April 11, 2018

Last week, on April 1, China’s first space station, Tiangong-1, returned to its home planet in a fiery “uncontrolled return” through Earth’s atmosphere. Tiangong-1 (Heavenly Palace-1 in English) was launched in 2011 and ceased operating in 2016. The remnants of the unoccupied space station—the parts that did not disintegrate on reentry—crashed into the South Pacific Ocean.

This illustration shows the uncontrolled return of the Tiangong-1 space station on April 1, 2018. Credit: © Alejo Miranda, Shutterstock

The spacecraft’s demise was tracked closely by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. Air Force, and other space agencies and air forces around the world. The end of Tiangong-1 could have posed a threat to highly populated areas, and the derelict craft’s reentry position was continually updated as it spun through its final orbits. At last, Tiangong-1 hit the atmosphere over a wide expanse of empty sea. Most of the spacecraft was incinerated, but pieces of it did strike the water at Earth’s surface.

Tiangong-1 was launched aboard a carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Space Launch Center in northern China in September 2011. The modest space station, two cylindrical sections with a docking port, was about 39 feet (12 meters) long and 11 feet (3.3 meters) wide. The spacecraft was used mainly to carry out rendezvous and docking tests in preparation for the construction of a larger and longer-lasting space station scheduled for completion and launch in the early 2020′s. Tiangong-1 settled into an orbit about 217 miles (350 kilometers) above Earth, slightly lower than the orbit of the much larger International Space Station.

In early November 2011, the robotic Shenzhou-8 (Divine Craft-8) spacecraft visited Tiangong-1, executing China’s first-ever orbital docking. In June 2012, three taikonauts (Chinese astronauts) aboard Shenzhou-9 gave the heavenly palace life for about two weeks. A year later, three more taikonauts spent a fortnight aboard Tiangong-1. The spacecraft continued some Earth-observation work after that, but contact and control of Tiangong-1 were lost in March 2016. A successor craft, Tiangong-2, was launched in September 2016 and is currently in operation.

November 22, 2017

In May 2017, London’s powerhouse soccer club Chelsea won the English Premier League (EPL), arguably the world’s best professional soccer league. For Chelsea, led by Belgian superstar Eden Hazard and no stranger to success, it was its sixth English title. On June 3, Spanish side Real Madrid defeated Italy’s Juventus 4-1 to win the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League, the world’s top annual soccer tournament. Real Madrid, led by superstars Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and Karim Benzema, won its second-straight European championship and record 12th overall. The soccer year was dedicated to familiar favorites, but it was individual stars who stole the headlines—and the cash.

Brazilian soccer star Neymar and his bodyguards wade through fans and media to attend a press conference officially announcing his move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain on Aug. 4, 2017, in Paris, France. Credit: © Mehdi Taamallah, NurPhoto/Getty Images

The money year began in China, where the Chinese Super League (CSL) has dangled oodles of yuan (the nation’s currency) to lure players away from better known and more competitive leagues elsewhere. In January, Argentine striker Carlos Tevez joined Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. His new salary? Roughly $42 million per year, or more than $800,000 per week—and more than 20 times the salary paid by his previous club, Buenos Aires’s Boca Juniors. Nigerian John Obi Mikel and Brazilians Alexandre Pato and the mononymous Oscar were among the other stars who followed the money to China. Managers, too, were chasing yuan signs (¥): 12 of the CSL’s 16 teams are currently led by coaches from other countries. Notable among them are Brazil’s World Cup-winning coach Luiz Scolari and Chile’s Manuel Pellegrini, who guided Manchester City to an EPL championship in 2014. Italian Fabio Capello leads Jiangsu Suning; his compatriot, Fabio Cannavaro, manages Tianjin Quanjian.

As more and more talent took the fast boat to China, the Chinese government counteracted the growing trend in late May 2017 by introducing a heavy import tax on clubs—purportedly to encourage the development of domestic talent. The nation’s “100 percent tax” means that every yuan a club spends on a foreign player must be matched by a yuan paid to the Chinese Football Development Foundation. The tax effectively doubles the price for foreign players, somewhat lessening the shock value of CSL salaries. The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has taken protective steps too by limiting clubs to a maximum of three non-Chinese players.

