Photo courtesy of China Weitong

　　On June 9, 2008, Zhongxing-9 was lifted by the Long March-3 B rocket and became the first real dedicated TV direct broadcast satellite in China. It has been more than 11 years since this flight. In the past 11 years, China’s first generation direct broadcast satellite space segment system has grown from scratch, serving 140 million users, effectively bridging the digital divide and enabling sustainable development.

　　Constructing the Space Segment System of the First Generation Direct Broadcasting Satellite in China

　　In the 1980s and 1990s, the demand for radio and television services increased sharply in all walks of life, and the demonstration of direct broadcast satellite system was accelerated in China. In 2000, the project of direct broadcast of radio and television satellite was included in the high-tech project in the tenth five-year plan of the country. In January, 2005, with the support of the former State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the scheme of the same orbit, the same frequency band, the same capacity and the same coverage for Xinnuo-2 and Zhongxing-9 satellites was adopted. At the same time, the space segment system of China’s first-generation satellite live broadcast was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission and started to be implemented, and China Weitong was responsible for the specific management and operation.

　　Looking back 11 years ago, Jiang Longcheng, who was then in charge of the payload of China Satcom Zhongxing No.9, was filled with emotion: "I have been with it from preliminary design, key design to supervision." Zhongxing 9 is like a daughter in her own boudoir.

　　According to Jiang Longcheng, the live broadcast satellite system has the advantages of wide coverage, high transmission quality, low receiving cost and convenient maintenance. China has a vast territory, complex terrain and a large population. Direct broadcast satellite is the most effective means to realize the listening and watching of radio and television in the old, young, marginal, poor and vast rural areas.

　　Different from other satellites, the direct broadcast satellite needs repeated coverage optimization design to effectively cover the whole territory of China. However, for the first time, a high-power amplifier was used in Zhongxing No.9, and its effective radiation power met the requirements of China direct broadcast satellite system, which enabled more than 97% of the residents in China to directly receive satellite radio and television programs from China using a 0.45-meter small-aperture antenna.

　　As the confident Jiang Longcheng expected, less than one month after the launch, on July 5, Zhongxing 9 opened four transponders to transmit 45 sets of TVs and 43 broadcasts, and entered the trial operation stage; On August 6th, nearly 7,000 satellite TV receivers in Xizang were transferred from Asia-Pacific IIR to Zhongxing 9, marking the official opening of the direct broadcast satellite service in China. In the same month, the coverage of Zhongxing 9 was tested on the spot, and 27 test sites including Altay, Xisha, Mohe and Pulan were selected. The results showed that Zhongxing 9 had good performance.

　　In 2013, in order to ensure the safe broadcast of the live satellite service, avoid the systematic risk of the operation of Zhongxing 9 Lone Star and ensure the safe broadcast of radio and television programs watched by hundreds of millions of people, China Satellite Communication restarted the construction of Zhongxing 9A (Xinnuo 2 replacement star). Zhongxing 9A also added the South China Sea beam, which solved the problem that it is difficult for military and civilians in the South China Sea to watch TV. On June 19, 2017, the domestic broadcast live star Zhongxing 9A was launched, and then it undertook the task of safe backup of Zhongxing 9 live star.

　　Serving 140 million users to bridge the digital divide

　　A few hundred meters away from xichang satellite launch center, in the depths of Daliangshan Mountain, is Mayelin Village where Yi people live together. Although it is only a few hundred meters away, the members of the Zhongxing No.9 test team stationed at the launch site and the villagers in Mayelin Village have very different information acquisition. The experimental team members from big cities know radio, television and internet like the back of their hands, but many villagers who have lived in the deep mountains for generations have only been to Mianning County as far as possible, and there are almost no channels to understand the outside world.

　　In this way, an invisible digital divide lies in the Great Liangshan Mountain, and the broadcast satellite Zhongxing 9/Zhongxing 9A launched from here provides an effective technical means for narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas, eliminating the digital divide and building information fairness and justice.

