People

Xiong Dun

Xiong Dun， also known as Xiang Yao， was born in Lishui City， Zhejiang Province， in 1982. She was a wildly popular cartoonist in China before her untimely passing.

After graduating from college， Xiong moved to Shanghai， where she lived for nine years before relocating to Beijing. On August 21， 2011， she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. During hospitalization， Xiong produced the comic Go Away， Cancer based on her own experiences fighting the disease， which stunned an enormous number of readers with her optimism and persistence in such a dire situation. Xiong eventually succumbed to cancer on November 16， 2012.

Ye Qing

Ye Qing， vice director of Hubei Provincial Bureau of Statistics， became an internet star when his Weibo （microblog） account was listed as one of the “top 10 Weibo accounts of government officials” by two major Chinese web portals.

Over the 10 years since Ye first proposed state-financed vehicle reform as a delegate to the National Peoples Congress， he has submitted nine subsequent proposals calling for reform. On the first day he took office as the vice director of Hubei Provincial Bureau of Statistics， Ye refused a state-financed vehicle and continued to drive his private car. In his proposal， he suggested government officials commute by foot if the distance is less than three kilometers， ride a bicycle if the distance is between three and five kilometers， and travel by car only if the distance exceeds 10 kilometers.

Yu Dan

On November 17， 2012， when she prepared to speak after a Kunqu Opera performance at Peking University， Yu Dan， a famous scholar and professor from Beijing Normal University， was greeted by heckling. After the performance， Yu was invited by an organizer to speak on stage. As she received a bouquet from an elderly artist， a spectator shouted， “Yu Dan， get off the stage！” The situation only became worse when more and more spectators joined the jeering. Yu quickly exited the stage， embarrassed. Attendees questioned why the organizer would ask Yu Dan， whose expertise has nothing to do with Kunqu Opera， to address an event attended by so many opera masters， which came off like blind celebrity worship.

Zheng Yuanjie

Not long ago， the 2012 List of Chinas Richest Writers was released. Zheng Yuanjie， an acclaimed childrens book writer， tops the list with annual royalty income of 26 million yuan. The 57-year-old writer has created many fairytale characters that are popular with Chinese children. But perhaps his most miraculous feat has been authoring the bimonthly magazine King of Fairy Tales himself for 27 years. So far， the magazine has sold 150 million copies.

Quotes

“Never buy hardcover books. They are designed to sell to those who dont actually read. Along with books， many other things can be read： natural scenery， love， officialdom， business…”

— Jia Pingwa， famous Chinese writer

“No one shall read manuscripts during meetings with me， but rather learn to think deeper.”

— Wang Qishan， member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC） and secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC Central Committee， at a symposium soliciting expert advice and proposals to battle corruption

“This mirrors the decline of social responsibility in the film industry. More and more films focus on technical innovation， while fewer and fewer feature rich cultural connotations.”

— Ma Weidu， a noted Chinese collector and playwright， on the disappointing box office numbers for Back to 1942， directed by Feng Xiaogang， which Ma considered a film with “a strong sense of responsibility”

“Weibo is my last hope. As the high school entrance examination draws near， Weibo has become my only means of pleading for fair education， due to its farreaching influence.”

— Zhan Haite， a 15-year-old who moved from Jiangxi Province to Shanghai with her parents in 2002. According to Chinas current policies concerning the college entrance exam， she cant take it in Shanghai because she is officially registered as a permanent resident of Jiangxi. Reform of college entrance examinations， aiming to provide equal opportunities in education and matriculation for migrant children like Zhan， is now being considered.

“I would bet Mr. Ma Yun [chairman of Alibaba Group， Chinas largest e-commerce company] that if e-commerces share of the Chinese retail market reaches 50 percent by 2020， I will pay him 100 million yuan. If not， he must pay me the same amount.”

— Wang Jianlin， chairman of Dalian Wanda Group， a leading Chinese real estate company

2013 Taipei Flower Show

The 2013 Taipei Flower Show lasts from December 22， 2012， to January 20， 2013， throughout Expo Parks Yuanshan Park， Taipei Fine Arts Museum Park Area， and 12 neighborhood parks in Taipei.

The opening ceremony of the annual floral event was held at Expo Park， where a series of activities including concerts， landscaping competitions， and interactive games with prizes was held. Many performances were scheduled during the month-long exhibition， including magic shows and live music.

This year， organizers incorporated local characteristics related to culture， history， and architectural landmarks into the festival.

This years show chose a variety of themes， including Carnival for Animals， Sail to the Sea， Outer Space， Train Station， Amusement Park， Installation Art， Aboriginal Style， Felicity Party， College Landscaping Exhibition， Vanilla Farm， and North American Flora.

Salt Lake China

In Mongolian， Qarhan means “world of salt.” Located in the western Qaidam Basin in northwestern Chinas Qinghai Province， Qarhan Salt Lake is the largest natural salt lake in China as well as one of the most well-known inland salt lakes in the world. Located 750 kilometers from Xining， capital city of Qinghai Province， Qarhan Salt Lake covers a total area of 5，800 square kilometers. In and around Qarhan Salt Lake， salt appears to blossom like flowers， taking the form of pillars， coral or pearls. Although the terrain surrounding Qarhan Salt Lake is flat and desolate， the landscape is singular and mesmerizing. The beauty of the lake in winter， enhanced by the salt flowers， is even more compelling.

Pingle Ancient Town

About 90 kilometers west of Chengdu City， capital of southwest Chinas Sichuan Province， Pingle Ancient Town is administered by Qionglai City， Sichuan Province.

The town was constructed as early as the Western Han Dynasty （206 BC-24 AD）. Its 2，000-year history has left it with profound heritage and rich folk culture. Visitors to the town can enjoy the time-honored structures and savor the unique culture flavors of the town， or take a day trip to several other tourist attractions found nearby， including Lugou Scenic Zone， Jinhua Mountain， and Golden Rooster Valley.

The town provides plentiful activities during the three-day New Years holiday suitable for family trips. Staying the night in town is strongly recommended.