An aerial photo shows the Kekeya green project in Aksu, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region. [Photo/ts.cn] On the northwestern side of the Taklimakan Desert, the world's second-largest shifting sand desert, stands a man-made forest spreading across about 66,667 hectares. This forest is the Kekeya green project, also a boundary dividing desert and green space in Aksu, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region. Aksu launched the Kekeya green project in 1986 to change the harsh natural conditions. For over 32 years, four million people, including soldiers, students, teachers, civil servants and residents, kept on planting trees, creating a green Great Wall 25 kilometers long and four kilometers wide. The green project has been set as a model of ecological restoration in China. custom id braceletssilicone wristband supplier malaysiadebossed rubber wristbandspersonalized wristbands canadacustom rubber wristbands canada
Tourists watch as Lantern Festival is celebrated in Pingxi, New Taipei City, Taiwan, last year. [OU DONGQU/XINHUA] The ancient tradition is coming under fire from critics who complain of environmental damage and fire risks. Yuan Quan and Jia Zhao report for Xinhua. The Chinese custom of flying lanterns goes back centuries. However, while the lanterns are symbols of peace and good fortune, they are now under threat.Traditional sky lanterns are made from paper wrapped round a bamboo frame. After rising 300 to 500 meters in the air, the flame suspended from the base goes out and the lantern falls to the ground.This makes them flying garbage and a safety threat, according to critics who want the lanterns abolished.In response, Taiwan entrepreneur Shao Ai-ting, 26, argues that the lanterns should be made so they burn up in mid-air, leaving no debris to cause pollution or damage.The sky lantern is an important cultural attraction in Taiwan, Shao said. If we just stand by and do nothing, they really could be banned. That would be a great pity, wouldn't it?
