IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Land laid waste by coal is reborn as cultural garden

Longquan Buddha Cultural Garden is a cluster of temples, recreational areas and tree-filled fields about 9 kilometers from downtown Taiyuan, the largest city in coal-rich Shanxi province.

Governments, companies find innovative ways of recycling

Coal-rich Shanxi province has developed technologies that can turn waste from mining and processing into construction materials or use it to improve the quality of other goods.

Chinese scientist produces new intelligent nanosuit

In the US science-fiction movie After Earth, protagonist Kitai Raige wears a magical suit. The suit, normally brown and scaly, turns beige when Kitai is cold. When he is bitten by a poisonous insect, the suit turns white.

Shanghai noodle machines wait for licensing to resume service

Three vending machines in Shanghai that make bowls of hot noodles in less than a minute will be taking a break until the operator gets all the necessary licenses.

Delicate beads found at dig site

Ostrich eggshell beads with holes as small as 1.2 millimeters in diameter have been unearthed at the Gezishan archaeological site in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in northwest China.

Ministry: More days polluted in region

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei province region saw air pollution worsen in the first three quarters of the year, with concentrations of major pollutants rising and fewer days with blue skies, according to data from the Ministry of Environmental Protection released on Saturday.

UNESCO recognizes Chinese astronaut

PARIS - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has awarded the UNESCO Medal on Space Science to the first Chinese national sent to space, Yang Liwei, along with three other prominent international space pioneers, on Friday evening at the organization's headquarters in Paris.

Matchmakers work for love, not money

Lan Yuyun, 83, and her husband, Chen Yilun, 85, have offered free matchmaking services for more than 60 years, drawing accolades as "super matchmakers".

Inclusive education faces headwinds

The government's plan for inclusive education aims to have 95 percent of children with disabilities enrolled in mainstream schools by 2020. But the drive faces headwinds, including a lack of individual training plans and a teacher-evaluation system that doesn't adjust for lower student performance on average, which could hurt a teacher's chances of getting a pay raise.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

A new way to save heritage houses

Old houses in Huangshan, Anhui province, offer a unique insight into the centuries-old architecture of the Ming and Qing dynasties, but a lack of funding is making protection a challenge.