Historically, Western powers have employed violent means to engage in colonial plunder and domination on a global scale, relegating colonized nations and regions to the bottom of the industrial chain, and turning them into economic dependencies of their Western overlords.

These nefarious tactics unfortunately continue to serve as tools for some Western countries like the US to suck the lifeblood of others today.

After gaining political independence, many Global South countries, struggling to break away from their deep-rooted economic dependence on the West, have continued to suffer from economic suppression by their former colonizers and plunderers. Such suppression has become an "invisible shackle" that the West has placed on emerging markets.

How does this "invisible shackle" work? In this story, the Global Times explores how the West leverages its advantages in rule-setting, market access, and the use of disinformation campaign to suppress emerging market economics, thereby maintaining its dominant position in the global economic system.

Manipulate rules

The West has long held a dominant position in the formulation of international economic and trade rules, which are used to determine the fate of many developing countries to some extent.

Nowadays, as the existing rules have gradually revealed their inadequacies in safeguarding Western interests while globalization deepens and emerging economies continue to rise, the West is attempting to rewrite the rules of the game in multiple fields, to further limit the development space and opportunities for developing countries.

In the intellectual property (IP) field, some Western countries have leveraged their technological and economic advantages to promote a series of stringent protection standards to maintain their technological monopoly through legal means. The US, for instance, passed the "Protecting American Intellectual Property Act of 2022" to expand the scope of its IP protection and to enhance unilateral sanctions as a tool, trying to hinder the introduction of technology and industrial upgrading in some developing countries.

The Act says it sanctions "foreign persons" who "have engaged in significant theft of trade" of US persons, and "for other purposes." Although the Act does not specifically target any country, the press statement from Senator Chris Van Hollen, the sponsor of the Act, clearly indicated that China was a primary intended target of the legislation, according to media reports.

It is fair enough for the US to protect the legitimate interests of its intellectual property owners. However, by monopolizing the power to define what constitutes "legitimate interests," it forces other countries to comply with US laws and implements long-arm jurisdiction, thus serves as a way to uphold its global economic hegemony, said experts in economics and international relations reached by the Global Times.

The US' intellectual property policies adhere to pragmatism, protectionism, and hegemonism. This contradicts the original intent of the international intellectual property protection system, they noted.

The US not only compels its trade partners to adopt "American standards," but also seeks to promote these standards for intellectual property protection in international frameworks. During the Uruguay Round, the 8th round of multilateral trade negotiations (MTN) conducted within the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the US worked with developed countries to incorporate intellectual property issues into the GATT, resulting in the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

TRIPS employs a "one-size-fits-all" approach to intellectual property standards for countries at various development levels, reflecting the internationalization of the US Special 301 provision, an annual review process led by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR). It requires an annual review of intellectual property protection and market access practices in foreign countries.

In the industrial policy field, some Western countries have also instituted exclusive and discriminatory measures to ensure their dominant position in the global industrial chain. Legislation in the US such as the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act, are regarded as reflections of the country's strong protectionist tendency toward high-tech industries.

Regarding global governance, the West has been manipulating relevant international organizations and specialized agencies to maintain international economic order that favors its own interests.

In 2020, Indonesia, a major nickel producer, implemented a ban on nickel ore exports to promote the development of its domestic nickel industry. In response, the European Union (EU) filed a complaint against Indonesia at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and won in a panel ruling that year. The Indonesian government later criticized the EU for using WTO rules to hinder its development and subsequently filed an appeal. However, Indonesia's appeal remains in limbo to present day, due to the paralysis of the WTO's appellate body.

"Filing an appeal is part of the existing procedures at the WTO," Dandy Iswara, a senior Indonesian diplomat assigned to the WTO, said during a virtual media briefing in October 2023. "Although with the US blocking the appellate body, our appeal remains to be reviewed or processed to this day," the Jakarta Globe quoted Iswara as saying in an article that month.
Raise thresholds

Compared to the violent plunder and direct control of the colonial era, now the West has shifted to more covert methods. One of the methods is to set environmental protection standards for market access, which inevitably raises barriers for developing countries in their economic transformation and industrial upgrading.

