The EU's planned tariff hike on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) faced a widespread backlash over the weekend. Chinese experts said on Monday that this move won't halt the robust growth of the Chinese EV industry on the global stage, but it could ultimately stifle technological innovations in Europe.

"The European Commission's proposal to impose definitive countervailing duties on imports of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from China has obtained the necessary support from EU Member States for the adoption of tariffs," the EU said in a statement on Friday.

Major European automakers, including Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, have said that imposing tariffs on Chinese EVs is a mistaken approach and sends a fatal signal to the European automotive industry. Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume has suggested credit for investments instead of punitive tariffs.

"Instead of punitive tariffs, this should be about mutually giving credit for investments," Blume recently said in an interview with German media outlet Bild am Sonntag.

The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU on Friday expressed deep disappointment and strong dissatisfaction with the EU's adoption of protectionist trade measures.

The chamber strongly suggests the EU to approach the final measures with caution, delay the implementation of tariffs, and prioritize resolving disputes and trade tensions through consultations and dialogue, according to an announcement sent to the Global Times.

Chinese experts said that the EU's move is a typical case of trade protectionism that uses political tools to meddle in economic activities, which in the long term will hinder the bloc's industrial growth and stifle its technological innovations.

The bloc's move contradicts the principles of global market dynamics and disrupts the economic order. Such measures not only hurt both sides - China and Europe - but also threaten the stability of global supply chains, Jian Junbo, a deputy director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Monday.

China's EV industry has gained a significant advantage globally, and if Europe resorts to raising tariffs to isolate itself from this competitive technology, it risks missing a critical opportunity for growth, Jian said.

China's EV industry adheres to market principles and emphasizes robust competition, a spokesperson for China's Commerce Ministry said on Friday.

The EU's protectionist actions seriously violate World Trade Organization rules and disrupt normal international trade. Such measures not only obstruct trade and investment cooperation between China and Europe but also delay the EU's green transition and affect global efforts to combat climate change, the spokesperson noted.

As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has stretched on for a year, the conflict has spread further in the Middle East to countries including Lebanon, Yemen, Iran and Syria, with tens of thousands of people killed. The international community has tried to prevent the escalation of the conflict but to no avail, and now worries are growing over a full-scale war in the Middle East, analysts said.

The worsening situation in the region has been one of the hottest topics in the UN in the past one year. The General Debate of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) concluded on September 30, with UNGA President Philemon Yang calling on Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah to urgently conclude a ceasefire.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has also held many meetings since the outbreak of the conflict last year, but failed to stop the crisis from escalating, and observers said the key reason is that the major powers that are capable of stopping the war cannot reach consensus, as the US has used its veto power to stand against other members from adopting a resolution of immediate and sustainable cease-fire, and its one-sided support to Israel has allowed the later to continue and expand its operations in the region and seriously undermine the UN mechanism to safeguard peace.

On Monday, the Israeli military announced that it conducted strikes on Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip to mark the anniversary of the October 7 attacks. Meanwhile, southern Beirut experienced significant explosions for another night as Israeli forces continued their bombardment of the Lebanese capital. Additionally, at least 10 individuals were injured in Haifa, Israel, due to a rocket attack from Hezbollah, Al Jazeera reported.

The conflicts are causing heavy casualties almost every day. According to data released by the Gaza Ministry of Health on Sunday, in past 24 hours, the Israeli military operation has caused 45 deaths. Since October 7, 2023, over 40,000 people have been killed.

Lebanese people are now also becoming the victims of the war. According to the International Organization for Migration under the UN, in September 2024, large-scale cross-border attacks escalated in Lebanon, causing over 1,000 deaths and 6,352 injuries in less than two weeks. This brings the total to more than 1,800 killed and 9,100 injured since October 2023. The casualties include civilians, healthcare workers and humanitarian staff.

Israel's military operations have also triggered responses from other countries. Iran launched approximately 180 missiles at Israeli targets on October 1, claiming it was in response to Israel's alleged assassinations of several high-profile figures, including Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, and a senior Iranian military commander. Israel also claimed that it will strike back with Iran said it will return with harsh and destructive response if Israel takes any further action to attack Iran.

