A wild Asian elephant wandered into a temporary border checkpoint in southwest China's Yunnan Province in the early hours of Friday, prompting police and auxiliary officers to evacuate to safety before the animal calmly left without causing damage.
The elephant approached the checkpoint in Jiangcheng Hani and Yi Autonomous County of Pu'er, bypassed barriers and traffic cones, and eventually walked away peacefully.
Officers followed established procedures, withdrawing to safe areas and ensuring no disturbance to the elephant, personnel or facilities.
The county, located at the junction of China, Laos and Vietnam, is a key habitat for wild Asian elephants. Local checkpoints often see elephants "drop by," and officers have developed a routine response when facing such an elephant encounter.
Upon receiving alerts or spotting elephant activity, officers are expected to immediately clear the area, close access routes, and monitor the animals until they depart, before swiftly restoring order.
Wild Asian elephant strolls into border checkpoint in Yunnan
Participants from both sides of the Taiwan Strait gathered in Shanghai for the inaugural Oriental Chic Development Summit on Saturday to present the fusion of 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and contemporary creativity.
With young designers and artists across the Strait taking center stage, the event means to explore collaborated efforts to bring Chinese aesthetics to the world.
Lin Jiun-ting, a New Media Artist from Taipei, Taiwan of China, said that with shared history and cultural roots, creativity sparks through exchange of fashion industries across the Strait.
"So how can we bring this inner elegance of ours to the world? I believe that it is through exchange that we get to know each other. And only then is it easy for us to create new possibilities," he said.
Gao Qing, representative inheritor of the intangible heritage of traditional incense making techniques, shared her experiences, saying the same culture brings closer mainland and Taiwan compatriots.
"Back in 2018, we went to Taiwan for exchanges. And in recent years, we have also had two students from Taiwan coming over to study. Through this incense, we have been able to further draw our hearts closer," she said.
At the summit, Hung Hsiu-Chu, former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang Party (KMT) and chair of the Chinese Cyan Geese Peace Education Foundation, based in China's Taiwan region, delivered a speech emphasizing the importance of mutual communication.
"It is essential to uphold the 1992 Consensus and oppose Taiwan secession as the basis for rebuilding mutual trust and deepening exchanges. We will promote industrial collaboration and create entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for young people on both sides of the Strait," she said.
Cross-Strait fashion summit featuring Chinese aesthetics opens in Shanghai
