Academic Symposium on China＇s Human Rights Development

To mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 30th anniversary of China＇ s reform and opening up, the China Society for Human Rights Studies （CSHRS） held an academic symposium named China＇s Thirty Years of Reform and Opening up and Human Rights Development, on December 2-3, 2008 in Beijing. Attending were Wang Chen, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee and director of the State Council Information Office, and Luo Haocai, president of the CSHRS. Both spoke at the symposium, which gathered some 60 human rights experts from all over China.     

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.     

Bold Shanghai- Nostalgia and New Beginnings

SHANGHAI is the symbol of China＇s modem prosperity and opening to the outside world, though its outward reach dates back as early as 1,000 years ago when this city at the estuary of the Yangtze River in East China opened its port to Japan and Korea. By the Ming Dynasty （1368- 1644） it had become famous for its prosperous commerce zone and dense urban population.     

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.     

A Devoted Music Educator

While tamous concert pianists gain widespread recognition and public accolades, equally talented musicians who dedicate their lives to music education often remain largely unknown outside a small circle of students. Zhang Jin is one such educator. Since graduating from China＇s Central Conservatory of Music （CCOM） in 1987 with a piano major; Zhang has been engaged in music education work at the affiliated secondary school of CCOM, He is presently head of piano teaching and research.
Many of Zhang＇s students have been admitted to noted overseas music institutions like the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music in the U.S., and the Liszt School o1 Music in Germany. His favorite pupils, Hu Bo and Jin Wenbin. are studying with lull scholarships at the Juilliard School and Yale University respectively. World-renowned pianist Lang Lang is also among Zhang＇s former pupils. Among his current students, 17-year-old Wang Chun won first place in the Villa-Lobos International Piano Competition and fifth place in the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition, while 14-year-old Huang Nansong is the champion of the Seiler International Piano Competition.     

Achievements in Safeguarding Disabled People＇s Rights ——An Interview with Shen Zhifei,deputy general director of the China Disabled Persons＇ Federation

There are about 83 million disabled people in China, accounting for 6.34% of the total population, according to a national survey in 2006. As a disadvantaged group, the rights and interests of the disabled are arousing more concerns from all walks of society in the country. Following is Human Rights＇ interview with Shen Zhifei, deputy general director of the China Disabled Persons＇ Federation, on the legal guarantee of the special group＇s rights and interests, their rehabilitation, education and employment.     

＂Poverty Alleviation through Cultural Progress＂：Achievements,Problems and Expectations

To mark the 30th anniversary of China＇s reform and opening, the Communist Party of China, the country＇s ruling party, called for ＂promoting the development of cultural undertakings in the coun- tryside and running rural education well.＂ This came at the Third Plenary Session of the Seventeenth Central Committee of the CPC held in October 2007, which set a series of guidelines and policies for the task of building a ＂new, socialist country- side.＂     

Business Information

Kempinski Hotel
As of September 1, 2010, Michael Henssler will become President of Kempinski Hotels China. He will also assume the role of managing director of Key International Hotels Management Co,, Ltd, Kempinski＇s joint venture in China with the Beijing Tourism Group. in his post Mr. Henssler will be responsible for overseeing the overall operation and development of Kempinski hotels throughout China, which includes the opening of 12 new ones currently under construction.     

China Promotes International Human Rights with the International Community

The first Beijing Forum on Human Rights was held by the China Society for Human Rights Studies（CSHRS） from April 21-23,2008. Following is the speech made by Wang Chen, Minister of the State Council Information Office of the People＇s Republic of China at the opening ceremony on April 21.     

Wang Chen： China Registers Historic Progress in Human Rights

EDITOR＇S NOTE： On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the publication of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights and the 30th anniversary of China＇s reform and opening up, Wang Chen, director of the State Council Information Office, accepted an exclusive interview by the Human Rights journal, during which he gave a positive appraisal of the position and role of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights, expounded China＇s basic views on human rights and achievements in human rights development and visualized the prospects of human rights development in China and the world as a whole. The full text of Q＆A follows：     

PEOPLE & POINTS

AND THE AWARD GOES TO……Zhang Yimou,72,won Best Director at the 34th Golden Rooster Awards for his thriller Cliff Walkers.This is his 10th Golden Rooster trophy since 1985,when he won Best Cinematography for Yellow Earth.The movie marked Zhang's first foray into the spy genre.Set in 1930s northeast China,in the lead-up to World War II,the film follows special agents from the Communist Party of China as they try to complete a secret mission.     

