Homie Weekly | News Update for This Week (May 3, 2024)

1、A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48

A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country’s mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.

Wang Xiangnan was driving Wednesday along the highway in Guangdong province, a vital economic hub in southern China. At around 2 a.m., Wang saw several vehicles moving in the opposite direction of the four-lane highway and a fellow driver soon informed him about the collapse, local media reported.

Reacting swiftly, Wang, a former soldier, positioned his truck to block the highway, effectively stopping dozens of vehicles from advancing into danger.

The accident came after a month of heavy rains in Guangdong. Some of the 23 vehicles that plunged into the deep ravine burst in flames, sending up thick clouds of smoke.

https://apnews.com/article/china-highway-collapse-driver-be5d1eba1800cbb59477c18690c2fbb5

2、Chinese people consume on average 16 cups of coffee a year

On 1 May, the Shanghai International Coffee Culture Festival launched. According to the “2024 China City Coffee Development Report” unveiled on the same day, China’s coffee industry amassed a staggering 265.4 billion RMB (approx. 36.66 billion USD) in scale last year, with an average per capita annual consumption of 16.74 cups.

In 2023, the number of coffee establishments in Shanghai reached 9,553, surpassing the national count. Concurrently, Shanghai stands as the most concentrated city for foreign-funded coffee enterprises, hosting 2,056 such businesses. Furthermore, Shanghai-based organisations contributed over 40% to the nation’s total raw coffee bean exports last year, solidifying Shanghai’s pivotal role on the global coffee map.

https://daoinsights.com/news/chinese-people-consume-on-average-16-cups-of-coffee-a-year-as-revealed-by-the-shanghai-international-coffee-culture-festival/

3、Shenzhen supercharging stations now outnumber traditional gas stations

In a significant shift in urban mobility, the number of supercharging stations in China's tech hub, Shenzhen, surpassed that of its conventional gas stations by the end of April. The city now has 362 supercharging stations, signifying its commitment to eco-friendly initiatives.

Unlike traditional charging methods, which often take several hours, Shenzhen's innovative supercharging technology can replenish 80 percent or more of an electric vehicle's battery capacity in just 10 minutes or less, offering a swift and seamless charging experience akin to grabbing a cup of coffee.

The inception of Shenzhen's supercharging initiative dates back to June 29, 2023, when the city unveiled its first fully liquid-cooled supercharging demonstration station, signaling the commencement of the "City of Supercharging" endeavor.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202405/05/WS66373c08a31082fc043c5433.html

4、From “crazy” to “psychotic”, KFC gives away gold with Chow Tai Seng

With a slogan of “发神金” (give away god’s gold), KFC has teamed up with jeweller Chow Tai Seng to give away 4 million RMB (551,990.60 USD) worth of gold accessories including 99 pieces of gold nuggets, 250 bracelets and of course, 15,000 golden tickets.

The keyword “神金” (shenjin, lit. god’s gold) sounds similar to “神经” (shenjing, lit. neurotic or psychotic), and is frequently used on short-form video platforms to avoid censorship. As both “crazy literature” and the craze for gold continues, this pun brings together the “crazy Thursday literature” and the gold being given away.

https://daoinsights.com/news/from-crazy-to-psychotic-kfc-gives-away-gold-with-chow-tai-seng/

5、Beijing Auto Show revs up global confidence in Chinese NEV market

The 2024 Beijing Auto Show was a dazzling stage for nearly 1,000 exhibits, with appearances of new energy vehicles (NEVs) surging 70 percent compared to the last show to reach an impressive 278. Witnessing China's booming NEV market, multinational carmakers acknowledged that it presents new opportunities for the global automotive landscape.

