Editor's Note:

How can art and culture from the past survive in a globalized world? Inheriting the treasure of art and culture from the past thousands of years, young Chinese have created a new trend - Guochao, or China chic. It refers to a movement started by an increasing number of young people who are endeavoring to revive and reinvent China's traditional culture.

We can see fashion designers drawing inspirations from the precious murals inside the Yungang Grottoes, and traditional instrument players creating all new trendy music on pipa. These young Guochao trendsetters have helped China's cultural legacies be passed down and preserved for future generations.

In this series, we will interview young people who are using wisdom and creativity to reinterpret traditional Chinese culture in their particular field of expertise. This time, Global Times reporters Sun Langchen and Li Hang focused on two young women's efforts to revive the timeless crafts. From vibrant Chaozhou crochet revival to the timeless elegance of qipao, a close-fitting woman's dress with high neck and slit skirt, traditional crafts are finding new life and global appreciation.
Combining tradition with modern design

As crochet hooks rhythmically traverse yarn, vibrant and lifelike patterns emerge, showcasing the traditional Chaozhou crochet technique. This unique art form, known for its intricate lacework, has been a staple in Chaozhou, South China's Guangdong Province, for generations.

Chaozhou crochet is a traditional craft from the Chaoshan region. Using just a single crochet hook and three basic techniques, intricate patterns can be woven. Known for its flexibility and convenience, with no limitations on where it can be practiced, crocheting became a popular way for many women in Chaozhou to supplement their household income during the 1980s and 1990s. In 2014, Chaozhou embroidery was included as part of the fourth batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage listings.

Huang Jiayu is a native of Chaozhou born in 1990. She grew up surrounded by women skilled in crochet. According to Huang, during the off-season for farming, local villagers would fulfill orders, with much of their handcrafted lace exported overseas, supplementing their income.

Huang's father opened a crochet factory, and her childhood was filled with memories of aunts working on orders at home.

"Some items with bright red and green colors were destined for Africa; the vividly colored bikinis mostly went to Europe and America; orders from Japan tended to be more nature-inspired, with lower color saturation," Huang said.

However, upon graduating from university in 2014, Huang discovered that the family business was on the brink of bankruptcy, as machinery had begun to overshadow traditional craftsmanship.

"It would have been a real pity if my parents had to close their crochet factory. The ladies working there would have lost their jobs, and their families also rely on that income," Huang recalled.

Determined to preserve this traditional art form, she began to sell her crochet designs while traveling in Southwest China's Yunnan Province. To her surprise, her creations quickly gained the favor of young people.

Returning to Chaozhou a year later, Huang rallied the local crochet aunties to form the "Crochet Team," combining their skills to innovate and rejuvenate the craft. The average age of the team members is about 50 years old.

"The aunties are very familiar with these traditional crafts, but they haven't independently designed any products. They tend to have more traditional ways of thinking, so it takes longer to refine products to fit the current market. Our ways of thinking are different," Huang said.

Take a smiley face, for instance: They think a mouth that curves downward or outward is basically the same. But in reality, the specific expression of an emoji can give people very different impressions, she noted.

Huang's vision is to break away from conventional designs and introduce vibrant, three-dimensional elements to her creations.

"Traditional crochet designs often seemed outdated in contemporary fashion," Huang said. "Combining diverse, modern designs with traditional techniques is crucial to stay relevant today."

Huang draws much of the inspiration for her work from life. When she encounters something she likes or a captivating color combination, she consciously incorporates it into her crochet designs.

Bikinis, earrings, backpacks… Huang is well-versed in crochet products. With spring approaching, she has designed the "Spring Bloom" series, featuring earrings inspired by canola flowers, angelica flowers, and goji berries to add a touch of spring vitality for youthful girls.

After watching a documentary about the ocean, she was inspired to create the "Coral Reef" series, using colors derived from underwater fish and seawater to bring a refreshing coolness. The "International Women's Day" series, characterized by square shapes and orange tones, encourages everyone to break free from conventions and be true to themselves. These refreshing crochet products, sold online across the country, are particularly popular among young customers.

While they were initially skeptical about whether Yang's designs would catch on or generate sales, the thriving online store business proves that their choice was the right one.

