China has continued to deepen cooperation with Kyrgyzstan in meteorological satellite application, joint scientific research, and emergency disaster prevention support.
Kyrgyzstan and northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region are both located in the Tianshan mountain system and share similar climate conditions. Driven by climate change, regional extreme weather events have increased, making joint meteorological disaster prevention, mitigation and relief a key priority. With the help of the China Meteorological Administration's Fengyun-2 satellite receiving and application system, Kyrgyzstan has received a steady and reliable supply of meteorological observation data.
In May this year, the city of Manas in Kyrgyzstan was hit by a mudslide triggered by torrential rainfall, and the local authorities declared a state of emergency. The Chinese side deployed Fengyun-3 and Fengyun-4 satellites in time to carry out high-frequency dynamic monitoring, capturing the evolution trend of the disaster and providing data support for Kyrgyzstan's disaster relief and emergency response.
"Since the beginning of this year, the Chinese side has activated the relevant emergency support mechanism twice to help Kyrgyzstan respond to flood disasters. Meanwhile, we have continued to optimize the 'Mazu' intelligent meteorological early warning solution, opened and shared independent innovation achievements including Fengyun satellites and meteorological AI models, to provide support for meteorological disaster prevention and mitigation as well as climate situation analysis in Central Asia," said Zheng Zhaojun, chief expert of the International User Service Center under the National Satellite Meteorological Center.
Relying on the Urumqi Institute of Desert Meteorology of the China Meteorological Administration, China has established a stable cooperation platform with Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries. Through multiple rounds of sample analysis, research teams have systematically reconstructed the patterns of temperature, precipitation and glacier mass changes across Central Asia over the past 200 to 500 years.
Chinese weather satellites help deepen China-Kyrgyzstan cooperation
An age-old feather duster craft in north China's Hebei Province has found new life online, as livestreaming turns a village tradition into a source of income for elderly residents. In Luan'nan County, Tangshan City, Liu Wenhao, Party secretary of Zhangmawan Village, is promoting the village's handmade feather dusters alongside fellow villagers in livestreams. Since 2024, he has led villagers in bringing the traditional craft online, quickly turning it into an internet sensation.
Elderly villagers now craft dusters while also serving as online hosts, participating in livestreams and welcoming tourists. Liu Huiying is one of them.
"This is no small income. I earn about 20,000 yuan (about 2,981 U.S. dollars) a year, which is more than enough. They call me an internet celebrity. I'm happy," she said.
The feather duster craft has a long history in Zhangmawan. Once a sideline for villagers during the agricultural off-season, craftsmen worked from dawn to dusk only to sell a single duster for 0.3 to 0.5 yuan. Sales were slightly better at rural fairs, but earnings were barely enough to make a living. As modern cleaning products diversified, traditional feather dusters gradually faded from daily life.
In recent years, with the rise of short-video platforms, several young people in the village began experimenting with short videos. Their first video showing the making of a feather duster garnered more than 600,000 views.
"Our village's traditional craft was well-known throughout the region. So we thought, with so many people here skilled at making feather dusters, why not sell them online and help boost their incomes?" said Liu.
Zhangmawan has more than 200 residents over the age of 60. To boost their incomes and pass on the craft, product transformation was key. Young villagers pooled their ideas and decided to enter the cultural and creative market.
While veteran artisans persisted in handmade production, younger people focused on innovative designs, launching new items such as car hangings, bag charms, desktop ornaments and cat teasers, tailored to modern aesthetics and lifestyles.
Online popularity has also boosted offline tourism. The village has leveraged its advantages to offer craft workshops, rural sightseeing, farm meals and educational study tours, attracting a large number of visitors and children.
"You can hang it on a schoolbag or car keys -- it can go in many places. And if something gets dirty, you can use it to sweep," said Meng Shixuan, a young visitor.
"We want to keep updating our cultural and creative feather duster products, and through short videos and livestreaming, develop the village's study tour and sightseeing businesses to provide more jobs and income opportunities," Liu said.
Chinese village turns traditional feather duster craft into online hit
