分类： society

Beijing’s rapid urban rail transit network closed out 2025 with robust performance, recording a total of 3.58 billion passenger trips across the year as city authorities ramp up investments to enhance service quality and operational efficiency, according to findings from an official third-party assessment.

Data published on the Beijing Infrastructure Investment website reveals that by the end of 2025, the city’s metro operating mileage expanded to 909 kilometers, connecting more residential, commercial, and industrial hubs across the Chinese capital. On average, the system handled 9.8 million passenger trips per day in 2025, with weekday ridership reaching an average of 11.15 million trips, reflecting the network’s central role in supporting the city’s daily mobility.

The comprehensive evaluation was commissioned by the Beijing Commission of Transport, and covered 27 operational lines across the network. Newly opened sections that had been in service for less than 12 months — including the southern extension of Line 6, the central section of Line 17, and the full Line 18 — were excluded from the assessment to ensure data consistency. Evaluators focused on three core domains: passenger satisfaction, overall service capacity, and key operational performance indicators.

Survey results show that passengers gave overwhelmingly positive feedback on the metro system across multiple key dimensions, including accessibility to stations, in-station environment, public order on platforms and trains, and routine facility maintenance. The system also maintained high service standards across ticketing processes, waiting times, and basic passenger support functions. Operational performance was equally strong, with 10 critical metrics — including on-time train service and overall facility reliability — earning perfect scores in the assessment.

Per the final evaluation report, the Beijing metro management will continue to prioritize user-centered service upgrades, reinforce strict operational safety protocols, and adjust capacity allocation to match real-time passenger demand, all with the goal of delivering safer, more efficient travel experiences for commuters and visitors alike.

The metro’s strong performance is part of a broader steady expansion of Beijing’s public transport ecosystem. Separate data from the Beijing Bureau of Statistics shows that by the end of 2025, the city’s public bus and trolleybus network included 1,252 routes, covering a total operating length of 28,928.8 kilometers. The bus network carried 1.6 billion passenger trips across 2025, working in tandem with the metro system to meet the mobility needs of Beijing’s large population.

China’s top meteorological body has launched a Level IV emergency response as the nation prepares to face a spell of hazardous weather, including strong winds, intense downpours and severe convective activity. On Monday, the National Meteorological Center issued a tiered set of weather alerts: a yellow warning for strong gusts, and blue warnings for both heavy rain and severe convective weather.

China operates a standardized four-tier color-coded warning system for wind and rain events, where red marks the most severe level, followed by orange, yellow, and blue as the least urgent. For severe convective weather, the country uses a three-tier warning framework.

According to the center’s forecast, the strong wind event will impact a wide swathe of northern China between 8 a.m. Monday and 8 a.m. Tuesday. Affected regions include the provinces of Shanxi, Hebei, Liaoning and Shandong, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as well as the direct-controlled municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin. Sustained average wind speeds across these areas are projected to hit 10 to 20 meters per second, with gusts capable of reaching up to 28 meters per second in hard-hit zones. These conditions are strong enough to uproot fully grown trees and cause structural damage to buildings and infrastructure.

Over the same 24-hour window, heavy rainfall will lash multiple regions in southern and central China, including Chongqing Municipality, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Some localities are expected to record total precipitation of 100 to 140 millimeters, with short-duration intense rain events driving the bulk of the accumulation. Hourly rainfall totals are forecast to peak at 20 to 50 millimeters, and the downpours will be paired with severe convective hazards including thunderstorms, sudden wind gusts and hail.

In specific high-risk zones, the hazards carry elevated risks to life and property. Parts of southwestern Guizhou and western Guangxi face dangerous thunderstorm gales, where gusts could be strong enough to collapse unstable informal housing and damage power transmission infrastructure. In sections of eastern and southwestern Hunan, as well as northern Guangxi, hourly rainfall will climb above 50 millimeters, with some locations even exceeding 60 millimeters of rain in a single hour – conditions that raise the risk of flash flooding and secondary disasters.

To reduce the risk of harm, the National Meteorological Center has issued a series of public safety guidance. Vessels operating in affected coastal and inland waters are urged to proceed with extreme caution to avoid wind and wave-related accidents. Residents across all impacted regions have been advised to cut back on non-essential outdoor activities, and maintain a safe distance from flimsy temporary structures such as construction scaffolding and temporary market stalls.

Meteorological officials have also called on local authorities to take proactive preparatory measures. These include stepping up fire prevention work, securing loose or easily moved outdoor structures, prepping urban and rural drainage systems to handle heavy runoff, and putting early response plans in place to manage secondary disasters such as mountain torrents, landslides and mudslides.

After two days of rigorous, real-world challenge testing, a national fire rescue dog competition came to a close on Friday in Jinan, the capital of China’s Shandong province. The gathering brought together 30 experienced handler-canine teams from eight of China’s provincial-level administrative regions, spanning northern and northeastern areas including Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Gansu.

