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China’s first exported ultra-large-diameter shield machine penetrates first tunnel

我国自主研制出口海外的首台超大直径泥水平衡盾构机，打通了孟加拉国历史上第一条水下隧道——Chittagong Karnaphuli River Tunnel卡纳普里河河底左线隧道。

Ahmed, chief engineer of Bangladesh Bridge Authority, has said, “It has always been the dream of the people of Bangladesh to build a tunnel and we want to make Chittagong as good as Shanghai.” With the completion of the tunnel, the drive from Chittagong airport to the industrial park will be reduced from four hours to 20 minutes.
The Karnaphuli River Bottom Tunnel project in Bangladesh is an important part of the China-Bangladesh-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, which is an important part of the country’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative to improve the Asian Highway Network. The shield machine used for tunnel boring is developed by CCCC Tianhe, with a diameter of 12.12 meters, length of 94 meters and weight of more than 2,200 tons, which is the first Chinese extra-large diameter shield machine to enter the overseas extra-large diameter shield market monopolized by developed countries. The single-lane shield section of the Karnaphuli River bottom tunnel is 2450 meters long, with a maximum tunnel cover depth of 31 meters and a design soil and water pressure of 0.59 MPa. The geology is mainly powdery sand, which is prone to sand liquefaction, mud cake on the cutter plate, cutting surface collapse, mud outlet blockage and other construction problems. CCCC-TIANHE has designed the shield machine specifically for this purpose, adopting many original technologies such as appropriate cutter disc anti-mud-cake design, mud-water system stratified backwash technology, intelligent anti-sedimentation control technology, and automatic control of mud-water circulation system. The shield machine has achieved the fastest 10 digging rings per day (2m/ring) and 171 digging rings per month during the construction. The shield machine was received in the form of a steel sleeve. After receiving, the shield crane will move horizontally and turn 180° to prepare for the second start of the right tunnel.

　　孟加拉大桥局总工程师艾哈迈德曾表示：“修建隧道一直是孟加拉国人民的梦想，我们希望把吉大港建设得像上海一样好。”隧道完工，吉大港机场至工业园的车程将从4小时缩短到20分钟。
孟加拉国卡纳普里河底隧道工程是中孟印缅经济走廊的重要一环，是国家“一带一路”倡议中的重要组成部分，对完善亚洲公路网。用于该隧道掘进的盾构机由中交天和研制，刀盘直径达12.12米、长94米、重2200余吨，是中国首台走出国门，进入由发达国家垄断的海外超大直径盾构市场的超大直径盾构机。卡纳普里河底隧道单线盾构段长2450米，隧道最大覆土深度31米、设计水土压力达0.59兆帕，以粉细砂地质为主，极易发生砂层液化、刀盘结泥饼、切削面坍塌、排泥口堵塞等施工难题。中交天和为此对盾构机进行了针对性设计，采用适宜的刀盘防结泥饼设计、泥水系统分层逆洗技术、智能防沉降控制技术、泥水循环系统自动控制等多项自创技术。该盾构机在施工掘进中实现了最快日掘进10环（2米/环），月掘进171环的好成绩。此次盾构机采用钢套筒形式接收。盾构机接收完成后，将平移并180°转体，进行该项目右线隧道二次始发准备。

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The trailer for “The Blue Defensive Line”

The trailer for “The Blue Defensive Line,” China’s first documentary film about the country’s first peacekeeping infantry battalion, was released online on Sun, arousing netizens’ curiosity in China’s sense of responsibility for the global community.

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TikTok US says it’s ‘not going anywhere’ in face of pending US ban

Bravo Tik Tok! Screw Tr p!

“We’re not going anywhere”, Vanessa Pappas, general director of TikTok US, said in a video posted to twitter on Saturday, as uncertainties loom over the app’s future, including a threat made on Friday by the US President Donald Trump to ban TikTok in the US. 

In the video that was also pushed to all TikTok users in the US, Pappas thanked TikTok content creators, users and its 1,500 US staff. She noted that the company will offer ten thousand jobs in the US in the next three years. 

On Friday, President Trump said he will soon ban the Chinese-owned app, calling it a “severance”. Trumps said he plans to sign an order to ban US access to the app as early as Saturday. 

The pending ban on TikTok has left many content creators feeling uncertain about the future of the app and some are switching to other platforms. The hashtags TikTokband and ByeTikTok were featured in many videos, and many TikTok celebrities have asked followers to continue to support them on YouTube and Instagram. 

