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Foreign Executive Witnesses Rise of Intelligent Manufacturing in east China’s Jiangxi

YICHUN, China, Dec. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A report from Jiangxi International Communication Center (JXICC): Since the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan, east of China’s Jiangxi Province has firmly grasped the key task of achieving new-type industrialization, advancing the “1269” Action Plan for modernizing pivotal manufacturing industrial chains in depth. Amid this profound transformation, insights from the front lines of enterprises have become a vivid window into Jiangxi’s efforts to improve industrial quality and efficiency.

 

World Influence Brought by Grinding Wheels

In the view of Yuri Shubov, CEO of Jiangxi Guanyi Grinding Co., Ltd., the past decade has been not only a period of corporate growth, but also a time in which he personally witnessed a comprehensive industrial transformation.

As a foreign executive who has long worked in the abrasives sector, Shubov has integrated the spirit of craftsmanship into production management and technological innovation, continuously promoting product upgrades and helping the company enter international markets.

“I have seen with my own eyes how the equipment on the workshop floor has become increasingly intelligent, and how product precision and competitiveness have continued to improve,” he said. “Behind this lies the support and upgrading of Jiangxi’s overall industrial ecosystem.”

From technological upgrading to the gradual adoption of intelligent manufacturing, and from local production to reaching global markets, his experience offers a vivid illustration of the steady and clearly defined steps by which “Made in Jiangxi” is moving toward “Intelligent Manufactured in Jiangxi“.

New Oriental to Report Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results on January 28, 2026

BEIJING, Dec. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc. (the “Company” or “New Oriental”) (NYSE: EDU/ 9901.SEHK), a provider of private educational services in China, today announced that it will report its financial results for the second quarter ended November 30, 2025, before the U.S. market opens on January 28, 2026. New Oriental’s management will host an earnings conference call at 8 AM on January 28, 2026, U.S. Eastern Time (9 PM on January 28, 2026, Beijing/Hong Kong Time). Participants can join the conference using the below options:

Dialling-in to the conference call:

Please register in advance of the conference, using the link provided below. Upon registering, you will be provided with participant dial-in numbers, and unique personal PIN.

Conference call registration link:
https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BI020d68a856074cdfb8b35fdbbf5fed20. It will automatically direct you to the registration page of “New Oriental FY2026 Q2 Earnings Conference Call” where you may fill in your details for RSVP.

In the 10 minutes prior to the call start time, you may use the conference access information (including dial in number(s) and personal PIN) provided in the confirmation email received at the point of registering.

Joining the conference call via a live webcast:

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at http://investor.neworiental.org.

Listening to the conference call replay:

A replay of the conference call may be accessed via the webcast on-demand by registering at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/ceuzs6xr first. The replay will be available until January 28, 2027:

About New Oriental

New Oriental is a provider of private educational services in China offering a wide range of educational programs, services and products to a varied student population throughout China. New Oriental’s program, service and product offerings mainly consist of educational services and test preparation courses, private label products and livestreaming e-commerce, overseas study consulting services, and educational materials and distribution. New Oriental is listed on NYSE (NYSE: EDU) and SEHK (9901.SEHK), respectively. New Oriental’s ADSs, each of which represents ten common shares, are listed and traded on the NYSE. The Hong Kong-listed shares are fully fungible with the ADSs listed on NYSE.

For more information about New Oriental, please visit http://www.neworiental.org/english/.

Contacts

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Ms. Sisi Zhao                                                                  Ms. Rita Fong
New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc.      FTI Consulting                          
Tel:         +86-10-6260-5568                                           Tel:        +852 3768 4548                       
Email:     zhaosisi@xdf.cn                                               Email:    rita.fong@fticonsulting.com

Insilico Medicine Lists on Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Showing AI Drug Discovery Momentum with 2025’s Largest Hong Kong Biotech IPO

HONG KONG, Dec. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Insilico Medicine (3696.HK), a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company driven by generative artificial intelligence (AI), is successfully listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange today, becoming the first AI-driven biotech company to go public in Main Board under Chapter 8.05 listing rules of the HKEX. This initial public offering (IPO) raised a total of HKD 2.277 billion, achieving the largest biotech IPO in Hong Kong this year, as in the size of fundraising.

