Bumpy Liuhe Road is upgraded to the smooth and broad one in Hangzhou

The once bumpy and crammed Liuhe Road, which is the only main east-west road running through Xiaoheshan Higher Education Park in West Hangzhou, has been rebuilt into the two-way six-lane road to facilitate citizens’ smooth travel.

Non-motor vehicle parking lots, bus stations and temporary parking spaces are offered near the metro stations along Liuhe Road to facilitate seamless connection of metro lines and buses or other supporting transportation. In addition to the renovation and upgrading of the main driveway, the greenway along the Liuhe Road has also been open to the public.

Zhejiang releases first National Fitness Development Index

On the occasion of the National Fitness Day on August 8, the Provincial Sports Bureau released the “2020 Zhejiang National Fitness Development Index Report” on August 5. This is the first time our province has released the NFDI to the society.

The index evaluation system consists of 3 first-level indicators, including “basic conditions for national fitness”, “participation degree” and “comprehensive effect”, 9 second-level indicators, including “fitness venues” and “fitness funds”, and 30 three-level indicators such as “per capita sports ground area” and “comprehensive satisfaction”. The survey covers 48 counties (cities, districts) in the province, and the big data comes from 33,768 valid questionnaires.

In 2020, Zhejiang scored 80.69 points out of 100 in NFDI, indicating a good overall development status. There is not much difference in the overall NFDI among cities across the province. Among them, Huzhou has the highest score of 85.54 points.

The report shows that the province’s national physique pass rate, the proportion of people who regularly participate in physical exercise, and the per capita sports ground area are among the top in the country. Specifically, the per capita sports ground area has grown rapidly. In 2020, the total area of sports venues in the province reached 149.5652 million square meters, an increase of 9.15% compared to 2019. The service level of public sports venues has been greatly improved. Zhejiang was included in the first batch of comprehensive pilot provinces for the opening of public sports venues by the State Sports General Administration. As of the end of 2020, the completion rate of public sports venues’ service improvement reached 49.4%. The scientific fitness guidance ability has been enhanced. In 2020, the number of registered social instructors per 1,000 people in Zhejiang reached 2.52.

However, the contradiction between the increasingly diversified and multi-level sports demands of the people and the insufficient effective supply of public sports services still exists. A number of key indicators such as “area of sports venues per capita” are still unevenly developed between cities across the province and between urban and rural areas. Li Qidi, deputy dean of the School of Physical Education and Health Sciences of Zhejiang Normal University, participated in the investigation. He said that in the next step, in the overall promotion of the rural revitalization of the 26 counties in the mountainous area, more attention will be paid to the construction of sports facilities in rural venues and to carry out diversified sports activities.

It is learned that starting from this year, Zhejiang will release the NFDI every year.

Zhejiang releases first white paper on digital economy development

Can you imagine the huge space of Zhejiang’s digital economy? The reporter learned from the press conference on Tuesday on “Zhejiang Province Digital Economy Development White Paper (2022)” that Zhejiang aims to build a high ground for digital transformation and plans to achieve a new round of “double growth”. That is, by 2027, the added value of Zhejiang’s digital economy and core industries will exceed 7 trillion yuan and 1.6 trillion yuan respectively.

Today, the digital economy has become the main engine of Zhejiang’s economy. Data shows that in 2021, the province’s digital economy added value reached 3.57 trillion yuan, ranking fourth in the country, doubling from the initial stage of the “13th Five-Year Plan”; accounting for 48.6% of GDP, ranking first in all provinces (autonomous regions) across the country.

2022 is the final year of Zhejiang’s five-year digital economy doubling plan, and the first year of the upgraded version of Zhejiang’s digital economy “Project No. 1”. During this critical period, Zhejiang compiled and released the “White Paper on Zhejiang Province Digital Economy Development” for the first time, summarizing the results of “Project No. 1” and looking forward to future trends in about 70,000 words.

Technological innovation is the primary driving force in creating a high ground for digital transformation. Next, Zhejiang will build a high-level digital technology innovation center with global influence. Specifically, following the “315” major innovation system, it will launch 200 scientific projects in the digital economy every year, and form more than 150 major innovation achievements.

Digital industrialization and industrial digitization are the two major paths for the development of Zhejiang’s digital economy. To this end, Zhejiang will build a high-level national leading area of digital industrialization and a national demonstration area of industrial digital transformation.

On the one hand, through the cultivation of advanced manufacturing clusters, it will strengthen and expand the six 100 billion-level characteristic industrial clusters such as digital security and integrated circuits, so as to build a world-class new generation of information technology industry clusters; On the other hand, it will accelerates the new paradigm of “industrial brain + future factory” integrated development. By 2027, it will build 50 industry brains, and cultivate 100 future factories and 1,200 smart factories, so as to realize full coverage of digital transformation of industrial enterprises above designated size and small and medium-sized enterprises in key sub-sectors, and full coverage of industrial Internet platforms for industrial clusters of more than 10 billion yuan.