"The possibility of a full-scale war in the Middle East exists, but the chances have not dramatically increased, as countries involved are all unwilling to see the situation spiral out of control, and they have taken actions from their own interests and perspectives to maintain stability and prevent escalation," Gong Xiaosheng, a former special envoy of the Chinese government on Middle East issue, told the media in a recent interview. "For regional countries like Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt, there is a strong reluctance to get involved in the conflict; and for Israel, the sooner it can resolve this conflict, the better it will be for Israel's national interests and its people."

It is hard to say whether Israel will further escalate the war on a larger scale, Gong said, as such actions do not align with Israel's interests and would exceed its military capabilities. Especially with the US in the midst of presidential election, going too far on this issue would not be in line with American interests either.

The Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are currently at a stalemate, and there is very little room for maneuvering based on the points of contention between the two sides. Ultimately, Israel is not likely to compromise on the condition of releasing all hostages, but the methods and timing of their release can be negotiated, Gong suggested.

Wang Jin, an associate professor at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at Northwest University in Xi'an, told the Global Times the conflicts in the region could stretch further, because there is no clear, feasible and reliable peaceful solution at this moment. Maybe Israel can maintain its military advantages and strike its neighbors as frequent as it wants given the support from the US, but a completely secure and safe environment requires something else, Wang said.

Escalation hard to prevent

In the past one year, members of the international community, including China, have paid a lot of efforts for peace. Following the historic handshake between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Beijing in 2023, another epoch-making event, the signing of the Beijing Declaration by 14 Palestinian factions on ending division and strengthening unity, seems to affirm China's role as a "peacemaker." Experts said this will contribute to not only the internal peace of Palestine but also the future peaceful solution of the Palestine-Israel issue.

The US has also tried to mediate the conflict, but it prefers to do so through the mechanism dominated by itself, and this approach has failed to win trust from groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, as the US is not a fair mediator, experts said.

Although regional countries and other members of the UNGA and UNSC have called for peace and concrete efforts in humanitarian aids and conflict mediation, the problematic role played by Washington has undermined these efforts, said Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University.

According to Reuters, the US on February 20 again vetoed a draft UNSC resolution, blocking a demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire as it instead pushes the 15-member body to call for a temporary ceasefire linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Thirteen council members voted in favor of the Algerian-drafted text, while Britain abstained. This was the third US veto of a draft resolution since the start of the latest round of Palestine-Israel conflict. Washington also used its veto to block an amendment to draft resolution in December.

Li Zhenjie, an associate research fellow at the Institute for studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University, told the Global Times that now the crisis is not only in the Gaza Strip, but has spread into multiple "eyes of storm" in Israel-Lebanon border areas, the Red Sea, Iran and Syria. This has increased the difficulty of conflict mediation.

The US decision to veto has paralyzed the UN's function to stop the conflict, and there is no mechanism that can effectively prevent Washington from abusing its power, Li noted.

"The 'sunk cost' of immediately stopping the war is becoming greater day after day for Israel. The Israeli government knows that if the situation goes out of control, the US will be forced to intervene," Li said. "Therefore, for the Israeli government, there is nothing to be worried about, and it's already immune to criticism and protests worldwide against it."

The current situation proves that the US-dominated "rule-based international order" actually played by no rules but is only based on the interests of US hegemony, experts said.

Chinese experts said on Monday that India should not perceive China as a rival for its military development, after the chief of the Indian Air Force claimed ahead of the Indian Air Force Day on Tuesday that China is outpacing India in technology, defense production and infrastructure.

India "lags behind" China in military technology and "is way behind" in defense production, the Times of India quoted Indian Air Chief Marshal AP Singh as saying on Friday in a run-up to the Indian Air Force Day.

Singh said that with China "steadily eroding" India's air combat advantage along the frontier by deploying a greater number of aircraft, his force is also upgrading its forward airbases and advance landing grounds. At the same time, he is asking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for faster delivery of indigenous Tejas fighters and the private sector to play a much bigger role in defense production.

In a separate report on Monday, India Today said that the Indian Air Force demonstrated its ability to "shoot down Chinese spy balloon-type objects" in a controlled exercise a few months ago using a Rafale fighter jet under the Eastern Air Command's area of responsibility.

The exercise comes against the backdrop of growing concerns over Chinese surveillance activities using similar high-altitude balloons, the India Today report claimed.

