People

Zhou Xiaochuan

Quite a bit of speculation has been swirling around Zhou Xiaochuan， particularly about whats next for the 65-year-old governor of the Peoples Bank of China. Zhou has been serving as the governor of Chinas central bank for a decade， the longest term since China introduced the reform and opening-up policy in 1978. He oversaw a relatively steady period of national inflation compared to other periods over the past 30 years， but due to the rapidly-expanded balance sheet of the central bank， he was blamed for printing more money. Still， its not clear weather Zhou will stay at his post or be appointed to a different government position.

Kim Lee

Recently， a divorce was granted by a Beijing court to Kim Lee and her former husband Li Yang， the founder of“Crazy English，” after more than a year of negotiations. Li Yang was ordered to pay his American wife Kim Lee 50，000 yuan （US$7，960） in compensation for psychological trauma and 12 million yuan （US$1.9 million） for property the couple shared， after allegations of domestic abuse. Kim Lee exposed pictures of injuries caused by Li Yang to the public via Weibo in August 2011， drawing intense scrutiny from the public. During the proceedings， many gathered outside the courtroom to show support for her by shouting “shame on you， Li Yang” and raising signs reading “no domestic violence.”

Sun Yang

On February 4， 2013， a stern reprimand was issued to Sun Yang， the 2012 Olympic swimming gold medalist， by Zhejiang College of Sports. Not only was the criticism public， but he was fined a months allowance and temporarily suspended from all social and commercial activities for breaking a series of team rules， including flaunting a romance， too much commercial exposure， and skipping training sessions for over 40 days. “This place is for distinguished athletes， not for the over-privileged，” remarked Li Jianshe， head of Zhejiang College of Sports.

“I used to be a farmer， and I appreciate all the hard work you have done. Now as an official， my duty is to serve you.”

— Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang talking with migrant workers， who were preparing to return home for the Spring Festival holiday， at a railway station in Baotou， Inner Mongolia， on February 3. He added that life could never be easy for migrant workers， working far away from home to earn a better life for their families.

“If everything goes well， this project will help Africa double its agriculture output.”

— Bill Gates on February 12， sharing his experience in a joint project with Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to breed Green Super Rice， which started in 2008. He is now looking forward to improving “Green Super Rice” technology and introducing it to Africa and other Asian countries. Gates believes Chinas experience and innovation is globally valuable in terms of increasing the output of small scale agriculture.

“It is ridiculous to hear a man， who is setting off firecrackers with a mask on his face， claiming high awareness of environmental protection. However， this man is not alone. Many people are asking for clean air but ignoring their own responsibility.”

— Xiong Bingqi， a well-known Chinese educational commentator， on citizens who set off firecrackers and fireworks while wearing masks during the Spring Festival holiday in Beijing.

“If China sticks to the one-child policy， ultimately China will disappear.”

— Ronald Coase， Nobel Laureate in Economics， opining that restricting family size， which serves as the foundation of a nations economy， will eventually impair the most important part of the economic system in a recent interview conducted by Chinese media.

Zhao Benshan

Since his debut on the widely watched China Central Television（CCTV） Spring Festival Gala in 1990， Zhao Benshan， a famous Chinese sketch actor， has been recognized as the top comedian on the Chinese mainland by participating in a total of 21 sketches on Chinas main Spring Festival stage. This year， right before the gala， Zhao announced his decision to retire from performing for the CCTV Spring Festival Gala due to his health concerns and overwhelming pressure. He also revealed that he will end his professional life as a sketch actor after performing at local Galas this year.

Qin Yuefei

After graduating from Yale University with a double degree， Qin Yuefei came to Hengshan County， Hubei Province， in August 2011 to serve as a village official. After raising 800，000 yuan （US$128，640）， Qin， who doesnt hail from a wealthy or privileged family， launched construction of many public facilities， such as a nursing home， in his first year of service. In October 2012， villagers elected Qin to Hengshan Countys Peoples Congress even though he was not even a candidate， a rarity for a newcomer as young as him. Qin gained considerable attention through Weibo when his story was discovered by netizens.

Savoring Spring Tea

Zhaoping County in eastern Guangxi is known for its mild climate and plentiful precipitation， with an annual average temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. Spring is the best time to visit the county.

By late February， due to the rise in temperature， about 10，667 hectares of ecological tea leaves in Zhaoping are ready to collect. Zhaoping is one of South Chinas most renowned spring tea production areas， and its spring tea is available a full month earlier than leaves from the North. Tourists visiting Zhaoping not only drink the fresh spring tea， but can also pick and process tea themselves in some gardens.

Blooming Jinfo Mountain

Throughout most of China， March heralds the arrival of spring and an accompanying rise in temperature. As early as last mid-February， 10，000 plum trees were already in full bloom on Jinfo Mountain， Xiuning County， east Chinas Anhui Province， even a week earlier than previous years. The scene has become a magnetic tourist draw.

Home to around 10，000 ancient plum trees， Jinfo Mountain is known as South Chinas top garden for ancient plum trees. This years early spring brought an unexpected explosion of color from the famous trees， but usually the best time to visit is mid to late March， when every flower has reached full bloom.

A Walk on the Traditional Side

Located in Liwan District， Guangzhou City， Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street is one of three traditional commercial centers in the city. With a total length of about 1，200 meters， the street is lined with more than 300 shops and welcomes thousands of shoppers each day. As early as the 6th Century， the street was already a bustling commercial zone. By the Ming （1368-1644） and Qing（1644-1911） dynasties， the area was inhabited by businessmen from both China and beyond， and served as the largest trading center in Guangzhou at the time.

Over the centuries， the pedestrian street has solidified its reputation as the embodiment of local architecture， dining， and folk culture.