🔥 Hot Topics · Oct 21, 2026
Military diplomacy, courts and daily-life stories led today. Military and diplomacy: the US and Japan planned large-scale drills from Oct 19-29 deployed to Yonaguni, just 110 km from Taiwan, while the PLA pre-empted with navigation warnings from Dalian, Qinhuangdao and Yancheng starting Oct 8; in the early hours of Oct 20 the US littoral combat ship Charleston entered waters near Xianbin Reef in the Nansha Islands without Chinese permission, prompting joint drills and rights-protection exercises by the Southern Theater Command and coast guard around Scarborough Shoal, with the defense ministry vowing firm action against any disruption of South China Sea stability; and after China's embassy in Thailand issued a travel safety warning, tourism minister Surasak said on Oct 20 that the government takes visitor safety seriously, clarifying that ordinary tourists are not thrown into vans or taken to borders and that those involved had mostly been scammed before leaving China. Courts and governance: a Yangquan intermediate court ruled in a contract dispute without a written agreement, relying on WeChat records as electronic evidence to order the defendant to return material and construction fees, with the judge noting the need to verify identities, unaltered content and original devices; Xuzhou's education bureau said raw geography and biology scores will no longer count toward high-school entrance totals, reported as grades from students entering seventh grade in autumn 2025, following Beijing, Jilin and Xianyang; in the Chongqing toddler death case, father Cui left his two-year-old alone while walking the dog on Sept 13, leading to an 18th-floor fall, and after offering 10,000 yuan a month to keep the marriage going, mother Liu formally accused him of negligent homicide on Oct 16, with police accepting the case and a hearing to follow; and the emergency management ministry posthumously awarded first-class merit to grid worker Gong Baodong, who died evacuating residents during the July 17 Pengshui landslide that saw 60-plus people moved to safety, honoring Peng Di and 11 others as well. Markets: CATL reported 442.14 billion yuan of revenue for the first three quarters, up 56.19%, and 64.53 billion yuan of net profit, up 31.60%, yet its A- and H-shares each fell more than 9%. Warmth and daily life: a Xiangyang man who found a bag with an ID, bank cards and 38,000 yuan cash posted a notice swapping the last four digits of his phone number for four digits from the owner's ID as a hint, winning praise for being both secure and discreet; a Jiangsu man's enthusiastic hug broke five of his wife's ribs and cracked another, with doctors warning that lifting while squeezing unevenly compresses the rib cage; a Nanning care home pilots intergenerational co-living where young people who volunteer at least 50 hours a month get 1,000 yuan off rent; and the schoolchild who donated 10 yuan to the Three Gorges project in 1991 was identified as Wang Yu, now working for State Grid in Zigui, Hubei. Culture: the 90th anniversary of the Long March dominated — a first-person retelling of the Red Fourth Front crossing the Songpan grasslands in 1936 where tens of thousands died, the story of the Second and Sixth Red Army Corps tying down 100,000-plus troops with 10,000 men and breaking out through the Wumeng Mountains as Mao called '10,000 in, 10,000 out' a miracle, a unit flag sewn into the lining of a pleated skirt and guarded for 15 years after Liu Bocheng's 1935 alliance with Yi chieftain Xiaoyedan, now in the military museum, and the CCTV drama 'Journey' closing its prime-time run with a 1.64% premiere rating and 7.9% share. Sports: on NBA opening night Philadelphia edged New York 106-100 with six double-digit scorers as James posted 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists and fed Jaylen Brown for a buzzer-beating three with 1.5 seconds left; and Fan Zhendong spoke out against secret photography, saying no motive changes its nature even when framed as love. Also discussed: Huawei igniting a wide-slab phone trend with OPPO and Redmi following toward the 3,000-yuan tier, Guangdong's reluctance to answer unknown calls as a trust problem spreading nationwide, young people 're-raising' their parents, post-00s Beijing renters ashamed to take out trash, Shanghai's consumer council testing 30 hardshell jackets and finding seam taping key to waterproofing, Yi Mengling's luggage and old passport stolen at a Paris airport, 'the world in chaos while China lives in peace,' and whether Tesla's flying car leaves China behind.
1. When WeChat Records Can Serve as Evidence
A Yangquan court ruled on WeChat records without a written contract, requiring verified identity, unaltered content and original devices.
2. Drills Rattle the Western Pacific as China, US and Japan Deploy
US-Japan drills run Oct 19-29 at Yonaguni, 110 km from Taiwan, while the PLA issued navigation warnings from Oct 8 in response.
3. Did a US Warship's Xianbin Reef Foray Back Manila?
The USS Charleston entered waters near Xianbin Reef on Oct 20; China held joint drills near Scarborough Shoal and vowed firm countermeasures.
4. CATL's A- and H-Shares Both Drop Over 9%
Despite revenue up 56.19% to 442.14B yuan and net profit up 31.60% to 64.53B yuan, both listings fell sharply.
5. Father in Toddler's Fall Offers 10,000 Yuan a Month to Stay Married
After leaving his two-year-old alone on Sept 13, Cui faces a negligent-homicide complaint filed Oct 16 that police have accepted.
6. Man Who Found 38,000 Yuan Left the Owner a Puzzle
The Xiangyang man swapped his phone's last four digits for four from the owner's ID, a hint praised as both secure and discreet.
7. One Hug, Five Broken Ribs
A Jiangsu man's hug broke five of his wife's ribs and cracked another; doctors warn lifting while squeezing compresses the rib cage unevenly.
8. Another City Drops Biology and Geography From Exam Totals
Xuzhou will report grades instead of raw scores for students entering seventh grade in autumn 2025, following Beijing, Jilin and Xianyang.
9. Volunteering at a Care Home Cuts Young People's Rent
Nanning's Wuxiang center gives 1,000 yuan off rent for at least 50 hours of elder-care service a month.
10. Gong Baodong Awarded First-Class Merit Posthumously
He died evacuating residents in the July 17 Pengshui landslide that saved 60-plus people; Peng Di and 11 others were also honored.
11. 90 Years On: the Grasslands, Wumeng Mountains and a Hidden Flag
Tens of thousands died crossing the grasslands; 10,000 troops broke out of the Wumeng Mountains against 100,000-plus; and a chieftain's wife hid a Red Army flag in a skirt for 15 years.
12. James Debuts With 14-9-7 as the 76ers Edge the Knicks
Philadelphia won 106-100 on opening night with six in double figures, and James fed Jaylen Brown for a buzzer-beater with 1.5 seconds left.
13. Thailand: Ordinary Tourists Won't Be Abducted
Tourism minister Surasak said the government takes safety seriously and that those involved were mostly scammed before leaving China.
14. Fan Zhendong Speaks Out Against Secret Photography
He said no motive changes the disrespect and privacy violation, even when framed as love or posted later.
15. The 1991 Three Gorges Donor Has Been Found
A 1991 ten-yuan receipt at the Three Gorges museum led to Wang Yu, now at State Grid in Zigui, Hubei.
16. Yi Mengling's Luggage Stolen in Paris
Her carry-on and bag vanished at the airport check-in counter, taking camera gear and an old passport with visas, disrupting later work.
Sources and verification
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