Latest news with #Feitian
Mint
6 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Moutai Posts Worst Growth in Years as Chinese Cut Back on Liquor
(Bloomberg) -- Kweichow Moutai Co. delivered its worst six-month growth in sales or profit in years as China's top distiller struggles with weak consumer demand for premium beverages. First-half revenue increased 9.2% from a year earlier to 91.09 billion yuan ($12.7 billion), while net income climbed 8.9% to 45.4 billion yuan, the company reported Tuesday. Those are the slowest semiannual increases since at least 2016, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The distiller, which has targeted sales growth of about 9% for the year, has seen flagship liquor Feitian's wholesale price — the fee Moutai distributors charge alcohol retailers — continue to slide and even reach a record low this year, as consumers pulled back on spending amid economic uncertainty in China. Wholesale prices for Feitian 2024 and Feitian 2025 in original packaging have declined by 16% to 17% year-to-date, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Ada Li. In a further blow to liquor prices, China's government in May issued a notice reminding officials to cut wasteful spending on travel, food and office space. The austerity drive could further risk tanking demand for liquor at government banquets and corporate events. The company even replaced its signature liquor with blueberry juice at a buffet during its annual shareholders meeting that month, local media reported. To address falling prices, Moutai distributors in some provinces have adopted supply restrictions to channels including e-commerce platforms, according to a local media report. Still, Moutai's earnings have been largely shielded from the volatility in wholesale prices as it sells its sorghum-based liquor, known as baijiu, to distributors at a fixed price of 1,169 yuan per 500 milliliter bottle. Smaller baijiu makers have been more exposed. Sichuan Swellfun Co.'s profit slumped 57% and sales fell 13% in the first half, according to a preliminary earnings report. Jiugui Liquor Co. has warned first-half net income dropped by at least 90% and revenue to shrank by 43%. 'A strong rebound in baijiu is unlikely through year-end, as new anti-extravagance rules dampen demand and wholesale prices amid destocking and tight inventory controls,' said Bloomberg Intelligence's Li. Still, the fallout from the latest austerity push may be less severe than a crackdown in 2012, thanks to more adaptable producers and already-reduced government demand, she added. Moutai shares have been under pressure due to the wholesale price weakness. The stock dropped 5.7% so far this year, compared with a 5.3% gain in the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 Index. An index of China-listed liquor makers has fallen 8.8% this year. --With assistance from Foster Wong. More stories like this are available on
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Global Times: Cultural inheritance must touch the heart first
BEIJING, June 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dunhuang, with its millennia-old heritage, is finding new life through the energy and creativity of young people. Over the past year, I've been involved in creating and performing in the National Theatre of China's (NTC) music drama The Summoning of Dunhuang. Through this process, I've come to feel deeply how a cultural summoning that began over 1,000 years ago can still stir emotions and spark connections today. My own journey with Dunhuang began in 2021, when I composed a song called "Feitian" (Flying Apsaras). I wanted to reinterpret the free, graceful spirit of Dunhuang's murals in a contemporary pop style. To my delight, listeners - especially young people - responded enthusiastically. Many commented that it was the first time they'd really paid attention to Dunhuang or tried to understand its art. That experience made me realize how urgently we need new, fitting "entry points" into China's traditional culture. I firmly believe that cultural inheritance must touch the heart first - and to do that, it has to feel personal. To bring young people closer to traditional culture, we should not present it in a rigid manner that makes it feel distant and unapproachable. Young audiences need to feel, "This is about me," "I understand this," and "I'm excited to engage." Only then will ancient traditions come alive again. That conviction drove me to join The Summoning of Dunhuang. In the play I portray two characters: Chang Shuhong (later the founder of the Dunhuang Academy) in 1935 and Zhang Ran in 2035. Chang left his life in Paris, France, to journey alone into the deserts of Northwest China, dedicating his life to keeping Dunhuang's heritage burning bright. Zhang is a future digital preservation engineer who uses modern technology to bring the murals to life. One character "burns bright," the other "lights up" - and both, a century apart, are protectors of Dunhuang in their own ways. To prepare for the creation of the drama and bring these characters to life, our creative team undertook an intensive field study in Dunhuang. This journey was like bathing in the winds of history. We only felt the "wind" gently flipping through ancient chapters. Those past events, though weathered by time, still shined brightly, transformed into the camel bells of caravans, the sound of flutes at border passes and the bugles on battlefields, directly reaching our ears. As NTC Director Tian Qinxin often reminds us, "Dunhuang's soul is in the details." To make our dancers move with the authentic grace of the flying apsaras, we studied each detail of the murals, watching how the apsaras' hands floated through the air. Our lighting designer ran