OCTOGENARIAN PARTY MEMBER

2018-07-26 15:54
Beijing Review 2018年27期

Niu Ben, an 83-year-old actor, was encouraged by President Xi Jinping to play a vanguard and exemplary role as a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in a letter on June 25.

“I am pleased to hear that you have realized your long-cherished wish by joining the CPC at a senior age,” Xi, who is also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said in the letter, encouraging Niu to inspire more artists and writers to contribute to the prosperity of socialist literature and art.

Niu, who formerly worked with the Shanghai Film Studio, started acting at the age of 11, and has since appeared in a number of fi lms.

In 2017, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the prestigious Golden Rooster Awards for his contribution to the Chinese fi lm industry. On May 31, Niu was admitted as a probationary CPC member.

Chinese Ad Abroad

Guancha.gmw.cn June 22

An advertisement for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia by a Chinese home appliance and electronics maker has raised eyebrows for using the superlative “No.1.”

Appearing on LED boards that line the pitches, the ad reads, “xxTV, No.1 in China.”The ad is in violation of Chinas Advertising Law which prohibits the use of superlatives such as “No.1” and “the best” in ads. This is not the fi rst time the same ad appears at an international competition. It appeared at the 2016 UEFA European Championship in France where it also caused an uproar. The company responded to criticism by saying French law allows the use of “best” as long as there is proof.

Is Chinas Advertising Law invalid in Russia? Of course not. Even though the ad appears abroad, the company is registered in China and should be subject to its domestic laws. The wording of the ad shows the companys disregard for Chinese laws and regulations.

Such an ad not only repels consumers but also adversely affects other domestic TV makers interests.

In addition, it highlights the lack of restriction of ad law infringement overseas by domestic law enforcement authorities.

Whether they run in China or abroad, ad campaigns should pay attention to detail and content in order to win over their audience. This rule applies at the World Cup as well as other international sporting events.

Airborne Rescue

Oriental Outlook June 28

Since the 999 Beijing Emergency Center bought Chinas first helicopter exclusively for medical rescue in 2014, the number of such helicopters has increased to about 100, with most owned by general aviation companies. Before 2014, helicopters were used for medical rescue only sparingly such as during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

Currently, many hospitals have partnered with general aviation companies to conduct airborne rescues. Helicopters can help save lives by transporting patients from small cities to better hospitals in large cities, as well as play important roles in disaster relief.

However, the cost of airborne rescue, which ranges from 40,000($6,047) to 70,000 yuan ($10,583) per hour of flight is inaccessible to most patients. But, now people can subscribe to the service for only 1 yuan ($0.15) by paying a membership fee of several hundred yuan per year to an aviation company. They can also buy commercial insurance that includes such services.

Finding an appropriate parking apron to land at a hospital is also a problem. Some old hospitals have no space for parking and have to use nearby squares or playgrounds, inevitably delaying the rescue. Medical staff also have to receive special training in order to understand the effect of low pressure in a helicopter on patients and conduct rescue properly.

Moreover, helicopters for medical rescue should also be subject to air traffi c control like any other kind of aircraft in China.

Membership Card Risks

Legal Daily June 21

Membership cards for gyms, restaurants and beauty salons have become increasingly common in China. Consumers are often required to pay for a whole or half a years service in advance in return for a discount. Although the practice brings consumers convenience and lower prices, it also includes several risks.

Some stores may close down before the membership expires, leaving consumers unable to get their money back.

The practice of paying for services in advance is not wrong in itself. Through such a model, business operators can enlarge their consumer base and win the market, while consumers can enjoy better prices. However, the precondition is that business operators should be honest and obey the law while conducting business. Otherwise, consumers rights and interests will be harmed.

Already, some operators have used prepaid services for illegal fundraising or even fraud. They attract consumers to buy a card with huge discounts and shut down their businesses once they accumulate a large sum of money.

In order to avoid being cheated, consumers should think about the scale and quality of a business and wisely choose chain store brands that are more trustworthy.

They should also abandon the mindset of gaining petty advantages since it often leads to fraud. The government should strengthen law enforcement and supervision of business operators. Shanghai published a regulation on membership cards last year, which is worth examining for other cities.

HIGH-PERFORMING STUDENT

Wang Yun, a high school graduate in Shanghai, has become the talk of the town after scoring 623 points in this years college entrance examination.

His score is just 37 points short of perfect. Wangs exam was a little different, however, it was adapted into Braille since he is blind.

Wang suffered retinal detachment due to a premature birth and excessive oxygen intake and became blind at an early age. But this did not stop him from working hard in school.

His parents—both teachers at Shanghai-based Donghua University—decided to send him to the school for the blind, where he has excelled in both his studies as well as sports.

A senior at the Shanghai School for Blind Children, Wang is likely to enroll in East China Normal University, Shanghai Normal University or Shanghai Polytechnic University, three Shanghai-based universities that accept blind students.

“Some movies must have smoking scenes to create an atmosphere, so its not possible to ban smoking scenes in all films. But we can use a movie rating system to limit those movies from widespread distribution.”

Chinas anti-smoking image ambassador, actor Feng Yuanzheng, calling for stricter regulation of domestic movies and TV series to reduce scenes depicting characters smoking, so as to lessen negative effects on young people

“Balanced development will have a significant influence on future city planning since the previous focus was only on life and work, which was already hard to achieve.”

Wu Zhiqiang, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, commenting on the draft plan on the development of Beijings subsidiary administrative center Tongzhou released on June 21

“This would fully exploit our experience, wisdom, knowledge and expertise to achieve a win-win situation for both countries. This is also an excellent platform for all Chinese professors in the UK to make solid contributions worldwide and impact future generations.”

Lin Jianguo, President of the Association of British Chinese Professors, which was inaugurated on June 25 as an organization representing senior Chinese academics (full professors and equivalent) working in the UK

“The expo is an important step to accelerate Chinas AI (artificial intelligence) industry. It will also promote AI innovation and smart industry in Chinas western regions.”

Zhou Changkui, an offi cial from the Ministry of Science and Technology on June 26, referring to the fi rst Smart China Expo focusing on smart technology to be held on August 23-25 in southwest Chinas Chongqing Municipality