Society

Huge Increase in Migrant Worker Population

At the end of 2016， Chinas migrant worker population stood at 281.71 million， a year-on-year increase of 1.5 percent， according to a recent report from the National Bureau of Statistics. At 0.2 percent higher than 2015， this increase marks the first uptick in growth since 2011. The average monthly income of migrant workers has also climbed to RMB 3，275.

The report defines migrant workers as rural residents working in non-agricultural sectors in their hometowns， or working elsewhere for six months or more. From 2011 to 2016， growth of the latter group steadily declined year by year – from 3.4 percent to three percent； 1.7 percent to 1.3 percent； and 0.4 percent to 0.3 percent. Manufacturing and construction are still the industries with the highest concentration of migrant workers. Their presence in tertiary industry， however， grew in 2016， accounting for 46.7 percent， and showing 2.2 percent year-on-year growth.

China Is Worlds Sixth Largest Gas Producer

Chinas natural gas output doubled from 67.7 billion cubic meters in 2007 to 137.1 billion cubic meters in 2016， elevating the countrys world ranking from ninth to sixth. Meanwhile proven gas reserves have risen from 6.1 trillion to 12.98 trillion cubic meters over the same period， taking China to the world No.9 spot.

This progress is largely attributed to the sectors sci& tech breakthroughs. Over past years several large gas fields have been discovered， including six in Kuqa County of Xinjiang， whose total reserves add up to one trillion cubic meters， and the Anyue Field in Sichuan， which has estimated reserves of 1.5 trillion cubic meters.

Chinas oil and gas exploration will focus on deep land and sea formations as well as unconventional resources， according to Li Fanrong， deputy chief of the National Energy Administration.

So far the share of natural gas in Chinas consumption of primary energy has risen from three to six percent， and is expected to grow from 8.3 to 10 percent by 2020， as the country works to improve its energy structure and eco-environment.

Record Number of Investigations into Environmental Law Breaches

Ministry of Environmental Protection data show that in 2016， China pinpointed and investigated 137，800 transgressions of environmental law， a year-on-year increase of 34 percent. The country also issued 124，700 penalty decisions， a yearon-year increase of 28 percent； and levied fines of RMB 6.633 billion， a 56 percent increase over the previous year， setting new records for the PRCs environmental policy.

China has in place a four-tier supervision and law enforcement system at state， provincial， prefectural， and county levels， staffed by more than 70，000 people in over 3，000 environmental protection organizations. Chinas revised environmental law enables local environmental authorities to dole out harsher punishments for polluters， by imposing daily fines， limiting or suspending production， prosecuting offenders or imposing administrative detention.

These measures， however， have so far not managed to curb Chinas rising environmental crime， according to Tian Weiyong， chief of the ministrys Environmental Supervision Bureau. Illegal dumping of industrial waste remains rampant， and some offenders use violent means to resist law enforcement.

Earliest Decimal Calculator

The Guinness Book of World Records has officially recognized a set of bamboo slips dating back more than 2，300 years as the worlds earliest decimal calculation tool.

“Of greatest significance is that it is a decimal device， not a duodecimal one as found in other countries. Decimals did not appear in Europe until the 15th century，” said Li Xueqin， head of the Research and Conservation Center for Excavated Texts at Tsinghua University.

The 21 slips， crafted around 305 BC， during the Warring States Period， are each 43.5 centimeters long and 1.2 centimeters wide. When arranged as a multiplication table， the slips can be used to calculate the multiplication and division of any two whole numbers under 100， and those expressed as 0.5.

The slips bear inscribed numbers and holes where they were originally threaded. The accountant would pull the threads corresponding to the numbers being calculated to obtain the result. The owner of this historical calculator remains unknown， according to Li.“Our guess is that this tool might have been used for trade or land measurement in the Kingdom of Chu.”

In July 2008， Tsinghua acquired a rare collection of 2，500 such bamboo slips from the late Warring States Period， including a multiplication table which had been smuggled out of China.

Activity

Rick le Cube et Les Mystères du Temps

Date： June 3， 2017

Place： Shanghai Himalayas Center

Price： RMB 80/120/180/280/360/380/560/580

Rick the Cube is the son of a hen， but he is exiled from the hen house because of his strange shape. Rick then sets off on an adventure where he discovers an imaginary and colorful world while trying to discover his own identity. The animation and music are created by French musician Jesse Lucas. French electronic music band SATI Duo gives a live performance to accompany the show.

Classical Guitar Concert by Daniel Bolshoy

Date： June 3， 2017

Place： Shenzhen Nanshan Culture and Sports Center

Price： RMB 120/180/280

Daniel Bolshoy has performed internationally as a soloist with many orchestras， including the Mexico City Philharmonic， Israel Chamber Orchestra， and Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He has released seven records in collaboration with music groups from Israel， Spain， and Canada， among others， and is often invited to perform at prestigious festivals.