Briefly

BEIJING

Harmful content crackdown continues

China investigated and handled over 13,000 cases related to online and offline activities involving vulgar content and illegal publications last year according to official statistics. Authorities nationwide confiscated around 15 million illegal publications, including 3.8 million illegal, harmful publications for children and pirated textbooks and study reference books, the National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications said on Monday. Around 19 million items of harmful information containing pornographic or vulgar content were cleared up, the office said. Chinese authorities also shut down more than 110,000 illegal websites in a national cyberspace cleanup campaign last year, it said. The ongoing campaign targets harmful information in the areas of livestreaming, online games and literature, social networks and pop-up ads.

HEBEI

Water quality of major lake improves

The water quality of Baiyangdian, the biggest freshwater lake in North China, significantly improved last year, the Hebei Provincial Ecology and Environment Department said. Surface water quality in China is divided into five classes, with Class I being the highest quality. In 2021, the overall water quality of Baiyangdian was upgraded to Class III－good quality－from Class IV. It was the first time the lake's water quality had been that good since it began to have water again and monitoring of its water quality started in 1988.The lake was completely dry between 1983 and 1987. Before 2019, the lake had long been graded as Class V for its poor water quality. Ecological restoration in Baiyangdian has accelerated since the Xiong'an New Area was set up in April 2017.

Xinhua