"On August 25, when I logged onto the internet at 10 pm to give a lecture about our new brain-computer interface (BCI) program, 1,200 students and parents were waiting. This clearly demonstrates people's passion for the program, Liu Xiuyun, a professor in biomedical engineering from the Tianjin University (TJU) and director of the TJU School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, told the Global Times.

On August 24, the TJU School of Future Technology released an admission notice to the 2024 class of freshmen. Among the majors on offer, there is a biomedical engineering program majoring in the BCI technique, reportedly making the TJU the first Chinese university to off er such a program. The move soon drew the attention of the public on Chinese social media platforms as the country is at a critical stage of the development and application of BCI technologies and devices.

It is not only the first of such college programs in China, but probably the first in the world. It is an experimental project for us to cultivate talent for the future. That is not a small challenge, Xu Minpeng, vice dean of the Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine of TJU Medical School, told the Global Times.

The applicants from multiple disciplines attended a written examination on August 31, part of them further attended the interview on Sunday, according to Liu. At last, only 20 of them will be selected and officially become the first batch of bachelors majoring in BCI in China.

Technique for tomorrow
As a "revolutionary" technology representing a new form of productive force, the BCI technique aims to establish a direct information pathway between the brain and external devices, achieving so-called control by "thought," thereby revolutionizing human-computer interaction and transforming human production and lifestyle, according to a statement the TJU sent to the Global Times.

BCI is currently a focus of global technological competition and core area for cultivating new tracks, new momentum, and new advantages for future industrial development. In China, the development of BCI technologies and devices has entered a critical period of innovation breakthroughs and application expansion. This necessitates the cultivation of diverse and interdisciplinary talent to meet the demands of the BCI field, providing a continuous driving force for the development of technique, read the statement.

According to the statement, the BCI program is jointly built by the School of Future Technology and Medical School. It brings together advantageous resources from various departments and gathers a top-notch team of BCI talent in China, forming a comprehensive interdisciplinary research and teaching team that covers the entire chain of basic theories, device systems, and transformation in the BCI industry.

The program aims to create an integrated training model through a radiating discipline layout, project-based curriculum system, chain-oriented research training, and a collaborative teaching ecosystem between schools and enterprises. It seeks to cultivate a group of outstanding engineers and scientists who possess the ability to design, manufacture, and develop future bio-intelligent electronic interfaces in the field of bio-information integration, and can lead advancements in brain-computer interaction technology and industrial development, the statement noted.

"BCI is a very complex interdisciplinary field that is connected to, but not limited to, physiology, autopsy, medicine, physics, engineering, computational analysis, automation control, and mechanical design. This is why the new BCI program is put under the School of Future Technology, a platform that is designated to cultivate high-end interdisciplinary talents with strong hands-on skills and innovative capabilities," said Yuan Xubo, the executive vice dean of the School of Future Technology at TJU.

According to Xu, the training plan for the BCI program has significantly established a project-based curriculum that spans all four years of university. In the first year, students will learn the basic concepts of BCI and master simple brain system operations, such as controlling a small ball with their thoughts. In the second and third years, they will progressively grasp principles of neural engineering, analog and digital electronics, automation design, and AI algorithms, while also hands-on creating brain-controlled robots. By the fourth year, students are expected to integrate what they have learned and engage in more systematic paradigm design, algorithm improvement, and application testing aimed at real-world problems.

"This gradual training process aims to develop students' reverse thinking, innovative thinking, practical thinking, and theoretical design thinking step by step," Xu said.

"Through the training, the students will grow into advanced talents with interdisciplinary capabilities. In the future, they will not only be able to enter BCI laboratories to engage in specialized research on BCI, but also participate in the development of high-end medical devices, work in hospitals, or join relevant authorities to take part in the design of policies for related industries," Liu said.

Safe and accurate
Depending on the electrode position, the methods of BCI can be divided into invasive and non-invasive methods. The invasive method involves implanting electrodes or other devices into the brain or nervous system to achieve a direct connection with the brain. The non-invasive method, on the other hand, uses electrodes placed in the scalp or other areas to record and analyze the brain's electrical signals, thereby establishing an indirect connection with the brain.

