• GROWING PANDA
  Yuanzai, the first baby of a giant panda pair, namely Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, who were given as a goodwill gift to Taiwan by the mainland, weaned on January 6. The cub was born on July 6, 2013 (SHEN HONG)
• GLITTERING ICE WORLD
  The 16th Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, kicks off on January 5. Covering 800,000 square meters, it is the largest ice-themed park in the world (WANG SONG)
• EARLY MUSIC TREASURE
  A cluster of musical instruments, believed the earliest in China, have been discovered in central China’s Hubei Province. Archaeologists found a broken se (a 25-stringed plucked instrument similar to the guzheng) and the frame of a bianzhong set (bronze chimes), in tombs which could date back to more than 2,700 years ago. The graveyard where the tombs are located covers more than one square km. Archaeologists also found 400 pieces of bronzeware, some pottery and 27 horse-drawn carts (WANG HU)
• A QUICK CHARGE
  The first solar-power-backed charging station is unveiled in Beijing on January 6. All mainstream electric cars can charge in the station (LI WEN)