The CSL was soon upstaged, however, by colossal transfer dealings in Europe, where the average EPL salary is $3 million per year. In July, English right back Kyle Walker took $60 million to move from Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester City—a record topped days later by French left back Benjamin Mendy’s $70-million move from Monaco to Manchester City. (Teams in Europe pay a transfer fee, which amounts to buying out the player’s existing contract, while also adding the cost of a new contract.) London’s Arsenal bought French striker Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon for $60 million; Chelsea signed Spanish striker Álvaro Morata for $80 million; and Manchester United bought Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku from Everton for $100 million. During the hot transfer season of July and August, EPL clubs spent a total of $1.8 billion on new players, an amount roughly equal to the gross domestic product of the Italian republic of San Marino.

The year’s biggest jaw-dropper hit in early August, when Brazilian star Neymar confirmed wild rumors that he was leaving Spain’s Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in France. The price? $263 million. Barcelona then promptly spent $125 million on French forward Ousmane Dembélé.

February 2, 2017

Move over, Luke, there’s a new Skywalker in town! A new species (kind) of gibbon, the Skywalker hoolock gibbon, has been found living in the tropical rain forests of southwestern China and northeastern Myanmar. Gibbons are the smallest of the apes. The scientific name of this new species, Hoolock tianxing, describes a hoolock gibbon with “heaven’s movement” or, loosely, as a “skywalker.” The name refers to the gibbons’ graceful swinging through the treetops as well as the traditional Chinese view of these animals as mystical beings. Also, the scientists who studied the newly defined gibbons are huge Star Wars fans. (In case you didn’t know, Luke Skywalker is one of the heroes of the movie franchise.)

An adult female Skywalker hoolock gibbon contemplates the universe from its treetop home in southwestern China. Credit: © Fan Peng-Fei, Zoological Society of London

Researchers from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, along with experts from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in the United Kingdom, have been studying these gibbons since 2008. But only recently did the scientists realize that this hoolock gibbon was different from the two known species—eastern and western hoolocks. Skywalker hoolock gibbons have slightly different eyebrows and beards than their relatives, and they have their own unique calls.

Gibbons are small primates with long arms. They weigh from 10 to 20 pounds (5 to 9 kilograms) and stand 15 to 36 inches (38 to 91 centimeters) high. Adults typically range in color from black to light tan, with males often darker than females. Their long arms help them brachiate (swing from branch to branch) through the treetops where they live. They eat fruits and leaves and rarely come to the ground. Most gibbons inhabit the forests of such Southeast Asian nations as Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. The rare hoolock gibbon has been spotted as far west as India.

Unfortunately, all gibbons, including this new species, are threatened in the wild. Scientists believe there are only 200 Skywalker hoolock gibbons left in their native habitat. Human beings have greatly reduced gibbon populations by destroying the animals’ forest homes and by capturing young animals for food or for sale as pets.

January 6, 2017

Motorists in southwestern China can get around a little quicker this week, if they are willing to brave stupefying heights to do so. In late December 2016, the Beipanjiang Bridge opened to traffic after three years of construction. If you are afraid of heights, don’t look down! China’s newest bridge is the highest in the world.

The Beipanjiang Bridge, the world’s highest bridge, soars among the clouds above the Beipan River in southwestern China. Credit: © VCG/Getty Images

As you probably know, a bridge is a structure used by people and vehicles to cross areas that are obstacles to travel. Engineers build bridges over lakes, rivers, canyons, and busy highways and railroads. China’s Beipanjiang Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge. Cable-stayed bridges are similar to better-known suspension bridges. Both types of bridges have roadways that hang from cables, and both have towers. In a cable-stayed bridge, however, the cables that support the roadway are connected directly to the towers, rather than being hung from two or more main cables that span the towers (as is the case with suspension bridges). Suspension bridges usually have only two towers, but cable-stayed bridges often have one, two, or several towers—as many as are needed.

Cable-stayed bridge. Credit: WORLD BOOK illustration

The Beipanjiang Valley plunges some 1,500 feet (500 meters) to the Beipan River below the new bridge, creating the need for a simple, two-tower design. The Beipanjiang Bridge is 4,400 feet (1,340 meters) long, with a main span (distance between the two towers) of 2,363 feet (720 meters). Looking over the side of the bridge’s main span is like looking from the top of Chicago’s Willis Tower to the streets below—a mighty long drop. The Beipanjiang Bridge is an architectural marvel, but it is also practical, greatly reducing travel times between China’s Guizhou and Yunnan provinces.

The Beipanjiang Bridge may be the highest, but it is not the longest. The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, a suspension bridge in Japan, spans 12,831 feet (3,911 meters). Its main span alone is over a mile (1.5 kilometers) long. The Beipanjiang Bridge is not the tallest bridge, either. The piers (supports that hold towers in cable-stayed and suspension bridges) hug each side of the Beipanjiang Valley, so neither pier-tower structure is particularly tall. The tallest bridge in the world is the Millau Viaduct in France, another cable-stayed bridge. It measures 1,089 feet (332 meters) tall from the base of one its piers to the top of the tower. Drivers crossing the Beipanjiang Bridge won’t care much, however, if it isn’t the longest or the tallest. A simple glance out the car window shows that the ground is a long, long way down.

