1st Cross-Strait Youth Roller Hockey Carnival kicks off in Guangdong

The first Cross-Strait Youth Roller Hockey Carnival kicked off in Guangdong City, south China's Guangdong Province on Monday, with the participation of 31 teams from Guangzhou city, the Hong Kong Special Administrative region, the Macao Special Administrative Region and the Taiwan region.

The carnival runs from Aug. 12 to Aug. 17, according to the official schedule. Activities such as competitions, visits and exchanges will be arranged during these six days.

The opening ceremony of the roller hockey carnival featured youth figure-skating performances, lion dance and martial arts with the theme "one family on both sides of the Taiwan Strait".

"I hope my team will win the first place and I become the top scorer," said Yang Geng-you, a teenage athlete from the Roller Hockey Committee of Tainan City Sports Federation.

"I come from Taiwan, the 'treasure island' of our country. I have brought teams to the mainland many times. Both players and their parents enjoy the travel and feel that our compatriots are very welcoming, as we are all from the same country," said Chen Po-han, Yang's coach.

As a fast-paced and exciting sport, roller hockey focuses on developing teamwork, psychological resilience and social skills. Competitions such as this tournament attract athletes and coaches from both sides of the Taiwan Strait for further exchanges and learning.

"We hope to lead the cross-Strait exchanges in more areas than just roller skating. We may also have the opportunity to bring our team to Taiwan to compete, and hope that people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait will collaborate in more areas," said Guo Jianliang, coach of the Miracle Roller Hockey Team in Guangzhou.

As more cross-Strait youth exchanges and cooperation take place, Guangzhou has turned to a preferred destination for Taiwan compatriots to study, work and corporate, leading the communication and integration in the Greater Bay Area.

1st Cross-Strait Youth Roller Hockey Carnival kicks off in Guangdong

Beijing's consumer gold market has been running hot during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, despite recent rises in the gold price on international markets.

Last week, the main contract for gold futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange (COMEX) has risen to over 2,600 U.S. dollars per ounce.

At a gold shop in Beijing's Xicheng District, the price of pure gold jewelry went up to about 737 yuan (about 104 U.S. dollars) per gram, but many shoppers are still looking to buy gold jewelry especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and the end-of-summer wedding season.

"It is now more than 700 yuan (about 98.7 U.S. dollars) per gram, but when we were here about two months ago, it was only just above 600 yuan (about 84.6 U.S. dollars) per gram," said a customer.

"I'm getting married, so I came to have a look. Even if the price goes up, we still have to buy it," said another customer.

"I had nothing to do during the holidays, so I came here to take a look [at the gold jewelry]. I just bought a lucky charm bead and now I want to take a look at the bracelet," said another customer.

At the shop's gold investment counter, many consumers have been making inquiries about gold bars, which has long been considered a safe investment, although experts recommend caution in the rising gold market.

At the shop's gold investment counter, many consumers have been inquiring about gold bars, which have long been considered a safe investment. However, experts recommend caution in the rising gold market.

"Many investors will buy gold bars for medium- to long-term investment based on their expected price as part of their overall family asset allocation. We suggest that investors be more rational in their decisions," said Li Yang, a senior gold investment analyst.

Beijing consumer gold market remains hot despite rising prices