A 20-month old boy has been rescued by local fire-fighters after being trapped in a narrow well for 10 hours in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province.

The child stumbled into the well around 9:30am Saturday.

Because the well is only 30-centimeters in diameter, a local excavation company provided 9 excavators to dig next to the well to reach the child.

The child’s family kept the boy conscious during his ordeal by yelling out his name. Crews also pumped oxygen into the well.

The child is now recovering in hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

China’s National Meteorological Center (NMC) Sunday renewed the yellow alert for Typhoon Mawar, which is expected to hit south China’s Guangdong Province on Sunday.

At 5 a.m. Sunday, the eye of Mawar, this year’s 16th typhoon in the region, was above the South China Sea some 135 km southeast of Guangdong, packing winds up to 25 meters per second, the national observatory said.

The NMC forecast that Mawar would grow stronger while moving northwestward at a speed of about 10 km per hour toward Guangdong, expecting it to land in coastal areas later on Sunday.

The center of the typhoon is expected to weaken quickly after making landfall.

From Sunday to Monday, Mawar will bring gales to some waters near Fujian and Taiwan, as well as parts of the South China Sea. Meanwhile, parts of Guangdong and Fujian will experience rainstorms, the NMC said.

The NMC suggested local governments take precautions against possible disasters, and ships in affected areas return to ports.

China has a four-tier color-coded system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

More than a thousand new cadets have been inducted into China’s Air Force Aviation University.

They’ll go on to be the next generation of pilots, and fly the J-20 jet fighter and Yun-20 transport aircraft.

During a ceremony on Friday, September 1, the PLA’s air force commander, Ding Laihang, inspected more than 2,000 trainee pilots, including the new recruits who come from 31 different provinces in China, and who were selected from 120,000 high school graduates who applied for the air force program.

In a speech, Ding said unprecedented changes had taken place in China’s air force, and he encouraged the new cadets to play their part in creating a more powerful Chinese air Force.

With the changing face of the Chinese air force, so too the training regimen for cadet pilots has been upgraded. Changes to education requirements, and earlier access to flight training, has dramatically shortened the training cycle of tomorrow’s pilots.

The 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress is expected to open on Oct. 18, where the new leadership for the next five-year term will be elected.

The congress is an important meeting to be held when China is striving towards achieving a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, and at a critical time in the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The 19th CPC National Congress will analyze the present international and domestic situations, and draw out guidelines and policies that respond to the call of the times.

“Whether we can raise comprehensive, strategic and foresighted guidelines [at the congress] concerns the development of the causes of the Party and the nation, the destiny of socialism with Chinese characteristics as well as the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people,” said President Xi Jinping, at a high-profile workshop in late July, which was regarded as setting the tone for the congress.

The CPC must explicitly declare “what banner to hold, what road to take, in what state of mind, what historic mission to shoulder and what target to achieve,” said Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

The answer was given at the tone-setting meeting. The Party will hold high the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and have firm confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics to ensure the causes of the CPC and the nation are always advanced in the right direction.

At the congress, the Party’s work over the past five years will also be reviewed.

Xi has hailed “the historic changes” in development over the past five “extraordinary” years, saying China’s development is standing at a new historical starting point, and socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new development stage.

There is every reason to be confident about the country’s growth. Last year, China contributed about 15 percent of global GDP, and GDP per capita reached 53,980 yuan (8,011 U.S. dollars).

Remarkable progress has been made in deepening reforms, enhancing the rule of law, improving the environment and building a strong army. The fight against corruption has also gained crushing momentum.

Such major achievements mean that after experiencing tribulations and hardships since modern times, China has made a historic leap from standing-up to becoming better-off to getting stronger.

Despite progress made in the past five years, the president repeatedly warned the Party against resting on its laurels, as the country still faces many daunting challenges, ranging from corruption to poverty and pollution.

China has set 2020 as the target year to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society, which requires the eradication of poverty.

To achieve this goal, it needs to lift more than 10 million people out of poverty every year.

However, it is the CPC’s solemn promise to the people, and that promise must be kept, as it has been over the past decades.

Chinese authorities activated a national disaster alert and response mechanism for Typhoon Mawar Saturday to help local civil affairs departments prepare for relief work.

Civil affairs departments in southern provinces including Fujian and Guangdong should remain on duty around the clock, according to a notice issued by China National Commission for Disaster Reduction, in coordination with the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The notice asked local authorities to publicize forecasts regarding Mawar and its predicted routes to enable residents to move to safe places and ships to return to harbor.

Local departments should inform residents to stockpile enough daily necessities for one to three days, it said, adding relief materials and funds should also be prepared to guarantee the basic requirements of disaster-hit residents.

By Saturday afternoon, more than 4,600 fishermen had been evacuated from near-sea areas, another 21,700 people were evacuated from low-lying areas, sheds and areas prone to landslide in Fujian.

A total of 159 scenic spots along the coast in Fujian have been closed. More than 4,600 fishing vessels returned to harbor in the province. Several express train services have been canceled.

The neighboring Guangdong province, where Mawar is expected to make landfall on Sunday afternoon or night, has also made preparations.

Mawar is the 16th typhoon to hit China this year.