Xi introduces UNESCO World Heritage site of Beijing Central Axis to Thai King

Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the Beijing Central Axis, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua of the Kingdom of Thailand ahead of their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday morning.

At the invitation of Xi, the Thai king is paying a state visit to China from Nov 13 to 17.

The Beijing Central Axis was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2024, recognized as "A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital."

Initially established in the 13th century and formed in the 16th century, the 7.8-kilometer axis runs north to south through the heart of the Chinese capital. It consists of a line of historic and cultural landmarks, including former imperial palaces, gardens, sacrificial structures, and ceremonial and public buildings.

Xi introduces UNESCO World Heritage site of Beijing Central Axis to Thai King

Xi introduces UNESCO World Heritage site of Beijing Central Axis to Thai King

Xi introduces UNESCO World Heritage site of Beijing Central Axis to Thai King

Xi introduces UNESCO World Heritage site of Beijing Central Axis to Thai King

Xi introduces UNESCO World Heritage site of Beijing Central Axis to Thai King

China's Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest on Sunday, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, lifted off from the launch site at 23:08 Beijing Time (15:08 GMT).

The crew members consist of mission commander Zhu Yangzhu, and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, who is also the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

In another notable first, one of the crew members is set to undertake a year-long stay aboard the space station, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.

After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-23 spaceship will perform a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.

China launches Shenzhou-23 manned spaceship