Media Art Comes to Beijing

MEDIA art has a very short history on China＇s mainland,where more traditional forms such as painting and sculpture tend to hold sway.So the arrival of a major survey of global media art practice at Beijing＇s National Art Museum of China（NA- MOC）set the local art world abuzz in the lead up to the Olympic Games. What is media art？Broadly defined, it is art that utilizes contemporary technology and/or reflects upon the role of technology in modem life.Zhang Ga, a China-born,New York-based artist, curator and teacher,has made it his mission to bring the latest media art practices to China over the past few years.     

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY JULY

July 30, 1932
Chinese runner Liu Changchun competed in the 100 and 200 meter events at the 10th Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, marking China＇s first entry to this arena. On the recommendation of Zhang Xueliang （ 1901-2001）, a general in Northeast China, the Republic of China sent a six-member delegation to Los Angeles, with Liu being the only athlete. Although Liu failed in the qualifiers, he became China＇s first Olympic athlete.     

Songs of Nature in the Mountains： Music of Zhuang in Black

There is an ancient, a mysterious branch of the Zhuang nationality that lives simply and peacefully in a stretch of mountains on China＇s southwestern frontier. The musical debut of this group at the opening ceremony of International Folk Song Festival in Nanning, Guangxi, in November 2011, was a smash hit. The performers＇ jet black clothing, solemn expressions, and heavenly songs unveiled the serenity and holiness unique to the Zhuang in Black.     

A Tale of Two Museums Cross-Straits Cultural Communion

THE exhibition that reunites famous collections is co-sponsored by the Palace Museums in Beijing and Taipei. It runs from October 7, 2009, to January 10, 2010, and were it not an historic event for these reasons, would be important merely for displaying 240 belongings of Emperor Yongzheng （1678-1735） of the Qing Dynasty. More significant for China＇s history and her future, 203 of these items hail from the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei and 37 from the Palace Museum, its counterpart on the mainland.     

High Numbers,Low Quality：Chinese TV Dramas

LIKE Prison Break＇s Michael Scofield in the United States, the character Xu San-duo has become something of a household name in China since the top-rating Chinese drama Soldier＇s Sortie debuted in 2007. The 30-episode series follows Xu＇s travails as an ordinary soldier from rural China. In 2007, an average of 40 episodes of TV drama were produced per day in the country. ＂China has become the world＇s largest producer and broadcaster of drama for television,＂ said Hu Zhanfan, deputy director general of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.     

Beijing Ready for the Olympics——Beijing Olympics - Striving for the Highest Quality Services

August 8, 2008 will see the grand opening o1 the ⅩⅩⅨ Olympic Games in Beijing, when athletes from over 200 countries and regions will gather in the capital.
With a 3,000-year history, and serving as China＇s capital for about eight centuries, Beijing boasts a number of historical sites and a rich cultural heritage. Over the last 800 years, it has been the political and cultural center of China, and it is now emerging as one of the world＇s most bustling metropolises.     

Consensus and Solidarity Will Promote Consistent Asia-Pacific Economic Prosperity

HE Boao Forum for Asia （BFA） Annual Conference 2o14 took place in Boao, South China＇s southernHainan Province, from April 8 to 11. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, a dozen leaders of other countries and more than 40 heads of international organi- zations and ministerial level officials were present at the opening cer- emony. Other BFA attendees included 50 chairmen and CEOs, 30 executive vice-presidents and Asia-Pacific re-gional presidents, and 70 China regional presidents of 150 companies listed among the Fortune 500.     

Youth Film Zeitgeist

CHINESE actor and director Jiang Wen appeared once more at the Venice International Film Festival in August this year, this time as a juror. This annual event has marked milestones in his career： in 1994 Venice conferred their Best Actor award on Xia Yu, then aged 17, for his role in Jiang＇s directorial debut - In the Heat of the Sun. Time magazine rated it one of the lO best films of the year, applauding its original theme, and its cinematic narrative heralding a new era in China＇s film industry.     

Timber Woes

High timber costs and supply shortages leave China in a pinchWASTE NOT:One million cubic meters of timber and 40 million bamboo trees go into the production of 63 billion pairs of chopsticks every year in China.Most of that is thrown in the trash and little is recycled Zhang Chunyu,who had planned a home improvement project for his new aparment,recently discovered that prices for solid timber flooring and solid wood furniture had jumped during the Spring Festival."Prices for almost any brand of wood products have increased at least 10 percent,"Zhang said."Prices for mid-range furniture have gone up by as much as 20 percent.