Today's weather: Sunny during the day with northerly winds shifting southerly, force 3, gusting to force 6-7, and a high of 13°C. At night, clear to cloudy with southerly winds shifting northerly, force 1-2, and a low of 0°C. Strong northerly winds with significant gusts are expected today, with a blue wind warning in effect; please take precautions. Traffic restrictions apply to license plates ending with 5 and 0.
Life Services: Starting in April, Beijing residents can check their 2023 social insurance statements. An illustrated guide explains who can access them and how. The Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau has released a summary of March activities and guides, featuring flower festivals, trendy markets, and fashion weeks. Museums in the capital are entering flower-viewing season, with Wanshou Temple's magnolia-themed cultural products gaining popularity. On the Dragon Head Raising Day, intangible cultural heritage performances from Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and Inner Mongolia will be held in Yanqing.
Fourth Ring Road Night Repairs; Two Sites on South Central Axis Under Construction: The Fourth Ring Road main route health project commenced fully on the evening of March 17, with construction from 11 PM to 5 AM and temporary markings during the day to restore traffic. The project focuses on enhancing road and bridge functionality, involving multi-department coordination to improve safety, resilience, and roadside aesthetics, aiming to create a safe and comfortable smart travel environment. In Fengtai District's South Central Axis core area, the first foundation pile for the new National Museum of Natural History was drilled on March 16, marking the start of main construction. This museum is the first project in the first phase of the South Central Axis museum cluster and is scheduled to begin trial operations in October 2029. At the southern end of Beijing's central axis, scaffolding has been erected around the Yongding Gate tower for its first comprehensive restoration since its 2004-2005 reconstruction. The renovation will restore historical features, including comprehensive protection of the roof, walls, beams, doors, windows, base, and painted decorations.
8.1 Million Electric Bicycles: Where and How to Park? With an average of one electric bicycle for every four people in Beijing, parking difficulties and disorderly parking have become significant issues. Beijing is addressing this through targeted measures, such as creating new parking spaces and promoting standardized parking, to continuously improve parking order. As of January this year, the number of electric bicycles in Beijing has exceeded 8.1 million. At high-traffic subway stations, the challenge of finding a parking spot after exiting has become a common frustration for many riders.
Major Policies Released, Focusing on Rural Areas and Business Environment: The Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Government have outlined 24 key tasks for comprehensive rural revitalization by 2026. This year, suburban Beijing will develop high-quality rural leisure settings, build 30 garden villages and key rural tourism areas, cultivate boutique homestays, and promote 100 rural tourism routes. Beijing's business environment reforms will upgrade to version 9.0, encompassing 28 measures across four areas. The "2026 Beijing Comprehensive Optimization of Business Environment Work Plan" has been released.
One-Month Campaign to Guide AI for Good: The Beijing Cyberspace Administration has launched a one-month "Clear Cyberspace, AI for Good" campaign to address the misuse of AI technology. It focuses on combating AI-generated pornographic and vulgar content, as well as AI impersonation for infringement. Relevant departments will enforce strict measures to urge online platforms to fulfill their responsibilities and maintain a clear cyberspace.
Beijing Accelerates Sci-Tech Innovation, Computing Power Reaches for Space: The "2025 Capital Sci-Tech Innovation Development Index" shows a total increase of 88.75% from 2014 to 2024, with the sci-tech efficiency index rising by 67.21%, indicating Beijing's rapid shift toward innovation-driven development. All four indicators—innovation performance, service, resources, and environment—have improved. Haidian District has introduced 18 measures for transforming sci-tech achievements, creating a "one-kilometer conversion circle" to accelerate the application of university innovations and ensure achievements can be transferred, adopted, implemented, and utilized effectively. Beijing is advancing space-ground computing power collaboration, with 2026 being a key period in a three-step plan to develop space AI computing systems and form innovation consortia to tackle aerospace challenges.
Education Upgrades and Quality Improvements: During the recent National Two Sessions, it was announced that the "16th Five-Year Plan" period will see an expansion of general high school supply, with 1,000 new or renovated schools adding over 2 million seats. In Beijing, more than 10 new middle schools are under construction, bringing further changes. The Beijing Third Experimental School, fully operated by Tsinghua University High School, is ready for use and expected to be fully completed by May 10. This public K-12 school will officially open in September. Beijing University of Technology's Gengdan College will transition into an independent private undergraduate institution, tentatively renamed "Beijing Gengdan College."
New Policies on Prepaid Fees for Senior Care Facilities: The Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau and five other departments have jointly issued the "Beijing Prepaid Fee Management Measures for Senior Care Facilities," stating that membership fees are not encouraged. Additionally, deposits charged by facilities must not exceed four times the monthly service fee, with admission deposits included in deposit management.
Risks in Children's Videos; How to Handle Old Children's Books? Two weeks after the implementation of the "Classification Measures for Online Information That May Affect Minors' Physical and Mental Health," some platforms still push videos containing inappropriate content like profanity, smoking, and bullying to minors. Many parents face challenges in disposing of old children's books: genuine picture books and extracurricular readings are expensive, making them wasteful to discard, difficult to give away, or hard to sell. How can book hoarding be reduced and effective circulation achieved? Reporters have tested various solutions.
Shopping Mall Restrooms: Hide-and-Seek with Supplies? Visits to multiple malls revealed that some restrooms, aiming for a minimalist style, have "hidden" designs for soap and paper towel dispensers. While aesthetically appealing, unclear indicators and poor layouts often inconvenience customers, undermining user experience. Good design should be intuitive.
Early Pollen Season: Management and Protection Strategies: Traditional Chinese medicine experts recommend three types of "nose-clearing teas" and three external treatment techniques. With the pollen season arriving earlier this year, how should allergy patients manage medication? How can urban governance adapt to the advanced pollen season?