Beijing Today News (January 30, 2015)

12.8 MB·English

by  Beijing Youth Daily Group

PUBLISHED BI-WEEKLY ~ ISSUE NO. 712 ~ JANUARY 30, 2015 ~ 3.00#
Trafficking AliPay Update Southern
Shows Need for Shows Alibaba’s School Finds
Easy Adoption Fear of WeChat New Leader
A black market demand for AliPay is struggling to explain The independent SUSTC is
babies feeds off China’s arcane new social features in its secure back with a new leader
adoption process. Page 4 payment platform. Page 5 from Peking U. Page 6
Train Goes
on Hiatus
In spite of a stellar first
day, awkward hours and
ticketing policies have
won the new bullet train
connecting Beijing and
Yanjiao few fans.
The train is being tem-
porarily halted so the cars
can be used elsewhere
during the Spring Festival
travel rush. Page 2
Man Caught Coordinating Blackmail,
CHINESE STOCK INDEXES
Conjugals from Prison Smartphone
SSE (Shanghai)
Close Change YTD
3,262.31 5 43.43 (1.31%) +0.86%
BY YANG XIN Wang used nude photos of Li to black- Local authorities confirmed that Wang
mail her into visiting him at the prison on bought his smartphone from a correc- SZSE (Shenzhen)
A
fter a series of prison breaks late several occasions. tional officer. In the months following his Close Change YTD
last year, Heilongjiang’s correc- On each visit, she brought gifts valued incarceration, Wang developed a large net- 11,249.04 5 105.16 (0.93%) +2.13%
tional facilities are once again in the at more than 10,000 yuan. Li’s husband work involving prisoners, jailers, relatives
news for a strange case of digitally aided reported the extortion to local authorities of jailers, mistresses and vendors working HSI (Hong Kong)
conjugal visits and blackmail. in November. near the prison. Close Change YTD
A Nehe Prison inmate named Wang An official probe found that Wang had An inmate in an adjacent cell said Wang 24,595.85 5 265.96 (1.07%) +4.20%
Dong reportedly defrauded two women acquired more than 110,000 yuan worth could often be heard consulting with cor-
and coerced another into engaging him in of goods from two of the women on his rectional officers for romantic advice and Accurate to market close on January 29, 2015
a sexual relationship at the prison using WeChat contact list. what to say to his online girlfriends.
Tencent’s popular WeChat. The jail’s digi- Wang was jailed in 2005 for robbery, Prison administrators submitted the
tal Don Juan was also involved in online for fraud in 2009 and for kidnapping in case to a local procuratorial office for
romances with more than seven women 2012, the Oriental Morning Post reported. public prosecution. The warden and five
who lived near the prison. He was 58 days shy of his 18th birthday guards, who allegedly were bribed to con-
Among them was Li Li (pseudonym), when he was first imprisoned in 2005, the ceal Wang’s activities, were demoted or
the wife of a local police officer. newspaper reported. issued warnings. ~
Beijing Youth Daily Group President: Zhang Yanping Editor-in-Chief: Jack Wang ~ Content Director: Su Derui ~ Designer: Zhao Yan ~ Phone: [phone] ~ FAX: [phone]
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Chaoyang District, Beijing, China 100026 Published under the auspices of the Office of the Beijing Municipal Government. Run by Beijing Youth Daily Group.
2
JANUARY 30, 2015 NEWS BEIJING TODAY
Courts to
Stop
Tracking
Rate of
Case
Settlement
BY LI RUIQI
I
n one of its most proactive moves of the
last decade, the Political and Law Con-
ference ruled that courts would no longer
be allowed to consider the rate of case
CFP Photos
settlement when assessing annual perfor-
Jing-Yan Bullet
mance earlier this month.
Deputy Judge Wu Zaicun of the Bei-
jing Supreme Court also announced plans
Train Gets a Cold to remove the item from judges’ personal
assessment in Beijing after the conference.
“This is a sound action to improve
the quality of trial courts,” said Liu
Reception
Zhiyun, a deputy to the National Peo-
ple’s Congress.
