A Showcase of Speedy Urbanization

IT was an 800-km, smooth drive from Beijing to Ordos. The first stretch was along the Badaling Expressway, before turning off at Hebei's Xuanhua exit and heading for Zhangjiakou. We then continued westward, passing Ulanqab, Hohhot and Baotou before heading south. We were soon within the jurisdiction of Ordos.Ordos' ongoing urbanization is plain to see from the booming construction sites throughout the area. A little on-the-spot research upon arrival in Ordos revealed that the local urbanization rate increased from 43.5 percent in 2000 to 54 percent by the end of 2005, and increased to 57.4 percent by the end of 2006. Urbanization of this rapidity is rare among China's prefecture-level cities.     

Padma Tashi:Farmer-Turned-Entrepreneur

Padma Tashi lives in Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China. Of the region's population of more than 2.6 million, ethnic Tibetans account for over 95%. Tibetans used to till the land and graze cattle. In recent years, along with economic development in the region, people's life has changed greatly. Many farmers and herdsmen in the region set up businesses as well as farm and raise cattle. Baima is the boss of a vehicle rental business.     

Glorious Dreams of a Desert City

Years ago, Barbara Freese, American environmental attorney and writer, boarded a Beijing train bound for the heart of the old continent of Asia. As it approached the Ordos Desert in Inner Mongolia, she observed how the landscape changed from green farmland and mountains to bare boundless sands, with sporadic flocks of sheep and lone herders. This barren ground with its rocky knolls, dotted with small patches of grass and shrubs, seemed to offer few life resources for humankind and higher creatures. But Barbara was surprised to see factory buildings flashing past along the railway line every now and then. She later discovered that as the region was covered with dense forest millions of years ago it has abundant coal deposits that fuel its industry. Ordos (formerly Ih Ju League) first became known in and outside of China through the local Erdos (Ordos) company's catchy slogan, "Erdos cashmere warms the whole globe," which made the brand a household name. The city has lucrative resources in addition to its famous goat fleece, including tourism, energy and chemical industry. Ordos, Baotou and Hohhot constitute an economic golden triangle in the region.     

Equal Opportunities for All

RAPID industrial development in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, has brought the city great wealth. The city's new development policy, moreover, has been of benefit to all Ordos residents, including herdsmen and farmers living in areas of pastureland."We've been hit by droughts in our banner in recent years," says a farmer in Ejin Horo Banner of Ordos, "so the more sheep we raised, the greater our losses, as they either died or had to be sold at rock bottom prices. A times, all five members of our household lived off the income of our son, who has a job in town. Luckily, the government sent officials to our house to assess our situation, and we were provided with a minimum living subsidy. Otherwise, we would have starved."     

Ordos,the Youngest City in China

ORDOS is perhaps theyoungest of 600 or socities in China. OnFebruary 26. 2001,the State Council approved theestablishment of Ordos City,for-merly known as Ih Ju Meng.Erdos CashmereThe Erdos Cashmere (Group)Ltd., is the largest cashmere pro-cessing enterprise group in theworld, and is the first enterprise in the Chinese cashmere textileindustry to be awarded the"Chinese Famous Brandname"title. Back in 1981, however,thecompany bad just one engineerand a dozen assistant engineers. Itlac…     

Qinhuangdao Takes Advantage of the Beijing Olympics to Move Ahead——A Conversation with Zhu Haowen,Mayor of Qinhuangdao

QINHUANGDAO in Hebei Province is famous for its section of the Great Wall and pristine beaches.But it is more than just an ideal summer resort.In 2008,it attracted world attention as the only prefecture- level co-host city of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games,staging not only some memorable Olympic football matches, but also taking advantage of the opportunities created by the Games to move ahead in terms of development. China Today spoke with Zhu Haowen, the city＇s mayor,and he described Qinhuangdao＇s unique charm with seven key words.     

Changes to the way and Beyond

WITH its back to the enchanting Taihang Mountains and its face to the Yellow River, Jiaozuo City in central China's Henan Province is traditionally known as the Golden Plain of Cornucopia. But until recently, its stunning scenery had a hefty price: its mountains and rivers practically cut the city off from the rest of the nation. This has all changed with the construction of an extensive highway network in the region. To the north, it is     

Chinese Soccer： Is the Fix in？

BETTING on the outcomes of soccer games is rampant in China and to fight it an antigambling storm is gathering over China＇s soccer fields. The pending government crackdown on soccer-related crimes, such as soccer fraud, betting and manipulation, is of vital importance - not only to rebuilding a healthy environment for the sport, but also to the whole future of Chinese soccer.     

Laws,as an Integral Whole,Promotes the Cause of Human Rights

In modem society, the rule or law is an important pattern of national governance. Realizing human rights is closely related to the rule of law. What the author intends to discuss is how to use integral thinking to understand human rights as well as the relationship between human rights and development and how to comprehend the rule of law and the promotion of human rights through the rule of law in the process of facilitating the cause of human rights.     

China＇s Policies and Actions to Address Climate Change

GLOBAL warming is the main feature of climate change. Climate change is related to human survival and the well-being of all countries and as such poses a great challenge to mankind in the 21 st century. Joint efforts by the international community are needed to deal with it. A large developing country with a huge population, complex climatic conditions and a fragile ecological environment, China is most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change.     

