Zhang Xudong (the one in front) and two volunteers emerge from the water with a basket of waste they collected underwater. [Photo/] One day in this summer, three divers emerged from below the surface of a lake in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province, one of them holding a blue plastic basket filled with trash, such as plastic wrappings, metal pipes and glass bottles, that they picked up from underwater. Zhang Xudong, a dive coach in his 20s, is the head of the dive cleaning team. Since 2013, he's been dedicated to removing underwater waste in the waters of Guizhou, along with other volunteers. Coming from different social backgrounds, the volunteers have a shared goal: Restoring the underwater world to healthy cleanliness. At the beginning, we just wanted to promote diving and create a better diving environment for us. Gradually, we started picking up garbage underwater, and encouraged more and more people to follow suit, Zhang told The Mirror. Zhang was born in a rural village in Guizhou. Since childhood he's enjoyed swimming, and he spent a lot of time swimming in a river near his home. During his college years, he majored in outdoor sports at Guizhou Minzu University. During a winter vacation before graduation, he was offered a chance to learn diving in Sanya, a city in South China's island province of Hainan. That was the first time he saw the sea and dove in. He soon fell in love with diving. Zhang Xudong swims through the water on a dive. [Photo/The Mirror] Afterwards, he received further diving training in Southeast Asia, and became a certified dive instructor through the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). In 2013, Zhang graduated and went back to Guizhou to establish a diving club. Guizhou has rich resources of fresh water and professional diving was not developed here. So I came back to promote this sport, Zhang said. Overall, Guizhou has a beautiful environment. But when I dive, I can find some garbage underwater. Diving in fresh water can be more dangerous than in the sea, said him, as there is more human waste in the water, which not only pollutes the water but also poses a danger to divers' safety. Zhang recalled a dangerous diving experience. One day in December, Zhang and several other volunteers dived into the water to collect garbage. Soon after they started working, one of them was discovered missing and couldn't be seen, due to low visibility in the water. We turned back to search for the missing teammate, and found him trapped in a fishing net and struggling to get out. Fortunately, we helped the man out quickly, Zhang said. debossed-wristbandfuck cancer braceletrubber band bracelets
A park in Jinmen, Taiwan. [Photo/IC] Taiwan's Jinmen, Matsu to benefit; mainland also pushes gas connection Fujian province has completed early preparations to supply electricity to the Taiwan islands of Jinmen and Matsu, a spokesman for the Chinese mainland said on Wednesday. The mainland will also push forward the work of supplying natural gas to the two islands, which lie near the mainland, and linking them with bridges, said An Fengshan, spokesman of Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. People on the two islands have long hoped the mainland would help solve their shortages of water and electricity, and have repeatedly expressed a desire to have gas and bridge connections with the mainland, An said. To meet their needs, the Chinese mainland is willing to make every effort to create opportunities and provide conditions for them to have more and better development, he said. In January, President Xi Jinping spoke at a gathering marking the 40th anniversary of the Message to Compatriots in Taiwan and stressed that Chinese people should help each other. The two sides should be connected in all aspects, he said, noting that it is necessary to improve economic and trade cooperation, infrastructure connectivity and sharing of energy resources. He proposed that Fujian coastal areas can take the lead in connecting Jinmen and Matsu with water, gas and electrical supplies. Xi's words show that we always think about the people and the common interests of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, An said, adding that sharing opportunities with Taiwan will help solve practical problems in the local economy and people's welfare. Fujian has been supplying water to Jinmen through a pipeline that went into operation in early August. It brings 34,000 cubic meters of water daily from Jinjiang's Longhu Lake, the second-largest lake in Fujian. In 2002, a tanker shipped 2,300 metric tons of fresh water from Fuzhou, Fujian, to Matsu to alleviate the drought. In addition to sharing resources, the Chinese mainland has stepped up efforts in recent years to treat Taiwan compatriots equitably. Last year, the mainland released 31 measures related to economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation with Taiwan, offering the same opportunities as mainland residents enjoy in education, doing business and living on the mainland. To date, 72 local authorities in 25 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have formulated implementation measures, with many publishing more details, including policy interpretations, public services and contacts, An said. Over the past year, more than 2,000 enterprises from Taiwan on the mainland have benefited from a new favorable tax policy. More than 100 Taiwan companies have received special funds to support green, intelligent manufacturing and upgrades. A number of companies joined major mainland projects including Beijing's new airport and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. More young people in Taiwan have chosen to pursue their dreams on the mainland, with the number of students who apply for university admission or who seek careers on the mainland showing steady growth, An said. He said the mainland will continue to implement the 31 measures and expand opportunities and equal treatment for Taiwan compatriots and enterprises. We will initiate more measures to benefit Taiwan compatriots and make it more convenient for them so that they will feel more sense of gain while developing on the mainland, he said.