Since threatening to ban TikTok last week, which reportedly has 100 million American users, US President Donald Trump is giving ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, 45 days to reach a deal to sell its US business to US software giant Microsoft, Reuters reported on Monday, citing sources.

By slapping a deadline on the potential deal, Trump has effectively turned transaction into a fire sale, further pressuring Beijing-based ByteDance to give up its business interests and intellectual property at a discounted rate.

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张一鸣全员信：

过去的几个月中，公司遇到了很多挑战。大家这几天应该也看到不少关于公司的传言和猜测。在当前的情况下，TikTok美国业务面临被CFIUS强制要求出售的可能性，或因行政命令让TikTok产品在美国被封禁。
当前的地缘政治和舆论环境越来越复杂，我们在一些市场面对的外部压力较大，过去几周参与应对的团队一直昼夜轮转，加班工作，争取最好的结果。虽然很多细节还不能在大范围内说，但我还是想尽可能的跟大家做一些同步，也说一下我的想法。
近一年来，我们一直在积极配合CFIUS对我们2017年底收购musical.ly的项目进行的调查。尽管我们一再强调自己是一家私营企业，并且我们愿意采取更多的技术方案来消除顾虑，但CFIUS还是认定字节跳动必须出售TikTok美国业务。我们不认同这个决定，因为一直以来我们都坚持确保用户数据安全、平台中立性和透明度。考虑到当前的大环境，我们也必须面对CFIUS的决定和美国总统的行政命令，同时不放弃探索任何可能性。我们尝试与一家科技公司就合作方案做初步讨论，形成方案以确保TikTok能继续服务美国用户。

　　在寻找解决方案的时候，我们考虑了三个方面：
1、用户。TikTok不仅是字节跳动的产品，正如Vanessa昨天视频里说的，它更应该是全球用户的社区，所以我们不会把它当作一个没有生命的资产。在这个过程中，我们会竭尽努力来保护TikTok的独特存在，并且希望TikTok的用户体验能够不受影响。

2、团队。TikTok吸引了很多人加入，凝聚了很多同事的努力，对大家来说它是工作也是事业。尤其是对于在处理危机的当地同事来说，他们的压力更大。我时常想如果他们是在一个本土企业工作，这样烦恼应该会少很多。但换个角度想，共同应对挑战也让不同地区的同事更加互相理解了。我们会把团队的利益和发展作为重要考虑。

3、公司。我们希望为inspire creativity & enrich life 的愿景继续努力，像产品演化一样不断改进，成为一家优秀的全球化企业。

TikTok已经成为了全球文化的一部分，它是用户的窗户，画布和桥梁。有数亿用户聚在我们打造的平台上，进行创作，彼此连接，给用户带来许多的欢乐和信息。也有那么多人在我们平台上创作、经营、实现他们的价值。想想这些，我对TikTok的未来充满信心。我也相信我们能赢得更多的信任。
和以往一样，在遇到困难的时候，我们的团队尤其团结，大家也很乐观和有韧性。感谢大家的投入和付出，能和这样优秀的团队一起做有挑战的事情，也是我自己重要的动力。最后想再说一下，字节跳动要做一个值得信任的全球公司，始终没有变化，在一个巨变的时代，也更值得为之努力。这本身也是一段有挑战有意义的旅程。
我们还没有完全决定最后的解决方案，外界对TikTok的关注和传言，可能还会持续一段时间。我希望大家能在喧嚣和挑战中，依旧保持好的士气，看长期有定力，信任公司能在复杂局面下做出好的判断，给员工足够的支持。而我们通过不断的创新和坚定的执行，为用户提供最好的服务，自身保持高速成长，是应对危机最坚实的后盾。

以下是张一鸣内部信全文：

　　很久没有专门给中国同事写信了，上一次还是疫情暴发的时候。今天想就近况，专门和大家聊聊。

　　又到风波季

　　因为传公司将出售TikTok美国业务的新闻，很多人在微博里骂公司和我。我看到头条圈里有人说半夜被微博评论气哭，有人替我和人吵架怼到手酸，也很多同事加油鼓励。昨天加班到天亮，睡觉前打开头条圈，看到有人发早上5点半的深圳来福士大楼的照片，属于公司的楼层灯还亮着。

　　最近很多同事一起努力，震原、定坤和技术部门同事经常工作到半夜进行架构升级、欧洲数据中心建设，还有很多部门同事24小时待命，随时被叫起来工作。感觉不平凡的日子，像一段特别的旅程。

