Nineteen people have been killed and 263 got injured in a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck a remote area in southwest China’s Sichuan Province Tuesday night, local authorities said Wednesday night.

Rescuers prepare food to stranded tourists at the parking lot of the InterContinental Resort Jiuzhai Paradise in Jiuzhaigou County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Aug. 9, 2017. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Jiuzhaigou, a popular tourist destination, Tuesday night. Rescue work continues in quake-hit Jiuzhaigou. (Xinhua/Fan Peishen)

The dead include eight tourists and two locals. The identities of the rest nine were not yet known, said Liu Zuoming, Communist Party chief of the Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba.

Ten people were in serious condition, including three in critical condition, the information office of the provincial government said in the latest casualties update.

Four seriously injured were transferred to the Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital in the provincial capital of Chengdu for better treatment Wednesday.

The earthquake hit Jiuzhaigou County at 9:19 p.m. Tuesday at a depth of 20 kilometers, according to China Earthquake Networks Center.

Jiuzhaigou is a popular tourist destination in the mountains on the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is part of the Aba prefecture and is known for its ethnic minority communities, mountainous landscape, and stunning scenery.

The north China city of Tianjin is aiming to lower a major air pollution indicator by a quarter this coming winter, the municipal government said Wednesday.

The city plans to reduce the density of PM2.5 — a measurement of fine particles in the air often used to gauge the severity of smog — to 70 micrograms per cubic meters in the period between October 2017 and March 2018. This represents a 25 percent drop from the same period last year.

The number of heavily-polluted days will also be cut by more than 20 percent, the government said.

Wen Wurui, head of Tianjin Environmental Protection Bureau, said the target will be reached by closing down polluting factories, phrasing out the use of coal for heating, raising vehicle emission standards, and enforcing load shedding on heavy industry manufacturers.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region sits at the heart of the North China Plain where air pollution, particularly winter smog, often occurs as a result of the high concentration of industrial and vehicle emissions, static air circulation and the burning of coal.

All three areas have set clean air targets.

Beijing, for example, aims to lower its PM2.5 density to 60 micrograms per cubic meter in 2017, a challenging target to reach according to meteorologists.

Whenever a strong earthquake hits southwest China’s Sichuan Province, panda lovers across the world feel their hearts tighten.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Jiuzhaigou County, a popular tourist area, at 9:19 p.m. Tuesday at a depth of 20 km.

The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) quickly confirmed that pandas and staff at its base, 400 km from the quake epicenter, were not affected by the earthquake.

Preliminary checks confirmed that no pandas were injured and their breeding houses in the center’s several reserves remained intact.

However, the earthquake was near a panda migration corridor and might have an impact on the wild population in the area, according to Gu Xiaodong, deputy director of a local wildlife protection station.

Giant pandas live mainly in the mountains of Sichuan and neighboring Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. Due to habitat loss and very low birthrates, only about 1,800 still live in the wild, while some 300 live in captivity.

Panda reserves cover about 60 percent of their natural habitat and are home to 70 percent of wild population. Most of the habitat is in Sichuan, where earthquakes and habitat fragmentation have affected panda breeding patterns.

Secondary disasters, such as screes and barrier lakes, also change the habitat, cut off food sources and increase risks for the wild population.

On May 12, 2008, an 8.0-magnitude earthquake damaged Sichuan’s Wolong Panda Reserve. Most of its pandas and staff were transferred to another facility in Ya’an, 140 kilometers from provincial capital Chengdu.

That facility fell victim to similar circumstances when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Lushan County on April 20, 2013. The center reported minimal damage and all 61 of its pandas were uninjured.

A new panda breeding and research center, sponsored by the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), has been built on less rugged terrain in the Wolong reserve, with the capacity to accommodate 80 captive pandas.

Two years after the earthquake, Wolong restarted its program training captive-bred pandas to live in the wild.

Gu said after the 2008 quake a giant panda rescue plan was introduced. Local residents are required to report sightings of injured pandas to a wild animal protection center, who will send veterinarians and center staff to check the panda’s condition.

Local forestry authorities also take measures to restore panda habitat after earthquakes.

In 2016, the provincial government put forward a plan for a giant panda national park that would unite the isolated habitats.

The park, which will cover 27,134 square kilometers, aims to restore migration corridors to link 67 panda reserves on six isolated mountain ranges. It will allow wild pandas to mate with pandas from other areas to enrich their gene pool and raise their numbers in the wild.

News of two Chinese tourists who were detained for performing Nazi salutes in Germany has caused quite a stir among Chinese netizens and spurred heated online discussions.

The two Chinese tourists, aged 36 and 49, reportedly made the banned salutes in front of the Reichstag parliament building and were detained by Berlin police over the weekend for breaking German laws.

They were fined 500 euros each and reportedly have been released by the police.

Fierce criticism

The two men have already been met with fierce criticism from their countrymen, many of whom expressed support for Germany’s punishment of the two.

“This is the price they have to pay for being ignorant,” said user “OKLibing” of twitter-like Weibo on Monday.

According to German law, using the symbols of anti-constitutional organizations can lead to a sentence of up to three years in jail or a fine.

