Media Watch

GAOKAO REMAINS VITAL South Reviews June 6

the year of 2017 marked the 40th anniversary of resuming Chinas national college entrance exam known as the gaokao. South Reviews looks at what this talent selection mechanism has brought to china and its current roles. Forty years ago， the first exam has changed fates of a whole generation of chinese. debuting on the stage of history， many of them became backbones of society， shouldering the responsibility of creating a new national order in fields of economy， politics and culture.

open to everyone， the exam promotes social mobility and makes it possible for anyone to fight for a better life. As a result， the whole society is more dynamic and individuals have a goal to strive for.

in the past， college graduates used to have secured jobs arranged by the government. however， employment decisions were handed over to the market as the economy was reformed and college enrollment expanded. As certain numbers of graduates are unable to secure a job， some criticize the exam as being too “score-oriented.” the magazine argues that the selection mechanism is still significant， as colleges now provide young people with a platform to pursue further learning and self-improvement， so that they can realize their ambitions and become who they want to be.

MIGRANT ChILDREN WOES Guangming Daily June 12

in china， 13 in every 100 children follow their migrant worker parents to live in cities far away from their hometowns. on the surface it may seem as though they are receiving sufficient care and love from their parents， but in fact， they are no luckier than left-behind kids. Barriers set by the household registration system keep them from enjoying equal education opportunities with their urban peers.

Alienated from the dialects， customs and lifestyles of their hometowns， those migrant children lack a sense of belonging and live in constant uncertainty， and thus are vulnerable to psychological issues. this situation may even lead to lifelong irreversible detrimental effects.

More attention should be paid to these kids. the priority is to figure out how many of them there are and where they live. Then the government should make sure that all of them have equal access to education in neighborhood schools just as other kids do. Fundamentally， the reform of household registration system should be promoted so that migrant workers and their children are able to settle their life in cities.

MUSICAL SPREE Oriental Outlook June 1

Music festivals are expected to forge a common identity and promote the image and cultural industry of a city. over the past decade， cities across china competed to host them， with over 30 festivals taking place just in May 2017， according to Oriental Outlook. But behind this seemingly impressive boom， the reality is that more that 80 percent of music festivals are in the red.

A city that can sustainably support music festivals should be one with a dynamic and booming cultural industry and one whose cultural identity is recognized by the young public. to this end， cities should introduce music festivals with distinctive characteristics and work with businesses to enhance supporting facilities and safety management， so that music festivals can become a real part of the local cultural life， instead of just a decoration. Broadcasting rights and derivative products can also be used to increase revenues besides ticket sales and sponsorships.

CONTAINING POWER China Newsweek May 29

A newly amended regulation on reporting of personal matters by officials was recently jointly released by the central committee of the communist Party of china （cPc） and the state council in a bid to strengthen Party discipline and tighten supervision and management of officials.

Based on a 2010 version， the new regulation has made adjustments to the group of officials required to report their personal matters and expanded the specific matters to be reported.

For instance， previously， officials were only required to report spouses and children who have emigrated. According to the new regulation， officials should report their spouses or children working or living abroad for more than 12 consecutive months， regardless of whether or not they have emigrated.

the reporting system has been improved over the years. In 1995， officials had to report only their personal income. the 2010 regulation added personal matters such as change of marriage status. in 2014， the organization department of the cPc central committee started to carry out nationwide spot checks and verification of officials personal matters reports. A total of 124，800 officials have been punished for dishonest reports.

the new regulation is expected to close loopholes in the anti-corruption regulations and enable Chinas anti-corruption campaign to be more targeted and effective.