In a solemn ceremony held at Incheon International Airport in the Republic of Korea on April 22, 2026, officials and representatives gathered to mark the upcoming repatriation of the 13th batch of remains of Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) martyrs who fell during the Korean War. The handover event, documented in an official photograph from Xinhua News Agency, transferred the remains of 12 fallen CPV service members alongside 146 recovered personal artifacts that belonged to the martyrs. This annual repatriation effort represents a decades-long commitment to honoring the sacrifice of Chinese troops who fought in the 1950–1953 Korean War, bringing fallen service members home to their native soil after decades of being interred abroad. The repatriation program, which launched its first batch of returns in 2014, has become a poignant annual tradition that reinforces the shared historical memory of the Korean War between China and the Republic of Korea, and underscores the commitment of both nations to upholding respect for fallen service members and reconciliation. For Chinese communities at home and abroad, the return of these martyrs carries profound cultural and patriotic weight, allowing the families of fallen service members to finally lay their loved ones to rest in their homeland after more than 70 years. The handover ceremony in Incheon follows coordinated diplomatic and logistical work between Chinese and South Korean authorities, who have collaborated closely over the past 13 years to locate, excavate, and transfer the recovered remains of CPV martyrs. This event comes as part of a broader ongoing effort to account for all missing Chinese service members from the Korean War, reflecting China’s longstanding promise to never forget those who gave their lives in service of the nation.
作者： admin
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EU envoys meet in hopes of approving a long-delayed loan to Ukraine
BRUSSELS – After months of debilitating deadlock that left Kyiv waiting for critical support amid its ongoing war with Russia, European Union envoys convened in Brussels this week with a rare sense of cautious optimism that a historic €90 billion ($106 billion) multi-year loan package for Ukraine could finally win final approval as soon as Thursday. The massive funding package is designed to cover Ukraine’s urgent military and core financial needs over the next two years, shoring up an economy shattered by nearly four years of full-scale Russian invasion and helping Kyiv maintain its defensive line against advancing Moscow forces.
The months-long logjam revolved around a single sticking point: Hungary’s veto, which Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – who was ousted in last month’s general election and will step down next month to make way for pro-EU opposition leader Péter Magyar – refused to lift until Russian oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline through Ukrainian territory resumed. Hungary and neighboring Slovakia both remain dependent on Russian crude to meet their national energy demands, and the two countries had accused Kyiv of dragging its feet on repairing a section of the pipeline damaged in a Russian missile strike earlier this year.
That barrier appears to have been cleared, Ukrainian officials confirmed this week. In a social media statement Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that all repair work on the damaged pipeline segment was complete. “The pipeline was damaged by a Russian strike, but it can resume operation now,” Zelenskyy said, adding that there are no longer any justifications for holding up the aid package. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reinforced that position, telling reporters Wednesday that Kyiv has fulfilled all conditions placed on it to unlock the funds: “We have completed everything — there is a date set, and the infrastructure has been repaired.” As of Wednesday, pipeline operator Ukrtransnaft had already resumed pumping crude into the line, and Slovakia’s Economy Minister Denisa Saková projected full shipments would reach the country early Thursday.
Even with repairs complete, however, final approval remains contingent on Orbán’s government following through on its threat to lift the veto once oil flows resume. EU diplomats spent Wednesday gauging whether Budapest would send the formal green light, with Cyprus – which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency – already preparing to launch a formal written approval procedure once the veto is lifted. Such procedures typically remain open for 24 hours, aligning with the timeline for final approval to come during Thursday’s scheduled EU leader summit in Nicosia.
Given repeated false starts on unlocking the aid over recent months, EU officials are approaching the potential breakthrough with measured caution. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas declined to speculate on a guaranteed outcome when pressed by reporters Tuesday, noting: “We expect an agreement in 24 hours, so I don’t want to jinx it.”
