Chinese tennis fans are expecting the female Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen to deliver quality performances at the upcoming China Open in Beijing, as the annual tennis event kicks off on Monday.

Since winning the Olympic women's singles gold medal, world No.7 Zheng has captured the spotlight in Chinese tennis.

Though the main draw has yet to be unveiled, Zheng, as a seeded player at the China Open, is possible to receive a bye in the first round and will play her opening match later this week.

Zheng's goal for the Chinese season is clear: to earn as many ranking points as possible to improve her chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals.

To secure one of the eight spots in the WTA Finals, Zheng will need to perform well at the China Open (WTA 1000), Wuhan Open (WTA 1000), and Ningbo Open (WTA 500), as she currently sits at No.9 in the race to the Finals, trailing Emma Navarro and Danielle Collins by 498 and 108 points respectively. 

With Collins opting out of the China Open, Zheng has one less competitor in the fight for a coveted WTA Finals berth, a year after Zheng's disappointing­ first-round exit at the China Open last year. 

Having returned to Beijing as early as Sunday to begin her preparations, Zheng's early training highlights her determination to perform well throughout the China swing. Strong performances during the China swing could secure her first WTA Finals appearance.

In the singles draw, world No.1 Iga Swiatek and world No.2 Aryna Sabalenka have already secured their places at the WTA Finals, leaving six spots still available. Swiatek will not participate in the China Open.

In the men's competition at the ­China Open, world top-three players Jannik Sinner of Italy, Alexander Zverev of Germany and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain are the marquee names of the list, with home favorites Zhang Zhizhen and Wu Yibing leading the Chinese squad's charge at the ATP 500 event.

This year's China Open singles ­qualifying rounds will take place on Monday and Tuesday, with the expanded 96-player singles main draw kicking off on Wednesday and Thursday.

A special exhibition titled Design for New China has opened at the China Design Museum of the China Academy of Art to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

The exhibition showcases over 500 artifacts and historical documents from 40 institutions across the country. It spans various fields including architecture, industrial design, craftsmanship, fashion, and visual design, highlighting key milestones in China's design history. 

Among the featured items are significant "firsts" of the PRC, such as the country's first state gift and designs from China's first international trade fair and national pavilion. Rarely seen artifacts and design documents for the West Lake are also on display, many for the first time in decades.

"I took a walk from Venice to Beijing," wrote Vienna Cammarota, an Italian hiker, in a rather casual tone in her blog page. However, everyone with bit of geography common sense would get the idea that she is walking across continents.

On August 29, Cammarota arrived in China, starting her first leg of her trip in the country in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

On September 27, Cammarota reached Beijing. The 75-year-old hiker has traveled through 14 countries, covering a total journey of about 22,000 kilometers. Her trekking goes on. Accompanied by the Italian community in Beijing, Cammarota, a modern explorer, explores historical places related to Italian history, paying tribute to Marco Polo's extraordinary adventure. Italian explorer Polo traveled to China along the ancient Silk Road more than 700 years ago.

From Venice to Beijing

Cammarota visited a private collection of ceramic pieces from the Dingzhou kilns in Fuping county, Weinan city of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province on September 22. She was captivated by the precious porcelain artwork and exquisite ceramics which date back to a historical period ranging from 8,000 years ago to 3,000 years ago.

After her visit to the collection, Cammarota sat down for a video interview with the Global Times.

"This is impressive," she said, with a satisfied expression.
Among the exhibits, Cammarota noticed a piece of porcelain dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-917). The artifact is so unique in shape and color that Cammarota found it to resemble almost exactly one described by Marco Polo in his work "The Travels of Marco Polo."

"Ancient porcelain is not just a testament of history but also a vivid example of cultural exchanges between China and Italy," she noted.

Through Zhu Yuhua, president of the Associazione Cina-Italia di Shanghai, her interpreter, Cammarota said that she could appreciate the beauty of porcelain from the Tang Dynasty. While through the porcelain collections of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), she could observe both typical Italian aesthetics and the wisdom of the ancient Chinese.

"Our cultures are interconnected," she explained.

Giuseppe Castiglione, also known as Lang Shining, an Italian missionary who served as an artist at the imperial court of three Qing emperors, introduced color and design to the Qing Dynasty, elements that are still clearly visible in the artwork of that era, said Cammarota.

