Malaysian artist Mohamad Rusli Bin Ahmad makes a kite during an intangible cultural heritage exhibition on the Maritime Silk Road in Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Dec. 9, 2023.(Photo: Xinhua)
China dominated in the diving event at the Fukuoka World Aquatics Championships despite losing in the last event on Saturday, as Chinese divers claimed a total of 12 out of 13 gold medals at this year's worlds diving.
In the men's 10m final, China's Lian Junjie finished runner-up while his compatriot Yang Hao won bronze. Australian Cassiel Rousseau broke China's grip on diving for the first time in six years by winning gold. China had won every world championship diving event it had entered since 2017.
Meanwhile, China's Zhu Zifeng and Lin Shan won gold in the mixed 3m synchronized as China finished the worlds diving event with 12 gold, four silver and three bronze medals.
In the artistic swimming on Saturday, China's Cheng Wentao and Shi Haoyu clinched gold with an impressive performance.
In the Mixed 3m & 10m Team final of diving on Tuesday, China pocketed its ninth gold in convincing fashion by surpassing Mexico and Germany.
"China's diving dream team has never disappointed us," said one user on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo.
In the Artistic Swimming Team Technical Routine final on Monday, the Chinese team secured the gold medal with a score of 238.0033. The teams from the US and Japan claimed the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
The Chinese diving team excelled in the women's 3m synchronized springboard and men's 10m synchronized platform, clinching two gold medals. Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani, the defending champions in the women's 3m synchronized from the previous edition of the Swimming World Championships, took the gold with a score of 341.94.
In the men's 10m synchronized platform final, which featured 12 pairs of participants, the Chinese duo Yang Hao and Lian Junjie garnered a total of 477.75 points for their six dives, leading the second-place pair by nearly 40 points.
On Sunday, the Chinese team added two golden medals. Peng Jianfeng won the men's 1m springboard gold. In the women's 10m synchronized platform final, China's female diving aces Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan claimed the championship, dominating the competition with a total score of 369.84 points. They surpassed the second-place British pair of Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson by 58.08 points. The victory also secured a berth for the duo in the diving competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
A total of 22 female swimmers and 19 male swimmers from China are competing in all 42 events at the championships, which were originally scheduled to be held in Fukuoka in 2021.
South Korean soccer star Son Heung-min's goal celebration in their 3-0 away win over China on Tuesday aroused controversy on Chinese social media.
Chinese team was defeated by South Korea in their second group match of the second stage of 2026 World Cup Asian Zone qualifiers held in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province.
Spurs star Son, who captains South Korean national team, bagged a first half brace before setting up teammate Jung Seung-hyun to add a third, putting South Korea on top of the group and in pole position to a secure spot at the 2026 World Cup.
However, Son's goal celebration caused uproars on Chinese social media with fans saying his gesture is highly disrespectful to the crowd.
Playing in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 40,000 in Shenzhen, Son opened the scoring with a penalty on the 11th minute. In celebration, the man of the match rushed close to the stand and made a gesture of shushing to the Chinese fans. The gesture was met with jeers from the crowd.
Chinese strikers Wu Lei and Tan Long immediately went to argue with Son on the pitch over his provoking gesture.
"We need to respond to Son's disrespectful gesture by scoring and winning the match," said one user on China's Twitter-like platform Sina Weibo.
"It was a really difficult game today and obviously coming to China, it's a great experience and they have amazing fans," said Son after the match.
Having defeated Thailand 2-1 in the first match, China now stands third in Group C, level on points with the second-placed Thailand.
The top two teams from the nine groups progress to the third qualifying stage for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Chinese golfer Li Linqiang finally won his third championship trophy at the Guotai Cup Men's Professional Match Play on Sunday after four days of fierce competition in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province.
Hosted by the China Golf Association and the Henan Provincial Sports Bureau, the Guotai Cup is a 72-hole stroke play competition with a total prize as high as 500,000 yuan ($68,083) and attracts over 100 players from ten countries and regions, including 12 champions of China Tours.
Li said that it was a close match, as two other players in the same group had huge potential, but he finally won the match.
Zhang Xiaoning, chairman of the China Golf Association, stated before the game that continuing the China Tours is key to the development of professional golf in China. The China Golf Association actively unites and mobilizes the forces of all parties, plans a blueprint for professional events, and strives to build China's own professional tour.
After disqualification in the 100m hurdles final sparked widespread discussion, Chinese national team athlete Wu Yanni posted an apology on Monday, expressing respect for the referee's final decision, and a determination to face failure and start over.