Structured around a strict “one handler, one dog” competition framework that mirrors actual field operations, the event put each team’s skills to the test across six distinct, high-stakes disciplines: individual obedience, obstacle navigation, debris search, mudslide area search, container search, and a full-scale integrated rescue drill. Each challenge was intentionally engineered to replicate six common disaster scenarios that rescue teams face during real emergency responses, including earthquakes, collapsed building incidents, and mudslides—disasters that demand sharp instinct, precise coordination, and quick decision-making from both humans and dogs.

Beyond serving as a competition to rank top performing teams, the event centered on evaluating how effectively handlers and their canine partners collaborate, maintain clear communication amid high-pressure conditions, and execute search missions in chaotic, complex terrain. The competition also shone a spotlight on the irreplaceable, critical role that specialized rescue dog units play within China’s national emergency response infrastructure, showcasing the rigorous training and preparation that these teams undergo to save lives when disaster strikes.

As of the end of the third week of April 2026, official data from Beijing’s border control authorities shows that the Chinese capital has recorded over 7 million combined entries and exits through its ports, marking a 13% increase compared to the same period in 2025. This robust growth signals a continued rebound in international travel connectivity for one of Asia’s most visited global destinations.

According to statistics released by the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, foreign national travel has outpaced overall growth, with the total number of foreign entries and exits topping 2.28 million as of Sunday April 26, a 34% jump year-on-year. By April 25, more than 828,000 international travelers had entered Beijing through existing visa-free or temporary entry permit frameworks this year alone, accounting for more than 70% of all foreign arrivals to the capital.

Industry and government analysts attribute the sharp uptick in cross-border travel and inbound tourism to Beijing to a series of progressive policy adjustments that have reduced entry barriers for international visitors. To date, the Chinese government has rolled out unilateral visa-free policies that benefit citizens of 50 countries, and expanded 240-hour transit visa-free access to travelers from 53 additional nations, bringing the total number of eligible countries for the transit program to 55. These streamlined policies have cut through red tape for leisure, business, and transit travelers alike, removing the time and cost burdens associated with pre-arrival visa applications.

To accommodate the growing passenger volume and maintain smooth, efficient border operations, Beijing’s border inspection authorities have rolled out a suite of targeted service and infrastructure upgrades. Key improvements include the launch of an integrated one-stop service that combines temporary entry permit issuance and pre-clearance inspection for travelers taking advantage of the 240-hour transit visa-free program. Authorities have also added dedicated on-site support teams to guide first-time visitors through visa-free policy requirements and assist with digital and paper arrival card completion, cutting wait times and reducing friction for new international guests.

Travel industry leaders in Beijing note that the sustained growth in cross-border travel is expected to deliver cascading benefits to the local economy, supporting gains in hospitality, retail, cultural tourism, and international business events in the coming months as the peak summer travel season approaches.

For generations of Chinese people born between the 1980s and 1990s, mini four-wheel-drive (4WD) toy cars hold far more than nostalgic value. Far from being just simple playthings, these tiny speed machines were childhood portals to adventure, sparking boundless imagination and forging lasting friendships between like-minded hobbyists. Now, decades after their first boom in popularity, that long-dormant childhood passion is roaring back to life across the country, driven by a retro hobby craze centered on the thrill of speed.

On April 12, one of the largest recent amateur mini 4WD events brought nearly 300 enthusiasts from across China to Beijing’s Wenyuhe Park, where a purpose-built track has become an unlikely hub for the resurgent hobby. The action-packed day of competition kicked off in the morning with 60 teams going head-to-head in a timed group challenge that tested both assembly speed and on-track performance. In the afternoon, the tournament shifted to a high-stakes one-on-one knockout format, featuring 160 individual racers vying for the top title.

The Wenyuhe Park track, which first opened in 2022, was originally conceived as a public art installation designed around China’s traditional xiangyun (auspicious cloud) pattern. Planners later made subtle modifications to the layout to meet the strict dimensional requirements of official mini 4WD racing courses, but the space remained relatively unknown to the broader hobby community until late 2025, when it went viral across Chinese social media platforms. Today, the 88-meter track — which includes a complex overpass section — is open to the public completely free of charge, and has grown into a thriving social gathering spot for retro culture lovers, drawing hobbyists from every profession and age group.

For many enthusiasts, the Wenyuhe track has already achieved near-legendary status. Among the participants at the April 12 event was 33-year-old Zou Chenyang, who traveled more than 1,000 kilometers from his home in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, to join the race. A full-time livestreamer and professional custom mini 4WD builder, Zou describes the park as a “pilgrimage site” for anyone passionate about the hobby. “I came here just to race and have fun,” he explained. “The atmosphere is incredible, there are so many kids and parents here enjoying the day. I really hope more families will give it a try and join the community.”

