In Memory of Jordan M. Phillips - China＇s ＂American Bethune＂

IN the vocabulary of the Chinese, ＂Bethune＂ is the ultimate synonym for the noble figure.Norman Bethune＇s reputation was made in the anti-Japanese war period when the Canadian physician trudged the frontiers under heavy gunfire to treat the great many Chi- nese wounded. Adding virtual martyrdom to his heroic qualities, Bethune eventually died in the anti-fascist battlefield, from exhaustion and complications contracted from surgery. ＂What kind of spirit is this,＂ asked Mao Zedong in his famous 1939 article ＂In memory of Norman Bethune,＂ ＂that makes a foreigner selflessly adopt the cause of the Chinese people＇s liberation as his own？＂     

Garrison Communities： Living Relics of the Ming Dynast

THE Ming Dynasty （1368-1644） is regarded as a high point in Chinese civilization and historically it was certainly one of the richest and most populous empires. However, during its early period, the nation＇s economywas in a slump; large areas of arable land had been laid to waste by years of war, and most people were living in dire poverty. In order to restore the peacetime economy and strengthen the country＇s borders.     

A Bellwether Relationship

正The China-Germany relationship has been regarded as one of the major pillars of stable China-EU relations.Shi Mingde,Chinese Ambassador to Germany and a member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference,shared his views on China-Germany relations at large in a recent in-     

LETTERS

It＇s interesting to see the diversity in people＇s affifudes toward birth.My grndparents have five children（excluding one who died soon after birth）,a normal figure for those of their age.My father has two children,and his siblings each have only one,I have one child,and my younger brother,who is 32 and has been married for quite a few year,has none.     

South Africa After Mandela

<正>Nelson Mandela,the most revered man of South Africa and perhaps of today’s world,is now at rest on the land for which he had fought.Around 100foreign dignitaries attended a memorial ceremony held on December 10,includingChineseVicePresidentLiYuanchao.Mandela is hailed one of the greatest statesmen of the 20th century.Many have been inspired by his great efforts to fight against racial discrimination and his personal qualities of tolerance and reconciliation in building a     

China On Parade ——A Feast for 1.3 Billion People

ON October 1, 2009, the world＇s biggest birthday party was held in Tian anmen Square in central Beijing -200,000 people gathered to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People＇s Republic of China. The rest of the public watched the live broadcast on TV or online, sharing the pride and confidence of a nation rejuvenating itself on its great joumey of opening-up and reform.     

Another hit by Japan＇s Walt Disney--Hayao Miyazaki

Howl‘s Moving Castleproves once again that Japan‘s animation king of Hayao Miyazaki has a great fascination with flying, one of the basic elements heavily relied upon in his films to develop his plots. Miyazaki has end owedthe power of flight to Princess Nausica in Nausica of the Valley of the Winds, the airboat in Laputa: The Castle in theSky, Totoro in My Neighbour Totoro, Kiki in Kiki‘s Delivery Service, the aeroplane in Porco Rosso, as well as the moving castle in his latest hit,Howl‘s Moving Castle.     

Economy ＆ Nation Weekly

China＇s Judicial Reform
The rule of law is not a strange concept in Chinese history. In recent decades, it has been a guardian for China＇s reform and opening-up, as well as the nation＇s modernization drive. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee focused on the rule of law to lay a solid foundation for perfecting the country＇s judicial system.     

Changes at Panjiayuan Flea Market

EVERY morning before 9 o＇clock, Shu Jianjun gets to his shop in Beijing＇s Panjiayuan Flea Market. He displays a wide variety of seals in the counter beside the shop＇s door and waits for customers. Shu is greatly skilled at engraving people＇s images on small rocks. As well as handicrafts made by craftsmen like Shu, visitors to Panjiayuan market are dazzled by the endless array of products on sale.     

A Sound Principal Underlying a Good Education

WHEN Zhuo Li arrived for his first day of teaching at Beijing＇s Shijia Hutong Primary School nearly half a century ago, the school comprised 19 shacks in an abandoned temple. The principal addressed student assemblies through a paper cone in place of a bullhorn. In the intervening 46 years, the school has grown into one of the most prestigious in China＇s capital, complete with mod- em buildings and top-rate teaching. Zhuo has been instrumental in this development, serving 25 years as deputy principal before becoming the school＇s principal 18 years ago. His progressive ideas regarding education have helped set the school＇s tone and make it one of the most highly regarded educational institutions in Beijing.     

