CMG special program highlights tradition, reunification

China Media Group (CMG) aired a special program Friday evening dedicated to the Duanwu Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival, highlighting cultural traditions and national reunification.

The creative performance "Five Colors of Duanwu" brought together five young women dressed in traditional costumes representing the five symbolic colors -- qing (blue-green), chi (red), yellow, white and black.

Through a fusion of color, attire, Song-Dynasty (960-1279) poetry, intangible cultural heritage and folk customs, the performance unfolded the festive traditions in a poetic visual display.

The program reached a climax with the song "Homecoming", jointly performed by singers from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Taiwan region and Macao SAR.

Against backdrops of landmark scenery from the four places, the chorus conveyed shared feelings of homesickness and longing for reunion among compatriots across the Taiwan Strait.

Broadcast on CMG's multiple platforms and featuring micro documentaries, the special program has four main parts which were inspired by four sequences of the dragon boat folk customs: Qi Long (dragon awakening), Zhao Jing (villages exchanging invitations for gathering of dragon boats), dragon boat racing, and returning to the shore.

In the time-honored ritual of Qi Long, or dragon awakening, villagers unearth wooden dragon boats that were buried in river silt, clean them, repaint them, and prepare them for racing. It's more than a practical task -- it is a spiritual awakening that honors ancestors, prays for good fortune, and signals the return of summer's thrilling spectacle.

Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the festival fell on Friday this year.

Its signature tradition -- dragon boat racing -- dates back over 2,000 years. Today, the race reflects teamwork, courage, and perseverance, while also serving as a cultural tradition and global sport that bring communities together.

Japan's core consumer prices increased 1.4 percent in May from a year earlier, growing for the 57th consecutive month, government data showed Friday.

The increase in the core consumer price index (CPI), excluding volatile fresh food costs, followed a 1.4 percent gain in April, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Core-core CPI, which strips away both energy and fresh food to reflect underlying price trends, rose 1.8 percent in May.

Energy costs fell 2.5 percent on year, after a 3.9 percent drop in April, with gasoline prices plunging 7 percent and electricity bills declining 2.4 percent.

Prices for food, excluding fresh items, were up 3.5 percent in the reporting month, slowing from a 4.1 percent rise in April.