May 24, 2016

Last Friday, May 20, Tsai Ing-wen became the first woman president of Taiwan, an island nation in the South China Sea. Tsai, of the Democratic Progressive Party, won election back in January, easily defeating Eric Chu of Taiwan’s incumbent—and long dominant—Kuomintang party. In the few months between election and inauguration, Tsai assembled a new Cabinet and appointed people to senior government positions, leaning on professional capacity over partisan politics. She announced green energy and biotechnology initiatives aimed at improving Taiwan’s faltering economy. She also vowed to keep Taiwan in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement and maintain strong investment in national defense.

Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen gestures to supporters after her election victory in January 2016. She took office as Taiwan’s first woman president in May. Credit: © Damir Sagolj, Reuters

Taiwan’s most pressing issue, however, is its often-rocky relationship with its giant neighbor across the Taiwan Strait, the People’s Republic of China. China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan considers itself an independent nation. Tsai has vowed to protect Taiwan’s democracy and freedom. She has also taken a pragmatic and diplomatic tone when dealing with China, and hopes to maintain the existing status quo. Under current conditions, Taiwan largely acts independently but refrains from provoking China by not openly proclaiming its independence.

Tsai Ing-wen was born on Aug. 31, 1956, in Fangshan Township, located in Pingtung County in southern Taiwan. By the time Tsai was a teenager, her family had moved to Taipei. Tsai studied law in Taiwan, the United States, and in the United Kingdom, and taught law in Taipei before entering politics.

Tsai—affectionately called “Little Ing” by her supporters—boasts a few other “firsts” besides being Taiwan’s first woman president. She is also the nation’s first unmarried president with no children (but she proudly exhibited her two cats on the campaign trail). She is the first president of Hō-ló, Hakka, and aboriginal Taiwanese descent. Tsai is also the first Taiwanese president who was not previously mayor of Taipei. In fact, she is the first president to have never before held an elected post.

November 9, 2015

Over the weekend, the leaders of China and Taiwan met for the first time in more than 60 years. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou met for dinner in Singapore on November 7. Although the meeting was seen as a largely symbolic gesture, it represented a major step toward normalizing relations between the two governments.

In 1946, a civil war broke out in China between supporters of the Communist Party and the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party). The war ended in 1949, after the Communists drove the Nationalists from China’s mainland. The Communist leader, Mao Zedong, proclaimed the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, based in Beijing. The Nationalists fled to the island of Taiwan, where they established the Republic of China, based in Taipei.

Tensions between the two countries have deep historical roots. Following a period of unrest, Kuomintang (Nationalist) Party leader Chiang Kai-shek led a campaign to unite China under a single central government. At first, members of China’s Communist Party aided the Nationalists. In 1927, however, the Nationalists turned against the Communists, and hundreds of Communists were executed. The Nationalists captured Beijing in 1928 and gained control of China. The Communists continued to fight the Nationalists. Full-scale fighting in a civil war between the two parties began in 1946. In 1949, the Communists captured Beijing and announced the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists fled to Taiwan. Since then, the heads of the two governments had not met until this past weekend.

Today, China regards Taiwan as a renegade province, and Taiwan considers itself an independent nation. Ma and Xi, who assumed the presidencies of their nations in 2008 and 2013, respectively, have worked to reduce tensions and increase trade and cultural links between their countries. Many Taiwanese people are suspicious of China’s increased influence in their country, particularly in light of a Taiwanese presidential election scheduled for January 2016. Ma and the Nationalists have lost a large amount of support in recent years. The party suffered widespread defeat in 2014 local elections that analysts viewed as a referendum on Taiwan’s relations with China. Following the defeat, Ma resigned as party chairman, though he remained in office as president.

Other Behind the Headlines articles

• Massive Pro-Democracy Demonstrations Clog Hong Kong

Back in Time articles

• China (2013)
• Taiwan (2008)

November 4, 2015

Territorial disputes disrupted a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this week. ASEAN is an organization of 10 Southeast Asian countries. It works for peace and stability in the region by promoting political, economic, cultural, and social cooperation among its members. Delegates from member nations meet each year to discuss policy and consider development projects. Officials from China and the United States, neither of which are ASEAN members, also attended this week’s meeting.