Back from the Brink Rescuing the White-Headed Langur

PAN Wenshi is a living legend in the Chinese zoology community. Having spent 16 years in remote mountain regions investigating the behavioral patterns,living conditions and genetics of giant pandas,he is known to his scientific brethren as "The Father of the Panda." Given the great success of his research,most people would expect Pan to retire to a quiet life in his twilight years.     

Moving to the Interior:Industries Relocate West

THROUGH all the years he has held his post, Wang Ji has been on a never-ending hunt for potential investors.As chief of the Domestic Investment Promotion Department at the Xi＇an Hi-tech Industrial Park in Shaanxi Province, he has long struggled to attract investors from China＇s developed east. Recently, however, he has sensed a change in the wind as a growing number of corporations have started approaching him. During the 13th China East-West Cooperation and Investment Trade Fair last April, he secured a record RMB 24.1 billion in investment deals.     

LETTERS

The topic of＂dreams＂ reminds me of a text by the late Chinese writer Shi Tiesheng who was paralyzed when he was 21, in whichhe elaborated on his devotion to sports. He loved track and field the most, more than writing, and his favorite star was Carl Lewis whom, with a strong body and super speed, he regarded as the luckiest man on earth. Shi once thought that he would do anything to have Lewis＇ physique and vigor in another life, if there were one. But observ- ing the athlete＇s rise and fall after a doping scandal, he gained fresh understanding of success, happiness and life in general. He said his dream was to have a healthy body, a beautiful soul and life wisdom. While acknowledging that many think one should not be too greedy or ambitious, Shi＇s overriding belief was that everyone has the right to dream big, and to look forward to the best in the world.     

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.     

Progress and Reflection： China＇s Human Rights in the Past 30 Years

This year marks the 30th anniversary of China＇s reform and opening up. Tremendous changes have taken place in Chinese society over the past three decades. With the economic and social development, China has made great progress in the human rights cause, which is closely linked to the nation＇s fate as human rights will progress as long as a country prospers. In the past 30 years,     

Beijing Residents Share Benefits from Economic Growth

Residents in the Chinese capital received one more boon as winter sets in free inoculations of a vaccine against influenza for people at 60 or older the day the ruling Communist Party of China opened its 17th Congress. From October 15 to November 15, 2007, according to the Beijing Municipal Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, any person born before October 1, 1947 and registered as a permanent resident in the city may visit any hospital or clinic near his or her home for the inoculation free of charge.     

Brains Unchain Chinese Education Devolves to Evolve

BY 2020, the number of people holding accreditations of higher education in China will reach 200 million. Astounding as the figure is, most Chinese higher education institutions （HEIs） are still puzzled by a question that was first raised to Premier Wen Jiabao by famous Chinese scientist Qian Xuesen - why can＇t we cultivate top-notch talent？ So far no university in China＇s mainland has been included in the Top 200 Academic Rankings of World Universities. Though the country has the largest number of college graduates and postgraduates, it hasn＇t yet produced one Nobel Prize laureate.     

Extraordinary Acts by Ordinary People

SONG Zhixian sits calmly on his bed smoking, his lined face often breaking into a smile as he speaks. Just a month earlier, while others were enjoying the Chinese New Year, the 48- year-old was laboring 10 to 16 hours a day on a mountainside in snow-ravaged Hunan. Song Zhixian and a group of fellow farmers joumeyed from their small village in Hebei Province to voluntarily assist with relief efforts in China＇s snow-bound south. Their story has become an inspiration to people across the nation.     

Five Years of Breakthrough in China＇s Human Rights Cause

In his report to the 17th Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Hu Jintao noted that the five years since the previous CPC National Congress havewitnessed important progresses in China＇s reform and opening-up undertakings and in the national endeavor to build a society of relative prosperity in all respects. These five years, he said, has also seen a ＂sound development of （China＇s） human rights cause.＂ For the first time in its history, the CPC reviewed the development of the human rights cause as an important part of national development.     

Nuptials That Can Last Three Years

The Qiang are a monogamous people. Before a couple become husband and wife, they go through a good many rites such as engagement and wedding ceremonies. When a young man takes a fancy to a young woman, he sends a matchmaker to sound out her family. After getting approval from the head of the family, the husband-to-be goes to his fiancé＇s home to organize an engagement banquet and consults to fix the date of the wedding. At the appointed time he entertains his fiancé＇s relatives and friends at her home, and prepares the betrothal gifts. During the whole engagement process, the bride-to-be is supposed to keep out of public view, hiding away in her room or at the home of a relative.