The path to this point has been marked by repeated political wrangling over the structure of the aid package. The EU initially planned to back the loan using frozen Russian sovereign assets held across the bloc as collateral, but that plan was derailed by objections from Belgium, where the vast majority of these frozen assets are stored. A revised framework was struck in December, when Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic agreed to allow the EU to raise the funds on international markets without requiring the three nations to participate in any guarantee obligations. Orbán later backtracked on that agreement amid his re-election campaign, tying the aid to the pipeline dispute and drawing sharp anger from the other 24 EU member states, before ultimately losing his bid for re-election in a landslide on April 12.
Parallel to the aid negotiations, the EU is also working to unblock a new package of economic sanctions against Russia, which have also been held up by Hungary and Slovakia over the same pipeline dispute. Unlike the aid package, however, diplomats indicate the new sanctions could take significantly longer to finalize. Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár confirmed Tuesday that his country would only support the new sanctions once oil shipments are confirmed to have resumed, noting as of Tuesday that “we do not have such information yet.”
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EU decides on key €90bn Ukraine loan after pipeline deadlock ends
After months of political gridlock that left Ukraine waiting for critically needed financial support, European Union ambassadors are convening in Cyprus this week with widespread optimism that a stalled €90 billion ($78 billion) emergency loan for Kyiv will finally receive final approval. The landmark funding package was first agreed to by all 27 EU member states back in December 2024, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán placed a veto on disbursement in February 2025, tying the release of the loan directly to the restoration of Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline, which stopped flowing at the end of January.
The disruption to Druzhba, one of Europe’s longest-running oil supply routes, originated after Russian missile strikes targeted a key Ukrainian oil hub along the pipeline in late January. Ukrainian officials confirmed the attack caused substantial damage to infrastructure at the Brody hub, with emergency services releasing photos of smoke rising from the facility after the bombardment. Satellite imagery of the site later corroborated the extent of the damage, and Kyiv noted that repair efforts were slowed by ongoing Russian threats to engineering teams working in the combat zone. Orbán, however, dismissed Ukraine’s explanation and framed the disruption as a deliberate “oil blockade” against Hungary and neighboring Slovakia, demanding full resumption of flows before lifting his veto.
Two key developments have now cleared the path to ending the deadlock, EU diplomats say. First, Ukrainian authorities confirmed last week that all repairs to the Druzhba hub have been completed, and Hungarian energy giant Mol announced Tuesday that Ukrainian pipeline operators notified it that oil supplies would restart Wednesday for both Hungary and Slovakia — marking the first resumption of flows in nearly three months. Second, Orbán’s 16-year consecutive tenure as Hungarian prime minister came to an end after his ruling party lost a bitterly contested national election on 13 April 2025. Hungary’s incoming prime minister, Péter Magyar, has made resetting Budapest’s strained relations with Brussels a central policy priority, removing a long-standing barrier to EU consensus on Ukraine support.
Ahead of the ambassadorial meeting, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas voiced strong confidence that a positive outcome would be reached. “We expect some positive decisions… on the €90bn loan,” Kallas told reporters. “Ukraine really needs this loan and it’s also a sign that Russia cannot outlast Ukraine.” For Kyiv, the funding is not just politically symbolic — it is an urgent matter of survival, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka, who described the package as “a matter of life and death” for the country. Under the original agreement, two-thirds of the €90 billion will be allocated to reinforcing Ukraine’s defense capabilities against Russia’s full-scale invasion, while the remaining third will go toward general financial stabilization and supporting core public services.
Orbán, who remains in office as a caretaker prime minister until Magyar’s government is formed in early May, confirmed his position over the weekend, stating that once oil flows through Druzhba were restored, “we will no longer stand in the way of approving the loan.” The former prime minister’s decision to backtrack on the December 2024 agreement had sparked deep anger among other EU leaders, who had already granted Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic an opt-out from the EU’s broader Russian oil sanctions to accommodate their energy dependence on Druzhba supplies.
Long viewed as the European Union’s most Kremlin-aligned leader, Orbán centered his failed re-election campaign on open hostility to both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EU institutional leadership. Campaign posters distributed across Hungary depicted Zelenskyy alongside opposition candidate Péter Magyar with the slogan: “They are dangerous!” In recent days, Zelenskyy has held urgent talks with senior EU leaders to push for the loan’s unblocking, including conversations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa on Tuesday.
