Smoke is seen near the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, on July 16, 2025. Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian presidential palace area and destroyed parts of the Syrian Army General Command headquarters in the capital Damascus on Wednesday, according to local media and eyewitnesses.
The strikes were reportedly aiming against Syria's interim authorities for the clashes with the Druze community in Sweida province in southern Syria. (Photo by Monsef Memari/Xinhua)
Teenagers from the United States perform at China National Opera House in Beijing, capital of China, July 16, 2025. A closing performance of Bond with Kuliang: 2025 China-U.S. Youth Choir Festival, with the theme of "Singing for Peace," was staged in Beijing on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Lu Ye)
A man carries his child as he wades through flood water after heavy monsoon rains in southern Pakistan's Hyderabad on July 15, 2025. Torrential monsoon rains and associated incidents have left at least 124 people dead and 264 others injured across Pakistan over the past three weeks, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said Wednesday. (Str/Xinhua)
An aerial drone photo taken on July 16, 2025 shows a view of the Great Wall in Zunhua City, north China's Hebei Province. (Photo by Liu Mancang/Xinhua)
An aerial drone photo taken on July 15, 2025 shows a villager airing rice in Hengshan County of Hengyang City, central China's Hunan Province. (Photo by Cao Zhengping/Xinhua)
Butterflies are pictured at the Liangshui national nature reserve in Yichun City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, July 15, 2025.
Recently, the Northeast Forestry University sent some of its students majoring in forestry and forest protection on a field trip to the Liangshui national nature reserve for hands-on learning and practice. The students were expected to learn about vegetation types in the Lesser Khingan Mountains, and master the norms and methods of plant sample collection and specimen making.
The Liangshui reserve, located in the southeast of the Lesser Khingan Mountains, covers a total area of 12,133 hectares. Thousands of teachers and students pay research and educational visits here every year. (Xinhua/Xie Jianfei)
People visit the world natural heritage museum of the Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang County, southwest China's Yunnan Province on July 15, 2025.
This museum, the first one of its kind built at a fossil site in the country, has witnessed a surge in visits and study tours since the beginning of summer vacation. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)
A visitor views an exhibition at the Han-Wei Luoyang Ancient City Site Museum in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, July 16, 2025. The museum showcasing over 1,300 sets of cultural relics opened to public on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)
People visit the booth of Aviation Supply Chain at the Advanced Manufacturing Chain area during the third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing, capital of China, July 16, 2025. Themed on "Connecting the World for a Shared Future," the expo, hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, kicked off in Beijing on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
This photo shows the venue of the third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing, capital of China, July 16, 2025. Themed on "Connecting the World for a Shared Future," the expo, hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, kicked off in Beijing on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Wang Jingyi)
People take photos with a costumed character Ne Zha during the premiere of the Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), July 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Wen Xinnian)
A giant panda enjoys iced watermelon at the Chongqing Zoo in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, July 16, 2025. As the high temperature continues in Chongqing, the Chongqing Zoo has taken various measures to help animals beat the summer heat, including offering ice baths, providing air conditioning, and feeding animals with iced treats, all to ensure their safety and comfort throughout the season. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)
This photo taken on July 9, 2025 shows an owner of a homestay hanging an astronaut-shaped decoration onto the wall at the "Astronomy Town" in Kedu Town, Pingtang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province. China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish and most sensitive radio telescope, locates in a naturally deep and round karst depression in southwest China's Guizhou Province.
In 2007, Pingtang County launched a relocation program that involved 6,653 rural residents from Kedu and Tangbian townships. The program was implemented in order to prepare for the construction of the FAST, which was completed in 2016 and started formal operations in 2020.
From September 2015, Kedu Township started a plan to transform itself into an astronomy-themed town, taking advantage of its proximity to the FAST. Many relocated rural residents have found jobs or started their own businesses in the town.
Tourist service facilities, along with job opportunities of handsome pay, have been mushrooming as more and more astronomy lovers flock here over the years. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)
