The millennia-old town of Guanglu in southwest China's Yunnan Province welcomed the Spring Festival, with 200 folk artists parading 16 giant dragons through its streets in a spectacular display of cultural tradition.
This ancient town, built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), is a major national tourist attraction in China and stands as the largest, most historically significant, and culturally rich of the famed historical towns of central Yunnan.
During the Spring Festival holiday, it comes alive with daily dragon and lion dance performances that draw tourists from across the country to witness the spectacle.
The colorful dragons leap, chase and soar their way through the ancient alleyways, creating a colorful scene of exuberant festivity. Tourists throng the streets to capture the moment with their cameras, as the entire town basks in an atmosphere of joy and harmony.
"It's incredibly festive! My family came specifically to see the dragon and lion dances. The drums cheer you up. This is what New Year should feel like -- it's unique Chinese tradition," said Jia Hua, a tourist.
Ancient Chinese town ushers in Year of Horse with traditional dragon parade
The United Nations Human Rights Council has stated that the Jeffrey Epstein case may rise to the level of crimes against humanity, as justice departments in the United States, the United Kingdom and France continued pursuing separate investigations.
An independent panel of experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said on Monday that the documents made public in the case, or the so-called 'Epstein Files,' suggests the existence of a global criminal enterprise committing systematic and large-scale sexual abuse, trafficking, and exploitation of women and girls.
Many of its criminal activities have met the legal threshold of crimes against humanity and require independent, thorough, and impartial investigation, the experts noted.
"So grave is the scale, nature, systematic character, and transnational reach of these atrocities against women and girls, that a number of them may reasonably meet the legal threshold of crimes against humanity," the experts noted in the statement.
The panel said it "shocked the conscience of humanity" that those implicated were able to act with impunity, stressing that resignations of implicated individuals alone are not an adequate substitute for criminal accountability, and that all allegations in the case files require independent, comprehensive, and impartial scrutiny.
On Tuesday, the New Mexico State Legislature launched an independent probe on Epstein case. Some victims have identified a ranch in the state, which was purchased by Epstein in 1993 from then-Governor Bruce King, as a site of sexual abuse like his private island.
According to a Reuters report, the Epstein Files had revealed his contact with two former New Mexico governors and a state attorney general.
In the UK, Essex Police said on Tuesday they are reviewing newly released documents referencing private flights linked to Epstein that passed through London Stansted Airport. A BBC investigation last December found that nearly 90 private flights associated with Epstein had operated through British airports, with some carrying British women who later alleged abuse.
AFP reported that Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau on Wednesday made public appeal for victims to come forward with further evidence. Following the latest disclosure of the Epstein Files, French jurisdiction have opened a broad investigation into potential offenses involving individuals in France, and the prosecutor has verified investigations into a diplomat, a modeling agent and a musician.
A disgraced former financier and one of the most notorious sex offenders in recent decades, Epstein maintained close ties with prominent figures in U.S. political and business circles. He was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor, arrested again in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges, and died in jail the following month, with authorities ruling his death a suicide.
Allegations that he possessed a "client list" used to blackmail high-profile figures, and that his death may not have been a suicide, have circulated widely.
The White House has previously said that after the Department of Justice released the remaining batch of the so-called Epstein Files, totaling some 3 million pages, the United States should focus on other matters. The stance has disappointed many Americans, with multiple U.S. media reporting that the case continues to undermine public trust in government institutions.
UN calls Epstein case crimes against humanity with global investigations continue
UN calls Epstein case crimes against humanity with global investigations continue