“There can be no grounds for blocking it any more,” Zelenskyy said after the calls. “The EU asked Ukraine to repair the Druzhba oil pipeline, which had been destroyed by Russia. We have repaired it. We hope the EU will also deliver on the agreed commitments.” Even if the ambassadors formally approve the disbursement this week, Ukrainian media outlets report that administrative and financial processing will likely take several more weeks before the funds actually arrive in Kyiv. In a parallel development that underscores the ongoing disruption to energy infrastructure tied to the conflict, Ukrainian forces have also targeted Russian oil facilities linked to the Druzhba pipeline this week, including a pumping station in Russia’s Samara region.
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China steps up efforts in field observation to protect grassland ecology
BEIJING — To strengthen long-term grassland ecological conservation across the country, China has established 167 national-level field observation and research stations dedicated to monitoring grassland ecosystems, a leading grassland science expert announced Tuesday at a Beijing press conference hosted by the State Council Information Office.
Xin Xiaoping, director of the National Observation and Research Station for Grassland Ecosystems located in China’s northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region’s Hulun Buir, outlined that these specialized stations serve as core infrastructure supporting both China’s national ecological civilization initiative and large-scale ecological disaster prevention and mitigation work.
Describing the unique function of these field sites, Xin compared them to the human body’s sensory receptors, saying: “Just as hands can sense warmth and cold, the stations act as permanent outposts that let us detect and track subtle changes in grassland ecosystems in real time.”
At Xin’s own Hulun Buir station, researchers have collected 30 years of uninterrupted observational data, amassing more than 20 million structured records. This massive long-term dataset has fundamentally reshaped scientific and public understanding of grassland biodiversity in the ecologically critical Hulun Buir region, one of China’s largest temperate grasslands. Beyond data collection, the station has conducted dozens of targeted research projects to pinpoint the root causes of grassland degradation and develop evidence-based, locally tailored restoration strategies.
The national observation network also functions as a real-world testbed and demonstration zone for cutting-edge ecological technologies. Last year, for example, the world’s first integrated grazing robot and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) monitoring system was deployed and tested at the Hulun Buir station. “These stations are exactly where we can test how new scientific and technological advances can deliver tangible benefits to local herdsmen,” Xin explained.
Xin’s research team has already scaled up proven grassland restoration technologies across a 100,000 mu (equivalent to roughly 6,667 hectares) demonstration area in Hulun Buir. Initial results from the project show a dramatic 200 to 600 percent increase in grass yield within the restored zone, marking a major success for both ecological recovery and local pastoral productivity.
In addition to their core research and ecological functions, the network of stations serves as a collaborative bridge between the scientific community and public stakeholders. They operate as open research platforms supporting hundreds of domestic universities and research institutions, have trained generations of early-career ecologists focused on grassland conservation, and provide evidence-based policy recommendations to guide national and regional grassland management decision-making.
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China advances flood control, disaster relief efforts in key southern regions
BEIJING – As consecutive rounds of extreme rainfall continue to batter southern China, national emergency management authorities have formally deployed comprehensive flood prevention, emergency response, and disaster relief operations across high-risk key regions, the Ministry of Emergency Management announced Tuesday.
Preliminary meteorological data shows recent downpours across parts of Hunan, Guizhou, and Jiangxi provinces have already shattered historical rainfall records for this time of year. Following the first widespread intense rainfall event that swept through the region starting April 20, a second wave of heavy precipitation is projected to hit southern China beginning April 26, according to the joint meeting co-hosted by the Ministry of Emergency Management and the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.
Meeting participants highlighted that prolonged continuous rainfall has left soil in multiple affected areas completely saturated, drastically increasing the likelihood of flash floods and catastrophic geological disasters including landslides and mudslides.
To mitigate emerging risks, the joint meeting outlined a series of priority action items for local and regional authorities. First, officials are directed to strengthen real-time monitoring, meteorological forecasting, and early warning systems, leveraging multi-source data to boost the accuracy of short-term rainfall and hazard projections, expand the reach of early alert networks, and guarantee that warnings reach individual households, villages, and grassroots townships without delay.
