Chinese President Xi Jinping began to deliver an important speech at a grand rally marking the 90th founding anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Tuesday.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addressed the gathering at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Under the theme of “Inheriting Folk Culture and Promoting the Taihang Spirit,” a folk music concert was held in Zuoquan, Shanxi Province on July 30.

Folk singers perform Zuoquan folk songs. [Photo by Gao Zhan /China.org.cn]

Zuoquan folk music, originating in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), was placed on the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the State Council in 2016.

Tucked away in Taihang Mountain, Zuoquan County became accessible when highway tunnels were driven through the rock. It was originally called Liao County. After a general named Zuoquan was killed in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, it was renamed in his honor.

During rough periods in the war, Zuoquan County was used as revolutionary base area for the Chinese Communist Party. CPC members with an arts background cooperated with local artists, explored local folkart and composed numerous folk songs，including “Join the Army,” “Carry the Revolution Through to the End,” “Chinese Communist Military Leader Peng Dehuai Works with Us.”

In 2008, Zuoquan County was named as “the home of Chinese folk art” by the Ministry of Culture. Since then, Zuoquan folk music has been taken to the world stage, such as the Shanghai Expo and Turkey.

To promote the protection of intangible cultural heritage and display Zuoquan folk music, the county set up a music base in Hongdu Village. The base, aimed at inheriting the ancient folk music, will become a new brand for Zuoquan tourism.

The former head of the State Administration of Work Safety, Yang Huanning, has been demoted from his administrative post for “serious violation of Party disciplines”, the Communist Party of China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said on Monday.

Yang, 60, was demoted to a vice-bureau level and nonleading position, and was placed on probation within the Party for two years, the CCDI said in a statement on its website.

Yang was found to have seriously violated political discipline and rules and deviated from the Party’s principles on major issues, according to the CCDI.

He also took advantage of his job to seek personal benefits, it said.

The CCDI said Yang was dismissed as a member of the 18th CPC National Congress and his illegal gains will be confiscated.

From May 2008 to October 2015, Yang served as vice-minister of the Ministry of Public Security. He was in charge of the overall work of the public security organs and in 2009, he also held a concurrent post as head of the office under the central leading work group for maintaining stability.

In October 2015, Yang was transferred to a job as head of China’s work safety watchdog, replacing Yang Dongliang, who had been investigated by the CCDI over graft accusations.

Since November 2012, when the new leadership was elected, the country has conducted a sweeping drive to fight against both “tigers and flies”, referring to corrupt high-and low-ranking officials.

More than 140 high-ranking officials, at ministerial level or above, have been investigated over graft allegations. They included Zhou Yongkang, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, who was sentenced to life in prison in June 2015.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday attended a reception to celebrate the 90th founding anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army, which falls on Aug. 1.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday attended a reception to celebrate the 90th founding anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army, which falls on Aug. 1. [Photo: Xinhua]

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, gave his regards to representatives of army heroes and veterans during the reception, attended by more than 1,800 guests from home and abroad.

Other senior leaders of the party and the state, including Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, also attended the reception hosted by the Ministry of National Defense.

Defense Minister Chang Wanquan made a speech, calling on the armed forces to resolutely fulfill missions entrusted by the party and the nation.

Recent torrents in southern China have left at least five people dead and resulted in direct economic losses of about 37 million yuan ($5.5 million), as some areas in the region were battered by two major storms in succession over two days.

A pedestrian braves heavy rain in Fuqing, Fujian province, on July 31, 2017. Tropical Storm Haitang made landfall in the city on Monday morning in the wake of Typhoon Nesat, which roared into the city on Sunday. The government has warned people about the potential of floods and landslides.[Photo/Xinhua]

Heavy rains since Friday, accompanied by high winds and hail in some areas, have affected 37,000 people in Hubei and Hunan provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, inundating 2,200 hectares of farmland, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Monday.

The two storms, which landed on Sunday and Monday, may bring more losses to the southern part of the country, the meteorological observatory warned.

Tropical Storm Haitang, the 10th tropical cyclone this year, landed around 3 am on Monday in Fuqing, Fujian province. Packing winds up to 65 kilometers per hour, Haitang followed Typhoon Nesat, which swept into Fuqing at 6 am on Sunday, with winds of 119 km/h, according to the Fujian meteorological observatory.

Both a typhoon and a tropical storm are cyclones, but they fall in different meteorological classifications. A typhoon is more violent, with much higher wind speeds.

It was the third time since 1990 that two major storms have struck the province almost simultaneously. Since July 21, there have been six major storms, though it’s uncommon to see two make landfall in Fujian, the State meteorological observatory said.

The storms brought heavy rain to the province, with precipitation exceeding 50 millimeters in 64 counties, cities or districts over the past 24 hours as of 6 am on Monday. Precipitation reached 172.4 mm at Yunshan village in Yongtai county, the Fujian flood control and disaster relief headquarters said in a statement.

As of 5 pm Sunday, 216,000 people had been evacuated across the province, the headquarters said. The two storms have so far affected 26,200 people in Fujian, inundating 1,350 hectares of crops and causing direct economic losses estimated at 51 million yuan, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said on Monday.

It also said Fujian evacuated 216,000 people who work on the sea or who live and work in the affected areas. Also, 1,294 fishing vessels returned to port to take shelter from the storms.

In neighboring Zhejiang province, local authorities evacuated 135,000 people, while 22,000 fishing boats left the high-risk areas.

Earlier, the headquarters dispatched nine teams to guide preparations for the two storms and the resulting floods.

As they approached the Chinese mainland, the two storms raked Taiwan. Nesat hit on Saturday evening in Taiwan’s Yilan county, and Haitang followed at 4:40 on Sunday in Pingtung. It was the first time in 50 years that dual tropical storms have struck the island almost simultaneously.