, compared with the same period in April.
Huang Minghu Travel Portal, two news director for tour products in Xinjiang, noted that the best travel season to Altai is usually from August to October, but its peak season will arrive earlier this year, around June, thanks to the impact of this trendy show." He said that Altay enjoys great advantages in developing tourism, featuring breath -taking grassland and lake views, and original and well -preserved villages.
The place is also a popular skiing destination in winter.
It's not the first time in recent years that a hit show has helped turn its location into a popular tourism destination.
Last January, the TV -drama, Meet Yourself, made Dali in the south -western province of Yunnan, a trendy tourism destination.
Citing to The Wonder as an example, Shao Peng, a researcher from travel portal Chunar, said that the local authorities or tourism companies can optimize tourist products combining natural views and cultural elements in Altai to improve visitors' travel experiences.
You're Listening to Special English As temperatures rise, it would be really nice to just chill out with a glass of refreshing Anything Pomegranate Juice, packed with flavour and renowned for its health benefits.
Pomegranate Juice has become a top dietary choice worldwide.
While enjoying this antioxidant -pumped juice, have you ever wondered about the origin of this plant and its symbolism?
The pomegranate flower, a summer marvel, adorns the landscape with its delicate, bell -shaped blossoms painted in vibrant hues of red.
Its unfolding petals, reminiscent of the flaring skirts of a dancer, captivate the senses with their graceful allure.
Over two thousand years ago, pomegranates were brought to China from the West along the ancient Silk Road.
As the fruit's beauty and luscious flavour enchanted the Chinese, it became intricately woven into the cultural tapestry of China.
The vibrant red colour of pomegranates symbolizes joy and a prosperous life, while the abundance of seeds represents fertility and unity.
Among the many tales surrounding pomegranates, one particularly enchanting story emerged from over a millennium ago, during the Tang dynasty.
In this tale, we encounter Sui Yuan Hui, a scholar of the era.
One night, Sui heard murmuring in the garden while he was studying.
Out of curiosity, he ventured out only to see several unfamiliar young women in his garden.
A banquet was under way, while everyone was trying to impress a guest—the Madam of the Fung family, as she was called.
During the banquet this much feared and revered madam accidentally knocked over a teacup, spilling hot tea on a young woman named Shr.
R. Sore. But the madam showed no intention of apologising.
Irritated by her rudeness, Cher Ar -sur quit the effort of pleasing the madam and challenged her arrogance.
The madam was furious and disappeared into a puff of smoke.
The others, bewildered, also disappeared into the wind, leaving Sui Yuan Hui clueless about the whole situation.
The next day Sui Yuan Hui heard a knock on the door and found found, that it was Ah Soor from the previous night, asking for his help.
It turned out that the young women gathered at Sway's garden the night before were none other than the spirits of flowers, and among them was the pomegranate flower, represented by Ah Soor herself.
The banquet's purpose was to appease the Fung madam, guardian of the winds, that buffet blooming blossoms each spring.
But Aasaur obviously messed up the plan.
To make amends to her fellows, Aasaur besieged Hsuei for assistance in protecting her floral companions begins from the harsh winds.
Moved by her plea, Sui follows her instructions, adorning the garden with vibrant red banners to shield the delicate petals.
In appreciation of his kindness, Asaur offered Sui various flower petals to eat, which helped the scholar, live to the age of 100.
Henceforth, the tradition of hanging Hu Hua Fan, literally meaning Flower Protecting Banners, was born, spreading among the people as a testament to Hsui's benevolence.
Aside from this legend, pomegranate flowers hold a significant place in Chinese fashion culture.
During the Tang Dynasty, women favored colorful skirts, particularly the pomegranate red skirt, dyed with the coloring from this flower.
Bright and eye -catching, the pomegranate skirt or shu Liu -Chun in in Chinese, was used to describe enchanting beauties, inspiring poets to wax lyrical about the charm of the red dress.
In folklore, pomegranate fruit symbolizes prosperity and fertility.
In ancient China, pomegranate fruit and items, like pillows, clothes, and handkerchiefs, embroidered with pomegranates, were often given as wedding gifts.
The red hue of the pomegranate flower continues to captivate those who appreciate the color red, which embodies the desire for a vibrant and prosperous life.
After all, who wouldn't want their life to be as vibrant as a pomegranate flower.
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A team of Chinese engineers has developed a new class of soft grippers that allow unmanned aerial vehicles to perform a variety of tasks, such as retrieving a key hanging from an a tree branch, or cleaning up rubbish in the wild.
Currently, drones have rigid grippers that tend to be heavy, have a single grasping mode, and are limited by the shape and size of the object to be grasped.
Researchers from Juzhang University drew inspiration from climbing plants with the remarkable ability to tightly clutch onto branches, or with hook -like structures that enable them to scale the vertical surfaces of tall buildings.
According to a study published in the journal Science Advances, the gripper, inspired by soft tendril climbers is designed for delicate grasping while the one inspired by hook climbers can be used for tasks requiring strong grasping.
The load capacity for a gripper with hook structures is about 29 % more compared to one without such a hook, and it can grasp a maximum weight of approximately 450 grams.
It can grasp common household items like plastic bottles, glass goblets, clamps, and ceramic ornaments.
