CENTENARIAN WRITER

yang Jiang， one of the most renowned female writers and translators in China， celebrated her 103rd birthday on July 17. Her new nine-volume collection is scheduled to be published in August.

yang was born in Beijing in 1911. She was admitted to the Foreign Language School at Tsinghua University in 1933 for graduate studies. Two years later， she studied abroad with her late husband Qian Zhongshu （1910-98）， who went to become one of the most respected literary scholars and writers of his time. The couple studied at Oxford and then the University of Paris.

After returning to China， yang devoted her time to literature studies and writing. She was the first person to translate Don Quixote from its original Spanish into Chinese， and her edition is still the most widely circulated in China. yang is also famous for her novel Baptism and the memoir We Three.

Anti-Corruption Efforts March On

Caixin Century Weekly July 7

Since the Communist Party of China （CPC） realized its once-in-a-decade leadership transition at the 18th CPC National Congress in November 2012， 33 officials ranked at the vice-ministerial level and above have been placed under investigation for grave violations of Party discipline and the law. In June this year alone， six high-level officials， including former vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission Xu Caihou， fell from grace.

Despite exposing an increasing number of corrupt officials， some in the media and public sphere are expressing doubts about the end-goals of this campaign. Some say that while its necessary to fight against malpractice， such a campaign should not go so far as to damage the image of the Party and the government. Others hold that ongoing efforts to clean up politicians have hampered economic development.

yet anti-corruption and reform are regarded as the top two priorities of the new leadership. As the wealth gap widens and social problems worsen， the anti-corruption campaign serves to equalize the social structure dominated by the so-called vested interest groups and win public support for reform.

The intensive anti-corruption campaign has rightfully shocked corrupt officials out of complacency and won public backing. However， a lot remains to be done in order to fully root out bribery， such as pushing forward institutional reforms.

Organic Food Myths

Caijing Magazine July 14

Concerns over food safety have caused many Chinese families to opt for organic food. According to a 2011 survey of Chinese consumers conducted by the International Trade Center， a joint agency of the WTO and the UN， 60 percent of organic food consumers in China are members of the middle class， families with children and people with health concerns. Some 98 percent of them choose organic food out of fear for food safety problems.

Many believe organic food includes agricultural products grown without the use of fertilizers， pesticides or chemical additives， which shoppers equate with safety and health. However， scientific studies have not shown that organic food is necessarily safer than other products. The slogan “zero pollution，” which is often used to advertise such food， is impossible to achieve as organically grown plants and animals are exposed to the environment and thus grow among Chinas air， soil and water pollution.

yet this preference for organic agriculture has visibly bolstered the entire industry. By 2013， there had been 731 certificated organic food-producing companies， which registered an annual sales volume of 13.5 billion yuan （$2.2 billion）. Though the industry is still in the preliminary stages of development， it promises huge growth potential. Shenzhen-based Essence Securities predicts that Chinas organic products will reach sales of 24.8 billion to 59.4 billion yuan （$4 billion to $9.6 billion） by 2015.

Fast Food Fears

Nanfang Daily July 22

On July 20， local media unveiled the news that Shanghai Husi Food Co. Ltd. had supplied expired meat to fast-food titans including McDonalds and KFC. Food and drug authorities have suspended operations of the company， and ordered all its meat products to be taken off shelves. Husi is a member of the U.S.-based OSI Group， the worlds largest meat and vegetable product processor. So how did this food safety incident happen at such a renowned transnational corporation here in China？

Most alarmingly， Husi knew about the use of expired meat and even created false claims about that knowledge. A detailed record of this from an internal e-mail suggested that the managers of the company were clearly aware they were violating the law. Secondly， though no evidence indicates that Husis customers， including McDonalds， knew about the illegal conduct， it is doubtful that they were not informed before the media were involved. Last but not least， local regulators neglect of their duty comes into question. How was Husi awarded a grade A on food safety， let alone able to pass the annual health inspection？

China is undergoing an unprecedented economic transition. Our trust in transnational corporations is based on the belief that they operate under strict oversight to survive fierce competition. yet the truth is that we should not overestimate the ethical practices of any market entity. The question now is how authorities can establish effective regulatory systems and enforce business ethics in ensuring food safety at transnational food companies.

CONTROvERSIAL DIRECTOR

Author-turned-director Guo Jingming has scored another box office hit with his controversial movie Tiny Times 3. It raked in more than 320 million yuan （$51.6 million） within four days of its July 17 release， knocking Hollywood blockbuster Transformers 4： Age of Extinction off the top of Chinas weekly box office charts for that week.

Born in 1983 in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province， Guo is a popular young-adult fiction writer. He first became known to readers in 2003 when his novel Ice Fantasy was published. He established his own company in 2006， and began publishing juvenile fiction magazine Zui Novel. Despite his success， Guo is a polarizing figure. He was involved in a plagiarism scandal a few years ago and has been accused of advocating materialism. The movie series Tiny Times is based on the novels of the same name by Guo and tells a coming-of-age story of four girls from different backgrounds.

“The vicious cycle of violence between Israel and Palestine must stop.”

Liu Jieyi， Chinas permanent representative to the UN， calling for an end to the conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement in Gaza at a UN Security Council meeting on July 22

“The opening and closing ceremonies of this years Youth Olympic Games will be more frugal than those of all the big sporting events hosted in China before.”

Chen Weiya， director of the ceremonies， at a press conference on July 22， before the August 16 opening of the Games in Nanjing， east Chinas Jiangsu Province

“Even if they are in the farthest corners of the world， we will track them down and bring them to justice to defend the law and safeguard peoples interests.”

Liu Jinguo， Vice Minister of Public Security， at a July 22 teleconference launching a campaign to root out suspects involved in corruption-related crimes who have fled China

“The game would integrate kungfu with swords and sticks to teach martial arts interactively， so that users dont have to climb Songshan Mountain [in central Chinas Henan Province] to learn Shaolin kungfu.”

Lin Xiaosong， Chairman of Dengfeng Tiandizhizhong Network Development Corp.， which manages the Shaolin brand， discussing the 1，500-year-old temples plan to develop a game app to teach users martial arts on their cellphones