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."     

Making Project Managers Project management grows with and boosts China's economic development

Project management certification is a relatively new trend in China,but already professional training courses on the discipline are expanding rapidly across the country.Since 1999 when the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) and Project Management Institute (PMI) from the United States introduced project management professional certification in China,over 90,000 Chinese have taken the courses and about 53,000 of them have successfully obtained certification as of August 2011,according to Craig Killough,Vice President of PMI at the Second PMI Congress held in Beijing from September 16-17.     

The Most Romantic Traditional Chinese Ethnic Sports Event——CHASING GIRLS ON HORSEBACK

Horses are probably the most central part of ethnic Kazak culture, and horse racing, practised since ancient times, is the main traditional sport of the group. It is both a test of physical strength and a good demonstration of Kazak people＇s spectacular horsemanship. For Kazak people, the sport is more about tradition than anything else. In the past, horse racing was one of the manly games a hero had to participate in to win his bride. Even today, it still plays an important role in courtship among young people.     

Active Aging

正A retired naval officer makes the most of his retirement by volunteering and setting a world record along the way Having retired from his post as a senior instructor at a naval submarine academy at the age of 65 in 2002, Li Changhe decided to lead an active     

A Study Tour of Old-age Insurance Systems In Switzerland and France

A Chinese delegation of leaders from provincial and municipal departments of civil affairs and retired cadres and homes for the aged visited Switzerland and France from April 18 to 28,and attended a seminar on the old-age insurance system in Switzerland.The visit,to learn of the successful experience of developed European countries,was made at the invitation of the Swiss-Chinese Association and the China-Spain Association of International Culture and Friendship and organized by the CPAFFC.     

Letters

A Letter to Editor-in-Chief EmeritusI an a retired American High School principalwho loves China and the Chinese people, and havedevoted my life to assisting Chinese people andChinese groups in need of assistance.I have long had the desire to write to you as a fel-low senior who shares my great love for China and itspeople. I learned of you and your tremendous relation-ship with China when I first subscribed to ChinaReconstructs, and have continued to read more aboutyou. With each readi…     

Second Wind

EVERYTHING old is new again and this is especially the case in China everything from the industrial revolution to the individual career is a renewable phenomenon. Many retired or semi-retired Westerners have pulled up stakes and headed here, a move that blew fresh air into their professional lives, provided a chance to do new but related work, or offered the challenge of doing something entirely different. Barry Cunningham is one American that fits this category of China-lover. The double Emmy Award-winning TV reporter and television news producer (1991 and 1996) stuck with his profession, but in other ways his whole life got its second wind.     

A Golden Week On Horseback

Genghis Khan once said,"It is easy to conquer the world from the back of a horse." With this in mind,I confidently mounted my first Mongolian horse at a camp two hours outside of Ulan Bator and settled into the wooden-framed saddle. "Choo!" I shouted,using the Mongolian     

COTECXIN——Tie of Sino-African Friendship

Malaria is one of the most dangerous killers threatening the health of African people and is now still spreading in the countries south of the Sahara. Prevention and treatment of malaria have turned from a health problem to a social, economic and even political problem. Many countries put the elimination of malaria on the agenda of the government,s important work. At present, medicine treatment is the main way for prevention and cure of malaria. The quinine-based drugs that have been used fo…     

My Dream Sustains Colorful Lives——China Disabled Persons' Performing Art Troupe

"We performed in the Carnegie Hall in New York City. Builders of the hall could not have dreamed that this premier venue for performing arts in the world would play host to us, a group of special performing artists from China. The audiences were enthralled, seeing the charms of the artists from the orient for the first time," says Zhang Jigang, art director of the China Disabled Persons' Performing Art Troupe (CDPPAT), head of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the General Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the only dancer in China to have won the Century Star title.     

The Deep End

China's seniors have warmed up to winter swimming, but in some cases these 'polar bears' are breaking the law Wu Shoutian, a 59-year-old Beijing resident, swam every day in 2004. In the winter of 2005, he stopped for two weeks when his 88-year-old mother was sick and needed care. Wu, retired from an auto supply company in Beijing, has insisted on swimming     

HISTORIC CODE

正After decades of attempts, China enacts its first Civil Code Jin Ping, a 98-year-old retired law professor of Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing in southwest China, is the last surviving expert to have participated in the first three attempts to draft a civil code in China. The three bids, in 1954, 1962 and 1979, didn't succeed for various reasons, while the fourth undertaking, launched in 2001 with the participation of some of Jin's students, also failed in its mission.     

