Bicycles have long been a kind of transport in China. In the past, only a small group of people thought cycling a sport. Now more and more people discover the joy of it.

____ Riders share their favourite routes and health tips about cycling on some apps like Xiaohongshu or Sina Weibo. On Xiaohongshu, there are more than 2.5 million posts (帖子) about cycling, and on Weibo, the topic about cycling has been viewed more than 700 million times. A bicycle company says the sales in one of its stores rose 20% to 30%, compared to the same period a year earlier. Cycling activities are also welcomed. According to the Chinese Cycling Association, at least 20 million people have joined in the sport.

People turn to cycling as more people care about their health and their demand for outdoor exercise becomes stronger. For people who have begun cycling, the sport seems to provide a good way to run away from the busy city life. It also gives them a stronger sense of being part of the natural environment. Though the sport cycling sometimes costs a lot, many cyclists think spending money on their own bodies is more valuable than on other items. More people take part in cycling as cities in China are also planning to build more cycle-only lanes (车道). Several years ago, Beijing started building the city's first cycle-only lane. Since its opening, the lane has seen a larger daily traffic flow. Such lanes are also being built in some other cities.

Technology and sustainability(可持续性) are two driving forces in the world today. For the agriculture department, sustainable agriculture technology must be the new trend, and farmers should follow it.

The following sustainable agriculture technologies are necessary.

Smart irrigation

Crops need water—that's needless to say. However, how they get water is another story.

With smart irrigation technology, water can be put to good use. New irrigation systems with smart technology can report soil moisture(湿度) and temperature in real time. These new technologies help farmers properly take care of crops in a more efficient way. For example, most crops have specific requirements for temperature and moisture. The new irrigation systems can show farmers whether they need to make changes for their crops' growing environments. In this way, they may help reduce the waste of water.

Drones

Drones' abilities get them a place on this list. They can do a lot and most importantly, they can make the boring and tiring farm work much easier.

These devices have high-definition cameras that take pictures and videos. Through wireless control, just at home farmers can fly the drones over the fields and check on crops. If one area of crops isn't doing well, farmers can quickly record the details and then spray chemicals with the help of the drones.

Data and software

Data is rich in this tech-driven world. Farming and data working together can greatly change the way farmers plant, harvest and water.

As computers gather information, they report it all back to a central system. So when farmers learn in which area crop health needs to improve, they can use water and fertilizer(肥料) more efficiently, causing less waste.

The three technologies are helpful for farmers to save costs, labor and energy. And they can contribute to the final goal of agricultural sustainability—that is to improve the environment. As these new technologies continue to develop, we are sure to have a cleaner environment.

Sustainable agricultural technology is the future—and it will change the game.

With two in five plant species（物种）at risk of disappearance，the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species（中国西南野生生物种子资源库），or GBOWS，in Yunnan Province is racing against time to protect the nation's plant species. 

Founded in 2007，GBOWS is a research and preservation（保存）bank for rare and endangered plants and animals. As the largest bank of wild species in Asia in terms of species，GBOWS has preserved 85，046 seeds from 10，601 species and 60，262 biological samples（生物样本）of 2，203 animal species. The number of seeds at GBOWS is close to that of the world's biggest seed bank—the Millennium Seed Bank in the United Kingdom. 

So how does the bank work？Scientists collect the endangered and useful wild species and send them to the seed bank. Once the seeds arrive at GBOWS，they're dried and preserved in a special room. X-rays will make sure the seeds are undamaged and no insects are hidden inside after they are cleaned and separated from broken ones. The seeds are then frozen（冷藏），preserved in glass bottles and placed in a huge room at -20℃ for long-term preservation. Each bottle has a barcode（条形码）. By scanning it，scientists can view detailed information about the seeds inside. 

The bank works with many international organizations on collection，exchange and research. It has 2，176 sets of seeds from 45 countries and regions，with each set including thousands of seeds. 

"As China has rich and special plant and animal species，we plan to increase the number of our collections and conduct further research to protect endangered species，" says Li Pei，a worker at GBOWS. "If the world ends one day，these collections will bring hope of a new beginning to life on Earth. "