Express

March 11， 2022： Shuey Rhon Rhon， the red lantern-shaped mascot of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games， appears at the National Aquatics Center， venue of wheelchair curling competition in Beijing.

The Beijing Winter Paralympic Games saw China claim 18 golds， 20 silvers， and 23 bronzes for a total of 61 medals， the best results in the history of Chinas participation in the Winter Paralympics. The glory was possible because of great efforts the country made in parasports development.

China regards rehabilitation and fitness activities for persons with disabilities as one of the main components of implementing its national strategies of Fitness-for-All， Healthy China initiative， and Building China into a Country Strong in Sports， according to a white paper recently released on the countrys progress in developing sports for persons with disabilities. Chinas performance in parasports has been improving steadily， and disabled people have been increasingly active in sports events both at home and abroad， said the white paper. CNS

March 23， 2022： Students attend a livestreamed popular-science lecture given by Chinese astronauts from Chinas space station Tiangong at the China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing.

The second live class from Chinas space station was held on the afternoon of March 23. From space， Shenzhou-13 crew members Zhai Zhigang， Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu provided insights to students on Earth. During the 45-minute lesson， the astronauts carried out four experiments to show physical phenomena only possible in microgravity， such as crystallization of supersaturated solution， a liquid bridge demonstration， water-oil separation， and throwing objects under the zero-gravity conditions， amazing the terrestrial youngsters. Xinhua

March 24， 2022： A recovery team searches through the debris at the China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 crash site in Tengxian County， Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The plane， which took off from Kunming bound for Guangzhou， crashed at about 2：38 p.m. on March 21 in a mountainous area near Molang Village in Tengxian County， causing a mountain fire.

Despite an all-out search and rescue effort and weeklong prayers for miracles nationwide， all 132 people on board， including 123 passengers and nine crew members， were confirmed dead. However， rescuers continued to search for the remains and belongings of the victims， as well as debris from the aircraft to gather evidence and provide closure to victims relatives. Further swift action has been taken to strengthen the safety overhaul of the civil aviation sector. XinhuaC05781F9-6644-4AB4-A9DF-4DBA71341344

March 22， 2022： A sanitation worker cleans up floating leaves and aquatic plants on Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing City， Zhejiang Province.

In recent years， China has seen a marked improvement in water quality， accessibility， and conservation. So far， 84.9 percent of lakes and rivers in China have met the countrys standards for drinking， irrigation， and industrial supply. Rural residents access rate to tap water has increased to 84 percent from 76 percent in 2015.

Recently， China released a plan to further improve the countrys capability to safeguard its water security. More efforts will be made to promote reforms in key areas of water conservancy and modernize the water management system， as per the plan. IC

March 16， 2022： A visitor observes a 3D-printed replica of Cave 6 of Yungang Grottoes exhibited at the Zhejiang Art Museum in Hangzhou， Zhejiang Province.

The museum brought many famous Buddhist caves around China， including Mogao， Yungang， Longmen， and Anyue grottoes， to Hangzhou with the help of 3D printing technology.

A proposal to strengthen digital protection and inheritance of cultural heritage and expand the influence of Chinese culture earned wide support among Chinese cultural experts and archaeologists during this years “two sessions” in March.

“Digital representations of cultural heritage can raise public awareness about the cultural relics displayed in museums，” said Fei Jun， a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and an expert in digitalization of cultural relics for museums， adding that it would be a good move for improving the protection of Chinese cultural relics. “In the future， Chinese museums will transform from digitalized museums into intelligent museums offering personalized cultural experiences.” IC

May 21， 2021： A mother crested ibis feeds her chick in a dense forest near Lianghe Village of Hanzhong City， Shaanxi Province.

China will increase efforts to protect endangered wildlife species and their habitats during the 14th Five-Year Plan period （2021-2025）， the National Forestry and Grassland Administration announced recently.

Special measures will be taken to protect 48 critically endangered wild animal species including the Siberian tiger and 50 wild plant species with extremely small populations， the administration said. The country will strive to ensure a 10-percent increase in the total area of important habitats during the period， build a breeding base and gene bank for rare and endangered wild animals， and launch ex-situ conservation of plants with low populations.

March 3 marks World Wildlife Day， which was created to celebrate and raise awareness of the worlds wild flora and fauna. XinhuaC05781F9-6644-4AB4-A9DF-4DBA71341344