In an outdoor experiment, a drone flew towards a key suspended from a tree limb, its gripper passed through tree limbs, and managed to firmly grasp the key.
This ability can be useful in environmental protection where it can be deployed for tasks such as gathering rubbish in the wild and removing it from rivers and lakes.
In freshwater ecosystems, manual collection remains the main method of rubbish clean -up which is labor -intensive.
Unlike rigid grippers, the soft and adaptable gripper can absorb vibrations transmitted by drones while allowing an object to rotate or move within the gripper.
According to the researchers, outdoor applications have highlighted the unique advantages of the soft grippers, across a spectrum of challenging environments.
Such grippers can operate effectively, even in cases of low positioning accuracy, reducing the need for complex planning of grasping execution.
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Beijing South railway station will introduce self -driving taxis for shuttle services, indicating the official launch of the first -ever self -driving trial at a high -speed railway station station in the city, according to a notice issued by Beijing's High Level Autonomous Driving Authority.
Companies will offer robo -taxi services on two designated test routes, connecting the Beijing Economic Technological Development Area with Beijing South Railway Station.
The two routes cover a round -trip distance of 32km and 58km, respectively.
The permits come with the precondition that a safety inspector is present to take manual control in case of an emergency.
It is expected that new shuttle options will be available within the year.
Beijing South Railway Station is a comprehensive transportation hub integrating railways, subways, buses and taxis.
It handles almost 300 ,000 passenger trips per day.
The city is expanding the scope of demonstration zones for high -level autonomous driving and promoting the launch of self -driving services at five key railway hubs and two airports.
Previously, Beijing Da Shing International Airport launched the RoboTaxi Service, deploying 40 vehicles from four companies including Pony .ai and WeRide.
According to the global consultancy firm IHS Market, China's self -driving taxi service is expected to reach 1 .3 trillion yuan, about $183 billion US dollars by 2030, accounting hunting for 60 % of the country's ride -hailing market at that time.
By late February, China had more than 20 cities that had launched policies supporting autonomous driving tests, with more than sixty enterprises having obtained test licenses.
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The population of wild tigers and leopards in the northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park has seen a marked increase in recent years.
According to Duan Zhao Gang, Head of the Park Administration, there are currently around 70 wild Siberian tigers, and 80 wild Amor leopards living within the park.
Last year alone saw 20 new tiger cubs and 15 leopard cubs born there.
The distribution range of these big cats has continued to expand, reaching the westernmost edge of the park, with their habitat now covering over 11 ,000 square kilometres, about 80 % of the total area of the park.
The park, formed on the basis of 19 former nature reserves, began its pilot phase in August 2017 as one of China's first five national parks, and was officially established in 2021.
Duan. According to Duan in recent years, habitat restoration projects have been initiated in the park to reclaim and restore 2 ,200 hectares of forest land, alongside ongoing anti -poaching patrols to ensure a high quality ecological environment.
Duane added that the tiger and leopard population is experiencing an accelerated pace of recovery.
In 2015, the number of wild Siberian tigers and Amur leopards in China was 27 and 42, respectively.
The survival rate of wild Siberian tiger and amor leopard cubs in the park has increased from 33 % in 2015 to nearly 50 % now.
Siberian tigers, also known as amor tigers, mainly live in Russia's Far East and Northeast China.
As one of the world's most endangered species, about 500 Siberian tigers are believed to be living in the wild.
Amur leopards, also known as Far Eastern leopards, are also among the most endangered felines in the world.
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China's new hit TV show to the Wanda has made Aldtai in the Xinjiangwega autonomous region a new trendy tourism destination among young people who are attracted by the breathtaking views, along with the simple and heartwarming lives of the local residents.
Adapted from Mai Al Thay, a collection of prose by Li Zhuan, the drama tells the story of Li Wen Shu, a young woman who returned to her hometown in Al Thay after failing in her dream of becoming a writer and having setbacks at work.
She then found the meaning of life and her love in Al Thay.
The grassland views and easy lives depicted in the teleplay soon made Altai one of the top -tier tourism destinations among young people.
The travel portal, Chounar, said that from May 7, the day the TV show began its commercial airing, flight ticket bookings to Altai rose 20 per cent compared with the same period in the previous month, and hotel bookings doubled during the period on its platform.
platform. Homestay operating and booking platform 2JAR said that bookings for homestays in Altai had surged by 200 % from May 9 to 15, compared with the same period in April.
Huang Ming Hu, travel portal 2 news director for tour products in Xinjiang, noted that the best travel season to Altai is usually from August to October, but its peak season will arrive earlier this year around June, thanks to the impact of this trendy show.
He said that Altai enjoys great advantages in developing tourism featuring breathtaking grassland and lake views and original and well -preserved villages.
The place is also a popular skiing destination in winter.
It's not the first time in recent years that a hit show has helped turn its location into a popular tourism destination.
Last January the TV drama meet yourself, made Dali in the southwestern province of Yunnan, a trendy tourism destination.
Citing to The Wonder as an example, Xiaopeng, a researcher from travel portal Chunar, said that the local authorities or tourism companies can optimize tour products combining natural views and cultural elements in Altay to improve visitors' travel experience.
That is the end of today's programme.
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