PEKING OPERA MASTER PASSES AWAY

Mei Baojiu， an eminent Peking Opera artist， died at the age of 82 on April 24， following a respiratory attack.

Mei， born in Shanghai， was the ninth child of Mei Lanfang， one of Chinas most renowned Peking Opera performers and creator of the Mei School of the traditional opera. Both were famous for playing female characters.

At the time of his death， Mei Baojiu was head of the Mei Lanfang Peking Opera Troupe. He had performed in classics such as Farewell My Concubine， Drunken Beauty and Lady General Mu Takes Command.

Mei Baojiu began studying Peking Opera from the age of 10. At 13 he took to stage and by 18 had begun to perform with his father. His life was devoted to developing the Mei School and promoting Peking Opera.

Free Trade Zones Take Off

Oriental Outlook April 21

April 21 marked the first anniversary of the inauguration of the second batch of free trade zones in Tianjin， Guangdong and Fujian. They were set up following the establishment of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone （FTZ） one and a half years before.

The FTZs have ushered in more profound law and regulation reforms on foreign investment and finance.

Although the FTZs have similar functions， they serve different national strategies. The Guangdong FTZ is aimed at promoting economic cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao. The Tianjin FTZ serves to boost the integrated development of Beijing， Tianjin a n d H e b e i Province， while the aim of the Fujian FTZ is t o d e e p e n economic cooperation across the Taiwan Straits. The Shanghai FTZ was designed to set an example in trade facilitation， the free convertibility of currencies and efficient government supervision.

Reforms in the FTZs require conscientious national planning to prevent financial risks and guarantee the security of domestic industries in the face of greater market liberalization.

How to Redeem A Steel City

South Reviews April 20-May 3

The steel industry registered a poor performance last year. According to the China Iron and Steel Association， its members suffered losses for 12 consecutive months in their core businesses， with the total losses amounting to more than 100 billion yuan （$15.38 billion）.

Reducing overcapacity is the top priority for Chinese steel enterprises at present. Currently the industry produces 1.13 billion tons， yet the demand is for only 700 million tons. This restructuring process will involve redundancy packages for 500，000 workers.

Masteel in Maanshan， east Chinas Anhui Province， exemplifies the dilemma faced by Chinese steel companies. As of February， the company had suffered losses for 16 consecutive months， with last years fall totaling 5.1 billion yuan （$780 million）. Both Masteel and the city need a transformation. The most realistic option is to cut production by 20 percent and lay off 20，000 workers.

This would work in two ways. Workers quit their jobs but keep a labor contract with the company. They are paid a small compensation each month until they reach retirement age. Alternatively， workers terminate their contracts and receive a certain amount of compensation.

The decline of Masteel has impacted the local economy negatively. The proportion of the companys taxes in the local government revenue has dropped from 22.6 to 10.2 percent. The city is struggling to replace steel with other industries. But the attempt to alleviate the shortfall with tourism failed. As the poor health of the steel industry continues， the need for new industries has become more pressing.

Eliminating the Digital Divide

Peoples Daily April 25

At a recent symposium on cybersecurity and information technology， President Xi Jinping stressed that the development of information technology should put people first， allowing them to gain more from Internet expansion.

Chinas Internet users account for a quarter of the worlds total. However， information technology development is unbalanced between urban and rural areas as well as between the east and the west： Websites in east China account for 69.3 percent， compared to a mere 18 and 12.7 percent in central and west China， respectively. In addition， poor speeds and expensive fees have restricted the accessibility of Internet services in China.

Globally， an information technology gap between countries exacerbates inequality. For example， some nations take advantage of monopolies in key cyber hardware and software to carry out surveillance on other nations， posing a serious threat to the latters cybersecurity.

To maintain online development， China should try to narrow this digital divide. On the one hand， it should guarantee cybersecurity and peoples rights to Internet access by promoting reform of global cyberspace governance and accelerating construction of key information infrastructure.

On the other hand， barriers and local protectionism should be removed to ensure the free sharing of basic public information. The ultimate goal is to provide quick and easy online access to all， no matter how much they earn or which region theyre from.

WRITER SHORTLISTED FOR HUGO AWARD

Science fiction writer Hao Jingfang was shortlisted for the Hugo Award for Best Novelette in late April for her sci-fi story Folding Beijing. The Hugo Awards are among the most prestigious science fiction awards.

Folding Beijing， a novelette published in science fiction and fantasy online journal Uncanny Magazine， depicts a virtual Beijing consisting of three spaces. Each time the city “folds，” a new space is revealed. The story follows protagonist Lao Dao， as he attempts to navigate the complex class barriers of a futuristic city in order to send his daughter to school.

Hao graduated from Tsinghua University with a physics degree in 2006 and is currently undertaking a PhD at Tsinghuas School of Economics and Management.

“Cooperation between major space players will be conducive to the development of all mankind.”

Zhou Jianping， chief engineer of Chinas manned space program， on the occasion of Space Day on April 24， designated to mark the launch of Chinas first satellite that day 46 years ago

“It has been two months since I stopped working， and I cannot wait to go back to Tunisia and perform operations.”

Guo Luping， an obstetrician on a Chinese medical aid team to Tunisia， speaking from her hospital bed in east China. Guo was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year

“A highlight of the conference was the governments confidence that religious canons and practices can be made to serve social harmony and progress.”

Cao Nanlai， an associate professor of religious studies at Renmin University of China， speaking about a top-level conference on religious affairs in late April

“Our ties with China prove the 12 Unasur countries can speak with one voice and with one opinion.”

Ernesto Samper， Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations （Unasur）， at a meeting with Yin Hengmin， Chinas Special Representative on Latin American Affairs， on April 25