China Plans Asteroid Defense Test — and Outpaces Sci-Fi

 

 

On September 5, 2025, Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program, announced that the country will carry out a kinetic impact demonstration mission on an asteroid to test planetary defense capabilities. Speaking at the third International Conference on Deep Space Exploration (Tiandu), Wu said the mission will use space–ground collaborative observation and high-speed imaging to measure changes in the asteroid’s orbit, shape, and ejecta — allowing scientists to accurately assess the impact effects.

 

 

China also plans to invite global partners to participate, with cooperation opportunities in ground-based monitoring, payload integration, and data sharing.

 

 

But while the announcement marked a serious milestone in space science, it also triggered a lighter reaction online. The Weibo hashtag “Guo Fan’s script was rewritten overnight” quickly trended, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the acclaimed director of The Wandering Earth. As many netizens joked, China’s space program is now advancing so quickly that even sci-fi screenwriters can barely keep up.

 

 

Russia Opens Its Doors: Visa-Free Entry for Chinese Tourists

 

 

On September 5, CCTV News reported that President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum, announced Russia will introduce a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens, a reciprocal gesture to China’s earlier move.

 

 

The travel industry expects the policy to turbocharge demand. Within just one hour of the announcement, Tongcheng Travel recorded a sixfold surge in searches for Russian travel products. Popular picks included Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk, and Kazan — destinations already high on Chinese tourists’ wish lists.

 

 

Qunar’s flight index tells a similar story: searches for Moscow and St. Petersburg flights doubled year-on-year last week, while Beijing–St. Petersburg searches jumped threefold. This summer has already seen more independent travelers heading to Russia, and the visa-free policy is widely expected to draw even greater numbers over the upcoming National Day holiday.

 

 

Russia has long been among the top 10 destinations for outbound Chinese travelers. With barriers now falling, the stage is set for a wave of tourists crossing the border — and for Russia’s tourism sector, a golden holiday season may be just ahead.

 

 

China’s Railways to Retire Paper Vouchers, Embrace Full Digital Era

 

 

China’s railway system will take another step toward full digitalization on September 30, 2025, when paper reimbursement vouchers are officially discontinued and replaced by e-invoices.

 

 

The move is the latest in a steady digital shift: since November 2023, passengers have been able to request electronic invoices directly online, without visiting counters or kiosks. The announcement has stirred nostalgia online, with many netizens posting photos of old paper tickets — keepsakes of past journeys — as a way to reminisce.

 

 

 

 

Some worry that elderly passengers could face difficulties. Railway authorities stress, however, that self-service machines will continue to provide printed travel itineraries, listing key details such as departure times, stations, seat numbers, and boarding gates.

 

 

With digital tickets already the norm, this change signals not just the end of paper stubs, but the beginning of a smoother, more connected travel experience.

 

 

Wax Figures Melt Away: Madame Tussauds Exits Beijing

 

 

On September 4, Madame Tussauds Beijing announced it will permanently close its doors on October 1, 2025, citing the expiration of its lease and adjustments to brand strategy. Most of the wax figures will be relocated to other Madame Tussauds locations in China.

 

 

The challenges facing the Beijing branch mirror broader headwinds for wax museums. First, the economics are daunting: annual rent alone ranges between CNY 16 million and 27 million, while creating a single wax figure costs up to CNY 300,000, not including ongoing maintenance and administrative expenses. In total, operating costs easily exceed CNY 30 million per year, making profitability elusive.

 

 

Second, the wax museum’s core strength—its celebrity IP—is losing traction. Younger consumers are increasingly captivated by internet personalities and next-generation idols, but wax figure updates have failed to keep pace with shifting tastes. Static displays also struggle in an era when audiences seek immersive, interactive experiences such as VR gaming or escape rooms.

 

 

Finally, the brand’s parent company, Merlin Entertainments, is pursuing a strategic realignment. In Beijing, where the tourism market is heavily anchored in historical and cultural attractions like the Forbidden City, the entertainment-centric wax museum struggled to fit its surroundings. By closing in Beijing, resources can be better concentrated on other locations such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Wuhan, improving overall efficiency.

 

 

In short, the closure underscores both rising operational pressures and changing consumer preferences — and reflects Merlin’s bid to sharpen its China portfolio.

 

 

China’s AI Heavyweights Land on TIME100 AI List

 

 

Time magazine has unveiled its third annual TIME100 AI list, spotlighting the 100 most influential figures shaping artificial intelligence. This year, three names from China stand out: Huawei’s Ren Zhengfei, DeepSeek’s Liang Wenfeng, and Unitree’s Wang Xingxing.

 

 

 

 

Ren Zhengfei — the legendary founder of Huawei — began with a small switch-reselling business in 1987. Nearly four decades later, he leads a global tech giant. Despite facing heavy U.S. sanctions, Huawei reported over $118 billion in revenue in 2024. Its Ascend 910C chip is said to deliver 60% of Nvidia H100’s inference performance, while its CloudMatrix 384 supercomputing system showcases how China is building AI infrastructure with homegrown chips.

 

 

 

 

 

Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek, shook the AI world in January with the release of R1, the first open-weight model to challenge OpenAI’s latest launch. Trained for just $6 million, R1 ignited comparisons with OpenAI’s mega-budget Project Stargate, estimated at $500 billion. The launch sent shockwaves through markets, briefly erasing $1 trillion from Nvidia and other U.S. tech stocks — proof that even a small Chinese startup can unsettle Silicon Valley’s biggest players.

 

 

 

 

 

Wang Xingxing, founder of Unitree, stole the spotlight in January when dozens of his humanoid robots performed on China’s most-watched TV show. Unitree now claims two-thirds of the global robot dog market and says half its sales come from overseas. Wang’s design mantra is simple: fewer parts mean stronger, cheaper, and more durable robots. He’s betting that as AI improves, humanoids will move beyond preprogramming — say, cleaning a room they’ve never seen before — making robots truly autonomous helpers.