During the 12th World Urban Forum, a side event on the experiences and practices of global sustainable urban development was held in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. The event was jointly organized by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Housing, Urban-Rural Development and Management, and Shanghai University.
Huang Rong, a counselor to the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, congratulated the convening of the side event on behalf of the mayor of Shanghai. He said that under the guidance of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Shanghai has leveraged the World Cities Day platform to contribute to the global sustainable development cause through its collaboration with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
“A week ago, we presented the second Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities (Shanghai Award) to five winning cities. Through the World Urban Forum, we look forward to bringing back the experiences of global urban governance to China, to Shanghai, and also sharing Shanghai’s vibrant practices with the world,” said Huang Rong.
Under China’s initiative, the United Nations decided to designate October 31 as the World Cities Day starting from 2014, according to Cheng Jian, director of Shanghai Coordination Center of World Cities Day.
The Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities (Shanghai Award), the UMF-Shanghai Adapted Index, and the Shanghai Manual: A Guide for Sustainable Urban Development in the 21st Century are important public goods launched by China and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme on World Cities Day to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and promote global sustainable urban development.
Source: Shanghai Coordination Center of World Cities Day
HONG KONG, Nov 12 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — As winter approaches, Hong Kong is set to dazzle visitors with an enchanting lineup of festive celebrations, promising joy for families, couples, and friends alike. From spectacular light displays to immersive experiences, the city transforms into a winter wonderland, inviting global travellers to dive into the vibrant holiday spirit.
Hong Kong WinterFest : A Seasonal Celebration for All
Kick off your winter adventures at the Hong Kong WinterFest, hosted by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), a mega celebration that captures the essence of Christmas. From 22 November 2024 to 1 January 2025, the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) will transform into a vibrant hub of seasonal traditions and festivities for visitors of all ages, centred around a show-stopping Christmas tree and whimsical decorations in the Christmas Town, located at the Harbourside Lawn – West, WestK Art Park. Don’t miss the limited time breathtaking “Winter Harbourfront Pyrotechnics” over Victoria Harbour on select nights, promising an unforgettable spectacle of lights and colours against one of the world’s most iconic skylines.
In celebration of HKTB’s Hong Kong WinterFest, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority will host WestK Christmas Market from 22 November to 9 December 2024 (Fridays to Sundays), and from 12 to 29 December 2024.
Set against the stunning backdrop of WestK Art Park’s picturesque harbourside and lush lawn, the Christmas Market will showcase a delightful array of international festive culinary treats and a curated selection of Christmas gifts. Visitors will be enchanted by a dazzling display of lights and vibrant live music and performances, creating a joyful atmosphere that spreads Christmas cheer throughout the WestK Art Park.
Theme Parks Light up with Immersive Family-Friendly Experiences
This holiday season, Hong Kong’s major theme parks will welcome families with a range of colourful, immersive festive activations.
Hong Kong Disneyland will brighten your holiday with the magic of “A Disney Christmas” in this season. From 15 November 2024 to 1 January 2025, guests can immerse in a series of holiday traditions and seasonal celebrations with experiences including the first-ever snowy Christmas in the World of Frozen, while the Castle of Magical Dreams will sparkle with song as it hosts “Disney Christmas Live in Concert!”, featuring classic Christmas and Disney songs. Those looking for a bright start to 2025 can join the New Year’s Eve Countdown with Disney friends, while seasonal dining, merchandise and themed accommodation complete an unforgettable family holiday experience.
Ocean Park Hong Kong is bursting with festive cheer following the joyful birth of Hong Kong’s first-ever giant panda twin cubs on 15 August 2024, alongside the arrival of two new giant pandas from Sichuan on 26 September 2024. And this December, families are invited to join the celebrations while exploring a delightful array of panda-themed activities. Visitors can embark on a fascinating journey into the panda world, featuring captivating panda-themed photo spots, stunning lighting displays, and engaging art installations, creating memories that will last a lifetime.
It’s a Date: Romantic Winter Festivities for Couples
For couples seeking a romantic way to embrace winter, the much-loved AIA Carnival returns from 18 December 2024 to 16 February 2025, featuring a thrilling mix of booths, games, and amusement rides perfect for igniting the excitement of the season. Also returning this winter is The Grounds open-air cinema, where from 8 November to 22 December 2024, visitors can cosy up and enjoy a curated selection of films under starlit skies, all while savouring gourmet treats from BaseHall. For those seeking a more intimate experience, why not take a romantic stroll through Hong Kong’s lively streets? Wander hand-in-hand beneath the holiday illuminations in Harbour City and Lee Tung Avenue, adding a magical touch to your winter evenings.
