An ancient town in Jiaxing City, east China's Zhejiang Province, has transformed its waterfront into a hub for water sports, drawing visitors from home and abroad.
In Majiu Village, a 5.4-square-kilometer Jiangnan ancient town, the sport of rowing is breathing new life into this riverside community. With a rich history spanning over 3,500 years, the village was once a historic stop for horse stables along the old Jiangnan trade routes.
Built around rowing, this historic town has transformed into a popular travel hotspot.
"When it's crowded, thousands of tourists show up. Even on slower days, there are still a few hundred," said Wang Song, head of HemuRowing Club.
Wang said her sister and brother-in-law, local champions of the sport, hope to use it to boost their hometown. The river channels in Majiu are perfectly sized for training, competition or a bit of leisure time.
Local media report that it benefits more than 6,500 farming households, with annual tourism revenue exceeding six million yuan (about 834,000 U.S. dollars).
Ancient town in east China turns into hub for water sports
A Japanese lawmaker has raised concerns over Japan's push to expand its military and its nuclear policy.
Responding to some politicians' dangerous tendency towards possessing nuclear weapons, Takara Sachika, a member of Japan's House of Councilors, said that Japan's push to strengthen its military, combined with what she called a misguided nuclear policy, not only heightens regional tensions but also directly threatens regional security.
"I think this is completely unacceptable. Japan is a country that has suffered atomic bombings and is one of the nations most aware of the threat posed by nuclear weapons. Yet such a country is openly discussing the issue of possessing nuclear weapons and even attempting to revise the principle of not allowing the introduction of nuclear weapons, one of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. This is an extremely serious problem," Takara said.
Takara said the Japanese government's tendency to expand its military capabilities is completely contrary to the Constitution.
"From the perspective of Japan's Constitution, Japan should never have adopted a policy of ensuring security by strengthening military capabilities. Yet today, enormous effort is being poured into military expansion, and that in itself is a serious problem," said the lawmaker.
At a Diet meeting in early November 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that what she described as the Chinese central authorities' "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, and suggested the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, drawing strong criticism worldwide.
Takara urged Takaichi to retract her erroneous remarks as soon as possible.
"I think there is a very big problem with making such remarks that provoke other countries. It is necessary to thoroughly examine the facts as soon as possible and withdraw the relevant remarks," she said.
Japanese lawmaker criticizes nuclear weapons remarks as threat to regional security
