2014年12月2日星期二

PLA begins large-scale drills

PLA begins large-scale drills

PLA begins large-scale drills

Passengers look at an electronic board showing most flights delayed or canceled at Xiaoshan Airport in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province on Saturday. The civil aviation authority issued alerts indicating widespread flight delays in major cities over the weekend. Rainy storms hit many cities across China, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Photo: CFP

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has launched a series of exercises of a rare breadth and scale in advance of this year's Army Day on August 1, as the Chinese military moves to hone its craft in simulating battles to prepare for potential challenges in a more convoluted international situation. The Ministry of National Defense announced on Sunday that a military exercise will be conducted off China's southeast coast in the East China Sea starting July 29. Although the ministry said the maneuver with troops is part of the military's routine training, the exercise adds to several other military drills that are currently being carried out on land, at sea and in the skies. According to the website of the Maritime Safety Administration, the PLA has sent out warnings forbidding fishing vessels to enter certain waters in China's Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea for seven days starting Friday as a "military mission" is being carried out in the area. The PLA was also scheduled to conduct live fire training in the South China Sea's Beibu Gulf from Saturday to August 1. The newly announced military drill means that, in a rare situation, the PLA would be conducting exercises in all four seas at the same time, analysts say. "The scale of this year's routine military exercises is the largest over the past few years, and their breadth and depth are also impressive," Liu Jiangping, a professor with Beihang University and a navy expert, told the Global Times. The maritime exercises came at roughly the same time as the Civil Aviation Administration of China said last week that stormy weather and regular military exercises will cause "widespread delays" at 12 busy airports in East China, including Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Qingdao.The impact on civilian flights was played down on Sunday by the Ministry of National Defense, which said that military drills are not a major factor behind flight delays."The weather played a major role in causing the delays," the ministry stated on its website. It added that "conducting aerial maneuvers is a necessary measure to enhance China's air defense capabilities and has received widespread support from all aspects of society." Another land-based military exercise, dubbed Huoli-2014, involving 20,000 military personnel from five Military Area Commands, multiple training bases and PLA Nanjing Artillery Academy, started in late June and was scheduled to last for three months. A separate two-month exercise, named Kuayue-2014 Zhurihe, kicked off in June in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Xinhua News Agency reported. "The exercises this year have shown new characteristics. They are more combat-oriented, with more specific training purposes, last longer and demand more cooperation between various units," Liu said, adding that the change was at the request of Chinese President and Chairman of Central Military Commission Xi Jinping, who said last year that the PLA must be able to fight in a war and be able to ensure victory. The recent intensive military exercises coincided with the joint military exercise held by the US, India and Japan, off Japan's southern coast from July 25 to 30, a move seen by some analysts as a tactic to contain China. "Although the joint drill does not openly point at China, exercises like this add to pressures in our national security," said Yin Zhuo, a military expert from the Chinese Navy Advisory Committee for Informatization. "China should not act recklessly in such situations. The best way to respond is to strengthen our own military training."Some media connected the exercises with Friday's 120th anniversary of China's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), which played a role in the collapse of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the rise of Japan as an Asian power. The anniversary prompted much reflection as tensions between China and Japan escalated in the past two years over the Diaoyu Islands.However, Zhang Junshe, a research fellow with the Chinese Naval Research Institute, insisted the ongoing military drills are just routine exercises as plans are made on a yearly basis.He said the main purpose of these drills is to enhance the PLA's combat capabilities to prevent the tragedies such as the First Sino-Japanese War from repeating itself. "We must be able to fight a war to stop a war," he told the Global Times. Since July, a major adjustment of personnel has taken place within seven major Military Area Commands, promoting dozens of senior officials in PLA who possess battle and command experience.



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Deng Xiaoping among greatest reformists in history- Mahathir



Deng Xiaoping among greatest reformists in history: Mahathir


















Deng Xiaoping among greatest reformists in history: Mahathir





"I think Deng Xiaoping is one of the greatest reformists in the history of China and the history of the world," former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview as China marked the 110th anniversary of the birth of its late leader.Mahathir said Deng brought about tremendous change in the policies of China, which was the start of the reforms took place in China resulting in its present position as the second biggest economy in the world.As Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, Mahathir took over the position in 1981 and stepped down in 2003 after 22 years of premiership. He met with Deng twice, one in 1978 during Deng's visit to Malaysia, the other in 1985 when he paid his first visit to China."I first met him when he came here at the time when I was a deputy prime minister. He was very curious about Malaysia," Mahathir recalled, adding that he had a very long session with Deng talking about development."He was very keen on details of every aspect, so much so that sometimes I couldn't answer," Mahathir said. He gave an example that Deng asked him about the tonnage of steel produced in Malaysia, which he did not know.The former prime minister said Deng asked many questions about Malaysia's progress, which made him realize that Deng was going to learn something from outside for reforms in China."Obviously he wanted to change from what was happening in China. He wanted to bring about reform. To bring about reforms he studied very carefully the performance of other countries," he said.Mahathir said he has seen many other reformists who brought about complete change, but he believed that Deng is among the greatest."Because it was not easy to change China. You have a huge population. And obviously he didn't want to see China remain behind other nations of the world," he added.Mahathir also quoted in admiration Deng's famous saying, which originated from a common idiom of China's Sichuan Province-- "It doesn't matter whether the cat is white or black, as long as it catches a mouse," adding that it showed the man was very pragmatic and saw things not bound by traditional thinking.Chinese President Xi Jinping said China will proceed with reform and opening up without hesitation, and proposed the concept of Chinese Dream. As to this, Mahathir said China was the most civilized country for a long time and then there was a period of declining, and the Chinese Dream was to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.