Invasive and non-invasive BCI devices have their own advantages and disadvantages as well as applications.

The disadvantages of invasive BCI device include the need for high-risk craniotomy, as well as potential infections, safety concerns, and ethical issues. But it is an effective method for the treatment of severe conditions such as epilepsy. On the other hand, non-invasive BCI device collects comparatively poor-quality signals, but it has a wider range of application, according to Liu Shuang, vice dean of the TJU Medical School and director of the TJU Mental Health Center.

Elon Musk said in January 2024 that his BCI company, Neuralink, had successfully completed the first human brain implantation surgery of its invasive BCI device, called Telepathy, sparking controversy in terms of surgical safety and medical ethics in the world.

Neuralink said in May that a number of wires inside the head of Noland Arbaugh, who is paralyzed from the shoulders down, had been pulled out of position. The company did not specify why the detachment had occurred. Neuralink's implant uses 64 wires to link to the brain; just 15 percent of them were working after the connection severed, The Guardian reported on July 11.

In China the main contributors to the research and development of BCI technologies and devices are universities and hospitals, including the TJU, Tsinghua University, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University in Beijing. Especially in the field of non-invasive BCI, the country is currently taking the lead.

Also in January, a team led by Hong Bo from Tsinghua University announced that they had successfully implanted the world's first wireless minimally invasive BCI device NEO (Neural Electronic Opportunity) into two paralyzed patients' brain for BCI-assisted treatment trials in October and December 2023, respectively.

Hong told the Global Times in a previous interview that compared with Neuralink's technology, the NEO technology has the advantages of higher safety and long-term use.

In the TJU, Liu Xiuyun's team is the first in China to introduce cerebrospinal fluid dynamics assessment technology to help diagnose patients with hydrocephalus. Combined with BCI and proteomics, the team developed a precise diagnostic and intervention technique, which reduces the diagnosis time for patients with hydrocephalus from three days to 30 minutes. So far, the technique has been provided to more than 500 hydrocephalus patients.

Liu Shuang's team has developed the country's first BCI system for screening depression. This system can collect electroencephalogram (EEG) signals from the patient's head to detect brain activity patterns and assess the patient's depressive state, enabling objective screening for depression.

"Normally, the system can generate an auxiliary assessment report on the subject's risk of depression in 10-15 minutes," Liu Shuang said.

The team also developed a technique, the Chirp-based evoked paradigm, that enhances the signal-to-noise ratio of brainwaves gamma oscillations to make the results more accurate and reliable.

Immense potential

On July 6, 1924, German psychiatrist Hans Berger performed the first-ever recording of the EEG on a human, which for the first time allowed the visualization of the electrical activity of the human brain. 100 years later, interaction between human and machine through brainwaves is becoming a reality and such a technique - BCI - is viewed as holding the key to an "era of neuroscience."

The global BCI market size reached $1.5 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $5.4 billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate of 11.5 percent during 2024-2032, according to market research company IMARC Group.

In early 2016, China launched the 15-year "China Brain Project," or Brain Science and Brain-Like Intelligence Technology, in which the interface played a key role, displaying enormous growth potential. By the end of January 2024, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and six other departments issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting Innovation and Development of Future Industries," clearly outlining the goal of creating 10 innovative flagship products, including humanoid robots, quantum computers, BCI, and 6G network equipment.

Although mainly used in the medical field, the BCI technique is expected to enter all aspects of people's lives. For example, it can be used to detect whether the driver is fatigued, Liu Xiuyun noted.

TJU scientists have also successfully developed an open-source brain-on-a-chip (BOC) interface system, MetaBOC, which enables a "lab-grown brain" to conduct unmanned control of robots to perform tasks such as obstacle avoidance, tracking, and grasping. MetaBOC represented a significant advancement in the field of BOC technology, offering a versatile platform for exploring the computational mechanisms of biological intelligence, Li Xiaohong, a professor at the Medical School at Tianjin University and the head of the on-chip BCI team, told the Global Times.

