【推荐1】The Grand Canal is the mother river of Yangzhou. Simultaneous (同时) with her, Yangzhou city was built, developed, achieved prosperity (繁荣), and even went into less importance with her downfall. Pi Rixiu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, once made the following comment on Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty who had the Grand Canal built: “Everyone complains that the Sui Dynasty ended because of the canal; however, it is still an important way for people to travel. If he hadn’t had so many palaces and dragon boats built, his merits could have been compared with Dayu.” The poet not only criticized the emperor’s dissolute behavior, but also fully recognized his achievements. Nowadays, the Grand Canal still shoulders the responsibilities of transporting coal from the North to the South, transporting grain from the South to the North, and delivering water from the South to the North.

The ancient Guazhou Ferry is located where the ancient canal and the Yangtze River meet. The following is a famous ancient poem eulogizing the Guazhou Ferry. Moonlight on the Spring River by Zhang Ruoxu, a Yangzhou citizen in the Tang Dynasty, described the beautiful scenery of Guazhou of the dim moonlight with gently flowing river.

In spring the river rises as high as the sea,

And with the river’s tide uprises the moon bright,

She follows the rolling waves for ten thousand li,

Where’er the river flows, there overflows her light. (Zhang Ruoxu)

According to the government’s planning, every effort will be made to maintain the original style of the ancient neighborhoods and streets in the old town of Guazhou.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is in Baiyun. It is about 28 kilo meters from the centre of Guangzhou. It is a 4F class international airport. And it is one of the most important airports in China.

In 1932, the old Baiyun Airport was built. In 1963, the airport was built again. It became larger than before. In August 2000, the airport began to be built again. After four years, the new Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport was open. It is the first airport that was built with the idea of central airport in China. The two central terminal buildings (中心航站楼) are in the middle of the airport. There are 12 waiting corridors (走廊) on both sides of the two central terminal buildings. So it looks like a big cockroach.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is an important part of the transportation network (交通网络) in China. In 2020, it became famous because it was very hectic. 43.768 million people took the plane in the airport in 2020. During the Spring Festival in 2023, more than six million people took the plane in the airport.

From 2022, some new airlines in the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport were open for people. From April 3rd, 2022, people could fly from Guangzhou to Linzhi, Lhasa. People can travel easily and save some time now.

【推荐2】Scientists have accidentally discovered an enzyme (酶) that can break down plastic drink bottles, which may provide a way to solve the plastic pollution.

At present, one million plastic bottles are sold each minute around the world and only 14% are recycled. Many end up in the rivers and seas where they have polluted the water and harm the wildlife. Now, a new enzyme shows a way to recycle old clear plastic bottles back into new clear plastic bottles. In 2016, the enzyme was discovered in Japan. After making some improvements, tests have shown that it is even better at breaking down the plastic of drinks bottles. The enzyme takes a few days to start breaking down plastic, compared with centuries it takes in the seas. This could reduce the amount of plastic waste in the environment.

Although some factories are still waiting and seeing, “I believe the enzyme is a beginning. Some companies are looking at how they can use it to recycle bottles properly, as the public idea changes,” said McGeehan, a researcher at the University of Portsmouth, UK.

Adisa Azapagic, at the University of Manchester, UK, agreed the enzyme could be useful but added: “I hope that more researches are needed to ensure that the technology does not solve one environmental problem at the cost of others.”