Caroline Kwok

Chinese state media released video showing a spectacular “New Year’s Eve drone show” along Shanghai’s famous riverfront, the Bund. But while the video was dated December 31, 2019, spectators who were on the Bund at the time of the countdown to 2020 said there were no drones in sight. EHang, one of China's largest drone makers that managed the display, said the video was filmed earlier on December 28, 2019, for a show to be broadcast on a Shanghai TV station on New Year’s Eve.

Harbin Ice and Snow World, one of the world’s largest ice and snow theme parks, opened to the public in northeastern China on December 23, 2019. The frozen attraction in Heilongjiang province is linked to the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival which opens on January 5, 2020.

A six-year-old British girl from south London in the UK found a Christmas card with a message allegedly from foreign prisoners in China. The sender of the message claimed that prisoners were being forced to work against their will in the Shanghai Qingpu prison. The holiday card, which is among those sold to raise money for charity, was bought from British supermarket chain Tesco. The retailer said it has halted production at a Chinese factory after the discovery and launched an investigation into Zheijiang Yunguang Printing, one of its suppliers located about 60 miles from the prison named in the message.

Each winter, about 100 workers toil on the frozen Songhua River in Harbin to harvest ice for the city’s famed Ice and Snow Festival, the largest of its kind in the world. The blocks will be moved to the capital of China’s northeastern province of Heilongjiang where they will be shaped into giant crystal palaces and sculptures at the event opening in early January. 

The second section of a China-funded railway connecting Kenya’s capital Nairobi to Naivasha, a town in the Central Rift Valley, opened on October 16, 2019.  Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, while on board the train's maiden journey, used the trip as an opportunity to reject criticism that the infrastructure project is a white elephant.  Critics say the project known as the Standard Gauge Railway will be unable to generate enough revenue from cargo services to cover its cost. 

A childhood toy sparked a lifelong fascination with pandas that coaxed Abe Nobuko to move away from her native Japan to work in China taking care of the animals. She has become a dedicated advocate for the creatures at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. 

Strong tides generated by the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which was celebrated last week, have drawn thousands of visitors to the Qiantang River in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang.  The tides created waves that allowed surfers to compete before the crowds on September 16, 2019. 

China's love affair with pets is only growing. At the recent 22nd Pet Fair Asia, held in Shanghai, creative dog grooming and unconventional pet choices were featured. Check out the video to get an idea of China's booming pet culture.

Farmer Hao Xianzhang has been growing baby-shaped pears for more than a decade in China’s northern Hebei province. He said he was inspired by fruit described in the same form in the classic Chinese novel, Journey to the West.

American warehouse retailer Costco opened its first physical store in China this week. Low prices and a lenient return policy drew crowds of aggressive shoppers to the Shanghai store, which was forced to close early on its opening day amid chaotic scenes.