Second, the meeting stressed that special attention must be paid to flood safety at high-risk populated sites, ordering authorities to prioritize flood prevention and contingency planning at elderly care centers, active construction sites, and popular tourist attractions where large groups of people may gather.
Finally, the meeting called for systematic full inspections of critical water infrastructure, including reservoirs, river dikes, and major hydropower and water conservancy projects, with targeted reinforcement measures to address existing structural vulnerabilities. It also ordered the pre-positioning of disaster relief supplies and emergency response equipment in high-risk zones to enable rapid deployment when disasters strike.
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Chinese engineers plan to study building greenhouse on lunar surface
BEIJING, April 22 — In an announcement made at a Beijing press conference this week, a senior leader from China’s lunar exploration program has revealed that Chinese space engineers are set to launch preliminary research into constructing a functional greenhouse on the surface of the moon.
Wang Qiong, senior space engineer and deputy chief designer of China’s groundbreaking Chang’e 6 mission at the China National Space Administration (CNSA) Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center, outlined that the initiative leverages cutting-edge lunar construction technologies to address one of the most persistent hazards of lunar exploration: the extreme environment of the lunar night. Spanning 14 Earth days, the lunar night sees temperatures plummet to as low as minus 200 degrees Celsius, creating life-threatening and equipment-damaging conditions for lunar rovers, robotic systems, and any future human expeditions. The proposed greenhouse would act as a temperature-controlled shelter, allowing robotic assets to survive the long, frigid dark period more reliably than existing power and thermal management systems.
As China’s lunar exploration program shifts its long-term strategy from short-duration robotic missions to sustainable infrastructure that will support eventual human stays on the moon, this research fills a critical gap in current lunar habitat design, Wang noted. A functional lunar greenhouse could also lay early groundwork for testing in-situ resource utilization and closed-loop life support systems that will be essential for future crewed lunar bases.
The announcement of the greenhouse research comes on the heels of a series of major scientific breakthroughs achieved by the Chang’e 6 mission, which made history as the first human mission to return geological samples from the far side of the moon. In June 2024, the Chang’e 6 return capsule touched down in northern China, carrying 1,935.3 grams of far-side lunar material back to Earth. Analysis of these unprecedented samples has already allowed Chinese scientists to reconstruct, for the first time in global lunar science, the complete evolutionary geological history of the moon’s little-studied far side.
Wang also highlighted the collaborative, open nature of China’s lunar exploration efforts, noting that the Chang’e 6 mission successfully carried international payloads from partner space agencies across the globe. The mission hosted a Pakistani CubeSat, plus three independent scientific instruments from France, the European Space Agency (ESA), and Italy. All international cooperative instruments have already returned data that exceeded pre-mission performance expectations, demonstrating the value of global collaboration in advancing deep space exploration.
The plan to research a lunar greenhouse marks another step forward in China’s expanding lunar exploration roadmap, building on the historic success of Chang’e 6 to push the boundaries of what is possible for long-term lunar activity.
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Connecting neighbors with energy and education
As the China-Laos 500-kilovolt interconnection project nears full commercial operation, it is delivering far more than cross-border energy connectivity — it is building enduring people-to-people bonds between the two neighboring nations through targeted skills training and community investment.
Few embody this dual impact as clearly as Fenta Sisoulath, a technical staff member at Electricite du Laos Transmission Company (EDL-T). Stationed at the Namor 3 Substation in northern Laos, Fenta now fills a newly created role: lead mentor to 21 recently hired Lao technicians, guiding his local colleagues through the complex mechanics and operational protocols of the advanced cross-border energy system.
For Fenta, this full-circle professional journey began with a life-changing opportunity: a regional scholarship funded by China Southern Power Grid (CSG), designed to support young students from Lancang-Mekong Cooperation countries pursuing energy-related higher education. Seven years ago, he became one of the first Lao students admitted to the program, heading to Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan Province, to study electrical engineering.