Huang also includes a signed card from the maker with each product, creating a personal connection between customers and creators.

She frequently shares customer's reviews and comments with the aunties, allowing them to enjoy the feedback and share in the customers' appreciation and joy.

In June, an exhibition featuring works by Huang and her team was held in Shanghai. Among the items was a vividly colored, fully hand-crocheted dragon that drew gasps of awe from many visitors.

"I love witnessing the connections between people through art that combines traditional symbols with fresh, modern forms. The first expression of amazement when people see the works is always the same," she told the Global Times.
Revising cultural appropriation

Heather Guo, a 23-year-old entrepreneur, is making a significant impact on the appreciation of traditional Chinese fashion through her boutique, the Xiangjiang Silk Company, located in Manhattan's West Village in New York City. Named after Hong Kong's alternate name, Xiangjiang, the store is dedicated to preserving and celebrating qipao, a traditional dress that takes inspiration from the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people.

Guo's journey into the world of qipao began serendipitously when she encountered a collection of vintage qipao in a New York gift shop. These garments, relics of Hong Kong's golden era of fashion, were woven from silk and adorned with intricate patterns.

"They were densely woven, often featuring intricate patterns," Guo told the Global Times.

As more and more people grew interested in qipao, she gained a passion for preserving and celebrating it.

The history of qipao is a tapestry of cultural evolution and craftsmanship. It traces its origins back to the traditional attire of the Manchu ethnic group, who ruled China during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Qipao was originally designed for men. In the 1920s, as feminist consciousness rose, Chinese women embraced qipao, transforming it into a form-fitting, figure-flattering dress.

However, it may be surprising that over time, this trend became Westernized and continuously intersected with Western fashion trends.

"It is distinctly Chinese, yet it has not developed in isolation, as it has always drawn from foreign clothing trends. China and other countries have always maintained cultural exchanges," Guo noted.

It is also worth noting that despite this historical background, qipao's role as a symbol of Chinese cultural heritage has often been misunderstood or appropriated in popular Western culture. Even now, some may acknowledge that it has been commercialized as part of the "Eastern dream," a trend that sometimes overlooks its cultural roots and significance.

Some may even think that qipao has the same origin as the kimono, a traditional item of clothing from Japan.

Many foreign interpretations of the qipao reduce it to mere exoticism, failing to recognize the depth of its historical and cultural context.

"You can only embrace a culture when you really understand it," Guo said, noting this kind of foreign interpretation is "cultural appropriation."

Guo's dedication to preserving the authenticity of the qipao is evident in her approach to both vintage and contemporary designs. At Xiangjiang, she refuses to alter vintage dresses, honoring them as perfect representations of past wisdom and style.

"Each vintage qipao in our store is unique, reflecting the personal choices of its original owner," she emphasized.

Her commitment also extends to creating new qipao designs that respect traditional techniques while integrating modern fashion concepts for greater comfort and inclusivity.

Guo's improvements include replacing the wide and very visible iron zippers with modern invisible zippers. Some complex and difficult-to-wear styles, like the shoulder-opening qipao, were hard to fasten and wear, and people were unwilling to wear such inconvenient clothing, so there was no need to keep these complicated designs.

However, "The New Chinese style must originate from the Old Chinese style, without the Old Chinese style, the New Chinese style is like water without a source," she noted.

The fabrics Guo chooses to use still adhere to the framework of the 1950s and 1960s, avoiding overly modern materials. The workshop, staffed by four tailors, produces around 150 dresses per month using high-quality silk from Hangzhou.

By introducing vintage qipao while designing new qipao, Guo highlights the importance of understanding and respecting the cultural background of traditional garments through education.

A lack of understanding often leads to the superficial use of traditional elements without genuine appreciation, which she has encountered in her sales experience.

Once a seller from New York received vintage qipao dresses from a Chinese lady who had given them to the seller's granddaughter. The way she sold them caused a heated dispute to erupt between her and her granddaughter.

"The granddaughter told me the seller just labeled it a 'simple Chinese dress' and sold it without her permission," Guo said. "It's of course not just a simple Chinese dress, even her granddaughter knew that."