BCI is certainly a trend of future technological development. To unlock the immense potential of BCI, it requires a large number of talents to dedicate themselves to the industry. This is why it is necessary to set up a specialized BCI program, according to Xu.

On the other hand, Xu called for patience and caution as it will be a long process to develop safe and high-quality products.

With this year's Mid-Autumn Festival drawing near, China's tourism market is gearing up for another surge in travel and consumption activity, building on the strong momentum from a just-concluded bustling summer travel season, industry insiders and experts said over the weekend.

They predicted that this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, which runs from September 15 to 17, will see sustained high demand for short-distance travel. Combined with the upcoming National Day holidays (running from October 1 to 7）, this is expected to inject continued vitality into consumption, contributing to the country's economic growth in the latter part of the year.

Data from China's online travel services platform Fliggy showed a double-digit increase in bookings for hotels, domestic car rentals and tickets for this popular traditional festival compared with 2019. The overall booking volume for the Mid-Autumn Festival holidays is significantly higher compared with the Dragon Boat Festival in June, despite both having a three-day duration.

Several travel platforms in China have reported that the Mid-Autumn Festival travel trend is dominated by short to mid-distance trips, with "micro-vacations" to nearby cities and provinces being especially popular. Destinations within a two-hour drive or three-hour high-speed rail journey are particularly busy.

According to Tuniu, an online travel platform, nearly 40 percent of travelers are planning short trips to local or adjacent areas during the upcoming festival, with about 30 percent opting to start their journeys one day or two before the festival.

Experts attribute the strong travel demand to favorable weather, off-peak prices and the traditional cultural significance of family reunions during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"Emerging travel trends, including cultural tours, urban leisure trips and sports tourism, not only reflect an expansion in the Chinese consumption preferences but also promise to inject sustained vitality into the domestic economy," Jiang Yiyi, vice dean of the School of Leisure Sports and Tourism at Beijing Sport University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Tongcheng, another online travel services provider, reported a 77 percent increase in searches for ancient towns and gardens over the past week.

China's recent summer travel season had broken records for passenger volumes and witnessed strong growth in bookings and spending. Jiang expects this momentum to carry into October, potentially boosting sectors like transportation, hospitality and cultural products.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theater Command on Friday refuted recent online rumors regarding conflicts at the China-India border and soldier casualties, urging an end to the spread of military-related speculations.

The refutation was made in response to rumors circulating on Chinese social media platforms recently regarding fabricated videos and images suggesting that there had been a conflict at the China-India border, during which six PLA soldiers sacrificed their lives.

The internet is not a lawless zone, and it is essential to put an end to the production and spreading of military-related rumors, the PLA Western Theater Command said on its official WeChat account.

Many netizens expressed their support for the refutation, urging all internet users not to believe or spread rumors, and emphasizing the need to appropriately punish those who create false information for ulterior motives.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, China and India held the 31st Meeting of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs in Beijing on August 29. The two sides agreed to work together to turn the page on the border situation at an early date in accordance with the guiding principles of the important common understandings reached between the two foreign ministers.

History has consistently shown that the optimization and innovation of trade routes is vital for promoting regional economic development. Collaboration between China and Russia on the Northern Sea Route is just such an innovative endeavor. As it is the shortest maritime passage linking northeast Asia and western Europe, the development and utilization of the Northern Sea Route hold significant implications for trade between China and Russia, as well as between East Asian economies and Europe.

A joint report by the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Russia's National Coordinating Center for International Business Cooperation recently said that Chinese companies are actively exploring the Northern Sea Route, Russian media outlet Sputnik said on its Chinese website on Wednesday.

The strong interest of Chinese shipping companies in the Northern Sea Route reflects their pursuit of new business opportunities and also bodes well for the potential for China-Russia cooperation in Arctic shipping. 