　　Through the live satellite of Zhongxing-9 and Zhongxing-9A, a "pot" for receiving satellite signals to the outside world was set up on the roofs of remote villages in Daliangshan. The people in rural Xizang witnessed the grand occasion of the Beijing Olympic Games that year, and more compatriots in remote areas were able to hear and see the care and voice of the CPC Central Committee for the first time.

　　The direct broadcast satellite "every village is connected" and "every household is connected" projects have effectively covered 595,000 administrative villages, meeting the needs of 140 million users to listen to and watch radio and television programs, exceeding one third of the total number of radio and television users in China. The problem of "difficult, expensive and poor" coverage of rural radio and television in China has been fundamentally solved, and the quality, level and viewing effect of rural radio and television coverage have been greatly improved.

　　Up to now, rural users in China can listen to and watch 17 sets of central radio programs, 17 sets of central TV programs, 27 sets of provincial radio programs and 41 sets of provincial TV programs through Zhongxing 9 satellite, and Xinjiang, Xizang, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Guizhou and Hainan have achieved satellite transmission and directional coverage of programs in their own provinces (regions) or cities.

　　Beginning in 2018, the dual-star backup of central radio and television programs and minority language programs will be gradually realized through China Satellite 9A. At the same time, the South China Sea beam on the satellite will be used to provide radio and television programs of the central and some coastal provinces to the people in the South China Sea.

　　Promote model innovation and empower sustainable development.

　　In recent years, the direct broadcast satellite system has explored new focal points and ways to achieve radio and television services to the overall national work and meet the people’s beautiful spiritual and cultural needs, focusing on the positive actions of building a well-off society in an all-round way, accurately helping the poor, revitalizing the countryside and enriching the people, and has also played a very good role in helping the poor and helping the wisdom and improving the level of rural civilization.

　　Facing the first generation live broadcast satellite system that has been in operation for 11 years, starting the replacement satellite project is the next task of China Satcom. In addition, the innovative exploration of direct broadcast satellite business model is also a topic.

　　Although the direct broadcast satellite has greatly improved the radio and television public service in remote rural areas, under the situation that the number of users of direct broadcast satellite service has increased rapidly year by year, the transponder rental rate has improved, but the high-quality transponder resources have not been fully utilized.

　　Jiang Longcheng, who is now the technical director of China Satcom Business Operation Center, has taken a longer-term view of the direct broadcast satellite business that he has devoted half his life to. He hopes to increase the use of direct broadcast satellites, especially promote the business application in key areas, accelerate the implementation of the value-added business plan, and tap the value of many users in various directions.

　　"For live broadcast satellites, only by giving full play to their excellent performance and benefits can we meet the needs of the people for radio and television services more widely, which is also the direction that live broadcast satellites should work hard in the future." Jiang Longcheng said. (Hu Wei Wu Lin)

As many places in the country enter the "two sessions" in 2024, various places have also announced the "annual report" of the economy in 2023.

As of January 25th, 29 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) have announced the annual economic performance in 2023. Judging from the published information, the growth rate of 15 provinces has outperformed the whole country.

The growth rate of 15 provinces outperformed the whole country

Statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics show that the gross domestic product (GDP) of China in 2023 was 126,058.2 billion yuan, an increase of 5.2% over the previous year at constant prices.

The reporter consulted the work reports of local governments and the official data of statistical departments and found that among the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China, except Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Hubei, the growth rate of 15 provinces outperformed the whole country in 2023, while Beijing was the same as the whole country. All provinces with disclosed data have achieved positive GDP growth.

Specifically, Tibet’s GDP growth rate reached 9.5%, temporarily leading the country; Hainan, which followed closely, grew by 9.2%; Inner Mongolia ranked third with a growth rate of 7.3%. Other provinces with growth rates above 6% include Ningxia, Gansu, Jilin, Chongqing, Shandong, Sichuan and Zhejiang.

Multi-provincial GDP has reached a new level.

Present potential of western China

Looking through the "transcripts", we can find that the economic development of many places has reached a new level. Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shandong accounted for the top three economic aggregates of China Province in 2023, all exceeding 9 trillion yuan. In particular, Guangdong, as the largest province in economy, became the first province in China to exceed 13 trillion yuan in annual GDP, ranking first in the country for 35 consecutive years.

