BEIJING, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — I was born under the Chinese zodiac sign of the Horse, a sign that revisits me every 12 years in a cycle as constant as the seasons. The year 2026 is the seventh Year of the Horse that I have welcomed. Already, I hear the distinct and resonant sound of its hooves galloping closer from the far horizon. 

My lifelong friend Han Meilin, a renowned Chinese artist, excels at painting horses. With each significant event in my life, he has always presented me a spirited and elegant horse portrait – using the horse as a metaphor for me – to express his heartfelt artistic sentiments.

The memory of my 80th birthday remains vivid to this day. Seized by a spontaneous call of passion, my friend Han painted 80 horses, each one entirely unique. When this artwork arrived in Tianjin by express delivery and was unrolled before my eyes, a breathtaking artistic panorama unfurled.

Within it, some steeds are depicted charging with fiery vigor, others soar as if taking flight; some reveal a grounded majesty, while others move with untamed elegance. Every expression stirred in me an emotion, a revelation, or an inspiration.

Twenty years ago, when the Feng Jicai Institute of Literature and Art of Tianjin University was established, Han gifted me a magnificent eight-foot ink-and-color painting titled Ben Ma (lit: Galloping Steed). Inscribed upon it was the renowned poem “Yong Yin Ma” (lit: Ode to the Drinking Steed) by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

I fathomed his painted message – he hoped I would pour my soul into a purpose greater than myself while achieving a meaningful career. Later, when I held a public-benefit painting exhibition at the Suzhou Museum to support the development of folk culture, he came all the way to Suzhou to support me. He also gifted me another horse painting titled Qiji Tu, which roughly translates to “Painting of a noble and exceptional steed.” Qiji is an elegant classical Chinese term referring to an exceptional, fleet-footed horse.

In 2025, when I completed the construction of a cultural museum at Tianjin University, he crafted a tall and majestic bronze sculpture titled Tian Ma (lit: Celestial Steed) and placed it at the museum’s entrance. Its base was designed as a slope, a quiet metaphor for his wish that I continue climbing upward, pausing neither my stride nor my journey across the vast skies.

I cherish his horses because they carry the profound heritage of Chinese culture. Within them, one traces the spirit of Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220) and Tang Dynasty steeds, the brushwork of masters like Han Gan and Li Gonglin, and the earthy vitality of clay sculptures from Fengxiang district of Baoji, in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province and Huaiyang district of Zhoukou, in Central China’s Henan Province. Yet the most vivid presence in every stroke remains Han himself.

His horses are all untamed and charge fearlessly forward. With bold sweeps of ink, he shapes the powerful bodies of the steeds. In a few expressive strokes, he captures the steeds’ strong backs and spines that bear great weight; following the brush’s momentum, he renders the manes and tails that seem to fly with passion; and with ­seemingly casual touches, he creates vigorous legs and swift hooves that slice through the wind… After over 40 years of friendship with him, I too have become one of the horses born from his brush.

From the horses he paints for me, I see his wishes for my health, for my perseverance, and his encouragement for my occasional successes – along with, of course, his generous and perhaps overly kind praise. The horse has become the most direct, intimate, and beautiful language between us.

Of course, my own stories with the horse are countless in their own right.

My Chinese zodiac sign is “Horse.” The character for my surname “Feng” is made up of the character for “horse” and the two brush stroke for “ice,” which is why colloquially the surname “Feng” is referred to as “two horses” in Chinese. The “Ji” in my given name “Jicai” also incorporates the character for horse.

Altogether that’s four horses, a number which later happened to align perfectly with the four main endeavors of my life: painting, literature, cultural heritage preservation, and education, earning me the nickname “The Carriage Drawn by Four Horses.”

Now that I am older, my passion for these pursuits remains undiminished, and I find myself unable to abandon any of them. With many ideas still left unrealized, I continue to drive all four forward in tandem. This year, in particular, brings me special joy as it is once again the Year of the Horse. The spirit of the horse – its vitality, tenacity, and relentless drive – are qualities I have always cherished. And of course, they are qualities our Chinese nation has treasured since ancient times.

