FILM DIRECTOR AWARDED

Chinese director Zhang Meng won the Special Jury Award for his film Uncle Victory at the 17th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 22.

Zhang is a young Chinese director with Changchun Film Studio Group Corp.， who are based in northeast Chinas Jilin Province. His other film work includes 2008s Lucky Dog and 2011s The Piano in a Factory， along with past skits for CCTVs Spring Festival Gala.

Eyes on the Skies

China Newsweek June 16

The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in March has raised concerns over aviation safety. China Newsweek traced the process from a flights takeoff to its landing and discovered a massive organizational system behind the process， one akin to our own nervous systems. Any mistake in the system would surely result in disaster.

The magazine chose Beijing Capital International Airport to show the many components of this system： Security， ground services， security checks， runway maintenance， flight checks and air control. It is these interlocked gears that enable a plane to take off and fly that are the secrets of the airport.

Power of Talent

Outlook Weekly June 16

In 1798， 21-year-old British spinner Samuel Slater moved to the United States， where he replicated the spinning machine invented by Richard Arkwright， the most advanced spinning machinery at that time. In this way， the United States broke Britains technological monopoly and boosted its own textile industry in the process.

During World War II， the then U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established a command to lure hydrogen bomb， missile and computer experts from Germany. This enabled U.S.s status as a superpower to last through the modern era.

Looking back on the developmental courses of such strong countries as Britain， Germany， the United States and Japan， their rises can all be attributed to the talented people. Even today， the range of experts a country possesses tend to decide its position in the new international hierarchy.

However， China is in a disadvantaged position in the global talent pool. On the one hand， talent outflow exceeds inflow， exemplified by the fact that more Chinese students study overseas than foreign students study in China. On the other hand， though China has launched various projects to cultivate and attract experts， their numbers are still small and functions limited.

To better its position globally， China should improve its startup investment policies in order to retain both Chinese and foreign experts and boost domestic development.

Dog Meat Debate

Beijing Morning Post June 24

The heated debate over the annual dog meat festival in the city of Yulin， southwest Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， has recently occupied the media spotlight.

Regardless of the stance debaters choose， the discussion itself represents social progress in China， as more people are daring to express their opinions in public. Though there are ocassionally irrational voices in the crowd， modern society needs such debates to progress. Debates enrich our minds and broaden our perspectives. In order to grow， its important to challenge ourselves with controversial ideas and criticism.

However， these discussions should be carried out under the laws of ration and reason. Though its often hard to reach a consensus， people should not insult their opponents but exercise patience and understanding. The world is complicated. There is a wide grey zone between black and white， and its therefore impossible to find one correct answer to every question. Social problems are often intertwined with tradition， culture， and customs. Progress can only be achieved gradually.

TEEN GIRL WOWS ON Gaokao

Liu Dingning， a 19-year-old girl from Benxi， northeast Chinas Liaoning Province， recently came into the spotlight after scoring the highest college entrance exam grade in her province twice.

Last year， Liu racked up 668 points plus 10 awarded points in the national college entrance exam， or gaokao， making her the best performer among liberal art students in the province. She was enrolled in the Faculty of Arts at Hong Kong University and was offered a 720，000 yuan （$117，648） scholarship in July 2013， but quit about 40 days after starting. She returned to her native city in October to prepare for the 2014 gaokao with the goal of undertaking “more pure Chinese study” at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of the prestigious Peking University.

This year Liu attained the highest score among liberal art students in the province once again with 666 points， far outnumbering Peking Universitys average benchmark in the province.

Her story aroused debate among the public. Some say she is foolish in giving up a place at the reputable Hong Kong University， which is often ranked higher than Peking University， but many support her decision to follow her heart.

“Through the food safety law amendment， the country expects to impose the harshest civil， administrative and criminal penalties on offenders and the strictest punishment on supervisors who neglect their duties.”