Chinese netizens expressed support for Wu and encouraged her to prepare better for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
According to media reports, an unexpected incident occurred in the women's 100m hurdles final at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Sunday. After the gun went off, Wu appeared to have set off early.
Following discussion, the referees decided to let all the athletes compete first and make the judgment afterwards. In the end, Chinese athlete Lin Yuwei crossed the finish line first with a time of 12.74 seconds, achieving a personal best. Wu closely followed with a time of 12.77 seconds, finishing second. However, the referee panel ultimately made the decision to disqualify Wu from the event.
"I am very sorry that my result was disqualified due to a false start, disappointing everyone's expectations. I deeply apologize to all my friends who have supported me and to the competitors in tonight's race. I respect the referee's final decision, respect the rules and the competition, and congratulate my teammates and opponents who finished the race," Wu wrote on her official account on Weibo, Chinese Twitter-like social media platform.
After the race, my coach and I have conducted a preliminary review. I need to improve my starting technique and adjust my mentality. I have burdened myself with a heavy load, which ultimately crushed me. But I will not give up. What sports has taught me is to get up where I fall, accept failure, face failure, and start over, Wu said in the post.
Netizens expressed their support and encouragement for Wu, with one saying that "mistakes in sports competitions can be understood, but what's more important is the intention to bring glory to the country. Wherever you fall, get up from there. We hope Wu can adjust her mentality and strive for the Paris Olympics."
Cheng Cheung Hung, a sprinter from Hong Kong, China, says Asia's fastest man Su Bingtian is his hero, who encouraged him to work hard to step on the world stage one day.
"Su Bingtian created a new Asian record. His super performance definitely earned him the title of 'Su-per,' I had the pleasure of shaking his hand, which was a great inspiration," said Cheng after his competition in China's first Student (Youth) Games on Monday.
Su was the first Chinese to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds in 2015, followed by Xie Zhenye in 2018. With a personal best of 9.83 seconds in the 100 meters event, he is the fifth fastest man all-time in the category at the Olympics.
Four weeks ago, Su delivered a lecture in Hong Kong when Cheng not only shook hands with his idol, but also was inspired by Su's speech.
"It was truly an enlightening experience for me," recalled Cheng. "Su encouraged us to try and challenge ourselves, to break the limit. Combining talent and hard work, we can step on the world stage."
In the men's 4x100 meters relay final of the Open category, the Hong Kong team finished fifth in 40.45 seconds on Monday afternoon. The 19-year-old captain admitted they had room to improve.
"Maybe compared to other teams, our advantage is not so obvious, so we chose some special strategies. However, the process of competition is a lesson for us. We can learn from others," said Cheng.
Majored in Physical Therapy, Cheng has well balanced his academic studies and training at Hong Kong Metropolitan University.
"The main thing is to do a good job of time allocation for studying and training," he said.
"In the classroom and on the sports field, it's all about learning. We can see the performance of different regional teams through participating in competitions, which is also a learning process."
Through studying physical therapy at university, Cheng gained a deeper understanding of human body structure and conducted scientific analysis of sprinting. He said he can be aware of the change in his physical state now and immediately adjust his training volume based on his knowledge and research.
"It would be a great honor to be involved in sports [after graduating from university], to pass on the experience I have learned now to the next generation, and I hope to help the development of sports in Hong Kong," Cheng said.
The epic World War II HBO mini-series Band of Brothers recently made a return to Chinese screens, and is now available for streaming on video platforms such as Bilibili, Tencent Video, and Sohu Video. This re-release brings the critically acclaimed series back to the forefront for both longtime fans and a new generation of viewers in China.
Since its release on Bilibili, one of China's most active streaming websites, on Monday night, Band of Brothers has received more than 17,000 subscriptions from the platform's users and rated at 9.9 out of 10. More than 1,000 viewers simultaneously caught the show at around Tuesday midnight.
Produced by celebrated duo Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, Band of Brothers is an adaptation of historian Stephen E. Ambrose's novel by the same name.
The series offers an in-depth portrayal of the experiences of the Easy Company, part of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II, following the journey of officers and soldiers from conducting training in Georgia, to diving headlong into action in Normandy, surviving in Holland and Belgium, and eventually occupying Hitler's Eagle Nest.
At the time a relatively unknown Damian Lewis brilliantly headlined as Major Richard Winters, while Ron Livingston portrayed Winters' close friend Captain Lewis Nixon, whose striking resemblance to the character, coupled with his exquisite acting, continue to be lauded to this day.
Since its original premiere in 2001, the series has been lauded for its authentic battle scenes, deeply moving character developments, and the depiction of the soldiers' "bromance."