In recent years, some Western countries have once again raised the environmental protection thresholds under their urgent need to allegedly address climate change. While transferring high-emission industries to developing countries, they impose "punitive" measures on the production side rather than the consumption side, citing high emissions as the reason.

Developed countries leveraged their dominant position on the international stage to transform the carbon emission problem into a political and economic tool to maintain their global advantage. From the perspective of historical responsibility, developed countries have accumulated a significant amount of carbon emissions during their industrialization process.

However, the carbon emission policies dominated by developed countries advocate for uniform emission standards and timelines, while ignoring the differences in the development stages of various countries. This approach effectively restricts the industrialization process and economic growth potential of developing countries, experts noted.

In 2023, the EU launched the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to impose high tariffs on imported carbon-intensive products. The UK and the US are reportedly planning to introduce similar policies as well.

Nonetheless, policies like the CBAM seem to have not significantly promoted global emissions reduction, but have had a noticeable negative impact on global trade, and have affected the low-carbon transition process in Global South countries.

"At the macro level, the CBAM may have negative economic impacts on certain developing countries, thereby exacerbating the income gap between developed and developing nations," said a summary of views of a closed-door seminar on the CBAM, which was held by the Macro and Green Finance Lab at Peking University in April 2023.

Also, a 2023 study released by the London School of Economics and Political Science revealed that Africa will bear the brunt of the CBAM, as it could lose up to $25 billion per annum as a direct result of the mechanism.

The CBAM could cause a fall in exports of aluminum from Africa to the EU by up to 13.9 percent, and iron and steel by 8.2 percent, according a report of the study. It noted that the CBAM process introduces administrative hurdles to market access by African countries, which historically struggled to access the European market.

Earlier this year, the European Commission approved the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which required companies to investigate so-called human rights and environmental risks in their supply chains and take corresponding measures.

Including the CSDDD and the CBAM, such EU measures "are combining to create new pressures," pointed out Jodie Keane, a senior research fellow at the London-based Overseas Development Institute. "This is part of the 'green squeeze' currently affecting African producers. Just to maintain the status quo, even a 1 percent increase in compliance costs for the least developed countries translates into hundreds of millions of euros," she noted in an article published by the Financial Times in March.

Developed countries impose environmental standards as trade barriers through measures such as "carbon tariffs," further suppressing the export industries of developing countries. Such a practice of "carbon colonialism," in essence, aims to use environmental issues to maintain their economic hegemony. This approach has serious negative impacts on developing countries, which are forced to make difficult trade-offs between economic development and environmental protection, while also facing pressure from the international community, experts noted.
Lies won't work

The West also leverages its dominance in global discourse to stigmatize developing countries that have managed to achieve industrial upgrading despite the constraints of Western standards and rules in order to further contain and suppress the latter.

In recent years, the US and other Western countries started to accuse China of "overcapacity." They claimed that China's green energy industries are disrupting and threatening international markets while imposing heavy tariffs on related Chinese products, turning a blind eye to the fact that there is actually a clear global shortage of high-quality green energy capacity to address climate change.

Some Western countries not only fabricated false concepts to suppress developing countries, but also stirred up discord among them. In order to maintain control over international development cooperation, some Western countries have concocted various false narratives and heavily promoted them, repeatedly touting misleading notions such as "debt traps," thereby tarnishing the cooperation among countries in the Global South.

They also claimed that China is transferring "backward production capacity" to regions like Africa, causing pollution. However, the reality is that China's capacity cooperation with other developing countries is tailored to their specific needs, fully respecting their opinions and taking environmental factors into account. China is also actively engaging in new energy cooperation with developing countries, and its new energy industry has made significant contributions to the green economic transformation of many developing countries and is widely welcomed by them.

Despite the various strategies employed by the US and other Western nations to block the industrial upgrading of Global South countries, more and more are leveraging their resources, population, and market advantages to promote personnel training and technological research and development, and strive to raise the level of development of domestic industries.

