Winter on the Horizon

　　A man collects hay in a meadow in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture， Qinghai Province in northwest China， on November 8. Local herds people were busy storing food for their livestock ahead of winter.

Income Growth

　　Rural residents in poverty-stricken areas saw a robust growth in their disposable income in the fi rst three quarters of the year， offi cial data showed.
　　Their per-capita disposable income was 8，163 yuan （$1，167）， up 10.8 percent year on year， according to the National Bureau of Statistics（NBS）.
　　The income increased 8 percent from the same period last year after deducting infl ation. The growth rate was 1.6 percentage points higher than that of rural residents nationwide and 1.9 percentage points higher than the national average.
　　Their per-capita wages expanded 12.2 percent year on year， with the growth rate up 2.8 percentage points from that of overall rural areas， the NBS said.
　　Per-capita net operating revenue in impoverished areas climbed 6.8 percent， expanding 1.3 percentage points faster than a year earlier， with the income from the tertiary industry registering a yearly growth of 11.2 percent.
　　Income from the agricultural sector rose 3.8 percent year on year， bucking the trend of a 3.9-percent drop from last year， thanks to expanded summer grain output and a price increase in animal husbandry products.
　　Farmers’ per-capita income from the government climbed 15.3 percent year on year， including pensions， social relief， agriculture subsidies and living allowances.
　　The country is aiming to lift all rural residents living below the current poverty line out of poverty and eliminate poverty in all county-level regions by 2020.

Air Force’s Birthday

　　The Chinese People’s Liberation Army （PLA） Air Force celebrated its 70th anniversary on November 11， with growing capacity building and international cooperation.
　　The air force has participated in several joint exercises with the Pakistani and Thai air forces since 2011.
　　More than 40 offi cers and cadets from 16 countries joined a recent international exchange program held by the PLA Air Force in the city of Changchun in Jilin Province， northeast China.
　　“It is an important measure to develop friendly cooperation between the Chinese and foreign air forces，” said Shen Jinke， spokesperson for the PLA Air Force， adding that it also showcased how the Chinese air force is embracing the world with confi dence and openness. 　　The air force also actively provides public security goods for the international community， including participating in UN peacekeeping operations and humanitarian assistance operations.
　　In recent years， the PLA Air Force has transported humanitarian aid materials or personnel to countries including the Maldives， Malaysia and Nepal in disaster relief operations.

Healthy China

　　National political advisors convened a bi-weekly seminar on November 8 to discuss advancing the Healthy China Initiative.
　　A total of 12 political advisors， experts and scholars put forward their suggestions， while over 140 political advisors voiced their opinions via a mobile platform， according to a statement issued by the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
　　They noted that while China has made remarkable progress in public health in the last decades， the health sector faces new situations and challenges， such as chronic diseases， mental health issues and occupational health issues.
　　Political advisors proposed shifting the focus from curing diseases to preventing them in advancing the initiative， prioritizing the efforts to raise public health awareness and incorporating health education into the national educational system.
　　They also called for carrying out medical screenings， deepening medical reform， integrating health resources and applying modern information technologies to the health sector.

Rising Job Hopping

　　An overwhelming majority of Chinese workers said they fi nd many young people change their jobs within the fi rst three years of work-ing， according to a recent survey by China Youth Daily.
　　The proportion of respondents in agreement accounted for 90 percent of the 1，984 people surveyed， the Beijing-based newspaper reported.
　　More than 65 percent said they believe the change was a result of low pay and poor benefi ts， adding that other contributing factors include a lack of interest in the specifi c post， bleak prospects for promotion and intense work pressure.
　　In response to such frustrations， nearly 70 percent of respondents suggested new employees should understand that surmounting diffi culties is a process of learning， according to the survey.
　　“Along with employees’ selfadjustment， employers should also offer proper career guidance to newcomers and help them develop a career growth plan，” Wang Ting， a professor on human resources development at the China University of Political Science and Law， told the newspaper.

