Taste of History

Tourists visit Zhengding in Shijiazhuang， north Chinas Hebei Province， on February 9. Restoration of the ancient town is part of Zhengdings efforts to develop tourism as a pillar industry in recent years.

C919 Tests

In 2019， three new China-developed C919 passenger planes will conduct their fi rst test fl ights before joining the test fl eet， according to their developer on February 13.

The batch production rampup is also underway， said the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China（COMAC）.

The C919， Chinas fi rst trunk jetliner， conducted a successful maiden fl ight in Shanghai on May 5， 2017.

By the end of 2018， three C919 planes had completed their test fl ights.

Another three are now in fi nal assembly， part assembly or large parts manufacturing phases respectively and are expected to join the fl eet by the end of the year.

The fl ight test is a key verifi cation phase for an aircraft model to validate its design and performance， especially with regard to safety.

The C919 planes will fl y to various airports to undergo rigorous testing in complex weather conditions and a series of high-risk test fl ights， according to COMAC.

COMAC has received 815 orders for the C919 from 28 customers worldwide.

PIL Reform

The Supreme Peoples Procuratorate（SPP）， Chinas highest procuratorial organ， unveiled measures to make its procuratorial network more effi cient in dealing with public interest litigation （PIL） cases on February 12.

As part of a fi ve-year reform plan， the SPP ordered procuratorates to fully consider the role of a pre-suit procedure by smoothing communication with administrative agencies， offering procuratorial suggestions， and coordinating related parties for implementation， said an SPP statement.

Efforts should also be made to improve coordination among procuratorates， courts and administrative law enforcement organs， it read.

The SPP plans to introduce platforms to better link public interest litigation with administrative law enforcement and standardize methods of handling PIL cases.

It will explore a mechanism for hiring or consulting experts from administrative agencies for prosecutors who are dealing with litigation cases involving environmental protection or food and drug safety.

Chinas top legislature passed the revised civil and administrative procedure laws in June 2017 to allow prosecutors nationwide to institute PIL. The reform aims to better protect the interests of the nation and the public.

Medical Centers

A number of national and regional medical centers will be set up across China by 2020， according to a working plan issued by the National Health Commission.

Regional medical centers will be available nationwide to provide patients with quality medical treatment close to their homes， said the plan.

National medical centers to carry out diagnosis and treatment of rare and severe cases of specifi c diseases will also be established and play a leading role in spreading advanced medical technologies nationwide.

The plan proposes to build a four-level medical service system that covers medical institutions at the national， provincial， prefectural and county levels by 2020， with national medical centers taking the lead.

Jobs in Xinjiang

Northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region created jobs for 75，000 poor residents in its southern areas in 2018， local authorities said.

It is part of a three-year povertyrelief plan for the four areas in south Xinjiang—Aksu， Kashgar， Hotan and Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture—which are among the poorest areas in China.

Thanks to a series of job creation programs， poor residents in these areas can fi nd jobs in nearby industrial parks and “satellite factories” or migrate to larger cities in or outside Xinjiang， according to the local human resources and social security department. Basic training for key skills is also being offered.

Off ciial statistics showed that the autonomous region helped bring 537，000 people above the poverty line in 2018.

Herbal Standard

The International Organization for Standardization （ISO） has published an international standard for the isatis indigotica root or banlangen， a traditional Chinese medicinal herb commonly used for the prevention and treatment of the common cold.

The herb has a long history of use in China and other East Asian countries for removing heat and toxins， cooling the blood and clearing the throat. However， problems such as different quality requirements among different countries and regions may affect its clinical effectiveness and safety， according to a document posted on ISOs website.

The 34-month project was led by a research team from Chinas Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and also involved experts from Germany， Canada， Australia， Thailand and the Republic of Korea.

Wang Zhengtao， a member of the Chinese research team， said the standard mainly specifi es the minimum technical requirements for the isatis indigotica root such as heavy metals and pesticide residues as well as the herbs test methods.

“The publication of the standard is expected to improve the international infl uence of the root and boost the trade of the herb across the world，” Wang said.

A Good Start

Farmers work at the Lianxi Vegetable Base in Daoxian County of Yongzhou City， central Chinas Hunan Province， on February 11. In early spring， farmers start seeding for summer crops.