In 2003, the series was dubbed with Chinese and broadcast on China Central Television, attracting widespread attention and cementing its status as a classic in the eyes of a generation of Chinese audiences. To this day, it is still praised as one of "the must-watch American TV series," and is rated at a 9.6 out of 10 on Douban, China's version of iMDb.
"This series explores the complex relationship between war, humanity, and courage from a unique perspective. While lamenting the brutality of war, it also allows one to appreciate the brilliance of human nature," a netizen commented on Bilibili. "I still remember the scene when I watched this series as a child; it was incredibly shocking to me back then," said another.
Both new and returning viewers were pleasantly surprised to find some familiar faces in the series - actors who were then newcomers and have since become big stars, such as Michael Fassbender, Simon Pegg, James McAvoy, Andrew Scott, and others.
In September, Band of Brothers was made available on Netflix, along with another HBO war-themed mini-series The Pacific. The two iconic series' sequel, Masters of the Air, will be released in early 2024, media sources reported.
This re-launch on various streaming platforms enables a new generation of viewers to experience the series' powerful impact and historical significance. It also serves as a bridge to understanding the global efforts, including those of China and the US, in the anti-fascist war. The availability of Band of Brothers enriches cultural exchanges and mutual historical recognition between nations, honoring the shared legacy of those who fought in World War II, analysts said.
The second season of the National Excellent Musical Performance recently opened in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province.
This performance brought together 18 musicals, among which the musicals The Ideal City and In the Distance, produced by the Beijing Performing Arts Group and performed by the Beijing Opera and Dance Theatre, stood out from nearly 100 participating works. The two works were staged at the Minnan Grand Theatre in Xiamen from November 13 to 18.
In the Distance focuses on the development and changes in the express delivery industry during a period of more than 20 years. Taking the struggle of young people as its center, it seeks to give audiences the persistence to chase their dreams and inject new vitality into original domestic musicals.
The "pioneering" musical has entered many first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and won the double affirmation of the market and word-of-mouth.
In September 2021, the original musical The Ideal City started brewing, and after two years of creation and polishing, it met audiences at the end of May, 2023.
The play takes a female perspective, playing out various workplace struggles in contemporary society. The ups and downs of the story vividly show the struggles of young people in Beijing.
The musical is adapted from a popular film and a TV show, based on realistic workplace ecology. With fashionable and novel artistic expression and avant-garde texture of the stage presentation, it won praise from all sides as soon as it premiered, and was hailed as "a surprise work of Beijing realistic musicals" by the public.
The 9 kilometers of dusty streets of Tangerang, a city near to the Indonesian capital Jakarta, has become an open air gallery, colorful and beautified by more than 50 mural and graffiti artists from different nations.
Dika Badik Adrian, a 28-year-old from Indonesia's West Sumatra province, painted a row of three pop art-style characters squabbling over a basketball in a mural.
The figure he developed in 2018 and appears as the main subject in all of his works is called Fresnot, an acronym meaning freedom is not free. This time, the Fresnots wore hats and brightly hued polka-dot masks in shades of blue, red, and purple.
"Wear a mask, so they don't get exposed to street dust," Badik told Xinhua recently.
This painting is a part of the Epicentrum street art festival, organized by the local community and has attracted artists from countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and also Indonesia.
Sports, together with art and culture, are the primary topics of the painting process which run from Sept. 10 to Sept. 17.
The topic of sports is also present in the creation by Tangerang muralist Yosua Tan. He sketched a picture of a man with sunglasses and a football, a global favorite sport, and wrote "mafia" next to it. This illustrates a moral critique of football, which he said frequently turns into a political arena for certain parties.
"We hope that football doesn't turn into a political event; sport should stay sport," he said.
Ibnu Jandi, the festival's conceptualizer, said Tangerang is an urban area which was in the past a deep forest but quickly transformed with expansion of the development of the capital, with thousands of industries emerging and migrants coming from different provinces.
Similar to urban areas in other nations, not only the wooded areas vanished but also the local culture in many cases, many roads are clogged with traffic, and public spaces are congested, he remarked.
Akid One, 37, a Malaysian muralist, tried to showcase urban traffic in his works finished with classic tan colors, like an ancient landscape.
He said that after arriving in Indonesia, he observed the Legok highway, took pictures of it, and then used the images to create a mural showing the commotion of streets, in which there are many motorcycles travelling at high speeds, some with helmetless riders, or overloaded with woman and children, street merchants, and vehicles hauling cargo.
This scene also brought back him memories of his home country Malaysia, where he said streets were congested with cars.
"This is young people's expressions, they are not only trying to make the streets more attractive, but they are also 'rebelling' against crowded, dirty streets and shrinking public areas," Jandi explained.
