Green Energy on the Rise

The National Energy Administration disclosed at a press conference that Chinas electricity consumption ticked up 6.3 percent year on year for the first half of 2017 to 2.96 trillion kWh. The growth is 3.6 percent over that of the same period last year.

Coals share in Chinas energy mix continues to fall， and that of clean energy sustains the upward trajectory. Coal accounted for 59.8 percent of energy used in the first half of this year， slipping 0.6 percent year on year； natural gas and non-fossil fuel combined accounted for 20 percent， 0.3 percent higher than the end of last year.

Chinas energy output for the first six months of 2017 is estimated at the equivalent of 1.69 billion tons of standard coal， which includes 1.17 billion tons of raw coal （up five percent year on year）， 96.45 million tons of crude oil （down 5.1 percent year on year）， and 74.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas （including shale gas and coalbed gas， a year-on-year increase of eight percent）.

In the field of renewable energy， the first half of 2017 saw an additional installed capacity of 37 million kW， accounting for 70 percent of the total new installed capacity of power generation over the period. Chinas installed capacities of hydropower， wind power， and photovoltaic are now the worlds largest.

Meanwhile， the waste in wind and PV power generation due to the power grids inability to accommodate the full amount has been reduced， by seven percent for wind power and 4.5 percent for PV power. In the first half of 2017， China produced 149 billion kWh wind power， up 21 percent over the same period of 2016， and 51.8 billion kWh PV power， up 75 percent.

More Nature Reserves Established

The State Council， Chinas cabinet， recently announced the locations of 17 new nature reserves in seven provinces and two autonomous regions. The provinces of Heilongjiang， Zhejiang， Jiangxi， Hubei， Sichuan， Shaanxi， and Gansu will host the new reserves as will Tibet and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions. The acreage and functional divisions will later be promulgated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection， the announcement said.

Nature reserves are an important vehicle， the announcement added， to promote ecological protection and protect the countrys stunning natural scenery.

The creation and management of nature reserves establish a red line for environmental protection and the nations ecological security. They are also an effective means to protect biological diversity， ensure the safety of all natural ecological systems， and improve the quality of ecological settings， the announcement said.endprint

Rural Economy Stays Strong

According to the Ministry of Agriculture， more rural residents are working close to their homes instead of seeking employment in other regions， and their incomes are rising. In the first half of this year， the per capita disposable income for rural residents climbed by 7.4 percent year on year， overtaking that of their urban peers and Chinas GDP by 0.9 percent and 0.5 percent respectively. Whats worth noticing is the up-swing in rural income of less developed regions， which is above the national average.

This summer saw another bumper harvest， with the total grain volume reaching 140.5 billion kg， a markup of 0.9 percent over last year. Though the plantation area has decreased， the per unit output has increased， and the grain quality has also improved. The farm produce structure is further optimized， with green， high-quality products on the rise. In the field of animal husbandry， the share of intensive animal farming has reached 56 percent， with small， scattered operations and breeders phased out apace.

Meanwhile， agro-tourism has seen a boom， with revenues up 10 percent or more over the same period last year， owing to the strong growth of new business modes such as immersion travel and e-commerce.

China， U.S. to Co-produce Cartoon Film

China Central Television recently announced a deal with American toy manufacturer Hasbro to produce an animated film featuring the Transformers and the Chinese mythological character， Nezha. The two sides have reached an agreement on production standards， air date， intellectual property ownership， and related legal affairs among other issues. They also shared the desire to establish stronger strategic partnership， and work together to explore brand value of classic cartoons， thus further stimulating the vitality of existing cartoons.

Activity

Ultra Music Festival

Date： September 9 -10， 2017

Place： Shanghai Expo Park

Price： RMB 780

China will host the 19th Ultra Music Festival. During the two-day event， nearly 40 live shows will be presented on the Main Stage， the Resistance Stage， and the Ultra Park Stage. The ULTRA team strives to give participants the best audio and visual effects on its amazing 3D LED stages.

The 2017 NHL China Game

Date： September 23， 2017

Place： Beijing Wukesong Arena

Price： RMB 160/380/480/580/880/1280

The National Hockey League （NHL） is bringing the Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks to face-off in their first-ever preseason game in China. The Los Angeles Kings， led by three-time all-star captain Anze Kopitar， are two-time Stanley Cup champions. The Vancouver Canucks have won no less than 10 Division Championships and three Conference Championships. The NHL plans to showcase its exciting 100-year history to fans in China.endprint