A street in Xining City, northwestern China, featuring the locally famous snow leopard species, has become a popular night market for locals and tourists alike.
"Leopard Street" is one of the busiest and liveliest places in Xining, Qinghai Province, this summer, as it turns into a large night market after dusk. Dancing parades in beautiful ethnic costumes move along the street every weekend evening, attracting residents and visitors to watch and dance to the rhythm.
The name of the street refers to the snow leopard, a big cat native to the high mountain ranges of Asia, including Qinghai Province. Listed as a first-class national protected animal in China, the whitish leopard with dark spots has recently been adopted as the provincial cultural symbol.
Elements of snow leopard are very common in Leopard Street. The animal can be seen from the signs, banners, light boxes, to merchandise including dolls, postcards, hair ribbons, and even handicrafts with intangible cultural heritage skills, such as filigree, paper cutting, embroidery, dough sculptures.
Due to the high altitude, the weather in Xining is rather cool compared to most cities in China. People go to open-air markets to enjoy supper and snacks in the evening. Leopard Street has gathered more than 60 classic local dishes to attract visitors from all over the country.
Leopard Street has seen more than 2.04 million visitors so far since May.
"Snow Leopard Street" booms for night markets
China has played a pivotal role in peaceful development around the globe by strengthening China-Africa cooperation and promoting peace and security among Global South partners, said Cameroon's Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo during the Beijing Xiangshan Forum.
The 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum is being held in the Chinese capital from Thursday to Saturday.
With the theme of "Promoting Peace for a Shared Future," this year's forum involved more than 500 representatives from official delegations of more than 100 countries and international organizations, as well as more than 200 Chinese and foreign experts and scholars. Among them, the official delegation includes more than 30 defense ministers and military chiefs.
Prior to the Xiangshang Forum, Assomo had participated in the 2024 Summit of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which ran from Sept 4 to 6 in Beijing. Both forums, he said in an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV), have demonstrated how China creates opportunities for peace across Africa, the most critical premise for the continent's development.
"You see the theme of this event, as on the wall, 'Promoting Peace for a Shared Future', promoting peace. When there is war somewhere, development is not possible. There are many wars in Africa, so we expect more and more close cooperation between China and Africa, so that we can give peace a chance everywhere in Africa. And I think you are working in that way and you are succeeding," he said.
The defense minister stressed that more developed countries have a responsibility to help underdeveloped countries achieve common prosperity instead of creating barriers and wars.
"You have a Global South, it means we also have a Global North. So, if we can work hand-in-hand for all humanity so that those who have power, economical, political, or diplomatic power, can work hand-in-hand with those who are not developed or who are poor, so that there could be human solidarity. We have that dream, and we are doing that with China," he said.
Initiated in 2006, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum is a high-level platform dedicated to promoting exchanges and cooperation among defense authorities, armed forces, international organizations and scholars.
Dream of human solidarity forms basis for China-Global South cooperation: Cameroonian minister
