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Here is the news. High school graduates across China are stepping out of classrooms and into adulthood.
Following the 2025 Gaokao, or the National College Entrance Examination, their enthusiasm is fuelling a vibrant wave of youth spending, known as the post -exam economy.
This year, some 13 .3 million students registered for the Gaokao, forming a substantial consumer force, driving the current post -exam spending boom.
With the exam behind them, these young people are eager to mark the start of a new chapter in their lives.
Among the most popular choices is outdoor travel.
Many graduates have set out to explore the country's vast landscapes, sparking a fresh surge in youth tourism.
According to Chinese travel platform Trip .com, bookings for trips departing between June 9 and June 11 jumped 88 % week on week, as students wasted no time in embarking on their post -exam adventures.
For many graduates, these journeys are far more than simple getaways for rest and relaxation.
That first train or plane ticket they book themselves becomes a youthful declaration of independence.
Concurrently, smartphones, laptops and tablets have become a popular trio of exam rewards from parents, As students gear up for further education, the demand for such college essentials has driven a significant surge in electronics sales.
Beyond travel and electronics, some graduates are focusing their spending on self -improvement, such as learning to drive and beginning fitness training.
At a fitness centre in Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area, specialised courses such as boxing, pilates and functional training have seen surging popularity.
A representative of the gym said that many of the new members are recent graduates hoping to get in better shape before starting university and the gym's membership grew by more than 50 % month on month.
Additionally, many graduates are also using the extended summer break for vision correction and dental treatments.
Data from Chinese e -commerce platform Meituan shows that in the first week after the exam, orders for vision correction surgery surged by 108%, while demand for orthodontics and teeth whitening rose by around 30%.
Post -exam members of Generation Z are the main drivers of this growth.
Long Shaobo, a professor at Chongqing University's School of Public Administration, said that the post -exam economy reflects a vibrant wave of youth -driven consumption, and serves as an important lens for observing trends among young consumers.
A key high -speed railway link in southwest China's Chongqing municipality has officially entered operation, marking a significant step toward establishing a vital transportation artery connecting the country's inland region with its southeastern coast. Recently, a high -speed train departed from Chongqing East Railway Station bound for Qianjiang Railway Station, inaugurating the 242 -kilometre section of the Chongqing Xiamen high -speed railway, Construction on this segment began in May 2020 and it features a maximum speed of 350 km per hour and a daily operational capacity of up to 54 trains.
The Chongqing -Shaman Railway is a major trunk line intended to connect southwest China with the country's southeastern coastal regions.
While the full route remains under construction, the latest opening has completed a critical link between Chongqing and Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan province.
Analysts say this latest progress significantly shortens travel time and strengthens ties between two of China's major regional city clusters.
According to Liu Te with China State Railway Group Company, the just -completed Chongqing to Changsha link, combined with the already operational Ganzhou to Xiamen section and the under construction Changsha to Ganzhou section will form the Chongqing -Xiamen high -speed rail corridor.
Xiamen is an eastern coastal city in Fujian province and the city of Ganzhou is in East China's Jiangxi province.
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The original stage play, Murder on the Orient Express, adapted from one of Agatha Christie's most iconic detective masterpieces will be touring China from October to December this year.
The production is co -produced by Fiery Angel an international company based in London's West End and Shanghai -based Chinese company RTS Entertainment.
Following its premiere in the United Kingdom in 2024 and subsequent tour across the UK and Ireland, the play will make stops in 11 cities across China.
According to RTS Entertainment, the legendary locked -room murder mystery was brought to life by playwright Ken Ludwig.
Performed by a British cast, the production will feature immersive staging that recreates the luxurious train setting.
Last year, RTS Entertainment introduced the original stage play adapted from another Agatha Christie classic, and then there were none, to Chinese audiences.
The production drew an impressive audience of over 63 ,000 attendees across 13 Chinese cities.
China's performance arts market is growing rapidly.
According to data from the China Association of Performing Arts, there were 251 ,700 commercial performance events nationwide in the first half of 2024, 24, marking a year -on -year increase of 30%.
The total number of attendees exceeded 79 million during the period, up by 27 % year -on -year.
The China Conservation and Research Centre for the giant panda said its Shenshui Ping base in southwest China's Sichuan province had welcomed the year's first giant panda cub born in captivity.
The cub was delivered to Ling Lang, a first -time mother.
following a successful natural mating with male panda Ya Xing in early March. Wu Honglin, deputy director of the Shenshu Ping base, said that seven -year -old Ling Lang demonstrated strong maternal instincts.
She adeptly cradles and protects her cub and grooms it carefully.
Veterinary teams continue to monitor the pair who are in good health.
Since the 1980s, the China Conservation and Research Centre for the giant panda has overcome key challenges in captive breeding, steadily growing the population from just six pandas in 1983 to over 380 today.
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A Chinese team led by Nankai University has successfully conducted an interventional human -brain -computer interface experiment on a human patient, a major breakthrough in the technology.
According to Nan Kai's announcement, this less invasive procedure helped a 67 -year -old male patient suffering from paralysis to regain significant limb function.