The early days of his studies presented steep challenges. Arriving with limited proficiency in Mandarin Chinese, Fenta struggled to navigate dense, technical coursework packed with specialized engineering terminology. There were points when he questioned whether he could complete the program, he recalled, never imagining he would one day work in the national power sector. Today, he stands as a critical bridge between the two countries, passing on hard-won technical expertise while strengthening cultural connections between China and Laos.
From the earliest construction phases of the interconnection project, both project partners prioritized localized employment and inclusive professional development. To date, the initiative has hired more than 500 Lao workers across all phases of development and operation, from on-site construction teams to central control room staff, placing local employees side-by-side with Chinese engineers at every step of the cross-border infrastructure project.
As bilateral energy cooperation has deepened, Laos’ domestic power sector workforce has expanded significantly, with growing numbers of Lao professionals stepping into key technical and senior managerial roles. By 2025, the share of local employees at EDL-T had climbed to 85 percent, marking major progress in building long-term local capacity for the Lao energy industry.
Beyond the original scholarship program that supported Fenta and dozens of other students, CSG has rolled out a full suite of capacity-building initiatives, including specialized professional courses and on-the-job practical training. As bilateral cooperation continues to grow, CSG has announced plans to further expand its regional training system. In 2026 alone, the company expects to host 27 international training programs across 28 separate sessions, expecting to reach nearly 590 trainees from ASEAN member states — with Lao participants making up a large proportion of attendees.
The project’s commitment to local development extends far beyond energy infrastructure and workforce training, addressing unmet needs in local community services. Xie Min, deputy general manager of EDL-T, noted that inclusive community investment, particularly in education, has been a core pillar of the bilateral partnership from the start.
During construction surveys, project teams discovered that multiple rural primary schools in remote northern Lao border regions lacked basic teaching facilities. In response, EDL-T funded construction of a new primary school campus in Namor Tai village, located near the Namor 3 Substation along the China-Laos border. Spanning 3,185 square meters, the new campus opened to students in December 2025, providing dramatically improved learning environments for local children.
“Our core goal from the start has been to cultivate homegrown talent for Laos’ national development and its growing power sector,” Xie explained. “What matters most is that this expertise will contribute to long-term progress for Lao society.”
As the 2026 first semester approaches, the new school stands ready to welcome its young students — representing a lasting investment in Laos’ future, one that will outlive the infrastructure project itself and deepen the connection between the two neighboring nations for generations.
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Corn is back on the menu for US exporters: Report
After years of trailing Brazil as the top corn supplier to China, the United States has clawed back lost market share in the world’s largest agricultural commodities market, marking a much-needed win for American growers navigating ongoing financial headwinds, according to a new analysis from Breakwave Advisors.
The New York-based commodity trading advisor drew on shipping and trade data from the Signal Ocean Platform to track recent export flows. The analysis confirmed that while Brazil dominated Chinese corn imports throughout 2025, the United States overtook its South American rival to claim the top supplier position by the end of late March. This reversal in market standing aligns with on-the-ground observations from agricultural economists, who note US corn shipments have been unusually strong across the opening weeks of the year.
William W. Wilson, an agribusiness and applied economics professor at North Dakota State University, told China Daily two key global trends are driving the unexpected uptick in demand. “Number one, we’re seeing pretty robust overall demand in the international marketplace, and on top of that, international demand for corn for biofuel production has grown substantially,” Wilson explained.
International exports have long been a backbone of the US corn industry, with regional trade pacts underpinning decades of steady growth. USDA data shows Mexico, Japan, South Korea and Colombia collectively purchase two-thirds of all US corn exports, with Mexico alone absorbing 40 percent of total outbound shipments. The United States also sends 35 percent of its total ethanol exports to northern neighbor Canada, with the entire North American trade relationship governed by the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which entered into force on July 1, 2020. The three partner nations are scheduled to hold a joint review of the deal in July ahead of a planned 16-year extension.
