Mongolian khoomei, alongside other ethnic folk music traditions, lends an enchanting sonic texture to the animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2," China's first film surpassed 10 billion yuan (1.4 billion U.S. dollars) at the box office. Khoomei, a traditional Mongolian vocal art also known as throat singing, was inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in 2019. To the uninitiated, khoomei's otherworldly resonance might evoke electronic effects, yet it is a distinctive vocal technique where performers simultaneously produce a deep, rumbling drone and ethereal melodic overtones. This ancient art form has been preserved and handed down for over a millennium across the vast Mongolian steppes.
In Ne Zha 2, the soundtrack harnesses khoomei through the multi-layered vocals of 26-year-old musician Halamuji, whose voice intertwines with the mythical power of the film's "Tianyuan Ding" (or Celestial Cauldron). His performance creates an immersive soundscape, leaving audiences spellbound.
"What struck me most was the scene where the Celestial Cauldron descends. The film weaves together diverse elements - throat singing, suona horns, the Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group - all embodying ethnic musical traditions refined over centuries and passed down through generations," Halamuji said.
"Ne Zha 2" has begun screening for audiences in select international markets, and musician Halamuji expressed hopes that the film's global success will spotlight the allure of Chinese culture and its diverse ethnic folk traditions.
"I'm confident it will resonate deeply overseas. I also hope international audiences will discover the richly poetic, elegantly nuanced, and profoundly wise dimensions of Chinese culture through this film," Halamuji said.
Mongolian Khoomei adds enchanting sound to '”Ne Zha 2”
China's steel industry has achieved intensive breakthroughs in high-end precision materials since the beginning of this year, with a batch of advanced specialty steels empowering frontier industries including electronics, new energy and high-end equipment.
In the mobile communication era of 4G, the thickness required for an ultra-thin low-carbon steel foil is 0.12 mm to enable convenient and speedy signal transmission.
Such a demanding requirement is tightened to a mere 0.10 mm in today's 5G new era, which means more complicated techniques for its manufacturers.
For a long time, the rolling methods relied heavily on foreign enterprises. However, Shougang Group teamed up with the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) in 2013 to conduct scientific research and development on the continuous rolling process of "5G steel," a nickname of the ultra-thin low-carbon steel foil.
The "5G steel" that independently developed by China - as thin as 0.07 mm - has entered mass production and been widely used for 5G base station signal receivers, signal transmission filters, and integrated circuit boards, and new energy battery connection pieces.
"Although it's thin, it has excellent toughness and feels like paper, and we can easily bend it and repeatedly fold it," said Hu Na, an engineer at Shougang Jingtang Steel United Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. She folded the steel into a classic "paper plane" to show its flexibility.
This year, China has been using specialty steels to empower the development of new quality productive forces.
For instance, in industrial sector, China has continued to push performance limits of silicon steel -- an iron-silicon alloy used primarily in electrical applications due to its good magnetic properties, with 0.1-millimeter-grade non-oriented electrical steel achieving global top-tier status in electrical steel iron loss indicators.
The material now is widely used in drive motors for new energy vehicles and joint motors for humanoid robots.
The breakthroughs came as China's steel industry continues to shift toward higher value-added products, with the manufacturing sector's share of steel consumption surpassing that of the construction sector for the first time in 2025.
China makes intensive breakthroughs in high-end steel products in 2026
