Ancient irrigation sites Three more ancient Chinese irrigation sites have been recognized as World Heritage Irrigation Structures (WHIS), according to the Ministry of Water Resources. Granted by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) on Friday, the inclusions of the Li Canal-Gaoyou Irrigation District, the Liao River Irrigation District and the Sakya Water Storage Irrigation System have brought the total number of Chinese irrigation projects on the WHIS list to 26. Li Canal in East China’s Jiangsu Province, one of the newly listed projects, was first built in 486 B.C. to connect and divert water between the Gaoyou Lake and the Gaoyou irrigation district, maintaining a functional balance between water transport and irrigation. Qinqiang Opera Legislative measures will be put in place to preserve Qinqiang Opera, a genre of Chinese folk opera, in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. A regulation on the preservation, inheritance and development of Qinqiang Opera was approved on Friday by the Standing Committee of the 13th Shaanxi Provincial People’s Congress, the provincial legislature. According to the regulation, culture and tourism authorities at or above the county level are required to organize general surveys on the art resources of Qinqiang Opera. They should also collect, rescue and preserve archives, oral history and related precious objects with historical and artistic value. Homegrown UAV The China-developed Wing Loong-10 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has completed a scientific research and experiment test mission on marine meteorological observation, announced the developer on Saturday. On Saturday morning, the Wing Loong-10 UAV carried out collaborative observations on cloud systems over the ocean, temperature and humidity profile distribution, surface wind fields, and other meteorological factors, said the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, Ltd., the country’s leading aircraft maker. Population aging China has released a guideline for measures to further implement its national strategy to address population aging and boost the sense of fulfillment, happiness and safety among the elderly. The guideline, jointly issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, outlines a range of measures to meet the needs of the elderly in a coordinated manner while tackling the issue of population aging through joint efforts from the Party, government and society. China will improve elderly care services at home and through communities, according to the guideline. Government-funded institutions for public and accessible elderly care services will prioritize certain groups, including incapacitated elderly individuals with financial difficulties. (SD-Agencies) | 