Although some in the West tend to misinterpret normal cooperation between China and Russia on Arctic issues, their collaboration on the Northern Sea Route is based on mutual interests and the development needs of the regional economy.

As one of the key Arctic shipping routes, the Northern Sea Route is known as the shortest sea route linking Europe to Asia, offering multiple advantages such as reduced sailing times and lower sailing costs. The Korea Maritime Institute once predicted that Arctic shipping routes have the potential to emerge as important commercial alternatives to the traditional Asia-Europe route through the Suez Canal.  

As the appeal of Arctic shipping grows, there is an increasing amount of international research and policy planning focused on Arctic development and route construction. For instance, in 2022, Russia approved a 13-year development plan for its Northern Sea Route, which includes the construction of more than 50 icebreakers and ice-class ships, the establishment of ports, terminals and emergency rescue centers, and the deployment of an orbital satellite constellation. It is estimated that about 2 trillion rubles ($22.38 billion) will need to be invested, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

This extensive plan reflects Russia's determination to develop the Northern Sea Route and the priority it attaches to this effort. To achieve its ambitious goals, Russia needs a stable and reliable long-term partner, as well as adequate technical and financial support. 

From China's perspective, the Arctic shipping route holds significant implications for the development of its future trade network. Maritime transport constitutes about 95 percent of China's international trade. If the Northern Sea Route emerges as a viable commercial option, it will undoubtedly enhance convenience and cost-effectiveness for trade between China and Russia, as well as between China and Europe. Furthermore, this new shipping route has the potential to stimulate development in Northeast China, fostering revitalization and positioning the region as a new frontier of openness.

While the Northern Sea Route may offer many advantages, it also presents significant challenges. First of all, the unpredictability of navigation times each year restricts its utilization. Second, support services for navigation are inadequate, with notable deficiencies in rescue, anti-pollution, medical and cargo handling facilities along the route. That means the Arctic shipping route still has a long way to go from its current status to truly becoming a commercial option, and it requires more international cooperation.

All in all, promoting and strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation efforts related to Arctic routes will not only benefit China and Russia, but also serve the interests of regional economies and contribute to the global economic recovery.

At 11:23 am on Thursday, a round of applause erupted in Air China's first C919 cabin, when the home-made plane, with the registration number of B-919X, landed smoothly at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing.

Welcomed with a water cannon salute at the airport, Air China's first C919 aircraft officially joined the fleet.

About one hour earlier, another C919 received by China Southern Airlines landed at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, also becoming the first of its kind received by China Southern.

It is the second day after the single-aisle C919 were delivered to the two major Chinese air carriers by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in Shanghai. The aircraft have now returned to their bases, preparing for future service.

The C919 is an excellent aircraft, achieving a very high standard in design, performance, as well as in terms of control feeling and human-computer interaction, Wang Yan, the captain of Air China B-919X, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"I am proud of the Air China C919 aircraft, and I am proud to be a C919 pilot," Wang said.

Wang has long flown Boeing 777 and Airbus 321 aircraft. In July, Wang completed the C919 modification training and obtained a new pilot license.

"We will ensure that domestically-produced large aircraft fly smoothly in the blue sky, prioritizing safety and efficiency," Wang said.

The most striking feature of Air China's C919 is its spaciousness, including the wide aisle, an open cabin layout, and generous seat spacing.

Air China's C919 aircraft has a total of 158 seats, including eight business class seats with a pitch of 40 inches, 150 economy class seats with a pitch of 30-31 inches, and a 45-inch pitch at the safety exit.

Compared with other airlines, which have 164 seats, Air China has one fewer row of economy class seats, so the distance between each row of seats is increased by two inches. The seat spacing is better than that of similar foreign planes.

While seated in an economy class seat, the GT reporter opened the tray table and placed a laptop on it without feeling cramped, while the leg space was comfortable. When the passenger in the middle seat leaves the seat, another passenger does not need to stand up, but can easily make room by turning slightly sideways.

