With the Olympic Games underway, the sporting spirit is high in Paris, enticing residents and visitors to take a jog along the city's Historical Axis.
The Historical Axis runs through some of Paris’s most celebrated landmarks and squares, many of which are currently adorned with Olympic flair. Along the route are the Louvre with its Glass Pyramid, the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de la Concorde with its Egyptian obelisk, and the Avenue des Champs-Elysees with the Grande Arche at its extended end, altogether providing a unique coming-together of the past and present, blending history and modernity.
In a charming jog-along interview, Julien Gaudfroy, a French performer and musician who has lived in China and has even performed comedic routines in fluent Chinese, introduced his country's famous capital to a China Central Television reporter as the pair embarked on a delightful morning run.
Paris's axis runs east-west. Joggers can start from the forecourt of the Paris City Hall, which serves as the starting point for the marathon at the Paris Olympics.
Jogging along the axis from the City Hall, one encounters the Louvre where the Glass Pyramid is located. The structure, designed by Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei, has become an integral part of the city’s landscape, despite initial resistance to its modern style.
Entering the central Tuileries Garden, visitors cannot miss the spectacular Olympic cauldron balloon surrounded by flocks of tourists where the Olympic flame was lit. The garden, with its lakeside chairs, exudes a relaxing atmosphere.
"You wouldn't normally see this view. The 2024 Paris Olympics bring this unique scene. The Tuileries Garden, together with the Louvre, has become part of it," said Gaudfroy.
Adjacent to the garden is the Place de la Concorde, where the Luxor Obelisk stands. The obelisk was brought to France as a gift in 1830 from Luxor in Egypt.
The jogging route ends at the Grande Arche, a monument and building in the business district of La Défense, which is surprisingly filled with artistic flair and numerous sculptures.
"The end of the axis is Grande Arche, or the new Arc de Triomphe. Along the way, we have seen the two arches, which echo each other," Gaudfroy said.
After more than 10 kilometers of jogging, one can head to the Market of the Red Children, which offers a variety of seasonal fruits, vegetables, seafood, and cheeses.
"The market has a unique charm. It has this lively atmosphere. Look at these walls behind us, these restaurants, and the handwritten menus. It's very Parisian," said the French performance artist.
As American writer Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."
The Olympic Games offer the world a special edition of Paris, welcoming visitors from all over the globe to explore the ancient city's blend of tradition and modernity.
Jogging along Paris's historical axis offers unique experience for Olympic fans
Leaders of the China Search and Rescue Team dispatched to Myanmar following a deadly earthquake recalled details of their difficult rescue operations.
The powerful 7.9-magnitude quake, the strongest recorded in the country in a century, rocked the Sagaing Region of Myanmar on March 28, with the epicenter close to Mandalay, the country's second-largest city.
As of April 2, the China Search and Rescue Team had successfully participated in the rescue of five survivors since arriving in the earthquake-stricken area in Myanmar. Chinese rescue forces as a whole had rescued a total of nine survivors.
Zhao Ming, head of the Chinese national rescue team, said in an interview with China Media Group that the high temperature increased the difficulty of rescue. Fortunately, the rescue team received support from the local people.
"We brought along some necessary medicines and equipment, and actively sought solutions locally. I think our actions inspired the local people, who spontaneously sent us some drinks and many electric fans. Of course, we also took strict measures on the rescue scene. The smell of decay was very strong at the earthquake site, so we asked our operation teams to conduct disinfection before leaving the site and after returning," Zhao said.
On March 31, the China Search and Rescue Team pulled out four survivors - three adult females and a girl - after 13 hours of hard work in Myanmar's seriously-hit Mandalay City.
At 00:40 March 31 local time, an adult female trapped for nearly 60 hours was rescued after over five hours of relentless work, marking the first survivor rescued by the team in the city.
Without pausing for rest, the rescuers immediately moved to another nearby site at the Sky Villa apartment complex.
Recalling details of the rescue mission, Li Guangnai, deputy leader of the China Search and Rescue Team, said that effective search and rescue methods improved efficiency at the dangerous and complicated structure.
"When we rescued the second and third survivors, they were in Block C of the apartment, which collapsed like a pancake. After arriving at the scene, the rescuers went to the roof according to the direction given by the survivors' family members. When we used the radar life detector on the roof, we did not find them. So we created absolute silence by suspending all rescue operations and then knocked on the floor with stones to transmit the sound to see if there was any response from the trapped people. We knocked continuously and received a response from inside. Through the sound, we quickly confirmed the approximate location. According to the evaluation of the experts on the scene, we used a method of top-to-bottom demolition for the rescue," Li said.
At 05:37 on the day, a 5-year-old girl who was buried in Block C of Sky Villa was rescued. Li said the girl was curled up in fear in the corner of the wardrobe when being found, protecting her head with a teddy bear.
About an hour later, a woman who was buried in the same rubble was successfully rescued. She was 26 weeks pregnant. At around 07:15, a 29-year-old woman trapped in Block A of Sky Villa was pulled out of the debris. She was trapped under the broken beam on the sixth floor for 65 hours.
Another survivor was miraculously pulled out alive from beneath the rubble of a collapsed hotel in central Myanmar's disaster-hit Mandalay City on April 2. The male survivor was said to be in a stable condition after spending nearly 125 hours buried among the ruins of the Golden Country Hotel building.
Zhao said that after the 72-hour "golden window" for rescue, the China Search and Rescue Team would begin to cooperate with local authorities to carry out diagnosis and treatment of the injured and disaster assessment.
"As the possibility of finding survivors in the disaster area decreases, our team can assist the local area in some other work. For example, today we officially set up an outpatient clinic on the street with the permission of the local government. Our earthquake engineering experts can conduct emergency assessments on some buildings," he said.
Chinese rescue team recalls details in Myanmar earthquake rescue missions
