VETERAN ACTRESS DIES AT 100

VETERAN ACTRESS DIES AT 100

Actress and recipient of the national honorary title “Peoples Artist” Qin Yi passed away on May 9 at the age of 100.

Qin， born in Shanghai in 1922， grew up a cinema buff and turned her passion for the silver screen into a lifelong career， making her film debut in the 1939 flick Hao Zhangfu （A Good Husband）.

After 1949， Qin played leading roles in many films， including Song of the Youth and Loyal Overseas Chinese. She remained one of the most popular film actresses in China throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

With the rise of television in China in the 1980s， Qin appeared in several TV dramas， such as the 1982 hit Under the Roofs of Shanghai， for which she won Best Actress at the first China TV Golden Eagle Award Ceremony.

Town & County

Economic Daily May 10

Some Chinese megacities， typically with a population of more than 10 million people， are currently groaning under the pressures of huge residential populations and the numerous functions imposed on them. Consequently， moving some of their non-core business to prefecturelevel cities and county towns seems to be the right course of action.

Meanwhile， a growing number of nearby villagers are also relocating to these towns， looking for work or even settling down there.

But without a solid industrial foundation， most county towns are unable to accommodate non-core functions. Plus， without knowledgeable guidance and concerted practices， they are unlikely to upgrade their own infrastructure—let alone provide enough jobs.

One solution would be to foster businesses based on local advantages， improve public facilities， and provide locals with a more comfortable and convenient lifestyle. County towns need accurate planning and definite outlines before they can develop into competitive and vibrant modern cities.

Say Cheese！

China Newsweek May 2

Three decades ago， orthodontists mostly targeted teenagers whose teeth needed to be straightened. Today， a growing number of adults are looking to orthodontic treatment to improve their appearance. In other words， orthodontics are becoming part of the beauty economy.

Whether its companies producing orthodontic appliances or institutions offering related services， they are all actively approaching consumers. But the root of the matter is that China has a serious shortage of capable professionals—dentists and orthodontists alike. Orthodontic patient numbers jumped from 1.6 million in 2015 to 3.1 million in 2020.

No matter the capital flooding into this sector， its growth remains restricted due to the shortage of skilled practitioners. If the niche keeps expanding and relies more and more on external appliances， it can only fall deeper into crooked chaos.

A Long Wait

Guangzhou Daily May 11

The “presale” concept has been one hot commodity in e-commerce， especially with shops run by online celebrities. E-shopping is supposed to be about speed and convenience. But although customers place their order with a quick tap on their mobile screens， the overall process comes with a long wait—averaging around six weeks. It turns out payment was the only speedy step in the process.

While some businesses cant deliver their goods on time because of pandemic-related lockdowns， this does not justify the absence of relevant regulations. E-commerce platforms are supposed to adjust their post-sales rules for presale goods. This existing loophole must be plugged， or this flailing business model might start undermining the realm of e-commerce.

FORMER ASSISTANT JUDGE SENTENCED TO PRISON

Wang Linqing， a former assistant judge of the Supreme Peoples Court， was sentenced to 14 years in prison by a Beijing court on May 7 for taking bribes and illegally obtaining state secrets.

Wang was found to have accepted bribes worth over 21.9 million yuan （$3.25 million） by taking advantage of his former position to benefit relevant units and individuals in case trials and other matters between 2008 and 2018.

The investigation found that from June to August 2018， Wang illegally obtained files on a case involving a mining company and provided their contents to Zhao Faqi， the companys legal representative. Five of the files stolen by Wang were classified as state secrets.

From 2011 to 2018， Wang received large sums of money and a substantial number of gifts from Zhao.

“China desires friendly relations with all countries and we never set any limits on cooperation， nor do we see the need to do so.”

Le Yucheng， Chinese Vice Foreign Minister， during an online dialogue between global think tanks from 20 countries on May 6

“We are fast approaching the mid-point of the time available to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. I will be blunt： Progress is in peril. COVID-19， a fragile and uneven global economic recovery， climate change， and conflicts are pushing our goals farther out of reach.”

António Guterres， UN Secretary General， in a video message to a high-level virtual meeting of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative on May 9

“We are getting measurably closer to temporarily reaching the lower target of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.”

Petteri Taalas， Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization， in a remark as the agency released its latest climate update on May 9

“The U.S. policy toward China is heavily influenced by the domestic attitude. It did not take into account the fact that Chinas prosperity has been the engine of growth in East Asia， and more probably in the world， for much of the last two decades.”

J. Stapleton Roy， former U.S. Ambassador to China， at a panel discussion in Washington， D.C.， on May 6