The festival's art director, Edi Bonetski, added that every street has its story, and they chronicle a city's extensive history.
"When the street is our canvas," he remarked, "creativity is limitless."
Spaces for expression are expanding into the meta world as technology develops, Bonetski said, while offline works are still being done.
Evidently, a city's old walls are now lovely, its aspirations are on show, and anybody may view and appreciate them.
Dubai remains the top global destination for attracting Greenfield Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects, with the emirate attracting 511 Greenfield projects in H1 2023, as per Financial Times 'fDi Markets' data - the comprehensive online database on cross-border greenfield investments.
Dubai continues to set new benchmarks in global performance as an investment destination, surpassing second-placed Singapore by 325 projects.
During the first half of 2023, Dubai's global share in the attraction of Greenfield FDI projects stood at 6.58 percent - up from 3.83 percent over the same six-month period last year.
The results, which underscore the emirate's status as a key investment hub, align directly with the city's 10-year Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which aims to double the size of the emirate's economy over the next decade.
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, said: "Dubai's ability to maintain its top ranking in attracting Greenfield FDI projects reflects the city's ability to create unparalleled growth opportunities and value for global investors. Guided by the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the emirate has intensified its drive to accelerate economic diversification and innovation. This commitment, coupled with the adoption of advanced technologies, is shaping a future filled with endless opportunities for progress and prosperity. With the clear growth roadmap set out by the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, we continue to work to create an investment environment that not only wins the trust of investors from all over the world but also encourages them to contribute to Dubai's transformation."
In parallel, new data released by Dubai FDI Monitor at Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), shows the city logged a total of 880 announced FDI projects between January and June of this year, a year-on-year growth of 70 percent. The Dubai FDI Monitor tracks, substantiates and analyses all types of FDI projects announced within the emirate.
Dubai FDI Monitor data also indicates that Dubai's Greenfield FDI projects account for 65 percent of total announced FDI projects. The report also states year-on-year Reinvestment FDIs increased from 3 percent to 4.4 percent when comparing H1 2023 with the same period in 2022.
Meanwhile, Dubai also saw a year-on-year rise in global Greenfield FDI capital attraction, reaching AED20.87 billion (USD5.68 billion). According to Financial Times Ltd. "fDi Markets" data, Dubai climbed from eighth in H1 2022 to sixth globally in H1 2023,
Additionally, Dubai ranks first globally in the attraction of HQ FDI projects, according to Financial Times Ltd. "fDi Markets" data, by attracting 33 HQ projects in the first half of this year, ahead of London and Singapore. The achievement further highlights the emirate's rising profile as a global hub for the headquarters of leading companies.
Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, commented: "We are continuing to accelerate efforts to deliver the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
"As we work to enhance the city's competitiveness and business environment internationally, these strong increases in announced FDI projects for H1 2023 drive home how our progressive policy enablers and diverse attraction programmes are resonating with global investors and decision makers alike."
The Financial Times Ltd. "fDi Markets" data also shows Dubai rose from ninth in H1 2022 to fourth place globally in H1 2023 in employment creation from FDI projects. The climb follows a 43.3 percent surge in job creation in H1 2023 compared to H1 2022, equating to a total of 24,236 jobs created through FDI.
In line with DET's economic diversification initiatives, Dubai's efforts to retain and attract highly skilled talent were illustrated in the top six sectors contributing to estimated job creation by FDI in H1 2023: Business Services at 5,212 jobs (21.5% share), Software and IT at 3,525 jobs (14.5 percent), Food & Beverages at 3,090 jobs (12.7percent), Financial Services at 1,813 jobs (7.5 percent), Consumer Products at 2,104 jobs (8.3 percent) and Real Estate at 921 jobs (3.8percent).
Dubai FDI Monitor states the emirate continued to attract medium-to-high-technology and low-technology FDI projects in H1 2023, with rates of 63 percent and 37percent, respectively, unchanged from last year. The data illustrates the prevalence of medium-high technology FDI ventures in Dubai, underscoring the city's status as a global hub for cutting-edge FDI projects and a nexus for specialised talent in the digital economy.
In terms of key sectors bringing FDI capital into Dubai, Financial Services (52percent), Business Services (12.8 percent), Software & IT Services (7.5 percent), Real Estate (6.9 percent) and F&B (3 percent) lead the way. The Dubai FDI Monitor showed the top five sectors accounted for 82 percent of total FDI capital inflow and 70 percent of total FDI projects. Leading sectors by FDI projects include Business Services (22.4 percent), Software & IT (17.8 percent), F&B (12.2 percent), Financial Services (9 percent) and Consumer Products (8.3 percent).