Here are six stories from China this week that you may have missed...

Ready, set... go! Dragon Boat Festival lights up nation's waterways

China's annual Dragon Boat Festival has been bringing new life to cities and towns across the country, as spectators came out in droves to catch the dazzling light and fireworks displays – and, of course, the thrilling boat races. 

Also known as Duanwu, the festival lands on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar and honors the renowned Chinese poet, Qu Yuan, who was writing around 2,300 years ago. 

As the celebration is closely connected to river and water channels, many cities decked out their water ways. Chengdu City in Sichuan Province, for example, lit up streets and alleys along the city's "mother river" of Jinjiang. 

Meanwhile over in eastern China's Huaian City, a creative drone show was the centerpiece of festivities, with around 1,000 coordinated drones flying in synchronization to form the shape of – you guessed it – dragon boats.

Deja-vu? Twin giant pandas celebrate their birthday, again!

Last week we saw panda twins Ai Lun and Ai Mi celebrate their sixth birthday. This week it was the turn of seven-year-old twins Ji Mei and Ji Lan in Nanning.

The birthday boy and girl, both of whom were given plenty of treats to mark the date, were born on June 27, 2016 at a panda base in Chengdu City. They later moved to Nanning in south China where they live happily today. 

This year, the twins' birthday coincided with the Dragon Boat Festival. That meant that the pandas not only enjoyed a giant ice cake especially made for the sweltering summer heat, but also some 'zongzi', a traditional Dragon Boat Festival dish made from bamboo shoots.

Building starts on China's first deep-sea research icebreaker 

China has started building its first multi-functional deep-sea research vessel, which will allow the nation to carry out scientific expeditions and archeological exploration deep into the world's far-reaching oceans.

Construction is already underway at a shipyard in Guangzhou City in Guangdong Province, with the vessel set to measure just over 100 meters in length and cause a water displacement of roughly 9,200 tonnes. Aside from all the research gear on board, it can also accommodate around 80 people. 

Boasting functions like unrestricted water navigation, manned deep-sea diving, and deep-sea exploration, both the ship's bow and stern can break through ice, meaning its primed for polar missions. Its creators say the vessel will be used to collect data on cutting-edge issues related to deep-sea geology, environment and life sciences.

Air and land not a problem: Revolutionary flying car takes flight

Chinese automaker GAC unveiled its revolutionary flying car in Guangzhou City, a vehicle that can seamlessly transit between air and land travel - the world's first to do so. 

The automotive industry has been abuzz with excitement ever since automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group announced it would be presenting its GOVE flying car project in the provincial capital of south China's Guangdong. And motor enthusiasts weren't disappointed. The unveiling ceremony provided a glimpse into the future of transportation, with the GOVE hovering 18 meters off the ground before smoothly moving forward. 

Another thing that makes the flying car so special is that the aircraft and the chassis are separate. The latter retracts its wings when driving on land and separates from the aircraft for flight. That means it can park in a designated parking spot just like other cars.

Explosive! China successfully tests its first high-pressure hydrogen pipeline

China has successfully tested its first high-pressure pipeline filled with pure hydrogen in a truly explosive event that could help the country revolutionize its energy consumption. 

The country's first high-pressure on-line test on a non-metallic hydrogen pipeline was conducted in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, with all the results reaching the scientists' expectations.

A senior official from PipeChina West Pipeline Company said the test would help accelerate research into cutting-edge technologies for the storage, transportation, and mass distribution of hydrogen – a potential game-changing fuel in fighting the climate crisis, 

China's largest saltwater lake gets big ecological boost

China has made a lot of headway in improving the ecological environment of its largest saltwater lake. In fact, since tourism and business activities were banned around the core area of Qinghai Lake in 2017, it has grown to its largest size since more than a decade ago. 

After deciding to shutdown some scenic spots along the famed body of water, local authorities in northwest China's Qinghai Province tried to approach the ecological problems there by focusing on natural restoration, but also applied a little human intervention. 

Once facing environmental deterioration and shrinkage, the so-called "sapphire on the plateau" has now rebounded, allowing visitors to enjoy the exquisite lake in an environmentally sensible way, in all its shades white, blue and jade.

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