US President Donald Trump will expand a planned meeting with Gulf officials in New York this week to include Iraq and Jordan, broadening consultations with Arab governments as Washington weighs its next steps in the conflict with Iran. The meeting is expected on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, where leaders and senior officials from the six Gulf Cooperation Council states are due […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai President Donald Trump returned unexpectedly to the White House on Saturday after cutting short a weekend at Camp David, as a Houthi missile attack on Riyadh pushed the renewed Saudi-Yemen conflict into the kingdom’s capital. The White House gave no explanation for Trump’s early return, which came a day before he had been scheduled to leave the presidential retreat in Maryland. The timing […]
The UN Security Council has condemned continuing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia in the strongest terms and affirmed the kingdom’s right to defend itself under international law. The 15-member council said on Friday that strikes affecting civilian and energy infrastructure had injured civilians, including women and children, as cross-border attacks from Yemen continued to place Saudi cities and strategic facilities under pressure. Council members affirmed “the inherent […]
A United Nations-backed fact-finding mission has found reasonable grounds to believe United States forces committed war crimes in two February strikes in Iran, including an attack on a primary school in Minab that killed more than 150 people. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said the strikes amounted to indiscriminate attacks that caused civilian deaths, injuries and damage to civilian objects. Its findings were submitted to […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Yemen’s Houthis claimed on Wednesday that they had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib governorate, an assertion that would mark a significant escalation in the renewed fighting between the group and Saudi Arabia if independently confirmed. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the aircraft was hit while conducting operations over Marib and was brought down by what he described as […]
Houthi forces in Yemen are experimenting with advanced maritime weapons, including possible “loitering torpedoes”, as evidence points to efforts to expand their arsenal and reduce dependence on imported systems. Conflict Armament Research said investigators had identified navigation modules and propellers that could be used in such torpedoes, technology it has not documented in the possession of any other armed group. The organisation said the components could allow […]
Saudi warplanes struck Houthi positions across Yemen on Wednesday as the Iran-aligned movement pressed territorial gains along the Red Sea coast and widened attacks on Saudi targets, intensifying a new front in the Middle East war. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi aircraft had carried out as many as 450 strikes during the week. Officials from Yemen’s internationally recognised government acknowledged that their forces and Saudi […]
Yemen’s Houthi movement said on Wednesday that it had shot down a Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 fighter jet over Marib province, a claim that Saudi authorities had not confirmed and that could not immediately be independently verified. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the aircraft was brought down with a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile while conducting what he described as hostile operations over Marib. He gave […]
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Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi Arabia is broadening international security contacts as Iran-backed Houthi forces consolidate positions along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, with Britain backing Riyadh and reports of Israeli intelligence co-operation emerging as the kingdom confronts missile, drone and maritime threats. The Saudi outreach has accelerated after Houthi forces captured territory and islands around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the narrow waterway linking the Red Sea with […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply at the start of the week, with only four commodity vessels recorded transiting the strategic waterway on Monday as attacks across the Middle East intensified. Preliminary ship-tracking data from Kpler showed the Monday total was down from 10 vessels on Sunday, extending a prolonged decline in commercial traffic through a passage that remains central to […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Oil prices rose on Tuesday as renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia and the continued shutdown of the kingdom’s East-West pipeline kept traders focused on the risk of further disruption to Middle East crude supplies. Brent crude climbed $1.24 to $106.93 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate gained $1.29 to $102.65 in Asian trading. The move followed another wave of Houthi attacks on […]
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday that its air defences had intercepted and destroyed an MQ-1 unmanned aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz, adding another disputed military incident to the escalating confrontation with the United States around the strategic waterway. The IRGC said its Aerospace Force used a new air-defence system operating under Iran’s integrated air-defence network to engage the aircraft above the strait. It […]
President Donald Trump has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, arguing that the strikes are worsening a global diesel shortage as fuel prices climb sharply in the United States. Trump said on Sunday that he had already spoken directly with Zelenskyy about the issue and wanted Ukraine to select other targets inside Russia. Speaking during a visit to Ireland, he said Ukrainian […]
This latest season takes viewers beyond the city‘s famous landmarks and into the countryside, where international travelers get their hands in the soil, learn traditional crafts and share everyday meals with local residents. Through these experiences, they discover a different side of rural China and the people who are helping shape its future.