Insilico Medicine
Insilico Medicine

“With this massively oversubscribed listing we set several world’s firsts further confirming Insilico’s validated leadership position in AI-powered drug discovery and development and the strength of our platform and pipeline. Insilico is dedicated to extending human productive longevity and this listing provides us with more resources to advance our mission”, says Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, Founder and CEO, Chief Business Officer of Insilico Medicine. “Over the past few years, we set very clear industry benchmarks demonstrating that AI can help make drug discovery faster, cheaper, and deliver higher success rates in preclinical and early clinical development. We have validated the end-to-end capabilities of AI-empowered programs from novel target discovery to molecular generation, and then to preclinical and clinical stages. Going forward, we will continue to increase investment in our AI platform and innovative pipeline, accelerate the advancement of differentiated innovative programs into clinic, and bring truly accessible, affordable, and breakthrough treatment solutions to patients worldwide.”

“Today marks not only an important step forward for Insilico Medicine, but also a new starting point for our deep integration of AI with life sciences and reshaping of the drug development paradigm”, says Feng Ren, PhD, Co-CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine. “With our self-developed AI platform, we have identified innovative targets and novel molecules with first-in-class or best-in-class potential across multiple disease areas, and several programs have already entered clinical development. We believe that the value of AI extends far beyond cost reduction and efficiency gains; it lies in continuously pushing the boundaries of foundational innovation.  Support from the capital markets will help us further enhance our AI platform, expand our pipeline, improve R&D efficiency, and collaborate with global partners to accelerate the translation of innovative medicines. Guided by a long‑term vision and driven by technology, we are committed to transform AI into real productivity that improves human health.”

Global Capital Endorsement: AI‑driven Biotech Lands on HKEX

As a global pioneer AI‑driven biotechnology company, Insilico’s Hong Kong listing, jointly sponsored by Morgan Stanley, CICC and GF Securities, attracted strong interest and active participation from both local and international investors. A total of 94,690,500 shares were offered globally, with 10% Hong Kong public offering, which was oversubscribed by approximately 1427.37 times, locking in subscription funds of over HKD 328.349 billion and setting a record for Hong Kong public offering subscription amount among non‑18A healthcare IPOs in Hong Kong during the year. The international offering accounted for 90% of the total, and was oversubscribed by 26.27 times, marking the most oversubscribed case in international placement among non‑18A healthcare IPOs in Hong Kong during the year.

In terms of cornerstone, Insilico introduced 15 cornerstone investors globally, including Lilly, Tencent, Temasek, Schroders, UBS AM, Oaktree, E Fund and Taikang Life Insurance, among others, forming an all-star line‑up covering global pharmaceutical leaders, internet giants, international sovereign funds and large asset managers, as well as leading Chinese mutual funds and insurances funds.

Notably, Lilly and Tencent for the first time subscribed as cornerstone investors in a biotechnology company, highlighting cross‑industry leaders’ recognition of and confidence in the AI‑driven R&D business. Additionally, Oaktree Capital, a long‑term U.S. investment institution, returned to the Hong Kong biotech market as a cornerstone investor for the first time this year, reflecting its continued optimism about the long‑term value of the capital market and innovative pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, several international institutional investors also made their first entry into the Hong Kong capital market through this offering, further enhancing Hong Kong’s position on the global capital map for healthcare and technology.

Racing Towards AI-first Innovation: From GANs Pioneer to Pharmaceutical Superintelligence

Insilico is at the forefront of generative AI application in life science research, aiming to tackle key scientific and technological challenges in life sciences from first principles using cutting‑edge generative AI. Since its inception, Insilico Medicine is committed to transparency and reproducibility, publishing hundreds of academic papers and presenting at frontier academic and industry conferences. 

