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CGTN: What is China doing to preserve, pass on and share its culture?

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BEIJING, Sept. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Fan Zaixuan, an expert in mural restoration, still vividly remembers the moment he first arrived at the Mogao Grottoes in the city of Dunhuang on the night of March 31, 1981.

“I could only hear the sound of the wind chimes from the Nine-story Building, which was very mysterious, and I was so excited that I didn’t sleep for the whole night.”

The Mogao Grottoes is the world’s largest and best-preserved Buddhist cave art site, with 735 caves spanning a cliff face 1,700 meters long, containing over 45,000 square meters of murals and more than 2,000 polychrome sculptures.

Fan, who is now in his 60s, has been working to restore the murals in the Mogao Grottoes for more than 40 years. “So far, I have restored an area that’s probably the size of a large cave in the Mogao Grottoes,” he told CGTN.

Fan knows better than anyone that restoring ancient artwork requires continuous and meticulous work from generation to generation. He developed his skills with the help of older preservers, such as Li Yunhe, who is in his 10th decade.

Li was the Dunhuang Academy’s first full-time cultural heritage restorer. He has been dedicated to the cause since 1956.

Now, Fan is the mentor, passing down his knowledge and experience to students. He hopes the younger generation will, in turn, continue the “Mogao spirit.”

Dai Chuan, one of Fan’s students, was born in the 1990s. However, he has already spent over a decade working to protect the murals in the Mogao Grottoes. “I am also willing to make the inheritance of Dunhuang culture my lifelong endeavor,” Dai said with determination.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made the Mogao Grottoes the first stop on his inspection tour to northwest China’s Gansu Province in August 2019.

He hailed Dunhuang culture as “a bright pearl in the long river of world civilization, and precious historical material for the study of the politics, economy, military, culture and art of various ethnic groups in ancient China.”

By the end of 2022, the academy had compiled a digital data collection on 278 caves, image processing for 164 of them, and the 3D reconstruction of 145 painted sculptures and seven ruins while delivering a panoramic tour program for 162 caves.

‘Preserving the roots’

An old Chinese proverb goes, “All things in the world have their laws for survival and development, but they know how to preserve their roots.”

President Xi has echoed this sentiment, often emphasizing the importance of protecting cultural heritage. He believes that the longevity of Chinese civilization is due to this fundamental understanding of its roots. “Because of this sense of roots, Chinese civilization has grown and flourished till today.”

Over the past decade, China has enhanced its systems and policies for protecting cultural heritage.

By the end of 2021, there were 108 million sets of state-owned movable cultural relics and about 767,000 immovable ones in China.

To date, China has 59 sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, ranking second globally. It also has 43 items on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, making it the country with the most listings in the world.

Initiated by China and joined by over 20 Asian countries, the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia (ACHA) was established in 2023, putting a spotlight on promoting Asian cultural heritage conservation cooperation and inheriting and developing Asian civilizations in various forms.

Under the framework of the ACHA, China has been involved in 33 joint archaeological projects in 19 Asian countries and participated in conservation projects at 11 historical monuments in six Asian countries.

The establishment of the ACHA is a major part of the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi, which called for respecting the diversity of civilizations, advocating the common values of humanity, valuing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and strengthening international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.

Over the years, China has stayed committed to and taken concrete actions toward the harmonious coexistence of various civilizations in the world. The country has signed cooperation agreements with 157 countries in the fields of culture, cultural heritage and tourism.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-09-23/What-is-China-doing-to-preserve-pass-on-and-share-its-culture–1x87ZjqBig0/p.html

SOURCE CGTN

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Powering ASEAN’s Manufacturing Transformation: IME 2026 Connects Technology, Industry and Opportunity

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July 20, 2026

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BANGKOK, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As global supply chains shift toward digital and green innovations, ASEAN has emerged as a dynamic manufacturing powerhouse. Leading this growth is Thailand, a vital hub for automotive and electronics, which is accelerating its transition to smart manufacturing under its “Thailand 4.0” strategy and the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy Model.