　　感谢大家

　　想专门谢谢中国的同事，我心里一直觉得，但第一次说。

　　说实话，随着公司全球化的发展，不少中国同事牺牲了很多，从16年开始频繁出差外派，或者在中国克服时差语言问题工作，而且常常有许多应急工作。我总是push大家走出舒适区，拥抱变化，强调未来十八个月非常重要。

　　后来，因为越来越多的岗位本地化，比如TikTok市场运营职能（许多来自base上海的musical.ly团队），非中国业务内容审核等职能从18年底开始全面迁出中国，很多同事干得好好的被调岗。研发同事也因为数据访问政策调整工作受影响。

　　幸好公司成长得快，大家在新的岗位上发展的也很好。头条圈时不时也有一些抱怨，但总体上大家真的做到了格局大、ego小。

　　全球公司

　　作为中国人创立的公司，为什么我们内部经常强调我们是全球公司，大家工作中要有火星视角。因为我们同事来自世界各地，有不同的文化背景，面对不同的舆论场。而每个人都有信息局限性，更容易从自己的角度出发，尤其在地缘政治强化和去全球化的时候经常会出现问题。

　　不站在火星视角，在工作中会容易无心地冒犯不同国家的文化和价值观，或者把自己的习惯标准强加给不同文化背景的同事，这样的例子非常多。这也是我们为什么把“多元兼容”加到字节范中的一个原因。

　　文化冲突是大多数中国公司不会遇到的问题。很多中国公司的国际业务主要是实体产品的销售，所以团队保持中国人为主就可以做到业务高效。而我们这样一个连接不同文化的大型平台则必须各国的团队来运营管理。我们在各个国家尊重当地文化，所以能吸引不同国家的人才加入字节跳动，经过2-3年的曲折，在很多国家我们都建立了很好的雇主品牌。我觉得这也是格局大，ego小的体现。

　　社交媒体上的舆论

　　我其实很理解，人们对一家中国人创立走向全球公司有很高的期待，但是没有很充分和准确的信息，加上民众对当前美国政府很多行为有怨气，所以容易对我们有特别激烈的批评。

　　只是多数人把这次事件问题的焦点搞错了，问题焦点根本不是CFIUS以musical.ly并购危害国家安全为由强制TikTok美国业务出售给美国公司（这虽然不合理，但仍然是在法律的程序里，作为企业我们必须遵守法律别无选择），但这不是对方的目的，甚至是对方不希望看到，其真正目的是希望全面的封禁以及更多。。。

　　复杂的事情在一定时期并不适合在公共环境中说。就像过去也有很多时候，对公司的批评我们并不能展开解释，大家一同经历之后对管理团队有更多的信任。对于公众的意见，我们要能接受一段时间的误解。希望大家也不要在意短期的损誉，耐心做好正确的事。这也是格局大，ego小。

　　反华情绪的挑战

　　过去两年以来，尤其是最近，很多国家反华情绪上升明显。

　　举个例子，4月份我们印度公司对印度医护人员做了防护物资捐赠，6月份中印冲突升温后，努力协助我们运输和完成捐赠的印度妇女儿童部部长在社交媒体上被网民大量攻击。

　　而在美国等部分国家，有一些政客全面攻击中国和中国企业至少在短期内形成了一定的氛围，乃至有更全面视角和中肯看法的人也不能公开说公允的话。所以我们也要特别理解非中国员工的处境，也要预计未来有更多的困难。

　　尽管如此，我们还是应该从长远的发展来看眼前的挑战和压力。不断追求好的产品体验，建设好的团队文化，透明开放，以及在保护用户利益和企业社会责任方面追求高标准。我相信不但能赢得用户，也能为中国企业加分。

　　偶尔也有人说，公司对中国团队要求得更多一些，我觉得目前确实是，特别谢谢大家一起努力。

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As of April 2020, TikTok has been downloaded more than two billion times worldwide

The latest TikTok statistics show that as of April 2020, the popular video app has been downloaded more than two billion times worldwide on both the Apple App Store and Google Play (Sensor Tower, 2020). In other words, TikTok was able to double its number of downloads in just over a year—a clear sign of the app’s skyrocketing popularity.

Tiktok Usage By Country
Growing Number of US Adults Use TikTok

Here’s a summary of the TikTok statistics you need to know in 2020:

  1. TikTok has 800 million active users worldwide. 
  2. The TikTok app has been downloaded over 2 billion times on the App Store and Google Play.
  3. TikTok ranked as the top most downloaded app in Apple’s iOS App Store for Q1 2019, with more than 33 million downloads. 
  4. 41 percent of TikTok users are aged between 16 and 24. 
  5. TikTok has been downloaded 611 million times in India, which is around 30 percent of the app’s total global downloads.
  6. When it comes to the daily time spent on TikTok, users spend an average of 52 minutes per day on the app.
  7. TikTok is available in 155 countries, and in 75 languages. 
  8. 90 percent of all TikTok users access the app on a daily basis.
  9. In less than 18 months, the number of US adult TikTok users grew 5.5 times.
  10. There was an average number of more than 1 million videos viewed every day in a year. 