Any hate speech or symbols linked to illegal organizations such as Nazis are regarded as a serious violation of German law.

“I have to support German law,” wrote Weibo user “Goodman-Zhou.”

Obey the local law

In addition to condemning the insensitive actions, netizens and government alike have called on Chinese tourists to learn the local laws and customs before going abroad.

“Do remember to bring your own dignity and that of your country when traveling abroad, and don’t humiliate your parents and motherland,” said a comment by Weibo user “Liuche.”

Chinese citizens who are or will be visiting Germany should obey the local law and respect local culture to avoid similar incidents, suggested the Chinese embassy in Germany.

Chinese media including The People’s Daily, CCTV News and China News Service all covered the incident and reiterated the importance of acting in accordance with the local law while traveling abroad.

“It is necessary to be familiar with local laws before traveling overseas, and do not breach the bottom line,” said a comment by popular blogger “Shiciyuan” that has received nearly 1,000 “likes.”

Japan compared

While praising the German attitude toward its history, some Chinese netizens also make a comparison to that of the Japanese government.

“Germany has the courage to admit its mistake and correct it. However, Japan always refuses to admit and even glorifies its crimes,” wrote “Madaha358” on Netease, a Chinese portal website.

While Germany is wary of the revival of extremism, Japanese right-wing forces have showed no remorse for the country’s history and often tried to whitewash the crimes committed during the WWII, said “Haominiao” on Sina.com, another major portal.

“Some Japanese officials even visit the Yasukuni shrine which houses class A war criminals, what a shame!” said one netizen named “Woniumianbao.”

Another comment by “2466323822” on Sina asked the Japanese government to learn from Germany when facing historical issues.

“I think it is why Germany was forgiven after WWII, but Japan wasn’t and is still blamed,” said another Weibo user.

Despite having cerebral palsy, 28-year-old has overcome physical challenges and proven outstanding English-language ability.

Guan Ping lifts Liguan onto an exercise machine in their home. [Photo by Tan Yingzi/China Daily]

Dressed in a green T-shirt and wearing a big smile, Liguan Yanping looks like a teenager. He likes to talk, both in Chinese and English, at a slow speed.

He spends most of his time in front of a computer translating or writing songs. Last year, he translated two books about Chinese calligraphy and painting into English.

When Liguan was born prematurely, in Southwest China’s Chongqing in 1989, he weighed just 1.4 kilograms and was later diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is caused by abnormal development or damage to the parts of the brain that control movement, balance and posture, leading to poor coordination, tremors and weak or stiff muscles. People with cerebral palsy may also have impaired senses of touch, sight and hearing as well as difficulty swallowing and speaking.

There are about 6 million people with cerebral palsy in China, according to the China Disabled Persons’ Federation.

“A doctor told us that surgery may help alleviate his muscle spasms, but that he would have difficulty sitting or walking in the future,” said Guan Ping, Liguan’s mother. “I had no idea what I was facing at that time.”

Despite objections from family members, Guan decided not to have a second child, so she could focus on looking after Liguan.

In 1990, she quit her job as a factory worker and started looking after her son full time.

“I will do my best to help my son live a normal life,” Guan said.

Guan has spent 20 years taking her son to see specialists across the country to help him improve body movement. Every day, she spends two hours massaging Liguan to help ease his muscle spasms, and supervising his physical training.

When Liguan was young, Guan was so strict with his training that no matter how much he cried, she would not allow him to give up. It led to people calling Guan “Tiger Mom”, and some neighbors even told local authorities that they suspected Guan was abusing Liguan.

Under great pressure, Guan attempted to commit suicide twice. “Most people, including my husband, could not relate to me and criticized my actions,” she said. “I believe that the only way for my son to achieve his dreams is through rigorous training.”

Guan’s hard work paid off. By age 16, Liguan was able to walk by himself. Now, he can conduct basic daily tasks, such as going to the toilet, washing his face, dressing himself and cooking simple meals.

“My mother and I have a very close relationship,” Liguan said. “She is my best friend, teacher and coach.”

Due to his physical condition, Liguan did not attend school. Instead, his mother, a high school graduate, educated him at home.

When Liguan was 12, he fell in love with learning English. Guan bought him a lot of study materials, and took him to local language training centers and English corners in the city.

Liguan has shown a great talent for learning English. He has passed China’s Public English Test 4, demonstrating English language ability equivalent to that of a nonnative English major student.

However, his physical handicap prevents him from taking further tests, as he writes too slowly to complete examinations in time.

Last year, a Chinese friend at Oxford University recommended Liguan for a translation job for a picture book of Chinese calligraphy and painting.

His work gained recognition from the author who then asked him to translate the second volume of the book.

Guan is currently working on his third translation project: a book on the origins of Chinese characters.

He also likes writing poems and songs. A poem he wrote in English, A Fruit That Was Loved By A Worm, reads:

I have no graceful appearance,

But a fine, pure spirit.

My dumbness illustrates intelligence.

My blemish makes you seem more complete.

The world is beautiful because of you,

And more realistic because of me.

“My dream is to become a professional English translator and song composer,” Liguan said.