Museums across China have been hosting exhibitions, performances, and interactive activities in celebration of the Qingming Festival holiday, attracting numerous visitors of all ages to explore cultural history.
Qingming Festival -- also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day -- dates back over 2,500 years as a time when Chinese people to return to their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors and deceased loved ones. This year, the festival fell on Friday.
In northeast China's Liaoning Province, an exhibition showcasing ancient Chinese bamboo slips, one of the most important writing mediums in ancient China, was jointly held by Liaoning Provincial Museum and Gansu Bamboo Slips Museum.
With 253 sets of cultural relics displayed, the exhibition offers insights into the country's rich historical record.
As a testament to Chinese civilization, the information recorded on bamboo slips reflects ancient social life and historical heritage. In northeast China's Jilin Province, a series of revolution-themed stage plays were showed at the former site museum of China's Changchun Film Studio, the cradle of Chinese cinema.
The plays adapted from classic revolution-and-war-themed films offered a moving portrayal of revolutionary heroes. In Zhengzhou, capital city of central China's Henan Province, museums hosted music performances and hands-on craft activities, allowing people to experience traditional culture firsthand.
"During the three-day Qingming Holiday, volunteers of the museum have arranged more lectures to provide better services to the public," said Xu Nan, director of interpretation section of Henan Museum. In north China's Shanxi Province, the municipal museum of the capital city Taiyuan saw a peak of visitor flows during the holiday.
Taiyuan Museum offered educational lectures and workshops on folk customs, engaging young visitors with interactive learning.
Museums in China offer rich cultural experiences during Qingming holiday
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Sunday said Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign nation, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's accusations that the island country provided "security services" to Venezuela in exchange for oil.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump suggested Cuba should make a deal with Washington.
"There will be no more oil or money going to Cuba -- Zero! I strongly suggest they make a deal, before it is too late," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
"Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of oil and money from Venezuela," Trump said.
However, Trump did not specify the terms of a deal or the consequences Cuba could face.
Diaz-Canel said on X that the United States has "no moral authority to point the finger at Cuba in anything", adding that the U.S. side turns everything, even human lives, into a business.
Diaz-Canel said that the United States is "hysterical" against the Caribbean nation because of the sovereign decision of the Cuban people to choose their political model.
"Those who blame the Revolution for the severe economic hardships we suffer should be ashamed and keep quiet," he said. "Because they know and recognize that they are the result of the draconian measures of extreme asphyxiation that the United States has imposed on us for six decades."
Cuba does not attack or threaten other countries, said Diaz-Canel, adding that the country is ready to defend itself "to the last drop of blood".
Also on Sunday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the United States behaves like a criminal and unchecked hegemon that threatens peace and security, not only in Cuba and this hemisphere, but throughout the entire world.
In an X post, Rodriguez said Cuba has the absolute right to import fuel from markets willing to export it and develop trade relations without interference or subordination to unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States.
Venezuela on Sunday reiterated its "historic stance" toward Cuba, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to the principles of "fraternity, solidarity, cooperation and complementarity", despite mounting pressure from Washington to isolate the Caribbean nation.
The Venezuelan government released a statement underscoring its support for the free exercise of self-determination and sovereignty of peoples, which it considers fundamental pillars of international relations.
It emphasized its adherence to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and international law, highlighting the longstanding and evolving ties between Venezuela and Cuba.
The Venezuelan government stressed that relations between states should be governed by the principles of non-intervention, sovereign equality and self-determination, and that "political and diplomatic dialogue" is the only viable path to "peacefully resolve disputes of any kind".
Cuban president says ready to defend Cuba, refutes Trump's accusations
