NEWS

Xis Visit to Sichuan

February 12， Wenchuan County， Sichuan Province： Chinese President Xi Jinping， also general secretary of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission， visits Yingxiu Town， the epicenter of the 8.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Wenchuan County on May 12， 2008.

Ahead of Spring Festival， which fell on February 16 this year， President Xi spent several days visiting poor families in southwestern Chinas remote mountains， inspecting the earthquake-hit area and joining villagers preparations for celebrations for this most important festival of the year for the Chinese. “My job is to serve the people，” Xi declared during the inspection tour. The poor have always remained Xis foremost concern. In his 2018 New Year speech， the word “people” appeared most frequently and he emphasized the well-being of the Chinese people， evidencing the presidents peoplecentered governance philosophy.

Chinese leaders have made it a tradition to visit ordinary people across the country ahead of Spring Festival， the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar.

Mays ‘Productive China Trip

February 1， Beijing： British Prime Minister Theresa May and her husband Philip May visit the Palace Museum， also known as the Forbidden City.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the British Prime Minister at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and called on both countries to forge an enhanced version of the “golden era” of bilateral ties.

May noted that in 2015， the “golden era” of United Kingdom-China relations commenced after Xi made a successful state visit to the UK. Britain supports free trade and would like to enhance practical cooperation with China in trade， investment， science and technology， environment， culture， and the internet， she said.

May started her visit in Wuhan on January 31. In Beijing， she took part in the China-Britain annual meeting between heads of government with Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People.

China and Britain signed a dozen deals in areas including trade， finance， healthcare， and smart city technology， pledging to further promote the “golden era” of their strategic partnership.

Holiday Travel Upgrade

February 17， Shanghai： People visit a lantern fair in Yuyuan Garden on the third day of the Spring Festival holiday. The 33-day lantern fair lit up on February 1， with over 30 lighting projects and nearly 1，000 colorful bulbs decorating the classic architecture.

While family reunions and returning home are the traditional activities of the Spring Festival holiday， traveling has become an increasingly popular way for families to spend the holiday， which has contributed to the booming tourism market.

Data from the China National Tourism Administration showed tourists made 386 million trips during the holiday， a year-on-year increase of 12 percent， and the tourism industry earned 475 billion yuan （about US$75 billion） in revenue， up 12.6 percent from last years holiday.

See You in Beijing in 2022

February 25， Pyeongchang， South Korea： The Beijing 2022 presentation during the closing ceremony for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium.

As the host city of the next Winter Olympics， Beijing staged the splendid eight-minute show to extend a warm invitation to the whole world.

“Together with all the Chinese people， I welcome friends from all over the world，” said Chinese President Xi Jinping in a video message presented during the show. “See you in Beijing in 2022.”

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics began on February 9. A total of 92 countries and regions participated in the Games.