Main media center for 9th Asian Winter Games to start trial operation Tuesday

The main media center for the upcoming 9th Asian Winter Games, held in northeast China's Harbin City, will start trial operation on Tuesday.

The main media center, with two major sections -- the main press center and the international broadcasting center -- is set to provide supporting services for accredited journalists and broadcasters.

Covering an area of 10,168 square meters, the main press center features nine functional segments including a comprehensive service area and a tea break area.

The international broadcasting center, with a planned area of ​​10,575 square meters, will be the core technical area for official live broadcast agencies and rights-holders of various countries.

Organizers said that during the main media center's trial operations, full-factor tests will be carried out to check functional operations of all parts.

"[Through the trial operation, we need to check] the condition of the facilities. We need to conduct joint debugging and testing to ensure all sectors can smoothly work together. Additionally, we also need to verify whether all services can coordinate effectively and achieve convergence, forming a complete operational chain when every part is interconnected. Any issues discovered must be resolved promptly to ensure smooth operations and deliver quality services for accredited Chinese and foreign media workers," said Lu Zhuangzhi, operating director of the main media center.

The 9th Asian Winter Games will be held from Feb 7 to 14 in Harbin, reputed as the "Ice City" of China for its extra-low temperatures in winter and the annual tradition of displaying extravagant ice sculptures.

Over the course of the 12 competition days, athletes from various Asian countries and regions will compete in six major events, 11 sub-events, and 64 disciplines.

Main media center for 9th Asian Winter Games to start trial operation Tuesday

All rebuilt and renovated houses in the earthquake-stricken area of Dingri County, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, have been handed over for use, with affected residents gradually moving into their new homes this winter.

More than 32,500 destroyed or damaged houses have been restored and handed over to affected residents, according to the authorities of Xigaze City, Xizang.

The 6.8-magnitude quake on January 7 struck Xigaze City, including Dingri.

Senga Village of Dingri was one of the worst hit, with only one home barely livable after repair, while homes of the other 126 households had to be rebuilt from ground zero.

For villagers from Senga Village, the new homes bring tangible improvements and a profound sense of comfort.

"Now, as you can see, the house has an insulation layer on the outside. It's extremely warm in winter, and that makes me feel extremely happy," said Tashi Lhunpo, a villager from Senga Village.

Following the earthquake, all member units of the National Committee for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief provided full support to Xizang for disaster relief and assistance work.

The reconstruction initiative was launched in early March, with full-scale construction commencing in early June.

A total of 134 enterprises and more than 60,000 construction workers participated in the rebuilding effort. They successfully completed construction tasks across 1,032 sites in 47 townships, achieving the goal of "moving into new homes within the same year when the disaster struck."

The restoration work covered 486 villages in seven counties, resulting in the reconstruction of more than 22,000 houses and the reinforcement of an additional 10,500 homes. The first batch of quake-affected residents have moved into new homes in August.

All rebuilt houses in Xizang quake-affected zone handed over to residents