Even if the flight attendants push the dining cart down the central aisle, there is relatively ample space in the aisle on both sides, the reporter noticed.
To ensure safety, Air China set up a flying team for C919, and the first group of ten C919 pilots completed the transition training on July 29 and passed the test organized by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, all with excellent results, receiving their C919 pilot licenses.

Information shared by China Southern showed that the carrier selected three experienced captains, with a total flight time exceeding 35,000 hours.

China Southern said it will launch a route from Guangzhou to Shanghai on September 19. The carrier said it has been deepening cooperation with COMAC in maintenance capability development, parts manufacturing, and aircraft monitoring system to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the C919.

The carrier independently develops an aircraft health management system, the only one in the world compatible with Boeing, Airbus, and the home-made aircraft. It can provide real-time status monitoring, fault diagnosis, and predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision support to improve aircraft safety, reliability and maintenance efficiency.

China Southern announced that it plans to implement the system across all C919 fleet after successful testing.

Currently, a total of nine C919 planes have been delivered to airlines by COMAC. Among them, the C919 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines, the first global user, has been operating smoothly for 15 consecutive months since its first commercial flight, flying five routes, and has completed more than 3,600 commercial flights and 10,000 flight hours.

On August 16, State Grid Bortala Power Supply Company organized personnel to carry out independent inspection of drones on the 10-kilovolt line. Distribution line inspection is the focus of power supply guarantee work. Drones have become an important tool for distribution network line inspection. 

Compared with the previous manual operation of drone inspection methods, drones equipped with adaptive inspection technology do not require staff to remotely command. With one-click operation, a series of tasks such as identifying poles and towers, infrared temperature measurement, and taking pictures can be completed independently.

In order to effectively improve the application effect of independent drone inspection and effectively support the construction and application of a new power system and the construction of core business teams, the company planned in advance and established a joint research special group for adaptive inspection of distribution network drones with Information Industry Group Co., Ltd. and Zhongke Fangcun Zhiwei (Nanjing) Technology Co., Ltd. 

Through top-down linkage, main production coordination, "training + practical operation," and "outsourcing + independence" methods comprehensively promote full coverage of independent inspection of distribution network drones.

"After adopting adaptive technology, a drone with a team of two people can complete a 10-kilometer inspection task in one day, which is equivalent to the workload of our previous week of walking inspection. This greatly improves the work efficiency at the grassroots level," said Li Jingtao, an employee of the company.

As of now, State Grid Bortala Power Supply Company has used drones for independent inspection of 110 10-kilovolt lines, 36,700 poles and towers, a total of 1,815.93 kilometers, and discovered and dealt with 10,300 various defects. 

In the next step, the company will explore and deepen the application of drone adaptive technology, strengthen cooperation and exchanges in related fields, draw on advanced experience, better achieve lean operation and maintenance of the distribution network, serve and ensure that the operation safety of grassroots personnel is controllable,work is cost-reduced and efficiency-increased, and fully guarantee the safe and stable operation of the power grid.

China facilitated 110 million cross-border passenger trips in July and August, which marks a year-on-year increase of 30.0% and a 13.0% increase from the May-June period, said the National Immigration Administration on Tuesday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday started holding bilateral events with foreign leaders who will attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), scheduled for Sept. 4 to 6 in Beijing.

At 10 a.m., Xi met with Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the Great Hall of the People.

During the FOCAC summit, Xi will attend the opening ceremony and deliver a keynote speech on Sept. 5. He will also host a welcome banquet for the leaders and representatives attending the summit.

Following the 2006 Beijing summit, the 2015 Johannesburg summit and the 2018 Beijing summit, the upcoming summit is another event gathering members of the friendly family of China and Africa. It is also the largest diplomatic event hosted by China in recent years, with the highest attendance of foreign leaders.

Chinese divers Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan won the women's synchronized 10m platform final at the Paris Olympics with an overwhelming lead on Wednesday. This victory marks the seventh gold for the Chinese sports delegation at the Games.

