LETTERS

I came across the article “Chinese Education under Change” in the June issue. It is a fact that education in China – and not only the school-based variety， but also extracurricular education – is changing fast. I have a friend who is the young mother of a four-year-old girl. She often takes her daughter to various competitions in disciplines like singing and dancing. She doesnt care about the results. She says she hopes that through the process her daughter would meet more kids of different ages， find her own talent and in the process build up self-confidence. She says that when she was little， she seldom had the chance to participate in large-scale activities； she was stuck at school or doing homework. She doesnt want her daughter to be as socially awkward as she was. She hopes that her daughter will learn to express her opinions in front of people with composure and confidence – qualities critical for independent problem solving at later ages. I am really glad to see the shift of attitude in this young generation of Chinese parents. I am confident that the Chinese education system will gradually improve thanks to efforts from both teachers and parents.

Tang Wen

Beijing， China

Recently， many publications have been discussing urbanization in China. I think a key issue in urbanization is for rural migrant populations to actually settle down in cities. “Settling down” should mean they enjoy the same rights and benefits as locals in employment， education， social security， housing and public health.

Cities are limited in their expansion. Many on Chinas east coast are already reaching their full “capacity”； population densities are approaching or exceeding the maximum that local resources can support. Urban investment must not only target public services， infrastructure construction and housing， but also aim to ensure balanced development between different cities in different regions of the country. This process will require commitment from policy makers， non-governmental organizations， businesses and individuals. Change is never easy， but it is surely worthwhile.

Zhang Ying

Shanghai， China

I was very happy to read about the contributions and progress made by Chinas non-governmental charity organizations. As the head of a non-governmental environmental protection organization said in an interview， Chinas non-governmental charity organizations are in a transitional period. In order to improve the management of private charity groups and bring their full potential into play， there is much to be learnt and done by both the organizations themselves， and the government. A non-governmental charity organization should be managed like a company. It is necessary to cultivate and promote the volunteer spirit in China. And policies and laws， including tax incentives， should be drafted in order to facilitate the establishment of charities.

Wang Wen

Tianjin， China