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Five Chinese officials investigated for corruption



Five Chinese officials investigated for corruption


















Five Chinese officials investigated for corruption





Prosecutors have opened an investigation into five officials for suspected of bribery and embezzlement, said the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) Monday.Two were senior executives of state-owned enterprises and the others worked for provincial governments, according to the SPP statement.Liang Jingli, former president of state-owned Guangxi Liuzhou Iron and Steel Group, and Ma Linguo, former general manager of the Yinchuan branch of the State Grid Ningxia Electric Power Company, are suspected of taking bribes and embezzling public money.The three former provincial officials are Luo Weiguo, former discipline chief of the department of land and resources with Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Gao Chongtong and Huang Quanfu, both former senior officials with the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region government, all accused of bribery.They have been "placed under coercive measures," the statement said.According to China's criminal procedure law, the coercive measures include summons by force, bail, residential surveillance, detention and arrest. The SPP did not specify which measures have been taken in these cases.





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19 dead, 4 missing in SW China coal mine accident

19 dead, 4 missing in SW China coal mine accident

19 dead, 4 missing in SW China coal mine accident
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Miners rest at the entrance of the Xiangshui Coal Mine in Liupanshui City of Southwest China's Guizhou province November 25, 2012. A coal-gas outburst has killed 19 miners with four others still trapped.? [Photo/Xinhua]

GUIYANG - Nineteen miners were confirmed dead, and four others remain trapped after a coal-gas outburst hit a coal mine in Southwest China's Guizhou province on Saturday, rescuers said Sunday.

The search is full in swing after gas density in the pit has declined, and rescuers are expected to reach the trapped miners this afternoon, said Yin Zhihua, vice mayor of Liupanshui, in a brief.

Twenty-eight miners were working underground when the accident occurred at 10:55 am at the Xiangshui Coal Mine, the provincial authorities said.

By 9 pm, five miners have been rescued, with one being in critical conditions, local officials said.

The coal mine, operated by Pannan Coal Exploitation Co, Ltd, is located in Panxian county of the coal-rich Liupanshui city. It went into operation in 2006 with a designed annual output of 4 million tonnes. The mine sits on a coal deposit of 1.3 billion tonnes.

Coal produced by Xiangshui feeds Pannan Power Station in the region, which is considered a key part of the government's strategy to send electricity from its resource-rich western region to the power-hungry industry belts in the east.

According to government figures released in mid-October, 1,146 people died in 650 mining accidents this year. About 46.5 percent of the deaths were caused by illegal mining operations.

Authorities intended to shut down 625 small mines this year to boost mining safety.

The State Council, or the cabinet, on Saturday ordered tightened coal mine safety supervision.

It said in a circular that coal mines which have failed to meet the safety standards should not be reopened and those who abuse their power to lower overhaul standards would be punished.

 
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Too much homework gets school bad mark_2



Too much homework gets school bad mark


















Too much homework gets school bad mark





December 27, 2013 -- A LOCAL primary school was ordered to cut the amount of homework given to pupils, after being criticized by the Ministry of Education in its latest public inspection report.


The Hongkou District No. 2 Central Primary School said yesterday that it has now reduced the homework issued.


All first-graders will finish required written exercises in class and the amount of homework for second-grade students has been lowered in line with regulations, said an official.


The school was found to be assigning so much copying work that children had to stay up late and were not getting sufficient sleep.


Teachers also used time that should have been devoted to PE and activities classes to teach Chinese, mathematics and English, in breach of rules.


According to the regulations issued by the Shanghai Education Commission, local primary schools shouldn��t assign any written homework to first and second-grade students.


For students in grades three to six, they should be able to finish their homework in an hour, and for seven to nine grades, homework assigned should be finished in no more than 90 minutes.


Despite these strict rules, parents said teachers would assign homework secretly and require parents to sign their names after children finish the assignment.


Lu Pei, a Chinese teacher at Hongxing Primary School, said teachers have no choice but give the homework because children could not remember all the words required for a teaching objective with only a little writing practice in class.


��I think a proper amount of written homework is good for children who have just started school,�� Lu said.


��Chinese characters are more difficult than English words, and it will be good for them if they have good handwriting, which requires practice.��


A mother surnamed Cai of a first-grader at a local public school, said her son needed an hour every day to finish all his written and oral homework.