It is the third gold medal for the Chinese diving team in this Olympics, following the wins in the women's synchronized 3m springboard and the men's synchronized 10m platform.

In the first two rounds, the Chinese pair led their competitors by over 13 points with high-caliber dives. Starting from the third round, they executed more difficult dives, quickly widening their lead with stable and high-level performances. By the start of the final round, the Chinese team had secured the gold medal with a massive 43.20 point lead over the second-placed team.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Chen and her former dive partner Zhang Jiaqi won the gold medal in the women's synchronized 10m platform event for China.

In early 2022, Quan began competing in synchronized events with Chen, and the pair has gone on to win gold medals in the women's synchronized 10m platform at major events including the World Championships, the World Cup and the Asian Games.

Quan made her debut at the synchronized event after winning the individual 10m platform gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

"My goal is definitely to stand on the highest podium and show my best performance. It feels like I'm always far from the best," Quan said in a previous interview.

German table tennis legend Timo Boll took his final bow on the international stage at the Paris Olympic Games on Tuesday evening.

In the men's team table tennis competition, Germany faced Sweden for a spot in the semifinals. Boll, 43, competing in both doubles and singles, lost both matches, leading to Germany's elimination while marking the end of Boll's seventh Olympic journey.

After the match, the audience gave a standing ovation, with a tribute video for Boll playing on the large screen. The applause was endless, and coaches and teammates from the German team, along with Sweden's head coach Jorgen Persson, came over to hug Boll. Boll, with red eyes and nose, wiped his face with a towel and tossed two jerseys into the stands as a thank you to the crowd.

"It's been tough, both during and after the match," Boll said after the match, as reported by the Xinhua News Agency. "Losing makes you feel disappointed, but the overwhelming support from the audience leaves you feeling also bewildered." 

Speaking of his "last dance," Boll also mentioned the Chinese team, admitting, "I couldn't expect to leave the Olympic stage with a victory, given that China is the strongest in table tennis."

It's worth noting that Boll has always formed an unbreakable bond with China. On June 2, 2024, Boll wrote on Sina Weibo, China's X-like platform: "Throughout my career, I have thoroughly enjoyed every match I've played in China. I have learned a lot from table tennis, and even more from you and your culture. Thank you very much for your support over the years. China will always be my second home."

On August 3, Boll posted a photo on Weibo of himself and Chinese player Ma Long in Paris, captioning it with the word "Legend."

Boll's deep connection with the Chinese team began with his competition against Kong Linghui and continued through several generations of Chinese table tennis masters. During his career he has competed against and defeated many key Chinese players, from Liu Guoliang to Ma Long to more recently - Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong.

The day after Boll bade farewell to the international stage, the Chinese men's team defeated South Korea to advance to the semifinals. In the mixed interview zone after the match, Ma Long and Fan Zhendong expressed their respect for Boll.

"Boll is someone all table tennis players deeply respect, not just for his skill but also for his character," Ma said. Recalling their partnership in doubles named "Marco Polo" at both the 2015 and 2017 World Championships, Ma said that the chance to pair with him left both of them with beautiful memories, adding that Boll feels like an old friend, warm and approachable.

Fan also revealed that he and Boll have had many fun exchanges off the court, including shared hobbies. Last November, while participating in a table tennis competition in Frankfurt, Germany, Fan was invited by Boll to watch Der Klassiker, the soccer match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, two renowned Germany football teams. Boll drove three hours to take Fan from Frankfurt to Dortmund and shared German rice cakes made by his mother with Fan along the way.

"He has had a perfect career, both in terms of length and height, which is rare," Fan said, "He overcame many difficulties and his strict discipline led him to many achievements. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

Reflecting on his career, which included seven Olympics, four Olympic medals, and a world No. 1 ranking, Boll said: "I might have been in the top five, top 10 for 25 years, which is my greatest achievement, enough to withstand anything." 

"But ultimately, I realize my body moved too slow, and maintaining the highest competitive level became increasingly difficult," Boll said.