The Indian Air Force is sensationalizing China's reasonable and legitimate national defense development, using China as an excuse to gather more funding and put more pressure on India's domestic defense industry, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Monday.

Many of India's indigenous defense projects have been facing challenges including long development cycles, slow production rates and high costs, the expert said

The current situation along the China-India border is generally stable, and the hype by the Indian Air Force is not conducive to the improving bilateral ties, the expert said.

China and India held in Beijing on August 29 the 31st Meeting of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs, where the two sides agreed to work together to turn the page on the border situation at an early date, according to a press release by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on the same day.

India has the right to develop its national defense, including its independent defense industry, but such development should not be based on perceiving China as a rival, as China does not have the intention to engage in an arms race with India, observers said.

Shandong Taishan midfielder Valeri Qazaishvili (right) scores against Central Coast Mariners of Australia during their AFC Champions League Elite League Stage first-round match in Jinan, East China's Shandong Province on September 17, 2024. The Chinese team won 3-1. Photo: VCG

A wild Asian elephant was rescued from an abandoned water pit in a village in Jinghong, Southwest China's Yunnan Province on September 17, after rescuers used an excavator to free the trapped animal, according to a report by the Xinhua News Agency on Monday.

The elephant, confirmed by the rescue team as an adult female, fell into the pit while foraging.

The pool, constructed by villagers as a reservoir, is about two meters deep, and its length and width are just large enough to match the size of the elephant, making it difficult for the animal to turn around. After several attempts to climb out, the elephant's energy was severely depleted, and digging an opening in the pool is considered the best option.

After excavation, a gap was made in the pool, allowing the elephant to slowly and steadily climb out. Once rescued, the elephant didn't leave right away. Instead, it stared at the operator of the excavator for a full two minutes.

From the time the report of the trapped elephant was received to the moment the elephant climbed out of the pool, the operation took five hours. A 30-minute monitoring period followed after the rescue, during which the elephant was observed reuniting with its herd to the nature reserve.

Asian elephants, a critically endangered species, are a national priority for protection in China. Conservation efforts have seen their numbers grow from fewer than 150 in 1976 to over 300 today, despite global population declines.

The EU voted on Friday to impose definitive countervailing duties on imports of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from China. 

An European Commission (EC) statement indicated that its proposal to impose the tariffs obtains the necessary support from EU member states during a vote on Friday. The tariffs will last for five years.

Citing diplomats, AFP reported that 10 countries, including France and Italy, supported the imposition of tariffs of up to 35.3 percent, in addition to the existing 10 percent tariff. Five countries, including Germany and Hungary, voted against the proposal, while 12 countries abstained.

“This outcome is disappointing. Such trade protectionism undermines the principle of mutual benefit and the win-win results that have characterized China-EU economic and trade relations over the past decades,” Yang Chengyu, an associate research fellow at the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

Experts believe that the divided attitudes within the EU reflect concerns that protectionist practices, which limit competition, could have adverse effects on related sectors within the bloc, impacting technological innovation, the green transition, and consumer interests. Moreover, such measures could affect perceptions of the EU's commitment to market openness and free trade. This situation underscores that, instead of industry and economic considerations, a range of political factors have influenced the tariff decision, Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance with Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Friday.

The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU on Friday expressed deep disappointment with this voting outcome and is strongly dissatisfied with the EU's adoption of protectionist trade measures. The Chamber strongly encourages the EU to approach the final measures with caution, delay the implementation of these tariffs, and prioritize resolving disputes and trade tensions through consultations and dialogue, according to an announcement sent to the Global Times.

Such tariffs will not strengthen the resilience of local industries in Europe or other markets; instead, they risk deterring Chinese investments, undermining the competitiveness of the European market, and diminishing the vitality of the global EV supply chain, the Chamber said.

The tariff vote has also drawn opposition from member states and the vehicle industry.

German carmakers Volkswagen and BMW on Wednesday urged Germany to oppose EU's tariff plan for Chinese EVs.

IG Metall, the powerful German labor union, along with employee representatives from the nation's major carmakers, said in a statement on Thursday that Germany should vote against the introduction of EU tariffs on Chinese EVs.

"We say unequivocally: tariffs are the wrong approach because they will not improve the competitiveness of the European automotive industry," they said in a joint statement.

Besides Germany, Spain has urged the EU to seek a compromise and negotiate with China. 