One significant acquisition for Guo's store was a collection of qipao dresses from a diplomat's wardrobe.

These garments, initially sold off without regard for their cultural value, highlighted the need for deeper respect and understanding.

At Xiangjiang, Guo also creates an immersive experience that connects visitors with the rich history and craftsmanship of these garments. Her boutique features vintage items and decor that evoke a sense of nostalgia and cultural appreciation, making each visit a journey through time and tradition.

Now Guo has opened a store in Shanghai, her hometown, for qipao fans in China who'd also like to gather one of these precious pieces of culture. Looking ahead, Guo intends to open a new store in London, the UK and increase cultural outreach to others about the true essence of qipao.

"I want to continue to share the beauty and significance of qipao as a symbol of Chinese culture and heritage," she said.

The Palace Museum in Beijing is fighting ticket scalping in order to provide an orderly visit experience for tourists, as it recently disclosed that during some peak hours of visit, 99 percent of ticket buyers turned out to be ticket scalpers. 

This UNESCO World Heritage site revealed to the public its anti-scalping measures and its back-end system to ensure fair chance of acquiring a ticket for the first time.

In response to the overwhelming demand, the Palace Museum plans to maintain reception capacity at 40,000 people on weekdays, the number of tickets will be increased by about 25 percent to improve accessibility for visitors during the summer.

This initiative, announced by the museum's Information Technology Department, aims to enhance accessibility during the busy summer months and will be extended to future peak periods, such as the National Day and May Day holidays. 

Additionally, the museum will continue to offer free admission to underprivileged groups, including minors, people with disabilities, active military personnel, and firefighters, ensuring these communities have access to the attraction.

With the summer vacation season in full swing, Chinese families nationwide are eager to explore the country's top cultural landmarks. 

However, many travelers are struggling to secure tickets to the Palace Museum. Recent reports indicate that scalpers have been reselling tickets for as much as 1,100 yuan ($154), with some walk-in reservations skyrocketing to 1,600 yuan. 

In stark contrast, tickets sold through the museum's official booking system are priced at just 60 yuan for the summer season.

To uphold fairness and protect consumer rights, the Palace Museum is implementing measures to isolate ticket inventory for travel agencies and individual visitors, thus preventing travel agencies from monopolizing tickets intended for the general public. 

A timed ticket release strategy will also be introduced to further combat automated ticket grabs, allowing tickets to be sold in batches at fixed intervals during high-demand periods.

To thwart scalpers, the museum's risk control engine operates at high speed every day. During the summer season, over 99 percent of ticket requests come in within a single peak hour. 

Market authorities have made it clear that using software to quickly purchase tickets for resale is a criminal offense, and emphasized their commitment to ongoing efforts to ensure fair access for all museum visitors.

Chinese soccer fans have taken to social media to express their gratitude to Singapore's goalkeeper for preventing Thailand's landslide victory, and thus keeping China's World Cup hopes alive by the narrowest of margins.

China managed to advance to the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup despite a 1-0 loss to South Korea. 

Thailand, who finished the group with the same number of points and goal difference as China, missed out the next stage with an inferior head-to-head record. 

Having to beat bottom side Singapore by three goals to edge past China into second place in Group C, Thailand could only win 3-1 at home as Singaporean goalkeeper Hassan Sunny's performances helped China squeeze into the third qualification round.   

Singaporean forward Ikhsan Fandi's equalizer in the second half put the Thais on the brink and 40-year-old Sunny pulled together 11 saves in the game, preventing Thailand from scoring more goals. During the stoppage time, he even received a yellow card in the 95th minute for time-wasting.

After the game, Sunny's personal social media account has been inundated with thank-you messages from Chinese fans. The goalie runs a stall selling Malaysian coconut milk rice in Singapore. Some Chinese fans posted the pictures and address of Sunny's stall, calling for Chinese tourists to visit the stall and give it a "five-star review." His stall was flooded with visitors on Wednesday. 

Some netizens reportedly posted the payment QR code of Sunny's stall online and made payments to show their support and gratitude.

In response to Chinese fans' gratitude, Sunny said "Thank you, China" during a short video filmed by his teammates after the game. One of his teammates said in the footage that "He saved China."

