Society

New Special Education Plan

Seven Chinese ministries and commissions， including the Ministry of Education， the Ministry of Finance， the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China Disabled PersonsFederation， have jointly released the 2014-2016 plan to improve special education. It stipulates the enrollment of 90 percent or more of children with visual， hearing and intellectual disabilities in primary and junior middle schools， thus affi rming their right to the standard period of compulsory education. The plan sets out three goals. The fi rst is to guarantee all disabled children –priority being given to the 80，000 of school age who have yet to attend school– access to compulsory education. The second is to guarantee suffi cient funding for the operation of special education schools and quality teaching， and to establish a subsidy system for all disabled students. The third is to improve teaching standards with curricula and textbooks designed specifi cally for special education.

33.8 Million

The total population on the Chinese mainland was 1.36 billion in 2013， according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Bureau chief Ma Jiantang disclosed at a press conference that this figure includes 697.2 million males and 663.4 million females. There were hence 33.8 million more men than women on the Chinese mainland in 2013.

Green Drive Fuels NG Demand

China imported 53 billion cubic meters of natural gas last year –a steep year-on-year growth of 25 percent – according to a report from the Economics and Technology Research Institute of the China National Petroleum Corporation （CNPC）. Total consumption having reached 167.6 billion cubic meters in 2013， Chinas dependence on foreign gas exceeded 30 percent to reach a new high of 31.6 percent. The report ascribes this hiked use of natural gas to Chinas economic development and efforts towards environmental protection. Smoggy weather has motivated many provinces to accelerate the drive to replace fossil fuels with natural gas， a greener form of energy， so heightening demand for it.

China Tough on Piracy

The national campaign last year to combat intellectual property rights violations and faked products busted 55，180 cases， arrested 59，222 suspects and confi scated more than 90 million tons of shoddy and faked commodities. Political commissar of the Economic Crime Investigation Department of the Ministry of Public Security （MPS） Gao Feng and deputy director general of the Offi ce of the National Leading Group on the Fight Against IPR Infringement and Counterfeiting Chai Haitao made the announcement at a recent MPS press conference. The total value of seized items was RMB 172.9 billion – a fi gure that could have been much higher taking into consideration the prices of the genuine articles that were replicated. In the course of hunting down counterfeiters， Chinese police beefed-up their technology muscle through new traceability systems and a platform to monitor illegal funds by pinpointing suspicious transactions and tracking payments.

Direct MainlandHawaii Flights

Air China started on January 20 direct fl ights between Beijing and Hawaii， the airlines fi rst route between the mainland and a hot U.S. tourist destination. Airbus A330-200 will make the scheduled three fl ights per week. Chinese visitors to Hawaii have soared over past years， the 2012 fi gure （latest available） showing a 64 percent increase over that of the previous year. The majority are from Beijing and Shanghai.

The King of the Flute – Flute Recital by Emmanuel Pahud

Date： March 4， 2014

Place： Shanghai Oriental Art Center， Concert Hall

Price： RMB 680/480/380/180/80

Flautist Emmanuel Pahud， born in 1970 in Geneva， is known for his baroque and classical flute repertoire. His family moved repeatedly during his childhood， which shaped Pahuds international outlook. In 1985， Pahud won the National Competition of Belgium and in the same year， he played his first concert with the National Orchestra of Belgium. During his studies at the Conservatoire de Paris， he won two major competitions， one in Duino in 1988 and the other in Kobe in 1989. At the Europ Konzert 2001， Pahud performed Mozarts Flute Concerto No. 2 in D Major with the Berlin Philharmonic. His performance became a model for todays world of classical music.

His versatility in music styles over the years has “signaled the arrival of a new master flautist，” （The Guardian）.

Avril Lavigne 2014 Concert Tour in Shenzhen

Date： March 9， 2014

Place： Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Gymnasium

Price： RMB 1280/880/580/380

Avril Lavigne was born in Canada. She first emerged on the music scene at the age of 17 with the album Let Go. Over the course of her decade-plus career， Lavigne has earned eight Grammy Award nominations， seven Juno Awards and 11 MTV Awards. Her tour of China will share her ideas about life， love and rock ‘nroll with her fans. The lyrics of the songs chosen for this concert will tell a story that is inspired by her experiences and emotions. In a sense， it is a salute to her first album.