Each February, villagers in eastern China gather at a centuries-old ancestral hall to greet the arrival of spring, a seasonal ritual that has long been a part of local life
BEIJING, Feb. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A traditional ceremony to welcome the Beginning of Spring, one of China's Twenty-Four Solar Terms, took place on February 4 in Miaoyan Village, Quzhou, Zhejiang Province. The event was held at the historic Wutong Ancestral Hall, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage designation of the Jiuhua Beginning of Spring Ceremony. Titled "Spring Awakens in Quzhou: Where China's Season Begins," the occasion set ancient custom alongside contemporary celebration.
The ceremony opened with twenty-four chimes of a bell, accompanied by drumming, as the Beginning of Spring flag was raised. Villagers presented ten ceremonial offerings, among them spring cakes and local pastries, to Gou Mang, the God of Spring, symbolizing completeness and good fortune. The traditional ritual known as "Whipping the Spring Ox" then took place, signaling the start of the farming season and expressing the wish for a fruitful year. Children passed out peanuts and candies to the crowd, lending a lighthearted touch to the proceedings.
Wu Haigen, a cultural inheritor of the ceremony, noted that its origins date back to the Song Dynasty. He said that the Wutong Ancestral Hall is the only temple in China devoted exclusively to honoring the Spring God. "The ceremony maintains the core of Jiangnan's farming traditions," Wu said, "and rituals like whipping the spring ox carry forward enduring hopes for abundance and prosperity."
For the past decade, Quzhou has returned to this heritage each year. Alongside the ceremony, a Beginning of Spring Culture Exhibition Hall now stands nearby, and the ritual has found a place in the lives of the town's visitors as well as locals. These steps have helped the local observance gain national recognition less as an organized event than as a seasonal moment where tradition is watched, shared, and passed on.
As the season turns, Quzhou moves with the rhythms of an old tradition that continues to be observed, welcoming a spring that is both historically meaningful and still unfolding in the present.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
CCTV+: Quzhou Marks a Decade of Spring Welcoming Ritual
SINGAPORE, Feb. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the global success of its European and American editions, CYSAT Asia concluded its first-ever regional event in Singapore yesterday. Co-organised by SGInnovate and the European cybersecurity leader CYSEC, the event gathered 400 participants, global experts, government officials, and industry pioneers from 25 European and Asian countries to address the urgent need for resilient space infrastructure.
The event convened leading voices from across the space tech and cybersecurity sectors to discuss the why's and how's of securing space assets, the impact of quantum computing on space cybersecurity, and the need for collaborative partnerships and strong talent pipelines to support this burgeoning industry.
From investors to global corporations, key speakers at the event included representatives from Airbus, the European Commission, Fraunhofer, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, IonQ, IQT, and Thales, alongside Singaporean Deep Tech startups SpeQtral and MicroSec. Also present were industry stakeholders Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), CyberSG R&D Programme Office (CRPO), and CyberSG Talent, Innovation and Growth (TIG) Collaboration Centre.
"Through CYSAT Asia, we've extended that mission to one of the most consequential intersections in technology today: the confluence of space tech and cybersecurity", said Dr. Lim Jui, CEO, SGInnovate. "We're confident that the insights and connections shared today will catalyse innovation in this area, and lead to the development of more secure space infrastructure across the region."
Exploring the landscape of space cyberthreats, and their impact on critical sectors
Speakers underscored how attacks on space systems now have immediate, real-world consequences, from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) spoofing disrupting thousands of commercial flights annually to cyber vulnerabilities in legacy satellite architectures never designed for today's threat environment. The event affirmed that resilience must be designed end-to-end — across satellites, ground stations, receivers, and the data flows that connect them.
Beyond defence and commercial uses, panellists also emphasised that cybersecurity is now foundational to civil space services, where trust in data integrity and governance underpins safe use for disaster response, climate monitoring, and national planning.
