Playing With Shadows

A visitor learns the art of shadow puppetry at a museum in Tangshan， north Chinas Hebei Province， at an activity marking International Museum Day on May 18.

Legal Service Website

A Ministry of Justice website for public access to various legal services was launched on May 20.

Citizens can now contact lawyers entrusted by the ministry for legal advice and search information about legal aid， mediation and other judicial services at the website 12348.gov.cn， according to a ministry press release.

The site has pooled information about 380，000 legal service agencies and 1.39 million legal workers as well as texts of laws and government regulations， it said.

The public can inquire about their cases， make appointments and apply for services through the website.

The ministry is exploring ways to better apply modern technologies to legal services so that the public will have easier access and more awareness， said Minister of Justice Fu Zhenghua at the websites inauguration ceremony.

Since the website started a trial run in December 2017， about 1.3 million users have logged in and 80，000 inquiries have been made.

Homemade Plane Engine

Chinas self-developed demonstrator aircraft engine CJ-1000AX has completed a successful test run in Shanghai， the engine maker said on May 20.

AECC Commercial Aircraft Engine Co. Ltd. （ACAE） designed the CJ-1000AX for Chinas homemade C919 large passenger jet， developed to rival global leading airliners such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing B737.

The engine reached a rotational speed of up to 6，600 revolutions per minute in the test run， ACAE said.

The company inked a deal with Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China， the maker of the C919 jetliner， to develop its engine system in December 2016 and completed assembling the CJ-1000AX in December 2017.

ACAE has more than 110 global and domestic partners in the commercial aircraft engine industry.

Biodiversity Conservation

China will strengthen biodiversity conservation supervision and biodiversity research to protect natural ecosystems and wildlife， the environmental protection watchdog said on May 22.

The protection of biodiversity has been included in the ecological protection framework of local governments and results have been good， said Huang Runqiu， Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment， at a ceremony marking the 25th International Day for Biological Diversity.

To date， China has land conservation areas of over 1.7 million square km， accounting for 18 percent of the countrys total land area， ahead of schedule for reaching 17 percent by 2020 required by the Convention on Biological Diversity， according to Huang.

Last year， China released a plan regarding the national park system， demanding the strictest protection for parks and placing them within“red line” zones， a key government strategy that puts designated areas under mandatory protection.

By 2020， China aims to set up a host of national parks and form a unifi ed management system， according to the plan. The system will be improved with added management effi ciency by 2030.

Disability Language Standardization

China has released offi cial standards for sign languages and braille that will go into effect on July 1， the China Disabled Persons Federation said on May 21.

The standards were piloted for a year and a half before being approved by the federation， the Ministry of Education and the State Language Commission.

China has more than 34 million people with hearing， vision and speech impairments. Due to regional and cultural differences， sign language and braille used in one area can be different from those in others.

Standardizing sign languages and braille is part of wider efforts to protect the rights of people with hearing and vision disabilities， said the federation.

Marriage Info Sharing

The Chinese Government has enabled information sharing of marriages registered both in China and abroad in its latest effort to improve the accuracy of citizens marital status and prevent bigamy.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will push information of marriages registered at Chinas embassies and consulates in other countries to the national database of marriage registration run by the Ministry of Civil Affairs （MCA）， the MCA said in a statement.

Both the MCA， which is in charge of domestic marriage registration， and Chinese embassies and consulates can now access the national database to verify the current marital status of applicants registering a marriage.

Silent Talk

Li Huanqiu， an art teacher at Qiyin School in Nanchang， east Chinas Jiangxi Province， communicates with a hearing impaired student on May 20. The 48-year-old Li， who lost his hearing at the age of 2， has taught in the school for 22 years after graduating from college.

Water Detoxification

Chinese researchers have developed a nano material using waste cartons that can remove a toxic heavy metal from water.

The breakthrough has provided a new means to control heavy metal contamination and recycle waste cartons.

Hexavalent chromium， a chemical compound of metal chromium and a major cause of heavy metal pollution， can lead to signifi cant risks to human health. There is an urgent need for low cost and higheffi ciency technology to deal with heavy metal contamination in China， which has risen in recent years.

Researchers used high temperatures and pressure to create the nano material from waste cartons. The material can be coated with nano-scale iron which can effectively remove hexavalent chromium from water， control the migration of the compound in water sources and prevent it from being absorbed by plants.

The research， led by Wu Zhengyan at the Hefei Institute of Physical Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences， was recently published in the American Chemistry Society academic journal Langmuir.

