Hong Kong in Photos

正On the midnight of June 30, 1997,China's national flag was slowly hoisted to the top of a pole in a highprofile handover ceremony in Hong Kong, marking its return to the motherland after 156 years of British rule. As a special administrative region of China, Hong Kong has since ushered in a new chapter in development under the principles of "one country,twosystems"and"Hong Kong people ruling HongKong"with a high degree of autonomy.     

Farmers' Self-decision Right in New Countryside Construction——An interview with Lu Xueyi,a specialist on rural issues

EDITOR'S NOTE: In October 2005, the central government of China put forward the historical task of constructing a socialist new countryside. Since then, China has adopted many practical and effective measures for the construction of a socialist new countryside. This year farmers had a good harvest of grains, incomes for fanners have continued to increase and execution of social programs in the countryside has accelerated. It can be said that construction of a new socialist countryside has had a good beginning. How to evaluate the current state of affairs relating to the building of a new countryside? How to respect and safeguard farmers' human rights in constructing a new countryside? What issues should be paid attention to in the protection of farmer's rights and interests? Lu Xueyi, a specialist on "san nong"-related issues ("san nong" refers to agriculture, the countryside and peasantry), addresses these questions in a recent interview.     

Strokes of Support

Big-hearted cartoonist encourages the use of art for emotional therapy Li Qing,a nurse at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital in Guangdong Province,south China,was sent to work in Wuhan,the epicenter of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease in Hubei Province in central China,as a member of the provincial medical team.But during her stint in the city under lockdown,the 30-yearold did another duty as well.She"curated"an"exhibition"organized to provide emotional support to the medical workers soldiering on in the face of risk and death.     

“Golden Bridge”for Tibetan People——How the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is Being Built

Aplateau railway, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, will run across the "roof of the world" with an average elevation of more than 4,000 meters. The railway, the highest in altitude in the world, will terminate in Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. This steel artery is likened to a "golden bridge" on the great plateau. For the Tibetan people, the "golden bridge" leads to Beijing and to a better life.     

文化交流架金桥——法国佛教文化代表团晋城考察访问侧记

From February 25 to March 1, on the occasion of the Lantern Festival in the Year of Horse, the French Buddhism cultural delegation consisting of 6 persons led by Mr. Paul, a member of the French Parliament, Director of the French Religious Bureau, President of the French International Buddhism Academy, paid a five-day investigative visit to Jincheng City. It is reported that the Chinese government is going to hold "Year of China" in France in 2003 and the French government will have "Ann(?)e de la France en Chine" in 2004, for the purpose of cultural     

An ancient street in Gaochun

In the southwest corner of East China's Jiangsu Province, Gaochun County lies in the southern out skirts of the provincial capital Nanjing, just a one and a half hour ride to downtown Nanjing.The county is famous for its "old street" or "No 1 ancient street in Jinling", which is located to the west of Gucheng Lake and to the south of the Guanxi River.Gaochun is a commercial centre dating back to the fifth century AD, with Chunxi Town being the local government seat of the county.     

Friends from an African “Country of Thousand Hills”

As the warmth of spring began to spread,a Rwandan delegation led by Celestin Kabahizi,Governor of Western Province,paid a visit to Beijing and Yunnan in late March.Rwanda is known as a "country of a thousand hills" in Central Africa.Though it is in the tropical zone near the equator,it is a land of high elevation;it does not experience the severe cold of bitter winter in China’s north,nor intense heat of summer in China’ south,but rather enjoys spring weather all year round.     

A Piece of the Action

The Olympic Games will bring a tourism boom to Beijing,Everyone wants a slice of the cake by any means On a day in March a group of mysterious visitors arrived at a star-level hotel in Beijing. Unlike other guests,their aim wasn't to relax or have fun.They were there to do a job-faultfinding among the capital's myriad hotels. The group was part of a drive to improve the quality of Beijing's hotels in the run-up to the Olympics. "We have invited hundreds of people from different industries,such as journal- ism,to conduct secret inspections on the service quality of hotels," Deputy Director of Beijing Tourism Administration(BTA)     

An Auto Industry Legend

QI Yumin was vice-mayor of Liaoning's Dalian City until about a year and a half ago. Then he took the helm of the Brilliance Auto Company, based in the provincial capital of Shenyang. At the time, the ailing company was "waiting to be wound up." But Qi went on to change its destiny.When he was vice-mayor of Dalian, Brilliance was to Qi just another auto maker with the same old problems. In December 2005, he took a different view. He was appointed president of Brilliance Auto Company, executive president and chairman of the board of China Brilliance Automobile Holding Company, and president of Brilliance Jinbei Automobile Co., Ltd. En route from Dalian to Shenyang, Qi encountered a Christmas snowstorm. It just about reflected his mood. As he wrote in a text message to his sister, "I am going to a strange city to take a strange job in a strange company. I don't know what to feel."     