Increased Volunteers

More than 100 million Chinese citizens had registered as volunteers by the end of 2018， according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

By the end of 2018， more than 12，000 organizations registered to accept volunteers had provided more than 1.2 billion hours of voluntary work， the ministry said in a statement.

The countrys fi rst regulation on volunteer services took effect in December 2017， clarifying the principles and establishing administrative institutions.

With the number of volunteers growing fast， more efforts will be made to encourage their participation in public service and social governance， and improve the quality of their service， said a statement from the China Volunteer Service Federation.

MS Preservation

Twelve pieces of ancient Tibetan manuscripts from the famed Mogao Grottoes have been restored and digitalized， authorities in northwest Chinas Dunhuang City， Gansu Province， said on February 12.

The manuscripts， made from jute paper， date back to the Tang Dynasty （618-907） and were included in the list of Chinas archival document heritage in 2010. Most of them have writing on both sides of the paper， according to Zhang Shizhong， Director of the Dunhuang Municipal Archives.

Restoration of the manuscripts started in October 2018. Experts used materials similar to jute paper to help maintain their original state.“We have also digitalized the manuscripts and will exhibit the digital versions in the future，” Zhang said.

More than 60，000 pieces of manuscripts were discovered in the Mogao Grottoes in 1900. Over 10，000 pieces were written in the ancient Tibetan language， covering religion， history and laws.

The Mogao Grottoes， a UNESCO World Heritage site， features a huge collection of Buddhist art， including more than 2，000 sculptures and 45，000 square meters of frescoes spread over 735 caves.

Seeking a New Opportunity

Job hunters attend a recruitment fair in Zhengzhou， capital of central Chinas Henan Province， on February 13. The event offered nearly 70，000 jobs.

Stable Growth

China has confi dence in its ability to maintain stable trade growth in 2019 thanks to a raft of positive factors， a senior commerce offi cial said on February 12.

The gradual recovery of the global economy， Chinas openingup efforts and pro-trade policies， accelerating industrial upgrading and improving corporate vitality will lend steam to trade growth this year， Chu Shijia， head of the Comprehensive Department of the Ministry of Commerce， told a conference.

Chu said the goods trade continued upward growth momentum in January. It rose 8.7 percent year on year to 2.73 trillion yuan （$404 billion）. Exports rose 13.9 percent year on year to 1.5 trillion yuan（$222 billion）， while imports grew 2.9 percent to 1.23 trillion yuan （$182 billion）， according to the General Administration of Customs.

Foreign trade totaled $4.6 trillion last year， up 12.6 percent year on year， faster than that of other major trading nations like the United States， Germany and Japan as well as the average rate of major economies.

The trade structure also improved last year， with growing trade with Belt and Road countries， more high-end exports and import growth.

Equity Incentives

China has rolled out new rules to support equity incentives for foreign employees at domestic listed fi rms in its latest efforts to further open up the capital market.

Procedures will be streamlined as the money involved will be managed in a registration-based manner， according to a statement released by the central bank and the forex regulator.

Related operations such as cross-border payment and remittance can be conducted after registration without having to apply for approval.

The new rules also allow foreign workers to choose the source of the money involved in equity incentives. It can come from their legal domestic income or be remitted from overseas， the statement said.

China allowed foreign employees to enjoy equity incentives from domestic listed fi rms in 2016. In 2018， it extended the benefi ciaries from those working on the mainland to all working for the company.

Orange Opportunities

A villager picks navel oranges in Huanglian Village in Fengjie County， southwest Chinas Chongqing Municipality， on February 13. Orange planting has become a pillar industry for the county.

Key Imports

Among the vast array of imported consumer goods， Chinese people seek out cosmetics， aquatic products and jewelry the most， the latest customs statistics show.

The import value of the three categories in 2018 increased by more than half year on year， according to a statistics report by Shanghai Customs. Shanghai is a major destination and distribution hub for imported goods in China.

The value of cosmetics imported via Shanghai Customs reached 27.95 billion yuan （$4.13 billion）， an increase of 55.85 percent over the previous year. Imports from Japan reached 6.29 billion yuan （$930 million）， an increase of 98.4 percent； imports from the United States 2.13 billion yuan （$314.9 million）， up 79.2 percent； and imports from the European Union 10.84 billion yuan（$1.6 billion）， an increase of 37.9 percent.