Tibetan Medicine Doctorates

The Tibetan Traditional Medical College （TTMC） in southwest Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region has been approved by the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council， Chinas cabinet， to confer the highest degree in Tibetan traditional medical science.

Founded in 1989， the TTMC， based in the regional capital of Lhasa， is Chinas only higher learning institution dedicated specifi cally to the traditional medicine of an ethnic minority.

With a history of 3，800 years， Tibetan traditional medicine is an important component of traditional Chinese medicine and a treasure of Tibetan culture， according to TTMC President Nyima Cering.

“Tibetan traditional medicine， which originated in monasteries， has been accepted by more and more people both at home and abroad，”he said.

Arts and Crafts

Children participate in a charity bazaar during a paper-cutting festival at a kindergarten in Changxing County， east Chinas Zhejiang Province， on May 22.

Porpoise Survey

A survey of the number and distribution of the endangered fi nless porpoise in the Bohai and Yellow seas began on May 21， in preparation for setting up a reserve in the area. Scientists with the Yellow Sea Fishery Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences will collect data on the porpoise population and its distribution， as well as the temperature， salinity， dissolved oxygen levels and PH value of the water.

The data will be used for the protection of fi nless porpoise in Chinas coastal areas， said the institution.

The fi nless porpoise， a dolphinlike mammal with an iconic grin， has three subspecies in Chinas Yangtze River， the Bohai and Yellow seas and the South China Sea.

The population in the Yangtze River is the most critical at around 1，000， due to pollution， over-fi shing and river traffi c. The population in the Bohai and Yellow seas has dropped to around 20 percent of levels in the 1980s.

Auto Tariff Cuts

Chinas decision to slash its automobile import tariffs has been welcomed by consumers and carmakers as another milestone in the countrys four decades of reform and opening up.

Beginning July 1， Chinas average tariff rate on vehicles will be 13.8 percent， while that for auto parts will be 6 percent， lower than the average for developing economies.

Some foreign auto heavyweights such as Audi have promptly reacted with plans to lower their prices in order to benefi t Chinese consumers.

The Ministry of Finance said that the tariff cut will enrich domestic market supply and meet the diverse needs of the people to provide more plentiful and affordable consumer experiences.

China has been the worlds largest car market for nine consecutive years， with vehicle production and sales in 2017 reaching 29 million units and 28.8 million units， respectively.

The latest voluntary tariff cut will directly benefi t the economic growth and employment of car exporters， said Liu Shangxi， head of the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences. Most of Chinas car imports last year were from the United States， Germany， Japan and the United Kingdom.

The tariff cuts come after a plan to phase out equity caps for automotive joint ventures in April amid a broader push for further opening up.

“As China safeguards a multilateral trade system， lowering auto import tariffs is a major step toward expanding reform and opening up，”the Ministry of Finance said.

Stroke of Fortune

Local farmers paint pictures in Zhujiazhuang Village， Ningjin County， north Chinas Hebei Province， on May 23.

In recent years， Ningjin County has been committed to developing traditional Chinese painting into a leading local brand， with more than 6，000 people engaged in the industry across the county and an annual output value surpassing 500 million yuan （$78.23 million）.

Stable Home Prices

Housing prices remained largely stable in major Chinese cities in April as the government continued tough purchase restrictions， offi cial data showed.

On a yearly basis， new residential housing prices in Chinas fi rst-tier cities declined 0.4 percentage points more in April， compared with a 0.6 percent drop in March， the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） said.

Meanwhile， the price growth of new homes in second-tier cities remained unchanged from March levels， while those in third-tier cities saw year-on-year growth of 0.3 of a percentage point lower than a month ago.

“In April， local authorities continued regulatory policies tailored in accordance with local conditions， keeping them stable and consistent，”said NBS statistician Liu Jianwei.

New residential housing prices in the countrys 15 major cities remained stable in April， with seven， including Shanghai， reporting monthly declines of 0.1 to 0.2 percent， while eight other cities posted slight growth between 0.1 and 0.5 percent， the NBS data showed.

Investment in property development expanded 10.3 percent year on year from January to April， down slightly from 10.4 percent during the fi rst quarter， said the NBS.

Housing sales by fl oor area grew 1.3 percent during the same four-month period， down from 3.6 percent for January to March.

The pullback in property development investment and housing sales growth was normal， NBS spokesperson Liu Aihua said， adding that she expected the property market to maintain stable development.

