The world is changing fast, but you can learn it at a slower pace.
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Here's the news.
The Shanghai Stock Exchange has released the names of the first group of enterprises listed on a SciTech growth tier on the country's NASDAQ-style Science and Technology Innovation Board, also known as the Star Market.
This move came after the China Securities Regulatory Commission Securities Regulator announced the setting up of the SciTech growth tier on June 18th this year, aiming to provide better support for high-quality tech enterprises that were not yet profitable.
Li Chao, vice chairman of the commission, said that the latest move marks a solid new step forward in the capital market's support for technological innovation and the development of new quality productive forces.
Li noted that since June, the star market has been steadily advancing reforms, including the establishment of the SciTech growth tier and the pilot introduction of senior professional institutional investors and pre-review mechanisms.
Wu Qing, chairman of the commission, said that the China Securities Regulatory Commission will steadily expand high-level institutional opening up, enhance investor rights protection and strive to improve the inclusivity adaptability, attractiveness and competitiveness of China's capital market.
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Amid rhythmic work songs, a group of craftsmen passionately demonstrated the traditional art of Chinese wooden house construction, their energy electrifying an ordinary Saturday night in a mountainous county in southwest China.
This vibrant scene unfolded on stage during village galas, entirely directed and performed by locals in Songtao Miao Autonomous County in Guizhou Province.
A local resident exclaimed as performers built a house in just 10 minutes.
Nestled in the Wuling Mountains, Song Tao is home to a large Miao population nearly half of its residents and boasts nearly 200 items of intangible cultural heritage.
To celebrate the county's rich ethnic traditions, the local government has organized weekly Saturday events since March, encouraging villagers from across the county to participate in friendly performance competitions.
The growing popularity of village galas has attracted an increasing number of young.
Twenty-nine-year-old Long Fei began working as the deputy director of Xiangshui Dong Villages Committee in 2022.
Her village gathered more than 90 residents to perform a piece called based on the migration history of the Miao ethnic group.
Long said what impressed her most was the unity the event fostered.
As a single message sufficed to mobilize everyone.
Any disagreements were resolved during practice and all were.
Another young returnee, Long Ling, a 2016 dance graduate from Guizhou Education University, has infused new vitality into cultural preservation in her hometown.
Long said that the western regions are brimming with untapped opportunities enabling her to integrate her expertise with hometown development.
The popularity of these galas has also revitalized the local economy.
Songtao's Pan Shi Township incorporated performances to a scenic area, attracting tourists from neighboring provinces and ranking second in visitor growth in Tongzheng City, which administers Songtao.
Data shows that village galas have generated over 12 million yuan about 169 million US dollars in additional revenue for Songtao, including tourism spending, since their launch in March, while creating jobs for more than 1000 people.
Digital platforms have amplified the reach of these galas.
As of September, Song Tao hosted over 30 live streams, with a single session attracting up to 185 million viewers.
On Douyin, China's popular short video platform, the hashtag Songtao Village Galas has amassed more than 600 million views.
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There were about 471 million 5G base stations in China by the end of September, amid the country's efforts to strengthen its cyber infrastructure.
According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, The figure represents a net increase of 455000 from the end of last year.
China's telecommunications sector maintained steady growth in the first three quarters of the year, with an increasing number of Chinese mobile phone users adopting 5G services.
By the end of September, The number of 5G mobile phone users among the country's three major telecommunication enterprises and China Broadnet had neared 12 billion per the data.
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China's instrument industry has solidified its status in the international market by leveraging both traditional craftsmanship and smart technology.
At the recent Music China 2025 exhibition in East China's Shanghai, Exhibitors showcased innovations like a headless electric guitar with built-in chips and audio algorithms for high definition sampling, and an electronic keyboard with next generation sound sources and smart interfaces providing all-in-one solutions for performance and songwriting.
China has long been a global powerhouse in musical instrument manufacturing and exports.
Its position has been reinforced through innovation and strategic adaptions, as highlighted at the exhibition in Shanghai this year.
According to the China Musical Instrument Association, the industry's export value grew by 85 to 22 billion last year.
A key driver of this growth was the smart instrument segment, which emerged as a standout in 2024, with revenue of 56 billion yuan, around 797 million us dollars.
Smart instruments, Defined as devices blending traditional features with digital technologies like AI, include products such as smart electric pianos, electronic keyboards, stringless guitars, air drum sets and smart guitars.
They offer functions like automatic accompaniment and real-time error correction, thus significantly lowering learning barriers and enhancing musical expression.
The integration of AI, Internet of Things and cloud computing is reshaping the entire value chain of instruments research and development, manufacturing and consumption in China.
The business model is evolving from mere hardware sales to a comprehensive approach encompassing hardware software, content and community.
According to the Association, some smart instruments retail between 2000 and 5000 yuan, with high-end smart pianos reaching the 10000 yuan tier.
