FOUNDER OF LEGEND

Liu Chuanzhi， founder and Chairman of Legend Holdings Corp.， parent company of the worlds largest PC maker Lenovo， struck the gong at the listing ceremony of the former company at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in late June.

Liu， 71， began to learn IT-related knowledge during his study at Xidian University in Xian from 1961 to 1966. He then worked with the Commission of Science， Technology and Industry for National Defense and the Chinese Academy of Sciences for several years before founding the Beijing-based Legend Holdings in 1984. In 2004， Lenovo purchased IBMs PC business， marking a major step to becoming a global IT giant.

Liu said Legend Holdings aspires to become a globally respected， trusted and influential company that builds leaders across various industries. He confirmed that the company will adhere to its “strategic investments plus financial investments” business model by continuing to invest in industries with high growth potential.

Cruising Toward Success

Oriental Outlook July 9

It is only since the 1970s that cruise ships， which used to be a popular medium for transporting mail contents via the sea prior to World War II， started to be transformed into vessels offering sightseeing tours and lavish services.

Many Chinese have derived their impression of cruise ships from the 1997 Hollywood blockbuster Titanic. Besides the tragic love story， many Chinese moviegoers were impressed by the luxuriousness of the ships environs.

The Chinese cruise ship market started to develop in 2006 when Italy-based Costa Cruises brought its vessels to China and introduced the first cruise ship route departing from the country.

Since then， several internationally renowned cruise ship companies such as Royal Caribbean Cruises， Princess Cruises and Star Cruises have entered the Chinese market.

According to the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association， the number of tourists， mostly Chinese， departing from and arriving in Chinese ports on cruise ships reached 739， 600 last year， while that number was barely 20，000 in 2006.

The first Chinese cruise ship company was established in 2012. However， that companys cruise ship was purchased from abroad. At present， China does not possess any domestically produced cruise ship.

It is anticipated that China， which already accounted for 31.2 percent of the global shipbuilding industry in 2011， will make a breakthrough in this area in the next two years.

Repositioning Beijing

South Reviews July 1-14

In recent years， air pollution， overcrowding， traffic congestion and skyrocketing housing prices have hindered Beijings sustainable development.

In order to tackle the aforementioned problems， a set of guidelines have been passed for the integrated development of Beijing and neighboring Tianjin and Hebei Province.

According to statistics from the State Administration of Environmental Protection， Tianjin and seven cities in Hebei made the list of the top 10 cities with the worst air quality in China last year. As the three regions are adjacent to one another， they need to make concerted efforts in order to return the regions sky to its former shade of blue.

In addition to relocating polluting factories out of Beijing， curbing the rapid growth of the citys population is also a primary target of the regional integration initiative.

The Beijing Municipal Government set out a new population control target this March， which is to keep the citys population under 23 million by 2020. However， according to a population census report， the number of the citys permanent residents exceeded 21.51 million at the end of last year. Given the reported annual average increase of 500，000 people in Beijing over the past few years， the population control target may be infeasible.

From last year onward， Beijing has attempted to remove some of its current functions that are deemed redundant for a national capital. The city used to house lowend industries as well as some of Chinas most advanced culture and technologies. In order to build itself into a livable city， Beijing needs to clarify its status in the country.

Scapegoat for Rising Divorce Rate

The Beijing News July 6

According to a recent report by the Ministry of Civil Affairs， more than 3.63 million pairs of Chinese couples secured divorces last year. The report also revealed that Chinas divorce rate has continued to climb for 12 consecutive years. Some people have blamed the booming social networking services for a rapid increase in extramarital affairs-related divorces.

A lot of young people are using social networking services to communicate with their family members and friends， get to know strangers and kill loneliness. Some of those with weak self-control would develop the online talks into a relationship.

However， social networking services are innocent and shouldnt take the blame for unfaithfulness in a marriage. Whether or not a knife is used to kill people depends on the person who uses the knife rather than the knife itself.

A marriage may end because of various problems， for instance， indifference between spouses. Therefore， the rising divorce rate is not due to social networking services but rather to diminishing love and affection in relationships.

‘QUEEN OF DRAMA PASSES AWAY

Performing artist Zhu Lin died at the age of 92 in Beijing on July 7. Zhu was born in May 1923 in Lianyungang， east Chinas Jiangsu Province. She received training for Peking Opera when she was a child. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression （1937-45）， Zhu took part in performances encouraging the Chinese nations self-confidence and promoting patriotism.

After joining the Beijing Peoples Art Theater （BPAT） in 1952， she played many classic stage roles， including Lu Shiping in Thunderstorm and Cai Wenji in the namesake play. Zhu was granted the best female supporting actress award for her role in The Last Emperor， a 1988 TV series， as Empress Dowager Cixi. In April 2007， she was honored the title of outstanding drama artist of the country.

At the age of 89， Zhu finished her last performance on the stage in 2012 in BPATs epic drama Jiaziyuan.

“Now it is time for Africa to stand on its feet and be able to develop its resources and manpower. And to do so， we need support from China， which has gone through the same process and understands the focus and needs of Africa today.”

Emmerson Mnangagwa， Zimbabwean Vice President， speaking to Chinese media ahead of his visit to China in early July

“If China successfully creates a new path of green development， it will set a good example for other developing countries.”

Li Junfeng， Director of the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation， believing Chinas new climate goals， which include cutting carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 60 percent to 65 percent from the 2005 level by 2030， will provide strong support for global emission reduction

“Stock declines [in recent weeks] should have a relatively limited impact on general household wealth， as equities account for only about 12 percent.”

Wang Tao， UBS chief China economist， saying that although ripple effects from the stock market plunge have put the yuan under pressure and prompted the government to introduce more measures to restore stock exchange stability， the influence will still be limited

“It shows that our country is upholding online security with the law and intends to solve problems in legal ways.”

Li Yuxiao， a professor of Internet governance at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications， pointing out that the newly issued draft law on cybersecurity by Chinas top legislature is crucial for todays China