2013: The Year in China (88 images)

A rare blue moon rises over a temple in Beijing on August 21, 2013. UPI/Stephen Shaver

Chinese burn paper money to honor departed family members as a rare blue moon rises over Beijing on August 21, 2013. UPI/Stephen Shaver

Northern China ethnic minority fishermen ply the waters of the Songhua River and its wetlands, which serves as a natural border between China and Russia, in Fuyuan, a frontier town in China's northern Heilongjiang Province on August 4, 2013. China's ethnic minorities and their cultures are vanishing as development and urbanization pressures compete with their ability to sustain their traditional ways of life. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A young Chinese girl plays on a mattress's boxer springs at a trash collection depot in Beijing on August 20, 2013. China's economy faces more headwinds as it struggles with surplus production capacity, unemployment, urban poverty and risks to its financial economy, according to China's new leaders. The country's new government has called for sweeping reforms, including lessening state control on industries and promoting private businesses. UPI/Stephen Shaver