The social media accounts of the Singaporean Embassy to China and of the Singapore Tourism Board on China's X-like Weibo also received a great deal of thank-you messages from fans. 

"Thank you Singapore for your fair play. I would love to travel to Singapore," wrote one Weibo user. 

Eighteen teams will be divided into three groups for the third qualifying round in Asia, where the top two teams of each group will secure automatic spots for the 2026 World Cup. Two more teams will earn direct entry to the World Cup from a fourth qualification stage and another will go into intercontinental playoffs for a spot at the global soccer showpiece.

With the lighting of the Olympic flame in Paris on Friday night, the world has officially entered Olympic time. At this very moment, the Chinese delegation has been fully prepared for this grand event. 

Chinese athletes are intensively preparing in various locations, from the athletics track to the swimming pool, from the gymnastics hall to the shooting range, with each training venue brimming with the sweat of their hard work.

Table tennis, China's national sport, carries some of the highest expectations of Chinese spectators. This time, veteran Ma Long will serve as the flag bearer for the Chinese delegation at the Olympics. Ma, also the men's team captain, said that this role has given him great confidence and encouragement. 

"Over the years, our predecessors have laid a solid foundation through their efforts, and now the baton has been passed to our generation. I hope to continue this legacy and tell the story of the spirit of Chinese table tennis and the spirit of Chinese sports at the Paris Olympics," Ma told media, according to a report by the Beijing Youth Daily on Thursday. 

Ma is aiming for his sixth Olympic gold medal in Paris.

Another highly anticipated team is China's diving team, known as the "Dream Team." On July 21, the Chinese diving team arrived at the Paris Olympic Village. Just a few hours later, the entire team completed their first training session at the aquatic sports center, making their final push.

Chinese gymnastics team departed from Beijing on July 18, starting their journey to the Paris Olympics. In Tokyo three years ago, the Chinese gymnastics team won three individual event gold medals. This time, they aim to defend their titles in their strong events while seeking breakthroughs in team events in Paris.

To better acclimatize for training, the Chinese swimming team arrived in Paris on July 6. The team consists of 31 athletes, including 18 female and 13 male swimmers, featuring Olympic champions such as Zhang Yufei and Ye Shiwen.

The total size of the Chinese sports delegation for the Paris Olympics is 716, including 405 athletes (136 men and 269 women) and 311 officials and support staff. The athletes' average age is 25, with the oldest being 37-year-old race walker Liu Hong and the youngest being 11-year-old skateboarder Zheng Haohui. The delegation includes 42 Olympic champions, and 223 athletes are making their Olympic debut.

China wins men's 4x100m medley relay gold at Paris Olympics

In the vibrant atmosphere of the Paris Olympics, while the spotlight shines on the athletes, a group of unsung heroes works tirelessly behind the scenes--the Olympic volunteers. 

This year, out of 300,000 applicants, around 45,000 were chosen as volunteers, with 20 percent hailing from approximately 150 countries.

Donning bright green uniforms, these volunteers are easy to spot amid the purple venues. They offer assistance to spectators and media alike, making them a vital part of the Olympic experience.

On my first day at the press center, I encountered a technical glitch with my media system account. Thankfully, Chinese volunteer Guo Xiaofan came to my aid. 

"I hope to improve my language, communication skills, and problem-solving methods through this event," said 24-year-old Guo from Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, who is studying wireless communication at the Paris Institute of Digital Technology. 

As a former national-level swimmer, Guo saw this as her chance to participate in the Olympics, albeit in a different role.

Another Chinese volunteer, surnamed Yang, faced challenges in balancing her work with volunteer duties. Despite sacrificing her holidays, she felt immense pride in contributing to the event, especially with her parents in attendance.

Volunteers are visible everywhere—from bus stops to competition venues—offering directions and assistance with a smile. When large crowds leave the venues after the events, causing congestion, some volunteers sit on high chairs with loudspeakers, providing directions to the exits in both English and French with a smile.