This digital trend is poised to influence global market dynamics and music industry ecosystems in the coming years.
An industry expert at the exhibition said that in the future, professionals in the instrument industry will largest instrument trade platform, Music China 2025, organized by the China Musical Instrument Association in collaboration with international partners, attracted almost enterprises from 28 countries and regions.
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A scientific expedition team has returned home to China after completing an Arctic survey supported by the Tan Suol research ship and the Fen Dou Zhi deep sea manned submersible.
During the survey, Fen Dou Zhi, meaning striver in English, completed 43 successful dives and performed joint underwater operations in the region with another Chinese submersible Jialong, which previously completed China's first dive under Arctic ice.
Carrying Fendouzhi Tansuo III departed from Sanya in South China's Hainan Province on July 22nd to undertake the survey, which was arranged by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Over a 56-day period in the Arctic Ocean, the team carried out a series of scientific survey operations, including the world's first manned deep dive exploration of the Gackal Ridge in the Eurasian Basin, where sea ice coverage exceeds 80.
The dive reached a maximum depth of 5,277 meters.
Feng Douzhi collected valuable water sediment, rock and organism samples, as well as extensive observational data.
Its findings are expected to support in-depth research on rapid Arctic climate change and the adaption mechanisms of polar life.
The mission validated the operational capabilities of both Fandouzhi and Tansuo-3 in polar ice zones by pioneering a mobile ship submersible coordination dive model for areas with dense ice coverage.
China has become the first country to conduct continuous manned deep-sea dives in the heavily ice-covered Arctic Ocean.
During the expedition, the deep-sea team manning Jialong completed more than 10 dives in the Arctic.
Jiao Long and Feng Dou Zhi coordinated on underwater tasks, including search, mutual positioning and dynamic filming operations.
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Southwest China's Sichuan Province has passed the country's first local regulation dedicated to the protection and utilization of ancient books.
That is according to the Standing Committee of Sichuan Provincial People's Congress.
The regulation will take effect on January 1st.
This landmark legislation addresses long-standing gaps in ancient literature work by providing a specialized legal framework.
As a major province for ancient books, Sichuan boasts extensive collections, including over 187 million volumes of Han Chinese ancient books and approximately 500000 volumes of minority ethnic ancient books.
Among these 246 items are listed In the National Catalogue of Precious Ancient Books.
The 34-article regulation establishes clear responsibilities for authorities and outlines measures for preservation, restoration and utilization.
The move is in response to the guideline issued by the General Offices of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council in 2022, which encouraged local legislation on ancient literature work.
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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.
Amid rhythmic work songs, a group of craftsmen passionately demonstrated the traditional art of Chinese wooden house construction energy electrifying an ordinary Saturday night in a mountainous county in southwest China.
This vibrant scene unfolded on stage during village galas, entirely directed and performed by locals in Songtao Miao Autonomous County in Guizhou Province.
A local resident exclaimed as performers built a house in just 10 minutes.
Nestled in the Wuling Mountains, Songtao is home to a large Miao population nearly half of its residents and boasts nearly 200 items of intangible cultural heritage.
To celebrate the county's rich ethnic traditions, the local government has organized weekly Saturday events since March, encouraging villagers from across the county to participate in friendly performance competitions.
The growing popularity of village galas has attracted an increasing number of young town working as the Deputy Director of Xiang Shui Dong Villages Committee in 2022.
Her village gathered more than 90 residents to perform a piece based on the migration history of the Miao ethnic group.
Long said what impressed her most was the unity the event fostered as a single message sufficed to mobilize everyone.
Any disagreements were resolved during practice and all were committed to the performance's success.
Another young returnee, Long Ling, a 2016 dance graduate from Guizhou Education University, has infused new vitality into cultural preservation in her hometown.
Long said that the western regions are brimming with untapped opportunities enabling her to integrate her expertise with hometown development.
The popularity of these galas has also revitalized the local economy.
Songtao's Panshi Township incorporated performances to a scenic area, attracting tourists from neighboring provinces and ranking second in visitor growth in Tongren City, which administers Songtao.
Data shows that village galas have generated over 12 million yuan in additional revenue for Songtao, including tourism spending, since their launch in March, while creating jobs for more than 1000 people.
Digital platforms have amplified the reach of these galas.
As of September, Songtao hosted over 30 live streams, with a single session attracting up to 185 million viewers.
On Douyin, China's popular short video platform, the hashtag Songtao Village Galas has amassed more than 600 million views.
This is the end of today's program.
I hope you'll join us every day to learn English at a slower pace.
Shh, listen up.
Can you hear the heartbeat of our world?
It's vibrant and pulsating with the essence of life itself.
From the stem of trees to the gurgle of rivers.
From the silent strength of mountains to the icy whispers of glaciers.
Even the solid ground beneath our feet.
And right there, in the midst of all beats the heart of humanity.
What if those other heartbeats were to stop?
Would ours keep on ticking?