The China Sea is the name of two seas of the Pacific Ocean along the east coast of Asia. The East China Sea extends north from Taiwan to Japan and the Koreas. The South China Sea is connected to the East China Sea by the Taiwan Strait. The South China Sea includes the Gulf of Tonkin and Gulf of Thailand on the west and Manila Bay on the east. The ownership of several island groups in the area, including the Paracel, Senkaku, and Spratly islands, is disputed by neighboring countries. Credit: WORLD BOOK map

A major issue in recent years has been China’s increasing activity in the South China Sea. These efforts include land reclamation projects and the construction of runways and other structures on islands or coral reefs in regions over which China claims ownership. However, these ownership claims are disputed by Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Some of the disputed areas have rich fishing waters and lie along major shipping lanes. Some experts believe that deposits of oil and natural gas may lie under the seabed beneath several of the islands. In addition, some international security experts believe China’s actions in the South China Sea signal a military buildup. Chinese officials claim the developments are for civilian purposes.

Traditionally, at the end of an annual ASEAN summit, representatives agree on a closing statement addressing the issues discussed at the meeting. At this week’s meeting, held in Malaysia, representatives clashed over whether or not to mention China’s land reclamation activities in the closing statement. U.S. officials claimed that Chinese representatives strongly objected to mentioning Chinese developments in the statement. China, in turn, accused “certain countries” from outside the region of interfering and trying to include irrelevant information in the statement. Ultimately, no closing statement was issued because no agreement could be reached. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter noted that “this was an ASEAN decision but in our view no statement is better than one that avoids the important issue of China’s reclamation and militarization in the South China Sea.”

August 14, 2015

On August 12, 2015, a fire at a warehouse that stored toxic chemicals in the port city of Tianjin, China, caused a pair of explosions that left at least 56 people dead and more than 700 injured. More than 20 of the dead were firefighters. Investigators are not yet sure what caused the explosions, which caused widespread damage.

In the port city of Tianjin (directly below Beijing on the map), a pair of explosions killed dozens of people. (World Book map; map data © MapQuest.com, Inc.)

At about 10:50 p.m. on Wednesday, August 12, firefighters responded to a fire call at the warehouse, which reportedly stored dangerous chemicals used in a variety of industrial processes. Around 11:30 p.m., an explosion occurred, quickly followed by a second, much larger explosion. The explosions sent shockwaves through the city, destroying shipping containers near the warehouse and damaging nearby residential buildings. The explosions were so powerful they registered on seismometers (earthquake-monitoring equipment) and were felt many miles away. The explosions also sent a fireball into the sky above Tianjin that could be seen from space. Buildings surrounding the warehouse caught fire. Some were still burning this morning, two days later. Military chemical experts have been called in to advise on how to fight the fires that still burn.

June 2, 2015

One day after the Eastern Star cruise liner capsized in the Yangtze River in China, rescue workers continue to tap on the hull of the ship, listening for sounds indicating there are passengers still alive inside the boat. On Monday evening, June 1, (Chinese time), the four-story cruise ship overturned with 458 people—both passengers and crew members—aboard. Twenty-four hours later, 5 bodies had been recovered and only 14 people have been rescued. Even if there are passengers still alive and trapped in air pockets inside the ship, time is running out for them. A large number of the passengers were elderly people.

On June 2, 2015, rescuers stand upon the hull of the capsized cruise ship Eastern Star, in the Yangtze River. There were 406 passengers, 5 tour guides, and 47 crew members aboard when the ship overturned. (c Stringer-Imaginechina)

There are more than 100 divers at the site, but the rescue is complex. In order to cut an opening in the hull of the ship, the Eastern Star could first need to be towed to shallow waters. The area of the Yangtze in which the ship overturned is more than 50 feet (15 meters) deep. Once rescuers cut into the ship, it could release the air pockets holding it up, causing it to sink to the bottom. Thus, the rescue method being used is listening for sounds and alerting divers as to the location of possible survivors.

Experts suspect that the weather on the evening of June 1 led to the tragedy. The boat could carry up to  534 people, so it was not overloaded. Some of the few survivors reported strong winds and lightning before the ship capsized. A cyclone was reported in the area at the time of the disaster.

Update: As of June 4, 2015, rescuers did cut a number of holes into the ship’s hull, but no one was found. As of the 4th, the number of people rescued remains at 14, while the bodies recovered is up to 75. Some 370 people are still missing. Workers welded the holes cut into the ship closed after their search and were planning on righting the ship to continue searching for the dead.