China Quick Take: Laba festivities, space breakthrough and new yacht race

Six stories you may have missed from China this week...

Laba: A delicious culinary festival held across China

The Laba Festival, celebrated on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, falling on January 18 this year. It is traditionally regarded as the prelude to the Spring Festival, kicking off the preparations for the New Year festivities.

The most important custom during the Laba Festival is eating Laba congee. This is a dish cooked with a mix of eight ingredients, as eight is a fortuitous number in Chinese culture.

The recipe varies across China depending on regional availability but they usually contain grains or dried ingredients such as rice, glutinous rice, millet, corn, barley, dried dates, dried lotus seeds, dried longan fruit, red beans, peanuts or walnuts.

Highway to China's first road-rail suspension bridge opens

The north-south highway connection project of the Wufengshan Yangtze River Bridge, China's first road-rail suspension bridge in Zhenjiang, passed an acceptance inspection and was officially delivered for operation after two years of trial. 

The 33 kilometer-long connecting line starts at the Zhengyi hub, where the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway intersects with the Shanghai-Shaanxi Expressway. It ends at the Dagang hub, where the Taizhen Expressway intersects with the Jiangyi Expressway. It will be the most convenient north-south river-crossing route linking the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta.

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A giant dual-fuel ocean-going car carrier ship

Boasting 7,600 parking spaces on board, a giant dual-fuel ocean-going car carrier ship embarked on its maiden voyage from Shanghai to Europe.

The roll-on/roll-off ship "SAIC Anji Sincerity" is built by China State Shipbuilding and operated by SAIC's Anji Logistics unit.

It is the world's largest roll-on roll-off ship equipped with a dual-fuel system that utilizes Liquefied Natural Gas and diesel, which cuts carbon emissions by 30 percent compared with traditional vessels of a similar size.

Tianzhou-7 cargo craft docks with China Space Station

Chinese space engineers are thrilled by the breakthrough accuracy of the Tianzhou-7 cargo spacecraft mission, which also achieved orbital insertion and docking significantly more quickly than previous missions.

The cargo spacecraft was launched to deliver supplies for its orbiting Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Feel the speed of ice sailing at the debut International Ice Yacht Circuit in China

Dozens of yachts racers from around the world took on an icy challenge as the 2024 International Ice Yacht Circuit kicked off in Jinzhou City on Friday, marking the first time the event has been held in China.

Four giant pandas meet public in Chongqing

Four giant pandas met the public, after several days of adapting to their new home in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

The quartet, Qing Hua, Qing Lu, Qiao Yue and Ai Lian, came to Chongqing from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda and arrived in Chongqing's Yongchuan District on Dec. 30, 2023.

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