The auto show, an A-list event also known as 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, took place as NEV sales hit a milestone in early April, accounting for over 50 percent of cars sold in China, the world's most competitive and largest auto market. The show concluded on Saturday having attracted 892,000 visitors in just 10 days.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-05-05/Beijing-Auto-Show-revs-up-global-confidence-in-Chinese-NEV-market-1tlWBBp5cBi/p.html

6、Apple CEO calls China 'the most competitive market in the world' as iPhone sales drop

Apple CEO Tim Cook called China "the most competitive market in the world" as the tech company reported lackluster quarterly results Thursday due to weakening demand in the world's second-largest economy and stiff competition from Huawei Technologies.

Apple revenue declined 4.3% on the year to $90.75 billion for the three months ended March 30. The company's main revenue driver iPhone sales dropped 10.5% to $46 billion.

The sales decline was largely driven by the Asia region. Greater China -- covering the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan and a main growth engine for Apple in recent years -- saw an 8.1% year-on-year revenue decline for the quarter, down to $16.4 billion.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Apple-CEO-calls-China-the-most-competitive-market-in-the-world-as-iPhone-sales-drop

7、Cuba announces visa exemption for Chinese travelers

China-based online travel platforms reported a 40-percent jump in searches for keywords related to Cuba following the announcement of visa-free tour for Chinese travelers on May 5.

The new policy allows Chinese passport holders to enter Cuba visa-free this month, the country's minister for tourism Juan Carlos Garcia announced, in a move aimed at boosting engagement and cooperation between the two countries.

Havana also announced that China would be a guest country during Cuba's 2025 tourism festival, adding that direct air flights would resume on May 17.

Flights on a Beijing-Madrid-Havana route operated by Air China are set to resume on May 17, currently the only route between China and Cuba.

The visa exemption will ramp up Chinese people's interest in traveling to Latin America, a region boasting unique cultural and natural landmarks.

https://www.ecns.cn/news/politics/2024-05-06/detail-iheafqys1335463.shtml

8、China handles nearly 8.47m entry-exit trips during May Day holiday

Border inspection agencies across China handled nearly 8.47 million entry and exit trips during the five-day May Day holiday that ended Sunday, a 35.1 percent increase from the same period last year, the National Immigration Administration said Monday.

The daily number of entry and exit trips peaked on May 3, with more than 1.8 million trips recorded, said the administration.

Of all the trips, mainland travelers accounted for about 4.77 million of them. Travelers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan made up 2.92 million trips, while travelers from abroad accounted for 779,000 trips.

All three figures saw substantial increases from a year ago, growing by 38 percent, 20.8 percent, and 98.7 percent, respectively, the administration noted.

https://www.shine.cn/news/nation/2405066018/

9、China successfully launches epic Chang’e-6 lunar probe in first human attempt to retrieve samples from far side of the Moon

China has made another historic stride in its deep space endeavors on Friday, as the Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket blasted off at 5:27 pm from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in South China’s tropical island of Hainan, sending the Chang’e-6 lunar probe onto its odyssey in the world’s first ever attempt to bring back lunar samples from the far side of the Moon.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) confirmed the success of the launch after two pairs of solar panels of the spacecraft opened smoothly.

The round trip of Chang'e-6 to the moon and back will take about 53 days, more than double the duration of its predecessor Chang’e-5, which returned samples from the near side of the moon in some 23 days, media reported.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202405/1311615.shtml

10、New species of dinosaur egg discovered in E.China's Shandong

A new dinosaur egg species was discovered recently in Laiyang, East China's Shandong Province, according to media reports on Sunday. The discovery not only enriched the genus of dinosaur eggs in Laiyang, but also provided a more comprehensive foundation for further research on species evolution during the Cretaceous period.

The new finding can be traced back to 2019 when a group of researchers discovered a nest of dinosaur egg fossils in Laiyang during an international joint field scientific expedition. After conducting excavations, the research team discovered that the deformation of these dinosaur eggs was exceptionally rare compared to the known fossil record of dinosaur egg.

Through collaborative research, it was confirmed that the newly discovered nest of dinosaur egg fossils was a brand new egg species.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202404/1311481.shtml

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