Instead of imposing tariffs, the EU should "keep negotiations open ... beyond the binding vote" to reach a deal on prices and the relocation of battery production to the bloc, Spain’s Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo wrote in a letter to European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, as reported by Reuters.

In parallel, the EU and China continue to work hard to explore an alternative solution that would have to be fully WTO-compatible, adequate in addressing the injurious subsidization established by the Commission's investigation, monitorable and enforceable, the statement from the EC said.

In addition to concerns about the long-term effects of tariffs on the EU's auto industry, there are growing concerns regarding their impact on China-EU economic and trade relations, which have already been strained by ongoing trade tensions.

In fact, trade tensions between China and the EU are not limited to electric cars; investigations launched by Brussels are also targeting Chinese solar panels and wind turbines.

Experts believe that  it seems unreasonable for China to have no response to EU's such protectionist moves. Cui called to prevent a detrimental cycle of mutual retaliation when articulating China's position. “We need to express our opposition to the EU's approach while also emphasizing our commitment to the broader framework of economic and trade cooperation between China and the EU,” he said. 

Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen eased past 71st-ranked Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia with 6-1, 6-1 in the second round of a highly anticipated match at the China Open on Saturday.

The match attracted more than 12,000 fans to the 15,000-capacity Diamond Court at the National Tennis Center in Beijing.

Making her debut at this year's China Open thanks to a first-round bye as the fifth seed, Zheng said she was satisfied with her performance on Saturday after suffering frustrations since the US Open.

Speaking of the large crowd at the China Open, Zheng said she was happy but has to keep a balanced mindset.

"I was surprised to see so many fans at the venue today, and I really appreciate everyone's support," Zheng told the Global Times. "I approach everything with a more balanced mindset now, especially during matches."

Thanks to her Olympic gold medal win, along with an Olympic mixed doubles silver medal by Zhang Zhizhen and Wang Xinyu, tennis' popularity in China has quickly risen back to prominent level. "I'm really happy to see tennis gaining popularity in China. Both our men's and women's players are making steady progress, with more of us breaking into the world top 100.

"I've always believed that Chinese tennis will rise to the top of the world. I'm confident that Chinese players can compete on the global stage and secure their place among the best from the world in the future."

Saturday's match was only Zheng's second appearance in the tournament after a surprising first-round exit in 2023. Zheng is currently ranked No.7 in the world, going up from world No.23 at this time same time in 2023. Zheng will take on Nadia Podoroska of Argentina in the third round.

Zheng has expressed a desire to shift her focus away from the overwhelming glow of her Olympic gold medal in the women's singles and instead focus on her WTA Tour events.

The first high-altitude vertical recovery flight test of China's privately run carrier rocket Nebula-1 has smoothly nailed more than 90 percent of its verification tasks, despite the anomaly at the last stage that led to the crashing of the vehicle. The test signaled a "milestone" step forward as it represented the country's first ever high-altitude recovery flight by an orbital rocket rather than an experimental one, Executive President Zhao Ya of Deep Blue Aerospace, developer of Nebula-1, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Monday.

The key technical points verified during this test process totaled 11 items, including four items in the rocket's acceleration phase during takeoff, two in the deceleration ascent phase, one in the descent phase, two in the guided maneuver deceleration phase, and another two in the final landing deceleration phase, according to the company.

Except for the last node of the landing deceleration phase, which was not completed, the other 10 verification tasks proceeded smoothly and steadily, Zhao told the Global Times. "From the perspective of flying time, the Nebula-1 flew for 179 seconds, with issues arising only in the final 3.8 seconds," he said.

Zhao said the overall performance of this flight test has already exceeded their expectations, as the majority of the preset tasks was completed quite well.

The test was considered "a milestone event" for China's progress in the development of reusable rocket, as it is the first time that an orbital rocket, rather than experimental ones, is used.

Zhao explained that the design complexity of an orbital rocket's recovery is far greater than that of an experimental rocket, as experimental rockets normally weigh about 50 to 70 percent of the total, allowing for designs of redundancies and structural elements to improve the vehicle's stability, while the Nebula-1 orbital rocket's weight only accounted for 10 percent of the total.

The reduced structural weight allows more propellant to be fueled, so that it can travel farther into the preset orbit, a distance that experimental rockets cannot achieve, Zhao said.