Mountain pulse: A year-round outdoor playground
The mountains of Chongli in Zhangjiakou are more than the backdrop for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Once best known for their snow-covered slopes, they are increasingly becoming a year-round destination for outdoor activities.
“Winter is for skiing, but summer opens up a whole new world,” said a local outdoor guide.
Since the Winter Olympics, residents have been steadily unlocking the hills’ year-round potential: from mountain biking and trail running to hiking and camping. The mountains no longer fall dormant when the snow melts.
Julian and Juan pedal along forest trails, surrounded by mountain air and the scent of damp earth. At the Chongli 168 Ultra-Trail Race, they stand at the starting line as thousands of runners surge forward – a river of energy that sweeps up everyone watching.
For Juan, the scene strikes a familiar chord. “Mountains don’t have borders,” he said. “The urge to run and challenge yourself in the wild is something we share, whether in Latin America or here.”
Field-rooted well-being: Yoga that grew from the soil
Surrounded by farmland and an open sky, Yugouliang Village sits on a high plateau in northern Zhangjiakou. The village has gained attention for a distinctive form of outdoor yoga practiced among its fields. Unlike the wellness trends often associated with urban gyms and resorts, yoga here has grown naturally out of village life.
“Our yoga comes from farm work,” one villager explained. “It is part of how we live.” Between planting and harvesting, they stretch and breathe, finding stillness in the middle of open fields.
Julian and Juan first experienced another part of village life by making youmian, a local staple made from oats. They kneaded the dough and shaped it by hand, then headed into the fields, where they spread their mats on the earth and practiced yoga alongside local residents.
“This feels familiar,” Juan reflected. “No matter where we are, people want the same things – health, peace, security and a life that feels full.”
Yugouliang offers a different picture of rural China: not a place frozen in the past, but a community that has found its own rhythm and a new sense of well-being amid the fields.
Living heritage remains part of daily life
Located in the southern part of Zhangjiakou, Yuxian is known for its historic settlements, traditional architecture and folk arts. Its ancient buildings have also reached new audiences through popular culture. Some of its architecture has inspired locations in Black Myth: Wukong, the hit Chinese action role-playing game.
Yuxian paper-cutting is one of its best-known folk traditions. “Paper-cutting came from everyday people,” said a master of the craft. “It used to decorate farmhouse windows. Now it reaches the wider world.”
With that spirit in mind, Julian and Juan tried their hand at paper-cutting, fumbling with scissors to produce something far from perfect – but they feel, briefly, what it means to make art out of ordinary life. Here, heritage isn’t sealed behind glass. It’s passed from hand to hand, cut into paper and woven into the fabric of daily existence.
Where clean energy meets modern farming
If Yuxian’s ancient villages preserve the memories of the past, Desheng Village shows how rural communities are looking toward the future. Located in the highland farming region of northern Zhangjiakou, Desheng has embraced modern agriculture and solar power as part of its rural development.
Rows of solar panels stretch across the land, capturing sunlight that once only fed crops. Beneath them, modern greenhouses hum with temperature-controlled precision. It’s agriculture reimagined – and the benefits are tangible.
“We used to depend heavily on the weather,” one villager said “Now technology and sunlight give us new hope.”
Julian and Juan stepped into the greenhouses, picking ripe tomatoes and crisp cucumbers, tasting the sweetness of a harvest that no longer depends on luck. They saw how clean energy revenue flows back into the community – funding schools, roads and public spaces.
As night fell, they joined a bonfire gathering in the village square. Music, laughter and conversation filled the evening air. Around the fire, the visitors saw another side of rural development: a village changing with the times while maintaining the close-knit community spirit that has long defined local life.
