Innehållsförteckning för Vol.67/No.28 från Beijing Review

From the Alpine town of Davos to the Chinese coastal city of Dalian, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has come a long way. In 1978, the year when China launched its reform and opening-up policy, Klaus Schwab, WEF founder and Executive Chairman, extended an invitation to Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, the architect of this transformative policy. Deng sent a high-level delegation to the 1979 annual meeting. Just a few months later, Schwab visited Beijing with a European business delegation that included 20 CEOs. With the signing of a memorandum of understanding, the knot was tied. In 2005, Schwab proposed the idea of a Summer Davos in China, to complement the regular annual meeting that gathers foremost political and business leaders in Davos, Switzerland, in winter. Dalian, Liaoning Province, and Tianjin,…

As China and Switzerland celebrate the 10th anniversary of their free trade agreement (FTA), officials from both nations praised their economic collaboration and announced plans to begin talks on upgrading the deal to further enhance bilateral trade. The announcement was made during Swiss Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin’s five-day visit to China from July 1 to 5, and followed an announcement by Chinese Premier Li Qiang and President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd in January to “support the early launch of formal FTA upgrade negotiations.” The announcement was marked on July 1 by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to officially recognize these intentions by Parmelin, who also heads the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education, and Research, and China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. According to the Chinese…

To buy or not to buy? Twenty-five-year-old office worker Lin Xing had been pondering this question regarding an apartment for a while. In 2020, right after graduating from college, he moved to Shanghai with just one suitcase, determined to work and settle in the city. Lin laid out his first major life plan—to secure an apartment in the megacity within the next six years at the latest. He didn’t have any savings yet, so to save up for a down payment, he found a roommate to share rent with. He was frugal, carefully tracking every expense besides groceries and commuting costs—his spending was limited to the bare essentials. It wasn’t until this past Chinese New Year in February, when he got married, that the need for a home became urgent.…

On June 28, China held a conference to mark the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, demonstrating the country’s unwavering commitment to peaceful development. Since their inception, these principles have been warmly welcomed by many countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America that fought for independence, equality and dignity in the international political arena amid ideological confrontations during the Cold War. In contrast to the often condescending approach of Western powers toward developing countries, these principles advocate that all countries, regardless of size or ideological, political or social structure, are equal, and in managing mutual relations, all should practice restraint. Consequently, the principles have been gradually deemed as fundamental norms governing international political and economic relations, being seen as the moral standard. By introducing and faithfully practicing…

Since the start of the rainy season, persistent heavy rainfall has lashed many areas in China, bringing severe floods. Actions have been taken to control floods, rescue those affected and reduce disaster damage. After red alerts were issued for rainstorms in Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (SFCDRH) on June 24 raised the flood emergency response to Level III across the regions. According to the Ministry of Water Resources (MWR), the waters of over 500 rivers in 21 provinces have exceeded warning levels this flood season due to persistent heavy downpours. In China’s color-coded weather warning system, red represents the severest warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most urgent…

College graduation marks the conclusion of one’s student years and the beginning of a new life chapter. Graduates worldwide celebrate this milestone in different ways, often through ceremonies with students wearing caps and gowns to accept their hard-earned degrees, as well as parties and parades amid a colorful backdrop of balloons, confetti and flowers. In China, a host of graduating college students in late June embraced a new trend in graduation attire. These fresh graduates adorned their gowns with Chinese cultural elements, including the yunjian (a cloud-shaped cape), zanhua (flower decorations specifically used on caps), and the mamian, a style of pleated dress originating from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Both the yunjian and mamian fall under the hanfu category, with hanfu being the traditional dress of the Han Chinese. “I’ve…

A lecture in Beijing on June 28 introduced local residents to concepts and case studies on the restoration and use of historic buildings. The Taianli Culture and Arts Center, where the lecture was held, is itself an architecturally significant shikumen building, built between 1915 and 1918. Emerging in the mid-19th century in Shanghai, shikumen buildings, named for their stone-framed doorways, are rare in Beijing. Recognizing the neighborhood’s buildings had fallen into disrepair and were no longer liveable, local authorities began their restoration in 2018. Today, Taianli is home to cafés, restaurants, museums and galleries, as well as the culture and arts center, which regularly hosts lectures and exhibitions on the preservation of architecture and heritage. Comments to weiyao@cicgamericas.com…