��The teacher says homework can help children remember words. My son learns three to four new Chinese characters every day and they have quizzes in class,�� Cai said.


Inspectors also found too much homework was being issued at schools in neighboring Zhejiang Province, while students at schools in Anhui, Hebei and Hainan provinces were obliged to take extra classes after school.


The Ministry of Education asked education authorities in each province and city to supervise schools that have broken the rules and to strengthen checks to prevent excessive homework and extra classes.







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Paper-cut artists strive to rise above technology



Paper-cut artists strive to rise above technology


















Paper-cut artists strive to rise above technology





January 2, 2014 -- Distinguished by their delicate composition, vivid shapes and flamboyant colors, Yuxian paper-cuts challenge people's normal understanding of these Chinese artworks as red flowers for windows. They are considered a rich and honored part of Chinese traditional folk heritage.


Yuxian County, situated in the northwest of Hebei province, is famous for its multi-colored paper-cuts, which are produced through processions of handmade patterns, blotting the paper, knife cutting and coloring.


Rather than using scissors to create detailed images and patterns, Yuxian craftsmen carve into the paper with a thin, sharp knife, which can finely slice the paper and allow the artist to focus on small details. This gives the image an essence of realism.


With a history of more than 200 years, Yuxian paper-cutting, with its unique skills and rich cultural connotations, was named a national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.


However, with computer design and mechanized production providing a faster and easier way to generate more profits, some traditional artists worry that the increasing use of modern technologies will strip the essence of the manual art.


Zhou Shuying, a renowned paper-cut artist from Yuxian, has devoted herself to preserving and developing the art.


Influenced by her father Zhou Yongming, who was the first person to produce the paper-cuts of opera masks, the 49-year-old is also a pursuer of excellence. She spends a whole day coloring a fist-sized flower, and a work of four meters long has taken her eight months to finish.


Despite her persistence in doing work by hand, Zhou sees computer-generated designs in almost every gallery of Yuxian, and says the traditional manual artists are struggling.


"The impact is huge, especially to those working in small mills. They used to be well-paid, but recently there have been many artists worrying about how to make a living faced with the technology trend," says Zhou, whose six brothers and sisters also work to pass on the art.


Zhou says the technology could contribute to the economy, but cannot deliver the inspiration to the artist. She also urged traditional artists to stay close to what their ancestors have left for them in face of technology.


Zhou also suggests the local government raise people's awareness of protecting the manual art by founding paper-cut schools, art museums and shooting paper-cut movies.


Another artist, Gao Dianliang, proposes adding painting elements would help to increase the artistic value of paper-cuts and distinguish the handmade from the mass-produced.


"Adding traditional Chinese painting will give the paper-cuts new vitality," Gao says. "Drawing could be a supplement to reflect what coloring can't achieve, and make the paper-cuts of Yuxian impossible to reproduce. It's another process of artistic creation.


"The pieces produced by machines are affordable versions for common people, while the real art must be reflected by manual work," he says.


"Paper-cuts share the same rules with calligraphy and painting, and could also match the other mediums in artistic value."







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Schools to be closed for air pollution_0



Schools to be closed for air pollution


















Schools to be closed for air pollution





November 27, 2013 -- China may adopt a flexible working hours system and suspend school classes in case of the highest air pollution warnings, a government circular said on Wednesday.


The circular was issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection as China has been under growing pressure to curb air pollution, with heavy smog frequently smothering large cities.


It also urged every possible compulsory measure to reduce emissions when the highest warning of air pollution is issued. The measures include suspension of factories, restriction of vehicles on the road, dust controls and a ban on outdoor barbecue.


Large-scale outdoor activities should be stopped. Middle and primary schools as well as kindergartens should suspend classes. Enterprises and institutions should adopt flexible working hours, according to the circular sent to local environmental protection departments.


The smog has caused a severe impact on public health, especially when coal-fired heating in winter results in large emissions of pollutants, according to the circular.


It called for rigid control of pollution caused by coal burning and encouraging the use of natural gas.


The circular also urged strengthened management of pollution caused by industries and motor vehicles.


China has built 668 air quality monitoring stations in 114 cities, and the figure could rise to 884 stations in 161 cities by the end of the year, according to the ministry.


Any interference, tampering or falsification during monitoring will be severely punished, ministry officials said.


Since the beginning of 2013, 74 cities including Beijing, Tianjin and those in neighboring Hebei Province, the Yangtze River delta, the Pearl River delta, have been monitoring and reporting major pollutants including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, inhalable particles, ozone, carbon monoxide and fine particles.


A pilot air quality warning system in the cities of Beijing, Tianjin and surrounding areas has been used since Nov. 1. When the air quality index is set to go beyond 500, a level one warning, the highest, will be issued. A level two warning will be triggered when the index is expected to read between 300 and 500 for three days in a row, and a level three warning for readings of 200-300.


In Beijing, cars with odd and even license plates will be allowed on roads on alternating days and schools will close when a level one alert is issued, according to the city's emergency response program.







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