The rate of case settlement has long
Photo by CFP been used as a crucial index of court per-
formance. It has also been condemned as
BY ZHENG CHONG
T the most direct cause of miscarriage of
he widely anticipated Jing-Yan subway, bus and rail lines connecting the available before 8 am each day. If you miss justice and of courts’ refusal to hear new
bullet train will be suspended from two cities. that train, you have no choice and cannot cases near the year end.
later this month thanks to its alarm- Three bullet trains connecting Beijing recoup the ticket cost,” a netizen writing A chief judge at a Beijing primary court
ingly cold reception. and Yanjiao, and each is capable of carry- under the handle Hailang Botao said. who spoke on conditions of anonymity
Created to connect Beijing with ing 400 passengers per day. They are rarely “The night train departs at 5:50 pm. said his court settled 98 percent of its
Yanjiao, a boomtown on its eastern operating at more than half capacity. Most people don’t leave work before 5:30 cases in 2007 and stopped hearing new
border with Hebei province, planners In order to better serve the Spring Fes- pm, which makes it impossible to get the cases every November.
expected the train to become a pri- tival travel boom, the Ministry of Rail- train station in time,” another netizen “Opening new cases creates a bigger
mary mode of transportation the tens of ways said it would temporarily suspend the named ‘Treasure’ wrote. denominator,” said Zhang Wei, a judge
thousands of people who live in Hebei three trains for use on other lines. Ordinary trains such as K7782, K7783 who recently resigned from a Beijing pri-
and work in Beijing. Passengers also complained about the and K7784 offer more accommodating mary court. Overtime is common at the
However, after carrying a full load of inconvenience of taking the trains and their schedules. Though different from bullet end of the year as courts scramble to close
passengers on January 12, the line’s use “irrational” schedule. trains, their trip time is nearly same and can as many cases as possible.
crashed to unsustainable levels. “It takes me a long time to book a ticket even be four minutes faster than D9022, When Spring Festival approaches,
Located about 30 miles east of and get it. Also, the ticket checking pro- whose time is 31 minutes. many courts directly advise prosecutors
Tian’anmen Square, Yanjiao is home to cess often makes me uncomfortable,” said The Beijing Rail Company said it to withdraw their lawsuits in order to
500,000 residents, some 60,000 of whom a passenger surnamed Huang. “I think the would lower its ticket prices for coach artificially inflate their rate of case settle-
work in Beijing. The trans-provincial buses are much more convenient.” passage on the trains once they formally ment, the Beijing Times reported.
traffic puts immense pressure on all “There is only one Jing-Yan bullet train enter regular operation. ~ While some cases are continued after
Spring Festival, many fall into an admin-
Change istrative black hole and are suspended
ness will set aside a bigger quota for indefinitely due to a loss of evidence.
recruiting students from the countryside,” “Cases taken in November can rarely
Coming to
the Beijing Municipal Commission of Edu- be solved by the end of the year,” Zhang
cation said. said. He said the index is in contradiction
College In addition to the enrollment adjust- to the natural time it takes to close a case.
ment, the reform also includes changes to Most require at least three months from
the bonus points system. the date of the preliminary hearing. Cases
Entrance
According to the notice released by that move to the appeals process can drag
the Ministry of Education at the end of on for years.
Exam last year, honors students and those dis- “Often, the court asks the litigants to
tinguished in morality, Olympic math, postpone prosecution to the next year. To
scientific competition and sports will not some degree, it’s a violation of the liti-
be awarded bonus points on their exams. gant’s right to action,” he said.
BY DIAO DIAO
The only remaining bonus points will be While the change will help to lessen
A
fter years of complaints and disputes Zang said details of the plan will be the 5 points automatically awarded to stu- the courts’ burden, it may also contrib-
about college enrollment, Beijing has released before Spring Festival. dents who come from ethnic minorities. ute to a larger backlog of cases. Chi
finally agreed to allow students to select According to the usual schedule, stu- Beijing students who will attend this Qiang, chief judge of the Beijing Supreme
which college they will apply to after taking dents must submit their college selection year’s exams said they feel optimistic about Court, said monthly or seasonal evalu-
the National College Entrance Exam. forms in May. Their scores, however, do the change. ations might be a better way to gauge
In September, the State Council pub- not arrive until June 23. “Teachers always emphasize the working efficiency. ~
lished a notice of its plan to reform college Zang said students would be able to importance of school selection before the
enrollment. The notice requires that all name their preferred schools after receiv- exam, and that’s been a major distrac-
students be allowed to select which school ing their scores rather than having to guess tion. Now I can focus on the exam and
they will attend according to their scores. how well they might achieve. worry about schools later,” said by stu-
“In the past, Beijing students were The reform may give students from dent in Haidian district who refused to
required to name their schools before ever remote areas a better chance to enroll be named.