Economic Prosperity Befrie nds Cultural Wealth

AMERICAN scholar Alvin Toffler once said that where there is a culture, a prosperous economy will sooner or later develop, and that where there is a prosperous economy, there will be culture. The connection between culture and economy in Ordos' development is plain to see.There is far more to Ordos than the horse-head fiddles, boiled mutton and grassland legends with which ill-informed outsiders generally associate it. Compared with the Inner Mongolia regional capital Hohhot, Ordos, with its thronged bars, KTV parlors and palatial market square, has more the ambience of a southern metropolis than a northern Mongolian city. It is easy to forget that just outside the city sprawl vast, desolate grasslands and deserts.     

Settlement Life of Tibetan Herdsmen

On July 13, I came to Ma'aito see the life of Tibetanherdsmen after they had set-tled down. Ma'ai is a townlocated amid the mountainsin Luqu County in Gannan TibetanAutonomous Prefecture, Gansu.For Tibetans there, settlement in factrefers to grazing in winter or grazing insummer in largely fixed locations. Therehas not been much of a change in the basiclifestyle of the Tibetans. On the way to thetown, I see many herdsmen freely grazingtheir cattle and sheep, with tents dottingverdant slo…     

Turning Poverty Around

正An impoverished autonomous prefecture in northwest China fights to eradicate poverty In Guanghe,a county in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province in northwest China,piles of silage-what local people call the bread for cattle and sheepare scattered in the fields.The silage is made by smashing and mixing corn and cornstalks that have been preserved through acidification and fermentation.     

Bionic Choreography

REVERENCE for and interaction with nature and other beings is the key to traditional Chinese culture and was interwoven with all aspects of life and society in ancient China, including philosophy, architecture and healthcare. As early as 2,000 years ago a gymnastic routine was created by mimicking the movements of five animals that were believed to work muscles in the best way and stimulate the flow of qi, the intangible flow of vital energy, in the human body. Its inventor is Hua Tuo, known as the Chine...     

Village Autonomy:A Quiet Revolution In Rural China

A "quiet revolution" is gathering momentum in China, in which the rural masses are proving to be forerunners in the country's endeavor to improve and develop its socialist democracy. According to statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, more than 600 million rural people in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions have over the past decade taken part in elections and reelections of what is known as "villagers' committees'—organs of selfgovernment by and for the rural population. The ministry has also reported that the voter turnout averages 80％ and in some cases, as high as 95％. Until now, villagers' committees have been set up in 80％ of the villages across the length and breadth     

Religious Freedom in China

It is no secret that China officially and openly denies the sectarian activities which lead to or cause public disorder or damage to public safety and security. The Constitution of china secures the freedom of religion. The largest temples and the largest number of temples in the world can easily be seen towering anywhere in China serving all creeds without exception. Islam was conveyed to China since its early days to date. Throughout China, name boards inscribed with Arabic words naming Allah (God in Islam) and Mohammad (the messenger of Allah), identify restaurants who serve foods for Muslims. Indeed, as mentioned here in above, Islamic food is no different from the food of the others except that Muslims should not eat pork meat as far as alternatives are available, meanwhile it should be freely served to the others in the restaurants as per the teachings of Quora'an.     

Promoting China Abroad——An Interview with Zhao Qizheng,Member of the CPPCC National Committee and Head of Its Foreign Affairs Committee

THE annual session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is one of the main political meetings in China and is attended by representatives from all walks of life. The major function of the CPPCC is to conduct political consultations and exercise democratic supervision as well as take part in the discussion and management of state affairs.     

“Harmony”Concept and China''''s Human Rights

What is summarized as"harmony is of paramount importance" is a most prominent philosophical approach embraced by China's Confucian culture. This is an extension of the approach summarized as "the people are of paramount importance." It calls for harmonious human relations, obliging one to respect others' rights and interests while protecting the rights and interests of one's own. Harmony as a philosophical approach manifests itself, in many ways, in the realm of human rights in China today. To name just a few: the country's political system of multi-party cooperation under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, harmony that prevails between different religions in the country, and the country's call for international dialogue and cooperation to promote the human rights cause. As a fine Chinese tradition, this philosophical approach is being carried forward.     

Ambrosia of Ancients

IN 196 B.C. a Chinese philosopher observed to his ruler: "A lord's top priority is the welfare of his subjects; to the people, eating is foremost." Chinese ancients perceived clearly the essentiality of grain cultivation to the survival of the population and country as a whole. This is apparent in the pre-millennial term for "country" - sheji-literally translated as god of land and grain. To the peo-pIe of early agricultur-al China, land and grain were paramount.     

Kunming——Blooming and Booming

KUNMING in central Yunnan Province is he largest city in Chi-na's extended south-vestern frontier. Two housand years ago, it was a hub on the Southern Silk Road that connected inland China with Southeast Asia and a converging point on the Sichuan-Yunnan-Vietnam passageway. Today, as the capital city of Yunnan, it is home to 26 ethnic groups and a popular destination for tourists and business travelers from around the world.