E-COMMERCE ICON TO STEP DOWN

Jack Ma， co-founder and Chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba， announced in an open letter on September 10 that he will leave his position as company chairman on September 10， 2019. CEO Daniel Zhang will take over as chairman of the board at that time.

Ma will continue as a board member until the companys annual general meeting of stockholders in 2020. Besides acting as a partner of Alibaba， Ma will focus on public welfare and education.

“The world is so big， and I will try whatever I like as I am still young，” Ma said at the end of the open letter.

Born in Hangzhou， east Chinas Zhejiang Province， in 1964， Ma graduated from Hangzhou Normal University in 1988. He is one of the richest people in China， with a current net worth of $36.6 billion. Alibabas listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014 was the worlds biggest initial public offering at the time.

Identifying Impoverished Students

Beijing Youth Daily September 7

Nearly 100 million students will receive government subsidies this year， according to the Ministry of Education （MOE）. Last year， 95.9 million students received subsidies of 886.4 billion yuan （$129.2 billion）， increasing by 22 percent and 92 percent， respectively， against 2011.

However， whether or not the subsidies have been distributed to the students who need them most has always been a controversial issue. Therefore， accurately identifying students from impoverished families is the key to ensuring the proper use of government funds.

Previously， university students who applied for subsidies were required to fill out a form about their families fi nancial situation and have it stamped by the local civil affairs bureau. A panel made up of student instructors， head teachers and student representatives decided whether an applicant was qualified to receive the grant based on the form and other factors. However， there are loopholes in the practice as students could fake their financial situation and still be verified by the local civil affairs bureau， while the panel could be subjective in its judgment.

The MOE is working with other government departments to mull over measures to improve accuracy in identifying fi nancially strapped students by placing more emphasis on objective data. Many universities in China have carried out experiments in this regard. For instance， the Nanjing University of Science and Technology analyzes students dining card records. It identifies those who dine more than 60 times per month at the school canteen， but spend less than 420 yuan （$61.2） in total as impoverished.

Web Drama Hits

Oriental Outlook September 6

The Web series The Story of Yanxi Palace has been a hit recently. It tells the story of the growth of Wei Yingluo from a lady-in-waiting to a royal concubine and mother of the future emperor during the reign of Emperor Qianlong （1711-99） in the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911）.

According to the entertainment consultancy Entgroup， the series had been viewed more than 13.3 billion times as of August 26， 38 days after its premiere.

However， drama commentator Xue Jing said that although the phenomenal drama has given the audience a sense of satisfaction by having the woman protagonist win almost every imperial harem confl ict， it does not inspire a profound thought process.

The success of The Story of Yanxi Palace shows the great potential of the genre but also draws attention to the genres mediocre ratings. According to Guduomedia.com， an Internet media data website， of the 145 newly released Web dramas in the fi rst half of the year， 68 were rated on review website Douban.com and only four received a rating of over eight points out of a full score of 10. The Story of Yanxi Palaces rating stands at 7.2.

In particular， costume dramas featuring popular stars attracted a large number of viewers but were not highly rated by the audience.

Moreover， the Web drama industry is plagued with the problem of homogeneous competition， while dramas on emotional themes such as patriotism are lacking.

Research-Oriented Renovations

Peoples Daily September 7

The Yangxin Palace， or the Hall of Mental Cultivation， in the Palace Museum in downtown Beijing recently started its fi rst major renovation in over a century. The museum was the former imperial residence， known as the Forbidden City in the Ming and Qing dynasties （1368-1911）.

The 19 craftspeople who will participate in the renovation were selected from 116 candidates who all received two years of rigorous training.

According to Shan Jixiang， Curator of the Palace Museum， the renovation process will be research-oriented. If a piece of brick， tile or wood needs to be changed， the material to be used to replace it will be consistent with the original.

The Yangxin Palace renovation project steers away from traditional thinking which treats cultural heritage renovation as a mere construction project. In addition to artifact and ancient architecture renovation， 33 research subjects on the history of the palace and its architecture will be conducted.

Moreover， cultural heritage preservation programs should be expanded to include the planning and protection of the surrounding environment. They should not be focused on artifacts alone， but should help promote cultural progress in communities and cities. For instance， ancient temples in Japan serve not only as venues for religious activities but also as museums to display historical treasures， improving a citys overall cultural atmosphere.

U.S. OPEN GIRLS CHAMP

Tennis player Wang Xiyu defeated Clara Burel from France to win the first girlssingles title at a Grand Slam event for China at the U.S. Open on September 9.

The 17-year-old needed one hour and 20 minutes to beat Burel in the fi nal held in the newly revamped Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York City.

Wang， who is based in Beijing and will be looking to play on pro tours next season， said she got a lot of advice from Li Na， Chinas fi rst Grand Slam champion.

“I watched some of Lis matches and she gave me some suggestions for playing in the fi nal，” said Wang.

Born in Hangzhou， east Chinas Zhejiang Province， in 2001， Wang started playing tennis at the age of 4. She won the girlsdoubles at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships with Wang Xinyu in July.

“Culture is not only the bridge of soul and emotions， but also the bond that strengthens mutual understanding and trust.”

Consul General Wang Donghua at the opening ceremony of a Chinese arts festival in San Francisco on September 7

“We hope the United States wont chase the wind and clutch at shadows and seek excuses for its trade protectionism， so as to avoid making global companies， including Chinese ones， lose confidence in the business environment in the United States.”

Gao Feng， spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce， in response to a question about the U.S. threat to punish Chinese companies using the excuse of intellectual property theft at a press conference in Beijing on September 13

“Hainan boasts unique advantages in resources and location， and it has become an important window to Chinas reform and opening up.”

Shen Xiaoming， Governor of Hainan， commenting on the signing of agreements with 26 global companies on projects including building brand-name theme parks in the province on September 6

“It is very important that the financial sector carries out reform that caters to the financing needs of the new economy.”

Ba Shusong， chief economist of the China Banking Association， at the 2018 China New Industry Summit in Shenzhen， south Chinas Guangdong Province， on September 9