In November 2023, Burkina Faso began constructing its first gold refinery, set to be operational by autumn 2024. At the same time, Mali signed an agreement with Russia to build its second refinery, with a capacity of 200 tons per year.

The so-called lithium triangle of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile in South America is also rapidly advancing its lithium industry by developing innovative extraction techniques and building lithium carbonate plants to enhance the added value of its lithium products. In July, an environmentally friendly lithium production plant was inaugurated in Argentina.

At the same time, Global South countries are strengthening cooperation to bolster their technological capabilities and industrial development via multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the G20, the BRICS group, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

These mechanisms and platforms are vital for developing countries to enhance cooperation, promote the transformation of their development in the face of the US and some Western countries' suppression, according to Bai Ming, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Against the backdrop of today's context of rising de-globalization trends, cooperative mechanisms like the BRI and the SCO are striving to break developing countries free from the previously Western-dominated form of globalization, Bai told the Global Times.

Many developing countries initially entered globalization as followers of developed nations to share "dirty, difficult, and exhausting" work for the latter. But opportunities were limited for these developing countries. In the future, every country should be a participant rather than a mere follower of developed countries on the globalization bandwagon, Bai said.

Developing countries can establish their own mechanisms to create more benefits for themselves, thereby enhancing their status in the international community and increasing their influence. This could also bring development opportunities to the developed countries, he noted.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with foreign guests attending the China International Friendship Conference and conference marking the 70th founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries here on Friday.

Xi had a group photo taken with the foreign guests and spoke highly of the long-term dedication of international friends to cementing friendship with China.

He pointed out that people-to-people friendship is the foundation for stable and long-term international relations and an unremitting driving force for promoting world peace and development. Over the past 75 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Communist Party of China has united and led the Chinese people in blazing a path of modernization that has not only developed the country itself but also benefited the world, he said.

Xi said that looking back on the journey, China's achievements in various fields would not have been realized without the support of people from other countries. Numerous international friends have shared weal and woe with the Chinese people. Numerous foreign enterprises, institutions and individuals have actively participated in advancing China's socialist modernization, thus achieving mutual benefits and making important contributions to promoting friendly exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries, he added.

"We will always remember your important contributions to China and the sincere friendship that has been developed with the Chinese people," said Xi.

Stressing that the world is once again at a crossroads in history, Xi said that in the face of changes unseen in a century, building a community with a shared future for humanity is the right way forward for people of all countries.

China is willing to strengthen friendly exchanges with friends from all other countries, give play to the unique role of people-to-people diplomacy, and strive to build a community with a shared future for humanity, said Xi.

China's real estate market showed positive changes during the week-long National Day holidays, as homebuyer confidence was revived by a new package of stimulus measures announced by the monetary authorities and individual Chinese cities recently to boost the healthy development of the important sector.

"Following the recent new policy pivots, inquiries for prior-dwelled homes in Beijing increased notably, as more people are now eligible to buy homes in the capital city," a Beijing-based property broker named Xia Zhiwei told the Global Times on Sunday.

Between October 1 and noon of October 3, the number of on-site inquiries for new homes in Beijing rose 92.5 percent on a yearly basis, and new home subscriptions nearly doubled. And, inquiries for used homes in Beijing jumped by 104.1 percent, according to a report seen on the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) website.

During the Golden Week holidays, over 1,000 property developers across the country launched more than 2,000 promotion activities including offering discounts and vouchers to boost sales of new homes. The majority of the real estate projects involved in the promotions saw client enquiries surge by 50 percent year-on-year, data from the MOHURD showed.

Pu Zhan, deputy director of the policy research center under the MOHURD, said that various promotions have led to positive changes in the real estate market, with increases in both inquiries and transactions.

Recently, more than 50 Chinese cities, including first-tier cities Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, adjusted their real estate policies, with a range of measures unveiled to boost local property sales.

Among the cities, Guangzhou announced that there will be no restrictions on the number of homes purchased by families or individuals with or without local household registration in the city, according to a circular issued by the municipal government. As a result, the number of on-site inquiries for new property projects in Guangzhou rose nearly 200 percent lately.