In his address, David Koh, Singapore's Commissioner of Cybersecurity and Chief Executive of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore mentioned that there are rapid technological advancements accelerating the growth of the space industry, and emphasised that cybersecurity must now be "baked" into the design of these technologies to prevent disruptions with spillover effects across borders. Meanwhile, Jonathan Hung, Executive Director of the Office for Space Technology & Industry, Singapore (OSTIn), Singapore's national space office, emphasised that cyber resilience in space requires close coordination across government, industry, and the broader ecosystem. Strong cyber resilience underpins trust in space-enabled services, and is strengthened through robust multi-agency partnerships here in Singapore.
Highlighting opportunities for growth and collaboration
With the goal of raising awareness around space cybersecurity and laying important groundwork for the establishment of cross-industry collaboration, CYSAT Asia highlighted the critical role of public-private partnerships, international cooperation, and ecosystem-level investment.
Hsien-Hui Tong, Executive Director of Investments at SGInnovate noted that although both space and cybersecurity are established sectors, their intersection remains under-invested, often failing between traditional commercial and sovereign funding models. Progress will depend on coordinated action – from governments acting as early anchor customers, to investors supporting deployment-ready solutions, and ecosystems enabling companies to test, integrate, and scale across borders.
Building a pipeline of space cybersecurity talent
The development of a long-term talent pipeline was also a key theme at the event. Experts likened a robust talent ecosystem to an iceberg: while certifications represent the visible tip, critical thinking and an adaptive mindset will be the critical factors underpinning success. They emphasised the need for a "Swiss Army Knife" skillsets, with multi-disciplinary abilities bridging the gap between IT and operational technology, and called for industry-vetted, hands-on training to prepare professionals for high-stakes environments.
"Space systems today underpin critical national infrastructure, yet they remain a 'ticking cyber bomb' if we do not act collectively." quotes Patrick Trinkler, CEO of CYSEC. "CYSAT Asia 2026 has proven that securing these assets requires a diverse mix of talent — from cryptographers to mission operators — working outside of traditional silos to address the converging commercial, sovereign, and military stakes of 2030. Our goal is to ensure that as the space environment becomes more congested and contested, the integrity of our orbital data remains unassailable."
To further bridge the gap between space tech and cybersecurity, CYSAT Asia hosted a series of technical keynotes and hands-on workshops, equipping industry professionals with knowledge at the intersection of space tech, cybersecurity, AI, and quantum computing. These workshops were part of the CYSAT Academy programme, an initiative designed to provide training and certifications in relevant, high-impact areas. At CYSAT Asia, the Academy ran two workshops:
Looking ahead to CYSAT Asia 2027, SGInnovate and CYSEC will continue to engage local and international ecosystems to bridge the gap between awareness and meaningful action, while building and bringing the community together to achieve true resiliency for space cybersecurity.
Selected keynotes, technical sessions, and the event photo gallery are available for review. For more information and to access on-demand highlights, please visit: www.cysat.eu.
About CYSEC
CYSEC is a European cybersecurity company based in Switzerland and France, with additional locations in Italy and Luxembourg. The company provides world-leading, high-performance cybersecurity tools to ensure robustness, confidentiality, and integrity for the space internet networks & critical infrastructures. Since 2021, CYSEC has also been the organiser of CYSAT, the leading event in space cybersecurity in Europe, bringing together key industry players each year to discuss security challenges and implement solutions.
About SGInnovate
SGInnovate is a Deep Tech ecosystem builder and investor, backed by the Singapore Government. Our expertise and approach combines investments, talent development and community-building to catalyse the translation of emerging technologies into tomorrow's opportunities.
Through our flagship Deep Tech Central platform, we connect individuals, founders and companies to specialised resources and opportunities across all technological domains and stages of growth. Our portfolio of emerging tech startups comprises some of the most promising companies leading the commercialisation of research developed from Singapore's RIE ecosystem.
Connect with us at SGInnovate.com.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Space Cybersecurity Leaders Convene in Singapore to Address Escalating Threats in Inaugural Edition of CYSAT Asia
