ARTIST LAUDED FOR SPREADING OLYMPIC SPIRIT

ARTIST LAUDED FOR SPREADING OLYMPIC SPIRIT

The International Olympic Committee awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal to Cui Jingzhe in Beijing on January 18 for the Chinese artists efforts in spreading the Olympic spirit through art.

Cui， 41， who is also the art director of the Cheer for the Olympics series of cultural exhibits， is known for his magnificent paintings of ancient ladies dressed in striking red dresses. During Beijings bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2022， and after it eventually became the host city， he has carried forward the Olympic spirit through his art， deeply integrating traditional Chinese culture and Olympic elements to present the world with Chinas understanding of the Games and its winter sports culture.

The medal was inaugurated in 1997 and named in honor of Pierre de Coubertin， founder of the modern Olympics， to recognize those who promote the Olympic spirit. Cui is the youngest artist to have received the honor.

Genuine Data

Guangming Daily January 14

Chinese colleges have recently released their reports on employment rates of fresh graduates in 2021. The Central China Normal University （CCNU） report stands out—20 percent failed to secure a job by the time they left school.

CCNU is among the nations top universities. Yet given employment rates of well below 80 percent， it strikes a stark contrast with the much higher figures of 97 percent， or up， announced by most universities， which are actually painting a rather distorted picture.

Schools tend to inflate their employment rates because a good performance record warrants bigger inputs from education authorities， as well as a good reputation. Nevertheless， the inflated rates do not help students. Schools in actual need of supportive policies to ramp up their employment rates will thus lose out on the potential benefits， making it even harder for graduates to secure a job. In this sense， CCNUs truthful practice has set an example for other universities to follow.

Smart Thinking

Lifeweek January 17

The past two years have seen the rapid progress of remote working. Science and technology again came to the rescue. Despite the various difficulties the COVID-19 pandemic posed to real life， overall， human society and the economy are operating as normal， or even at a higher rate and lower costs.

When smart technology makes instant communication highly convenient，its not necessarily leading daily life in a more comfortable direction. Digital devices make every spot a working spot and every moment a working one.

Social media does help some battle loneliness and others kill time， but the public finds it more difficult to concentrate on one particular thing， often accompanied by varying degrees of anxiety.

If history has taught us one thing， it is that the arrival of a new medium proves to be of game-changing significance. Radio dominated the 1920s， thanks to its power of spreading big news far and wide； in the 1950s， television took up the mantle. Yet their penetration into peoples lives was no match for that of social media. In the digital era， media is no longer simply a tool to gather information， but it has become the world we live in. Take Chinas top multipurpose platform WeChat， for example. Not only can you communicate via the platform， you can also make payments. Meanwhile， peoples ideas are more likely to be manipulated by the influx of various voices on social media. Digitalization wields great influence on society by large. For people to figure out how to adapt to this change for the better today proves more important than ever.

Green Express Delivery

Peoples Daily January 17

The vast size of express delivery imposes a huge pressure on the environment， as annual packaging waste has now far surpassed 10 million tons. How to turn the packaging green and clean is now a matter of urgency.

The government has already worked out a green revolution blueprint for delivery packaging， with quantitative targets set for the 2022-25 period. Recyclable packaging is a priority for the delivery sector， but in real life， such packaging is rare. Seldom do shops offer these wrappings and rarely are consumers aware of any recycling bins in their vicinity.

The express delivery sector is exploring standardized green packaging， but the toughest issue is the high cost. If the current packing materials were to be wholly replaced by biodegradable materials， this would entail an additional cost of 18.8 billion yuan （$2.96 billion） for the entire sector， based on the 2020 delivery scope.

Scientific innovation to cut packaging costs is key to accelerating the green pace； raising consumer awareness toward environmental protection is equally important.

FORMER VICE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY FACES PROSECUTION