To develop the digital economy, institutional change is crucial. Zhejiang will build a high-level national pilot zone in digital economy mechanism innovation to amplify the effect of digital reform and improve the governance capacity of the digital economy.

In addition, Zhejiang will build an emerging financial center with global influence, a global digital trade center, a pilot area for data infrastructure systems, a pilot area for digital empowerment and common prosperity, and a new computing center in the Yangtze River Delta.

Hangzhou National Archives of Publications and Culture put into use

On the morning of July 23, Hangzhou National Archives of Publications and Culture (Hangzhou Branch of China National Archives of Publications and Culture) was officially put into use.

Numerous guests attended the ceremony to witness the addition of another cultural landmark to the construction of Cultural Highland in Zhejiang in a new era.

The collection and inheritance system for Chinese publications and culture of China National Archives of Publications and Culture includes the main central archives in Beijing and three branch archives in Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Xi’an. The four archives jointly undertake the important tasks of the seed gene bank of Chinese civilization and the center for the reserve of national publication and culture resources in response to disasters.

On July 23, the central archives and the other two branch archives were also officially announced to be put into use.

Chinese publications and culture are a carrier that bears the imprint of Chinese civilization at home and abroad in ancient and present China. Based on the construction of National Archives of Publications and Culture, the project of handing down Chinese publications and culture is a major cultural project deployed by the state from the strategic height of cultural security and cultural revival. It is designed to hand down generation after generation Chinese publication and culture boutiques that feature “the inheritance of Chinese culture, the affirmation of cultural confidence, the display of China’s image as a great power, and the promotion of cultural dialogue.” This project has been included in the central “14th Five-Year Plan” proposal.

The core functions of Hangzhou National Archives of Publications and culture are preservation, display, research, and exchange. It is a comprehensive venue integrating the functions of libraries, museums, art galleries, archives, and exhibition halls. It is also a reserve bank for the central archives in response to disasters, a bank characteristic of publications and culture south of the Yangtze River, and a gathering center for publications and culture resources in East China.

Hangzhou National Archives of Publications and Culture is also known as “Wenrun Pavilion.” The architectural features the “contemporary book collection building with the charm of gardens in the Song dynasty,” with a total construction area of 103,100 square meters, including 13 units in total, such as the main study room, the south study room, the Wenrun Pavilion, the mountain warehouse, and the auxiliary buildings.

Hangzhou National Archives of Publications and Culture “focuses on collection and combines collection and exhibition.” It is carrying out publication and culture collection through the “double channels” of unit submission and social collection, based on the local conditions of Zhejiang, targeted at the Yangtze River Delta, and intended to cover the Yangtze River Basin. While accepting donations, the archives also provides storage and escrow services for rare publications.

Up to now, Hangzhou National Archives of Publications and Culture has received a total of 1 million copies (pieces) of various publications submitted and donated by units and the society, including the “Communist Manifesto” in various languages, the bronze sword in the Yue Wang State of the Warring States Period, the first line of codes of Alipay and Health Code, and many other precious versions. The collection of various publications is still in progress.

The Hangzhou National Archives of Publications and Culture will be open for exhibition in the near future, and the four major themed exhibitions and the digital exhibition hall will also be open to the public.

Zhejiang accelerates construction of affordable rental housing

The reporter recently learned from the Provincial Construction Department that in the first half of the year, our province has raised 319,000 sets (rooms) of affordable rental housing, and completed the annual target of 300,000 sets (rooms) ahead of schedule.

Among the 319,000 sets (rooms) of affordable rental housing, there are about 146,000 sets (rooms) of newly-built projects and about 173,000 sets (rooms) of conversion and renovation projects. According to reports, there are three main channels for affordable rental housing: new construction, reconstruction and transformation. The state encourages and supports local use of existing land for new construction, renovation of existing housing, and conversion of market housing.

From a regional perspective, Hangzhou has the largest amount of construction, about 62,000 units (rooms), Ningbo and Jinhua have raised more than 50,000 units (rooms), and Wenzhou and Jiaxing exceed 40,000 units (rooms). It is worth noting that the housing construction in Ningbo, Wenzhou, Jinhua and Zhoushan has exceeded the annual plan.

In June last year, the State Council proposed to accelerate the development of affordable rental housing. With the concept of “Everyone has a place to live in”, Zhejiang takes the construction of affordable rental housing as a key part of people’s wellbeing, aiming to gradually solve the housing problem of groups with difficulties, and offering great support for affordable rental housing construction. “We must make good use of the land policy, and plan give priority to the land use for affordable rental housing,” the head of the Housing Security Department of the Provincial Construction Department said. In 2022, the province plans to supply 3,768 mu of land for affordable rental housing. At present, the province’s affordable rental housing projects have obtained a total of 53 financing credits and 15.3 billion yuan in loan credits.

The early completion of annual tasks does not imply that construction will slow down. The goal of our province is to provide 1.2 million sets (rooms) of affordable rental housing during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, which means that the construction will continue to accelerate in the future.

