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Market Competition Calls for Flexible Prices

As the dismantling of the Ministry of Railways made way for the launch of China Railway Corporation， ticket prices have remained a glaring concern. In theory， the establishment of China Railway Corporation does not necessitate a price hike. Instead， market competition should push ticket prices down， and service quality should improve when the monopoly is broken. To reflect and encourage market competition， train ticket prices should become flexible.

（Wang Shichuan， Guangzhou Daily）

McDonalds to Yoshinoya， Who Is Next to Disappoint？

On March 15， World Consumer Rights Day， the global Yoshinoya restaurant chain was exposed for using stale rice and failing to disinfect eating utensils. Similar to last years China Central Television exposé of the McDonalds practice of selling expired food， Yoshinoyas story reinforces the position that effective food safety regulation requires random unannounced spot checks which will pressure companies to avoid cutting corners.

（Guo Hua， The Beijing News）

Swine Situation in Shanghai

Starting on March 9， thousands of pig carcasses were found in Huangpu River when Shanghai authorities conducted a thorough upstream inspection of Songjiang and Jinshan sections. By mid-March， about 6，000 dead pigs had been removed from the river. Its easy to cast blame on ranchers who lack environmental awareness， but inaction from environmental regulators， over-estimations of harmless treatment capacity by the animal husbandry department and other relevant authorities indifference towards ranchers needs for sanitary disposal all contributed to the severity of this incident.

（Si Xiangke， Xinhuanet.com）

Symingtons Noodles Back to UK

Recently， UK-based food company Symingtons announced it would move its noodle production from China to Yorkshire， UK. As a part of the plan， the company canceled contracts with two Chinese facilities. According to Henrik Pade， Symingtons business development manager， it is now possible to produce noodles for roughly the same cost in Yorkshire as in China. “In the past， production would have been 30-35 percent cheaper in China，” he added. Due to increasing labor costs on the Chinese mainland and the weakening of the pound during the economic recession， outsourcing has become less attractive.

（Hao Qian， Sina.com）

Buzzwords

Garage Start-up

﹙“宅创业”﹚

As new business opportunities continue emerging with the rapid development of the internet， more and more people are choosing to stay at home and start businesses with a computer.

Chin Uppers

﹙“抬头族”﹚

“Chin Uppers” refers to people full of positive energy. With their heads held high， chin uppers encourage their peers to be optimistic and positive about career and life， and discourage complaining in favor of taking responsibility.

Counter Strike

﹙“逆袭”﹚

Originally used by online gamers in reference to an unexpected attack by weak forces， the phrase has entered mainstream vocabulary to indicate success in any unfavorable situation or seizing the moment through painstaking effort.

Peng Liyuan

Peng Liyuan is a famous Chinese soprano. As wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping， she accompanied her husband on state visits to Russia， Tanzania， South Africa， and the Republic of Congo at the end of March 2013. In recent years， she has gradually moved away from theatrical stages and devoted more energy to public welfare undertakings such as serving as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. The public has already developed great expectations for her performance as Chinas “First Lady.”

March 18， 2009： Chinese Vice Minister of Health Yin Li and Peng Liyuan， WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS， attend a launch ceremony in Dongguan， Guangdong Province， for a campaign to increase public awareness of tuberculosis prevention and concern for migrant workers health. According to WHO experts， Peng was appointed WHO Goodwill Ambassador not only because of her widespread influence and sterling reputation， but also due to her diligence， persistence and dedication to public welfare causes， which is essential to arouse public concern and support for battles against tuberculosis and AIDS. CFP

Lin Dan

Recently， it was confirmed that Chinese badminton player Lin Dan would compete in the 2013 Asian Badminton Championships. This will be his first appearance at an international competition since the 2012 London Olympics. After he took the gold medal in Mens Singles in London， Lin took a six-month break， during which he was conspicuously absent from every international competition and only participated in Chinas Badminton Super League and National Badminton Championships. For this reason， his ranking on the world mens singles list has dropped from first to 42nd.

Wu Renbao

On March 18， 2013， Wu Renbao， former secretary of the Party committee of Huaxi Village in Jiangyin City， eastern Chinas Jiangsu Province， died at the age of 85. After taking office in 1957， he adhered to the belief of “common prosperity” and led villagers to build their hometown into the “first village under heaven.” He was dubbed an “extraordinary rural entrepreneur in China” although his unique patriarchal governance style was highly controversial.

“Pandemics have no national boundaries， and will threaten all of mankind when they break out.”

— Zhong Nanshan， member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering noted for his leading role in the 2003 battle against SARS （Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome）， recalling the epidemic during a recent interview. He calls for international cooperation in fighting pandemics， working to trace pathogens and develop vaccines as quickly as possible.

“Relieving aging problems by encouraging births is like quenching thirst with poison. At first glance， it appears that increasing births will delay the arrival of the aging society， but the problem will become even worse when the period ends with the rapid rise in the number of retirees， thus forming a vicious circle.”

— Yang Yuxue， a member of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC） and the Party committee of the National Population and Family Planning Commission， in an interview.

“With the future of the internet in sight， anyone who explores new territory and maps it out first will have a definite competitive advantage， and this especially works for China， a nation with abundant resources.”

— Donald Riley， an information systems specialist at the University of Maryland， who also chairs the Chinese-American Network Symposium， talking about the new round of nationwide internet construction in China.

“How do I know Im not buying that one percent？”

— Cui Yongyuan， anchor with China Central Television （CCTV）， responding to the question of why Chinese consumers still dont trust domestic powdered milk even though authorities declared that 99 percent of milk powder in Chinas mainland meets relevant quality standards.

“No other country has held as many evening galas as China.”

— Pu Cunxin， a famous Chinese actor， criticizing the phenomenon that many regions in China spend huge sums to build ultra-luxurious theaters and hold galas.

Riding the Mini Train

outings. One popular choice is a trip to Qianwei County in Sichuan Province to ride a mini train. Operating on a 19.4-kilometer line meandering along the contours of the mountains， the mini steam locamotives track measures a narrow 764 mm. Since the train began operation in 1959， it has remained an important means for locals to transport goods and resources. Since the local government recently launched sightseeing excursion trains， the attraction to tourists has only increased.

Chinas Grand Canyon

Located in Tunbao Village， Enshi City of Hubei Province， Enshi Grand Canyon stretches 108 kilometers long and covers 300 square kilometers. The scenic area includes 11 tourist attractions such as virgin forests， precipitous mountains， and spectacular waterfalls. The canyons unique karst landform attracts tremendous tourist flow from China and beyond. Many geologists have asserted that in terms of landscape， Enshi Grand Canyon rivals its American counterpart.

Yunshuiyao Ancient Town

Located in Nanjing County， Fujian Province， Yunshuiyao was called Changjiao Town just a few years ago. In 2005， a romantic film called The Knot in English， based on the real experiences of several Taiwanese， was shot in the town. Due to the films popularity， in 2008 the local government renamed the town after the films Chinese title as well as dubbing the towns 10-kilometerlong cobblestone road “Yunshuiyao Ancient Road.” Regardless of the film， the towns time-honored history makes it worthy of a visit.