Cultural, tourism innovative achievements shine at 2024 CIFTIS

The ongoing 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Service (CIFTIS) in Beijing has once again highlighted the ingenious convergence of culture, tourism and technology, with over 800 companies presenting their innovative production achievements in the sector.

The fair opened on Thursday and will run until Monday. One of the key venues for this year's event is Shougang Park, a symbol of Beijing's old industrial base renovation in the western part of the capital city.

The culture and tourism exhibition spans more than 11,700 square meters in the park at the fair, which is the most popular exhibition area as always. A total of 832 enterprises are showcasing their innovative cultural achievements, with a total registered capital exceeding 75 billion yuan (about 11 billion U.S. dollars).

This year, the culture and tourism exhibition focuses on technological empowerment and new lifestyles, which can be embodied in an array of cutting-edge exhibits and interplay experiences on the site.

A notable exhibit is a portable mixed reality (MR) device that provides immersive experiences, allowing visitors to step into the virtual worlds depicted in the science fiction novel The Three-Body Problem.

The fair also showcases travel projects from various localities in China and features interactive shows related to national intangible cultural heritages, such as a mythical creature-based copyrighted character "Legend of the Yongding River" and fire-painted bottle gourds, both from Beijing.

Furthermore, the fair has over 1,200 creative cultural products from 46 key cultural institutions and enterprises in Beijing, along with more than 400 items from 11 municipal parks and the Beijing Garden Expo Park, providing a diverse and colorful cultural experience for all visitors.

Cultural, tourism innovative achievements shine at 2024 CIFTIS

A bell-ringing ceremony was held to mark the 93rd anniversary of the September 18 Incident in front of a monument at the September 18 Incident History Museum in Shenyang City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Wednesday.

It was on this fateful day in 1931 when Japanese troops blew up a section of the railway near Shenyang under their control, and accused Chinese troops of sabotage as a pretext for subsequent aggression against China.

Representatives of people from all walks of life struck a bell 14 times, symbolizing the 14 years of fight against Japanese aggressors by the Chinese people. The bell was cast with the words "Never forget national humiliation".

At 09:18, 14 cities in Liaoning sounded air raid sirens for three minutes, while vehicles came to a halt and honked their horns, and citizens were standing in silent tribute to mark this dark chapter in history. Ships and trains also sounded their sirens.

For years, China has kept marking the September 18 Incident.

The incident sparked Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The 1931-1945 Japanese invasion caused more than 35 million casualties among Chinese troops and civilians, accounting for one third of the WWII casualties worldwide.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, China fought with two-thirds of Japan's army, making a major contribution to the allied victory in WWII.

China holds ceremony to mark 93rd anniversary of Sept 18 Incident