Elaborating on the failure of the last stage, Zhao said that the Nebula-1 consumes approximately 60 kilograms of propellant each second, and as a result, the weight of the rocket was continuously changing over the 180 seconds of flight time, especially during the landing phase when the propellant is nearly depleted, leading to significant differences in weight and speed.

In the final 3.8 seconds, the thrust control mechanism failed to accurately track the decrease in thrust, and the actual thrust turned out higher than expected. This caused the rocket's speed to drop to zero when it was about 8 meters above the ground. If it continued, the rocket could have potentially reversed and taken off again, potentially bringing safety risks. Therefore, a shutdown command was triggered to ensure safety, Zhao said.

"Our current assessments suggest that the cause of this failure lie in the aging of engine. It has already been used for over 1,000 seconds," Zhao noted.

The company said in a statement on Monday that plans are already in place for another high-altitude vertical recovery test in November, building on the lessons learned from this initial attempt.

The Nebula-1 rocket is Deep Blue Aerospace's first commercial liquid rocket capable of reaching orbit and being reused. It serves as a crucial platform for breaking through and validating vertical recovery and reusability technologies for rockets. The Nebula-1 has a body diameter of 3.35 meters and a first stage height of approximately 21 meters. It is equipped with the Thunder-R liquid oxygen and kerosene engine, a reusable liquid rocket engine developed entirely in-house by Deep Blue Aerospace, with over 90 percent of its main structure made using high-temperature alloy 3D printing technology.

China's National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) on Friday revealed major advancements at three archaeological sites, showcasing significant discoveries of history and culture from prehistoric period and the Xia Dynasty (c.2070BC-c.1600BC).
The Huangchaodun site is located in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. It is a settlement from the early to mid-Neolithic period, dating back approximately 9,300 to 8,000 years.

The site, covering an area of about 70,000 square meters, includes two platforms, a surrounding moat, and a rice paddy. Ancient river channels, ponds, and water ditches connecting the ponds to the settlement moat were also discovered.

The rice paddy, located east of the platforms and covering about 15,000 square meters, has revealed ridges and possible wooden remains, with the discovery of carbon-tempered pottery shards. Optically stimulated luminescence dating indicates that the rice paddy dates back to the Shangshan culture - recognized as the world's earliest rice cultivation culture, dating between 11,400 and 8,600 years ago - and extends into the early Neolithic Kuahuqiao culture period.

Lin Liugen, a professor from the School of Art and Archaeology of Zhejiang University, told the Global Times on Friday that the site is characterized by its "distinctive features and unique elements." It is one of the most well-preserved Shangshan-Kuahuqiao culture sites, offering a vivid snapshot of early rice farming communities within the lower Yangtze River region.

"Understanding the relationship between such a large-scale rice paddy field and the settlement is of great significance for studying the early agricultural development in ancient China 9,000 years ago and for recognizing the dietary structure of our ancestors at that time," he said.
The second project, the Caoyangang site in Xinghua, East China's Jiangsu Province, is a mid-Neolithic site, dating back about 7,200 to 6,900 years.

Covering more than 80,000 square meters, the site is covered by a natural sediment measuring nearly 2 meters thick. The unique low-lying wetland environment with waterlogged preservation has allowed for the excellent conservation of a large number of organic artifacts.

Over 200 features, including house sites, ash pits, ash ditches, and wells, have been discovered. In addition, more than 2,800 artifacts made of various materials, including pottery, bone, stone, wood, jade, and shells, have been unearthed. It is worthy to mention that the unearthed fire-drilling tools are the earliest known in China.

Gan Huiyuan, a research fellow at Jiangsu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, told the Global Times that the Caoyangang site is the earliest known Neolithic site in the eastern Jianghuai region, with a novel cultural aspect, rich connotations, and distinct regional characteristics, filling a gap in the Neolithic archaeology of the Jianghuai area, a region near the Yangtze River and Huaihe River.
The third unveiled Baliqiao site is located in Fangcheng county, Central China's Henan Province. It is a large enclosed settlement of the renowned Erlitou culture, which has been dated between 1700-1600BC.

