~New Model of Urbanization

XI＇AN and Xianyang in west China＇s Shaanxi Prov- ince are among the oldest cities in China and both once served as the country＇s capital in an- cient times. In May 2011, the central government decided to create a new district at the junction of the two cities that feature both idyllic sceneries and modern amenities. This project is an exploration of a new path to China＇s urbanization.     

Challenges and Strategy Choices for China's Human Rights Development in the New Period

China＇s reforms have entered a new historical period. We need to carefully analyze the new challenges posed by the new historical stage to China＇s human rights development, in that it enables us to have a more clear view of our tasks and problems and make proper adjustment and improvement on China＇s human rights development strategies in accordance with environment.     

Sentimental Journey： Recreation of a ＂Rust Belt＂

SEVERAL years ago, few travel books ever mentioned Yangpu District in the context of exploring glitzy Shanghai. That＇s understandable considering the fact that this cradle of Shanghai＇s modem industry wore down into a ＂rust belt＂ when it fell through the cracks of economic and industrial activity begun in the 1980s. Old legacies and new endeavors are legitimizing its new claim to an old economic birthright, and it＇s doing it all in style - again - in a transformed, knowledge economy.     

New Water-cooled Central Air-conditioning System

A new water-refrigerant evaporative central air-conditioning system developed by Hebei Province＇s Langfang Hongtian Refrigeration Equipment Co., Ltd. has passed experts＇ appraisal. The new system does not require a compressor and only consumes 20 percent of the electricity used by traditional central air-conditioners making it highly economical in terms of energy and water use. Langfang Hongtian owns the intellectual properly rights on the air-conditioner, which uses the endothermic principle in water evaporation to cool outdoor air before sending it to indoor rooms With 15 to 40 cycles of air going through a room per hour, the system keeps indoor air fresh and free of harmful germs.     

Belated ＂Thanks＂

On February 21, 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon started a weeklong official visit to China, the first by an American leader to the People＇s Republic. Nixon later called it ＂The week that changed the world.＂ At the end of his trip the two countries released the Joint Communique of the United States of America and the People＇s Republic of China （also known as Shanghai Communique）, in which both expressed a desire to normalize relations and stressed common ground on several key issues. The frosty ties between two of the world＇s biggest countries began to thaw. On December 16, 1978, China and the U.S. signed the Joint Communiqu6 on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, officially recognizing each other and establishing diplomatic relations on January 1, 1979. On March 1 the same year they exchanged ambassadors and embassies, and Sino-U.S. relationships entered a new epoch.     

China Ramps up Anti-Corruption Efforts

WE are in a new era, and China＇s anti-corruption drive is pressing ahead with new momentum. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China （CPC） the central leadership has cracked a series of high-profile corruption cases that involve bothhigh-ranking ＂tigers＂ and lowly ＂flies＇; as well as those who have fled the country, demonstrating its zero-tolerance for such misfeasance. It has been evident, particularly since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, that top leaders＇ pledges to ＂contain power in the cage of systematic checks＂ and ＂work in a down-to-earth way and achieve tangible results＂ are not empty words     

Sport Professionalism Viable in China？

THIS year＇s Australian Open Tennis Championship, the first of 2010＇s Grand Slam Tournaments, saw for the first time in its lO0-year history two Asian players advance to the final four. The two athletes, Li Na and Zheng Jie, represent a new level of professionalism in Chinese sports, giving hope to the nation＇s sport reformers.     

China-Africa Cooperation More Diversified

THE recently issued govern- ment white paper on China- Africa economic and trade cooperation, the second on the topic published since 2OLO, un- derlines the latest achievements of the mutually beneficial cooperation be- tween China and African countries. It shows that in 2012, the total volume of China-Africa trade reached a new high of US $198.49 billion, a year-on- year growth of 19.3 percent. China＇s exports to and imports from Africa also surpassed previous years＇ figures, indicating a growing momentum in this area despite the slow global eco- nomic recovery.     

Valentine＇s Day Cynicism

THE debate on whether to observe Valentine＇s Day on February 14 heats up every year with as much intensity as a new romance. On the Intemet both supporters and opposers are many. On the evening of February 12, 2009, two men in Changsha City, Hunan Province erected a banner on the pedestrian thoroughfare of Huangxing South Road with the slogan, ＂It is everyone＇s duty to boycott repugnant Valentine＇s Day.＂ On the banner are the many signatures of netizens who agree to do just that.     

王晨：中国人权取得了历史性进步

Under the guidelines set at the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC） in late December of 1978, China entered a new historical period of reform and opening-up. Over the past 30 years, the CPC has, rallying round it the Chinese people of various ethnic groups, worked unswervingly to push China＇s institutional reforms and open the country to the outside world.     

