Current Events

[Randy W]

For athletes, the Summer Olympics have been the culmination of five years’ hard work. But it’s not all blood, sweat, and tears. Sixth Tone’s visual editors select some of the most striking moments documented during this year’s games.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3012405112411662

The Summer Olympics in Photos
A selection of photos from this year’s Summer Olympics, as selected by Sixth Tone’s visual editors.

Tang Xijing and Guan Chenchen (No. 320) celebrate after the women’s balance beam final as the United States’ Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee look on, Aug. 3, 2021. Zheng Huansong/Xinhua

[Randy W]

Migrating elephants begin to head home safely

By Global TimesPublished: Aug 08, 2021 11:48 PM

   

 

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The herd of 14 wild Asian elephants roaming Southwest China's Yunnan Province began to return to its habitat safely after crossing the Yuanjiang River on Sunday evening, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The herd was monitored on Saturday while wandering in the forest near Ganzhuang community in Yuanjiang county, Yuxi city, Yunnan Province. All of them were in good conditions and posed no threats to humans, the report said , citing officials from the headquarters in charge of monitoring their migration.

 

[Randy W]

“They are as beautiful as it gets. The flawed skin, tough bodies, and unwavering eye,” wrote a Weibo user in a post that would start online discussions on how China’s female Olympians were challenging traditional beauty norms.
Read more: http://ow.ly/ugOO50FN3cz

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/photos/a.1604152706570250/3014278112224362

[Randy W]

Time to go home! Aerial photos show a herd of wild Asian #elephants crossing the Yuanjiang River in Southwest China's Yunnan province. The herd of 14 wild Asian elephants roaming around in Yunnan is approaching their traditional habitat. #ecoYunnan

from China Daily on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/chinadaily/posts/10159673364426291

[Randy W]

After an epic 17-month and 500km journey, China’s famous herd of wandering elephants appears to be heading home 👇

from AL Jazeera on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/posts/10160205776158690

[Randy W]

On the first day of implementing a new regulation on e-bike management in #Shenzhen, a total of 69 tickets were issued on couriers and delivery people for not wearing their helmets while driving. Couriers and delivery people face a fine of 200 RMB for not wearing their helmets.

from Shenzhen Pages on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/shenzhenpages/posts/1395901500794485

[Randy W]

Artist He Jialin has created a total of 38 ink paintings to record Chinese athletes who attended the #2020Tokyo Olympic Games.

from China Pictorial on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/ChinaPic/posts/4030227477102611

[Randy W]

Following public outcries about the illegal use of hidden cameras, China’s internet regulator said police have arrested 59 people involved in secret filming activities and seized over 25,000 illicit webcams.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3015834282068745

China Cracks Down on Hidden Cameras and Clandestine Filming
Police seized over 25,000 illegal webcams and arrested 59 people involved in clandestine filming activities.

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While China’s surveillance cameras have been touted as ensuring public safety, hidden cameras and secret filming have proven a nuisance across various sectors. Now, authorities are going after them.

The Cyberspace Administration of China said it has been “managing” the illegal practice since May following a spate of public outcries about the issue, according to a statement Monday. The internet watchdog said police have arrested 59 people in relation to clandestine filming operations and seized 25,000 illegal webcams nationwide, while authorities have taken action against over 5,000 online businesses involved in such activities.

Authorities said voyeurism and the secret filming of others are illegal and violate privacy, according to the statement.

In recent years, several high-profile cases involving hidden cameras in hotel rooms and fitting rooms have drawn public criticism. Some business owners were found to be profiting from secretly filmed footage by selling videos online or giving access to hidden webcams for others to stream from.

 

 

[Randy W]

Chinese scientists find evidence of most powerful asteroid strike humans ever experienced

• The impact crater uncovered in Heilongjiang may have been created by a blast hundreds of times bigger than the Hiroshima atomic bomb
• The asteroid was travelling far faster than the one that wiped out the dinosaurs and the strike would have been ‘disastrous’ for anyone living in the area

from the SCMP

The Yilan crater in Heilongjiang province. Photo: Heilongjiang
 

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Many impact craters have been found around the world, but most of them were formed long before the emergence of homo sapiens 300,000 years ago.
But the “impossibly deep” crater discovered in Yilan county near Harbin in Heilongjiang is thought to have been formed about 49,000 years ago by an asteroid about 100 metres wide.
Although it was far smaller than the 10km asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, the scientists believe it was travelling at a much higher speed and came down vertically, creating a different type of impact crater than has previously been found.

 . . .

Chen said it was possible that homo sapiens had reached modern-day Heilongjiang and encountered homo longi or other early humans by the time the asteroid had struck.
The crater sits next to a fertile plain created by the Songhua river. The local climate would have been warmer than it is today, creating favourable living conditions for humans and large animals such as elephants.

 . . .