In 2016, Insilico published a Nature Communications paper, proposing a novel computational method, iPANDA, to address core challenges in biomarker discovery and target-disease associations in omics data analysis. This pathway-based method has since evolved into multiple deep-learning generative algorithms behind Insilico’s AI‑powered biological research powering the PandaOmics platform. 

In 2019, Insilico’s publication in Nature Biotechnology described how its proprietary deep generative model, GENTRL, was used to discover a potent inhibitor of the kinase target DDR1. It took only 21 days from target identification to the generation of a molecule with drug‑like properties. This study is regarded as one of the landmark events in the rise of AI‑driven drug discovery and laid an important academic foundation for the widespread adoption of generative AI in drug discovery and development.

These two early academic papers, along with a series of other published fundamental research, laid a solid foundation for Insilico to build Pharma.AI, its integrated end‑to‑end platform spanning biology, generative chemistry, clinical development and scientific research. 

In 2025 alone, Insilico Medicine scientists published 9 papers in Nature-family journals and 10 papers in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 

Since 2020, the Pharma.AI platform has been launched and commercialized as a modular software suite, and its collaboration network has expanded globally. As of the latest practicable date, Insilico has entered into software licensing collaborations with 13 of the world’s top 20 largest pharmaceutical companies. 

By continuously iterating its algorithms, building proprietary multimodal data warehouses, and improving infrastructure and tooling, Insilico has consistently optimized the performance of the Pharma.AI platform and extended its capabilities into emerging areas such as sustainable chemistry and agriculture, driving deep integration of AI‑driven innovation across the entire life science value chain.

In December 2022, Life Star 1, the industry’s first fully automated biology laboratory independently constructed by Insilico, was officially put into operation. Highly integrated with Insilico’s AI platform, the lab closes the loop from in silico design to experimental validation, enabling a highly efficient “lights‑out factory” capable of unmanned operation. While supporting wet‑lab validation for both internal and partnered projects, it continuously accumulates high‑quality proprietary datasets to further power the evolution of the AI platform. In September 2025, the upgraded Life Star 2 was officially launched with significantly enhanced cross‑island equipment coordination and multi‑workflow parallel processing capabilities, establishing a more convenient, stable and highly scalable intelligent lab system through refined allocation algorithms and response mechanisms.

In 2025, Insilico first proposed the concept of Pharmaceutical Superintelligence, defining it as the next stage of AI‑driven drug R&D, which aims at a fully AI‑driven, autonomous, and intelligent system for drug discovery and development. Insilico’s experimentally-validated purpose-built models can now be used to make other frontier multimodal models including third-party models more intelligent and capable in multiple scientific discovery tasks. 

Global Leading AI R&D Capabilities: From First AIDD Milestone to Global Benchmarks

By integrating its proprietary AI‑enabled drug discovery platform with advanced automated laboratory capabilities, Insilico has significantly improved the efficiency of drug R&D in practice. It has not only delivered pioneering innovation milestones, but also established a benchmark for AI‑driven drug discovery. Compared with the average of 4.5 years typically required for traditional early‑stage drug R&D, Insilico reduced the average time from program initiation to preclinical candidate (PCC) nomination to 12–18 months across more than 20 in‑house programs between 2021 and 2024, with only 60–200 molecules synthesized and tested per program.

The most representative example is Rentosertib (ISM001‑055), a novel mechanism‑of‑action candidate for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) empowered by AI. This program is considered the most advanced first‑in‑class AI‑discovered drug currently in development. Insilico completed the early discovery phase in just 18 months and identified the PCC after screening and testing only 78 molecules. The AI‑driven R&D journey of this program, from target discovery and molecule design through to Phase I clinical studies, was published in Nature Biotechnology in March 2024, providing the first systematic demonstration of an AI‑enabled, end‑to‑end drug discovery process from scratch.

Also in 2024, Insilico completed the China Phase IIa clinical trial for Rentosertib, with favorable safety and tolerability demonstrated, as well as an emerging dose‑dependent efficacy trend in IPF patients, indicating the potential to reverse the disease progression. The results were published in Nature Medicine in May 2025 and are regarded as the first clinical proof‑of‑concept milestone in the AI drug discovery field, providing valid practical evidence for AI‑driven drug discovery.

