Express

May 19， 2021： China National Space Administration releases two photos taken by Chinas first Mars rover Zhurong from the red planet， showing the probe Tianwen-1 successfully touching down at its pre-selected landing area in southern Utopia Planitia， a vast plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars on May 15.

The Mars landing marks an important step in Chinas interstellar exploration journey—a leap from the Earth-Moon system to the interplanetary system. It is the first Chinese footprint on Mars and another milestone in Chinas space endeavor. courtesy of China National Space Administration

November 8， 2012： Chinese scientist Yuan Longping with a Filipino hybrid rice farmer. Yuan Longping， known as the “father of hybrid rice，” passed away at the age of 91 on May 22， 2021 in Changsha City， Hunan Province.

Yuan had devoted his life to hybrid rice research. At present， the annual hybrid rice planting area in China exceeds 16 million hectares， and the annual increase in grain production alone feeds 80 million people more. With less than nine percent of the worlds arable land， China feeds nearly 20 percent of the worlds population.

Chinas hybrid rice has been planted in dozens of countries and regions in Asia， Africa and the Americas. Yuan and his team helped with hybrid rice research in India， Pakistan， Vietnam， Myanmar， Bangladesh， Sri Lanka， Madagascar， the United States， and many other countries. They trained over 14，000 technical personnel in more than 80 developing countries， which greatly contributed to solving the worlds food problem. CFB

May 1， 2021： Children play in a digital immersive event of “The Heart of Beijing— City Mystery Box” in Wangfujing， an iconic shopping street in downtown Beijing.

Various activities were held for children across China to mark International Childrens Day on June 1. China is home to 253 million children under the age of 14 who account for nearly 18 percent of the total population. Today， the health of Chinese children has significantly improved. Nine-year compulsory education has been ensured nationwide. Rescue and protection institutions for children have steadily increased. Cultural products and venues for children have become more abundant. IC

May 23， 2021： Local residents receive COVID-19 vaccines in Shenfei Cultural Center， Shenyang City， Liaoning Province.

According to statistics from the National Health Commission， over 510 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered across China as of May 23. Chinas vaccine production capacity is accelerating. Over 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines can be administrated per day. The countrys immunization drive is at full speed. Visual People

May 18， 2021： Visitors at an exhibition at Nanjing Museum. May 18 was International Museum Day. Established by the International Council of Museums 44 years ago， International Museum Day has greatly promoted the development of the global museum industry and helped many visit and better understand museums.

In 2020， museums in China held more than 29，000 exhibitions and organized around 225，000 activities. Under epidemic prevention and control measures， 540 million visitors were still received， including 130 million minors. “Going to the museum” has become a new trend. VCG