The Intelligent Manufacturing Expo Southeast Asia (IME 2026) will take place from July 22-24, 2026, at the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center in Bangkok. Jointly organized by the Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, DEXPO Shanghai Industry & Commerce Exhibition Co., Ltd., and Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd., IME 2026 is the first overseas exhibition independently organized by the organizers of the China International Industry Fair (CIIF).

Covering 5,000 square meters, the event will bring together nearly 150 leading companies from China and other markets to showcase industrial automation, intelligent control, AI, robotics, system integration, smart production lines, CNC machine tools, advanced manufacturing equipment, and industrial digitalization solutions. Chinese manufacturers increasingly view Thailand as a gateway to the regional market, while Thai companies are seeking automation, industrial internet, artificial intelligence and green manufacturing solutions to raise productivity, energy efficiency and competitiveness. Additionally, 10 specialized events — featuring forums and business-matching — will seamlessly connect Chinese and Thai enterprises to align technologies with market needs and unlock commercial opportunities.

The exhibition will highlight manufacturing solutions already implemented and validated in Thailand and other Asian markets. Han’s Laser has delivered Thailand’s first 40 kW bevel laser-cutting system in Chonburi, helping a local manufacturer improve processing efficiency and reduce overall production costs. DENAIR’s oil-free air compressor solution has been deployed by a pharmaceutical company in Bangkok, helping the customer achieve energy savings of approximately 20%. HSG Laser’s equipment has also been adopted on a larger scale by THACO in Vietnam, where 17 machines have been put into operation.

Leading exhibitors will also introduce advanced products to the Southeast Asian market. Bodor Laser will showcase its A Series sheet laser-cutting machines, with power options ranging from 1.5 kW to 60 kW to meet requirements from precision processing to thick-plate cutting. HSG Laser will present its R2 general-purpose laser tube-cutting machine, featuring a professional chuck and an automatic follow-up support system for efficient tube processing. Shenzhen Inovance Technology Co., Limited will display the MD630 Series general-purpose AC drive, designed to support intelligent control and the digital upgrading of equipment and production lines.

To turn technology displays into business opportunities, IME 2026 is combining promotion through Facebook, Google and LINE with targeted outreach using Southeast Asian manufacturing databases. Promotion teams have also visited major industrial areas, including WHA industrial estates, Rojana Industrial Park and the Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone.

IME 2026 has received strong support from industrial organizations and partners in Thailand and China. Supporting organizations include: The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), Thai IoT Association (TIoTA), National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC), Thai-German Institute (TGI), Thai Automation and Robotics Association (TARA), Thailand Automotive Institute (TAI), Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone (TCRIZ), Shanghai International Cooperation Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (SIAB), New Energy Nexus China, China-Thailand Convention and Exhibition Industry Trade Association, National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), Sustainable Manufacturing Center (SMC), Thai Machinery Association (TMA), Technology Promotion Association (Thailand-Japan) (TPA), Nava Nakorn Public Company Limited (NNCL), and Cyber Innovation Promotion Association of Technology (CIPAT).

By bringing together advanced technologies, proven applications, professional buyers and regional industrial resources, IME 2026 aims to connect Chinese manufacturing capabilities with Thailand’s industrial transformation and the wider growth opportunities of ASEAN.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/powering-aseans-manufacturing-transformation-ime-2026-connects-technology-industry-and-opportunity-302829312.html

SOURCE DEXPO Shanghai Industry & Commerce Exhibition Co., Ltd.

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Omni HR Launches Native MCP Integration, Connecting AI Assistants to Live HR Data

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July 20, 2026

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The integration gives leading AI assistants direct access to Omni HR data — scoped entirely to each user’s existing permissions, with nothing stored at the connector level.

SINGAPORE, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Omni HR today announced the launch of its native MCP integration, enabling the AI assistants HR teams already use, like Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor, to read and act on live HR data. Every action the AI takes is scoped to what the authenticated user is already authorized to see in Omni, with no new access granted or HR data stored at the connector level.

