Society

Despite a 4-0 defeat to Japan in the U23 Asian Cup final on Saturday, the Chinese men's national under-23 football team received overwhelming applause for their performance after achieving the runners-up finish, China's best-ever result in the tournament.

China's top sport authority, the General Administration of Sport of China (GASC), and football governing body, the Chinese Football Association (CFA), both issued congratulatory letters to the team's breakthrough, noting their achievement was a "best-ever result in the tournament" and "reignited hope for the revitalization of Chinese football."

The team's "outstanding performance has boosted the morale and vitality of Chinese football, serving as a strong impetus to reinforce confidence and determination in the revitalization of the sport," the GASC letter reads.

Lanzhouxi Railway Station Platform Photo, Mar 2025

China will implement a new national railway timetable from Jan 26 as part of a regular adjustment aimed at improving network efficiency, optimizing transport supply and better supporting high-quality economic and social development, China State Railway Group, the country's rail transport operator, said on Tuesday.

According to the new timetable, the national rail network will operate 12,130 scheduled passenger trains, an increase of 243 from the current schedule. The number of freight trains will rise to 23,748, up 177, according to China State Railway Group. The changes are expected to further enhance passenger and cargo transport capacity and efficiency.

From production flaw to cultural icon, this accidental "sad horse" resonates with young professionals as a symbol of resilience in the face of exhaustion and high pressure.

A plush toy horse designed as a cheerful Chinese New Year mascot has galloped into unexpected popularity — with an ironic twist.

Created for the upcoming Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac, it was originally meant to wear an upturned smile. Instead, due to a production error at a factory in Yiwu, Zhejiang province — widely known as the world's capital of small commodities — the toy left the assembly line with its mouth stitched into a distinct, down-turned pout.

"It was simply a worker's mistake — the mouth was sewn upside down," factory owner Zhang Huoqing said in an interview on Friday.

When editors began stitching together footage shot above 5,000 meters on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the challenge was not only artistic but technical.

Temperatures plunged, air pressure thinned and data volumes surged as crews filmed Beyond the Frozen Horizon, a feature-length documentary that premiered nationwide in China earlier this month.