In addition, Insilico continues to extend its specialized AI‑driven capabilities into more areas of high unmet medical needs, building a structured portfolio of more than 30 programs centered around key therapeutic areas including fibrosis, oncology, immunology, inflammation, cardiometabolics and central nervous system (CNS) disease. Among all the innovative pipelines, 10 have received IND clearance, 7 of them are currently in active clinical development.

Meanwhile, AI‑driven R&D collaborations and pipeline out‑licensing are expanding. As of the latest practicable date, Insilico has achieved 3 out‑licensing deals with global pharmaceutical companies including Exelixis and Menarini, with the maximum total deal value up to$2.1 billion. Furthermore, co‑development partnerships with global pharma leaders including Fosun Pharma, Sanofi and Lilly provide solid validation and powerful boost for the value of AI applications in the global drug discovery industry.

AI&DD Dual‑engine Drive: Global Appearance Attract Long‑term Support for Industry Paradigm Shift

Since its founding in the United States in 2014, Insilico Medicine has expanded its business to four continents with the pioneering AI&DD dual‑engine management model, driving an in-depth combination of AI algorithm innovation and drug development expertise to achieve efficient and balanced growth. As of the latest practicable date, under the leadership of its two Co‑CEOs, Insilico boasts an R&D team of 249 experienced scientists, with master and doctorate degree holders accounting for 87% of this highly international team.

Under this dual‑engine management framework, the two core leaders bring their unique strengths to work in close synergy. Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Business Officer of Insilico, focuses on the application of cutting‑edge AI technologies and is responsible for overall corporate strategy and AI innovation. Dr. Zhavoronkov is widely recognized for his academic influence and research productivity, being listed 3 times among the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers, with an H‑index of 72 assessed by Google Scholar. The drug discovery and development team is led by Feng Ren, PhD, Co-CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine, an experienced drug hunter, who is responsible for guiding R&D exploration directions and overseeing the execution of pipeline asset development. Dr. Ren has devoted nearly 20 years to innovative drug R&D and has authored more than 80 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and holds approximately 120 patents in total. 

Committed to open-source academic research and knowledge sharing, Insilico maintains active communication with the industry with continuous publication about technological breakthroughs and industrial milestones. The company authors more than 300 peer‑reviewed papers and holds over 700 patents or applications. Supported by its outstanding contribution, Insilico was recognized in the Nature Index 2024 list of the world’s top 100 global corporate institutions for biological sciences and natural sciences publications. In 2025, one of Insilico’s studies was selected among the top 10 advances by Nature Biotechnology, and featured on the journal’s December cover.

Following the IPO, Insilico plans to allocate approximately 48% of the net proceeds to fund further clinical research and development of our key clinical stage pipeline drug candidates, 20% to fund the research and development, for early-stage drug discovery and development, 15% for development of new generative AI models and the associated validation research work, 12% for the further development and expansion of our automated lab, and 5% for working capital and other general corporate purposes. While consolidating the strengths of its “AIDD dual‑engine” model, the company will continue to integrate global resources and seek collaboration opportunities to accelerate the fundamental paradigm shift across the biopharmaceutical industry.

About Insilico Medicine

Insilico Medicine is a pioneering global biotechnology company dedicated to integrating artificial intelligence and automation technologies to accelerate drug discovery, drive innovation in the life sciences, and extend healthy longevity to people on the planet. The company was listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on December 30, 2025, under the stock code 03696.HK.

By integrating AI and automation technologies and deep in-house drug discovery capabilities, Insilico is delivering innovative drug solutions for unmet needs including fibrosis, oncology, immunology, pain, and obesity and metabolic disorders. Additionally, Insilico extends the reach of Pharma.AI across diverse industries, such as advanced materials, agriculture, nutritional products and veterinary medicine. For more information, please visit www.insilico.com

 

“Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting” — Hong Kong Airlines × China Oriental Performing Arts Group

An immersive cultural journey takes flight

HONG KONG, Dec. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — To celebrate the return of the acclaimed dance drama “Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting” to the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre from 31 December 2025 to 3 January 2026, Hong Kong Airlines, in collaboration with the China Oriental Performing Arts Group and Elite Fun Entertainment Limited, proudly presents a special themed flight — “The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting — Hong Kong Airlines Invites You to Unfold the Scroll in the Skies.”

