Both urban and rural areas across China have been alive with vibrant festivities and colorful celebrations over the past few days to usher in the New Year.
In the historic Tongguan Kiln Ancient Town in Changsha City of central China's Hunan Province, visitors marvel at a grand display of lights towering over 40 meters high and a charming array of traditional lanterns.
The jubilant spirit of saying hello to the New Year infused the air as guests revel in the bustling marketplace, enjoying performances showcasing intangible cultural heritage. Enthusiasts had the opportunity to try their hand at pottery-making and explore the art of lacquerware and woodworking, seamlessly blending traditional culture with leisure.
Similarly in Baishan City of northeast China's Jilin Province, the 2025 New Year's Celebration is virtually a fusion of tradition and innovation. The event features the lively beats of the traditional yangko dance and a rich tapestry of intangible cultural heritage feasts, incorporating elements of local Songhua stone culture and exciting ice and snow tourism activities, offering a diverse array of experiences for revelers.
Peculiar to Changbai Mountains, Jilin Province, Songhua stone is considered one of the best raw materials for making inkstone. Only emperors could use this kind of inkstone in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
"The festivities are more diverse this year, featuring not just delectable treats and entertainment programs, but also a variety of captivating events. We extend a warm welcome to visitors from all corners of the country to savor the rich New Year ambiance of our city," said a resident of Baishan City.
Meanwhile, in Laoshan District of Qingdao City in east China's Shandong Province, the century-old Shazikou Grand Market buzzes with excitement as locals and tourists alike indulged in a shopping spree ahead of the Chinese Spring Festival, which is only one month away. From fashionable attire to sweet confections, auspicious couplets to premium dried seafood, the market caters to every New Year necessity.
"We've got elbow meat, fish, pork head meat, and also some scallions. We've bought almost everything, including yellow croakers. It's essential to stock up on food early for the Chinese Spring Festival," said a consumer.
The aroma of sweet sun-dried fish and the allure of fresh seafood captivate the crowds, with vendors noting a surge in demand owing to this year's more budget-friendly prices.
"There are many ways to cook it. We locals really love this flavor," said another consumer.
"This year, the price of sweet sun-dried fish is cheaper than last year, reduced by four to six yuan (55 to 82 U.S. cents) per kilogram," said a market vendor.
Vibrant new year celebrations unfold across China
Major breakthroughs by Chinese scientists have laid the foundation for a future where space-based solar power stations are capable of wirelessly transmitting energy to Earth and spacecraft, though significant engineering problems remain.
A research team from Xidian University in northwest China's Shaanxi Province has made significant progress on the Sun Chasing project, or "Zhuri" in Chinese. The team has developed a ground-based test system for wireless power transmission that can charge multiple moving targets at the same time.
In recent tests, the system achieved a wireless power transmission efficiency of 20.8 percent from direct current to direct current over a distance of 100 meters. It delivered 1,180 watts of power. The team has also built a wireless charging system for drones. In a test, a drone flying at 30 kilometers per hour was able to receive 143 watts of stable power from 30 meters away.
A space solar power station works exactly as its name suggests: a huge array of solar panels placed in orbit. It would collect sunlight in space, where the sun always shines, and then convert that energy into microwaves or lasers to beam down to Earth or directly to satellites and spacecraft. This could address two significant issues: supplying uninterrupted power for space missions and alleviating energy shortages on the ground.
"The construction of space solar power stations could become a major undertaking in the future. One potential benefit is access to a virtually unlimited power supply. Because energy can be collected continuously in space 24 hours a day, electricity could be supplied on an uninterrupted basis," said Fan Guanheng, an associate professor at the School of Mechano-Electronic Engineering at Xidian University.
"Secondly, it could reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, thereby lowering carbon emissions and helping protect the environment. Thirdly, it could support the development of charging infrastructure in space and enable wireless microwave charging for spacecraft, changing the way power is supplied to space vehicles," the professor added.
In 2018, the research team launched the first phase of the Sun Chasing project to build a ground test system. By June 2022, they had completed the world's first full-link, full-system ground validation system for a space solar power station. Now, the team has moved to phase two. The goal now is to solve the challenges of generating high power in space and transmitting it efficiently over long distances.
According to Duan Baoyan, an expert at Xidian University and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, recent breakthroughs include improving the efficiency of solar energy collection and conversion, increasing the precision of microwave beam control to reduce energy loss, and making the transmitting and receiving antennas smaller and lighter, which is critical for space application.
The team has also solved the problem of how to power multiple moving targets at once using a single transmitter. This means that in the future, one space power station could potentially supply electricity to several satellites or ground vehicles at the same time, Duan said.
Despite the advances in ground-based validation, a series of technical challenges must still be overcome before the technology can be deployed in space.
"The first issue that needs to be addressed is the adaptability of components to the space environment, as conditions in space are completely different from those on Earth, including radiation exposure and extreme temperatures. Another challenge involves the deployment and retraction design of transmitting and receiving antennas. We also need to develop thermal management systems to cope with extreme temperatures and temperature fluctuations in space. These are all areas where further breakthroughs are needed," said Qian Sihao, an associate professor at the School of Mechano-Electronic Engineering at Xidian University.
"We have now completed the development and validation of a ground-based test system, and our next step is to carry out in-orbit wireless microwave power transmission," Fan said.
With ground validation complete, the team now turns its attention to overcoming the harsh realities of space, aiming to demonstrate in-orbit wireless power transmission and bring the vision of orbital solar energy closer to reality.
Space-to-earth solar power moves closer to reality although hurdles remain: scientists