We absorb the spirit of the horse into our very being. And so, at this very moment, we raise our arms high, wave our hands, and welcome the Horse of the Bingwu year. Then, with a steadying hand on the saddle, we leap onto its back, give it free rein, and gallop forth, embracing this Year of the Horse in all its courage, its boundless energy, and the exhilarating promise of a thousand-mile journey beneath the sun.

The author Feng Jicai is a renowned Chinese writer. 

SHANGHAI, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Visitor registration has officially opened for the 21st ALUMINIUM CHINA, one of Asia’s leading trade events for the non-ferrous metals industry, scheduled for July 8–10, 2026, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).

Set against a backdrop of global manufacturing restructuring and accelerating low-carbon transition, ALUMINIUM CHINA 2026 will introduce a series of strategic upgrades aimed at supporting the aluminium and broader non-ferrous metals sector as it adapts to new market demands. This year’s trade show will focus on cross-industry integration, intelligent manufacturing, and sustainable development, reflecting structural shifts in global supply chains.

Responding to Structural Changes in the Aluminium Market

The aluminium industry is entering a period of rapid transformation driven by the continued expansion of new energy vehicles (NEVs), the emergence of low-altitude aviation and humanoid robotics, and ongoing advances in material substitution and processing technologies. These trends are reshaping demand for lightweight, high-performance and low-carbon materials, significantly expanding the application scope of aluminium and related metals.

Building on more than two decades of industry development, ALUMINIUM CHINA 2026 aims to serve as a high-level international platform connecting producers, processors, equipment suppliers, and end users across the entire non-ferrous metals value chain.

Five Concurrent Trade Shows Under One Roof

A key highlight of the 2026 edition is the adoption of a “Five Concurrent Trade Shows” format. In addition to ALUMINIUM CHINA, the event will be held alongside Lightweight Asia 2026, Copper China 2026, Magnesium China 2026, and the 2026 Shanghai International Metal Recycling Expo.

The integrated format is designed to address growing demand for diversified materials and system-level solutions across industries such as automotive, electronics, energy, and advanced manufacturing.

The combined exhibition will feature:

• 60,000 square meters of exhibition space
• More than 650 exhibitors from around the world
• Over 35,000 professional visitors, including 4,000+ international attendees

The one-stop platform is expected to improve sourcing efficiency and promote collaboration across aluminium, copper, magnesium, and recycling sectors.

Structured Hall Layout Highlights Materials, Equipment and Global Technologies

To enhance professional engagement, ALUMINIUM CHINA 2026 will adopt a precisely segmented hall layout, focusing on three core areas.

The Materials Hall will showcase innovations spanning primary aluminium, alloys, and high-end fabricated products, with a particular emphasis on applications for NEVs, packaging, consumer electronics, low-altitude economy, and robotics. Exhibits will highlight performance enhancement, lightweight design, and advanced material solutions.

The Equipment Hall will focus on technologies enabling digitalization and intelligent manufacturing. Exhibitors will present integrated solutions covering aluminium processing, automation, and smart production systems aimed at improving efficiency, quality, and sustainability.

The International Hall will bring together leading global technology providers and manufacturers, offering a platform for international exchange, technology showcase, and cooperation. The hall is positioned as a bridge between China’s non-ferrous metals industry and global markets.

Platform for Global Collaboration and Knowledge Exchange

By combining multiple trade shows with targeted hall segmentation, ALUMINIUM CHINA 2026 seeks to create a high-density, professionally curated environment for technical exchange, business matchmaking, and strategic dialogue. The event will play a key role in supporting the industry’s transition toward high-end, low-carbon and intelligent development models.

Visitor Registration Now Open

Online visitor pre-registration for ALUMINIUM CHINA 2026 is now open.  Complete registration via the official link:  https://reed.infosalons.com.cn/reg/ALU26/web/#/en/login  before June 30, 2026 to receive an e-badge and waiver of the USD 15 on-site entry fee.