The launch marks the next step in Omni’s expanding AI capabilities. In June 2026, Omni released Mino, its AI agent built to work inside the platform. The MCP integration extends that intelligence outward: the AI tools teams are already using can now reach into Omni’s unified data layer and act on it in context, without switching systems or copying data between tools, or loosening the access controls governing who sees what.

Omni’s State of AI in HR report found that only 21% of HR leaders across Singapore and the Philippines trust AI outputs enough to act on them without manual review, a confidence gap the report traces directly to fragmented, inconsistent HR data. Because Omni consolidates all HR data into one centralized, real-time system, the integration has something reliable to work from, and users can trust what it returns.

Together, Mino and the MCP integration form two sides of the same commitment: making Omni’s HR data work harder for every team. With the integration connected, teams can ask their AI assistant to pull who’s on leave this week, run a headcount snapshot by department, or update an employee’s profile data, and get the answer or take the action in plain language. The integration works across Omni’s core HR modules today, spanning employee data, lifecycle management and time off, and gets more capable as the toolset expands.

“Mino brought AI into Omni. The MCP integration brings Omni into the AI tools your teams are already using every day. What makes both of them different is that your access controls travel with the data. The AI doesn’t get a bigger view of your business than the person operating it — and we think that’s the standard the whole industry should be held to.”

— Brian Ip, CEO, Omni HR

MCP is available now in early access for Omni HR customers. To see it, book a demo at omnihr.co/demo.

About Omni HR

Omni HR is the AI-native, all-in-one HR and payroll platform built for Asia. It runs hiring, people operations, performance, and payroll for multi-country teams across the region, with built-in compliance support for the regulatory complexity that comes with operating across borders in Asia. Learn more at omnihr.co.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/omni-hr-launches-native-mcp-integration-connecting-ai-assistants-to-live-hr-data-302829218.html

SOURCE Omni HR

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Shop Smarter in China: JD.com Upgrades Online Tax-Free Shopping with Instant VAT Refunds

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July 20, 2026

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BEIJING, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Shopping in China is now even easier for international travelers. Building on the launch of China’s first online departure tax refund store this May, JD.com (also known as JINGDONG) has introduced three new digital upgrades to make tax-free shopping faster and more convenient: fully paperless tax refund processing, international bank card binding, and an instant VAT refund option.

Available through the JD.com app in both English and Chinese, the service allows eligible foreign visitors, as well as travelers from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, to shop online from more than one million products across nearly 800 sub-categories. Eligible purchases may receive VAT refunds of up to 9% under China’s departure tax refund policy, helping travelers save on everything from consumer electronics and home appliances to beauty products, fashion and cultural merchandise.

The upgraded experience makes online shopping simple from start to finish. Travelers can browse products marked with the tax refund label, enter their travel information during checkout, and have the required electronic tax refund documents generated automatically—eliminating paper forms and simplifying the refund process.

JD.com has also enhanced payment convenience by enabling users to securely link internationally issued bank cards directly to their JD.com accounts through JD PAY, creating a seamless checkout experience without requiring a local payment method.

For even greater convenience, shoppers can choose the instant VAT refund option when placing eligible orders. Once authorized, an advance payment equivalent to the estimated VAT refund is credited directly to the linked bank card, allowing travelers to enjoy their tax savings immediately instead of waiting until departure.

Unlike traditional tax-free shopping, JD.com’s online service lets travelers shop anytime, anywhere without visiting a physical store. During the current pilot in Beijing, eligible purchases can be delivered directly to hotels or other designated addresses through JD.com’s signature same-day and next-day delivery service, combining the convenience of online shopping with one of China’s fastest retail fulfillment networks.

“JD.com is committed to making shopping in China easier and more enjoyable for international visitors through technology and supply chain innovation,” said a JD.com spokesperson. “We will continue expanding our selection of tax-free products, enhancing digital services, and bringing this convenient online tax-free shopping experience to more cities across China.”

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/shop-smarter-in-china-jdcom-upgrades-online-tax-free-shopping-with-instant-vat-refunds-302828240.html

SOURCE JD.com

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