Heilongjiang in northeast and Hubei in central China are rolling out new itineraries for summer tourism.
In Tongjiang City of Heilongjiang, a riverside park comes alive at dusk with newly launched night cruises. Locals and tourists get on board white egret-themed boats or bamboo rafts to enjoy evening views along the Songhua River.
"When taking photos by the rails, the river breeze touches on you, give you a magical feeling," said a tourist.
The route connects the park's core scenic spots with the wetlands to the north, offering shimmering waterfront vistas.
Beyond the cruise, nearby attractions like Xunke County's newly opened Red Pomegranate cultural village feature live performances and games, demonstrating the region's summer charm.
Down south, Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei, has turned frequent rains into a kind of attraction. Cruise ships on the Yangtze River now detour beneath the Yangsigang Bridge, where passengers experience a curated "listening to rain" moment as water cascades from the bridge like a waterfall.
"It's incredibly romantic -- with the water falling, making you feel like waiting for someone in mist," said a tourist.
Aboard, guests can sip themed cocktails like Waiting for Rain and collect special commemorative stamps of their unique watery journey.
Heilongjiang, Hubei present new itineraries for summer tourism
Iran's Minister of Science, Research and Technology Hossein Simaei-Sarraf on Saturday condemned the United States and Israel for attacking Iranian academic institutions and research facilities, saying that more than 30 universities across the country have been directly targeted since the war started in late February.
The official made the condemnation when speaking to reporters at the site of the damaged Shahid Beheshti University in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Simaei-Sarraf said five university professors and more than 60 students had been killed in the strikes so far, describing attacks on Iranian infrastructure as "crimes against humanity."
Those killed include Saeed Shamghadri, an associate professor at the Iran University of Science and Technology. "Since the war started, five university professors, including Professor Shamghadri, and more than 60 university students have been killed. As I mentioned before, more than 30 universities in Iran have been attacked. It is unbelievable that in an era when democratic values, rights, international law, and human rights are being promoted, the most obvious of these rights are being trampled, violated, and attacked," said Simaei-Sarraf.
An U.S.-Israeli air raid hit the laser and plasma research center of the Shahid Beheshti University on Friday, destroying the interior of the entire building and shattering all the windows. The force of the strike also shattered almost all the windows on another building about 100 meters away from the explosion site.
A researcher at the university said it is incomprehensible that such a facility could become a target of attacks.
"You can see that there's neither any military personnel or military activity here. This is a place where only research was being conducted. Why did it become a target of attacks? What was the motive for this crime?" Azimi, the researcher, said in an interview with China Media Group.
Since the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran started, the Iranian government has repeatedly denounced the two countries for targeting the country's academic institutions and research facilities, calling such attacks serious war crimes.
Iranian official condemns U.S.-Israeli strikes on universities