The site, spanning approximately 1.35 million square meters, is bordered by moats on its north, west, and south sides, with a local river forming its eastern boundary. On the east bank of the Pan River, large-scale cultural remains from the same period have been uncovered. Sacrificial pits have been found around the main building of Site 1, with the discovery of ritual vessels, jade, and turquoise artifacts.

Wu Zhijiang, deputy research fellow of the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, told the Global Times that the Baliqiao site is the largest and highest-ranked Erlitou culture settlement discovered in southern Henan Province to date, and bears a close relation with the Erlitou Relics that can be traced back to 3,500 to 3,800 years ago in ancient China's late Xia or early Shang (1600-1046 BC) dynasties.

He noted that the preliminary revelations of the "multi-grid layout" and the discovery of significant remains such as large rammed earth buildings offer new insights into the morphology and social structure of urban settlements in Xia culture. These discoveries mark a significant breakthrough in the archaeology of Xia culture.

China's National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) on Wednesday released a guideline on promoting high-quality development of archaeological research and education, marking a significant step forward in the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage across the whole nation. 

The guideline outlines five key points: adhering to the correct direction of archaeological research and education, opening up various archaeological resources, strengthening talent cultivation and curriculum development, ensuring the safety and order of research and education activities, and enhancing support, incentives, and standardized guidance.

One of the most notable proposals is the call for the opening of various archaeological research and education resources. Provincial cultural heritage administrative departments are encouraged to establish and publish lists of venues available for archaeological research and education. This includes archaeological site parks, site museums, archaeological research institutes, archaeological specimen storage rooms, and archaeological sites, all of which are expected to conduct archaeological research and education activities in a standardized and orderly manner.

Officials from the NCHA have indicated that through archaeological research and education activities, participants can engage in multiple experiences within archaeological institutions and venues. This approach is an effective means of understanding and comprehending the history of ancient China and Chinese civilization, which is beneficial for the inheritance and promotion of China's fine traditional culture and for nurturing the public's scientific literacy and humanistic spirit.

From archaeological site parks, museums, archaeological workstations to excavation sites, in recent years, various regions in China have introduced distinctive research and education products and services. The effective transformation of archaeological findings has provided the public with deep experiences and practical education opportunities.

NCHA has highlighted several exemplary cases, including one project launched by the Chongqing Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute. 

Students participating in the program are tasked with completing three missions. They need to act as treasure hunters to retrieve important clues from a "band of thieves," decoding Morse code under the guidance of a mentor to gather information on cultural relics. Then the students need to learn about the protection of cultural relics, experiencing the restoration and conservation of relics through methods such as piecing and adhering fragments together. In the end, under the guidance of mentors, the youth will also learn about precious cultural relics unearthed in the Bashu region dating to different periods such as the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046BC-771BC) and Tang Dynasty (618-907). They will gain insight into the restoration and display of ancient tombs, as well as the evolution of tomb burials and related knowledge from ancient times to the present.

Fan Lili from the institute told the Global Times on Thursday that the Chongqing Archaeological Research and Education Base, relying on the archaeological field resources of the Chongqing Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, has developed a series of research and education programs suitable for all age groups. 

Since it began official operations on September 29, 2022, the base has carried out more than 200 public archaeology, research and education activities, hosting over 80,000 participants. The immersive theater has held more than 500 performances, reaching an audience of nearly 20,000 people, she said.

The Beijing Archaeological Research Institute （BARI） has also been an active participator in the field of archaeological research and education. This summer, it conducted the Liulihe Summer Field School, where four international students from the US engaged in archaeological research and education activities at the Liulihe relic site in Beijing's Fangshan district for over a month. They diligently learned the theories and practical methods of Chinese archaeology.

The Liulihe relic site is considered to be the capital of the Yan kingdom during the Western Zhou Dynasty. The site contains rammed earth city walls, remains and burial areas. A history of more than 3,000 years makes the site the earliest traceable source of urban civilization in Beijing.

Wang Jing, a research fellow from BARI who participated in the project, told the Global Times on Thursday that the four US students are majoring in archaeology, anthropology and museology. They show strong interest in Chinese archaeology and they will be able to make good use of what they learned and to carry on cooperation with Chinese partners.

Wang said carrying on such archaeological research and education activities is also beneficial for introducing Chinese experience in archaeology to other countries and fostering international talents in archaeology. She added that the international project in archaeology will continue to be held in the next few years.