Small Potatoes Growing Bigger

The social and economic status of rural migrant laborers is improving steadily Rural migrant work- crs arc the offspring of China's transition from an agricultural to industrial society.The year 2008 marks the 30th anni- versary of China's reform and opening-up policy.In the past three decades,dramatic social and economic changes have taken place.As a spe- cial social group,what have rural workers contributed to the social and economic development of China? Wang Chunguang,a research fel- low studying rural migrant workers in the Institute of Sociology at the Chinese     

Celebrating Good Deeds

正Chang Ping-yi,a former reporter with the Taipei-based China Times, received a Touching China award from CCTV,China's national television network,on February 3. Launched in 2003,the Touching China award honors about 10 individuals and between one and three groups each year who have touched the hearts of the Chinese people.     

Tales of Three Weddings

In the decades prior to the 1980s, Chinese weddings were simple occasions, for the people were then quite poor. Indeed, in the 1950s, the cost of a wedding amounted to the cost of a bed, in the 60s, a bag of candies was thrown into the bargain, and in the 1970s, Mao Zedong's Little Red Book made for the perfect wedding gift. But since China's reform and opening-up policy started to have a real impact on people's living standards in the early 1980s, weddings have become far more flamboyant affairs. Here are three accounts of post-1980 weddings in China.     

China's Private Economy:Challenges and Solutions

For the first three decades of the People's Republic, the Chinese economy consisted solely of state-owned or collectively owned enterprises.The emergence of private businesses following China's reform and opening-up in 1978 ushered in a private economy that has since grown to account for up to 50 percent of the country's GDP,70 percent of its jobs and 30-40 percent of its tax revenue. However,2008 has been a challenging year for China's private enterprises,particularly small and medium-sized ones,as rising labor and raw material costs,the appreciation of the RMB,and a downturn in exports caused by the U.S.sub-prime loan crisis have combined to drive some out of business,and to lead others to shift from conventional manufacturing to technology-intensive production.     

Journey to the West

For as long as I can remember,my dad had talked of the jewel in China's western territory,Tibet Autonomous Region.As a student of international relations and Chinese,I have been living in China for the past three years.Tibet was a region I was desperate to see but its remoteness and my inability to find the right time to go delayed my journey.After a few e-mails back and forth with my dad,who is based in the UK.     

Land of Opportunity

Articles in this issue focus on special opportunities.The three northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning are among China's richest, by virtue of their fertile farmland, abundant mineral reserves, solid industrial foundation and ample human resources. During China's 20-odd years of reform and opening-up, however, the economy, living standards and rate of development in the Northeast have fallen far behind China's eastern coastal areas. As     

Dialogue and Education： Two Ways to Protect Human Rights and Build a Harmonious World

It is indeed a great privilege to come to this ancient and fascinating city of Beijing to share views and to participate in what promises to be a high-quality debate at the initiative of one of China's most prestigious and respected human rights organisations. I have no doubt that in such a setting, and through the enrichment     

Rising Port

China's largest container port shows signs of a come-from-behind victory to Asia-Pacific rivals Wu Eryu is a flight attendant for Shanghai Airlines Co. Ltd. Each time she boarded a plane over the last few years, she could see the Yangshan Dao isles and the progress of construction of the Yangshan Port. On December 7 of last year, Wu and more than 2,500 other Shanghai residents visited the port, where they saw container cranes that are considered among the most advanced in the world. "I am proud that I have witnessed the construction of the Yangshan Port in the last three years," Wu     

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Announces Sanctions on Pompeo and Others

正Over the past few years,some anti-China politicians in the United States,out of their selfish political interests and prejudice and hatred against China and showing no regard for the interests of the Chinese and American people,have planned,promoted and executed a series of crazy moves which have gravely interfered in China's internal affairs,undermined China's interests,offended the Chinese people,and seriously disrupted China-U.S.relations.     

