XICHANG, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 August 2026 – At 8 p.m. local time on August 8, along the eastern extension of Hangtian Avenue in Xichang City, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, China, 86 bonfires were lit, and tens of thousands of torches were raised in unison, turning the 3.2-kilometer-long street instantly into an ocean of joy. The lively Yi ethnic music set the 300,000-strong crowd ablaze with excitement at the scene, as people of all ages joined hands, performed traditional Yi folk dances around the bonfires, and revelled in the fiery carnival.
That night's carnival was the centerpiece of the 2026 Liangshan Yi Torch Festival and marked the climax of the entire celebration. This year's edition featured 98 distinctive cultural tourism events held simultaneously across all 17 counties and cities of Liangshan, creating a spectacular midsummer celebration.
On July 19, Puge County, serving as the "first stop" of the 2026 Liangshan Yi Torch Festival's cultural tourism program, presented the traditional fire-lighting ceremony in its entirety alongside folk performances that offered visitors an authentic glimpse into the rich heritage of Yi culture. The celebrations then continued in Butuo County, Yuexi County, Huidong County, Huili City, and Dechang County, among others, featuring traditional costume showcases, intangible cultural heritage workshops, Yi ethnic music days, and other cultural tourism activities. The events will run through the end of August.
Liangshan Prefecture is home to the largest Yi ethnic community in China. Among the many traditional festivals of the Yi people, the Torch Festival stands out as the grandest, richest, and most vibrant celebration, drawing the largest crowds and showcasing the most distinctive Yi traditions.
During the height of summer, Liangshan enjoys a pleasant temperature averaging around 20°C. The prefecture is home to 20 ICH items at the national level and boasts 81 officially rated tourist attractions, including Qionghai Lake–Lushan Mountain, Lugu Lake, and Luoji Mountain. Here, breathtaking natural landscapes blend harmoniously with the profound cultural heritage of the Yi people. During the 2026 Spring Festival, May Day, and Dragon Boat Festival holidays, Liangshan recorded a year-on-year growth of over 10% in both tourist arrivals and total tourism consumption.
Hashtag: #LiangshanYiTorchFestival #TorchFestival #Liangshan
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Yi Ethnic Costume Fashion Show at the Torch Festival
Performances at the Torch Carnival Night
- Expansion adds first BioReliance® Cell Line Characterization and GMP Next-GenerationSequencingin Asia Pacific
- Enhanced testing capabilities to deliver speed, sensitivity, and sustainability for biopharma customers in the region
- Supports industry shift to molecular methods and animal-free testing
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 August 2026 – Merck, a leading science and technology company, is expanding its Singapore lab to further strengthen analytical and biosafety testing services for customers across the Asia Pacific region. Biosafety testing is a critical step in the drug development and manufacturing process, helping to ensure that biologics are safe, effective, and compliant with regulatory requirements.
The expansion builds on Merck's global testing expertise of more than 75 years and marks a significant milestone in providing an advanced, local contract testing services portfolio for the region's growing biopharma industry.
"Localizing these BioReliance® testing capabilities means our Asia Pacific biopharma customers can accelerate their development timelines, improve operational efficiency, and meet evolving regulatory and sustainability standards" said Paolo Carli, Head of Advanced Solutions for the Life Science business of Merck. "This investment underscores Merck's commitment to empowering medicine makers by providing industry-leading analytical and biosafety testing services and technical expertise."
Merck's Singapore laboratory will become the first BioReliance® facility in Asia-Pacific to offer both Cell Line Characterization services and GMP next-generation sequencing (NGS) capabilities. It will also offer advanced molecular methods including Blazar®, a proprietary platform for rapid virus detection.
The expanded facility aims to support the industry's move towards state-of-the-art quality control testing of biologics and 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement of animal use) through advanced molecular methods.
"Merck's expansion of the BioReliance® lab will bring world-class and next-generation testing services to biopharmaceutical companies in Singapore and the region. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Merck to strengthen Singapore's ecosystem, build new capabilities within our local workforce, and enable the delivery of innovative therapies to patients," said Goh Wan Yee, Senior Vice President and Head of Healthcare, Singapore Economic Development Board.
The Singapore BioReliance® lab was opened in 2018, and the expansion will bring the total lab area to over 1,000 square meters. This expansion is also a key step in Merck's broader strategy to support the region's dynamic life science ecosystem and drive scientific progress.
Hashtag: #Merck #BioReliance #biosafety
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About Merck
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. More than 62,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2025, Merck generated sales of € 21.1 billion in 65 countries.
Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck's technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics.
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