10 big things about China you should not miss (Oct. 5- Oct.11)

1. China ready to strengthen strategic communication with DPRK, says Premier Li

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday that China stands ready to strengthen high-level exchanges and strategic communication with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during his meeting with Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK.

2. National Day holiday saw booming tourism, emerging trends

China's recent eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday has set a new benchmark for domestic tourism, with some 888 million trips made during the period, up 123 million from the seven-day National Day holiday in 2024.

Domestic tourism spending reached 809 billion yuan (about 113.8 billion U.S. dollars), which was up 108 billion yuan year on year, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The extended holiday period, coupled with flexible "leave-stitching," allowed travelers to lengthen their itineraries. The average journey radius grew 14.8 percent to about 213 kilometers, and the average sightseeing radius within specific destinations expanded 24.5 percent to 23 kilometers, according to the China Tourism Academy.

3. Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated across China

People across China celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival on Oct. 6, a traditional occasion for family reunions and moon appreciation. From bustling cities to remote villages, festive activities were held to mark the holiday, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar.

In China, cultural performances, lantern displays, and folk exhibitions highlighted the rich heritage of the festival. Tourist sites and scenic areas also saw an increase in visitors, as families took advantage of the holiday to travel and enjoy the autumn scenery.

4.China announces export control measures on superhard materials, rare earths, battery-related items

China's commerce ministry and the General Administration of Customs on Thursday announced export control measures on items related to superhard materials, rare earth equipment and materials, and batteries.

Effective from Nov. 8, exports of items related to superhard materials, equipment and raw materials related to rare earths, five medium and heavy rare earth elements including holmium, lithium batteries, as well as synthetic graphite anode materials, will not be permitted without approval, the Ministry of Commerce stated.

5.China, India to resume direct flights before end October

China and India will restart direct flights before the end of October this year. This move demonstrates how the two sides faithfully act on the important common understandings reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin on August 31, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiankun at a regular press conference on Thursday.

6. Flame lighting ceremony for China's 15th National Games held in Guangzhou

The flame lighting ceremony for China's 15th National Games, 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and 9th National Special Olympic Games was held in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, on Thursday, with one month to go before the opening of the National Games.

Representatives from the three hosts - Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao - raised their ceremonial torches to simultaneously light the official cauldron.

The "source flame" was extracted and ignited from combustible ice lying over 1,500 meters beneath the surface of the South China Sea in September.

7.China-Laos Railway handles over 60 million passenger trips

The China-Laos Railway has seen more than 60 million passenger trips since its launch, carrying 595,000 cross-border travelers from 115 countries and regions as of Wednesday, China Railway Kunming Group has said.

To meet growing demand, this railway service added a second pair of international trains between Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan province, and Vientiane in Laos this July, doubling the number of daily trains to four.

8. Unconventional laser dating reveals 86-million-year-old dinosaur egg in central China

Chinese scientists have determined that a dinosaur egg, unearthed in the mountains along a Yangtze River tributary in central China, is around 86 million years old using an unconventional dating method never before applied to fossil eggshells.

The method, known as carbonate uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating, involves using lasers to vaporize minerals in fossilized eggshell fragments. The resulting vapor contains uranium and lead atoms. Over millions of years, uranium gradually transforms into lead, like sand slipping through an hourglass. By measuring the proportions of uranium and newly formed lead in the minerals, scientists can determine how long the "hourglass" has been running, revealing the fossil's age.

9.Two giant pandas debut after quarantine in Beijing

After a monthlong quarantine, two giant pandas named Ji Nian, or "Auspicious Year", and Fu Jiang, or "Lucky General", made their public debut at Beijing Zoo on Monday, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

It marked their first time celebrating the festival in Beijing since their birth at a breeding center in Sichuan province, home to most of the country's pandas.

10.'Chicken steak brother' turns small city into instant hit

Expertly flipping over the chicken steak in the hot wok, 48-year-old street vendor Li Junyong, who has been nicknamed "chicken steak brother", has shot to fame and become a signature attraction in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province.

His humorous interactions with tourists, such as, "You can refuse me, but not my chicken steak" and, "You deserve everything beautiful in the world, including my chicken steak", turned the city into a trending destination over the just-finished Mid-Autumn and National Day holiday.

The popularity of Li and his street stand has helped to boost the growth of tourism in Jingdezhen, a city renowned for its ceramic and porcelain products.