An X4.5 major solar flare erupted from the active region northwest of the Sun at 14:35 Beijing time (06:35 GMT) on Monday, China's National Satellite Meteorological Center (NSMC) reported.
This marks the third significant solar flare activity in the past two days, following two previous flares recorded on Sunday, an X1.3 and an X1.2 flare.
The impact of Monday's solar flare event has been observed in the ionosphere of Earth's sunlit side, leading to shortwave absorption and a decline in communication quality across various frequency bands in different regions of China.
Experts have explained that the frequent occurrence of solar flares aligns with the current peak years of solar activity. During these peak years, characterized by a high number of sunspots, the likelihood of solar flare eruptions increases.
According to the NSMC, additional solar flares are anticipated to erupt between Monday and Wednesday. These flares are predicted to fall within the X-class or M-class, the second highest categories.
Solar flares are intense bursts of energy erupting from the sun. They pose a threat to satellites, astronauts and radio communications, while also generating spectacular auroras.
X4.5 major solar flare erupts
The bustling Xiushui Business Street (Silk Street) in Beijing is experiencing a significant surge in visits paid by international tourists, thanks to the country's implementation of visa-free policy.
The business street, known for its array of shops selling a wide range of souvenirs and gifts and a vibrant shopping atmosphere, is among the top destinations for visitors from abroad.
Since earlier this year, China has implemented a visa-free policy that exempts many European ordinary passport holders from the time-consuming and costly obligation, encouraging travelers from nearly a dozen European countries to explore this Asian country. It allows ordinary passport holders of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg, to enter and stay in China visa-free for up to 15 days for business, tourism, transit, as well as visiting relatives and friends .
Against such a backdrop, the business street, with a spike in international tourist arrivals, has offered popular options with distinctive Beijing features to foreign visitors.
"From January to April this year, the combined number of overseas tourists we received was expected to increase by nearly 20 times from the previous year. We've selected a batch of souvenirs that can represent Beijing for our customers, so as to make each and every of them happy," said Dong Qing, an employee of the business street.
Ibeku hailing from Nigeria was on a business trip to Beijing. She came to the business street to tailor a suit of Nigerian traditional costume with Chinese silk.
"First of all, I love fashion. So if we have Chinese silk [and] Nigerian style [together], that's like a mix of cultures, and that's what we are all hoping to get this day," she said.
Taking into account the tight schedule of foreign customers, many merchants reduce the time it takes to craft bespoke garments from the traditional four to five days down to an impressive 18 hours.
Furthermore, they also provide global mailing services for international customers who express concern about limited luggage space or tight travel schedules.
According to data released by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the capital city received 469,000 inbound tourist arrivals in the first quarter of this year, up by 3.1 times year on year, and the foreign exchange income of tourism is 650 million U.S. dollars, a year-on-year growth of 225.8 percent.
Xiushui Business Street thrives with influx of foreign tourists under visa-free policy