Policy adjustments

"For some time now, the authorities has released policies targeting sectors including the real estate and the stock market with an intensity rarely seen before," Song Ding, a research fellow at the China Development Institute, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a meeting on September 26, and emphasized that ramped-up efforts will be made to stabilize the property market and reverse its downturn.

The meeting pointed out that the authorities will adjust housing purchase restrictions, reduce interest rates on existing mortgages, promptly improve land, fiscal, tax and financial policies, and promote a new model for real estate development.

The new round of property policies mainly focuses on improving the demand side, particularly addressing the evolving housing needs of many residents, according to Song.

On September 24, the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, unveiled a new package of monetary measures, led by reductions in existing mortgage rates, in a bid to boost the country's real estate market and fire up consumer spending.

"Adjusting existing mortgage interest rates will have a positive guiding effect. The reduction in monthly payments should have a positive impact in boosting homebuyers' confidence," Yan Yuejin, research director at Shanghai-based E-house China R&D Institute, told the Global Times.

Yan stressed the need to better pivot macro policy adjustments to help stimulate the housing market. "The development of the real estate sector in various regions in the country has their own characteristics, and it is crucial for local governments to hold autonomy in adjusting local property policies in line with their own conditions," Yan noted.

He said MOHURD's support for cities, especially the first-tier cities, to independently adjust real estate policies is a "forceful step" to elevate the market confidence and reignite homebuyers' enthusiasm.

Stable growth expected

Analysts remain largely positive for the future development of China's real estate market. "As the new policies begin to produce effects, the market is expected to march toward relatively stable growth, starting from the fourth quarter this year," Song said.

"Thanks to measures like lowering the down payments of a property, the market activity and potential market demand have greatly increased, and gradually an equilibrium between home sellers and home buyers will be formed," he said.

China's central bank decided to cut mortgage rates and lower minimum down payments for the prior-dwelled homes, as well as to reduce mortgage rates on existing home loans - all effective measures aimed to promote urban property sales and revive the real estate sector.

There is still great space for China's property sector to expand, bolstered by the country's ongoing urbanization and Chinese public's growing demand for good housing, Ni Hong, minister of the MOHURD, said at a press conference in August.

Nevertheless, as "market supply and demand shift, China's real estate market remains in the process of adjustment," Ni said. But positive signals have surfaced as various policy measures have started to take effect.

The ministry will continue to encourage local governments to run promotions and further implement the "white list" mechanism to ensure healthy competition in the real estate sector, which will enhance the long-term impact of the new policies, another official with the MOHURD said.

The proportion of lighthouse factories from China reached a record high in the new list released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday, highlighting the continuous efforts of Chinese companies to accelerate technology transformation and upgrading in the manufacturing sector.

The WEF announced that 22 innovative manufacturers have joined the Global Lighthouse Network, including the latest cohort of 19 Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and three Sustainability Lighthouses across 10 countries, such as China, the Czech Republic and Germany. 

Of the total, 13 factories are located in China, accounting for nearly 60 percent, a record high.

Among the 19 new lighthouse factories this year, Mengniu Dairy (Ningxia) Co, SANY Renewable Energy in Shaoshan, Sanmen Nuclear Power Co, Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery (Group) Co and Taiyuan Heavy Industry Railway Transit Equipment Co are the world's first lighthouse factories in their respective sectors - dairy, wind energy equipment, nuclear power, coal mining machinery, and rail transit equipment. 

Additionally, a Chinese company established the first overseas lighthouse factory. Foxconn Industrial Internet Viet Nam Co overcame challenges like reliance on imported materials and focused on developing local talent. By implementing 40+ 4IR use cases, including advanced planning and AI-driven automation, the site increased labor productivity by 190 percent, achieved 99.5 percent on-time delivery and cut manufacturing costs by 45 percent. 

Digital technologies such as generative artificial intelligence and machine learning are key features of this batch of the "lighthouse factories."