Chinese Buddhist Temples

"Visiting temples in the daytime and going to bed early in the evening." This was a complaint many overseas tourists to China made in the early days of China's development of tourism when night life was virtually unknown in China. Beijing has been the center of Chinese religious activities, since it became the capital of a unified China in the 13th century. The temples, mosques and churches around the city are not only places for religious worship but are interesting places to the visit because of their close links to Chinese culture and the life of the people. Just like visiting churches in the West, tourists to     

People's Will Vs. Illegal Bill

正The so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" by the U.S. in response to the newly enacted Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(SAR) is illegal and amounts to gross interference in China's internal affairs.The Chinese law aims to protect Hong Kong. Since Hong Kong is part of China, it is a legitimate right of the country to promulgate a national security law. On the     

No Terror or Tension

One who has not been to Kashi has not been to Xinjiang, as a saying goes. Once a bus-tling trade hub on the Silk Road, today the city is a typical multiethnic community in the southwest of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.The city is close to China's border with India in the south and central Asia to its west. Marco Polo (1254-1324), one of the first Westerners to travel to China along the Silk Road, once described Kashi as the "Cairo of the East."A terrorist attack erupted on the morning of August 4 this year, when terrorists attacked a group of border policemen jogging in Kashi. Using a dump truck, homemade grenades and knives, they killed 18. Three months have passedsince August when nightmare haunted the city, and life is gradually brought to normal. Cheng Gang, a correspondent with the Beijing-based Global Times made a trip to Kashi in October. Below are excerpts from his account of the journey.     

The Hutong House in Winte

<正>I once overheard a German tourist passing through my hutong(an alley in which single-storey residences are located side by side)neighborhood telling his travel companion that it was"romantic,"yet he wouldn’t want to live here;and by way of comparison,the man mentioned the Fachwerkhaeuser,or half-timbered houses,in the German city of Tuebingen.Having lived for several years in a groundf loor apartment of a Baroque building in the historical district of the city of Heidelberg,Germany,I admit that living in"old"buildings,no matter where,is not for everyone.It takes a certain kind of person to weather and appreciate the experience.I consider myself fortunate to still be able to experience the"hutong culture,"as hutong houses are     

Does Domestic Service Require A College Education?

A group of vocational college students recently came to Beijing to receive two months of hands-on work experience in domestic service. Dubbed "college-educated housemaids" by the media, their debut in the capital immediately created a sensation. A large number of Beijingers seeking household help went to interview them at a domestic service agency. Some clinched a deal after the first meeting. The students,     

Enjoying Seniority

THE Chinese attitude to age and aging is quite different from that in the West. The age of 60 in China marks the start of a brand new life, a belief based on the Chinese "horoscope," which encompasses five astrological cycles of twelve years each. New sexagenerians expect to devote the remainder of their lives to its simple pleasures. My most pro- found impressions of the Middle Kingdom are indeed bound up in images of its senior citizens. Rise early in the morning for a stroll through any…     

WEEKLY WATCH

OPINION A Boost for the Countryside The Central Government recently released its No. 1 document for this year, calling for the building of a "new countryside" in China. A series of measures have been proposed, with the document giving top priority to increasing farmers' income. As the agricultural sector tends to produce surplus labor, the transfer of rural labor to urban areas and non-agricultural sectors is inevitable in an effort to ease employment pressure in rural areas. As a matter of fact, labor from the rural areas can complement the urban     

CLOFING OF THEATREF

After the putting away of the seals, theatres select a day on which to close. The eight theatrical companies of the City unite to give a performance (the proceeds from which are given to the theatre employees, after which there are no more plays) until the arrival of New Year's Day, when the play," Conferring Happiness" (Zhu Fu) opens the theatrical season. This in truth serves to bring in with song a year of tranquility.     

Change China With Rural Women

Nobody would expect a rural woman with limited schooling to become a Hillary Clinton in a matter of a week. But after attending a 7-day training program, the 40 women from villages of Mancheng, a rural county in Hebei Province 150 kilometers southwest of Beijing, found themselves ready to make an impact in their respective communities' politics. "I'm running against my own father for the position of village head," said the 19-year-old Li Yinghui, at a mock campaign at the end of the training in early April. "I have more education than he does, and I understand the difficulties confronting us rural women better."     

A Map toMiddle Incomers’Havens

正The term"middle income"first started to appear in Chinese government documents in 2010.China’s concept of a"middle-income group"was borne of its goal to complete the building of a moderately well-off society in all aspects by 2020.The definition of middle income is in a process of continual evolution in tandem with changes in a country’s society and its economic structure.In China,the middle-income bracket is characterized by three main attributes.To begin with,their incomes are moderately     

Should Charity Fundraisers Be Rewarded With Commission?

With China's economic boom have come a host of new occupations not seen before in the country.One such job category,that of professional charity fundraiser,on the face of it,seems a more than worthwhile addition to a country where the many needy can benefit in volumes from profit-reeking enterprises and the rise in nouveau riche. Yet when the Hunan Charity Federation initiated a big fundraising campaign,giving financial incentives to volunteer fundraisers,it became a major bone of contention,focusing on the ethics of charity institutes and the con- troversial"rewards"for funds collected.