countless tests to mimic the way sunlight once played across the cave walls. When a Buddha or a guardian deity appears on stage as a 15 meter tall digital projection, or a flying apsaras descends on seven wires, tradition and technology merge seamlessly. Every detail is crafted to evoke a timeless, heartfelt resonance. During the performances, I've watched the audience's eyes light up over and over. A theatergoer told me they saw "a Dunhuang for my generation." Students from a school for the deaf in Nanjing used sign language afterward to say "thank you." On social media, many audience members shared that the show inspired them to look up Dunhuang, and to read about Chang's life. Moments like these affirm my belief that "modernizing" traditional culture doesn't mean diluting it or turning it into mere entertainment. Instead, it means bringing sincerity, passion, and creative artistry so that ancient traditions step off dusty shelves and into people's senses - into their ears, eyes, and feelings. The reason why traditional culture can become a spiritual resource today is that its precipitation through time has been deep enough, while its future life depends on continuously injecting new forms of expression to help it grow afresh. On visiting the site in August 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the sound protection of Mogao Caves and inheritance of Dunhuang culture is a responsibility that is held by the Chinese nation for the advancement of the world's civilization. Dunhuang still calls to our youth. For our generation of artists and cultural workers, it is a relay race across time. As I travel with The Summoning of Dunhuang crew on the show's national tour, I feel even more keenly that China's civilization is at once profound and expansive. Dunhuang's story is far from finished. I hope that on even broader stages ahead, I can continue to share, in my own way, the moving and enduring tales of this extraordinary heritage that are distinctly ours. The author is an actor with the National Theatre of China. The story was originally published in Chinese in the People's Daily on June 14. View original content: SOURCE Global Times Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Nikkei Asia
20-05-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
China's Moutai serves shareholders juice, not baijiu, as austerity bites
DALIAN, China -- Major Chinese baijiu liquor maker Kweichow Moutai is making headlines by choosing not to serve its top-shelf Feitian at a shareholder event, a byproduct of government austerity measures aimed at cutting official spending on luxuries. A banquet held by the company on the eve of a shareholders meeting in Guizhou province was changed this year to a simple buffet format, and the Feitian that used to be placed on each table was nowhere to be seen, according to Chinese media.
Miami Herald
09-05-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
New species identified when it bites researcher's hand and 4 more discoveries
The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All linked stories were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists. Unique creatures, odd animals and new species are discovered across the planet. Some are found lurking in remote corners of the world, while others have been hiding right under our noses. Learn more about some recent new species discoveries: Tick-infested creature bites researcher in Papua New Guinea. It's a new species On Sudest Island in southern Papua New Guinea, researchers identified a new snake species named Aspidomorphus dimorphus after a research assistant was bitten by it in 2004. This snake, found in the rainforest, is unique for its bimodal color patterns, with both orange and dark morphs being genetically identical. | Published May 2 | Read More | 'Silvery' river creature with 'unique' stripe turns out to be new species In a remote river in northern Brazil, scientists discovered a new fish species named Cyphocharax ivo, or Ivo's curimatid, during a 2005 survey. This small, 'silvery' fish with a 'unique' stripe was found in the Amapá state, near the border with French Guiana and Suriname. The species was named in honor of Ivo Silva dos Santos for his contributions to ichthyology. | Published May 5 | Read More | 'Long'-armed deep-sea creature with dozens of suckers discovered as new species In the depths of the Western Pacific Ocean, scientists discovered a new species of octopus named Grimpoteuthis feitiana, or Feitian's Dumbo octopus, during a 2017 expedition. Found at the Caroline Seamount, this 'semi-gelatinous' creature has 'long' arms covered in suckers and moves gracefully, reminiscent of the goddess Feitian. The octopus is adapted to survive in extreme deep-sea conditions. | Published May 6 | Read More | 'Porcelain'-like creature with 'large' claws found on island. It's a new species On an island in northeast India, researchers discovered Bhattacharya's porcelain crab, or Petrolisthes tanmayi, during a 2023 wildlife survey. This speckled crab with 'large' claws was found hiding under rocks and bricks in the mangrove forest of West Bengal. The species was named in honor of Tanmay Bhattacharya for his contributions to zoology. | Published May 6 | Read More | 'Giant' new species of fish found in disappearing roadside pond in Argentina In Argentina's Chaco National Park, researchers found a new species of giant killifish named Titanolebias calvinoi in a shallow, drying pond. This nearly 4-inch-long fishcan survive in temporary aquatic environments through remarkable adaptations like drought-resistant eggs. | Published May 6 | Read More | McClatchy News continues to follow the discovery and sightings of the most unusual and intriguing species. Check back for the latest stories.
