News

National Games for a Healthy China

August 27， Tianjin： The cauldron is lit at the opening ceremony of the 13th Chinese National Games， dubbed Chinas “mini-Olympics.” Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the opening of the event. Among those present at the ceremony was President of the International Olympic Committee （IOC） Thomas Bach， whos on a visit to Beijing inspecting the preparations for the 2022 Winter Games. This year， the quadrennial Games， themed “National Games for a Healthy China，” drew a total of 12，721 athletes to participate in 417 events across 33 sports， plus 7，620 amateurs in 126 events of 19 mass programs.

The countrys top comprehensive sport gala， inaugurated in 1959， serves as an important occasion for athletes to test their mettle for the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and to nurture future stars.

Inner Mongolia Marks 70th Anniversary

August 8， Hohhot， Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region： Dancers perform to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The region had a lot to celebrate on its 70th anniversary， including a society based on regional ethnic autonomy that is growing in prosperity. “The successful example of Inner Mongolia shows that regional ethnic autonomy is suitable for China，” remarked Yu Zhengsheng， chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference， the countrys top political adviser， when he led a 63-member national-level delegation to attend the main ceremony. The region， founded in 1947， was the first provincial-level ethnic autonomous region in China.

All-Out Rescue Efforts

August 9， Chengdu， Sichuan Province： One of the first nine rescued is transported by a helicopter to Chengdu to receive better medical treatment.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake stuck Jiuzhaigou County in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture at 9：19 p.m. on August 8. After the quake， President Xi Jinping quickly called for all-out efforts to rapidly organize relief work and rescue the injured. With a speedy response， rescue work went smoothly and efficiently. Over 60，000 tourists and migrant workers had been evacuated by August 10.

Known for its ethnic minority communities， mountainous landscape， and stunning scenery， Jiuzhaigou Valley was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 1992. Thanks to the relief work， the site is regaining its beauty.

Beijing Aims High in Robotics

August 23， Beijing： A robot pianist plays at the opening ceremony of the World Robot Conference 2017（WRC2017）. The conference， known as the “Robot Olympics，” was held at the Etrong International Exhibition and Convention Center from August 23 to 26. More than 150 global robotics companies， research organizations and universities attended the event to showcase their cutting-edge achievements and products.

Beijing plans to become a global center for robotics by 2025 and issued an industry blueprint at the conference. The capital hopes to host 10 leading robotics companies and 10 R&D headquarters and serve as a world-leading robotics base by 2020. In recent years， China has seen a boom in industrial robots， recording average annual sales growth of 35 percent. In 2016， China manufactured 72，000 industrial robots， around a quarter of global output.endprint