Located in west Zhejiang Province, Quzhou is a famous historical and cultural city with a more than 6,000-year-old history of civilization and was listed as one of the National Famous Historical and Cultural Cities in China in 1994.

At a seminar before the Quzhou visit, Liu Xinxin, an associate professor from the Communication University of China School of Government and Public Affairs, said that Quzhou's cultural branding can be a typical example of successful urban renewal in China. Only after the visit, could I fully understand the remark and vividly experience how the city is building its long-standing historical culture into a modernized industry, which has become a calling card for the city.

Although having never been to the city before, I soon fell in love with the enjoyable and culture-filled city. It is not only the second hometown of the Confucius family, but also the ancestral home of great Chairman Mao Zedong, the birthplace of Weiqi (GO) culture, the first place to experience spring in the new year going all the way back to the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), and home to tens of thousands of hard-working and creative Chinese farmers. 

This rich cultural heritages creates unique conditions for the city, which has taken a characteristically unique path to modernization by "planting [seeds of] culture," cultivating towering cultural trees, and growing abundant cultural fruits in order to lead local residents to common prosperity.

The Southern link to Confucius is, without doubt, a sound business card for the city. In 1128, after the downfall of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), Kong Duanyou, a 48th-generation descendant of Confucius, moved to the south and settled in Quzhou, which led the city to become a cultural hub of Confucianism in southern China.

Since 2004, a memorial ceremony has been held annually at the Confucius Ancestral Temple in the city to celebrate the birthday of the Confucius. On that day, hundreds of guests from around the world, including the descendants of Confucius and representatives from various global Confucius institutes gather for the ceremony to pay tribute to the great philosopher and educator.

Confucius culture has also attracted nearly 100 overseas students and scholars from the US, Germany, and Armenia to visit Quzhou for research and study purposes in the last two decades.  

Through the tour, I found out that each village in Quzhou has a specialized path to development. Starting with painting, the Yudong village has established a common prosperity alliance with nine surrounding villages, working together to create "Nine Villages and Ten Workshops," forming marketable and creative products such as paintings, porcelain and scarves. 

The collective operating income of the alliance has increased by 205 percent annually, with an average increase exceeding 300,000 yuan ($40,996) for each village.

Quzhou is also making efforts to build itself as a Weiqi hub. The city built the first international Weiqi cultural exchange center in China, the first national Weiqi team local training base and implemented the first local regulations related to Weiqi, promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture. The Quzhou-Lanke Cup World Go Open has also filled the gap left by the lack of an annual top-level Weiqi tournament in China. The tournament has been listed as the first professional event in the directory of the Chinese Go Association, on par with the "LG Cup" and "Samsung Cup" in South Korea. 

Regrettably, during this particular trip to Quzhou, I was not able to visit Mapeng, which is famous for being a prototype of many elements in Wuxia (martial heroes) novels by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). The village has also built many scenic spots that bring classic spots in Jin Yong's masterpieces, such as the Taohua Island, to life, attracting tens of thousands of Wuxia fans every year.

Certainly, however, I believe the future will bring new opportunities for a highly recommended visit to the renowned site and allow me to explore more the charming city.

The Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department has recently released a notice seeking public opinions on the draft amendment of the regulations on the reward and protection of volunteer personnel who behave righteously in the province, in which the regulations stipulate that those sacrificed their lives will be awarded an additional one-million-yuan ($139,454) compensation for their righteousness.

South China's Guangdong Province aims to establish regulations that honor and protect the brave and righteous volunteer personnel, creating a more favorable environment for volunteer activities, according to the regulations. The public can submit feedback and suggestions to the provincial authorities before January 30.

In addition to receiving the corresponding awards given by the state and province for the individuals who have performed brave acts, the Guangdong provincial government will award a one-time bonus. For those who are completely unable to work will be awarded a bonus of 800,000 yuan, and those who win the title of national righteous and brave will be awarded a prize of 200,000 yuan, according to the regulations.

The act of bravery in the regulations refers to the actions of individuals who don't have legal responsibilities or obligations, but who, intervene in illegal and criminal activities or engage in rescue, emergency response and other actions, for protecting national and public interests, or others' life and property safety.