8-3-20 Bytedance said it is facing “complexity and unimaginable difficulties” in its process of becoming an international company, including international political tension, cultural clash and smearing from its competitor Facebook. Bytedance is devoted to its internationalization and will use its legal rights to defend its legitimate interest, the company said.Quote Tweet

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Zhang Weiwei, Professor Timothy Ash debate

Zhang Weiwei had a debate with Professor Timothy Ash, a senior scholar at the University of Oxford in the UK, on “China’s victory over the epidemic proves that the Chinese model is superior to the Western liberal model of democracy”, with Zhang on the positive side and Ash on the negative. In addition to the anti-epidemic model, they also discussed the Taiwan issue, the crisis of the Western model, and the global impact of the Chinese model. China is a fascinating story, and sometimes we achieve better communication by engaging!

Q. and A.: Zhang Weiwei on Why China Will Succeed Under the ...
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China Meteorological Administration (CMA) conducted China’s first comprehensive high-altitude large unmanned typhoon observation test

On the afternoon of 8-2, carrying observation equipment, high-altitude meteorological detection drones from Hainan Boao Airport soared up to 10,000 meters high, successfully dropped 30 sounders, together with the millimeter wave radar, completed the 3rd typhoon this year, “Sen Lak” peripheral cloud system CT-type “scan. “The observation data were sent back to the ground command system in real time. The unmanned aerial vehicle, meteorological satellite, unmanned ship and other detection methods formed a three-dimensional observation, providing an important reference basis for determining the central location of Typhoon Sen Lak.

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Flag-raising Ceremony at Tiananmen Square on China’s People’s Liberation Army Day

今天，八一建军节。迎着清晨第一缕阳光，雄壮的国歌声响彻天安门广场，鲜艳的五星红旗与太阳一同升起！今天，一起致敬人民子弟兵！
President Xi Jinping said that China will embark on a new journey to complete the modernization of the national defense and armed forces, and to transform the Chinese military into world-class forces.

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New integrated circuit degree to be designated first-level discipline at Chinese universities

The academic degree committee under the State Council, China’s cabinet, has voted through a proposal to establish an integrated circuit (IC) university program, which will be designated a first-level discipline, in a move which industry observers said represents the country’s latest effort to nurture homegrown talent in the semiconductor industry amid a US-led crackdown on China’s tech rise.

The degree’s establishment will be officially announced after it is approved by the State Council.  

The microelectronics and solid electronics university program, which involves semiconductor courses, is currently designated a second-class discipline. 

Analysts said the establishment and first-class designation of the IC program will allow more universities to open colleges to train IC students, so as to make up for a drain in China’s talent pool. Also, IC-related subjects will have access to more resources and funding.

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Tibetans perform Reba dance

Tibetans perform Reba dance 热巴舞(丁青热巴) , a centuries-old Tibetan tradition to pray for good luck and harvest in Qamdo, Southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. Reba dance was recognized as a national-level intangible cultural heritage of China.

Reba dance is a kind of dance performed by Tibetan “Reba” artists. Reba is a comprehensive art form featuring tambourine and incorporated with rap music, Xie (song and dance), acrobatics, Qigong (Chinese breath exercise) and Reba play. It is performed by groups of traveling artists who make a living as performers (normally, a family is the basic unit). According to historical records, Reba is founded by Milarepa, the second patriarch of the Kagyu sect of Tibet Buddhism in the 11th century. Reba is inherited from the “witchcraft” and “Totem Dance” of Bon, a Tibetan primitive religion. It enjoys long history, abundant contents, unique style, excellent skills, interesting lines and fancy mask and absorbs essences of ancient Zhangzhung Culture, religious culture and folk art. Therefore, it is a treasure among brilliant ancient culture and art of Tibetan and possesses high artistic value and research value. Reba Dance is distributed in Qamdo, Gonpo and Nagchu of Tibet and such Tibetan inhabited regions as Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu.