This unique initiative fuses the elegance of contemporary stage art with an innovative air travel experience, offering passengers the chance to immerse themselves in the beauty of Song Dynasty aesthetics while soaring through the skies — a celebration of Chinese cultural artistry at 30,000 feet.

As a landmark production representing the global reach of Chinese culture, “Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting” draws inspiration from the renowned Northern Song dynasty masterpiece “A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains”. Through the medium of dance poetry, it brings to life the aesthetic serenity and poetic spirit of the Song era.

Both Hong Kong Airlines and the China Oriental Performing Arts Group share a common vision of promoting and innovating traditional Chinese culture. Through this collaboration, the partners aim to use art as a bridge — allowing classical culture to be reborn above the clouds and transforming each journey into an extension of the stage itself, delivering a poetic experience that transcends time and space to the passengers.

On 29 December 2025, themed flight HX239 departed from Shanghai Hongqiao to Hong Kong. Hong Kong Airlines transformed the cabin of an A330 aircraft into a mobile scroll inspired by “A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains”.  Centred around vibrant landscapes of verdant mountains and rivers, the design weaves modern artistry into every detail of the inflight experience, creating an immersive cultural journey atmosphere.

Three lead dancers from “Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting” boarded as special guests, experiencing Hong Kong Airlines’ signature service firsthand and interacting with passengers while distributing exclusive commemorative gifts.

Hong Kong Airlines has specially designed commemorative boarding passes for this themed flight. Our cabin crew members also wore scarves and badges embodying the refined elegance of the Song Dynasty, posing for group photos with the lead performers after the flight to evoke the serene beauty of the verdant green theme. The inflight music and announcements further cultivated a tranquil and graceful onboard ambience through poetic soundscapes.

Hong Kong Airlines remains committed to its brand mission of “Connecting Culture Through Flight”, promoting the international appreciation of Chinese culture. Its collaboration with the China Oriental Performing Arts Group and Elite Fun Entertainment Limited represents a deep integration of art and aviation — reinterpreting the beauty of tradition through modern creativity and enabling cultural confidence and artistic warmth to meet in the skies.

Hong Kong Airlines President Mr Jeff Sun said, “We are truly honoured to bring the renowned dance drama ‘Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting’ aboard our flight. Through this collaboration, we hope to allow more travellers to experience the charm of traditional Chinese art and contemporary creativity during their journeys. Hong Kong Airlines will continue to fulfil our mission of connecting culture through flight, promoting Chinese culture on a global stage. We look forward to deepening our future cooperation, jointly developing cultural‑tourism IPs that showcase the power and elegance of Chinese culture to the world.

“We also wish every success for the Hong Kong performances.”

Please download high-resolution photos through this link.

The 2025 Hainan (Sanya) Marathon Concludes Successfully

SANYA, China, Dec. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A report from zgcsb.com:

The 2025 Hainan (Sanya) Marathon began Sunday, highlighting the island province’s drive to integrate sports with tourism and showcasing the vitality of the Hainan Free Trade Port. The race, themed “Run Past Your Limits. Straight to the Sea”, blended tropical island scenery with athletic competition through diverse event formats, specialized services and digital innovations.

The 2025 Hainan (Sanya) Marathon
The 2025 Hainan (Sanya) Marathon

Runners followed a course connecting Sanya’s major urban landmarks. Starting at the South Gate of the Beauty Crown, the route covered coastal roads with the full marathon finishing at the Sanya Bay Coastal Park and the half marathon ending at the Tianya Haijiao (Edge of the Sky, Rim of the Sea) tourist area. Events included full and half marathons with categories for men, women, teams and couples, drawing more than 14,000 participants.

