China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), is increasingly playing a leading role in the country's agricultural sector, providing innovative solutions to traditional farming methods.
As the autumn harvest season approaches, farmers nationwide are leveraging the system to optimize every harvesting step, from reaping crops to post-harvest processing.
In northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, one of the country's major grain producers, the Beidahuang Group Corporation has reached full BDS coverage across its managed lands. At the group's 290 Farm, BDS-equipped harvesters have been introduced to enhance efficiency. The system allows farmers to access real-time geological and topographic data, while adjusting the paths of harvesters based on precise positioning and navigation.
"The harvester is equipped with the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. All we need to do is to set the route within the designated area, and the machine can harvest automatically, with an error margin of zero to two centimeters. The accuracy is at the centimeter level. It is very precise and boosts efficiency," said Cao Qianyu, a farmer at the 290 Farm.
Meanwhile, at a grain processing center in Zhongxiang City of central China's Hubei Province, the BDS was introduced to monitor grain drying and manage daily grain input and output.
"In Zhongxiang City, 80 percent of dryers are equipped with BDS terminals. We can monitor the grain drying process of the whole city and access the overall data. Under extreme weather conditions, we can adjust grain drying in accordance with the capacities of processing centers, ensuring that no grain is wasted and ensure food security," said Liu Dandan, a technician of Zhongxiang Cloud Intelligence Agricultural Development Corporation, which provides BDS monitoring service for the city.
Currently, around 2.2 million sets of agricultural machinery in China are equipped with BDS terminals, vastly improving efficiency and promoting agricultural modernization.
China's BeiDou navigation system champions smart agriculture
Commemorations honoring Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs were held on the banks of the Yalu River in Dandong, Liaoning Province on Tuesday as part of ongoing tributes to those who fought in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953).
The event was held to mark the return of the remains of 12 CPV martyrs, who were killed in the war, from the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Wednesday.
This will be the 13th such repatriation of CPV remains following the handover agreement between the two countries. Since 2014, the remains of 1,011 soldiers have been returned to China from the ROK, according to China's Ministry of Veterans Affairs.
More than 170 representatives, including veteran CPV soldiers, relatives of the martyrs, active-duty personnel, students, and other from various sectors of society, attended the event.
People boarded a ferry which slowly sailed down the Yalu River. Inside the cabin, all present stood in solemn silence as the national anthem of the People's Republic of China was played, and observed a moment of silence in honor of the CPV martyrs.
Then, they walked to the ship's railings one by one and scattered flower petals into the river to pay tribute to the martyrs.
"We, the CPV, went abroad to fight to defend our motherland, the people, and our good life and to resist U.S. imperialist aggression against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). I hope that our young comrades and students today will study hard and make contributions to our motherland," said Hu Changzhe, a CPV veteran.
"I feel deeply moved as these veteran soldiers are heroes who once fought for our country. Now, standing by the Yalu River, looking back on their past and remembering their comrades, they must be deeply touched," said Hong Jialu, a student at a branch of Liaoning Province Shiyan High School.
At the event, 10 student representatives from primary and middle schools read aloud a letter to express their reverence and remembrance for the heroic martyrs through their sincere words and heartfelt recitation.
The Korean War broke out in June 1950, eight months after the People's Republic of China was founded. At the request of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), China sent 2.9 million CPV soldiers to assist the DPRK during the war, of whom more than 360,000 were killed or injured.
Commemorations held to pay tribute to CPV heroes in northeast China