One of my most memorable encounters was with a French volunteer at the International Broadcasting Center. When I needed help finding the visitor center, a young man on a scooter appeared, like a sort of "Monkey King riding a cloud," and offered to take me there. His enthusiasm for the Olympics was contagious, and after helping me, he eagerly asked for a Beijing Winter Olympics badge, expressing his admiration for the event and his desire to visit China.

These dedicated volunteers, with their energy and commitment, truly embody the spirit of the Olympics, making both the event and the city of Paris shine brighter. 

In December 2023, Hongyan Park, Hangzhou's 100 percent zero-carbon Smart Park, was recognized as one of 26 cutting-edge transformational models in the "2023 Corporate Climate Action Case Collection," a joint release by the Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Avenue Climate Change Promotion Center. What makes a park a model of cutting-edge transformation? What is the significance of the Yuhang 100 percent zero-carbon Smart Park? We visited the site to uncover the key factors of this demonstration project: great success, mutual support, and energy management.

Entrepreneurship and innovation

When I met Lin Jianjun, he was polishing a new product, an AI Smart Ring, a wearable device that can track the body temperature of employees on duty in real time.

Lin Jianjun came to Hangzhou from his hometown in Fujian many years ago to start a business, and was also a pioneer of Hongyan Park. At the age of 40, he had a dream and stepped into the smart chip industry, a high risk field, and created a research company focused on digital intelligence, providing high-end smart chips, modules and AI intelligent application solutions.

The "AI intelligent ring" is one of Lin Jianjun's creations. Another standout product is the passive wireless sensor chip.

In the summer of 2023, at the "Hongyan Plan" launch event, Lin Jianjun encountered Zhou Yannan, an employee of Zhejiang Zhedian Industry Development Co., Ltd., who was drenched with sweat after spending two hours in the 40 degree of hot power distribution room.

Through that fortuitous encounter, Lin learned that more than 80 percent of power failures are caused by component overheating. A possible solution to the problem was a digital twin switch station. "There are thousands of power distribution rooms in Hangzhou, and there is a huge market demand to solve this problem." Lin Jianjun said. “To develop the digital twin switch station, we have to solve two problems, the signal monitoring of the sensor and the transmission of the alarm signal” he explained.

It didn't take long for the first problem to be solved, but the second issue was a bigger challenge due to changes in the materials and shape of different RF signal carriers, which affect RF signal transmission, so it is necessary to constantly simulate signal transmission and design an optimal scheme for RF signals.

"There was no money for high-level engineers." Mr Lin said with a laugh, "At that time, the company was at an impasse," Fortunately, Lin Jianjun later found an antenna engineer from Bei Dou and in six months of hard work, the team produced a chip that was a great success.

Today, this smart temperature sensor chip has been upgraded and has far surpassed industry standards. "Thanks to Zhou Ban, the source of inspiration often strikes in unexpected moments." Lin Jianjun said.
Green electricity opens the door to a revival

Zhou Yanan has a lot to say about Hongyan Park. In January 2022, he was appointed as a manager and tasked with creating a 100 percent zero-carbon smart park.

Initially, the transformation from old factories and scrap iron to a modern, eco-friendly park seemed daunting. "At that time, Hongyan Park was forced to close because of environmental problems," Mr Zhou said.

In May 2022, the Yuhang Future Innovation Park Hongyan Park was officially inaugurated. Reborn from a comprehensive upgrade of the old industrial park into a hub of technological advancement and industry talent, the park focuses on the introduction of cutting-edge biodegradable materials, photoelectric energy, low-carbon technology, and high-end medical equipment. At present, more than 40 high-end and sophisticated enterprises have settled in the park.

"With the rapid increase in the number of internal enterprises and the scale of production, the continuous increase of electrical equipment and the rapid increase of electrical load, the original transformer capacity of the park is not enough to meet the demand of enterprises." The director of Hongyan Park explained “This, coupled with the extensive energy management method and the lack of network interaction ability, results in the increase of coal burning and carbon emission while using electricity.”

However, for a zero-carbon park, 30 percent green electricity wasn’t enough. Zhou Yanan’s efforts to engage in green electricity trading and purchase photovoltaic power led to a 100 percent zero-carbon upgrade in 2023, with 2.4 million kWh of green electricity purchased.

