Summer School

Summer School

Over the past couple of months， it was common to see school children rushing down the streets lugging heavy schoolbags under the harsh summer sun. Instead of enjoying a summer vacation， many kids and teenagers were taking various supplementary classes in hopes of scoring higher on entrance examinations for colleges， high schools and even middle schools.

Nowadays， sending elementary school kids to “cramming” classes during summer vacation has become tradition for many Chinese parents influenced by traditional Confucian culture emphasizing the parents responsibility to educate their children. Studies show that various social pressures arising from the employment landscape and human resource policies are the primary cause of the trend. One companys human resource consultant straightforwardly asserted that it is crucial for a candidate to hold a diploma from a renowned university. As scores on college-entrance examinations are still the determining factor for admission to key universities， parents cannot risk passing on the opportunity to send their children to extra classes to gain any advantage. To combat this social problem， some scholars have made suggestions for both parents and educational authorities： Parents should base decisions on their childs interests. Educational authorities should balance the allocation of educational resources to minimize differences between schools to ease unnecessary competition.

（Chinanews.com）

Baby Formula in Pharmacies

On August 14， a symposium on “selling baby formula in pharmacies” was held by China Association of International Trade （CAIT） under Chinas Ministry of Commerce. According to Xu Jing， director of International Brand Management Center at CAIT， both domestic and foreign baby formula will be sold in 20 pharmacies in Beijing and Jiangsu Province by this October， as part of a pilot program that will extend to 20，000 pharmacies in 400 cities by 2015. Aiming to improve consumer confidence in formula products on the Chinese mainland， the symposium clarified that the shift of baby formula sales to pharmacies is supported by centralized purchasing management and standardized distribution and marketing channels.

On the Chinese mainland， baby formula was previously available in supermarkets， baby stores or over the internet. Franchised pharmacies， known for high management standards and product quality control， are the most common places to find baby formula in Western countries. It is estimated that of about 420，000 pharmacies on the Chinese mainland， about 200，000 are franchised with a wide and evenly distributed network， which is believed to be a necessary prerequisite for baby formula sales to move to pharmacies.

（Jiangsu Economic Daily）

Space Crops

On August 18， a tea seed that traveled to outer space with Shenzhou-10 spacecraft several months ago arrived at a contracted tea breeding base in Wuyishan City， Fujian Province， for further cultivation.

According to Qin Tianjun， deputy director of the aerospace breeding industry department of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation， they will devote years to a scientific experiment to test whether tea cultivated from the space seed will differ from normal. Since 1987， more than 1，000 kinds of crops （including microbial， buds and tissue） that were taken into space by recoverable spacecraft have been successfully cultivated on earth， producing various food， vegetables and flowers such as the plump aerospace pepper.（Song Zhe， Chinanews.com）

Cultural History Wall

On August 9， A Grand View of World Cultural History， a poster-style reference book， celebrated its Beijing release of ancient and modern volumes after more than two years of efforts. On a 150 x 110 cm surface， global cultural history spanning 2，800 years， from ancient to modern times， is documented on a world map including more than 500 historical events， which involved more than 1，000 historical figures in 200 countries （including dynasties and eras）.

According to the books author， Wang Yongfu， associate editor-in-chief at Peoples Daily overseas edition， A Grand View of World Cultural Historys key innovation is its succinct framework based on space-time coordinates and a labeling method on historical entries， which not only consolidates messy historical facts but also organizes information in a visually pleasing way.（Xinhuanet.com）

Zhu Rongji

On August 12， a release ceremony for Records of Zhu Rongjis Talks in Shanghai， jointly published by Peoples Publishing House and Shanghai Peoples Publishing House， was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The book is a compilation of 106 important speeches， talks， and letters by Zhu Rongji， former premier of Chinas State Council， during his tenure as a leading official of Shanghai from December 1987 to April 1991， accompanied by 83 photos and images of Zhus handwriting， the majority of which has never before been seen by the public. Over the two years it took to compile and edit the book， Zhu， now 85， checked and approved every single article and suggested slight adjustments on manuscripts. He even met with the editorial board in person to better communicate. The publishers have announced that all the books proceeds will go to the Practical Education Foundation for public welfare projects in poverty-aid education.