The listed Hefei Midea Washing Machine Co told the Global Times that it has continued to explore and reconstruct new end-to-end green and sustainable capabilities, and has extensively deployed digital technologies to apply artificial intelligence in the product designing, manufacturing, and broad logistics.

Zhang Xiaoyi, vice president and CDO of Midea Group, said that the in-depth application of AI in the entire factory process covers 457 sub-scenarios, mainly through self-developed small sample intelligent algorithms and AI development cloud platforms, as well as IT&OT compound organizational construction guarantees, to cut large-scale promotion and operation and maintenance costs, which has helped cut energy consumption by 37.6 percent, and optimize logistical efficiency by 29 percent.

The latest cohort of Lighthouses reported an average 50 percent boost in labor productivity, due to various digital solutions such as interactive training programs, smart devices and wearables, and automated systems combining robotics, AI, and machine vision. 

Process modelling and root-cause analytics have also unlocked efficiency gains across Lighthouses' end-to-end supply chains, on average reducing energy consumption by 22 percent, inventory by 27 percent, and scrap or waste by 55 percent, WEF said.

Karel Eloot, a global senior partner at McKinsey, said that the "lighthouse factories" have truly surpassed the pilot stage, and currently nearly 60 percent of core application cases use advanced artificial intelligence technology, comparing to just 11 percent in 2019. This reflects that artificial intelligence is reshaping manufacturing and has reached an unprecedented level of maturity.

Lighthouse factories are known as "the most advanced factories in the world". McKinsey defines them as factories that have successfully transitioned Fourth Industrial Revolution technology from the pilot stage to large-scale integration, achieving significant financial and operational benefits.

Photos and information exclusively obtained by the Global Times on Saturday show that Chinese authorities’ interception, boarding, inspection and expulsion of a Vietnamese boat which illegally entered waters near China’s Xisha Islands on September 29 were conducted with restraint and in full accordance with the law. The Vietnamese government previously accused China of “brutal behavior” on the matter, which has been taken as an opportunity of the Philippines to hype its own claims in the South China Sea and draw Vietnam to its side against China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry was quoted by Reuters on Tuesday as saying that “Vietnamese fishing boats” illegally fished in the relevant waters of China’s Xisha Islands on September 29 without the permission of the Chinese government and that relevant Chinese authorities took measures to stop them.

The on-site operations were professional and restrained, and no injuries were found, the ministry stressed.

The Vietnamese foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that Chinese law enforcers beat the Vietnamese fishermen and took away their fishing equipment when their boat was operating near “Hoang Sa,” Vietnam’s name for China’s Xisha Islands.

According to a source close to the matter, the Vietnamese vessels illegally intruded the Xisha islands at the night of September 29. The China Coast Guard law enforcement vessels then sounded its horn as a warning and required the Vietnamese vessel to accept inspection, but the latter refused to cooperate.
Photos obtained by the Global Times show that several individuals aboard the Vietnamese vessel held long bamboo poles to prevent Chinese law enforcement personnel from boarding the ship. During the inspection, the helmets of two of Chinese law enforcement support personnel were broken by a long bamboo pole, and one person sustained a cut on their hand.

Chinese law enforcement personnel presented their credentials to the fishermen on the vessel, indicating their identities and intentions, and requested them to comply, the source stated.

After the inspection, the Chinese law enforcement personnel seized the illegal catch of the Vietnamese vessel, informed the fishermen of the consequences of resisting law enforcement and illegally fishing in China’s territorial waters, and expelled them to 12 nautical miles outside China’s waters, according to the source.
Photos have showed clearly that the Chinese law enforcement personnel are very restrained and professional, Yang Xiao, deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Strategy Studies, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Saturday.

“It is clear that the incident was caused by the fact that some Vietnamese fishermen were fishing illegally and resisting law enforcement. Additionally, China has constantly maintained communication and exchanged views with the Vietnamese authorities. China and Vietnam have the capability of handling this incident appropriately,” Chen Xidi, China Institute For Marine Affairs, Ministry of Natural Resources, told the Global Times.

