CAPTAIN’S SUCCESSFUL EMERGENCY LANDING

Captain Liu Chuanjian of Sichuan Airlines successfully landed a flight in Chengdu， capital of Sichuan Province， after the cockpit window broke off at 9，753 meters on May 14.

Flight 3U8633 was en route from southwest Chinas Chongqing Municipality to Lhasa， capital of southwest Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region. The 119 passengers and nine crew members on board were all safe.

However， the co-pilot who was sucked halfway out of the plane， sustained injuries to the face and waist， and another crew member was slightly hurt during the emergency landing， according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Liu graduated from the Xian Flying College of the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force and became an instructor at the institution in 1995. He joined Sichuan Airlines in 2006 as a civil pilot.

According to Liu， it was quite diffi cult to handle the situation because he had to deal with the loss of pressure as well as extremely low temperatures.

Humans vs. Robots

Guancha.gmw.cn May 14

There are only three stock traders left at U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs， compared to 500 traders 15 or 20 years ago， as all the rest of the trade work has been undertaken by robots， according to the companys president David Solomon at the recent Milken Institute Global Conference held in California.

Replacing traders with robots is an inevitable trend thanks to the rapid development of artifi cial intelligence （AI）. Robots are better at processing data than humans， which is essential to fi nance.

However， robots have only replaced simple and repetitive jobs. For example， behind the trader reduction at Goldman Sachs is the fact that over 9，000 engineers have been added. The shift in the companys employee structure sheds light on how modern technology is upgrading the traditional fi nancial industry.

AI may cost employees doing uncomplicated work their jobs in the short term. But in the long run， AI will create new jobs which require more advanced technologies and abilities， skills that the unemployed could be trained in. As a result， the overall quality of a countrys human resources will improve and the industrial structure will be upgraded.

In addition to the financial industry， AI has also been applied to other areas such as self-service stores and restaurants， leading to many workers under the traditional economic model losing their jobs. It is important then for people to seek out new skills related to jobs involving comprehensive analysis which cannot easily be replaced by robots.

Turning Forests Into Profi t

Oriental Outlook May 10

The forest area in the world decreased from 4.12 billion hectares in 1990 to 3.99 billion hectares in 2015， according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization （FAO）. In contrast， Chinas forest coverage rate has increased by 10 percent since 1999 when China started returning farmland to forest.

The increasing forest coverage rate shows the Chinese Governments prioritizing of environmental protection.

The forest coverage rate of Wuqi County in northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province increased from 19.2 percent in 1997 to 72.9 percent this year. This area had previously been identifi ed by the FAO as not possessing the basic conditions for sustaining human life.

Wuqi is only a microcosm of Chinas achievement in its project of returning farmland to forest.

In the projects new round launched in 2014， Chinas vast central and western regions have not only grown greener but found new ways to boost their economies. Trees have become valuable resources， dubbed “green gold，” for impoverished populations in these regions.

For instance， in Chishui City of southwest Chinas Guizhou Province which used to be a national-level poverty-stricken county， farmland was turned into bamboo forests， which were then used to develop papermaking， furniture and food industries. Herbs are grown and chickens are raised under the bamboo trees to generate more income. Farmers there have found a sustainable source of income and the county became the first in Guizhou to get rid of poverty.

Cultural Heritage Protection

China Youth Daily May 15

Recently， some archaeology aficionados collected a number of stone carving debris in an ancient tomb from a Tang Dynasty （618-907） emperor in Xianyang City of Shaanxi Province and moved them to areas of the tomb which were under surveillance cameras.

Artifacts in ancient tombs cannot be moved randomly， since their historical information and value might be damaged， hindering historical inheritance. The action violated laws and regulations regarding artifact protection in China.

The incident underlined the need to protect the stone carving remains in the tomb in question. Relevant authorities should put the protection of important scattered artifacts on their agenda. Some experts suggest gathering the dispersed artifacts together for better protection and returning them to their original location when conditions are ripe.

Given the frequent outbreak of cases involving lack of management and theft of historical artifacts outside museums， it is also reasonable to involve the public in their protection.

Cultural heritage authorities may enlist history buffs to join or form non-governmental organizations for historical artifact protection.

The tomb stone carvings in Xianyang are precious historical legacies left by our ancestors and both local authorities and the public have the responsibility to protect them. The artifacts will only have lasting value with the efforts of one generation after another.

INSURANCE TYCOON CONFIRMED GUILTY

Wu Xiaohui， former Chairman and General Manager of Anbang Insurance Group， was sentenced to 18 years for fundraising fraud and embezzlement， according to an announcement from the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate Peoples Court on May 10.

Wu， 51， who founded Anbang in 2004， fraudulently raised 65.2 billion yuan （$10.23 billion） and abused his post for personal gain between 2011 and 2017.

The funds were raised by ignoring capital limits set by regulators to oversell insurance products worth 724 billion yuan （$114 billion） to 10.6 million investors. The money was then transferred to companies he controlled for overseas investment， debt repayments and personal squandering.

He was also found guilty of embezzling premiums paid by policyholders—a violation of insurance regulations—to ensure the cash flow of his other companies.

Wu was prosecuted during an open trial on March 28.

“It is an inevitable trend in China that people are moving from cold industrial cities to sunny locales， a phenomenon that occurred in the United States in the 1950s and 60s.”

Wang Yalin， a professor of sociology at Harbin Institute of Technology， commenting on the massive migration of seniors within China， primarily from the Northeast to the island province of Hainan in south China in recent years， in an interview with Xinhua News Agency

“Tourism can be one of the most promising cooperation areas among Shanghai Cooperation Organization （SCO） member states.”

Li Jinzao， Chinas Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism， at the fi rst meeting of tourism ministers from SCO nations held in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on May 9

“The economic recovery will be a long process… It requires economic restructuring and government efforts to create a more attractive investment environment to woo more investors.”

Du Liangsheng， an economist with Dongbei University of Finance and Economics， commenting on Liaoning Provinces recently released guideline on rejuvenation through all-around opening up which promised to further ease market access for foreign investors

“The reason the IT sector can offer the best salaries with sound growth rates is that the industry is in step with the direction of Chinas economic transformation and upgrading， with demand for talent exceeding supply.”

Su Hainan， an expert on labor studies， commenting on the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics released on May 15， saying that the annual salary in the IT sector in 2017 was over 130，000 yuan （$20，409）， the highest among all industries， in an interview with Chinanews.com