Some ramps of Hangzhou Zhonghe Flyover are open to traffic today

Starting from 10:00 am on August 10, five interchange ramps of Zhonghe Flyover situated at the center of Hangzhou opened for trial run as the expansion and renovation project of the flyover came to a close. The old flyover will continue to function as the transportation interchange hub of downtown Hangzhou.

Zhonghe Flyover has been the central node of south-north traffic axis in downtown Hangzhou. Five interchange ramps that opened this time were east-to-south on-ramp, north-to-east off-ramp, north-to-west off-ramp, south-to-east off-ramp, and south-to-west off-ramp.

Song Culture echoes in the past and future of Hangzhou

Photo provided by Hangzhou Academy of Social Sciences

As a capital of the Southern Song Dynasty about 800 years ago, Hangzhou had witnessed the splendid culture of the Song Dynasty. Today, Hangzhou proposes to build a world-class famous city with unique charm and particular features so as to highlight Song culture.

Hangzhou has successively given two series of high-level lectures, namely, “Amazing Song – Deshou Palace” and “Music Instruments, Vessels, Calligraphy and Paintings”, to explore the cultural relics of the Song Dynasty by focusing on objects. Still, this year’s “Amazing Song Culture” series lectures focused on “people”. Experts interpreted the historical figures of the Southern Song Dynasty from the perspective of the public.

By analyzing Hangzhou-related writers and relics of the Southern Song Dynasty, the lectures relived the elegant life of Song people, and made citizens get closer to and then spread the Amazing Song Culture. Besides, the window of “Amazing Song Culture” enables the world to take a glimpse of the infinite charm of Hangzhou as a famous historical and cultural city and is the most melodious echoing of the past and future of Hangzhou.

Charity freezer warms the hearts of Hangzhou residents

Passersby get free drinks from the freezer.

A charity freezer placed on a street in Lin’an district, Hangzhou recently went viral online as a livestream focusing on it gained over 12 million views, Hangzhou Daily reported.

Netizens were touched by passersby getting a free icy drink from a freezer on the dog days of summer while returning to donate boxes of free drinks, watermelons, and ice creams.

“I never expected that the freezer would one day become popular and get so many generous donations,” said Shi Jun, who came up with the idea for the charity freezer.

“I was inspired by my parents, who were once sanitation workers, and use the freezer to help people who have to work outdoors on scorching days,” Shi added.

A deliveryman gets a free drink from the freezer.

Her idea was put into practice in 2020, when she had to ask for donations from her friends. But the freezer wasn’t monitored and people stole drinks from it at night.

But Shi never considered giving up and her freezer became increasingly well-known.

Everything changed when a livestream was organized by local media on Aug 1. People around the world learned about the freezer and donated numerous drinks.

“I never thought that charity work required a lot of donations. I’m not that rich but can afford to donate some water,” Shi said. “The details I saw on the monitor made me feel that what I’m doing is worthwhile.”

A local resident donates bottles of water to the freezer.

Hangzhou leads Zhejiang province in digital economic development

The white paper issued by East China’s Zhejiang province recently on the development of its digital economy showed that Hangzhou, the provincial capital, has maintained momentum and led other cities in Zhejiang in digital economic development.

Statistics show that in 2021, the operating revenue and added value of the core industries of the digital economy in Hangzhou reached 1.63 trillion yuan ($241.5 billion) and 490.5 billion yuan, respectively, accounting for 55 percent and 58.8 percent of the provincial total.

The inspiring results are a result of Hangzhou’s efforts in digital innovation, establishing digital industrial clusters, and deepening digital industrial reform.

For example, in pursuit of digital innovation, the Hangzhou West Science and Innovation Corridor has become a source of digital economic innovation. The city is also home to a number of national laboratories and large scientific devices, with some digital technologies having achieved the leap from following to parallel running.

Hangzhou has also formulated the province’s first local regulations for the digital economy – the Hangzhou Smart Economy Promotion Regulations, established the world’s first internet court, pioneered the development of a “health code”, which has become a powerful tool in national epidemic prevention and control work, and took the lead in proposing innovative concepts such as cloud enterprises, future factories, and internet of things in factories.

Hangzhou patents won two gold, one silver and seventeen excellence awards

Twenty patents of Hangzhou have recently won two China Patent Gold Awards, one China Appearance Design Silver Award, and seventeen China Patent Excellence Awards.

China Patent Award is the only award specially granted by the state-level government department to patented invention and creations and is the highest-ranking patent award in China. What are two patents that have won the gold award?

One patent has realized highly reliable and low-latency transmission of multi-channel real-time media streams and efficient scheduling of edge cache. The patent has been applied in a great number of video surveillance projects around the world.

The other patent has made a breakthrough in online dioxin monitoring technology from “0” to “1”, and promoted the scientific and technological innovation of air pollutant monitoring. It is identified as the first set in the world that has reached the international leading level on the whole.