While the issue is gradually blowing over, Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano issued a statement on Friday and accused Chinese maritime law enforcement authorities of carrying out “unjustified assault” on Vietnamese fishermen.

He also attempted to elevate the issue to an "international" level, claiming that the “use of force against civilians blatantly violates international law.”

“We stand with Vietnam in denouncing this egregious act and calling for accountability,” he said.

The Philippines has nothing to do with this incident. The Philippine National Security Adviser is just trying to hyping the issue to sell its own claims in the South China Sea region, Yang stressed.

The Philippine statement tries to expand the issue to an international level, but, after all, it is just an occasional conflict between Chinese authorities and Vietnamese fishing men during law enforcement process and has been settled via diplomatic channel according to territorial jurisdiction principles. “It is totally untenable to stir it up to an international level,” Yang said.

Chen echoed Yang, saying that “While China and Vietnam have demonstrated their willingness to actively manage disagreements and avoid escalation, the Philippines, driven by a desire to stir up trouble, has been stigmatizing China’s law enforcement as ‘violent and illegal actions’ in the South China Sea.” But “it won’t work,” Chen stressed.

“The Philippines attempted to vilify China’s lawful deterrence on illegal fishing as ‘proof’ of China’s bullying of its neighboring countries. Furthermore, it hypocritically declares that it has consistently condemned the use of force, aggression, and intimidation in the South China Sea, while demanding that all parties ‘exercise genuine self-restraint. It obviously overlooks the Philippines’ own history of persistent provocations and escalations, notably at Ren’ai Jiao and Xianbin Jiao, among other locations,” Chen noted.

It is evident that the Philippines is not genuinely striving to safeguard the safety of fishermen at sea in this incident, nor is it actively working to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea. Instead, it appears intent on sowing discord between China, Vietnam, and other countries, thereby undermining the positive cooperative relationships between China and other ASEAN countries, Chen said.

The Philippines has been conducting constant, blatant provocations in the South China Sea this year. In August the intensity has been reinforced.

Discussing “unjustified assault” during law enforcement operations, the Philippines should reflect on its own actions before making allegations against others, an expert on maritime security told the Global Times.

In September 2019, eight officials from the Filipino coast guard were sentenced to jail terms of up to 14 years and ordered to pay for damages for conspiring to shoot and kill a fisherman from China’s Taiwan island in 2013.

“The Philippines is not in any position to make indiscreet remarks or criticisms of others on this issue,” the expert noted.

The 2024 Beijing Culture Forum will kick off in the Chinese capital from September 19 to 21, according to its organizers. With a permanent theme of "Inheritance, Creativity, Mutual Learning," the forum has "Enhance Cultural Exchanges for Common Progress" as its theme for this year.

Over 800 participants, including 240 foreign guests from more than 70 countries and regions will attend a main forum, six sub-forums, and 32 professional seminars and relevant cultural activities during the three-day event.

The participants will hold in-depth discussions on topics including mutual learning between civilizations and common progress, spiritual life and industrial development, cultural heritage protection and inheritance, new cultural business forms, and technological integration.

The main forum takes the application of Beijing's Central Axis as a UNESCO World Heritage site as one of its important contents, and releases a special report on Beijing's experience during the application and protection of Beijing's Central Axis as a UNESCO World Heritage site and the relevant situation of further strengthening the protection of historical and cultural cities. 

Meanwhile, the Ten Major Events in the Construction of National Cultural Centers in 2023 will also be announced.

The 2024 Beijing Culture Forum is committed to creating a cultural festival, in which all people can participate through hosting a number of cultural events including book fairs, film screenings and theaters staging. 

Autumnal Equinox, the 16th solar term of the lunar 24 solar terms, started on Sunday (September 22) this year and marks the midpoint of autumn, dividing the season into two equal parts. It also marks the harvest season. This year marks the seventh celebration of the Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival, a time when farmers across the country share in the joy of the harvest. 

After Autumnal Equinox, the location of direct sunlight moves to the south, making days shorter and nights longer in the northern hemisphere. By this time, most regions in China have transitioned into the cooler autumn season. As cold air from the north meets the diminishing warm, humid air, it often results in precipitation.