Astronomical Center

　　Chinese scientists have developed the fi rst regional center prototype of the Square Kilometer Array （SKA）， the world’s largest astronomical device.
　　The prototype， developed by the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory （SHAO） with the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences， will help advance the construction and operation of the future SKA regional center， said An Tao， head of the SKA group of the SHAO.
　　The SKA will be the largest and most advanced radio telescope ever built. It will combine signals received via thousands of small antennae spreading over 3，000 km to simulate a single giant radio telescope with a total collecting area of approximately 1 square km.
　　The antennae will be installed in the southern hemisphere with the core stations located in Western Australia and South Africa， offering the best view of the Milky Way and the least radio frequency interference.
　　The SKA will be able to detect faint radio waves from deep space with its sensitivity about 50 times higher than any other existing radio instrument ever developed.
　　The construction of the SKA is planned to start next year， and China， one of the founding members， is investigating the China regional center scheme， which will offer a platform for multi-disciplinary scientific research， in-depth data processing， long-term storage and advanced technique development， An said.

Rural Runway

　　Models walk on the wooden trestle of a park in Houtaizi Village， which was transformed from a rubbish disposal pit， in Qian’an City， Hebei Province in north China， on November 10.

Panda Population

　　A total of 60 captive panda cubs were born， 57 of which survived， this year， leading to a captive panda population of 600 worldwide， the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said on November 12.
　　The rising number of captive pandas showed that a healthy， dynamic and sustainable captive panda population has basically taken shape， according to the administration， adding that research on wild giant pandas is also making progress.
　　Meanwhile， research and breeding institutions for giant pandas， including the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding， are innovating panda breeding technol- ogy， building key laboratories for endangered wildlife conservation， and establishing research partnerships with international organizations. 　　Zhang Zhihe， Director of the Chengdu base， said it would be expanded and continue to focus on the improvement of scientifi c panda research and protection.
　　There are fewer than 2，000 pandas living in the wild， mostly in the provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi.

Cultural Beauty

　　Tourists watch a dance performance at the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar in Urumqi， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China， on November 7. The number of tourists to the autonomous region exceeded 200 million from January to October， up 42.62 percent year on year， according to local authorities.

Easier Financing

　　Top banking and taxation authorities have pledged to further deepen their collaboration and provide more concerted support for private and small fi rms.
　　To better alleviate enterprises’fi nancing diffi culties， efforts will be made to help them turn taxation credit into fi nancing credit， said a recent notice jointly issued by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and the State Taxation Administration.
　　A direct link between taxation and banking data should be promoted while banks should be encouraged to upgrade their credit products， said the notice.
　　In the meantime， local taxation and banking departments must ensure data security and confi dentiality to protect enterprises’business secrets.
　　Banking and taxation authorities launched the interactive mechanism in 2015 in a bid to solve the information asymmetry during the fundraising activities of small companies.
　　From 2015 to the end of September， banking institutions had issued about 1.57 trillion yuan （$224.5 billion） of loans to small and micro fi rms with good credit nationwide， and the fi gure stood at 393.9 billion yuan （$56.2 billion） in the fi rst three quarters of this year， up 18.6 percent year on year.

Blockchain Surge

　　Spending on blockchain technology will see rapid growth in China in the coming years to over $2 billion in 2023， a report by global market intelligence fi rm IDC showed.
　　There will be a compound annual growth rate of 65.7 percent from 2018 to 2023， the company estimated.
　　In 2019， most of the country’s blockchain spending went to the banking sector， while discrete manufacturing， retail， professional services and process manufacturing were also among the top industries for such investment. 　　A transformative technology that features an immutable data record that can be used and shared within a decentralized and publicly accessible network， blockchain has various application scenarios including cryptocurrency.
　　During a study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in October， the top Party leadership underscored the important role of blockchain technology in the new round of technological innovation and industrial transformation， urging more efforts to quicken development in the sector.
　　The offi cial recognition will push the application of blockchain technology and power quick spending growth in the sector， said Xue Yu， an IDC researcher.

Fragrant Wealth

　　Villagers of the Yao ethnic group harvest ginger in a village in Pinggui District of Hezhou， Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China， on November 12. Residents from six poverty-stricken villages in Pinggui are engaged in ginger cultivation， which helps increase their income.

