逛市集、写福字……圆明园新春游园会大年初一正式开幕******
2023年圆明园新春游园会将于大年初一拉开序幕，游园会将开展包括新春市集、欢乐冰雪季、冰嬉表演、文化展览、拾光买卖街“祈福迎新”在内的各类文化活动。
冰上活动
“冰嬉”是清代冰上活动的泛称，源于满族习俗。大年初一至初六，专业的滑冰表演者们将身穿八旗士兵服装，在圆明园福海冰场之上演绎皇家冰嬉，带游客穿越古今，感受昔日冰上活动盛景。
同时，圆明园冰雪季活动正在进行，园区提供冰车、电动雪橇，滑雪圈等冰雪游乐设施，满足游客游园、健身的需要。近日，圆明园又新增了福海冰场，为广大游客提供更多的冬日冰上活动场地。
逛市集 写福字
圆明园将在春节期间举办新春市集，集老字号、非遗、文创、餐饮、游玩于一体，设置各类特色摊位约100个，游客可尽情享受愉悦的节庆气氛，感受中国传统文化的魅力。此次活动设在涵秋馆、三园交界、银杏大道等区域，将持续到2023年2月5日。
新年写福字，得福有福气，每当新年之际，提笔书“福”，寓意迎新纳福，今年圆明园还开展“祈福迎新”活动，在拾光买卖街新增“五帝书福”祈福牌楼，游客可以在这里写福字、挂福牌，了解五帝书福的故事。
文化展览
春节期间，正觉寺最上楼“御苑双璧 传世绝响”圆明园与避暑山庄关联展继续展出。此次展览借助展板、中国画、模型以及VR视频等多种形式，充分展示圆明园与避暑山庄的关联，为公众讲述皇家园林的特色文化。而为了丰富游客的文化休闲体验，圆明园拾光买卖街内清音阁小戏台还将推出国风舞蹈、国风乐器演奏、双人舞蹈、魔术表演、国风走秀等演出。
免费发放20万张通票
圆明园将于2023年1月21日至1月27日免费发放20万张圆明园通票(含圆明园遗址公园门票、西洋楼遗址区门票和全景模型展门票)，即日起游客可通过圆明园遗址公园公众号进行预约，2023年1月21日(除夕)可预约免费票2万张，1月22日至27日(初一至初六)每天可预约免费票3万张。如已购买春节期间的门票，可以通过购买渠道进行退票，预约免费门票；若新春游园免费票售罄后，需购买门票。
(总台记者 王胜东 胡一)
中新网评：美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后，美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕，众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录，将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图：美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素，众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中，美国民主党议员继续抱团，多轮投票中，一票不投麦卡锡，共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折，除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外，与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面，共和党党内反对者认为，麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱，无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府，另一方面，因为共和党的多数优势微弱，党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大，有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外，党内反对者也认为，自己的选票没有换取更多利益，希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步，比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物，众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任，选举几乎没有悬念。然而，麦卡锡此次为当选，不得不做出多个关键让步，其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制，使得众议长的权力被削弱，难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称，麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步，这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下，党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上，美国两党相互拆台，陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内，也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系，相互对抗，选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举，“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈，长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力，其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病，美国所谓的“民主”形象，让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举，变成了政客们利益置换的游戏，进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能，不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
