Beijing's PM2.5 concentration, a key indicator of air pollution, had dropped to 24.9 micrograms per cubic meter in the first three quarters of 2025, down 15% from the same period last year, said local environment authorities. During the period, Beijing recorded 226 days with good air quality, 18 days more than the same period of last year. The city is expected to exceed national ecological environment targets by the end of 2025, said Chen Tian, head of the municipal ecology and environment bureau, during a press conference held on Oct. 15, 2025. This picture taken on July 29, 2025 shows Beijing's sky turning a clear, brilliant blue after a heavy rain.

The 11th Silk Road International Arts Festival opened on Oct. 16, 2025 in Xi'an, the capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, with participants arriving from more than 80 countries and regions for the 25-day celebration of diverse artistic expression. Themed "Connected by the Silk Road, United Through Art," this year's festival includes opening and closing ceremonies, staged performances, cultural exchange programs and an international invitational art exhibition. This picture taking on Oct. 17, 2025 shows visitors viewing the paintings at the international invitational art exhibition.

A festival to boost exchange among social organizations on both sides of the Taiwan Strait kicked off on Oct. 16, 2025 in Beijing, drawing more than 360 guests from nearly 100 Taiwan-based social organizations. Delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the event, Zhang Zhijun, president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, urged efforts to bolster cross-Strait interaction and friendship, expand cross-Strait cooperation in various fields, and forge closer bonds between people on both sides of the Strait, thus adding momentum to the unstoppable trend of national reunification. This picture taken on Sept. 28, 2025 shows a performance at the sixth Cross-Strait Hakka Mid-Autumn Festival Gala held in Longyan City, east China's Fujian Province.