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Ningxia Celebrates 60th Birthday

Founded in 1958， Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has undergone impressive progress over the past 60 years. Its GDP and per capita GDP grew 1，053-fold and 289-fold respectively to RMB 345.39 billion（US $49.94 billion） and RMB 50，917 （US$7，363） last year. The lengths of highway， railway， and expressway routes now stand at 34，561 km， 1，060 km， and 1，609 km respectively.

After 30 years of poverty reduction efforts through development， the region has slashed its impoverished population from 1.19 million in 1982 to 239，000 in 2017. Meanwhile a raft of projects were rolled out to improve local livelihoods， including the construction of a telecom network that covers the whole region， an investment of RMB 4 billion （US $578.4 million） to provide safe drinking water to 1.13 million residents in mountainous areas， and measures to boost employment. Last year the per capita disposable income of its urban and rural residents reached RMB 29，472 （US $4，262） and RMB 10，738（US $1，553） respectively， 135-fold and 104-fold of that in 1957.

With more than half of its territory being desert， Ningxia has also made remarkable improvement in environmental conservation， especially in soil and water conservation， water saving， and desert control. It has reversed the trend of desertification and reduced the area of desert/sandy lands for 20 years in a row. The size of wetland per head in Ningxia is the largest in northwestern China.

Carbon-Fiber Light Rail Train Goes on Display

The worlds first light rail train for commercial operation with carbon-fiber composite materials was displayed to the public at the fourth China （Changchun） Rail Traffic Expo in Changchun， capital of Jilin Province.

The train， developed by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles， has a design speed of 80 km per hour with a maximum passenger capacity of 368. It is 30 percent lighter than traditional metal trains， which can effectively improve its capacity， save costs， and reduce wear and tear.

The company also showcased the technology of super capacitive storage， which helps the train run 10 km after charging only for 10 minutes. In addition， the company displayed the newest unmanned subway trains at the expo， which highlighted the best technology in the field.

Lunar Exploration Enters the Fourth Stage

China plans to land on and explore the southern and northern polar regions of the Moon by 2030， according to Li Guoping， director of the Department of System Engineering of the China National Space Administration （CNSA）. He said that China is planning four missions for the fourth stage of its lunar exploration program.

Chinas lunar exploration program， named after the legendary Change， a moon goddess accompanied by a jade rabbit， started in 2003， and the first three stages of the program include orbiting and landing on the Moon， and bringing samples back to Earth.

Li said the fourth stage of the program will include sending the Change-4 lunar probe to the far side of the Moon at the end of 2018， which is expected to become the worlds first soft-landing， roving probe on the Moons far side. A relay satellite， named Queqiao（Magpie Bridge）， for Change-4 entered a Halo orbit around the second Lagrangian （L2） point of the Earth-Moon system， about 65，000 km from the Moon in June.

China Acts to Protect Ozone Layer

China has phased out 280，000 metric tons of ozone-depleting substances — equaling half the total reduction by developing countries， and will launch inspections to stop the illegal production and use of one substance， CFC-11. Zhao Yingmin， vice minister of Ecology and Environment， made the remarks in a meeting that commemorated the 24th International Ozone Layer Protection Day， which fell on September 16.

China has attached great importance to fulfilling its obligation in ODS control since joining the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1991. Proactive measures have yielded remarkable achievements， Zhao said. The country has implemented phase-out plans in 31 industries， including household and industrial refrigerating appliances， and has carried out work at almost 1，000 companies.

He reiterated the countrys zero-tolerance policy toward the illegal production and use of ODS， and said violations will be severely punished.

A national survey by the Chinese Association for Science and Technology shows the growth in the scientifically literate Chinese population.