News

Nansha Islands Airfield

January 6 – Nansha Islands， South China Sea： Crew members take a group photo after successful test flights of two of China’s commercial airliners at a new airfield. China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that China had finished construction of an airfield on Yongshu Jiao in its Nansha Islands. It is the southernmost airfield in the country. The official press release from Xinhua declared， “The test flights proved that the airfield has the capacity to ensure safe operation of large civilian aircraft.” This will help transportation of goods and personnel as well as the delivery of healthcare on the islands， and the airfield will also serve as an emergency runway for flights in the region.

Spring Festival Travel Rush

January 25 – Nanjing： Passengers heading home. China’s 2016 Spring Festival travel rush started on January 24. According to China’s transportation authorities， an estimated 2.9 billion trips will be made around China during this year’s 40-day Spring Festival travel rush. The top 10 busiest routes are Beijing to Harbin， Beijing to Xi’an， Beijing to Wuhan， Beijing to Zhengzhou， Guangzhou to Wuhan， Guangzhou to Chongqing， Guangzhou to Zhengzhou， Guangzhou to Changsha， Shenzhen to Zhengzhou， and Shanghai to Xi’an. The phrase Chunyun， or “Spring Festival travel rush，” was coined in 1985. In 2006， the volume of passenger journeys during the period eclipsed the population of China， hitting over 2 billion. Chunyun has been considered the largest annual human migration in the world， and rail transport usually experiences its biggest challenge during the period.

Out in the Cold

January 22 – Jinhua， Zhejiang Province： After a rare heavy snow， more than 100 large vats used to brew soy sauce in a local factory are covered with thick snow. From January 17 to 24， China experienced this winter’s coldest days as the worst cold front in decades crept across the country. The national observatory raised the weather warning level from yellow to orange （second most severe） on the morning of January 23. According to the National Meteorological Center （NMC）， temperatures dropped 6 to 10 degrees Celsius on that morning in parts of northwestern China， northern China and the Huanghuai area （lower reaches of the Yellow River and northern part of the Huaihe River basin）. Some southern Chinese cities witnessed their first snowfall in decades， including Guangzhou and Chongqing.

Made in China in 2016

January 13 – Beijing： Small commodities featuring the Year of the Monkey， including Spring Festival pictures， toys， and accessories， are sold in a wholesale market. Recently， “Made in China 1000 Summit 2016” was held in Shanghai. Analysts believe 2016 will be crucial year for China’s manufacturing industry. At a critical period of transformation and upgrading， China’s manufacturing industry faces both opportunities and challenges in 2016. While demographic dividends for China are dwindling， some manufacturing jobs have shifted to Southeast Asian countries or are even embarking on a long trip back to the U.S. and Europe. On the other hand， domestic smart products are enjoying an increasing popularity with China’s middle-class consumers. And new industrial technologies are expected to bring about new production modes for China.