Traditional villages

CHINA has added 1,336 traditional villages to the State protection list amid efforts to promote heritage conservation, according to a notice from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

The ministry, together with five other government organs, has so far brought a total of 8,155 traditional villages under State protection in six batches.

The ministry urged the localities to establish and improve the archives of traditional villages, and guide the villages to draw up protection plans to strengthen the protection and utilization of the villages, according to the notice.

Giant panda dies

GIANT panda Bao Xin died of multiple organ failure March 14, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province announced late Tuesday.

Bao Xin was born June 24, 2021 in Sichuan. His mother Bao Lan is the third offspring of Lun Lun and Yang Yang who came to Zoo Atlanta in 1999 under a collaboration agreement between China and the United States. Bao Lan came back to China in May 2014.

The Chengdu research base said in a statement that Bao Xin showed symptoms of drowsiness, anti-feeding and poor mental performance March 3.

Poverty alleviation

THE China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission shored up financial support in 2022 to consolidate poverty alleviation efforts and promote its effective coordination with rural revitalization.

Last year, the commission issued micro-credit worth 93.35 billion yuan (US$13.58 billion) to people lifted out of poverty, marking an increase of 24% year on year.

By the end of 2022, outstanding loans to regions lifted out of poverty totaled 10.7 trillion yuan, up 1.38 trillion yuan year on year.