For the broader US economy, the corn sector is an underrecognized engine of growth and employment. Industry group the National Corn Growers Association, which advocates for reduced trade barriers and expanded global market access for American producers, reports that corn farming generated more than $151 billion in total national economic output in 2023, while directly and indirectly supporting at least 600,000 domestic jobs. USDA figures add that nearly a third of all income for US corn producers comes from export sales, highlighting how critical foreign market access is to the sector’s long-term stability.
That importance is reflected in the USDA’s latest 2025-26 marketing year projections, released in April, which forecast total US corn exports will reach approximately 3.3 billion bushels (116 million cubic meters) – an all-time record for the industry.
Veteran agricultural experts emphasize that consistent, predictable access to global markets is the single most important factor supporting American corn growers’ long-term prosperity. Bob Nielsen, an emeritus agronomy professor at Purdue University who grew up on a corn farm in Nebraska and has spent more than four decades studying corn crop management, stressed that stable trade relationships remove much of the uncertainty that plagues farming operations.
“The more that we can maintain good trade relations with major markets like China and Mexico, and stabilize export demand to keep it consistent year in and year out, the better off US farmers will be,” Nielsen said. He added that farming is inherently a volatile business, with growers constantly at the mercy of shifting global market demands for corn, which is used for everything from human consumption to biofuel production and animal feed. “That uncertainty has always been the core frustration and biggest challenge for corn growers across the country,” he noted.
In response to the shifting market dynamics, US farm groups and corn producers have called on the Trump administration to prioritize agricultural trade issues during President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to China. While the recent gain in Chinese market share is a positive development, analysts warn that the US corn sector still faces significant headwinds that could erode competitiveness. Tariffs on agricultural goods and intensifying global competition from rival producing nations continue to raise operational costs and put pressure on American export prices.
Wilson noted that the United States faces intense competition from other major corn exporting nations, specifically pointing to Brazil, Ukraine and Argentina as key rivals. “For our growers, getting trade policy sorted out to make sure we aren’t put at an unfair disadvantage is absolutely critical right now as we work to hold onto these recent market gains,” he said.
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Exploring barefoot trails on 2 continents as a way to connect with nature this Earth Day
Thousands of kilometers apart, two very different hiking trails share one unusual, intentional feature. In Germany’s scenic Black Forest, waterlogged path steps sink into ankle-deep mud that demands slow, careful footwork. Across the Atlantic in northern Arizona’s ponderosa pine woodlands, hikers must navigate just as deliberately across a line of tree stumps repurposed as stepping stones. What unites these two pathways is a simple premise: they are built for visitors to explore without socks or shoes.
Barefoot trails have popped up across every inhabited continent, designed to invite people to engage more deeply with the natural world through direct sensory experience. Feeling cool mud squish between toes, stepping across soft pine needles, exploring quiet meditation nooks, testing scent stations and navigating dark sensory rooms transforms an ordinary daily walk into a fully immersive, grounding activity. Beyond the sensory experience, podiatrists and long-time barefoot walking advocates note that walking shoeless across varied natural surfaces may offer tangible benefits for both emotional well-being and long-term foot health.
The modern barefoot trail movement is rooted in more than a century of wellness philosophy. While theories about the perks of going barefoot have surged in popularity among runners, athletes, environmental advocates and mental health wellness circles in recent decades, the core idea dates back to the 1800s. Sebastian Kneipp, a 19th-century German Catholic priest and an early pioneer of naturopathic medicine, championed regular nature exposure, hydrotherapy and barefoot walking as a form of gentle exercise. He argued that barefoot walking boosts circulation, supports overall immune function and improves whole-body health, famously recommending walks across dewy grass or even snow, and once referred to conventional shoes as “foot-bending machinery.”
Kneipp’s wellness philosophy inspired the creation of barefoot paths across the European continent, where many trails are still referred to as Kneipp paths, and later spread to a smaller but growing community of enthusiasts in the United States. In Asia, a parallel tradition of reflexology trails, built from smooth stones, pebbles and natural grass, is designed to stimulate pressure points on the soles of the feet, a practice rooted in traditional East Asian medical therapy. This article is part of the Associated Press’s ongoing *Be Well* coverage series, which focuses on topics including holistic wellness, fitness, nutrition and mental health.