The economic aggregates of Shandong and Zhejiang, two other major economic provinces, have also leapfrogged, with annual GDP exceeding 9 trillion yuan and 8 trillion yuan respectively. Hunan’s annual GDP exceeded 5 trillion yuan for the first time. Liaoning has successfully entered the "3 trillion GDP Club", surpassing the national growth rate for the first time in 10 years.

In addition, the rise of the western region is obvious. In addition to Tibet, where the economic growth rate leads the country, the growth rates of Ningxia and Gansu both exceed 6%, and Ningxia even announced that all economic indicators are the best in the past years; Sichuan and Chongqing announced that their GDP exceeded 6 trillion yuan and 3 trillion yuan respectively, and the Chengdu-Chongqing double circle as a whole reached a new level. Yunnan’s GDP exceeded 3 trillion yuan for the first time, and Qinghai’s economic growth rate was 5.3%, which also outperformed the whole country.

"Trillion City" expanded by 3 trillion into a new benchmark

Cities also provide a new perspective for observing China’s economy in 2023, among which the most striking thing is that the "GDP Trillion Club" welcomes the new again.

After Changzhou, Jiangsu, and Yantai, Shandong successively announced that they had broken through one trillion yuan, the number of "GDP trillion clubs" in China has increased to 26. Among them, Jiangsu has five "trillion cities", surpassing Guangdong and becoming the province with the largest number of trillion cities in China. From the perspective of urban agglomerations, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta with strong economic vitality have also become "trillion cities" gathering areas, with 9 and 4 respectively.

At the same time, "3 trillion" is also becoming a new starting point for competition among domestic head cities.

Chongqing and Guangzhou announced that the regional GDP will break the 3 trillion yuan mark in 2023. After Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen, the number of "3 trillion GDP clubs" in China has expanded to five. Chongqing became the first city in the western region whose GDP exceeded 3 trillion yuan, while Guangzhou was the second city in Guangdong Province after Shenzhen.

Set goals in various places to make progress steadily.

After the economic aggregates of many provinces and cities reached a new level in 2023, how to set economic targets in 2024 attracted people’s attention. Of the 29 provinces that have disclosed data, 26 mentioned the growth target in 2024 in their government work reports.

Up to now, Tibet and Hainan, the two provinces with the fastest GDP growth in 2023, have the highest growth expectations this year, both of which are around 8%. Most other provinces that have disclosed data have set the regional target of economic growth in the range of 5%-6%.

For example, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shandong, which ranked the top three in China in 2023, have all aimed at the figure of 5% this year. Among them, the goal of Guangdong is set at "5%", while Jiangsu and Shandong should strive for "more than 5%". The expected target of Tianjin’s economic growth rate is below 5%, which is set at around 4.5%, but it is still higher than its economic growth rate of 4.3% in 2023.

The goal has been set, and the key to the future lies in how to accomplish it. When planning the road map for development in 2024, many places showed strong interest in emerging industries, and new quality productivity and new industrialization became the focus of attention.

Shanghai: We will actively promote new industrialization, cultivate and upgrade high-end industrial clusters such as new energy vehicles, high-end equipment, advanced materials, civil aviation and space information, and accelerate the construction of future industrial leading areas.

Chongqing: Insist on putting the high-quality development of manufacturing industry in a more prominent position, persistently grasp the leading belt ecology, promote industrial agglomeration, technological innovation and integrated development, and vigorously cultivate new quality productivity.

Promoting consumption is still the key work in the work reports of many provincial governments.

Jiangsu: Vigorously develop digital consumption, green consumption, healthy consumption, sports and leisure consumption, increase the cultivation and promotion of new consumption formats of cultural tourism, and create more domestic "trendy products" and brand-new consumption scenarios.

Beijing: We should "make great efforts to stimulate potential consumption", promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional business districts, build an international consumption experience zone, boost bulk consumption, cultivate "fashionable products" of domestic products, support the development of service consumption, and promote the integration of diversified consumption formats.