My Pantheon of Chinese Teachers

正On my Chinese language learning journey,I have encountered several invaluable teachers. When I first started learning Mandarin in my native United States, I took classes at an international language center near my home.My first teacher was Fiona, an immigrant from China’s Taiwan. Fiona made it her mission to fine-tune our ears to the phonetic pitfalls of Chinese. She had a beautiful soprano voice and taught us the Chinese phonetic alphabet song.The sheet music to the song had a cartoon of a little horse clutching a microphone and singing karaoke.     

Safeguarding Farmer Workers' Rights and Interests——An interview with Ye Jingyi, professor of Beijing University Law School

Farmer workers are a new powerful workforce that has sprung up amid China's reform and door opening and in the process of the country's industrialization and urbanization. They have made great contributions to urban prosperity, rural development and their country's modernization. At present, however, fanner workers face numerous difficulties and problems in income, work safety, social security, vocational training, the schooling of their children and living conditions. To safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of farmer workers, the State Council in March 2006 issued Ideas of the State Council on Solving Farmer Workers-related Problems. In the document, the State Council promises to     

歌情舞韵满眼春

Folk songs and Xiaohuaxi or Small Lantern Dance, originated in Zuoquan County, have come a long way, from an immature to a mature form, from simple local theaters to grand concert halls, from coarseness to elegance. A full em-bodiment of intelligence and talent of the Zuoquan people, these folk songs and dances are gaining ever-wider recogni-tion in China and even in the world.The Zuoquan folk songs and dance witnessed a golden time in the nineties of the 20 century: following the medal won…     

Pei Yuanshun:Age,Caution

PEI Yuanshun,now 70,taught in a vocational secondary school in Kaifeng,Henan Province before she retired in 1996. Two years later her husband Wu Yingfan retired too.As their grandson was enrolled in an elite high school in Beijing's suburb and far from his downtown home,the couple bought a home close to his campus and moved to Beijing in 2001 to house him while he studied.Two years ago,the boy continued his education abroad and the old couple became empty-nesters.     

Beijing Olympics——Striving for the Highest Quality Services

IN preparing for the Beijing Olympics,the goal has been to create a quality event with a strong Chinese flavor that will showcase the nation s history and culture to the world.As well as a sports meeting,the Beijing Olympic Games will be a diverse cultural pageant.The organizers are striving for the highest level of quality in all aspects of the Games,including the opening and closing ceremonies,media services,security,cultural events,and the organization of Beijing's infrastructure. The Beijing Olympic Games have been planned un- der the auspices of three overarching concepts:a green Olympics,a sci-tech Olympics,and a people-orientated Olympics.In practice this has meant ensuring sustainable development in the construction of venues and support- ing services,utilizing the latest and most advanced tech- nologies and promoting innovation,and upholding and enhancing the well-being and interests of people. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games will strive to realize the spirit of"One World,One Dream"by emphasizing the themes of"civi- lization"and"harmony."They will trace the evolution of Chinese civilization and its blending with the outside world,realizing a perfect combination of Chinese cultur- al and Olympic elements. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BO- COG) has organized five Olympic cultural festivals to further the Olympic spirit. We have also organized publicity activities,such as a global tour of the Fuwa mas- cots,and an Olympic family tour of Beijing,to enhance foreigners' understanding of China and the Beijing Olympic Games.Cooperating with the Chinese Minis- try of Education,we have established 556 Olympic education teachers' schools. Meanwhile,we have organized 207 primary and middle schools in Beijing to con- duct international exchanges,to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese young people and their counterparts from around the world.     

Big Fish

THERE is a big fish in the Mirror Lake–30 to 40meters long,they say.Though not as famous as the monster in Kanas Lake in Xinjiang,the news has spread far and wide.Is it a promotional stunt or media hype?I don’t give a hoot.I am just telling what I heard,and I have nothing to do with any media.But on the other hand...My uncle,a retired lumberjack,lives by the Mirror Lake.He used to work for a transport company,pulling logs from nearby mountains to the shore,where they     

High-end Training Services Target the Rich

SINCE the policy of ＂letting some people prosper before others＂ was implemented following China＇s reform and opening-up in 1978, a flourishing middle class has arisen in the nation. People in this income bracket, with relatively abundant earnings and hefty purchasing power, can afford to raise the educational level of themselves and their kin. High-end training services have emerged to meet the demand.     

Shaping the Future of China-U.S. Relations

The past 40 years have proven that China's reform and opening up and the normalization and development of China-U.S.relations have benefited both countries and the world at large.China will continue to work with the United States to build a strong and stable relationship,said Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai,in a keynote speech at an event hosted by the China General Chamber of Commerce-USA (CGCC) in New York on January 7.Cui also encouraged companies from both countries to keep the bigger picture in mind,remain open and have a clear view of right and wrong.An edited excerpt of Ambassador Cui's speech at the CGCC Chinese Lunar New Year of the Pig Gala follows.