More than a journey: Stories shaped by the land
For a new generation of travelers, immersive experiences are offering a more complete picture of rural China. In Zhangjiakou, the countryside is not defined by a single landscape or a single way of life. Chongli’s mountains pulse with year-round energy; Yugouliang’s fields offer a slower rhythm of life; Yuxian’s ancient villages keep traditional architecture and folk crafts alive; and Desheng shows how clean energy and modern agriculture can create new opportunities for rural communities.
Here, tradition and innovation coexist in the same villages, where ancient skills can find new audiences and modern technology can take root in centuries-old communities.
Every village has its own story. From mountain trails and open farmland to historic villages and modern greenhouses, Zhangjiakou reveals a northern Chinese countryside that is more diverse, dynamic and full of possibility than any single image can capture.
Visitors may come for the scenery. But by stepping into village life, they leave with something more lasting: a closer understanding of the people who live on this land, the traditions they carry forward and the future they are building together.
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A commercial vessel was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, triggering a fire and an evacuation as fresh attacks intensified concerns over Middle East oil supplies. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said the vessel was hit while transiting the strategic waterway and that local authorities were assisting those on board. UKMTO initially said the extent of damage, the crew’s condition and […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi Arabia has temporarily stopped its East-West oil pipeline after multiple drone attacks damaged sections of the route, tightening pressure on crude exports as shipping disruptions intensify around the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea. The Energy Ministry said the pipeline was shut as a precaution after strikes on September 10 in the Riyadh and Madinah regions. Several people were injured, while emergency […]
BRICS leaders have adopted a joint declaration expressing deep concern over escalating tensions in the Middle East and urging maximum restraint, securing consensus among members including Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The New Delhi Declaration, approved on Saturday at the 18th BRICS Summit, called on all sides to avoid actions that could further aggravate the situation and reaffirmed support for resolving international disputes through […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai QatarEnergy is negotiating multi-year liquefied natural gas supply agreements with US producers running through 2031 as it seeks to replace output lost after Iranian strikes damaged key facilities at Ras Laffan, people familiar with the talks said. Discussions include Venture Global, Cheniere Energy and Woodside Energy, according to people with knowledge of the negotiations. The move would shift QatarEnergy beyond the spot-market purchases […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Yemen’s Houthi movement has seized Perim Island and Dhubab on the Bab al-Mandab, giving the Iran-aligned group control of key positions overlooking one of the world’s most important shipping chokepoints as fighting intensifies along the Red Sea coast. The advance followed the withdrawal of forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government and came a day after the Houthis captured the port city of […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned Iran’s missile attack on Jordan, declaring it a flagrant violation of the kingdom’s sovereignty and a threat to its security and stability. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that Abu Dhabi stood in full solidarity with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and supported all measures taken to safeguard its security and stability. The […]
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s board has reported Iran to the UN Security Council over nuclear safeguards failures, marking the first such referral in two decades and widening the diplomatic confrontation between Tehran and Western governments. The 35-member Board of Governors adopted the resolution on Wednesday by 23 votes to three, with eight abstentions. China, Russia and Niger voted against the measure, while one member did not […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Several US combat aircraft were damaged when Iranian ballistic missiles struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, with about eight F-15 fighters sustaining light damage and returning to service, according to people familiar with the damage assessment. An A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft was hit severely and left with major wing damage, the assessment indicated. The extent of repairs required for that aircraft […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Iran has warned crews aboard oil tankers in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports to leave their vessels immediately, threatening retaliatory strikes after US forces destroyed five Iranian crude carriers in an escalation of the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz. The warning, issued by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, said tankers at anchor or alongside port facilities in the two Gulf states could […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The United Arab Emirates is accelerating alternative routes for energy exports and trade to reduce its exposure to disruption from the war with Iran, presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said on Monday. “Our energy exports will not be held hostage, nor will our trade and economic activity,” Gargash told the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi, saying the government was expanding port capacity on the […]