The event’s national and international profile grew significantly. Participants came from 20 countries and regions including China, Malaysia, Russia, Canada and the United States, with domestic runners from all 34 administrative regions at the provincial level in China.

More than 50 overseas runners and guests benefited from Hainan’s visa-free policy for visitors from 86 nations and its expanding international flight network.

Top fitness influencer Will Liu joined the event as an official ambassador. He led a pre-race warm-up and ran the half marathon to promote public fitness initiatives.

Liu revealed that it was his first time running a marathon in Sanya. “The weather today was perfect – cool and breezy the whole way. It wasn’t too hot; I didn’t even need extra salt. I ran happily and comfortably, stopping to see all the sights and to interact and take pictures with many other runners and spectators along the route,” he said. “Hainan is an excellent place for tourism. Sanya is very suitable for sporting events. When I came last year for my friend Jay Chou’s concert, I wondered if there could be a sport suitable for the whole family. That’s why I was very happy to participate in this year’s Sanya Marathon.”

“Tourism isn’t just about eating and drinking,” he added. “Being able to run a marathon here is a completely different experience. I came early on purpose to enjoy Sanya’s beautiful scenery and tasty food first. I exercise twice a day. Yesterday, I played tennis for two hours in the morning and afternoon respectively. The winter weather here is so comfortable.”

“This year’s marathon is held right before the New Year. With this great form, we’re running right into 2026,” Liu said. “In a place with Sanya’s beautiful scenery, weather, environment and coastline, I hope everyone can move toward 2026 with a healthy body and lifestyle.”

“It’s my first full marathon,” said American runner Chad Ray Skidmore. “I came here because it shouldn’t be too difficult and the air quality is good. Sanya is a good place to be.”

The runner Yang Yuan from Inner Mongolia won the women’s full marathon title. She mentioned that this was her last marathon event of the year and her third time participating in the Sanya marathon. The warm weather in Sanya and familiarity with the course helped her relax and perform well. “After the race, I plan to visit some local attractions and try local specialties such as fermented vinasse soup hotpot and seafood,” she said.

Zhao Guohu, the winner of the men’s division in the Sanya Marathon, said that the course in Sanya is flat and the weather is warm, which is beneficial for achieving good results. During the race, the spectators and volunteers were very enthusiastic and energetic, cheering and shouting, creating a great atmosphere.

The prize structure was expanded to six categories with a total purse exceeding 500,000 yuan (about $70,000), allowing for cumulative awards. Categories included individual placements, record-breaking bonuses, special awards for Hainan-based runners, couple awards, team awards and outstanding runner recognitions.

Local cultural elements were featured throughout. Race apparel used a palette of ocean blue, palm green, sand yellow and sunshine orange. Finisher medals, shaped like a Sanya seashell with a hinged opening mechanism, featured cut-out designs of landmarks like Tianya Haijiao and Luhuitou (Deer Looking Back) Park, bordered by palm tree patterns. A detachable magnetic conch accessory added functional use.

The event emphasized “sports and tourism” by providing coordinated services for accommodations, transport, sightseeing and shopping. Partners offered discounted hotel rates with late checkout, preferential airfares and duty-free shopping perks for runners. Digital innovations included issuing unique blockchain-based digital commemorative medals available for purchase on Alipay platforms. Virtual races on Alipay, DingTalk and Amap allowed remote participation.

Hainan is building a year-round calendar of high-quality sporting events that attract global attention,” said Wu Fan from the mass sports division of Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports of Hainan Province. The Sanya marathon, now a China Athletics Association A1-certified “Gold Label” race, is one of Hainan’s five major sporting events. “Its growth demonstrates our commitment to integrating culture, sports and tourism to enhance international influence,” Wu said. “The successful marathon helps build momentum for the Sixth Asian Beach Games, which Sanya will host next April, showcasing an open, dynamic and green Hainan Free Trade Port.”

Since the start of 2024, Hainan has hosted over 700 sporting events, attracting more than 4 million spectators and generating over 7 billion yuan in consumer spending. The Sanya marathon, leveraging the province’s climate and ecological advantages, has become a key driver of local consumption by combining competition with tourism and vacation activities.