Given its relatively small size, “Yilan is the most deeply formed crater we have ever seen,” said Chen.
It was previously considered impossible for such a small, deep crater to be created by the impact and none of the existing models used by researchers to simulate an asteroid blast had predicted anything like that.

 

 

[Randy W]

No athlete from Team China has struck a chord in the country quite like 14-year-old diving champion Quan Hongchan, who has garnered nationwide adoration for her underprivileged upbringing and down-to-earth demeanor.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3017706961881477

The 14-Year-Old Diving Prodigy Who Won Gold — and China’s Hearts
Quan Hongchan’s life story and personality has captivated the country.

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On social media, Quan has been dubbed the nation’s “little sister.” And after her hometown of Maihe in the southern Guangdong province suddenly received streams of tourists, local authorities decided to shut the village to outsiders, citing COVID-19 concerns.

The daughter of an orange farmer, she has four siblings and a mother who has been in poor health for years due to a car accident. Many people sympathized with Quan after she said in an interview following her golden victory that one of her motivations to train hard was that, “(My) mom is sick, but I don’t know how to read the character (of the disease) … so I just want to make a lot of money to pay for medical bills ... and cure her.”

“Who would not feel heartbroken after watching this video? My heart is torn apart! She is just a kid,” a user on microblogging site Weibo wrote in an upvoted comment.

Despite her feelings of responsibility toward her family and her world-beating sporting prowess, Quan has in endearing ways shown herself to be like any ordinary 14-year-old, with charming slip-ups during interviews, an unabashed dislike of school, and a love for playing video games and eating latiao, a cheap, spicy Chinese snack.

 

 

[Randy W]

More than 500 millimeters of rain poured down on the town of Liulin, Hubei province, in just half a day — about the same amount as how much fell on Zhengzhou during its worst 24 hours of downpour last month.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3017640571888116

[Randy W]

Social security is a basic institutional guarantee for safeguarding and improving people’s lives, ensuring social equity and enhancing their sense of wellbeing, according to a white paper released Thursday.
In 2020, 340 million people were covered by basic medical insurance for urban workers, and 1.02 billion by basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents – a total of 1.36 billion, said the paper.
To guarantee a basic living to people in difficulties caused by Covid-19, the government provided temporary subsidies totaling RMB21.8 billion to residents in need when the Consumer Price Index fluctuates beyond a certain range, benefitting 400 million people, said the paper.

from China Pictorial on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/ChinaPic/posts/4036336833158342

[Randy W]

On 6/26/2021 at 4:31 PM, Randy W said:

Discovery of ‘Dragon Man’ Skull in China May Add Species to Human Family Tree
A laborer discovered the fossil and hid it in a well for 85 years. Scientists say it could help sort out the human family tree and how our species emerged.

from the NY Times 

 

and Nat Geo
https://www.facebook.com/72996268335/posts/10159638493088336/

As the story goes, the “dragon man” skull was discovered in the ‘30s and hidden in a well to avoid detection by Japanese authorities at the time. But paleontologist Ji Qiang suspects the tale may be a little too good to be real.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3023133964672110

The Story Behind China’s ‘Dragon Man’ Discovery
Paleontologist Ji Qiang has made global headlines with claims he’s discovered a new species of early human named “Homo longi.” The 70-year-old tells Sixth Tone how the find really came about — and why critics misunderstand his work.

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It’s a fabulous tale, but Ji suspects it may be a little too good to be real. In all likelihood, the man found the skull himself, but didn’t want to admit he’d failed to report his discovery to the authorities immediately, Ji implies. In China, all cultural relics are deemed to be the property of the state, and failing to hand over artifacts in a timely manner is illegal.

“This is self-protection,” Ji tells Sixth Tone. “I understand his reasoning.”  

Sadly, like so much to do with the “dragon man,” verifying the details of the man’s story will be a challenge. After reaching out to Ji by phone in 2018, the man met him at a hotel to hand over the skull. But the man refused to reveal his name, and Ji has been unable to contact him since.

It’s not the only issue related to the “dragon man” that Ji is keen to clear up. The research undertaken by Ji — who works at Hebei GEO University in northern China — has also become the focus of much debate in recent days, with some scientists questioning his decision to declare the fossil belongs to a new species.

The skull is undeniably a major find: Its wide, square eye sockets and huge brow ridge is unlike any human cranium previously discovered.

 

 

Edited August 21, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

China holds celebration of 70th anniversary of Tibet's peaceful liberation https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1232015.shtml

https://www.facebook.com/globaltimesnews/posts/4386492868098246

[Randy W]

sixthtone Verified
Revealed: How Floods Turned a Chinese Subway Into a Death Trap

A subway train carrying hundreds of commuters. A violent flash flood. A desperate struggle for survival. Sixth Tone investigates how extreme weather sowed terror in a Chinese megacity.

on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CS5yw2CHAsx/?utm_medium=copy_link

 

 

 

 

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