Didi Ready for Tests

Chinas ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing has gained approval from the California Department of Motor Vehicles （DMV） to start testing its self-driving vehicles.

A list posted on the California DMVs website showed that 53 Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permits（with a driver） had been granted as of May 17. Didi is the latest enterprise to join the group， which includes both technology and automotive companies.

According to Didi Senior Communications Director Liang Sun， the company has been testing autonomous vehicles in a closed internal environment for a while. It is fi nalizing plans to begin U.S. road trials which will be conducted in a“prudent and safety-fi rst” manner.

Last year Didi opened its main research facility in Mountain View， California， 860 kilometers north of Los Angeles， to focus on the development of artifi cial intelligence， including autonomous vehicles.

The approval from the California state regulator is Didis fi rst license for testing on public roads in the United States. Besides Didi， many Chinese companies including Baidu， Faraday & Future， and Changan Automobile， have begun tests in the state.

VAT Exemption

China will extend an exemption on land value-added tax （VAT） for restructured fi rms in a bid to support the reform of corporate structure， the Ministry of Finance said on May 22.

VAT will not be imposed on the transfer and exchange of land-use rights and property for limited liability companies and stock corporations that have been transformed from unincorporated businesses， the ministry said in an online statement.

The exemption is aimed at supporting the restructuring of companies and improving the market environment， the statement said.

The policy， effective from the beginning of 2018 until the end of 2020， will not apply to VAT on property transfers from or to real estate developers， according to the statement.

China has been stepping up efforts to reduce the corporate burden via means such as cutting VAT rates.

China announced tax cuts worth 60 billion yuan （$9.4 billion） for small， innovative businesses in April. The move follows a 400 billion yuan （$62.59 billion） tax cut package for 2018， which was decided at an executive State Council meeting in March.

Innovation Takeoff

GA20， the fi rst utility airplane independently developed by a private Chinese company， leaves the production line and undergoes a runway demonstration in Nanchang， east Chinas Jiangxi Province， on May 21.

Cutting Red Tape

The State Council， Chinas cabinet， has issued a circular detailing a pilot reform program for reducing the approval time of construction projects in order to improve the business environment and cut red tape.

The pilot plan will cover the cities of Beijing， Tianjin， Shanghai， Chongqing， Shenyang， Dalian， Nanjing， Xiamen， Wuhan， Guangzhou， Shenzhen， Chengdu， Guiyang， Weinan， and Yanan， as well as Zhejiang Province.

In 2018， the approval time for construction projects is to be cut by half. The reform will be expanded nationwide in 2019 with approval times to be reduced to 120 working days.

By 2020， a national approval and management system for construction projects will be complete.

The plan asked authorities to cancel illegal， unreasonable， and unnecessary approval procedures and give departments at lower levels more decision-making power.

During the past fi ve years， reforms aimed at cutting red tape in China have continued apace in the past fi ve years. World Bank data has seen Chinas ranking improve 18 places for “ease of doing business，”and 65 places for “ease of setting up a business.”

Power of Reinvention

Engineers work at a Qidong-based energy company in east Chinas Jiangsu Province on May 21.

In developing new energy industries， Qidong has focused on reinventing its traditional manufacturing sector with innovative technologies， which have helped local companies to reduce labor costs and improve effi ciency.

New Look Carrefour

French supermarket giant Carrefour opened a new type of store in Shanghai on May 20. Carrefour Le Marche， meaning “market” in French， is a smart store that focuses on imported products and on-site dining with purchased food， as well as digital innovations that allow consumers to checkout themselves. Thierry Garnier， CEO of Carrefour China， said the company plans to open another two such stores in Shenzhen， Guangdong Province， by modernizing existing locations.

Covering 4，000 square meters and two fl oors， the Shanghai Tianshan store is smaller than the chains traditional hypermarkets， which usually cover over 8，000 square meters. It hosts more than 25，000 different products.

The proportion of imported products on sale in the store is 20 percent， while food accounts for more than 80 percent of the total products.

The store offers an on-site gastronomic area where Japanese and Hong Kong cuisine is prepared ondemand.

Thanks to the support of Tencent， which reached an agreement to form a strategic partnership with Carrefour this January， Carrefour Le Marche features many new digital innovations such as facial recognition payment and scan-and-go. The Le Marche store marks the fi rst major development since Carrefour joined the Tencent retail-infl uenced group.