SCHOOL BELLS ARE RINGING

A fire drill conducted at a primary school in Changning District， Shanghai， serves as the first class of the new semester on September 1. Following one firefighters instructions， students made their way along the escape route.

On September 1， primary and secondary schools across the country ushered in the first day of school amid anti-virus measures.

Beautified Trees

Visitors appreciate a tree hole painting at a park in Shanghai on August 31. The park has had its tree holes painted to attract new visitors.

Urban Renewal

China will take measures to prevent large-scale demolition of buildings during the upgrading of cities， the countrys urbanplanning authorities said on August 31.

The country will avoid tearing down existing buildings on a large scale unless those buildings are illegal or designated as dangerous by professional agencies， while historical buildings should be preserved， said Huang Yan， Vice Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development， at a press conference.

Huang said that while many local governments have started to introduce policies for urban renewal in line with the Central Government agenda， some plans seemed to have run counter to the original intention， such as those on demolishing old towns and districts or cutting down old trees on a large scale.

All localities should carefully plan their urban-renewal programs， taking into account the situation of each city and avoiding increasing hidden debts to local governments， Huang said.

After decades of rapid development， Chinas urbanization has entered a new phase of development， with the urbanization rate at over 60 percent.

During this new stage， city development should focus on optimizing structure， improving functionality and enhancing quality， Huang said.

Stricter Regulations

Chinese authorities issued a circular on August 30 urging further management and education for artistic performers across the country.

Noting problems including tax evasion in the performance industry， the Ministry of Culture and Tourism stressed that artistic performers should strengthen their legal awareness. Artistic performers should be educated in terms of laws on copyright and tax， said the document.