FLYING TIGERS GENERAL’S WIDOW PASSES AWAY

Anna Chennault （Chen Hsiang-mei）， a legendary fi gure in China-U.S. relations and widow of U.S. General Claire Lee Chennault， died at her home in Washington， D.C. on March 30 at the age of 94.

Born in Beijing in 1925， Chen was the fi rst female reporter for the offi cial news agency of China in the 1940s. She met General Chennault， who was commanding the Flying Tigers air squadron to fi ght against Japanese invaders in China， during World War II. The two married in Shanghai in 1947. After her husband died in 1958， she moved to Washington， D.C.

At the end of 1980， shortly after Ronald Reagan was elected U.S. president， Madame Chennault was sent to Beijing as a special envoy to meet with late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. The following year， she established the Chen Hsiang-mei Education Prize in more than a dozen cities in China.

Visiting China frequently， Madame Chennault was an active player in cultural exchanges between China and the United States. She also played a role in promoting communication across the Taiwan Straits.

Setting off on a Reform Mission

Guangming Daily April 4

East Chinas Zhejiang Province has recently won approval from the Ministry of Education to establish privately-funded Westlake University in its capital Hangzhou. The university， first proposed by a group of top Chinese academics in 2015， will focus on basic academic research and the transformation and application of technology. It represents a new step in reforming Chinas higher education system.

A nonprofit research-oriented institution， Westlake University will be funded by a foundation and run by a board of directors. Such a model will enable it to cut its reliance on government finance， guaranteeing the schools autonomy and improving its man- agement effi ciency.

Acting President Shi Yigong， a Princeton University-trained molecular biologist， outlined his ambitious plan for Westlake University in a recent public speech， saying in fi ve years， the new university will rival prestigious schools such as Tokyo University， Peking University and Tsinghua University to become first-class in Asia. In 15 years， it will become one of the best universities worldwide， competing with the California Institute of Technology， according to Shi. His idealistic vision may bring greater attention to the school in its inception phase and help to draw necessary resources for its development.

Borne of many innovative features， Westlake University could push forward the formation of a modern university system in China and spearhead the higher education reform to explore a way of building worldclass research universities fit for Chinese conditions.

Repositioning Guangzhou

Oriental Outlook April 12

Guangzhou， capital of south Chinas Guangdong Province， boasts a favorable geographical location and timehonored commercial culture， which has contributed to its prosperity over the past millennium.

However， there are worries that Guangzhou has failed to seize the opportunities offered by the burgeoning information technology industry in recent years compared to Shenzhen in Guangdong， where tech giants Tencent and Huawei are based， and Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province， which is home to e-commerce leader Alibaba Group.

Guangzhou thrived in the 1980s due to an export-led economy. However， the citys exports dwindled after the 2008 global fi nancial crisis owing to the rising costs of land and labor.

Nevertheless， Guangzhous GDP growth rate has remained higher than Beijing and Shanghai over the past fi ve years. Therefore， the key for Guangzhous development does not lie in speed but quality of growth.

In the past two years， Guangzhou has attracted a large number of foreign enterprises to launch huge industrial projects. It also plans to develop emerging industries featuring new energy and new materials.

The city also aims to develop itself into an international aviation and shipping hub.By 2020， a four-hour traffic network connecting Guangzhou with other major cities in China and Southeast Asia is expected to take shape.

In addition， Guangzhou has a comfortable living environment with clean air and a famous local cuisine， making it a great draw for investors.

Guangzhou is keen on embracing new technologies and favorable policies， as well as making full use of its talent pool， especially entrepreneurs， who contribute greatly to local development.

Removing Malpractices on the Web

Beijing Youth Daily April 9

The Cyberspace Administration of China recently penalized popular short video applications Kuaishou and Huoshan， requiring them to overhaul practices. The two platforms announced measures to ban children and teenagers under 18 from registering as live-streamers and to shut down all existing accounts owned by minors.

According to a research report in 2016 by the analytics platform Weibo Data Center， 12 percent of live-streamers in China were aged between 11 and 16. As early as April of that year， over 20 Internet companies jointly published a self-discipline pact vowing not to allow minors to register as live-streamers. Real-name registration of all accounts should have been completed by June 1， 2016. However， the pact has not achieved its expected results.

The recent overhaul was prompted by China Central Television reports exposing underage livestreamers broadcasting themselves falling in love， getting pregnant and giving birth. Live-streaming platforms harbor clear commercial purposes to attract an audience for profi t， even when some practices challenge moral standards and the law.

An effective system should be established to monitor the live-streaming sector.

First， minors should be banned from opening live-streaming accounts， but could be allowed to host certain programs with the consent of their parents. Internet platforms should guarantee that the content of webcasting by minors complies with relevant laws and regulations.

Second， a rating system for webcasting programs should be established to identify programs unsuitable for minors.

FOOD COURIER WINS POETRY COMPETITION

Lei Haiwei， a food deliveryman in Hangzhou， east Chinas Zhejiang Province， won the title in the third season of the Chinese Poetry Conference aired on China Central Television on April 4. More than 100 people from over 100，000 candidates from different walks of life participated in the televised contest of Chinese poetry knowledge.

Lei， 37， developed an interest in ancient Chinese poetry and began to recite poems at an early age. He was enthralled by the beautiful rhythms of poetry even though he didnt understand the meaning of the poems back then.

After graduating from a secondary technical school in 2001， Lei worked as an electrician in a factory in Shenzhen， south Chinas Guangdong Province. He then moved to Shanghai where he worked as a waiter and salesperson before migrating to Hangzhou. During his spare time， he frequents bookstores to read and recite poems. He even uses the time between deliveries at red lights to memorize poems.

Lei said great poets optimistic attitudes toward life even as they endured hardships inspired and empowered him and that his love for poetry will continue.

“In the process of modernizing agricultural production， we want to turn‘farming into a name label that people are proud of.”

Liu Yonghao， Chairman of New Hope Group， Chinas leading agribusiness company， proposing solutions to the problem that young rural residents leave villages and towns for cities in pursuit of better pay during the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference on April 9

“The Belt and Road Initiative will promote economic development in relevant countries as well as regional and world development. Japan should actively participate in the initiative to achieve win-win cooperation.”

Kiyoyuki Seguchi， Japanese economist and Research Director at the Canon Institute for Global Studies in Tokyo， speaking to Xinhua News Agency

“A driving force behind this surge is China， which leads with more than half of the worlds new solar power capacity.”

Stephane Dujarric， spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres， in response to a report released by the UN Environment Program which found that solar power in 2017 attracted far more investment than any other technology， at a news briefing on April 6

“With their income rising， Chinese tourists are looking for more diversified travel experiences abroad.”

Peng Liang， Director of Public Relations at Ctrip， Chinas largest online travel agency， in a recent interview