In 2018， Shanghai Customs imported aquatic products worth 13.65 billion yuan （$2.01 billion）， an increase of 52.7 percent year on year. They also imported jewelry worth 7.8 billion yuan （$1.15 billion）， up 52.3 percent.

Tibet Online Boom

Online retail sales in Tibet Autonomous Region， southwest China， surged 58.5 percent year on year in 2018， totaling 4.87 billion yuan （$720 million）， the regional commerce department said on February 11.

About 2.17 million people use the Internet frequently in Tibet， about two thirds of the regional population.

E-commerce is among a raft of measures Tibet has taken to boost employment and cast off poverty for herders and farmers.

“Well promote the development of Internet-based logistics， deepen our work in poverty alleviation through e-commerce and expand sales channels for agricultural products，” Penpa， head of the department， said.

Tibet is among Chinas fastest growing provinces， autonomous regions and municipalities， posting double-digit GDP growth for 26 consecutive years. Its GDP in 2018 was estimated at more than 140 billion yuan （$20.6 billion）， up about 10 percent from 2017.

Fabric of Life

Workers make lanterns in Nangong， north Chinas Hebei Province， on February 1. Around of the Spring Festival， the city received overwhelming orders for ornaments including lanterns， couplets and cutouts.

Suning Acquisition

Chinese e-commerce giant Suning.com will acquire all Wanda department stores to expand its offl ine presence and improve their shopping experience， the company announced on February 12. The acquisition is expected to promote an online-to-offl ine retail ecosystem and facilitate merchandise supply chain reform， boosting profi ts of its retail businesses.

The 37 outlets of Wanda， with over 4 million registered customers， are mainly located in downtown areas in fi rst- and second-tier cities.

Suning and Wanda inked a strategic cooperation agreement in 2015 and strengthened their partnership in 2018 with the former buying a tiny stake in the latters commercial management branch.

Suning.com will build on its cloud computing framework to ensure smoother retail experience and put more focus on product and service quality this year， the statement said.

Once an e-commerce platform focusing mainly on home appliances， Suning.com has been gearing up its offl ine presence in recent years with over 4，000 grocery outlets opened in 2018.

Expat Guests

Foreigners attend a Spring Festival event in Beijing on February 6. Foreign travelers made 30.54 million trips to China in 2018， a 4.7-percent increase than that in 2017， according to Chinas Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Shenzhen Tax Cuts

Tax reductions for private businesses in Shenzhen， south Chinas Guangdong Province， rose 10.2 percent year on year to reach 170.57 billion yuan （$25.2 billion） last year， local taxation authorities said. The fi gure accounted for more than 70 percent of the citys entire tax reductions for last year.

The private sector plays an important role in the citys economy， contributing around 70 percent of tax revenue. As of September 2018， the number of private enterprises in Shenzhen totaled 1.86 million， accounting for 96 percent of all enterprises.

To encourage the development of the hi-tech industry， Shenzhen implemented a series of preferential tax policies， cutting more than 71 billion yuan （$10.5 billion） of taxes in the fi eld last year.

The taxation administration said it also worked with multiple banks to provide innovative fi nancial services based on private enterprises taxpaying credits in order to solve their fi nancial diffi culties.

Food Delivery Jobs

Booming food delivery services in China have propelled the countrys anti-poverty campaign as more rural people come to the cities for delivery jobs， a report showed.

About 77 percent of 2.7-millionplus food delivery people working for delivery service giant MeituanDianping come from rural areas， and about 670，000 of them are from impoverished regions， according to a report from the company.

Over half of them work less than four hours each day and nearly 30 percent of the food delivery people pocket over 5，000 yuan （$739） each month. More than half of them chose to work in their own province， which is most notable in central Chinas Henan Province.

Economic heavyweight Guangdong Province has the largest number of food delivery people， followed by Jiangsu， Zhejiang， Shanghai and Beijing.

Chinas food delivery market has been growing at a double-digit pace in recent years and is expected to have exceeded 240 billion yuan（$35.5 billion） in 2018， according to the market research platform iiMedia Research.