Women helped build China's 2,200-year-old Terracotta Warriors, according to a new study of fingerprints preserved in the clay warriors - the first quantitative biological evidence challenging the long-standing assumption that the standardized, large-scale production of the life-size clay figures was exclusively men's work. Researchers from the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum and Shandong University examined 79 distinct fingerprints on 23 terracotta figures. Using a Bayesian mixture model - a statistical method that estimates the overall makeup of a group from imperfect individual clues rather than identifying any single person - they concluded that about 45% of the prints likely came from adult men, 32.7% from adult women, while 22.3% from people under age 15.

Imagine driving to work and back home every day on this mind-bending route in southwest China's Chongqing. Would you be up for it?

The China Great Wall Museum at the foot of the renowned Badaling Great Wall in Beijing reopened to the public on Saturday after an extensive renovation and upgrade. The museum, with a floor area of 16,000 square meters, features exhibition areas, educational and public service areas, collection storage areas and research spaces. Its permanent exhibition and special thematic displays explore the Great Wall's history and culture. The permanent exhibition features more than 700 cultural relics, including many on loan from museums across China.

The future is here | Where sand meets light, oases grow alongside Deep in the Kubuqi Desert in Dalad Banner, Ordos, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, rows of solar panels now stretch across what was once drifting sand. Here, sunlight is turned into clean electricity, and the desert itself is beginning to change. The panels shade the ground, help retain moisture, and give vegetation a chance to return. This is more than a power project. It offers a glimpse of two futures at once: a future powered by clean energy, and a future where development and nature can move forward together. In China, that future is already taking shape — one panel, one patch of green, one desert at a time.

The Zhongwei Shapotou National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Ningxia has been carrying out sustained sand control efforts in recent years, achieving a significant increase in vegetation coverage and a continuous improvement in wildlife habitats. Monitoring shows that the goitered gazelle, a species under second-class national protection in China, has established several multiple colonies and its population is on a steady rise.

Autumn harvest is in full swing across China, with farmers gathering bountiful agricultural produce.

Populus euphratica forests in northwest China's Lop County have entered the best viewing season, attracting tourists to enjoy the spectacular autumn scenery.

China's central bank, the People's Bank of China, will issue a set of commemorative coins featuring giant pandas on Oct. 30, 2026. The front side of each coin will feature the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the main structure of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, along with the country's official name and the year of issurance. Each coin will feature engravings of two giant pandas cuddling together on the reverse side, which will also be inscribed with the denomination and weight of the coin, as well as the purity of the kind of precious metal used in the coin. All 15 coins of the 2027 edition will be legal tender in the country.

October 24 marks International Gibbon Day, highlighting conservation efforts to protect these threatened primates. In China, the gibbon population in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, established in 2021, has continued to grow. According to official data, the population of Hainan gibbons has increased to 44 in seven groups, making it the only gibbon species in the world with a continuously growing population.

11th Global Mazu Culture Forum to be held in SE China's Fujian from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 The 11th Global Mazu Culture Forum will be held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 in southeast China's Fujian Province, organizers announced at a press conference in Beijing on Oct. 23. The main venue will be Meizhou Island in Putian, with 13 branch venues across the world. Among them, a forum on Mazu culture and cultural exchanges between China and Brazil will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the first offline sub-forum the event has staged overseas. Under the theme "Peace Reigns Across the Four Seas, Love Creates the Future," this year's forum is co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the government of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the Fujian provincial government. It will run alongside the 28th Meizhou Mazu Culture Tourism Festival. "Mazu culture is an important part of fine traditional Chinese culture," said Jiang Erxiong, vice-governor of Fujian. She noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China will enable 30 countries to use the MAZU AI-powered meteorological warning system to safeguard homes around the world, highlighting the contemporary value and global significance of Mazu culture. Ten sub-forums will cover topics including cultural tourism in Fujian and Taiwan, youth exchanges, peace, the marine economy, green power on islands, rural revitalization, mangrove ecology, humanitarian affairs, women's exchanges, and China-Brazil cultural exchanges. During the forum, organizers will release the first batch of typical cases of marine disaster reduction in China, version 2.0 of the "Mazu" intelligent marine forecasting model, a Mazu culture digital platform, a report on the development of Chinese Mazu culture and the Meizhou Declaration. A delivery ceremony for MAZU intelligent all-in-one units to Sri Lanka, a Mazu scholarship presentation and the appointment of global ambassadors for Mazu culture are also on the agenda, along with folk performances and the dance drama "Mazu." Since it was approved in 2016, the forum has grown from a purely academic event into a comprehensive humanities forum, promoting the Mazu spirit of virtue, kindness and great love.

