TEENAGE POP STAR ADDRESSES UN YOUTH FORUM

2017-03-01 20:18
Beijing Review 2017年7期

Popular teenage star Wang Yuan spoke at a UN youth forum and called for equal access to quality education for young people around the world at the UN headquarters in New York on January 31.

Wang, a member of the famous Chinese boy band TFboys, told the crowd that he is fortunate to work with the UN to inspire Chinas youths to promote sustainable development goals(SDGs). SDGs are a set of global goals adopted by world leaders in September 2015 aiming to end all forms of poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change.

One of the goals is free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education for all children by the year 2030.

“My wish for 2030 is that every young person can have access to good quality education—girls have the same potential to achieve amazing things as boys,” Wang said.

Wang, 16, comes from southwest Chinas Chongqing Municipality. He is both a singer and an actor.

Tourists Boon Turning Into Tourists Bane?

Guangming Daily February 7

During this Spring Festival holiday, a dispute erupted between eight tourists and a restaurant in Lijiang, a popular tourist resort in southwest Chinas Yunnan Province, where they were having dinner. Although the quarrel was resolved by the local police, still the tourists were attacked after they had left the restaurant. The attackers were later detained by police for 10 days. There were other incidents of tourists being bullied in Lijiang in quick succession. Just before the Spring Festival, a female tourist was beaten up.

While developing into an attractive tourist destination, Yunnan has also come under the media spotlight for frequent violent incidents involving tourists. However, the province, which regards tourism as a pillar industry, has yet to effectively curb violence targeting tourists. Instead of decreasing, such incidents are on the rise.

Police inaction has been blamed for the spread of these incidents. Local police are found to address the disputes usually after the incidents are reported by the media, and tend to impose a light punishment on the guilty. Thanks to its balmy climate and beautiful natural and historical scenery, Yunnan can be one of Chinas best tourist destinations, which would be a big income source for it.

However, if such ugly incidents keep popping up and even increase, the provinces tourism industry might be negatively impacted and even destroyed. Its time for local watchdogs and authorities to intensify law enforcement efforts and ensure the safety of tourists.

Bringing Custodians Of Culture Alive

Oriental Outlook February 9

Museum construction in China has accelerated since the beginning of the 21st century, and by the end of 2015, their number had reached 4,692. However, for many years, museums have been playing just the role of warehouses. Maybe to lie quietly in these warehouses helps to preserve cultural relics, but it also prevents them from displaying their social and cultural value.

A good way to utilize the cultural resources in numerous museums is to hold exhibitions. We have begun to see more and more exhibitions by museums across the country, but the problem is that most of these exhibitions are similar in terms of content and form. The failure to attract visitors has led to a big waste of resources.

A striking change taking place is the development of creative cultural products by museums. Prestigious museums like the Palace Museum and the National Museum of China have started to work together with Internet giants like Tencent and Alibaba, authorizing intellectual property (IP) use and opening online shops.

The Palace Museum has even created a wave online by issuing a video featuring an emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) rapping and taking selfies, and QQ emoticons of court ladies. The year 2016 was considered as the starting point for activating Chinese museums IP.

Although museum IP authorization has taken just the first step and a lot more regulatory work needs to be done still, cooperating with other organizations through IP authorization to digitize museums is an important way to activate museums and propagate culture.

One Card to Manage It All

Peoples Daily February 7

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has said that social security cards issued by a government department in a province or municipality can be used for more services in different regions by the end of the year.

Currently, the use of social security cards is mostly confined to the province where they have been issued. However, Chinas rapid economic development and internal migration make it imperative for cards is- sued by one province to work in other places where their users relocate to live or work, particularly healthcare and pension cards. Regional confinement has been putting a damper on social security cards functions.

When the target is achieved, people will not only be able to access services like healthcare and drawing their pension more easily, but the cards will also do duty as IDs, simplifying procedures for a lot of other services. This will be an achievement effected through cooperation between different government departments.

Indeed, by coordinating the work of different departments, this project can also help reduce state administrative costs. Like a key, the small social security card will open the door to immense improvement in peoples lives.

EX-OFFICIAL ATTENDS INTL CONFERENCE IN VATICAN

Huang Jiefu, former Vice Minister of Health and current head of the National Human Organ Donation and Transplant Committee, was invited by the Vatican to attend the 2017 Pontifical Academy Summit on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism at the Vatican City on February 7-8. The summit focused on anti-organ trafficking.

As the Vatican has no diplomatic ties with China, the invitation was interpreted as an olive branch extended by the state to improve ties.

Huang told the Global Times that he was visiting the Vatican solely in the capacity of an expert in the field, in response to assumptions that the visit amounts to diplomatic communication.Huang, 71, is an expert in hepatobiliary surgery, which focuses on the liver and gallbladder. He has devoted himself to promoting the establishment of a sustainable organ donation system in China.

Huang served as vice minister of health from November 2001 to January 2013.

“Geography influences peoples health in many ways. The so-called longevity towns integrate genes, mental factors, the natural environment and social environment.”

Wang Wuyi, a researcher at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research in Beijing, on a finding by the institute that Chinas highest life expectancy figures are distributed unevenly across the nation

“By moving these non-essential functions out of Beijing, the capital will be able to adjust and optimize its industrial and urban structures.”

Lian Yuming, head of the International Institute for Urban Development in Beijing, commenting on Beijings plan to shut down over 500 manufacturing and polluting factories and demolish up to 40 million square meters of illegal buildings in its vicinity in 2017

“The watchdog is aimed at prohibiting online products from being manipulated by foreign forces and governments, and interest-driven domestic groups.”

Xie Yongjiang, Deputy Director of the Institute of Internet Governance and Law at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, on the Cyberspace Administration of Chinas proposal to set up a national Internet security review body

“Since China has very complicated conditions, if our unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) work well here, we can use this experience to help other countries as well.”

Song Zhongping, a Hong Kong-based commentator, speaking on February 6 about the international market potential of Chinas UAVs