Following the footprints of Marco Polo on the ancient Silk Road, Cammarota started her hiking adventure across Eurasia on April 26, 2022 and has been on the road for more than two years. Traversing different landscapes such as mountains, plains and urban areas, the 75-year-old hiker has been dealing with challenges. For instance, Cammarota said that she had trekked across many frontiers but one border was closed and she could not go through. Another time, she could not exchange her own currency into the local one to buy life necessities and to solve the problem, she had to find a middle man to convert the money.

Verifying 'millions'

In "The Travels of Marco Polo," the typical style of describing the number of things that Polo saw in Ancient China, often included phrases such as: "there were millions of sheep, millions of treasures, millions of silk products…" as a result, Polo's book is known in Venice as "The Million" from the colloquial nickname of its author. However, a lingering question for readers has been whether these claims were genuine or merely exaggerations.

Cammarota decided to verify Polo's words through her journey.

Following in Polo's footsteps, Cammarota, travelled along the ancient Silk Road passing through Xinjiang, Gansu, and Shaanxi.

Talking about her motivation, Cammarota said that she has been stepping up efforts to achieve three goals: to hike through the entire ancient Silk Road in China, to trace Polo's footsteps, and revisit the places mentioned in the book, like Suzhou, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, Fuzhou and Quanzhou, and to explore the origins of major commodities that were widely traded on the ancient Silk Road, including ceramics, silk and tea.

By doing so, she believes that she will gain a deeper understanding of the cultural significance as well as the historical value behind these commodities.
Polo's descriptions of Xinjiang, particularly its beautiful gardens, have captivated many readers. Cammarota has experienced the region's vast wealth firsthand, enjoying its delicious fruits and vegetables.

Courage and strength

Elaborating more of her motivation, Cammarota said that many of her female peers, as they age, often lack the confidence and vigor they once had.

Cammarota however believes that despite aging, there is so much yet to do and women can achieve a lot. Through her own journey, she aims to inspire more others her age to maintain their morale and continue pursuing their dreams with courage and strength.

Where there is communication, there is friendship. "Based on communication, people understand each other better and trade is where communication starts," she said. Cammarota's trekking to Beijing is also her own way to foster communication.

Born nearby a national park in South Italy, Cammarota's first job has been an employee in a town hall, then as a natural environment guide. Students and scholars turned to her when they needed a guide in mountain areas.

Trekking has been a lifestyle for Cammarota. After her retirement, she transitioned from being a trekker to a researcher.

A cultural experience

In Xinjiang, Cammarota put on the local ethnic group people's attires and tried their food, dancing to their music.

Later she said that she enjoyed experiencing their culture and was deeply impressed by the Chinese people's friendliness.

"Once I was thirsty and asked a resident for some water," she recalled. "And not only did they give me something to drink, but they treated me with newly harvested grapes as well."

"700 years ago, Marco Polo set out from Venice and it took him more than three years to reach Xi'an along the ancient Silk Road," Cammarota said. Following suit, Cammarota will also spend three years along the route of the ancient Silk Road.

"I believe my adventure will be even enriched by wonderful experiences," she said.

The number of visitors to new properties and second-hand houses increased after a series of policies and measures boosting the real estate sector were released in rapid succession during the past week.

"Inquiries for new houses and second-hand houses have increased, with about 30 percent more visits on Saturday and Sunday compared to the previous week," a sales manager surnamed Hao at a Beijing branch of Lianjia, a leading housing agency in China, told the Global Times on Monday.

As one of the latest moves, the People's Bank of China (PBC), China's central bank, on Sunday night released four major policies regarding the real estate sector, including lowering the interest rate on mortgages, lowering the down payment ratio, improving refinance for low-income housing, and extending the duration of some real estate financial policies.

The adjustment in the pricing mechanism for mortgage rates indicated a significant reduction in mortgage rates for existing home loans, with an average estimated reduction of 0.5 percentage points, CCTV reported.

Also on Sunday night, first-tier cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzen released policies easing house purchases to help boost the market.

Guangzhou, the capital city of South China's Guangdong Province, announced the cancellation of various restrictions on households buying homes in the city on Sunday, effective from Monday.

Stocks related to the real estate sector surged on Monday, with some stocks surging to reach their daily trading limit.

CITIC Securities said in an analysis report published on Monday that the new housing policies are expected to release improved demand actively, optimize the stock, and promote the real estate market to reverse the downturn and stabilize. The construction of the new model of the real estate market and the recovery of the real estate market demand will coexist.