Commentary from the Web, Week 40, 2020

China celebrates National Day with flag-raising ceremonies

Thursday marked the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Flag-raising ceremonies were held across the country, including the capital city of Beijing, and the special administrative regions (SARs) of Hong Kong and Macao, to celebrate the National Day.

CGTN’s coverage may be found here.

 

Amazing Xinjiang – new series on CGTN

The series is described as follows.

Epic towns of Loulan, Niya, Charklik and Qiemo once glittered on the vast land of China's far western frontier. The legends of these civilizational crossroads that have been shaped over millennia have turned Xinjiang into a region of diversity and inclusiveness.
Xinjiang is the largest of all provinces and regions in China and has the longest borderline. It's home to China's largest desert – the Taklamakan, as well as the world's lowest depression – the Turpan.
The land of fortune, however, has not always enjoyed tranquility. Terrorist attacks from the late 1980s through 2016 left the place in shock, grief and panic. Now violence has largely been contained, giving way to rapid urbanization and economic growth, which Western narratives often depict as grating against age-old customs.
How are the people from various ethnic minorities actually doing across Xinjiang? What are they pursuing? Are traditions and modernity in conflict for Uygurs, Kazakhs, Tajiks and other ethnic groups?

An introduction to the series may be found here, and episodes from the ongoing series are being posted at this site. You may also access individual episodes by clicking on the sites on the map on the Amazing Xinjiang introductory page.