A series of the latest archaeological discoveries in North China related to the Neolithic Hongshan culture, renowned for its exquisite jade artifacts, have captivated the public's attention. 

These findings were highlighted by significant phrases such as "the largest," "the first time," and "filling the research gap" during their announcement at the seminar commemorating the 70th anniversary of the naming of the Hongshan culture held on Sunday.

According to the Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and ­Archeology, which conducted the archaeological project, Chinese archaeologists uncovered a complete stone mound tomb dating back to the late period of Hongshan culture. 

It is a representative archaeological culture of the middle and late Neolithic period in Chifeng, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Hundreds of jade artifacts, including the largest jade dragon of the Hongshan culture, have been unearthed, covering almost all types of prehistorical culture. 

Additionally, a building site that combines tombs and sacrificial altars was discovered for the first time.

The jade materials, drill cores, and fragments of jade artifacts excavated from the site have offered substantial resources for investigating the processing techniques, sources of jade, and utilization of jade artifacts within the Hongshan culture. 

Experts noted that the discovery of this site is highly significant for gaining deeper insights into the social structures, organizational management, human-environment relationships, and jade-processing practices of the late Hongshan culture. 

It also plays an important role in exploring the early formation of ritual systems in the ancient Hongshan state and supporting the efforts to have Hongshan culture recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Wang Meng, a veteran Chinese ­archaeologist, told the Global Times that the site's jade artifacts reveal "the region's complex cultural and social ­structures were formed in ancient times." 

These objects were used to represent the "social statues and cultural belief dating back then," Wang said. 

"Even some of those leftover jade materials discovered at the site can also reveal the jade manufacturing techniques of Hongshan people." 

Wang stressed the significance of the largest jade dragon discovered in the country to have been made during the Hongshan culture.

"It is a signature piece showing the refined jade-crafting skills in the region of West Liaohe River. The region's ancient jade culture has inspired the Liangzhu jade culture in [East China's]Zhejiang Province," said Wang.

The remains of the stone mound tomb were discovered near a village in Chifeng. 

After three months of archaeological work, researchers have uncovered a total area of 1,400 square meters, discovering 21 tombs, 3 stone piles, 1 ash pit, and 1 sacrificial pit. 

They have unearthed more than 200 artifacts, including pottery, stone tools, jade artifacts, bone tools, and shell objects.

Sun Jinsong, director of the Institute of Cultural Relics and ­Archaeology of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous ­Region, told the Global Times that the site underwent a "rescuing archaeological excavation" starting from May and in the future, the local experts will carry out "active archaeological works" on the site.

"We plan to carry out sub-archaeological projects surrounding the site," Sun said.

With a history of about 6,500 years, the Hongshan culture is known for its "well-established ritual system," noted Jia Xiaobing, director of the world archaeological research office at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"The Hongshan culture's refined ritual system and its character of merging different philosophical thoughts making significant contributions to investigate the origin of civilizations of China," Jia said.

Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in what Tehran said was retaliation for the recent killings of top Hezbollah and Hamas officials. Analysts view the attack as the latest escalation of the regional tensions at a time when this round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has dragged on for nearly a year, with a greater potential to spill over to regional multi-point conflicts.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said in statements on Tuesday that it launched dozens of ballistic missiles on strategic centers in Israel in retaliation for Israel's assassinations of Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and senior IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan, as well as its intensification of "malicious acts" with the US support in its offensives against Lebanese and Palestinian peoples, Xinhua reported.

Iran's forces used hypersonic Fattah missiles for the first time, and 90 percent of its missiles successfully hit their targets in Israel, the Revolutionary Guards said, according to Reuters.

The Israel Defense Forces said it conducted a "large number of interceptions." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israelis that Iran "made a big mistake" and "will pay" for launching a missile attack on the country Tuesday, according to CNN.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on social media platform X early on Wednesday that Iran exercised "self-defense" against Israel and its action is concluded unless the "Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation," Reuters reported. "Our action is concluded unless Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation. In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful," Araqchi added.

Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon have announced the closure of their airspace on Tuesday evening after the Iranian missile attack.

Meanwhile, 55 people were killed and 156 were injured in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon in the past 24 hours, according to the Lebanese health ministry on early Wednesday.

With war ramping up across the Middle East on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for the violence to end now. "I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation," he said in a tersely worded statement. "This must stop.  We absolutely need a ceasefire."

Iran's move is a response to a series of recent developments in the region, experts said. "Recently, evaluations from both Iran and the international community suggest that Iran is in a rather unfavorable situation," Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Iran has endured pressure for a long time, and this move may intend to reverse the increasingly disadvantageous situation for Iran over the past few months, Liu said.

According to the Washington Post, US Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday she condemned Iran's attack on Israel "unequivocally" and "fully support[s]" President Joe Biden's order for the US military to shoot down Iranian missiles aimed at Israel.

Experts warned that the regional situation is at high risk of escalating into multi-point conflicts. The US continues to indulge Israel and tacitly allows it to take any unrestricted military action, Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"The US has sent the wrong signals to the wrong allies at the wrong time, leading to an escalation of the situation that is out of control and spreading. Therefore, it is likely that multi-point conflicts will inevitably erupt next," Sun said.

Experts also noted that the difficulty faced by the US to maintain its balancing policy in the Middle East will increase. 

The US aims to maintain comprehensive support for Israel while hoping to avoid being drawn into a new round of conflict, which could affect its strategic contraction in the Middle East and the global shift of focus toward great power competition, Liu said.

Therefore, the US has adopted a strategy of dynamic military adjustments. Whenever the crisis escalates, it enhances its military presence in the Middle East to demonstrate support for Israel and deter the Iran-led axis of resistance, Liu noted. "However, as tensions between Israel and Iran escalate, achieving this balance will be increasingly challenging."

According to the Department of Consular Affairs of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 146 Chinese citizens in Lebanon and five foreign family members safely arrived in Beijing on Wednesday on a charter flight operated by Air China, following 69 Chinese citizens in Lebanon, along with their 11 foreign family members, on Tuesday safely arrived in Cyprus aboard the vessel Xin Xia Men of China Ocean Shipping Group.

All Chinese citizens who wished to evacuate have now safely left Lebanon. The Chinese embassy in Lebanon will continue its work and remain on duty, the department said on Wednesday.

The world's top table tennis players will fight for 2000 world ranking points at the 2024 World Table Tennis (WTT) China Smash, the highest-level event in WTT, as its draw ceremony for the main event was held on Friday in Beijing. 

"The world's best players are gathered here, from Olympic champions to rising stars, each ready to leave their mark on this historic event. From the first serve to the final point, every match will be a testament to the grit, skill, and resilience of these athletes," said WTT CEO Steve Dainton in an interview with the Global Times.

In a Chinese derby qualifying match on Friday, Liu Weishan, a member of the Chinese national team and the WTT regular challenge women's doubles champion, defeated her teammate Yang Yiyun 3-0 to advance smoothly.

After the match, Liu Weishan told the Global Times that the two players knew each other quite well, and she attributed her victory to her mindset. She noted that she performed well by being more patient on the court, thinking less about the result and focusing on doing her best.

Outside of the competition, Lars Graff, the joint tournament director of the China Tennis Open, visited the venue. The competitive teams from the two top international tournaments discussed their experiences in hosting events.

"I believe that more young people will enjoy the WTT table tennis events, as the color schemes and atmosphere in the venues are very appealing. Compared to tennis, the audience for table tennis is becoming younger," Graff noted.

He believes that table tennis and tennis have much to learn and collaborate on, especially in areas such as sponsorship. He looks forward to seeing table tennis promoted better around the world through the development of WTT.

"I love the table tennis events in China, not only for the exciting matches but also for the vibrant atmosphere. I hope to see more young players like Sun Yingsha leading the development of this sport, helping table tennis gain broader recognition and appreciation worldwide!" a fan of Sun Yingsha told our reporters.

