A six-episode documentary series "The Story of the Foochow Arsenal" will be aired by China's state broadcaster China Media Group (CMG), starting Thursday.
The series, telling the little-known story of the Foochow Arsenal, the first French-style university in China, will make its debut on CCTV-9 documentary channel.
In addition, the CGTN French channel and documentary channel will air features tracing the stories of Foochow Arsenal and China's first batch of students who studied in France.
In 1866, the Qing Dynasty government cooperated with France to establish Foochow Arsenal in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province.
Foochow Arsenal was the cradle of China's modern maritime education and navy and also played a pioneering role in China-France cultural exchanges. French engineers and craftsmen were hired, and schools for naval construction and apprenticeship were set up.
The documentary looks back on the first batch of Chinese students sent abroad and explores the important role the school has played in the people-to-people exchanges between China and France.
It incorporates precious historical materials about the school and its influence on future generations, discloses for the first time the relevant artifacts in the collections of foreign museums, and interviews nearly 100 scholars and experts on the history of the late Qing Dynasty around the world to provide historical context for the school.
CMG to air documentary on China-France people-to-people exchanges
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) opened its two-day hearings on Thursday regarding South Africa's request to halt Israel's military offensive in Gaza.
South Africa's Ambassador to the Netherlands Vusimuzi Madonsela said at the hearing that the recent Israeli ground military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah is a serious violation of The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and the ICJ should take immediate emergency measures to stop Israel's brutal operation in Gaza.
South Africa requested to add the withdrawal of Israeli military from Rafah into the additional provisional measures, said Madonsela, adding that "South Africa found itself compelled to return to this Court" to "request the indication of additional provisional measures to prevent Israel's persistent acts of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza".
In his final submissions, Madonsela requested the Court to order Israel to "cease its military operations in the Gaza Strip, including Rafah", "immediately, totally and unconditionally withdraw the Israeli army from the entirety of the Gaza Strip", and "take all effective measures to ensure and facilitate the unimpeded access to Gaza of UN and other officials engaged in the provision of humanitarian aid and assistance to the population of Gaza".
As the hearing went on, civilian groups held gatherings outside the Court, urging Israel to immediately stop its military operation in Gaza.
"To stop now immediately, not tomorrow, enough is enough. How many people must be dead to stop this occupy, this war against the civilian people. What happens now in Gaza [is] not against Hamas, [it is] against the Palestinian people," said Wartege Assad, president of the Palestinian Community in the Netherlands.
Israel's argument will be presented to the ICJ on Friday, with a ruling expected in the coming weeks.
Thursday's hearing marked the third session of the International Court of Justice on the Israeli "genocide case" at the request of South Africa. So far, many countries have joined South Africa in the accusation against Israel. Libya, Nicaragua and Colombia have filed formal application and Egypt recently said it will join the case.
UN court holds hearing on South Africa's plea against Israel's operations in Gaza
UN court holds hearing on South Africa's plea against Israel's operations in Gaza