taking the exam,” Zang Tiejun, vice presi- in school. “In order to have an overall Some parents said that it’s unfair to Bei-
dent of the Beijing Education and Exami- improvement in education, universities jing students compared with other cities
nation Authority said. “This year, Beijing such as Capital Normal University and that have already carried out such policy
will make some changes.” Capital University of Economics and Busi- long ago. ~ Photo by cdzfw.gov.cn
EDITOR: DIAO DIAO ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN
3
BEIJING TODAY NEWS JANUARY 30, 2015
Macaque Circus THE WEEK
IN WEIRD
Trainers Cleared
STRANGE HAPPENINGS ON
of Wildlife
THE CHINESE NEWS WIRE
BY SU DERUI
Transport
Chongqing Bans Bacon to
Fight City’s Pollution
Charges
Chongqing’s Bureau of Environment Pro-
tection is banning bacon for its role in con-
tributing to the central city’s air pollution.
From January 20, anyone caught making
smoked bacon in the city will be fined as much as
5,000 yuan, according to the bureau’s website.
A recent report on the city’s increasing
smog blamed smoked meat as a major
source of air pollution.
The move follows a similar decision by
Beijing last year to ban outdoor barbecues
and kabob stands.
(Xinhua)
Scary Watermelon Man
Pulled From Beijing Subway
CFP Photos
BY YANG XIN
F A man who became a minor local celebrity
our macaque circus trainers transport licenses due to complicated no longer suits urban culture. We have for wearing a mask carved out of a water-
charged with illegally transport- administration procedures. to develop an official performance troupe melon was pulled off the Beijing subway
ing rare wildlife were acquitted on The men were detained for two months and grant each performing monkey an by Beijing police last week.
January 20 when an appellate court over- until their trial in September. authorized ‘hukou’ to facilitate manage- Passengers who met “Watermelon
turned guilty verdict in Xinye County, “Our family has been putting on ment. Our goal is to bring our street art to Brother” reported that he was rarely spot-
Henan province. macaque performances for generations the stage,” he said. ted without bottles of beer and baijiu and
The People’s Court of Xinye County in even though we never had a wildlife trans- “We also hope relevant departments generally acted pretty creepy.
Henan Province announced Bao Fengshan portation license,” said Zhang Zhizhong, a can simplify procedures for us to obtain A passenger who was particularly
and three other performers were not guilty macaque circus performer in Xinye. the proper licenses, taking into account upset shared a photo of the passenger
of what should have been a minor offense. Lack of the license caused Zhang to the value of macaque circus art as an with the Beijing’s subway police’s social
The four were detained by local police in be frequently driven away by authorities. intangible cultural heritage,” Zhang said. media account. The man was reportedly
July when performing with six macaques on The incident in Mudanjiang marks his As a traditional art of Xinye, monkey removed for questioning soon after.
the streets of Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang first conviction. circus performances were listed as an intan- (Tencent)
province on account of lacking a “wildlife Although Zhang Zhizhong and the gible cultural heritage by Henan province in
Fake Bank in Nanjing Nabs
transportation license,” local police said. others won their case, the most trouble- 2009. The art’s origins date back to the East-
200M Yuan in Deposits
According to regulations, macaque per- some issue has not been solved, said Zhang ern Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago.
formers must have three licenses for Junran, head of the Macaque Art Associa- Monkey performers usually travel More than 200 people were duped into
domestication and breeding, performing tion of Xinye County. around the country with their animals. depositing their money in a fake bank in
and wildlife transportation. Most per- “We need to think of a way for monkey More than 200 people in Xinye are macaque Nanjing, the BBC reported.
formers are unable to obtain the wildlife circus art to continue. Street performance circus trainers and performers. ~ The bank was built to look exactly like a
real bank with teller windows and uniformed
Regulations Limit Foreign
staff. It promised an interest rate of 2 percent
per week to anyone willing to open an account.
