YOUNG SCIENTIST IN NATURE TOP 10 PEOPLE

Cao Yuan， a 22-year-old doctoral candidate in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology， made the list of science journal Natures Top 10 people who mattered in science in 2018， on December 19， 2018.

According to two papers he published in Nature， Cao found that when graphene—which ordinarily conducts electricity—was exposed to a small electric fi eld and cooled to 1.7 degrees above absolute zero， it became an insulator. And with a slight tweak to the fi eld， the twisted sheets became a superconductor， where electricity fl owed without resistance. His discoveries spurred a new fi eld of superconductor physics.

Cao， from Chengdu in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province， finished his middle and high school education in two years. He received his bachelors degree from the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei， east Chinas Anhui Province， and went to the United States for a PhD at the age of 18.

Surge in Paid Content

Guangming Daily December 5

Chinas online cultural industry maintained rapid growth in 2018， which was exemplifi ed by the rapid rise of online paid content consumption. The revenue structure of the Internet cultural industry has evolved from one relying on advertisements to one based on paid content plus ads.

More and more users are willing to pay for Web music， videos and literature. Video streaming site Iqiyi.coms membership fees reached 2.9 billion yuan （$421 million） in the third quarter of 2018， exceeding revenue from ads， 2.4 billion yuan （$348 million）， for the fi rst time.

The practice of charging fees for online content brings tangible rewards for creators and encourages them to produce more valuable work.

But how to ensure the vitality of such a model？ Some online contents are paid for not because they are of high quality but because of promotions. Sometimes， users are required to pay a whole years fee to read a single item and cannot get their money back even if they are unsatisfied with the content.

Paid online content is not a commercial product but a cultural product and should have high standards to inculcate positive values in society.

A sound system should be established to enable inspirational work to circulate while low-quality and substandard information should be driven out of competition.

China Infl uencers

China Newsweek December 24

Eighteen people were recognized for their role in Chinas development by China Newsweek in an event in Beijing on December 15， 2018.

The annual Influencing China Figures award was launched in 2009 to honor individuals and organizations that have made major contributions to Chinas social progress.

The awardees came from a wide spectrum of fields. Zhu Min， former Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund （IMF） and Chair of the National Institute of Financial Research at Tsinghua University， was honored as scholar of the year. He has promoted reform of the IMF and after retiring from the organization， chose to return to China to teach and advise on the Chinese economy.

Shan Jixiang， Curator of the Palace Museum， was the cultural figure of the year. Since assuming the position， Shan has committed himself to reforms， taking the previously aloof and solemn palace closer to people through TV shows， cultural and creative products， as well as social media platforms. The 64-year-old has become a Web celebrity himself.

Wang Yifang， Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences （CAS）， was named scientific figure of the year. His team unveiled its concept design of a giant electron positron collider that could help scientists study the early evolution of the universe and the loss of anti-matter， and search for dark matter. Once the collider is built， it will be the largest in the world.

Carl H. Hahn， former head of the Volkswagen Group， 93， was named the fi gure that witnessed Chinas 40 years of reform and opening up， a new prize set up to mark the 40th anniversary of the historic initiative and awarded to four people. Hahn promoted the establishment of Volkswagens joint ventures in Shanghai and Changchun， which made him an important fi gure in Chinas automobile industry.

Travel Rush Tips

Beijing Youth Daily December 22

The Spring Festival travel rush， also known as chunyun， will run from January 21 to March 1. According to China Railway Corp.， over 413 million train tickets will be sold， increasing 8.3 percent year on year.

The railway authorities have rolled out a series of measures to prepare for the upcoming rush. They have added 299 new bullet trains and are facilitating train ticket purchase on the 12306.cn website and its mobile phone app. However， these measures are still inadequate to manage the Spring Festival travel rush.

Chunyun is a huge phenomenon that requires multiple government departments to come up with measures to guarantee safe travel.

In addition， travelers can help make a difference.

First， it is advisable to travel in the opposite direction of the majority who are rushing from their workplaces in large cities to their hometowns in smaller cities or those swarming hot tourist destinations. This way， the pressure on the traffic system can be greatly eased.

Second， carpooling with family members or friends or taking the bus instead of the car will reduce the number of vehicles on the road. This will not only ease traffi c congestion but also reduce emissions.

REHABILITATION INTERNATIONAL INCUMBENT REELECTED

Zhang Haidi was reelected chairperson of Rehabilitation International （RI） at a recent congress.

Zhang， who was fi rst elected to the post in October 2016， was voted in by an overwhelming majority for another four-year term beginning in 2020.

The organizations executive committee and its members lauded Zhangs efforts in stepping up reform measures as a clear priority for the RI， the worlds leading network for the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities.

Born in east Chinas Shandong Province in 1955， Zhang sustained paraplegia due to a spinal cord disease at the age of 5. Although Zhang didnt attend school， she learned all the primary and middle school subjects on her own. She received a masters degree in philosophy from Jilin University in 1993. Since 1983， she has published several books.

She was chairperson of the China Disabled Persons Federation from 2008 to 2016.

“Amid the current international situation， China and India should closely coordinate with each other in international affairs， jointly safeguard the legitimate interests of the two countries and other developing countries， and act as the contributors of global governance and stabilizers of the international order.”

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi， while meeting with Indian President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi on December 21， 2018

“As one of the worlds largest importers， China will become one of the go-to global consumption markets that underpins global economic balance and stability.”

Sourabh Gupta， a senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for China-America Studies， in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency

“This is a result of the growth of the economy and per-capita gross national income of China， as the second largest economy in the world， which also reflects on the rise of Chinas international influence.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying， at a press briefing on December 24， 2018， in response to a UN resolution on member states contributions to its budgets in the next three years， with China becoming the second largest contributor， surpassing Japan

“California has a multitude of hi-tech and agricultural products waiting to grace the shelves of Chinas markets， but so does the rest of the United States.”

Bob Huff， CEO of Huff Strategies LLC， former state senator and political veteran， in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on December 23， 2018