China

Shenyang – September 10, 2026 -- The Shengjing Bank Shenyang Marathon 2026 kicked off Sunday morning, drawing around 22,000 running enthusiasts from China and abroad to the northeastern Chinese city.

Full and half marathon fields split evenly across distances

The full marathon drew 10,000 runners while the half marathon attracted 12,000, with both races starting from the Shenyang Olympic Sports Center early on September 6.

Kenyan and Ethiopian runners top the full marathon podium

A Kenyan runner won the men's full marathon title, while an Ethiopian runner claimed the women's crown. In the half marathon, Chinese runners Zhang Xiaorui and Zhao Na won the men's and women's titles respectively.

Hangzhou – September 10, 2026 -- Hoymiles has launched its V2X DC Charger, a device that lets electric vehicles feed power back into a home's energy system, marking the newest addition to the company's residential energy ecosystem alongside its HiOne All-in-One battery storage system.

The charger turns parked EVs into backup generators

Through bidirectional charging, the V2X unit supports Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) mode, supplying emergency power to a household when the grid goes down. Its Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) function allows homeowners to participate in peak-load reduction programs and virtual power plant schemes. The device includes an EU MID-certified meter for accurate energy tracking.

Xiamen – September 09, 2026 -- XiamenAir's inaugural flight MF821 landed at Heathrow Airport on September 6, launching a direct round-trip service between Xiamen and London. The 12-hour flight departed from Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport carrying 263 passengers, marking Fujian province's first direct passenger service to the British capital.

The route eliminates layovers for travelers between Fujian and the UK

Previously, passengers flying between the two cities needed to stop over in a third destination. The new nonstop service now directly connects Xiamen and London, cutting travel time and simplifying logistics for business travelers, students, and the sizable Chinese community from Fujian living in the UK.

Singapore – September 07, 2026 -- Travel booking platform Trip.com reports that custom tour bookings surged over 600% year-on-year globally, as travelers increasingly seek fully tailored itineraries over standard packages.

The company's data shows global searches for first and business class flights climbed 99% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, while 5-star hotel searches rose 57% over the same period. The strongest demand for custom tours is coming from Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Singapore.

Concerts and live events are driving cross-border bookings

According to Trip.com Group data, 63% of Asia Pacific travelers have already crossed borders to attend a concert, and 66% say they would be willing to do so. In response, the company launched packages bundling concert tickets, accommodation, transport and local attractions, which saw triple-digit growth in 2025.

Beijing – September 07, 2026 -- Chinese outdoor footwear brand CGX has unveiled two new obstacle racing shoes, the R1010 and R1020, debuting them on the opening day of the UIPM 2026 Obstacle World Championships in Beijing, running September 2-6. The Chinese Modern Pentathlon Obstacle Race Team wore the shoes in international competition for the first time as part of the event.

The championships, part of UIPM's Race Across China series, feature athletes racing 100m, 400m and 3km formats plus relay and team events. Obstacle Racing is set to debut as an Olympic sport within the reimagined Modern Pentathlon at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

Each shoe targets a different race distance

The R1020 is built for the explosive demands of the 100m format, prioritizing fast starts, grip and quick transitions between obstacles. The R1010 is designed for 400m and 3km racing, balancing obstacle handling with cushioning and propulsion for longer efforts.

Dongguan – September 07, 2026 -- The City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) held its opening ceremony for the 2026 academic year on September 2, 2026, welcoming more than 1,300 students in its third student cohort since the university's official founding in 2024.

The campus awarded its first master's degrees just months earlier

The September ceremony came only months after CityUHK (Dongguan) conferred master's degrees on its first graduating class in June 2026, marking a rapid academic build-out for the young campus in China's Greater Bay Area.