People participate in a dragon boat race to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in Zigui county, Central China's Hubei province, June 14, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
>124M passenger trips during holiday
端午预计发送旅客1.24亿人次
Total passenger trips made during China's Dragon Boat Festival holiday are expected to reach 124 million, according to official data. The average daily passenger trips will likely exceed 41.23 million during the period, up by 52.5 percent year on year, the Ministry of Transport said Monday. The figure was down by 18.8 percent compared with 2019, the data showed. The Dragon Boat Festival holiday extended from Saturday to Monday this year.
中国交通运输部6月14日披露，今年端午假期三天(6月12日至14日)，全国铁路、公路、水运、民航预计发送旅客1.24亿人次，日均或超4123万人次，比2019年同期日均下降18.8%，比2020年同期日均增长52.5%。
During the three-day holiday, the country's railway sector will likely handle over 31.67 million passenger trips, up by 58.1 percent year on year. The civil aviation sector is expected to see 3.71 million passenger trips, up by 40.1 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.
端午假期，铁路预计发送旅客超过3167万人次，比2020年同期日均增长58.1%；民航预计发送旅客371万人次，比2020年同期日均增长40.1%。
An aerial view of Yongxing Island, which is part of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, June 19, 2014. [Photo/IC]
>Over 500 plant species recorded
西沙群岛植物有了'身份证'
More than 500 species of plants have been recorded in China's Xisha Islands, it was discovered during a recent campaign to put name tags on the plants. The name-tagging project covers plants on over 10 islands and reefs in the Xisha Islands, including Jinqing Island, Zhaoshu Island, and Ganquan Island, the Hainan Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said.
海南省住房和城乡建设厅近日称，已联合相关部门在西沙群岛各岛礁启动开展植物挂牌工作。此次植物挂牌工作覆盖到晋卿岛、赵述岛、甘泉岛等10多个西沙岛礁。目前，西沙群岛上的植物种类，已记录达500余种。
Since its establishment in 2012, the government of Sansha has introduced a large variety of high-value ornamental plants, which have significantly improved the local ecological and living environment.
三沙市自2012年成立以来，精心引种引进大量高价值的园林观赏植物，全面改善岛礁的生态环境和人居环境。
Chen Xiaojing, deputy director of the department, said the name-tagging project is of great importance to the science education of the island’s residents and can help promote the city's landscaping work.
海南省住房和城乡建设厅副厅长陈孝京表示，西沙群岛岛礁植物挂牌活动不仅是对驻岛军民进行科普教育的重要举措，也是三沙市以园林绿化工作助推城市品质提升的有益探索。
The planet Jupiter is shown with one of its moons, Ganymede (bottom), in this NASA handout taken April 9, 2007 and obtained by Reuters March 12, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]
>Plans for future space exploration
火星采样返回、木星系探测提上日程
China is making plans for the future development of its space program, including exploring asteroids and the Jovian system, collecting samples from Mars and exploring the polar region of the moon, an official from the China National Space Administration said on Saturday. Xu Hongliang, speaking for the space agency, said at a press conference that in about the year 2025 China plans to launch a probe to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid and explore a comet in one mission.
国家航天局新闻发言人许洪亮6月12日在新闻发布会上介绍我国太空项目未来规划，表示我国将开展小行星和木星系探测、火星取样、月球极区探测等任务。许洪亮表示，2025年前后，我国将实施近地小行星取样返回和主带彗星环绕探测任务；
China plans to launch a Mars sample-return mission and a Jovian system exploration mission sometime in about 2030, Xu said.
2030年左右，我国将实施火星取样返回任务，还将实施木星系的环绕探测任务；
In addition, China plans to launch the Chang'e-6 and Chang'e-7 lunar probes in the coming five years to explore the environment and resources and collect samples from the polar region of the moon, Xu said.
"十四五"时期，我国将发射嫦娥六号、七号探测器，实施月球极区环境与资源勘查、月球极区采样返回等任务；
By the end of 2022, China will have completed the construction of its space station, in which astronauts can stay for prolonged periods to carry out scientific experiments, Xu said.