LI NA IN INTERNATIONAL HALL OF FAME

The fi rst Chinese Grand Slam champion Li Na will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame （ITHF） on July 20， the ITHF announced in Melbourne on January 22 during the Australian Open.

Joining Li Na will be fellow tennis greats Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Mary Pierce.

“Its a great honor，” Li told Xinhua News Agency， hoping her induction will encourage more young people in China to play tennis.

Born in Wuhan， central Chinas Hubei Province， in 1982， Li started to play tennis at the age of 6 and entered the national team in 1999. She was the French Open champion in 2011， and won the Australian Open in 2014. She retired in September 2014.

Besides her remarkable achievements on court， Li is also credited with sparking the rise of the game across Asia.

Peppa Pig Kindles Love

Guancha.gmw.cn January 18

A video， What Is Peppa？， recently went viral. Its the trailer of a live-action-animation movie featuring the cartoon fi gure Peppa Pig and is scheduled to hit the screen on February 5， the fi rst day of the Chinese Lunar Year of the Pig.

In the video， a grandfather who lives in a remote village asks his grandson on the phone what he wants as a new-year gift. The grandson wants Peppa Pig， the popular character from the namesake British preschool animated TV series. However the grandfather has no idea what Peppa Pig is and asks his fellow villagers. In the end， he makes a Peppa model out of an iron-and-steel air blower.

The video， which shows a grandfathers love for his grandson， echoes the warm relations between family members presented in the Peppa Pig series. The affection between family members is universal although it is expressed in different ways in different cultures. The video is touching because it arouses peoples memories and emotions and this is where the value of art lies.

The popularity of the video shows that art which reflects ordinary peoples emotions and lives is more likely to strike a chord with the audience. Also， the contradiction between urban and rural areas， younger and older generations as well as tradition and modernity explored in the short video requires more attention.

The video points out the direction for creation of artistic work in future， which is to focus on themes that reflect reality and resonate with the viewers.

Booming Conference And Exhibition Industry

Oriental Outlook January 24

Hosting large international conferences and exhibitions can prompt a city to improve its infrastructure and comprehensive competitiveness.

International exhibitions and conferences can boost a citys economic growth by promoting trade and attracting investment. They can also foster international exchanges and display a citys culture. The fl ow of people， goods， capital and information made possible by conferences and exhibitions contributes to improving a citys openness and friendliness， which will increase a citys attractiveness to talented people.

Globally， many cities have boosted their popularity and economic growth by holding international conferences and exhibitions.

For instance， Davos of Switzerland used to be a snow and ice town caught in a development dilemma. Today， it is frequently under the spotlight for hosting the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting at the beginning of each year. The meeting has promoted construction of local infrastructure and boosted the popularity of the town as a skiing resort.

Chinas exhibition and conference industry has also thrived in recent years， with cities such as Shanghai， Beijing and Guangzhou of south Chinas Guangdong Province taking the lead in the exhibition and conference industry. Many cities have employed ambassadors for exhibitions and conferences to persuade international meetings to be held there.

Winning the right to host exhibitions and conferences is not the ultimate end. More importantly， conferences and exhibitions should be aligned with a citys industrial development to drive high-quality growth.

Drawing International Tourists

Beijing Youth Daily January 20

Tourism is an important driver of economic growth. Chinas inbound and outbound tourism has both thrived in recent years. Promoting inbound tourism will help push forward Chinas reform and opening up， while promoting communication and exchanges with other countries in the world.

In order to attract more visitors from overseas， infrastructure and services of tourist destinations should be improved to provide international tourists with facilitated services.

The government should further publicize Chinas visa policy. It may also reform the visa policy to match international trends. For instance， it may consider rolling out a transit-without-visa policy for the Olympic Winter Games 2022. The level of digitalization in visa application and management should also be improved.

Tourism organizations and companies should strengthen promotion of Chinese tourist sites based on their characteristics. They may hold tourism festivals or exhibitions to help foreigners learn about Chinas tourism resources. Tourism products featuring specifi c themes， such as the snow and ice industry or world heritage sites， should be developed to cater to international tourists. Moreover， celebrities from foreign countries may be invited to become ambassadors for Chinese tourism in order to draw more international tourists.

Promoting inbound tourism will serve to increase the international communitys understanding and support of China so as to enable the country to play a more important role in global governance.

AWARD FOR SINGAPORE SCIENTIST

Singaporean physicist Shih Choon Fong received the Award for International Scientific Cooperation from the Chinese Academy of Sciences （CAS） in Beijing on January 17.

Shih， a renowned educator and former president of the National University of Singapore（NUS）， uses his international infl uence to encourage collaboration so that outstanding students from the University of CAS can study in leading universities such as MIT and Oxford.

He has also vigorously championed a CAS-led Liquid Sunshine International Coalition to offer green energy solutions.

Born in 1945， Shih received his PhD in applied science from Harvard University in 1973. He taught at Brown University in the United States from 1981 to 1996 and returned to the NUS in 1996. He served as the universitys president for nine years until 2008.

Also awarded were Norwegian biologist Nils Christian Stenseth and Japanese meteorologist Toshio Koike.

Launched in 2007， the CAS award has been given to 34 foreign scientists.

“The development of China-France relations has proved to the world that self-reliance and respect for others are not contradictory. Only when we put aside prejudices and disputes， respect each other， and seek common ground while shelving differences can countries be more confident， and the world more peaceful.”

Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun， at a reception celebrating the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and France， in Paris on January 22

“China has set an example in wildlife protection and shown the determination of a responsible stakeholder on the global stage.”

Sun Quanhui， science officer of World Animal Protection， a United Nations general consultative organization， on the campaign by China Customs and the National Forestry and Grasslands Administration with non-profit organizations to reinforce the ivory ban put in place in January 2018

“The Chinese private sector is very dynamic. They dont see the risk that other people see in Africa because they take a long view of Africa.”

Manuel Moses， the International Finance Corporations Country Manager for Kenya， in an interview with Xinhua News Agency in Nairobi on January 22

“We believe Ambassador Xia， as the first Chinese citizen appointed as the UN secretary generals special envoy for hotspot issues， will make contributions to advancing UN support for peace， stability and development in the Great Lakes Region.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying， in response to Xia Huangs appointment to a UN post at a press briefing on January 23