Citizens are encouraged to take appropriate and effective actions to carry out the acts of bravery, including stopping illegal and criminal activities that endanger national security, public safety, or disrupt social order, according to the regulations.

The regulations also stipulate county- or above-level governments within the province should reward those individuals who conduct acts of bravery such as releasing notification of commendation, awarding prizes and awarding the title of honor.

In order to ensure those individuals' legitimate rights, the regulations also stipulate that any organization or individual, who witnesses someone who is injured by performing a heroic act, should promptly inform the public security organs and medical institutions, and take measures to assist in treatment and provide aid. Medical institutions should prioritize treatment, and can not refuse or delay treatment.

The country has been making efforts to make sure the legitimate rights of those individuals who conduct brave acts are protected. In June 2023, a young deliveryman Peng Qinglin jumped off a high bridge to save a drowning woman in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. Hangzhou authorities awarded Peng the title of honor and a cash prize as well.

As the clock ticked into 2024, several Chinese provinces including East China's Anhui and Central China's Hunan began a new round of construction of major projects, signaling a robust start to the new year. The growth in investment brought an encouraging sign for economic growth.

Analysts told the Global Times on Thursday that this development laid a solid foundation for investment in 2024, and these new projects are expected to generate significant economic benefits and jobs, and ramp up investment that will drive economic growth.

On Tuesday, Anhui held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Hefei-Wuhan High-Speed Railway, along with the first batch of major projects for 2024. So far, 460 major projects have been launched in the province, with a total investment of 489.63 billion yuan ($68.5 billion).

These projects range from infrastructure to emerging industries and include 33 projects with an investment of more than 3 billion yuan.

Insufficient investment in 2023 hindered economic development in China, but the situation improved at the end of the year. With improving development expectations and new policies conducive to industrial development, investment is expected to further increase this year, Tian Yun, a veteran economist based in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"I am most optimistic about the energy sector this year," Tian said. "As an emerging industry, it has shown promising growth momentum and proven to have the potential to inject vitality into China's economic growth."

Hunan Province started on Wednesday work on 11 major projects with a combined investment of 87.2 billion yuan.

Emerging industries are playing a pivotal role in driving investments. Among the 460 projects initiated in Anhui, 253 are in emerging industries, including new-energy vehicles, smart grids, advanced photovoltaic systems and new materials, with total investment of 247.66 billion yuan. 

All across China, regions are gearing up for a strong start to the new year, with a focus on emerging industries.

In Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, 25 of the 63 newly launched projects are related to industries such as new energy, new materials and biomedicine, making up 39.68 percent of the total.

Central China's Henan Province on Monday announced policies to promote a robust economic start to the first quarter, with 100 projects each worth of 10 billion yuan in investment.

"I expect a rise in investment can provide the impetus to achieve 5 percent GDP growth for China in 2024," said Tian. 

A total of 50 Hungarian art works were featured on Tuesday at the Chongqing Art Museum. The 2023 Western China Hungarian Cultural Festival and the 2nd Chongqing Urban Arts Festival with the theme "The Journey: Janos Fajo and The Pesti Workshop," were co-organized by the Chongqing Art Museum, the Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Center Beijing, the Consulate General of Hungary in Chongqing, and Central Bank of Hungary. 
Czégel Bálint, consul general of Hungary in Chongqing, Kohári Lajos, head of Department at the National Assembly of Hungary, Wang Rongfa, director of Chongqing Art Museum, and other guests attended the ceremony. 

This exhibition is to implement the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) development strategy, strengthen the mutual understanding of civilizations and people-to-people communication with Belt and Road countries, and enrich the series of exhibitions of the 2nd Chongqing Urban Arts Festival to meet the high-quality spiritual and cultural needs of the public. 

More than 50 pieces were put on display at the exhibition ranging from oil painting to printmaking and other media. The works are rich in context, experimental, and of high artistic value, reflecting the contemporary style and unique artistic characteristics of Hungarian contemporary painting.

The exhibition runs until November 17, according to official Wechat account of Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Center Beijing.