Li Yuchun （Chris Lee）

On August 19， Chinese pop singer Li Yuchun played the lead in Stan Lais eight-hour stage drama， A Dream like a Dream， when the curtain went up in Taipei. Facing the new challenge， the singer received rave reviews for her Beijing debut， as well as acclaim for subsequent performances in Wuzhen， Shanghai， and now Taipei as well. Li Yuchun became a household name soon after she took the title of “Super Girl” by winning a televised singing contest of the same name on Hunan Satellite TV. She was dubbed an Asian hero， appeared on the cover of Time magazine twice， and became a Chinese pop cultural icon. Since her unlikely rise， Li has been enthusiastic about charity. She is the lifetime spokesperson for Yu Mi Loving Fund， which was established and named by her fans， and played an active role in disaster relief in Wenchuan， Yaan， and other places around the country that have needed help.

Sun Yang

On August 5， Olympic swimmer Sun Yang grabbed a third gold medal from the mens 1，500m freestyle after taking gold in 400m and 800m freestyle， respectively， at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona. He was also the first Chinese athlete to be crowned Best Male Swimmer. Earlier this year， Sun Yang took major heat for excessive social and commercial activities， missing 40 days of training， and conflicts with his coach. “Over the past year I experienced some tough times，” admitted Sun during the championships. “I trained without a coach. I did everything myself： diet and training schedule. It was tough， but I did it. I thought a lot during those lonely days， which I now see as priceless life experience.”

Ma Huateng

Nicknamed “Pony，” Ma Huateng， founder of Tencent Inc. and chairman and CEO of Tencent Holdings， was ranked as Entrepreneur In Residence in the most recent Fortune Fantasy Sports Executive League， making him the second Chinese businessman to receive the honor after Zhang Ruimin， CEO of Haier Group， did so in 2012. Fortune commented that Ma Huateng established Tencent， a web portal， in 1998， and developed it into an investment holding company of tremendous influence. His expertise lies in his mastery of digital technology as well as insight into tapping the market of Chinas younger generation.

Quotes

“Why are fakes and rumors so commonly seen in China？ Because people here have less sense of solid evidence in their corporate personalities.”

—Yu Qiuyu， eminent Chinese scholar， recently addressing a forum on the power of culture and personality of entrepreneurs

“Seeking marriage by flaunting wealth is a free choice made by both sides， but doing so does neglect public sentiment and order. The agreement doesnt happen in a vacuum. Such behavior destroys our social culture， public order， and virtue. It twists our social values. It has torn our social soul.”

— Cao Lin， in an editorial in China Youth Daily

“Balancing economic development and environmental protection by elaborately adjusting the two not only is an economic and technological issue， but also spans social and political realms. This presents a great challenge for both mankinds wisdom and ethics.”

— “The Awakening of Chinas Conservation Culture” in Peoples Daily

“As Chinas international influence increases in certain sectors such as economics and military， the country should place greater focus on ethics – a vital step in elevating its international position and helping create a more just world.”

— Thomas Winfried Menko Pogge， political philosopher and professor at Yale University， in an interview

“The public doesnt have to be hostile to the rich. ‘Robbing the rich to help the poor will only drive the rich away to other countries along with their money. As a matter of fact， their wealth should be respected. All wealth in China belongs to the country.”

— Zong Qinghou， founder， chairman， and CEO of Hangzhou Wahaha Group

Gorgeous Mudflat

Xiapu County of Fujian Province， which covers more than 400 kilometers of coastline， also includes a large mudflat area. Bamboo poles， buoys， and fishing vessels are used to farm kelp and oysters， but also form spectacular images. The mudflats colors， lines， and patterns all complement the surrounding areas natural beauty. Xiapus gorgeous mudflats draw about 200，000 photographers from all over the world annually.

Yungang Grottoes

Just west of Datong City in Shanxi Province， Yungang Grottoes represent one of the largest and， along with Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang， Mogao in Dunhuang， and Maijishan in Tianshui， one of the Four Great Grottoes in China.

The grottoes were built against the mountain and extend about one kilometer from east to west. The 45 preserved grottoes in Yungang are home to about 51，000 Buddha statues – a treasure trove preserving Chinas top Buddhist grotto art from the Fifth to the Sixth Centuries.

Dali Flavor

A cradle of Yunnan culture， Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province features spectacular scenery. During the Tang （618-907） and Song （960-1279） dynasties， Dali was Yunnans political， economic， and cultural hub.

In Dali， the seasons are not very obvious and it seems like spring year-round， making the place an ideal tourist destination regardless of the season. Since Dali is an autonomous prefecture for the Bai Ethnic Group， tourists should schedule trips around local Bai celebrations and festivals to get a taste of the unique ethnic flavor.