The Badaling section of the Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China's capital city of Beijing, has finished the first rehearsal for its special evening tours for visitors during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday from Feb 15 to 23.
The scenic area of the Badaling Great Wall in Yanqing District will feature more than 1,000 lanterns and host a series of intangible cultural heritage performances, including dragon and lion dances, for visitors during special evening openings from 18:00 to 21:00, Feb 16 to 22.
The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, falls on Feb 17 this year. The official holiday lasts nine days, during which many workers extend their leave and students are on winter break.
China's Great Wall to offer visitors Spring Festival evening tours service
Global food commodity prices climbed for a second consecutive month in March, driven mainly by higher energy costs linked to escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in report released on Friday.
The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 128.5 points in March, up 2.4 percent from February and 1.0 percent above its level a year ago.
According to the report, the FAO Vegetable Oil Index and Sugar Price Index showed the largest increases, up 5.1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.
The FAO Cereal Price Index increased by 1.5 percent from the previous month, driven primarily by higher world wheat prices, which rose 4.3 percent.
The FAO Meat Price Index rose by 1.0 percent from the previous month, and the FAO All-Rice Price Index declined by 3.0 percent in March, according to the report.
FAO stated that rising energy and fertilizer prices have been driving up agricultural input costs.
If the conflict stretches beyond 40 days, farmers will have to choose to farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops, according to FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero.
These choices will hit future yields and shape food supply and commodity prices for the rest of this year and beyond, Torero said.
Global food prices rise for 2nd consecutive month in March amid Middle East conflict: FAO
