TIANJIN’S NEW MAYOR

Zhang Gong was appointed mayor of Tianjin Municipality， the largest coastal city in north China， on July 6.

Born in 1961 in Beijing， Zhang majored in electrical machinery in college. After graduating in 1983， he was employed by the Beijing Electric Appliance Research Institute and one decade later became its director. In 1997， he obtained a master’s degree in economics.

From 2002 on， he ventured into a political career in Beijing where he was appointed as deputy director of the current Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology. From 2012 to 2018， he served as the capital’s vice mayor.

On May 31， Zhang was named acting mayor of Tianjin， succeeding Liao Guoxun who died of a sudden illness in office at the age of 59.

Nanfang Daily July 6

Businesses and factories in many places are reopening after China managed to control its recent COVID-19 resurgence. But media reports now indicate that a number of employers are rejecting jobseekers because the latter were once diagnosed with COVID-19.

This kind of discrimination against job applicants is groundless， especially because the chances of recovered cases testing positive again are very low.

Many of these employers are simply protecting their own interests. Under the current circumstances， if an employee relapses， a whole factory will have to shut down. These are realistic worries， but continuing a biased policy against job applicants with blatant disregard for scientific evidence can prove more harmful than the virus itself.

COVID-19 did wreak havoc on businesses， but this is no excuse to deny job applicants an opportunity to get back to work—and back to normal. Particularly not in those places accelerating the reopening of factories.

People’s Daily July 7

Compared with other cultural parks in Beijing featuring skyscrapers and fancy facilities， the 77 Cultural and Creative Park hidden behind a quaint gray brick street wall in the capital’s Dongcheng District maintains a more common touch.

The 1950s printing-factory-turned-park started renovations in 2012 and went into operation in May 2014， starring film， theater and television drama as its core content. The park’s purposely lowered production costs attract many actors and crews as well as enable audiences to catch a movie or two at a reasonable price.

The 77 Cultural and Creative Park is the epitome of Beijing’s culture-driven urban transition， with more and more of the capital’s old factories now getting a modern makeover.

Dongcheng District has turned a number of its old factories into cultural parks. So far， the district features 42 such parks， covering a total area of 730，000 square meters. Last year， these venues reported a revenue of 143.6 billion yuan （$21.4 billion）， setting a successful example for the functional transition of old factories.

Culture is of the utmost importance in any urban overhaul. Under the relevant guidelines rolled out by the Beijing Municipal Government， several cultural parks with distinctive features are on the rise in the city.

These venues not only revitalize the city itself， but also create more space and opportunities for its residents.

Xinhua News Agency July 6

In the past seven years， two nationwide inspections on ecology and environment have pushed forward China’s pursuit of greener growth.

The country’s central authorities first started the checks in late 2015 and finished the first round of inspections at the local level by 2018. The second round covered more than 30 provincial-level regions， two government departments， and six centrally administered state-owned enterprises from 2019 to the first half of 2022.

Based on a problem-solving principle， they prioritize the management of both major environmental issues and common public concerns.

So far， 95 percent of the 3，294 problems uncovered during the first round and its review period have been resolved， and half of the 1，227 issues already found in the second round have also been corrected， Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment Zhai Qing said on July 6.

Some 262 cases have been disclosed to the public， of which nearly half relate to pollution and weaknesses in environmental infrastructure； 33.2 percent are in the field of ecology and sustainable development.

Ni Kuang， one of Hong Kong’s most distinguished screenwriters and novelists， passed away on July 3 at the age of 87.

Born in Shanghai in 1935， Ni moved to Hong Kong in 1957. He was a proofreader and editor， before embarking on a career as a professional writer. He wrote hundreds of novels and film scripts covering different genres， including detective， science fiction， horror， martial arts and romance. He once worked on serializations for 12 newspapers at the same time.

For the 1972 film Fist of Fury， he created the protagonist Chen Zhen， portrayed by Bruce Lee. The character went on to become a Chinese cultural icon starring in numerous remakes and adaptations.

Ni received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2012.

“We also need cultural bridge-building. The economy is certainly important to make money… But the cultural elements are crucial where we align ourselves with similar values.”

Felix Sutter， President of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce， in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency

“We will stay in China. This is a single-country market that is growing the fastest in the long term.”

Michel Tran Van， Chief Operating Officer of Airbus China， in a recent interview with Xinhua

“How many George Floyd or Jayland Walker deaths are needed before the U.S. Government truly reflects on itself and takes practical actions to shed its arrogance and prejudice and achieve fairness and justice？”

Zhao Lijian， spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry， at a regular news briefing on July 5

“We are facing continued vaccine inequity， rising inflation， major supply chain disruptions and crippling geopolitical uncertainties. We are on a dangerous path to harming future generations， if we do not act now.”

Collen Vixen Kelapile， President of the UN Economic and Social Council， during a UN forum on sustainable development which opened on July 5