Dengqen Reba is a kind of drum dance and a comprehensive art form incorporated with rap music, song and dance, acrobatics and Qigong (Chinese breath exercise). Originated from Khyungpo Dengqen, Dengqen Reba is said to be created by Khyungpo Mila Thopaga, or Milarepa. It is said that Qamdo enjoys a tropical climate where elephants roamed. People killed the elephants and spread their skin onto the ground. They then danced on the elephant skin as a form of god worship, and from this Reba dance was born. Dengqen County can be seen as the cradle of Reba dance.

热巴舞是藏族 “热巴 “艺人表演的一种舞蹈，是以手鼓为主体，结合说唱音乐、谢族歌舞、杂技、气功、热巴戏等综合艺术形式。热巴舞是以手鼓为特色，结合说唱音乐、谢族歌舞、杂技、气功、热巴戏等内容的综合艺术形式。它由以表演为生的流动艺人组成的团体（一般以家庭为基本单位）进行表演。据史料记载，热巴是由藏传佛教噶举派第二代宗主米拉日巴于11世纪创立的。热巴继承了藏族原始宗教邦的 “巫术 “和 “图腾舞”。它历史悠久，内容丰富，风格独特，技艺精湛，线条有趣，面具花哨，吸收了古代张仲文化、宗教文化和民间艺术的精华。因此，它是藏族古代灿烂文化艺术中的瑰宝，具有很高的艺术价值和研究价值。热巴舞分布在西藏的昌都、贡布、那曲以及云南、四川、青海、甘肃等藏族聚居区。

邓肯热巴舞是一种鼓乐舞，是集说唱音乐、歌舞、杂技、气功等为一体的综合性艺术形式。邓肯热巴起源于羌布-邓肯，据说是由羌布-米拉-索帕加（即米拉日巴）创造的。据说，羌多享有热带气候，大象在那里游荡。人们把大象杀死，把它们的皮铺在地上，然后在大象身上跳舞。他们就在象皮上跳舞，作为一种拜神的方式，热巴舞由此而生。磴口县可以看作是热巴舞的摇篮。

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Completion of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System

A ceremony marking the completion of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System BDS-3 was held at the Great Hall of the People. Check out a brief history of China’s global navigation system decades in the making.

China aims to make the application of the BeiDou Satellite Navigation System (BDS) the best among all other navigation systems, and be more inclusive to provide value-added services including short messaging, satellite based augmentation and international search-and-rescue services, the spokesperson of BDS and director general of China Satellite Navigation Office Ran Chengqi said Monday. 

So far, BDS has been applied in industries such as transportation, public security, disaster relief, farming and urban governance, as well as being integrated into China’s key basic infrastructure construction including electricity, finance and telecom, Ran said at a press briefing Monday in Beijing.

In particular, BDS-based high-precision applications played a positive role in China’s fights against COVID-19 and the recent flooding in southern China. BDS has been applied in China-Europe freight train transportation, the construction and operation of high-speed trains between Beijing and Zhangjiakou, North China’s Hebei Province as well as civil aviation, Ran said. 

“We will further promote the integration of BDS with newly emerging technologies, such as 5G, mobile communication, big data and the mobile internet, which will create new economic growth points,” Ran said.

Chinese leaders launched the full global service of the BeiDou-3 on Friday. BDS is China’s largest space-based system and one of four global navigation networks, alongside the US’ GPS, Russia’s GLONASS and the European Union’s Galileo.

BeiDou is able to tell others where the user is located, a strong advantage compared with GPS, Huang Haihui, vice president of the UniStrong Science & Technology Co, told the Global Times Monday.

This application is particularly useful in search and rescue missions that can return a feedback to the people calling for help, Huang cited the example of obtaining the location of oceangoing vessels when they are in distress.

“This is China’s own system meaning it’s independently controllable, so there is no need to worry about the navigation usage in some special areas such as national defense,” he noted. 

Ran said that more than 500 types of equipment components have been made in China and the domestic production rate of the BDS-3’s key components is 100 percent.

BDS’ global positioning accuracy is better than 10 meters, with a timing accuracy better than 20 nanoseconds, and its performance in the Asia-Pacific region is even better.

Both satellite distribution and the number of BeiDou satellites gives it an advantage in accuracy, stability, reliability and usability, Huang said, adding that wider applications for BeiDou could be in precision farming and autonomous driving at port wharfs.

The output of China’s satellite navigation and location-based services industry has been growing more than 20 percent annually on average, reaching 345 billion yuan ($49.47 billion) in 2019, and is expected to exceed 400 billion yuan in 2020, Ran said.

BDS and navigation-relate shares surged on Monday, with UniStrong and BDStar Navigation gaining by the daily 10 percent limit.