Preventing Schistosomiasis The National Disease Control and Prevention Administration has released a circular on redoubling efforts to prevent and control schistosomiasis during this year’s flood season, aiming to stem the emergence and outbreak of the infectious disease, Xinhua News Agency reported on July 2. The circular urges local disease response departments to work with the related authorities on coordinated, prompt and targeted measures such as blood fluke extermination, proper livestock management, and key-demographic monitoring work. Schistosomiasis, a Class B infectious disease in China, was in the past common in 12 provincial-level regions in the Yangtze River basin and south of the river. Infection follows contact with water infested with larval forms of blood flukes. A “Healthy China 2030” outline issued in 2016 called for eliminating schistosomiasis in all endemic counties…

WOMAN DIES SAVING JAPANESE FAMILY Hu Youping, a resident in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, sacrificed her life in shielding a Japanese woman and child from a knife-wielding attacker. Hu, 54, tried to stop an assailant attacking a bus used by a school at a bus stop on June 24. The school bus guide was stabbed multiple times by the attacker and tragically passed away two days later despite efforts by doctors. Her bravery and heroic actions have been widely praised in both China and Japan. “She is a shining example of the kindheartedness, bravery and everyday heroism in Chinese people, who would not hesitate to stand in harm’s way to help others,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. The Japanese Embassy in China lowered its flag to half-mast to honor…

Increasing people’s living standards and quality of life is one of the main purposes of China’s economic development. The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, held in late 1978, kicked off China’s program of reform and opening up. Decades later, the Chinese people’s lives have greatly improved and the country has also become a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, scheduled for July 15 to 18, is considered another landmark event in China’s history as the country enters a new stage of development. Advancing economic modernization and elevating people’s wellbeing will be important topics of the meeting. Since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2013, China has redoubled…

 ‘Coming to China has really been a dream of mine for a long time, from when I was a child,” Harriet Parkinson, a rising senior at Brigham Young University in the United States, said while attending the Bond With Kuliang: 2024 China-U.S. Youth Festival, which took place in Fuzhou, Fujian Province in southeast China, on June 24-28. The seed was planted in the heart of this American girl when she was only 5 years old. At that time, her parents helped her make the choice to begin taking the Chinese classes offered by her school in Minnesota. In June, she finally set foot in China for the first time and said she was fascinated by every new thing she saw and experienced. When talking about the biggest takeaway from this…

As one of the best-known freshwater fish produced in Zhongshan City in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, crispy grass carp is widely favored for its savory flavor, as well as for the firm and springy texture that gives it its name. The culinary preferences of Guangdong natives hinge upon the concept of freshness. As dozens of refrigerated trucks, laden with the fish, cross the bay between Zhongshan and Shenzhen cities in Guangdong daily, the transit time and journey length dictate the value of this delicacy. For gourmands in Shenzhen, enjoying Zhongshan’s crispy grass carp at its very freshest depends on the strength of the region’s transport infrastructure. The mouth of the Pearl River Estuary forms an inverted V-shaped bay. Setting off from Zhongshan on the western side to reach…

Liang Shi, at the age of 58, took his 28th college entrance examination (gaokao) in June. His hope is to be admitted to Sichuan University in his home province of Sichuan but he has failed again and again. This year, his gaokao score was 446, 11 points away from Sichuan’s admission threshold score. Battered by repeated failures, Liang reportedly always tells himself that he will not take the exam again, but each year he continues to make “one final attempt.” Similarly, Tang Shangjun, 36, has taken the gaokao 15 times in a row since 2009. His results are much better than Liang’s. He has been admitted to several elite universities like Jilin University and China University of Political Science and Law. However, he has given up these opportunities because his…