It seems that the era of fancy, well-known restaurants has ended as people are now more interested in finding which hole-in-the-wall restaurant (苍蝇小馆) has the best food. Nowadays, it’s more fulfilling to post hole-in-the-wall restaurants you have found on Xiaohongshu and be asked for addresses in the comment section.

Hole-in-the-wall restaurants are small restaurants that are not highly decorated but have many delicious local dishes. Though they have long served as the “canteen” of their surrounding neighborhoods, these hole-in-the-wall restaurants have gradually retreated from the busy streets as more high-rise structures are built.

Now, hole-in-the-wall restaurants are often found in the corners of small lanes and alleys in different parts of a city and the most popular ones usually have a history of more than 10 years and are run as family businesses.

Many hole-in-the-wall restaurant lovers desire a more natural lifestyle, with some viewing their dining habits as a protest against consumerism. A native of Wuhan surnamed Tian, appreciates that these humble diners cook food with care. In contrast, some internet-famous restaurants only use pre-made food or simply stir-fry their dishes, she complained. This results in the foods having similar tastes.

A university student surnamed Zhou, tried a hole-in-the-wall restaurant with her boyfriend after friends recommended it to her. She ordered three dishes, which only cost 64 yuan. “The food tastes good, and it’s cheap,” she said.

Still, there are risks for both owners and fans of hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Zou Zhiping, a professor at Hubei University of Economics, said that due to limitations in funds and management as well as lack of food safety awareness, there could be hygiene and food security issues at these locations.

To solve these problems, Zou suggested that the government provide training and more support for these restaurants. These restaurants should also improve their quality of service.

This grandmother may have a new life after a billionaire noticed her determination to help people in an area struck by a hurricane.

The woman, Plaxedes Dilon, is used to walking long distances around her home for work. The 70-year-old woman makes a living by selling clothes. She wakes up at four every morning and travels across the region to do her business. She had just returned to her home in Harare, Zimbabwe earlier this week when she heard about a hurricane on the radio.

The storm, which is currently regarded as one of the worst hurricanes to hit the Southern hemisphere (南半球), blew through parts of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Upon learning about the result of the storm, Dilon immediately filled a bag with kitchen supplies and clothes that she had intended to sell. She wanted to take them all to a disaster relief area. Because she did not have any money for a bus ticket, she walked for 10 miles and gave the supplies to a local church.

The church praised her good deed by posting a photo of her and her huge supply bag on social media. After it was shared by thousands of people, it finally caught the eye of Strive Masiyiwa. Masiyiwa is currently placed as one of the richest people in Africa by Forbes. He and his company have been putting a great deal of effort into providing aid to those areas in need. Upon reading Dilon’s story on social media, the man promised to reward her for her efforts.

When asked about her good deed, Dilon simply said that it was her duty as a human being to help other people. “Being able to feel each other’s pain and to carry each other’s burden is what makes humans greater and better than other species,” the granny said with a smile. “What you give out in the world is what you receive back.”

A Chinese space mining company has designed a robot that can capture waste material left behind by spacecraft in outer space with a big net.

The state-run Xinhua news agency recently reported that the robot launched on the government's Long March 6 rocket along with several satellites. The robot will also investigate deep space to observe small objects in the universe. The 30-kilogram robot, called NEO-01, was developed by Origin Space. Founded in 2019 and based in the southern Chinese tech hub Shenzhen, Origin Space has been dedicated to exploring and using space resources, according to the company. The company says the robot will lead the way for future technologies capable of mining on asteroids (小行星).

The world's first asteroid mining company, Planetary Resources, was established in 2009. Since then, more than 12 businesses around the world have entered the industry, including 3D Systems of the United States and Japan's Astroscale. Astroscale's technology uses magnets (磁铁) to gather up space waste. But a report on the Origin Space website says NEO-01 will use a net to capture waste and then burn it. Thousands of satellites have been launched worldwide. As they are used for too long, many end up as waste and put other operating satellites at risk.

Su Meng is the founder of Origin Space. He said the company plans to launch many space telescopes and more spacecraft to begin the first for-profit mining of asteroids by 2045. Su added that NEO-01 will serve as a prototype (雏形) of future space mining robots, which can use rich mineral resources on asteroids to support the development of the space industry.

The Xinhua news agency reported that China was increasing efforts to land a spacecraft on a near-Earth asteroid to collect materials. China is also speeding up a plan to build a defense system against near-Earth asteroids. The country aims to follow Russia and the United States in becoming a major space power by 2030.