Vibe with Your Tribe with an Outdoor Winter Experience
Gather your friends and elevate your winter vibes at Hypefest Hong Kong 2024, debuting on 9-10 November 2024 at the Central Harbourfront. Presented by Hypebeast, a leading platform for contemporary fashion and culture, bringing Hypefest back to its headquarters in Hong Kong. This two-day festival will showcase star-studded music acts, headlined by South Korean DJ and producer Peggy Gou and French electronic legends JUSTICE, alongside immersive brand pop-ups and a vibrant beats and bites area — the perfect backdrop for unforgettable memories.
Meanwhile, Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s biggest international outdoor music and arts festival, returns at Central Harbourfront from 29 November to 1 December 2024. This year’s festival features nearly a hundred music and arts performances, showcasing a stellar lineup of international heavyweights like Jack White, Central Cee, Air, St. Vincent and Suede, plus regional superstars like Creepy Nuts, yama, Sakurazaka46 and many more. Showcasing the full, world-class festival experience that fans in the city and around the world have come to know and love, Clockenflap will once again feature a spectacular outdoor environment with multiple stages, immersive arts installations and a mouthwatering array of top-quality F&B outlets. Don’t miss out on one of the best music festivals in Asia!
For those seeking an urban adventure, Pokémon GO City Safari is coming to Hong Kong on 7 and 8 December. Over two days, players can explore vibrant city landmarks and hidden gems while catching a variety of Pokémon, including event-exclusive species. The Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza in Tsim Sha Tsui will also feature Pokémon-themed photo spots and souvenir booths that give out Pikachu and Eevee sun visors, making it a perfect outdoor activity for families and friends to enjoy during the cooler months of early December.
Indulge in Christmas Feasts
No festive celebration is complete without indulging in seasonal culinary delights. Enjoy the exquisite at “Teas of Hope” Afternoon Tea presented by The Peninsula from 9 November to 13, 27-30 December 2024, featuring a menu by Chef de Cuisine Kay Ng, which includes sweet pastries, finger sandwiches, and the hotel’s renowned raisin scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
But the festive flavours don’t stop there! Hotels such as Regent Hong Kong, Rosewood Hong Kong, and Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, along with numerous restaurants around town, are rolling out their own Christmas offerings to satisfy every palate and budget.
Travellers looking for a winter escape need look no further than Hong Kong this season, where festive cheer and vibrant celebrations await at every turn. To start planning your unforgettable holiday filled with joy, laughter, and festive spirit, head to https://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/what-s-new/events/hong-kong-winterfest.html.
A century ago, a vast shipping route carried Liubao tea from remote mountains, bridging the land and sea with a path of trade. Today, with the momentum of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Liubao tea industry in Wuzhou has embraced transformation and upgrading. High-quality, fine-flavored tea now travels along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, bringing the unique Chinese tea fragrance to people far and wide.
In Wuzhou’s Liubao Town, mountains stand tall, with an average annual temperature of 21.2 degrees Celsius and annual rainfall reaching 1,500 millimeters, creating an excellent environment for tea growth. Tea produced here is named “Liubao Tea” and is renowned for its qualities: “red, rich, mellow, aged,” along with a unique betel nut aroma. At one point, the export trade of Liubao tea was remarkably prosperous. According to the Guangxi Yearbook published in 1940, in 1935, more than 1,100 tons of Liubao tea were exported from Guangxi. The “Tea Boat Ancient Road” originating from Liubao Town in Cangwu County, Wuzhou, became a corridor for economic and cultural exchanges between South China and Southeast Asian countries.
Through the changes of time, the Liubao tea industry in Wuzhou has gone through ups and downs, but the perseverance of generations of Liubao tea makers remains unchanged. Today, the Liubao tea industry is developing rapidly. Statistics provided by Wuzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism show that Wuzhou’s tea plantations cover 394,200 mu (about 26,280 hectares), involving 240,000 tea farmers, with tea garden construction increasing each farmer’s income by an average of 3,000 yuan annually, and Liubao tea’s comprehensive output value exceeding 20 billion yuan. To ensure product quality, Wuzhou has actively promoted standardized construction for Liubao tea. There is one existing national standard, 18 Guangxi local standards, and 24 group standards, driving the standardized and regulated development of the entire Liubao tea industry chain.