In the past three years, Hongyan Park’s electricity consumption increased by 170 percent, yet every new kilowatt hour remained green, thanks to advanced power planning by Zhejiang Da You Group. The introduction of a unique green electricity transaction model created a reserve to meet the park’s growing green energy needs.

To address these challenges, Zhejiang Da You Group has specially established an enterprise energy use account for the park, optimizing energy management, and striving to achieve a 100 percent zero-carbon smart park called Da You Zuo Wei.

Achieving green energy supply in the park is the main reason for the construction of a zero-carbon smart park. Standing in the Future Science and Technology City of Yuhang District, the roof of Hongyan Park is covered with blue photovoltaic panels, generating over 51,600 kWh of green electricity annually, which constitutes more than 30 percent of the park’s energy needs.

However, for Hongyan Park, which aims to build a zero-carbon park, 30 percent of green electricity is obviously not enough. With the help of Zhou Yanan, the park actively participated in green electricity trading, purchased photovoltaic power generators and achieved green energy consumption and zero carbonization within the park. In 2023, the park had purchased 2.4 million KWH of green electricity, achieving a 100 percent zero- carbon -upgrade of the park.

During the last three years, the annual electricity consumption of Hongyan Park has increased by 170 percent, but each new kilowatt hour of electricity in the park consists of green electricity.

Thanks to the advanced power planning of Zhejiang Da You Group for the park, the launch of a unique green consumption electricity transaction is like a pre-built green electricity reservoir which can respond to an increase in demand at any time.

One-click green power control

Efficient energy use is essential for a zero-carbon park. Zhejiang Da You Group developed a low-carbon park management system, allowing real-time monitoring of energy data and optimizing energy use. Ling Feng from Zhejiang Da You Group explained, "The system provides a clear overview of energy usage, helping to manage it effectively."

In 2023, Zhejiang Da You Group integrated power supply with energy efficiency by installing sensors in public areas to improve transformer operation and reduce energy wastage. The system can automatically turn off idle elevators and other energy-consuming equipment, to adjust the energy loads of air conditioning, photovoltaic systems, energy storage, charging piles and public areas during peak periods. By visual displaying the energy flow through the energy flow diagram, it helps users achieve intelligent and efficient energy management, reducing waste and costs" Through digital twin technology, the system can also dynamically sense the operating status of electrical equipment in the park and the future load trend to analyze and issue early warnings," Ling Feng said.

Making full use of green electricity

The journey of Zhejiang Da You Group's zero-carbon park continues. In Hongyan Park, each kilowatt-hour of electricity has played a greater role because of the director system management.
For a long time, the internal distribution equipment of the enterprise lacked professional operation and maintenance management as well as a professional power service platform, this resulted in unmet demands for energy.

To address these difficulties, Zhejiang Da You Group launched the Dali Electricity Director project, which provides a platform for online and offline power operation, enhancing energy management and extending equipment life through timely maintenance and repairs.

Nowadays, the Dali Electricity Director is an exclusive power manager of the enterprise, which can not only meet the daily electricity demand of the enterprise, but also monitor conditions in real time, and issue early warnings of power failures. More importantly, the Electricity Director can also help enterprises optimize the energy structure and promote transformation and upgrading.

Since the park’s transformation, the zero Carbon Park has seen an increase of more than 30 percent in 50 green factories and 17 smart workshops, . Ling Feng explained that "The system’s 'one-click query' function offers users easy access to power consumption data analysis, information about energy consumption , and power outage warnings. The system also automatically generates a monthly electricity consumption analysis report to provide personalized energy management solutions according to the needs of the enterprise."

Data show that since the construction of the zero-carbon smart park, the cumulative annual power generation has been 640,000 KWH, carbon emissions have been reduced by 192.52 tons, and standard coal usage has been reduced by about 4.81 million tons, which is equivalent to the afforestation of more than 18,880 trees.

The park achievents are attracting more entrepreneurs and have inspired Zhejiang Da You Group to replicate this model in other industrial parks such as Renhe Cai Niao Logistics Park in Yuhang District.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, talks to reporters during a press conference at Government House in Bangkok, Thailand after a court removed him from office over an ethical violation on August 14, 2024. Srettha said he performed his duty as prime minister as best he could, and said he "accepts the verdict." Photo: VCG

China's state security agencies have successively cracked thousands of intelligence theft cases involving Taiwan spies and have dismantled a large number of intelligence networks, according to China's Ministry of State Security (MSS).