China＇s ＂New Generation＂ of Olympic Champions

THERE is nothing shy about China＇s new generation of Olympic sportsmen. Born almost exclusively in the 1980s, the athletically gifted young men and women who will represent China at the 2008 Games are far more willing to open up to the public than their predecessors, and like 20-somethings everywhere, they are at home on the Internet, managing their own fan blogs and communicating with their peers online.Their uninhibited self-expression has attracted the attention of commercial advertisers, and occasionally some less welcome interest, and they are celebrated as China＇s ＂new generation＂ in sports circles, ready to take center stage in August before a world audience.     

尹蔚民：我国人力资源和社会保障事业取得历史性成就

To mark the 30th anniversary of China＇s reform and opening up, an academic symposium, organized by the China-Society Studies （CSHRS）, for Human Rights is now in session. The symposium is intended to review China＇s experiences in developing human rights over the past three decades, which we believe will be important to China＇s effort to promote, in an all- round way, the development of its human rights cause in the new situation. Present here are experts in the realm of human rights, those who have made positive efforts to publicize the progress of China＇s human rights cause to a global audience, and those who are reputed for their contributions to studies of human rights theories in China.     

Hi-tech Adds Glamour to World Expo

CEMENT, telephones, camera film, steam engines, and electric motors. A slew of innovative new inventions have been displayed at World Expos since the fair＇s inception in 1851. It has always been a showcase for the envelope-pushers in science and technology. This year＇s Shanghai World Expo, which opens on May 1,2010, will have plenty of the next generation of gadgets to impress and amaze.     

Geng Yanbo： Datong＇s Scholarly Mayor

SPEAKING to Geng Yanbo, the new mayor of Datong, it is difficult not to be swept up by his enthusiasm for the history of his city. And it is that enthusiasm which a majority of the city＇s residents agree also accounts for Geng＇s unique approach to modernizing Datong while preserving its long cultural heritage. Looking about, the evidence of that commitment is everywhere, from the newly opened shops to ihe freshly paved roads. Since being transferred in March from Taiyuan to Datong to become acting mayor and deputy secretary of the Municipal Committee of the CPC, Geng has acted resolutely to turn this industrious coal town into a cultural showpiece.     

Galloping Ahead

DRAMATIC horsemanship and high speed made Tang Dynasty prosperity. Horsemanship has been inherited to become a fashion sport.＂ Though grammatically dubious, the slogan, written in English and Chinese, sums up the mission of the Qingdao Deray Riding Club. This flashy new equestrian club in Jimo City, an industrial hinterland of Qingdao, the prosperous sea-side metropolis of Shandong Province, consciously evokes China＇s equestrian past to solicit business from today＇s socially mobile elite, for whom riding is the epitome of class and sophistication.     

The Path to Reaching Economic Growth Target

IN 20l3 China＇s new leadership steered the country onto a fast and stable development track in accordance with the people＇sexpectations. Aiming for an economic growth rate of about 7.5 percent for 2014 is both achievable and neces- sary. To reach this goal against the backdrop of a sluggish global econo- my, China needs to rely on domestic demand, which in large part arises through investment. To spur invest- ment by local governments, the issue of financing platforms should be fun- damentally addressed. From a long- term perspective, local governments should be allowed to issue bonds. Further, to promote investment in the field of industrial modernization, more financial support and better gov- ernmental coordination are needed.     

Juvenile Criminal Justice Reform Regarding to Children＇s Welfare

Juvenile criminal justice is a reflection of the new approach to children and criminal penalty. The juvenile justice reform is onginated from the changes in criminal penalty and the approach to children. When criminal penalty is no longer pure revenge, education and individualization dominate criminal penalty; when children are regarded as being different from adults and should be treated differently, the new approach to children is taking shape and made more scientific. The orientation of juvenile criminal justice reform is to differentiate the juvenile crimes from adult crimes, set up case heating organizations, methods and treatment measures that are appropriate with the psychology of children. This paper will give an analysis of the current reform of the juvenile criminal justice in conjunction with the development of juvenile justice systems of other countries and probe into the orientation and development trend of the reform of China＇s juvenile criminal justice.     

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.     

Urban-Rural Integration Reform in Progress

AN executive meeting on Feb- ruary 7, 2014 presided over by Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council, China＇scabinet, decided to merge the old-age insurance schemes for rural and urban residents into a unified pension sys- tem, marking a major breakthrough in urban-rural integration. Previously, China had different pension schemes for civil servants, urban employees, urban residents and rural dwellers. The new pension program is a long- awaited reform, bringing an end to the country＇s dual urban-rural structure.     

Historic Achievements in Developing Human Resources and Social Security

Guided by the state policy of reform and opening to the outside world, the Chinese Government has, by dint of hard work over the past three decades, by and large accomplished the task of building up a human resources and social security system. Good enough to serve China＇s goal of developing a socialist market economy, this system has contributed to the national endeavor to ensure and improve people＇s livelihood and to safeguard the stability of the reform-and-opening undertakings.