Beijing： The Old and the New

As the 2008 Olympic Games draw near, Beijing, a dynamic modern city undergirded by 3,000 years of history, is throwing open its celebrated nine gates to the world.     

The Taste of Beijing

WE reached cruising altitude shortlyafter St. Petersburg. The last impres-sions of Europe faded - lights of itslesser cities, rivers and factories -bringing us to the vast extent of Asia.There remained six hours of flight time pendingBeijing: my adventure would start at the crack ofdawn.     

The Olympic Village

ON the northern end of the north-south central Olympic Green, where the Olympic Village is village will be home to over 16,800 athletes, during the Games. The village logo comprises axis in Beijing is the located. The 163-acre coaches and officials three parts; the phoenix at the top represents the Olympic flame, while the last two characters represent the words ＂Dream World.＂     

The Olympics Economic Bonanza

SINCE Los Angeles unexpectedly reaped a profit in 1984 for the first time in the history of the modem Olympics, the quadrennial event has become an economic bonanza for host cities. Barce- lona, for example, achieved a profit of US $26.05 billion in 1992. The Olym- pic-related economy in Beijing is also picking up as the big event draws near.and put up eight temporary structures in and around the park. After the Games, the park and venues will continue to host top sporting events, and provide ample facilities for the public＇s sporting activities. The boom is expected to last well beyond August. At the begin- ning of 2007, the Beijing Municipal Government stated that sports-related businesses are set to be one of the city＇s     

Positive Changes to an Old City

THE 1,000-year-old Foshan City stands in central southern Guangdong Province. Nominated one of China's Four Famous Towns during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, Foshan's other laurels include acknowledgement as Ceramics Capital of the South and Cradle of Folk Art in the Pearl River Delta. Following its regional restructuring in the year 2003, a series     

A Splendid Start The XXIX Olympic Games Open in Beijing

A good beginning is a job half done, and so it was for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. On the night of August 8, thousands of performers entertained an audience of 91,000 in the National Stadium （Bird＇s Nest） with highlights from China＇s history and culture.     

Qingdao to Host Olympic Sailing Events

THE coastal city of Qingdao, in Shandong Province,is known for both its sublime beaches and industrial prominence.Several Chinese companies, such as Haier and Hisense(both electric home appliance manufacturers),as well as the world-famous Tsingtao Beer brewery,are leaders in their respective fields at home and abroad.Now,     

Society

500 Million Farmers to Be Urbanized by 2020 The Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies (IUE) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences released The Annual Report on Urban Development of China (2012), also known as Blue Book of Cities in China. According to the report, at the projected annual growth of 0.8 to one percent, China’s     

The Countdown to the Beijing Olympics Commences

The year 2007 is crucial to the Beijing Olympiad organizers,as the digital clock in Tian’anmen Square counts the seconds to August 8,2008.Staff reporter Xu Xiaoyan interviewed Jiang Xiaoyu,executive vice-president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the XXiX Olympiad (BOCOG) to see how preparations for this all-important,prestigious event are going.     

A Witness＇s Account of Changes in Tibet＇s Human Rights Conditions

After riots that occurred on March 14, 2008 in Lhasa, Tibet, the China Central Television Station broadcast a documentary film titled Tibet＇s Past shot years ago by the Central Newsreel ＆ Documentary Film Studio about the miserable life of serfs under Tibet＇s feudal serf system before a democratic reform was carried out in the region. The documentary stunned many people. It helps people see through the reactionary and corrupt nature of the Dalai clique.     

50年来中央对西藏的关怀

今年是西藏民主改革50周年。50年在人类历史长河中不过是短暂一瞬，但在西藏这片古老而神奇的土地上却创造了旷世未有的人间奇迹。从肃穆的藏北高原到盎然的藏南谷地，从草原的牧民帐篷到热闹的拉萨街头，雪域高原焕发出勃勃生机，一个繁荣昌盛、充满活力的社会主义新西藏展现在世人面前。西藏50年的历史巨变，蕴含着党中央的深情关切。以毛泽东同志为核心的党的第一代中央领导集体，顺应西藏人民翻身解放的强烈愿望，带领西藏人民进行民主改革，实行民族区域自治，     

Training Program to Improve NGOs' capacity

Murong Feng, a 31-year-old activist from Hebei Province in northern China, had attended several training workshops for non-governmental organizations （NGOs） related to HIV/AIDS prevention before he came to Beijing last October for another one.     

China＇s Accession to the WTO

LONG Yongtu is well known in China for his work as the chief negotiator on China＇s entry into the World Trade Organization （WTO）, helping to finally ensure its success in 2001, after 15 years of negotiations.     

The Contribution of P. C. Chang as Typical Chinese Wisdom to the Declaration

The drafting process of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had gone through two years＇ discus-sions and had experienced more than 200 meetings, discussing, negotiating and debating.     

From Daur＇s Bako to Modern Hockey

Aboy, holding in his left hand a stick crooked at the lower part, crouches and prepares to bat a ball-such is a picture woven in a blanket from the Tang Dydasty （618-907）, which is now preserved in Dong Da Si temple in Japan. Surprisingly, the stick looks similar to that used in modern field hockey now some 1,500 years later. In addition, the gesture of the boy looks almost the same as that of today＇s hockey player.     

Ningxia：Dramatic Changes Over the Past 50 Years——Ningxia＇s New Industries

Wang Zhengwei, chairman of the government of Ningxia Hui Autonomous region, summarizes its situation succinctly. ＂Ningxia is neither east nor west, but in the very center of China; Ningxia＇s altitude is neither high nor low,     

Modern Art in an Ancient Setting——Beijing's Red Gate Gallery

A SCENDING the ancient stone steps to Red Gate Gallery reveals the quintessential Beijing pan orama. The gallery is housed in Dongbianmen Watchtower, a Ming Dynasty structure straddling the last crumbling vestiges of Beijing＇s city wall. Like a besieged bastion of the city＇s imperial past, the watchtower is hemmed in by railway lines and Beijing＇s Second Ring Road. The glass and steel edifices of the CBD loom in the distance. It＇s appropriate that this ancient fortress, surrounded by a cornucopia of modern development, houses a gallery that has long been a cultural bastion of a more contemoorary kind.     

ENDANGERED Language-China＇s Response to a Global Problem

The tides of history have washed away so many languages, such as the ancient Egyptian pictographs and the Mesopoiamian cuneiforms used thousands of years ago. Seeing them in museums, we can＇t help but be fascinated by the mystery of those “pictures” and geometric figures that experts worked hard to crack.