Special Stamps:Qinghai Lake

On July 20, 2002, the State Postal Bureau issued a set of three stamps picturing the Qinghai Lake shore, Bird Island, and the distant view.Located on the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, in West China's Qinghai Province, Qinghai Lake is 3,196 meters above sea level, and the biggest inland lake in China. Oils have been used to capture its magnificence.Bird Island on Qinghai Lake is a     

Breakthroughs for Humanity

Recent years have witnessed a great leap forward in China's scientiif c and technologi-cal development. An array of achievements such as the launch of the prototype space station Tiangong, the dives of the manned submersible Jiaolong, and the discoveries of the 500-meter aperture spherical telescope Tianyan are symbols of China's burgeoning power in science and technology.     

A NEW LEASE ON LIFE

Sonam Dorjee and his family run a furniture cooperative in Khesum Village in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.With an annual income of more than 600,000 yuan($89,300)from the cooperative,he is now living a well-off life.But such a comfortable life would have been unheard of only 60 years ago when the village,along with all of Tibet,stood under the dark cloud of feudal serfdom.At that time,people like Sonam Dorjee,now 72,were exploited by local administrative officials,nobles and upper-ranking lamas known as the three major estate-holders.     

Commitment Is the Key

China's development miracle decoded It's hard to disassociate President Xi Jinping and his philosophy on governance from China's rapid development.After reading Xi Jinping:The Governance of China,I have up-to-date understanding of China's development in the new era,the development philosophy of the Communist Party of China(CPC),and the development blueprint for this big country with a population of 1.4 billion people.In recent years.     

Not Quite There Yet

Despite China's remarkable economic achievements, staggering trade volume and trillions of dollars in foreign exchange reserves, it remains a developing country. Zhou Shijian, Standing Councilor of the China Association of International Trade , and Wang Lijun, Associate Prof essor at the Capital University of Economics and Business, have tried to set the record straight and present a true picture of China's curren t economic status in the global context. They believe that a developed China is still far from a reality. In explaining the gap caused by different economic measurement standards between China and the Western world , they note that China's economic capacity as seen by others is somewhat exaggerated .     

Rural Roots,City Shoots

China's vast army of rural migrant laborers is gradually finding a more permanent place in the cities Just months ago,Zhu Xueqin,a 31-year-old migrant worker in Shanghai,couldn't imagine that she would be in the center of the media limelight as one of three migrant worker deputies of the 11th National People's Congress(NPC)held in March. When she came to Shanghai from the countryside 12 years ago,she had only a middle school diploma.But her diligence and intelligence have helped her to work her way     

Adding Representatives of Your Representative Office

QUESTION:I'm the director of the board of a big French company. Our services are all-round and perfect and we have achievements to our credit. Attracted by China's fast development, we set up a representative office in Beijing last year. Because of a certain reason, only a representative is in this representative office. This autumn, we want to extend our business and have two more representatives of this representative office. But we don't know how to handle this concerning procedures according to China's laws and regulations. Please tell us in details. We'll be extremely grateful to your help.     

SETTING THE TONE

正Two Sessions outconte's and two goals for China's economic recovery The annual sessions of China's top legislature and political advisory body,commonly known as the Two Sessions,have always been a global media event for the setting of the annual growth target and the government's agenda and policy priorities for the year.This year's meetings were not only critical     

TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE

October 1 marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. During the past seven decades, tremendous changes have taken place in China's society, economy, standard of living and international status. To put its achievements into perspective, Beijing Reviewbreaks down the numbers behind China's development across a wide sphere of sectors.     

A DECADE Of DREAMS FULfILLED

正Beijing Review takes a look at the remarkable past decade of China's history in a series of photographs charting the many changes and achievements that have taken place in the country.     

Old Couple Brings New Ideas on Pollution Prevention

Retirement does not necessarily means being occupied with nothing. However, it may be another new beginning in life. Canadian Chinese couple R.C. Lao and Helen Wei have set a wonderful example. After retiring from Canada's Department of the Environment where he worked for about three decades, Lao moved to Beijing at the beginning of 1997, offering his government's aid to China's fight against pollution.