At the WTT merchandise store, enthusiastic fans crowded the venue. The limited-release "plantable seed badges" sold out quickly, while staff explained that the two types of table tennis paddle badges were also very popular among customers.

On September 26, the finals of the Global Agrilnno Challenge began. Nine international teams and dozens of young entrepreneurs showcased their artificial intelligence-empowered solutions to address the challenging issues in the global agrifood system transformation.

After nearly three hours of intense on-site competition, the "Identity" team from Peru won gold medal, the team from Tanzania took silver medal for their Climate Smart Irrigator, and the "Smart Tomato" project from China earned bronze.
The Global Agricultural Maker Competition was jointly initiated by Zhejiang University and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and was successfully founded in 2020. This competition is jointly hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Zhejiang University, and supported by the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the People's Government of Binjiang District, Hangzhou, and Pinduoduo. This is also Pinduoduo's fourth consecutive support for this competition.

Since the global recruitment notice was released on the FAO's official website in late June, the competition received over 200 applications, with 155 teams entering the preliminary round. After selection, 9 teams advanced, including 3 teams from China. It is reported that representatives of the gold and silver teams in this competition will have the opportunity to travel to Rome in October to showcase their innovative solutions to global agricultural technology entrepreneurs and investors at the 2024 FAO Science and Innovation Forum.

The Global Agrilnno Challenge is a global competition brand aimed at young agricultural entrepreneurs. It aims to unleash the innovation potential in the agricultural field by widely soliciting innovative business models and digital solutions, helping transform the agrifood system, and achieving the "Four Better" goals proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, namely: better production, better nutrition, better environment, and better life.

The competition showcased numerous digital agriculture solutions, innovative concepts, and technologies that are transforming the global agricultural food system. Our innovation and dedication today will become the seeds of changing the future of the agricultural food system, making the global agricultural food system more sustainable and resilient, Wei Longbao, chairman of the judging panel of this competition. Wei is a distinguished professor at Zhejiang University, and the director of the Institute of Food Economy and Agricultural Business Management.

The Chinese "Smart Tomato" team won bronze, while seawater rice is being sold nationwide with the help of Pinduoduo

Since 2020, the Global Agricultural Maker Competition has been held four times. The previous three competitions attracted active participation from 1,044 young agricultural technology entrepreneurs from 65 countries as well as 427 teams, attracting widespread attention worldwide.

At this year's competition, AI technology became the focus of agricultural research innovation for participating teams. Nine teams showcased their solutions for applying artificial intelligence to transform traditional agricultural production systems, covering breeding, planting, management, and sales.
The Peruvian team leading the competition launched a "decentralized interactive protocol system" to address the widespread "digital divide" problem among farmers. It is reported that farmers can synchronize various demands in agricultural production in real time to the system, and accurately match relevant entities such as government, purchasers, and nongovernmental organizations under the recommendation of the system to solve problems faced in the process of production, sales, and other links.

The "Climate Intelligent Irrigation Device" solution of the Tanzanian team won the silver award. Team members introduced that in 2021, the severe drought in East Africa exacerbated the local food shortage, and the cost of using traditional diesel engines for water diversion irrigation was high. In this context, the team developed the "Climate Intelligent Irrigation Device," which uses sensors and other real-time analysis of soil and water conditions, combined with AI and big data technology, to accurately and efficiently irrigate farmland and prevent waste of water resource. The irrigator is powered by solar energy, significantly reducing carbon emissions compared to traditional diesel engines, and promoting environmental sustainability.

The "Smart Tomato" project from China won the bronze award. The team from Guangzhou Guangxin Technology Co Ltd in Guangdong integrated spectral imaging and artificial intelligence technology to monitor the full-cycle growth of tomatoes during the planting process, resulting in higher tomato yields and higher levels of nutrients such as lycopene. "Food safety concerns in underdeveloped regions are significant, and we hope to help farmers around the world grow high-quality tomatoes without posing higher environmental challenges, "said the project members. It is reported that the cost of this equipment has been significantly reduced, and the mature technology has reduced the cost to one-tenth of what it was a few years ago.