An article published by the Wechat account of MSS on Tuesday pointed out that in the face of the arrogance of the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, the state security agencies have taken resolute and forceful actions against "Taiwan independence" forces, constantly consolidating and expanding achievement of anti-secession, countering interference and countering espionage work. They have also taken strict precautions, and harshly cracked down on and sternly punished all intelligence theft, espionage and sabotage activities targeting Chinese mainland.

On June 21, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and the ministries of public security, state security, and justice jointly issued a set of guidelines for imposing criminal punishments on diehard "Taiwan independence" secessionists or those conducting or inciting secession.

Also both the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office and China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) added a special column to their official websites which list the names of diehard "Taiwan independence" secessionists in early August.

A total of 10 diehard "Taiwan independence" secessionists including Su Tseng-chang, You Si-kun, Joseph Wu and Hsiao Bi-khim were listed in the column.

State security agencies have launched a series of special operations, cracked thousands cases of intelligence theft involving Taiwan spies, dismantling a large number of espionage networks established in the mainland, the MSS article revealed.

State security agencies have comprehensively strengthened work to punish and deter "Taiwan independence" forces in accordance with the law.

The state security bureau in Wenzhou city, East China's Zhejiang Province, summoned Yang Chih-yuan, a suspect from Taiwan, for investigation over his alleged involvement in "Taiwan independence" secessionist activities and of suspicion of endangering national security in 2022.

The arrest and investigation of Yang have set a judicial precedence for holding "Taiwan independence" secessionists accountable for suspicion of secession, dealing a heavy blow to those who pursue "Taiwan independence."

In addition, state security agencies have resolutely fought against the activities of "relying on external forces to seek independence" and using the Taiwan question to contain China, disrupting "Taiwan independence" secessionists' attempts to collude with external forces and counter the intervention of external countries in Taiwan question, the MSS article said.

The likelihood of conflicts spilling over in the Middle East continues to rise as Hezbollah said on Sunday it had launched dozens of Katyusha rockets at Israel with Iran reportedly expected to attack Israel as early as Monday. A potential direct confrontation between Iran and Israel has emerged as the most significant manifestation of the spillover effects of the Palestine-Israel conflict, yet given Iran's domestic and international situation, an all-out war with Israel seems unlikely, said experts. 

Three US and Israeli officials told US media Axios that they expect Iran to attack Israel as early as Monday. Iranian and Hezbollah officials have vowed to retaliate for the assassinations of Hezbollah's top military commander Fuad Shukr and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Experts expect any Iranian retaliation could potentially be larger in scope than the one in April as it could also involve Hezbollah.

Hezbollah said Sunday it had launched dozens of Katyusha rockets at northern Israel in response to Israel's attacks on southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon's Al Manar TV. 

A potential direct confrontation between Iran and Israel has emerged as a pivotal manifestation of the spillover effects of the longstanding Palestine-Israel conflict in the region, Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times.

 Liu said that there is a risk of the conflict spreading beyond the borders of Israel and Palestine, potentially leading to a larger war in the Middle East.

Several countries, including the US and UK, urged their citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial transportation options are still available, amid fears that conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah could escalate, media reported.

Although the assassination of Haniyeh on Iran's soil is a blatant provocation to Tehran and will trigger Iran's fierce fightback, given Iran's current domestic and international situation, it's unlikely that an all-out war will break out between Iran and Israel, Liu said. 

The US is boosting its forces in the Middle East in preparation for a possible Iranian attack against Israel and sending more warships and fighter jets to the region, the Pentagon said on Friday, according to Axios.

Wang Jin, an associate professor at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies of Northwest University, told the Global Times that the US military deployment is adding fuel to the fire.

 "What should be done now is mediation and coordination, especially persuading Israel not to take such extreme actions. The US should do more than just send troops, it should engage deeply and fulfill its obligations in the Middle East," Wang told Global Times.