A staff member checks bullet trains at the Xi'an North Station in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 5, 2019. China updated the country's train diagram on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
Passengers walk to board trains at Jinan Railway Station in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 5, 2019. China updated the country's train diagram on Saturday. (Xinhua/Wang Kai)
A train leaves Jinan Railway Station in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 5, 2019. China updated the country's train diagram on Saturday. (Xinhua/Wang Kai)
A railway attendant presents a souvenir to a passenger on a train from north Xi'an of northwest China's Shaanxi Province to east Hangzhou of east China's Zhejiang Province, Jan. 5, 2019. China updated the country's train diagram on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
Passengers walk to board trains at Lianyungang Station in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 5, 2019. China updated the country's train diagram on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
U.S. electric carmaker Tesla Inc. on Monday broke ground on its Shanghai factory, becoming the first to benefit from a new policy allowing foreign carmakers to set up wholly-owned subsidiaries in China.
A Tesla Model 3 is displayed at the groundbreaking ceremony of Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory in Shanghai, east China, Jan. 7, 2019.
It is designed with an annual capacity of 500,000 electric cars. Tesla signed the agreement with the Shanghai municipal government in July 2018 to build the factory. In October, the company was approved to use an 864,885-square-meter tract of land in Lingang for its Shanghai plant. [Photo/VCG]
Female students practices Peking Opera skills at an elementary school in Nantong, Jiangsu province, on Saturday. Her school has introduced Peking Opera classes taught by professional performers to its curriculum, helping students to develop an early interest in the traditional art. [Photo by XU JINBAI/FOR CHINA DAILY]
"Transformer" sculptures are on display at an iron and steel factory in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, Jan 6, 2019. [Photo by Wang Haoyang/chinadaily.com.cn]
Workers of the factory have made numerous cartoon figures using scrap metals. [Photo by Wang Haoyang/chinadaily.com.cn]
A sculpture of a rider on a motorcycle is on display at an iron and steel factory in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, Jan 6, 2019. [Photo by Wang Haoyang/chinadaily.com.cn]
Visitors stand in front of a giant print of a painting of the Forbidden City as they tour an exhibition of relics related to Lunar New Year at the Palace Museum in Beijing on Monday. [Photo by JIANG DONG/CHINA DAILY]
Giant print of a paintings of the Forbidden City is seen at an exhibition of relics related to Lunar New Year at the Palace Museum in Beijing on Jan 7, 2019. [Photo/VCG]
Visitors stand in front of a giant print of a painting of the Forbidden City as they tour an exhibition of relics related to Lunar New Year at the Palace Museum in Beijing on Jan 7, 2019. [Photo/VCG]
Visitors tour an exhibition of relics related to Lunar New Year at the Palace Museum in Beijing on Jan 7, 2019. [Photo/VCG]
he world's largest ice and snow sculpture festival opens in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on Jan 5, 2019. [Photo/VCG]
HARBIN -- Northeast China's "ice city" Harbin Saturday kicked off its 35th international ice and snow festival with a range of snow sports and fun activities.
A tourist plays at the Harbin International Snow Sculpture Art Expo at Harbin Sun Island park on Jan 5, 2019 in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. [Photo/VCG]
Organizers said the month-long festival features nearly 100 activities including winter swimming and family ice sculpture competitions, as well as 2019 snowmen erected in an area of 10 hectares on the city's frozen river.
Tourists visit the Harbin International Snow Sculpture Art Expo at Harbin Sun Island park on Jan 5, 2019 in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. [Photo/VCG]
This year's ice and snow festival is the first since the opening of a new terminal at the Harbin Taiping International Airport in April 2018, which is expected to draw in more tourists during the winter season.
Tourists visit the Harbin International Snow Sculpture Art Expo at Harbin Sun Island park on Jan 5, 2019 in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. [Photo/VCG]
Visitors pose on a stairway made of ice at the festival park on Saturday. [Photo by Liu Yang/For China Daily]
The annual ice and snow festival has become a name card of Harbin, capital city of Heilongjiang Province, and a major contributor to its booming winter tourism.
Students from the Chunhui Chinese School perform a classic Chinese dance during a New Year celebration organized by Greater Philadelphia Chinese School of Union (GPCSU) in Philadelphia, the United States, on Jan. 6, 2019.
Students from the Great Wall Chinese School perform "Red Lantern," a folk dance of Chinese ethnic Han, during a New Year celebration organized by Greater Philadelphia Chinese School of Union (GPCSU) in Philadelphia, the United States, on Jan. 6, 2019.
Students from the Great Wall Chinese School perform a Chinese folk dance during a New Year celebration organized by Greater Philadelphia Chinese School of Union (GPCSU) in Philadelphia, the United States, on Jan. 6, 2019.
More than 100 young Chinese Americans have charmed fans of traditional Chinese folk dances and costumes in a grand New Year celebration performance. (all photos by Xinhua/Wang Ying)
The Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory groundbreaking ceremony in Shanghai, Jan. 7, 2019. Tesla plans to begin making its Model 3 electric vehicles (EV) by year-end, a first step in localizing production in the world’s largest auto market. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Hengwei)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (L) and Shanghai's Mayor Ying Yong (R) attend the Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory groundbreaking ceremony in Shanghai, Jan. 7, 2019. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Hengwei)
A rescue boat puts out fire that occurred on an oil tanker off Hong Kong's Lamma Island, Jan. 8, 2019. One person was killed, seven injured and two missing as an oil tanker exploded and caught fire Tuesday. The accident occurred at around 11:29 a.m. local time (0329 GMT) when crew members on the 140-meter-long oil tanker were trying to connect pipes with an oil barge to refuel the ship south off Lamma Island, said Yiu Men Yeung, division commander for marine and diving of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's Fire Services Department (FSD). (Xinhua)
There were 25 crew members on the oil tanker and four workers on the barge.
Among the oil tanker crew members, one man was found dead at the scene, 22 were rescued from the sea, while two remained missing, according to Wong Wai Hong, deputy district commander of the Marine Port District of the Hong Kong Police Force.
A total of seven people were injured in the accident, including one worker on the barge. Among the injured crew members, one was seriously burned.
The fire, upgraded to No. 3 alarm at 1:33 p.m. local time (0533 GMT), was largely put out at around 4:30 p.m. local time (0830 GMT).
The FSD and the police deployed several vessels, 20 fire engines, 14 ambulances, four fire boat monitors and a total of 140 emergency crews to fight the blaze and rescue the victims.
The Government Flying Service (GFS) also deployed three helicopters with a total of 13 crew members to the scene to search for the missing.
Pictures released by the GFS showed a huge hole on the deck of the burning ship.
Danny Kwok, owner of a speedboat leasing business on the island, told Xinhua after returning from near the scene that the ship was tilted and the sea area around had been blockaded.
Rescuers and media workers are seen outside the Marine Police Aberdeen Base in Hong Kong, south China, Jan. 8, 2019.
All the crew members are Vietnamese. The Hong Kong police has informed the Consulate General of Vietnam in Hong Kong of the incident.
The HKSAR government's Marine Department said its oil spill control vessel has been deployed to the scene on standby, but no spill was spotted since the tanker was not carrying oil cargo when the accident happened.