“This year’s Sanya Marathon demonstrates how the coastal city is hosting high-level events to build its capacity after the Hainan Free Trade Port launched island-wide special customs operations,” said Xie Yifa, deputy secretary-general of the Sanya Municipal People’s Government. “We hope to use this event to promote the integration of sports, tourism and culture in Sanya, letting the energy of competition complement the appeal of tourism.”

Yang Yong, General Manager of Events and Commercialization at event partner Orange Lion Sports (formerly Alibaba Sports), said the organizer utilized Alibaba ecosystem resources – including Taobao, Fliggy, Alibaba Health, Ant Chain and Amap – to extend the event’s reach and precisely attract domestic and international runners, helping unlock sports consumption potential.

Tenth Anniversary of Jiangxi’s First China-Europe Railway Express: Steel Silk Road Connects the World

NANCHANG, China, Dec. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A report from Jiangxi International Communication Center (JXICC): It has been ten years since Jiangxi’s first China-Europe Railway Express departed from Henggang Station (now Nanchang South Station) in January 2015. Over the past decade, this steel corridor has operated over a thousand trips, serving more than 300 local enterprises and driving remarkable growth in the province’s foreign trade. It has become a vital channel for Jiangxi’s deep integration into the Belt and Road Initiative and its pursuit of high-level opening-up.

 

Ten Years, Great Strides

As an eyewitness to this journey, Li Jian, the driver of the inaugural train, has seen its evolution from a weekly service to multiple departures daily. “What this train carries is not only goods, but also Jiangxi’s connectivity and opportunities with the world,” he said. Today, “Made in Jiangxi” products such as Jingdezhen ceramics, electronics and furniture are reliably transported via this international logistics corridor to more than 20 countries across Asia and Europe.

Currently, east of China’s Jiangxi Province is continuing to enhance the quality and efficiency of the China-Europe Railway Express by building smart ports and expanding cross-border e-commerce dedicated lines, further opening up international logistics channels. This transcontinental Steel Silk Road has become a key support for Jiangxi in building itself into an inland hub for opening-up and serving the new development paradigm.

 

Lane Crawford and AiDLab Partner to Innovate Fashion Retail through AI, Launching Interactive Personal Stylist


HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 December 2025 – Lane Crawford, Hong Kong’s iconic luxury department store and the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design (AiDLab) funded by the Government of Hong Kong SAR’s InnoHK Research Clusters, are partnering to innovate fashion retail through a series of AI initiatives including a first to market virtual personal fashion stylist.

Lane Crawford and AiDLab Partner to Innovate Fashion Retail through AI, Launching Interactive Personal Stylist

AiDLab, jointly established by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the UK’s Royal College of Art, will pair its pioneering Styling Advice & Retail Assistant (SARA) with the expertise and insights of Lane Crawford’s fashion stylists to enhance the retailer’s styling experience.

Underpinned by SARA, this collaborative initiative will introduce a virtual personal fashion stylist. The virtual stylist will track customers’ preferences, what’s in store and real-time fashion trends to generate personalised mix-and-match recommendations and offer virtual try‑ons of full head-to-toe looks, taking into account body type and fashion style. Each customer will have a unique avatar that adapts its visual identity to reflect their styling choices. Generative AI tools enable customisation with instant social sharing for enhanced engagement and organic marketing.

“Personal styling is an important and valued service at Lane Crawford, helping customers create and build their wardrobes balancing timeless essentials with on-trend pieces selected from more than 350 fashion and accessories brands,” said Jennifer Woo, Chairman and CEO of The Lane Crawford Joyce Group. “Partnering with AiDLab will help us innovate the customer experience and scale this service to more customers in more markets beyond our physical stores, while optimising the expertise of our own team and ensuring the authenticity of our point of view”

As part of the partnership, Lane Crawford will also explore different uses for AiDLab’s Interactive Design Assistant for Fashion (AiDA) system, which provides AI supported trend forecasting and product design and development through the fashion supply chain, blending human creativity with machine intelligence.