From the “Tea Boat Ancient Road” to the Maritime Silk Road, Wuzhou’s Liubao tea continues to broaden its trade routes through an extensive network of land, sea, and air connections.
Source: Wuzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism
The establishment agreement signing ceremony of the International Mangrove Center was held in Shenzhen on November 6.
An agreement on the establishment of the International Mangrove Center (IMC) was officially signed on November 6 in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province. Delegates from 18 contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention attended the signing ceremony.
In September 2023, a proposal to establish the world’s first IMC in Shenzhen was approved by the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention at its 62nd meeting. Establishing the IMC is a concrete step toward improving global environmental governance and building a global community of shared future. The center will be a platform for China to deepen exchange and cooperation with member states of the Ramsar Convention, promote global action for mangrove protection, enhance the quality and stability of mangrove ecosystems, and thus bring more benefits to people across the world.
The data from the Urban Planning and Natural Resources Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality show that Shenzhen boasts 36,100 hectares of wetlands, 45% of which are under protection. Among them, mangroves cover 296 hectares, and 61% of the wetlands have been designated as protected conservation areas. Notably, the Futian Mangrove Wetland, recognized as one of international importance, represents the only original one of its kind located in the center of a city in the world. Together with the Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay wetlands, also an ecosystem of global significance, it promises to safeguard the vital flyways of migratory birds worldwide. Since 2021, Shenzhen has created 15.48 hectares of mangrove forests and restored 103.08 hectares of existing mangrove forests. Moreover, significant breakthroughs have been achieved in mangrove protection, wetland restoration, and biodiversity conservation.
Prioritizing mangrove conservation, China has enacted a wetland protection law and supporting regulations, improved a nature reserve system centering on national parks, and implemented national wetland protection plans and special action plans for mangrove restoration. Today, China has a total mangrove area of 30,300 hectares, an increase of approximately 8,300 hectares compared to the beginning of the century, placing China among the few nations with a net increase in mangrove coverage.
Source: Urban Planning and Natural Resources Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality
Caption : The establishment agreement signing ceremony of the International Mangrove Center was held in Shenzhen on November 6.
KUALA LUMPUR, NOV 8 (Bernama) — China and Vietnam issued a joint statement to announce the official operation of the China-Vietnam Detian-Ban Gioc Waterfall Cross-Border Tourism Cooperation Zone on Oct 14.
Meanwhile, the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China and the People’s Council of Cao Bằng Province jointly hosted a ceremony for the official operation of the cooperation zone on Oct 15.
The cooperation zone started trial operation on Sept 15, 2023. Through tour group reservation, fixed travel route, limited time spent across the border, limited number of cross-border visitors, as well as entry and exit only in tour groups, tourists from both China and Vietnam can visit each other’s country.
As of Oct 10, the cooperation zone has received 1,232 China-Vietnam cross-border tour groups, totalling 17,991 visitors, and after said zone goes into official operation, the Publicity Department of Daxin County said in a statement it will further optimise the aforesaid cross-border travel model .
The first is to expand the scale of the cross-border visitor limit from 500 to 1,000 persons from each side, and adjustments will be made accordingly based on the number of such one-day cross-border tourists, while the second is to extend opening hours, allowing tour groups to spend a maximum of six hours instead of five hours across the border.
The third is to optimise border entry and exit procedures. For instance, the country’s first “face-scan” permit application model allows visitors to use the Guijing Tongban WeChat Mini Program to realise identity verification and visit registration, as well as “processing in one window” services related to organs in charge of entry and exit, household administration, and traffic police.
Meanwhile, visitors holding valid passports won’t need to acquire other documents, and they can travel in the cooperation zone via tour groups arranged by authorised operating parties.
The fourth is to simplify the declaration of belongings, in which new technologies and techniques will be employed to inspect visitors and their belongings so as to simplify procedures for the declaration of personal items like camera and camcorder commonly carried by tourists, providing a new experience in touch-free customs clearance.
The fifth is to quicken the inspection process whereby Vietnamese visitors who book to travel in and entering and exiting China with tour groups are entitled to the “three exemption” (exempt from fingerprint collection, border control stamping, and filling alien entry card) policy for improved convenience.
On the other hand, Chinese visitors are given “manual + express” dual customs clearance mode and border control stamp-free customs clearance convenience. These measures represent a new height in service quality.
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