The winner of the inaugural one-on-one ultimate battle, An Ruifeng, a middle-aged working professional, downplayed his victory, attributing his win to good fortune rather than raw skill. An first fell in love with mini 4WD cars when he was just 8 or 9 years old, and took up the hobby again as an adult to decompress from the stress of his daily work. Before the event, he even turned down his family’s offer to come cheer him on, worried he would be embarrassed if he crashed out early. “My only real goal was to pass the pre-race technical inspection and finish just one lap,” he said. “That would have made me happy enough. Getting all the way to the win is unbelievable… I just love these cars.” Holding the winner’s flag, he shared advice for future participants: “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. This is just for fun — don’t let it get in the way of your work, family or daily life. As long as you cross the finish line, we’re all champions.”

All competing cars are required to meet strict technical regulations to keep competition fair and accessible. Liu Han, one of the event’s technical inspection judges, outlined key rules for the afternoon knockout race, including a 40,000 revolution per minute limit on motors and a ban on metal chassis. “As a long-time mini 4WD enthusiast, I didn’t get to compete this time around, but volunteering as a judge let me stay involved with the community while making sure all racers follow the rules,” Liu explained.

The mini 4WD craze is not limited to Beijing, with new tracks opening and hobby communities growing across the entire country. Earlier this month, Shanghai’s Jiabei Country Park launched trial operations for a new 228-meter professional-grade track, which offers greater challenges for experienced racers with a layout that includes long straightaways, sharp curves and gentle sloped sections. Like the Wenyuhe Park venue, the Shanghai track is free for public use, and also offers dedicated spaces for car maintenance and customization, plus on-site sales of starter cars for new enthusiasts looking to join the hobby.

Across China, a quiet but transformative shift is underway in K-12 education: replacing the long-standing tradition of hunching over classroom desks for midday naps with comfortable, lie-down rest, enabled by a newly implemented national standard for student furniture.

The national technical standard for purpose-built napping desks and chairs, issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration in September 2025, officially went into effect this February. Developed with children’s physical growth and developmental needs at its core, the regulation sets clear, unified requirements for critical product specifications including seat height, recline angle, under-desk clearance, and material durability, addressing a gap that previously left the growing market for napping furniture with inconsistent quality and safety standards.

Well before the new standard was introduced, national policymakers had already prioritized improving student sleep health. Back in 2021, the Ministry of Education released a guidance on strengthening student sleep management, which outlined age-appropriate recommended sleep durations and encouraged schools with sufficient resources to secure adequate midday break time for rest. In 2023, the State Council followed with a policy supporting schools to expand classroom and recreational spaces to create usable napping conditions. That same year, Zhang Qiongli, a national legislator and high school teacher from Hubei province, tabled a proposal to upgrade K-12 students’ lunch break arrangements, which quickly garnered broad public and official support. Today, nearly 40,000 primary and secondary students in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Zhang’s home region, already have access to lie-down napping during lunch breaks. “I also hope that in the future, all primary and secondary school students across the country can achieve lying lunch breaks,” Zhang shared in an interview.

Since the national standard took effect, rollout has accelerated across multiple regions. In Wuhu, Anhui province, 468 sets of the new lie-down napping furniture have been included in the city government’s 2026 key livelihood projects, with many local schools already rolling out the equipment to help students say goodbye to the discomfort of hunched-over desk napping.
The innovative furniture is designed for dual use: during regular class hours, it functions as a standard student desk and chair. When lunch break rolls around, a few simple adjustments extend the seat and tilt the backrest, transforming it into a comfortable mini recliner that eliminates the neck and shoulder strain that comes from napping while bent forward.

In northwest China’s Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, roughly 2,000 sets of the new napping-friendly desks and chairs entered service at local K-12 schools this spring. In the southern technology hub of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, more than 400 primary and secondary schools have already completed midday napping program upgrades, with the city planning to roll out the national standard-compliant furniture to an additional 200 schools in the 2026 spring semester.

For parents, the change is widely welcomed. Lu Xiao, a primary school parent based in Dalian, Liaoning province, noted that a quality midday nap helps students recharge their energy and boost afternoon learning efficiency. “I hope students in my son’s school can use the adjustable backrests and extendable seats as soon as possible,” she said.
Most Chinese K-12 schools already schedule approximately two hours for lunch and midday break daily, creating a natural window for structured rest.
Despite this progress and widespread policy and public support, full nationwide promotion of universal lie-down napping still faces notable practical barriers. As of early 2026, only a relatively small share of schools across the country have rolled out the upgraded furniture, with challenges including limited classroom space, tight education budgets, and complex daily management of the adjusted napping routines remaining to be addressed.