Miami Herald
06-05-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Long'-armed deep-sea creature with dozens of suckers discovered as new species
World 'Long'-armed deep-sea creature with dozens of suckers discovered as new species A submersible in the Pacific Ocean found a deep-sea creature with 'long,' sucker-covered arms and discovered a new species, a study said. Screenshot from video shared via Tang, Zheng and Zhang (2025) From a research vessel in the Pacific Ocean, scientists watched the camera feed of a remotely operated submersible thousands of feet below them. As the submersible moved through the chilly water, a 'semi-gelatinous' sea creature with 'long,' sucker-covered arms came into view. Researchers didn't know it at the time, but they were looking at a new species. A team of scientists visited the Caroline Seamount in 2017 to survey deep-sea marine life using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), according to a study published April 21 in the peer-reviewed journal Organisms Diversity and Evolution. During one of the dives at a depth of about 4,070 feet, the ROV encountered an octopus 'lying on the seafloor, with its arms naturally bent over the surface of the seamount,' the study said. As the ROV got closer, the octopus pushed off the rocks and swam a short distance away. The new species of Dumbo octopus seen in its natural habitat. Photo from Tang, Zheng and Zhang (2025), shared by Yan Tang Scientists moved the ROV closer to the 'large'-eyed octopus and caught it with a suction tool. They carefully brought the animal to the surface, took a closer look at it and eventually tested its DNA. Researchers soon realized they'd discovered a new species: Grimpoteuthis feitiana, or Feitian's Dumbo octopus. Feitian's Dumbo octopus is considered 'small-sized,' measuring about 16 inches long in its natural habitat but shrinking after being brought to the surface, the study said. Its body is 'bell-shaped' and 'semi-gelatinous,' 'giving it a soft and flexible texture.' The Grimpoteuthis feitiana, or Feitian's Dumbo octopus, seen in its natural habitat. Photo from Tang, Zheng and Zhang (2025), shared by Yan Tang Like other octopuses, the new species has eight 'long' arms of slightly varying lengths covered in dozens of suckers, researchers said. These 'moderate'-sized suckers run 'from the mouth opening to the arm tips.' Photos show what Feitian's Dumbo octopus looks like in its natural habitat. Its coloring looks pinkish orange up close but, from afar, almost seems to blend in with the surrounding rocks. Like other Dumbo octopuses, the new species has a pair of 'moderately long' fins on its mantle, or main body, giving it a 'resemblance to the fictional character Dumbo from Disney cartoons,' the study said. The Grimpoteuthis feitiana, or Feitian's Dumbo octopus, seen in its natural habitat. Photo from Tang, Zheng and Zhang (2025), shared by Yan Tang Feitian's Dumbo octopus swims by flapping its fins and contracting then extending its arms, researchers said and a video from the ROV shows. It does 'not move quickly.' Like other deep-sea animals, the new species must 'survive in extreme environmental conditions' with no light, minimal oxygen, low temperatures, high water pressure and general food scarcity, the study said. As a result, it likely moves 'at a slower pace,' has a 'lower metabolic rate' and requires less oxygen than shallow-water octopuses. Researchers said they named the new species after Feitian, 'a goddess known in Chinese Mogao Cave Culture for her graceful dancing in the air,' because of the way the new species moves, which looks like 'flying underwater.' So far, only one specimen of the new species has been found at the Caroline Seamount midway between Guam and Palau in the Western Pacific Ocean, the study said. The new species was identified by its DNA, body shape, size, internal anatomy, arms and other subtle physical features, the study said. The research team included Yan Tang, Xiaodong Zheng and Junlong Zhang. Aspen Pflughoeft McClatchy DC Go to X Email this person Aspen Pflughoeft covers real-time news for McClatchy. She is a graduate of Minerva University where she studied communications, history, and international politics. Previously, she reported for Deseret News.
