The wax figure of China's star actor Zhang Songwen was unveiled in a ceremony at Madame Tussauds Beijing on Thursday, during which the iconic male star expressed thanks to fans in a unique way and shared expectations on his acting career.
During the event, Zhang said he was surprised to see so many fans who support him and would love to thank their support in a special way.
"When I got off the vehicle, I didn't expect there are so many netizens and fans coming far and wide to welcome me. I am hosting a variety show about how I plant vegetation. If you don't mind, I'd like to find a vehicle to take all the flowers you gave me today. First, I don't want to leave a pile of garbage. Second, usually when someone gives me flowers, I will put them in a vase for about three or four days, keeping them fresh to avoid waste. This is why I want to bring your flowers to my garden and let them show up in the variety show," he said.
Zhang, the star of two popular Chinese crime thriller TV series "The Bad Kids" and "The Knockout", said he looked forward to portraying more and more different characters throughout his career.
"I have played many characters during my career. I don't like to repeat the similar characters. I think playing dozens of different characters in my limited life is the originality of my mind as an actor," he said.
Wax figure of China's star actor Zhang Songwen unveiled in Beijing
China's postal and express delivery industry is being revolutionized by advanced technologies such as smart warehousing, automated sorting, and unmanned delivery systems.
In Zhenning County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, local honey plums are currently in peak production and sales season. Express delivery companies have partnered with fruit growers, directly entering the orchards for sorting and packaging.
Utilizing drones and shuttles, these companies have created an integrated delivery system that combines picking and sorting with direct dispatch. This innovation addresses previous challenges, such as farmers transporting goods down steep mountains, excessive transfers, and significant product loss.
"Once the fruit is packed by farmers, drones first transport the plums to a collection point at the mountain's base, after which trucks take them to a sorting center for dispatch. This allows Zhenning honey plums picked and packaged the same day to be shipped out by drone, establishing a rapid fresh-fruit transport channel," said Lai Junnan, a drone specialist from a local logistics company.
To tackle inefficiencies like time-consuming sorting and delays from secondary redistribution, express delivery companies have deployed intelligent automated sorting vehicles, established dedicated shipping routes, and enhanced direct links to airports.
"The automated sorting vehicles operate on six shipping routes that send items directly to the corresponding airports for quick distribution. These direct routes have significantly reduced our sorting time compared to previous years -- we've cut it by more than half a day," said Liu Banglei, business director of a local logistics company.
Meanwhile, the introduction of unmanned vehicles has significantly reduced delivery times, especially in rural and remote areas.
"Our area used to be quite remote, and packages often arrived late. However, since we started using unmanned vehicles, delivery times have improved significantly. Now we can pick up our parcels by noon -- it's much faster than before," said Li Hongbao, a resident of Pingchuan Town, Linze County northwest China's Gansu Province.
Unmanned delivery vehicles are now deployed daily in over 200 cities to transport parcels, with drones handling nearly four million items each year. Many large sorting centers have fully automated operations, while smart warehouses utilize flying-ladder and pallet-moving robots for precise picking.
Once packaged, parcels enter an automated system for weighing, scanning, and bagging, completing the process in as little as 15 minutes. Electronic waybills have achieved full coverage, and over 95 percent of trunk-line vehicles are equipped with Beidou satellite navigation systems.
These advancements in information technology are enhancing efficiency, increasing successful delivery rates, and boosting user satisfaction each year.
Technology transforms China's delivery industry