In addition to the winning team, other finalists presented innovative plans. A team from Uganda innovatively proposed to turn kitchen waste into treasure by incubating black soldier flies and other tools to address issues such as food waste. The team from Guangdong Haidaohong Agricultural Technology Co Ltd in China, based on the reality of 1.5 billion acres of saline alkali land in China, efficiently selected and bred a salt tolerant variety ̶ seawater rice using artificial intelligence technology. This not only effectively utilizes saline alkali land but also promotes increased grain production. It is reported that the seawater rice developed by the team has been sold to the national market through Pinduoduo, with nearly 100,000 bags sold by merchants.
induoduo continually supports agricultural research and technology to enhance agriculture

In her speech at the competition, Hou Kaidi, Vice President of Pinduoduo, mentioned her renewed support for the Global Agricultural Maker Competition, stating that the development of AI will inject new vitality into traditional agricultural production. Pinduoduo hopes to build a platform for young agricultural technology entrepreneurs around the world to exchange ideas and explore the possibility of "AI+agriculture" landing together, so that more emerging technologies in the agricultural field can be explored and popularized.

Besides the Global Agricultural Maker Competition, Pinduoduo has been continuously increasing its investment in agricultural research and technology. In 2022, Pinduoduo was awarded the 2022 Innovation Award by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, becoming the only global enterprise winner of the award that year.

In 2023, Pinduoduo donated 100 million yuan to China Agricultural University to establish the "Pinduoduo China Agricultural University Research Fund," supporting China Agricultural University to actively explore the strengthening of basic research and key core agricultural technologies around major national strategic needs, based on the forefront of global agricultural science and technology. Among the 50 ongoing research projects supported by the research fund so far, multiple projects have achieved important interim results, and some of the results have been published in authoritative international academic journals such as Cell and Nature.

In addition to supporting basic agricultural research and tackling bottleneck technologies, exploring the application of emerging technologies such as AI in agriculture has also been a key focus of Pinduoduo in recent years. In the finals of the "4th Duoduo Agricultural Research Technology Competition" that recently kicked off, six teams from enterprises, agricultural research institutes, and universities used AI to subvert traditional agricultural production methods. One team customized a "smart brain" for a container plant factory, allowing operators to complete tasks such as watering, fertilizing, dimming, and warming the entire space with just a few clicks of their fingers; Some teams have also designed and adopted a combination of large and small models to monitor various environmental indicators inside the container in real time and adjust the planting plan in a timely manner.

In addition, Pinduoduo also leverages its platform advantages to bridge the "last mile" of agricultural research commercialization, using market sales to support agricultural research innovation. On September 19, before the opening of China's Harvest Festival, Pinduoduo teamed up with representatives from 17 science and technology schools in Lankao, Henan Province and other places to showcase nearly 20 new agricultural research achievements, including Northeast Sea Buckthorn Health Tea, Guangxi Beihai Fresh Shrimp Crisp, Sichuan Ebian Fresh Bamboo Shoots, and Yunnan Erhai Fragrant Rice, to the on-site audience. Under Pinduoduo's concentrated exposure, the live broadcast attracted a total of 18.5 million netizens to watch and purchase on the spot.

"Pinduoduo is one of the representatives of Chinese e-commerce platforms. We would like to thank Pinduoduo for its support of the Global Agricultural Maker Competition. The future food security and sustainable development depend on our breakthroughs and innovations today. We anticipate these innovations will have a sustainable impact on the global agricultural food system in the future, "Wei Longbao said in his concluding speech.

Hou Kaidi stated that the future of agriculture is promising, and AI will provide greater opportunities for growth. "Pinduoduo will continue to work with young scientific and technological innovators and ambitious individuals from around the world to join this promising cause and bring new vitality to agriculture."