On Monday, Beijing traffic police tested a highway patrol robot for handling traffic violations such as illegal parking and driving in the emergency lane, local authorities said.

The device was tested on the city’s Airport Expressway. The luggage-sized robot, weighing around 20 kg, operated on the highway barrier at a speed of 5 km per hour. A fully charged battery can power the robot for between five and eight hours, according to a spokesman with the science and technology branch of the Beijing traffic police.

The robotic cop can capture images and videos of illegal parking and driving in the highway emergency lane, then send the evidence back to the police, the spokesman said.

In addition to handling highway traffic violations, the robot can assist traffic police with other routine work.

Car accidents always cause traffic congestion, but they can’t stop the robot from arriving at the site as soon as possible and sending back pictures to help its human counterparts handle the case.

It can also send a voice alert to vehicles in the event of highway congestion, car accidents, road maintenance and bad weather.

Beijing traffic police will use these robots on more highways in the city to strengthen crackdowns on traffic violations and ensure road safety.

A ceremony was held to mark a significant milestone in the construction of the Shanghai-Nantong Bridge in the city of Nantong, east China’s Jiangsu Province, on Oct. 22. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

A ceremony was held to mark a significant milestone in the construction of the Shanghai-Nantong Bridge in the city of Nantong, east China’s Jiangsu Province, on Oct. 22, reports chinanews.com.

Crews have finished building the first arch which will support the massive bridge over the Yangtze River.

The double-decker bridge will eventually run just over 11-kilometers above the Yangtze River.

It will support six lanes of vehicle traffic running in both directions on the top deck.

The lower deck will allow train traffic to run in both directions, providing a key link between Shanghai and the city of Nantong.

Construction on the Shanghai-Nantong Bridge began in March, 2014.

Officials anticipate the bridge will eventually be completed by mid-2022.

A first batch of 10 electric buses started running on the street of Beijing on Sunday.

The electric bus is 18 meters long, painted with a “China red” theme. It has a large capacity with a lower floor and a wide aisle. The buses are installed with a PM 2.5 filter and a security system, according to Beijing Public Transport.

The electric bus uses a high-power charging pile, which takes only 15 minutes to fully charge the bus. The bus can run 130 kilometers on a single charge.

By the end of this year, at least 4,500 electric buses will be on the capital’s streets, according to the Beijing Public Transport.

The number of pure electric vehicles in Beijing has reached 151,500.

A 1,400-year-old ginkgo tree in an ancient temple in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, has become such a hot tourist attraction that visitors must make online reservations before visiting, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The Guanyin Zen Temple, built in 628 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), is 30 kilometers from downtown Xi’an. It is said that Emperor Taizong Li Shimin personally planted the tree.

Staff said the temple used to attract fewer travelers, as Xi’an is home to numerous other historical and cultural relics, but it suddenly gained fame in 2016 because of photos of the tree’s magical autumn foliage.

Many domestic and international media outlets published stories and photos of the tree while its leaves formed a perfect golden carpet at the temple. As it gained more attention, visitors flooded in to see the tree for themselves. A record high of 70,000 people a day visited during the peak season, and some had to queue for three to four hours to get in.

As the tree’s leaves are now turning yellow, the temple has introduced a cap of 7,200 visitors a day, from Oct. 28 to Dec. 10. The temple opens at 8 in the morning and closes at 5.

Visitors can make reservations online through WeChat, a popular mobile app by Tencent.

A staff member said that elderly visitors may be allowed in, but generally other visitors had to make reservations in advance.

Beijing plans to cut over 1,800 tonnes of nitric oxide emissions during this year’s winter heating season, said Beijing Thermal Group Sunday.

Boilers were upgraded using low nitrogen combustion technology to cut nitric oxide emissions to 15 milligram per cubic meter.

According to Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, Beijing has eliminated 24,400 tonnes of water per hour (T/h) coal fired boilers in the past four years. Nearly 10,000 T/h gas fired boilers have been upgraded using low nitrogen combustion technology.

Air pollution is more prevalent in north China in winter. While high concentrations of industrial and vehicle emissions are the main culprits, static air and the use of coal for winter heating worsen the situation.