LITERARY PRIZE WINNER

Renowned Chinese writer Wang Meng won the Ninth Mao Dun Prize for Literature， one of the most prestigious literary awards in China， along with four other novelists， the China Writers Association announced on August 16.

The 81-year-old Wang was honored for his novel Zhe Bian Feng Jing （Unique Landscape）， which was composed in the 1970s and not published until 2013. The work depicts multi-ethnic life in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region where Wang lived between 1963 and 1978.

Born in Beijing in 1934， Wang had his first novel published in 1953. His works reflect social changes and historical events through the eyes of his protagonists. Wang served as minister of culture from 1986 to 1989.

The Mao Dun Prize for Literature， held every four years， was set up in 1981 to encourage novel writing in China. It is named after late novelist Mao Dun （1896-1981）. The winners receive prizes worth up to 500，000 yuan （$78，150）.

‘Made in China Upgrades

Oriental Look August 20

After the financial crisis of 2008， developed countries started to promote a re-industrialization strategy. Manufacturing nations， including the United States， Germany and Japan， have done their best to boost their already advanced manufacturing industries， revive their competitive advantages and aid economic recovery through export and investment.

On the other hand， some developing countries are offering cheaper labor costs， raw materials and land as incentives to investors to encourage them to transfer their business from China.

In the light of this situation， Chinese companies such as Huawei， Lenovo， Gree and Haier have been determined to reinvent themselves and meet the challenge. They have placed emphasis on research and development， building their own brands and improving marketing. The strategy has paid off. High-quality， well-designed Chinese products featuring advanced technology are now regularly exported to the global market.

Chinese smartphone maker OPPO has successfully extended its business to 20 countries and regions， including Thailand， Indonesia， Mexico and Australia. It boasts more than 10，000 overseas employees and 150，000 sales outlets worldwide since embarking on its globalization strategy in 2009. The OPPO brand has become a model for Chinese mobile phone companies that have the ambition to go international.

Northeast Chinas Challenges in a Globalized Economy

South Reviews August 12

Relieving Chinas northeastern region from its current economic difficulties is high on the nations agenda. But establishing the cause of the regions downturn is not easy.

Plenty of analyses try to pinpoint the cause but many of them miss the overall point. Governments of the three provinces in the region—Heilongjiang， Jilin and Liaoning， have spared no effort in coming to terms with their outdated industrial structures and advocate a new direction toward establishing a larger service sector. Some scholars， however， believe the “old industrial base”has been overly burdened and unsuccessful reforms of state-owned enterprises have had too many side effects.

It is not enough just to look at the regions current plight. The history of the regions economic ups and downs also needs to be considered within the context of globalization and at the macroscopic level.

Northeast Chinas past prosperity was due to the geopolitics and military factors of the last century. Its decline follows Chinas market-oriented reform and the integration of the global economy after the Cold War. The regions competitors are not only limited to China， such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in the north， the Yangtze River Delta in the east or the Pearl River Delta in the south， but also Australia with its quality iron ore， the oil-rich Middle East countries， as well as manufacturing giants such as Germany and Japan.

The difficulties faced by northeast China to some extent owe to Chinas ongoing economic restructuring and its market unification. Its predicament is also the price China must pay for economic globalization. The harsh reality is that the region has to find its own position in China， even within the entire world， by embracing deep reform. It cannot just rely on the governments hand to solve all of its problems.

Are There Too Many College Students？

China Youth Daily August 17

The higher education gross enrollment rate in China reached 37.5 percent in 2014， 3 percentage points higher than the previous year， according to the latest Statistical Communiqué on National Educational Development.

In 2003， when the Ministry of Education first published the figure， that rate stood at 17 percent. Once the enrollment rate passes 15 percent， higher education is conventionally recognized as mass education. When the rate passes 50 percent， it means that higher education has become popularized. What will happen if that scenario occurs in China， a developing country with the largest population in the world？

Currently， college graduates account for the largest proportion of the newly added labor force every year. The country has to figure out a solution to offer jobs that match the skills of its university graduates.

In the United States it doesnt seem to matter if a graduate works as a taxi driver. But in China， parents have high expectations in terms of their childrens education and career. These expectations are reflected in the current employment situation where many college students cannot find a desirable job but， at the same time， companies in the manufacturing and service sectors are unable to hire enough people.

Is it necessary to boost higher education or do changes need to be made？ China must find a solution because this is not only an educational issue but also one of social concern.

WORK SAFETY CHIEF PROBED

Yang Dongliang， Minister of the State Administration of Work Safety， has been put under investigation for suspected severe violations of the laws and disciplinary regulations of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， said the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection （CCDI）， Chinas top anti-graft agency， on August 18. Yang， born in 1954 in Qingxian County， north Chinas Hebei Province， is a member of the 18th CPC Central Committee. He worked his way up from an oil driller to vice mayor of Tianjin in 2001. After holding the position for 11 consecutive years， Yang was appointed head of the State Administration of Work Safety in May 2012.

The probe against Yang was announced after two huge blasts at a toxic chemical warehouse in Tianjin on August 12， which had killed at least 114 people as of August 19. But Beijing-based news portal Caijing.com.cn quoted anonymous sources with the CCDI as saying that the probe targets Yangs involvement in the loss of state-owned assets during his tenure in Tianjin and is not a result of the recent blasts.

“The Chinese people will not forget that as military allies， Chinese and Indian armies fought shoulder to shoulder against the Fascists， notably in the theater in Myanmar， and the Indian army was instrumental in inflicting the most serious land defeat suffered by Japan in the war.”

Chinese Ambassador to India Le Yucheng， at a recent seminar on China-India Cooperation During World War II in New Delhi

“Some of the art forms of minority ethnic groups， including architecture and handmade clothing， are faced with problems concerning the handing down of skills and dwindling markets.”

Se Yin， a researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， speaking to China Daily on August 18

“The time needed for clinical trials of new foreign drugs in China will be greatly shortened， so they will enter the country more quickly.”

Wu Zhen， deputy head of the China Food and Drug Administration， commenting on a set of new guidelines issued by the State Council on August 18 that stipulate imported drugs can be subjected to clinical trials on the Chinese mainland at the same pace as trials conducted overseas

“Environment， particularly air pollution， might be the most grave concern in China. But globally， this is a much lesser issue and it only accounted for a tiny portion of our broad assessment.”

Tom Rafferty， economist for Asia at the Economist Intelligence Unit， a world leading provider of country， industry and management analysis， in response to a global ranking by his organization that lists Beijing as the Chinese mainlands most livable city