Germany’s Park mit allen Sinnen — translated as “Park with All Senses” — sits within the Black Forest, a 6,000-square-kilometer region that has become a global hub for wellness tourism, where visitors come to breathe crisp mountain air, soak in natural thermal baths and book spa treatments that use native regional plants and herbs. The park charges a small admission fee for access to its 1-kilometer barefoot trail. According to the park’s official website, wandering shoeless across the trail’s wide range of different surfaces “is ideal for exercising your back and spine, and at the same time, it’s a perfect foot reflexology massage in the fresh air.”
In the United States, Leah Williams, owner of The Barefoot Trail park near Flagstaff, Arizona, launched her own 1-kilometer manicured barefoot trail just off Route 66 two years ago, following a family trip to Europe. Williams runs the park through a nonprofit charitable foundation, and requires tickets for entry. Raised with the tradition of barefoot outdoor activity — her German-born mother encouraged her to play barefoot in the forests and creeks around Seattle as a child, a habit Williams carried into adulthood and passed down to her own children — Williams first fell in love with the concept of a formal barefoot trail during a trip to a Belgian path while her family was living in the Netherlands.
“I loved everything about it. I saw all ages, and I loved seeing older people at the park because you don’t see that here in the United States,” Williams said. “I thought, ‘Wow, when I get back to the United States, I’m going to build one of these parks myself.’” Today, she also develops educational programming for schools, summer camps and youth programs that bring children to explore the trail. “Being good stewards of nature is really our job as human beings, and we have taken 13 acres of land at our park for our community enjoyment … for local, statewide and regional enjoyment,” Williams said, speaking emotionally about the project.
Unlike a standard hike, barefoot trails offer a uniquely sensory experience that most people never get in regular daily life. For most people who do not regularly walk barefoot outdoors, exposing the soft soles of the feet to a range of textures, temperatures and surfaces takes time to get used to. “You should see people’s faces when they start walking,” Williams said, chuckling at the memory of first-time visitors’ reactions. While most barefoot trail operators strongly encourage shoeless walking to get the full experience, it is never required. Visitors with diabetes, neuropathy or other chronic foot conditions are fully welcome to keep their shoes on at both the Arizona and German parks.
Many trails are intentionally designed to engage all five senses, not just the sense of touch. At Germany’s Park mit allen Sinnen, a “Quiet Please” sign marks the entrance to a dedicated meditation cave, where a long wooden bench faces tall windows looking out over the forest, and soft calming music plays through hidden speakers. In other sections of the park, visitors can squeeze red rubber bulbs to release the scents of papaya and apricot, or place their hands into a sealed box lined with wild boar fur to feel the texture.
The barefoot trail movement has expanded far beyond Germany and the United States today. Across Europe, Austria, Denmark, France, Hungary, Switzerland and the United Kingdom all host a growing network of barefoot trails, though many small local paths are not marketed to tourists, so first-time visitors may need to search for trails using local language terms like “barefoot path” to find them. In East Asia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan all have public parks with permanent pebble reflexology trails, where smooth stones are set into concrete to offer a foot massage and pressure point stimulation during walks.
In the United States, informal barefoot hikes along existing trails and small dedicated wellness parks are slowly growing in number, but formal barefoot parks remain relatively rare. That is why Williams is working to expand her nonprofit barefoot trail concept to other parts of the country. Her foundation recently received 20 acres of land in Lawrence, Kansas, a college town, to develop a second barefoot park integrated into a new mixed commercial and residential development. “It’s about integrating those natural environments into people’s daily lives and providing those safe spaces for people to enjoy,” Williams said.
This report was compiled from on-the-ground reporting by Mumphrey in Flagstaff, Arizona.
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UN voices hope for US-Iran talks resumption
Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions between the United States and Iran are at a critical juncture this week, as the United Nations has publicly pushed for both sides to extend their existing temporary ceasefire and restart stalled dialogue.