In parallel, the alliance will also launch the LC×AiDLab Community Building programme—a series of talks, workshops, and events designed to connect talent across fashion, design, and technology, and to highlight the role of Fashion AI in building a more sustainable and innovative industry.

“As a globally top-ranked university, PolyU is committed to advancing innovation and entrepreneurship to drive positive change. This partnership exemplifies the critical importance of collaboration between industry and academia, ensuring that research outcomes effectively benefit both the industry and society,” said Professor Wing-tak Wong, Management Board Chairman of AiDLab and Deputy President and Provost of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Professor Calvin Wong, CEO and Centre Director of AiDLab said: “AiDLab is committed to developing a range of innovative technologies that will further enhance the fashion retail experience and support the evolving needs of the industry. By merging the strengths of AiDLab and Lane Crawford, we can ensure that our technologies are not only innovative but practical and aligned with the needs of retailers and consumers.”

Hashtag: #LaneCrawford #AiDLab

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Lane Crawford

Founded in 1850, Lane Crawford is an iconic, luxury department store in Greater China with four stores in Hong Kong, one in Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, as well as a global digital flagship and shopfronts on WeChat and RED (Xiaohongshu).

Our designer brand portfolio extends across Womenswear, Menswear, Beauty and Wellness, Home and Lifestyle and Fine Jewellery, and is curated each season by our buyers who travel the world to bring back what they love – the special, the new, and beautifully crafted.

Lane Crawford forms part of The Lane Crawford Joyce Group, Asia’s premier fashion retail, brand management and distribution group, which also includes fashion boutique Joyce; and fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brand management and distribution business Imaginex Group.

About the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design (AiDLab) (www.aidlab.hk)

AiDLab is the regionally leading research platform that focuses on the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with design. It was jointly established by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Royal College of Art (RCA) in the UK, and is funded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the InnoHK Research Clusters. Located at the Hong Kong Science Park, AiDLab has established a new creative cluster of AI in design and is in a leading position internationally to conduct interdisciplinary research that drives innovation and sustainability, and makes a positive impact on both industry and society. AiDLab brings together a diverse mix of leading researchers and practitioners from its founding institutions to conduct research in three thematic programmes: AI in Fashion Design, AI in Textile and Apparel Quality Control, and AI in Ergonomic Design.

The English Adaptation of The Peony Pavilion Makes Its China Debut

FUZHOU, China, Dec. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A report from Jiangxi International Communication Center (JXICC): In 2025, coinciding with the 475th anniversary of Tang Xianzu’s birth, a cross-border “Dialogue of Dreams” took place in his hometown of Fuzhou, East of China’s Jiangxi Province. During the 2025 Tang Xianzu International Theatre Exchange Month, the English adaptation of the classic opera The Peony Pavilion, produced by the Shakespeare Institute of the University of Birmingham, made its China debut in Fuzhou, Jiangxi. Presented as a vivid form of cross-cultural dialogue, the performance commemorated the 475th anniversary of the birth of the Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu. Directed by internationally renowned theatre practitioner and stage artist Emily C. A. Snyder, the production reinterprets the 16th-century masterpiece in Shakespearean-style English and verse. Its innovative approach resonated strongly with audiences in Tang Xianzu’s hometown.


When Tang Xianzu’s Peony Meets Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night

Also featured during the Exchange Month was the hybrid production Dreaming Under the Bough, a collaborative project between the University of International Business and Economics (China) and the University of Leeds (UK). The production blends elements from Tang Xianzu’s Nanke Ji opera and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, combining Chinese opera with Western theatre to explore the universal themes of dreams and reality.

Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham, noted that the English adaptation of The Peony Pavilion aims to “break down cultural barriers through artistic translation,” preserving the original story while employing Western theatrical forms.

This month-long exchange program not only featured a concentrated showcase of numerous classic theatrical works from China and abroad, but also hosted a series of academic exchange activities, building a bridge for cultural interaction among young people from China and other countries.