Industry professionals from around the world are expected to gather in Shanghai this July to explore emerging technologies, market trends, and collaboration opportunities shaping the future of the global non-ferrous metals industry.

BEIJING, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As dusk settled over Pinghu on February 7, the lakeside paths of the East Lake Scenic Area began to fill with visitors drawn toward the opening night of the 2026 Jinpinghu Lantern Show, an annual Lunar New Year event that transforms the waterfront into a landscape of light after dark.

At 6:30 p.m., a formation of drones rose into the night sky above the Li Shutong Memorial Hall, a familiar landmark, signaling the start of the evening. Moments later, an announcement marked the official opening of the show, and 45 thematic lantern installations—along with surrounding decorative lighting—were illuminated at once, casting color and reflection across the lake and setting the tone for the holiday season in Pinghu.

Spread across roughly 72,000 square meters, this year’s exhibition is laid out across four themed zones—among them sections called “Elegant Pinghu” and “Lanterns of Fortune”—its lanterns and ambient lighting shaped by a team from Zigong, a city long associated with the craft. Large-scale installations are interspersed with thousands of smaller lights, forming a nighttime circuit that comes into view gradually as visitors move through the grounds, guided as much by the contours of the landscape as by the displays themselves.

As outlined by the Pinghu Culture and Tourism Investment Group, the opening ceremony is only the beginning of a broader program that will continue throughout the Lunar New Year period. Plans include special performances on select evenings, as well as a recurring “Greeting the God of Wealth” parade that winds its way across the site during the holiday. During the Lantern Festival, a separate program focused on traditional arts—featuring performances such as Pinghu-style pipa music—is set to add another layer to the nighttime experience.

Taken together, these elements turn the Jinpinghu Lantern Show into more than a single evening spectacle. Over the course of the New Year celebrations, the lakeside paths become a place for unhurried walks, chance encounters with music and performance, and moments of pause beneath lantern light, as Pinghu marks the season through a blend of landscape, craft, and long-standing custom.

WUZHONG, China, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At 12:23 on February 8, two distributed synchronous condensers supporting the Wuzhong No. 64 Photovoltaic Power Station were successfully commissioned and connected to the grid, with all operating parameters meeting design standards. This milestone marks a key step forward for the Wuzhong power grid in enhancing voltage support capacity, improving grid stability, and ensuring efficient new energy accommodation.

Known as the “intelligent voltage stabilizer” for new energy stations, synchronous condensers are core equipment designed to address voltage fluctuations and grid stability challenges posed by the volatility and intermittency of photovoltaic and other renewable energy generation. The newly commissioned units boast a rated capacity of 20 Mvar, with advantages including fast dynamic response, strong reactive power regulation capability, and excellent overload performance.

To ensure the project’s smooth commissioning, State Grid Wuzhong Power Supply Company took early intervention and full-process tracking measures. A special acceptance team, consisting of technical backbones from dispatching operation, equipment maintenance, electrical testing and other professional fields, was established. In strict accordance with the commissioning and startup plans issued by State Grid Ningxia Electric Power and the Dispatching Control Center of State Grid Wuzhong Power Supply Company, the team completed a full range of verifications, including static inspection, no-load test, short-circuit test, grid-connected load test, and 168-hour trial operation.

During the test period, the synchronous condenser system operated stably, with outstanding performance in key indicators such as voltage support, inertia response, and harmonic suppression. It successfully passed the grid acceptance and was officially put into operation.

The commissioning of the distributed synchronous condensers will effectively enhance the dynamic reactive power support capacity of the Wuzhong No. 64 Photovoltaic Power Station, optimize power quality, and strengthen the grid’s anti-disturbance ability. It will also significantly reduce the risk of equipment disconnection caused by sudden changes in light intensity and load fluctuations, providing a solid guarantee for the safe and stable operation of substations and reliable power supply.

Furthermore, this achievement will further improve the regional power grid’s capacity to accommodate new energy, facilitate the efficient integration of more clean power into the main grid, and accelerate the green transformation of the energy structure in Wuzhong.