TCM Integration

　　A total of 45 international standards for traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） have been issued by a technical committee within the International Organization for Standardization （ISO） called the ISO/TC249， authorities said on November 8.
　　TCM is being rapidly integrated into the international medical system and making greater contributions to human health and well-being， said the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
　　In accordance with Chinese Government initiatives， the 62nd and 67th World Health Assemblies passed two resolutions on traditional medicine and member states were urged to implement the Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-23 of the World Health Organization （WHO）.
　　Traditional and complementary medicine is being used in 88 percent of WHO member states.
　　Earlier this year， traditional medicine originating from TCM was incorporated into the 11th revision of the International Classifi cation of Diseases at the 72nd World Health Assembly.
　　TCM has been spread to 183 countries and regions and registered as medical products in countries including Russia， Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
　　The Chinese Government has signed cooperation agreements on TCM with over 40 countries， regions and international organizations， while hundreds of TCM schools have been established in more than 30 countries and regions.

Raining Grain

　　Newly procured soybeans are transferred to silos of the China Grain Reserves Group in Harbin， capital of China’s largest grain-producing province of Heilongjiang in the northeast， on November 8.

Airbus in China

　　Global aircraft producer Airbus said it will maintain a long-term partnership with the Chinese aviation industry and is eyeing a rosy future in the fast-growing market.
　　The international traffi c to and from China has nearly doubled over the last 10 years. According to the Airbus Global Market Forecast， China is expected to need some 7，560 new airplanes over the next 20 years.
　　In a press release， the company said it signed a memorandum of understanding on the further development of industrial cooperation with China in Beijing on November 6.
　　Both sides agreed to take practical and effective measures for new initiatives regarding both Airbus single-aisle and wide-body aircraft， the press release said.
　　A joint venture of the A320 fi nal assembly line was set up in Tianjin in 2008， which is Airbus’s third fi nal assembly line location for singleaisle aircraft and the fi rst outside Europe.
　　The project has been a great success， said Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury， adding that the company is anticipating a bright future because“growth is probably unlimited for aviation in China.”
　　To date， 450 A320 family aircraft have been delivered from Tianjin to Airbus’s Chinese and other Asian customers. The assembly line remains on track to ramp up its production to six aircraft per month by the end of 2019， which is a 50-percent increase compared to its original design.

Tasty Attraction

　　A Russian chef teaches a Chinese apprentice at a Russian restaurant in Manzhouli， Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China， on November 10. A blooming tourism industry has drawn many Russian restaurants to the city in recent years， which also makes the tourist destination more attractive.

Manufacturing Boost

　　A financial service plan was launched on November 8 to boost the growth of advanced manufacturing industry in nine cities in the Yangtze River Delta， said the Shanghai Head Office of the People’s Bank of China （PBC）.
　　The core task of the Comprehensive Service Plan for the High-Quality Development of Advanced Manufacturing Industry in the G60 Science and Innovation Corridor in the Yangtze River Delta is to promote the development of advanced manufacturing and optimize financial services in the corridor. 　　With a focus on major scientific innovation and research and development projects， the plan will provide support for startups and manufacturing enterprises engaged in artificial intelligence， integrated circuits， biomedicine， high-end equipment， new energy， new materials and new-energy vehicles.
　　It proposes 15 specific measures in four areas， namely， alleviating the difficulty of financing， reducing the high cost of financing， improving financing suitability and boosting information symmetry.
　　The G60 science and technology innovation corridor was set up in June 2018. It was named after the G60 Expressway， which runs through several cities in the corridor.

WeChat Pay

　　Internet giant Tencent has made its mobile payment service WeChat Pay more available for overseas users in China by enabling them to link their international credit cards to the platform.
　　Through cooperation between Tencent and five major international credit card organizations including Visa， MasterCard and American Express， overseas users can now use WeChat Pay for various payments without having to have a Chinese mainland bank card， according to a press release from Tencent on November 7.
　　WeChat Pay already supports overseas users with mainland bank cards from up to 128 available banks registered with their passports， according to the company.
　　Tencent said it intends to continue exploring further innovative collaboration with all industry parties to provide more convenience for overseas users in the country.
　　China has seen a growing number of overseas visitors in recent years， as authorities rolled out a slew of measures to provide more convenience for them during their stay.
　　In 2018， inbound tourists made 141.2 million trips， up 1.2 percent year on year， offi cial data showed.