Ancient Chinese tradition divides the Autumnal Equinox into three pentads: the first observes the softening of thunder, the second sees hibernating insects begin to nest, and in the third pentad, water starts to dry up.

During this season, crabs are considered particularly delicious. Eating crabs is believed to nourish the marrow and help clear internal heat from the body.

In South China, a custom for Autumnal Equinox is known as "having Qiucai (an autumn vegetable), a type of wild amaranth that is popular during this time. Every Autumnal Equinox day, Qiucai, verdant in the field, is collected and made into soup with fish, called "Qiutang" (autumn soup). 

Besides, Autumnal Equinox is the perfect season for kite flying. Children fly various kites, enjoying the pleasant weather. 

In North China, taro becomes a staple in the seasonal diet during this time. Health experts recommend having some more easily digestible foods in autumn. Taro is soft and nutritional. 

In some regions, there remains a folk tradition of extending greetings and well wishes for a successful autumn ploughing. 

Since ancient times, many places have had folk custom of mountaineering and sight-seeing. Due to the effects of air pressure and humidity, autumn often brings clear blue skies, white clouds, and cool breezes, making it perfect for mountaineering. 

During the Autumnal Equinox, the temperature difference between morning and evening becomes more pronounced, so people should adjust their attire to prevent catching colds.

Fitness exercises in this season can do more of cold-resistant exercises and aerobic exercises, such as hiking, walking and cycling. After the Autumnal Equinox, it is recommended not to engage in excessive exercise, as it may deplete yang energy. Instead, people may try some gentle exercises including tai chi, Baduanjin (an ancient Chinese qigong exercise combining movement), and Wuqinxi (the Five-Animal Exercises), so that the whole-body sweats slightly and not too tired. 

A total of 56 paintings from Russia's State Tretyakov Gallery are now on exhibition at the Capital Museum in Beijing as this year marks the 75th anniversary of China and Russia establishing diplomatic ties.

The exhibition, titled The Soul of Russia, is running from September 15 to December 8. It features 56 masterpieces by prominent Russian artists such as Ilya Repin, Ivan Shishkin, Vasily Tropinin, Ivan Aivazovsky and Vasily Surikov, covering more than 500 years of Russian art history - from the 16th century to the present. 

"The Chinese viewer can experience a retrospective of Russian art from iconic paintings to the second half of the 20th century," Director of the State Tretyakov Gallery Elena Pronicheva told the Global Times through an interpreter. 

"Regardless of the historical period, visitors will see the ideals that Russia lived by during this historical period and through."

Jointly organized by the Capital Museum and Russia's State Tretyakov Gallery, the exhibition spans diverse themes and styles, illustrating the rich cultural heritage and artistic diversity of Russia. 

The artworks are divided into four sections: landscapes, portraits, daily life, and historical scenes, offering a comprehensive look into Russia's natural beauty, people, and history.

High-profile artworks include Lenin in Smolny and Portrait of A.M.Gorky by Isaak Brodsky, Portrait of Anton Chekhov by Osip Braz, and Stormy Sea by Aivazovsky.

2024 and 2025 have been designated as Years of Culture between China and Russia.

"Culture as a kind of social sphere helps us get to know each other better, because we are neighbors," Pronicheva told the Global Times.

"Besides borders, we are also quite close to each other in thinking, we have a lot in common." 

This exhibition aims to deepen cultural exchange between China and Russia.

It offers Chinese audiences a rare perspective on Russian art and culture while fostering mutual understanding between the two nations.

"Through our exchanges with the Russian side, we are able to deepen our understanding of each other and of ourselves. This is an expression of the mutual learning between civilizations and the coexistence of cultures," Yu Runsheng, a professor of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, told the Global Times. 

"That we are able to organize such an exhibition demonstrates that our understanding of Russian painting and the entire history of Russian art has surpassed previous levels."

Previous exhibitions held in China featuring Russian paintings from the Tretyakov Gallery were mainly focused on a single topic rather than presenting a more comprehensive view like the current exhibition, according to Yu. 