The patient, who had experienced left -side paralysis for six months due to a cerebral infarction, saw his left upper limb achieve actions like grasping and taking medicine.
This pioneering technique involves implanting a device into the skull via neck blood vessels.
The device, a stent electrode, was guided into the patient's cranial blood vessel wall using high precision imaging.
According to the Nankai team, a wireless transmission and power supply unit were also implanted subcutaneously to collect and transmit brain electrical signals.
After the surgery, the system operated stably without complications such as infection, enabling precise brain signal acquisition and interactive control.
Professor Duan Fung, who led the research, said that this approach significantly reduces surgical risks while maintaining high signal acquisition accuracy and a shorter recovery period.
Duan added that the advance had laid the groundwork for future large -scale adoption and offers new hope for patients with motor dysfunctions like stroke.
It came after Duan's team conducted an interventional brain -computer interface experiment on non -human primates in 2023.
The team's future plans involve recruiting more participants and exploring additional rehabilitation methods.
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A Chinese company has recently rolled out an intelligent laser weeding robot in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province.
According to one of its developers, Hua Gong Technology Industry Company, the robot is equipped with data models covering thousands of crop and weed varieties and an AI -powered vision system, able to adjust its laser intensity to eliminate weeds while sparing crops.
Xiong Bian, AI algorithm lead at the company's research institute, said this robot is expected to replace chemical herbicides known as the number one soil killer.
Xiong added that the The technology, which maintains a weed removal rate of over 95%, aims to eliminate chemical herbicide residues that contaminate soil and water, reducing agricultural pollution at its source.
According to the company, a high -end version of the robot features up to 32 laser heads, enabling it to destroy as many as 320 ,000 weeds per hour, which is four to eight times more efficient than traditional methods that combine manual labour and herbicides.
The recognition and targeting process takes less than five milliseconds from image capture to weed elimination.
The company said the weeding robot had completed algorithm validation trials in test fields in Yunnan and Heilongjiang provinces, and mass production is slated for 2026.
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.
High school graduates across China are stepping out of classrooms and into adulthood, following the 2025 Gaokao, or National College Entrance Examination.
Their enthusiasm is fuelling a vibrant wave of youth spending, known as the post -exam economy.
This year, some 13 .3 million students registered for the Gaokao, forming a substantial consumer force driving the current post -exam spending boom.
With the exam behind them, these young people are eager to mark the start of a new chapter in their lives.
Among the most popular choices is outdoor travel.
Many graduates have set out to explore the country's vast landscapes, sparking a fresh surge in youth tourism.
According to Chinese travel platform Trip .com, bookings for trips departing between June 9th and June 11th jumped 88 % week on week, as students wasted no time in embarking on their post -exam adventures.
For many graduates, these journeys are far more than simple getaways for rest and relaxation.
The first train or plane ticket they book themselves becomes a youthful declaration of independence.
Concurrently, smartphones, laptops and tablets have become a popular trio of exam rewards from parents.
As students gear up for further education, the demand for such college essentials has driven a significant surge in electronics sales.
Beyond travel and electronics, some graduates are focusing their spending on self -improvement, such as learning to drive and beginning fitness training.
At a fitness centre in Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area, specialised courses such as boxing, pilates and functional training have seen surging popularity.
A representative of the gym said that many of the new members are recent graduates hoping to get in better shape before starting university, and the gym's membership grew by more than 50 % month on month.
Additionally, many graduates are also using the extended summer break for vision correction and dental treatments.
Data from Chinese e -commerce platform Meituan shows that in the first week after the exam, orders for vision correction surgery surged by 108%, while demand for orthodontics and teeth whitening rose by about 30%.
Post -exam members of Generation Z are the main drivers of this growth.
Long Xiaobo, a professor at Chongqing University's School of Public Administration, said that the post -exam economy reflects a vibrant wave of youth -driven consumption and serves as an important lens for observing trends among young consumers.
You're listening to Special English.
The original stage play Murder on the Orient Express, adapted from one of Agatha Christie's most iconic detective masterpieces, will be touring China from October to December this year.
The production is co -produced by Fiery Angel, an international company based in London's West End and Shanghai -based Chinese company RTS Entertainment.
Entertainment. Following its premiere in the United Kingdom in 2024 and subsequent tour across the UK and Ireland, the play will make stops in 11 cities across China.
According to RTS Entertainment, the legendary locked -room murder mystery was brought to life by playwright Ken Ludwig.
Performed by a British cast, the production will feature immersive staging that recreates the the luxurious train setting.
Last year, RTS Entertainment introduced the original stage play adapted from another Agatha Christie classic, and then there were none, to Chinese audiences.
The production drew an impressive audience of over 63 ,000 attendees across 13 Chinese cities.
China's performance arts market is growing rapidly.
According to data from the China Association of Performing Arts, there were 251 ,700 commercial performance events nationwide in the first half of 2024, marking a year -on -year increase of 30%.
The total number of attendees exceeded 79 million during the period, up by 27 % year -on -year.
That is the end of today's programme.
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