CCTV crew gains rare access to front line in warring Idlib

China Central Television (CCTV) takes rare footage on the front line between Syrian government forces and opposition forces in Idlib province, the first access to this area since 2017.

Since a 2017 ceasefire deal, the Syrian government had not allowed foreign media into this opposition stronghold, thus making the CCTV crew this time the only foreign media to gain access in years.

The Syrian government now controls nearly 70 percent of its territory, including some areas in the northwestern province of Idlib, that was taken as headquarters of Syrian opposition forces.

Idlib's provincial capital has relocated to Khan Shaykhun city under government control, alongside Maarat al-Numan and Saraqib, according to local official.

The crew continued to head north from Khan Shaykhun for Maarat al-Numan, which is closer to the frontline.

There is barely no vehicle on the road, if there are, they would speed by. The place the crew heading for is the forefront of the standoff between government forces and opposition forces.

According to the government forces, they have successfully foiled infiltration attempts of opposition forces into the area over the past few weeks.

The soldiers shot down a drone just the day before. Drone attacks have turned out to be a frequent tactic on the Syrian battlefield, with Maarat al-Numan facing almost weekly assaults from opposition forces' drones.

The fighting has left few buildings intact in Maarat al-Numan. Civilians were nowhere to be seen near the frontline. Soldiers remained quietly in bunkers, with Syrian flags marking government command posts nearby.

On Aug 21, opposition forces launched a rocket attack on this military outpost, killing two soldiers.

The standoff line between government and opposition-controlled areas lay just ahead. For the final 800 meters, the CCTV crew had to change to a pickup, which was equipped with a mounted machine gun.

The government forces said that their cameras are hidden on trees, buildings and barbed wires along the confrontation line to monitor infiltration from both sides.

Over the past year, the infiltration of opposition forces into this area has never stopped. Their goal is to cut off a road between government-controlled Aleppo and Hama, separating government-controlled areas.

The conditions of the government troops at the front line are very difficult as soldiers have been garrisoning ruins for years.

Signs of shelling and airstrikes were evident along the line, with opposition-held villages visible at a distance. The confrontation line is a very open area where the crew had a very clear view of the movement of the other side.

CCTV crew gains rare access to front line in warring Idlib

CCTV crew gains rare access to front line in warring Idlib

CCTV crew gains rare access to front line in warring Idlib

Chinese cities, towns and villages are putting on dazzling light and lantern shows, staging distinctive folk customs performances, and holding festive mooncake banquets in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Tuesday.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar and dates back more than a millennium. As a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, families reunite on the occasion to admire the bright full moon, light lanterns, and share the holiday pastry of mooncakes.

In the ancient city of Kaifeng of central China's Henan Province and Jinzhou City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, popular tourist attractions and landmarks are bathed in lights, promising a mesmerizing nighttime experience for local residents and tourists alike.

Beijing's famous Beihai Park, a public park and former imperial garden, is staging performances themed around bianzhong, or Chinese chime bells which has a history of over 2,000 years.

In tourist towns and villages of Yunnan Province in the southwest, Zhejiang Province in th east and Guangdong Province in the south, lively folk and dragon dances are gathering numerous locals and tourists to join in the festivities.

Audiences are enjoying a poetry recitation show in Hefei City, east China's Anhui Province, and a symphony in Zunyi City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, respectively.

This year, Suining City in southwest China's Sichuan Province and Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the northwest, have both prepared giant freshly made mooncakes enough to treat hundreds of people at a same time. And in a village of the southwestern Chongqing Municipality, people have prepared their own mooncakes on a flour ground from their newly harvested red sorghum.

"We are filled with the joy of harvest during the merry traditional festival. The festive mood is really nice," said Liu Ya, a local of Jiangjun Village in Chongqing's Bishan District.

Elsewhere, villages in Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, are also celebrating their harvest of red pepper by drying them on the roofs. And another village in the eastern province of Shandong has recently held a large banquet for local households to share.

Outside the mainland, colorful lanterns are also dotting the various landmarks, streets and alleyways of Hong Kong and Macao, adding to the festive joy.

Celebrations held across China to mark traditional Mid-Autumn Festival