He noted that the theme and overall outline of the exhibition were proposed by a Chinese academic team before communicating with Russian institutions, selecting the pieces they could provide to finalize the exhibition.

The Tretyakov Gallery is one of the most prominent art museums in Russia, renowned for its vast collection of Russian fine art. 

Founded in 1856 by merchant and art collector Pavel Tretyakov, the gallery houses over 180,000 works, spanning from early religious iconography to contemporary art.

In 1949, the Soviet Union became the first country in the world to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. 

Since then, Russian art has had a lasting impact on Chinese artists.

Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen eased past 71st-ranked Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia with 6-1, 6-1 in the second round of a highly anticipated match at the China Open on Saturday. 

The match attracted more than 12,000 fans to the 15,000-capacity Diamond Court at the National Tennis Center in Beijing. 

Making her debut at this year's China Open thanks to a first-round bye as the fifth seed, Zheng said she was satisfied with her performance on Saturday after suffering frustrations since the US Open.

"I'm very satisfied with today's overall performance. I always practice with male players during training, and I often get beaten, which is frustrating, but today's match went really smoothly. I haven't had such a smooth match in a long time, especially since every match at the US Open was tough," Zheng said after the match. 

"I was surprised to see so many fans at the venue today, and I really appreciate everyone's support. I hope I can go further in the China Open, so you all can have more opportunities to watch me play."

Saturday's match was only Zheng's second appearance in the tournament after a surprising first-round exit in 2023. Zheng is currently ranked No.7 in the world, going up from world No.23 at this time same time in 2023. 

Zheng will take on 25th seed Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in the third round. 

Zheng has expressed a desire to shift her focus away from the overwhelming glow of her Olympic gold medal in the women's singles and instead focus on her WTA Tour events, as her objective for the rest of the season is clear: to secure a spot in the year-ender WTA Finals. 

Zheng currently sits at No.9 in the Race to the Finals, trailing US players Emma Navarro and Danielle Collins by 498 and 108 points, respectively. 

Zheng's Finals campaign was made easier ahead of Saturday's match after compatriot and veteran Zhang Shuai defeated Navarro on Friday in the first round.

A total of 5,000 Chinese couples tied the knot simultaneously in 50 places from across the country on Sunday as the nation eagerly awaits the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The couples celebrated their love on the day, marking a significant chapter in their lives. 

Themed "a celebration by families and the nation to witness happiness together," the group wedding is the largest ever in scale held by the Chinese authorities since the founding of PRC. 

At 50 wedding venues set up in provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the special administrative regions of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan region, the 5,000 couples dressed themselves up in Chinese traditional wedding gowns, held flowers, exchange gifts, and solemnly read their wedding vows, China Women's News reported.

In addition to their vows to stay together and grow old together, the newlyweds also issued a proposal for simplifying wedding procedures and oppose high betrothal gifts, according to Beijing Daily. 

The symbolic significance of this group wedding in promoting marriage customs reform, advocating a new culture of marriage and childbearing, while supporting the happiness of marriages and families are self-evident, the Beijing Daily reported. 

A couple from Ji'an in East China's Jiangxi Province told the media that the essence of marriage lies in the love and commitment between two people, whereas high "caili," or betrothal gifts from the bridegroom to the bride's family, often place a financial burden on young people, even affecting the happiness of their marriage, according to China Women's News. 

Their opinion echoed with a bride named Yan Huiyin from Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, who thought that finding a soulmate with whom one can share the rest of their life is always the most important value of the marriage. 

Demographic expert He Yafu, who has long tracked marriage registration data, stated that one reason for the declining marriage rate in China in recent years is the high cost of weddings, particularly in rural areas where the practice of high "caili" was more common.

"This group wedding aims to promote the reform of outdated customs and encourage simplified wedding practices, opposing high-priced betrothal gifts and extravagant ceremonies. One of its goals is to advocate for reducing the cost of marriage and increase the marriage rate," He told the Global Times on Sunday. 

The venue in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region saw the largest number with 300 newlywed couples.