One brave step at a time! A red panda adorably climbs its way up some branches at a zoo in Zhongshan, south China’s Guangdong Province.

Photos show the Orionid meteor shower in the sky over northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The Orionid meteor shower, caused by remnants from Halley's comet, peaked on Wednesday and Thursday.

More than just beautiful designs! A Hanfu vlogger from central China’s Hubei Province showcases the intricate patterns of Hanfu—each carrying unique charm and wishes for good fortune.

The People's Bank of China on Thursday issued a set of commemorative coins to mark the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March. The set of commemorative coins comprises one gold coin with a face value of 100 yuan (about $14.97) and one silver coin with a face value of 10 yuan, both of which are legal tender of the People's Republic of China. #LongMarch90

Would you take a stroll through a "mushroom" forest? Over 8,000 mushroom-shaped sweet osmanthus trees are in full bloom across the 27-hectare Hangzhou Guibo Garden in east China's Zhejiang Province, transforming it into a fairy tale-like wonderland.

China put a total of 1,625 kilometers of new railway lines into operation in the first three quarters of 2026 as the country, home to the world's largest high-speed rail network, speeds up efforts to build a modern railway infrastructure system. During the period, the railway sector completed fixed-asset investment of 601.2 billion yuan (about 89 billion U.S. dollars), up 1.3% year on year, according to data from the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway).

The morning glow bathes the Taihang Mountains in golden hues, highlighting the majestic peaks and showcasing the breathtaking beauty of north China's Shanxi Province.

A conversation with Liu Cixin: From The Three-Body Problem to the future of humanity In 2006, Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin's novel The Three-Body Problem began appearing in serial form in Science Fiction World magazine. Two decades later, the novel has not only made its mark on the world stage but also offered a lens through which to examine real-world developments. Artificial intelligence (AI), commercial spaceflight, and interstellar exploration are advancing at a remarkable pace, as humanity sets its sights on the far reaches of space. Recently, People's Daily spoke with Liu about science fiction and the future of human civilization. Q: What were you thinking when you first wrote The Three-Body Problem? How have your perspectives evolved since then? Liu Cixin: Twenty years ago, as I typed The Three-Body Problem on a computer in my office deep in the mountains, I never imagined it would find such a large readership. First and foremost, The Three-Body Problem is a work of popular fiction, intended above all to tell a story that leaves readers stunned. If I could step back into that moment, I might hesitate before including some of the darker themes woven into the story. They were originally narrative devices meant to engage readers, yet they have since been widely interpreted as reflections of what I later termed "cosmic sociology." With such a vast readership today, I sometimes feel I have lit a fire that now burns beyond my control. My fundamental worldview has remained unchanged over the past two decades. However, writing has grown more difficult. Generating fresh concepts for science fiction is increasingly challenging. On the one hand, AI is advancing rapidly. I am not worried about being replaced just yet, but what about 10 years from now? If AI can produce a superior manuscript in five minutes that would take a human writer five months to craft, what role will authors still play? On the other hand, science fiction has permeated almost every aspect of our lives and society. Paradoxically, this has diluted its identity as a distinct literary genre, making it harder for science fiction writers to thrive as its influence continues to spread. Contemporary Chinese science fiction is remarkably diverse. Younger writers often bring broader knowledge, wider perspectives, and a more nuanced understanding of how emerging technologies reshape society and everyday experience. Read full: en.people.cn/n3/2026/1022/c9…

Falling snow mingles with colorful foliage, creating an enchanting landscape in Ergun, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

China Post on Thursday issued a set of six commemorative stamps marking the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, an epic undertaking in modern Chinese history. These six stamps feature the following themes: the departure of the Red Army, the bloody Battle of the Xiangjiang River, the landmark Zunyi Meeting, the battle at Lazikou Pass, the victorious reunion of Red Army forces, and carrying forward the great Long March spirit. #LongMarch90