It collected more than 200 million yuan
Content on Streaming Video Sites
during its last year of operation. Customers
only realized something was wrong when
their promised interest never arrived.
BY DIAO DIAO
One man who had deposited more than
C
hinese streaming video site operators Websites are already culling their con- 12 million yuan called police after the bank
were warned to remove many of their tent. Instead of focusing on new series, refused to allow him to withdraw his money.
foreign series last March. Now a new regu- Tencent and Youku have been reviving Five people were arrested for the scam,
lation issued by the State Administration of long-ended series such as 24, Hero and Des- including one woman who fled to Macau with
Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television perate Housewives. a sizable amount of the deposits.
on January 23 threatens to cut even more. Fans of foreign TV have complained (BBC)
The new rules require that foreign- bitterly about the new regulations, saying
Adviser Calls for Gov to
origin programs account for less than 30 that most of the domestic shows feature
Attack Internet Slang
percent of the content on any domestic repetitive and uninteresting themes.
media platform. Both broadcast stations But website operators seem unusually Vulgar Internet slang could be on the
and streaming website operators will be calm about the change. Wei Ming, CEO of way out if the a proposal to the Chinese
subject to the regulation. Youku, said that site hopes to encourage People’s Political Consultative Confer-
Additionally, it also requires that all more user-generated content. The quality ence is embraced.
imported series must be registered through of videos uploaded by common users has Zhang Huaiqiong, a member of the
SARFT with a clear description of their improved dramatically over the years, and 12th Shanghai committee at the confer-
content. The deadline for registration is shows by amateur studios are among its ence, takes special issue with popular
February 10, with a possible extended dead- most popular. words such as “diaosi,” a slang word for
line of March 31. Amateur shows are of lower risk to loser that can literally be read to mean
Series from 2014 that are still airing video websites and encourage creativity, penile hair.
will be subject to the same limitation. Insiders said the new regulations would he said. She’s not out to destroy all slang, how-
Popular shows such as Shameless, mostly affect the importation of new series. Lin Zaichuan, a TV analyst, said the ever, “zhongguo da ma” seems to be per-
Agent Carter and Empire were removed Ongoing series can’t be submitted for amount of excellent foreign shows is fairly fectly acceptable, she said.
from many video websites last year. The approval until when the entire series fin- limited and that the 30 percent restriction The move follows attempts by Chi-
new regulations threaten more popular ishes airing. is unlikely to seriously affect the flow of nese state media to “stay hip” by adopting
series such as The Walking Dead, Mas- For many US dramas that spend four quality content. the vernaculor of China’s younger gener-
ters of Sex, Supernatural and American months to air one season, the Chinese broad- Wei said Youku will continue to seek ation in its broadcasts.
Horror Story. cast will be delayed by at least six months. great programming from abroad. ~ (Shanghai Daily)
EDITOR: DIAO DIAO ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN
4
JANUARY 30, 2015 FEATURE BEIJING TODAY
Latest Trafficking
Scandal
a Wake-Up Call for
Most of the abducted children rescued by the
Shandong police were found in poor health.
Adoption Reform
BY YANG XIN
P
olice in Shandong province arrested 301 suspects. Last March, Chi- ing face heavy penalties ranging from
busted a child-trafficking ring nese police uncovered four child-traffick- five years’ jail to death. But that does not
earlier this month, rescuing 37 ing rings and arrested more than 1,000 include the buyers who, under current
abducted children who had been people for using websites and instant law, are immune from criminal prosecu-
living in a cellar under squalid conditions messaging groups to trade in infants. tion unless they are found to have abused
and capturing their 103 traffickers. While the crackdowns have kept child the children or hindered rescue efforts.
But unlike most child-trafficking abduction on the decline, traffickers have While Article 241 of China’s Crim-
cases, which involve child abduction, been finding new ways to continue the inal Law stipulates that “adopters who
the children discovered in Shandong black-market trade: especially by invit- acquire children through illegal chan-
had been sold by their parents or other ing suppliers to complete the chain. nels may face up to three years prison,”
family members. In his recent study on children abduc- it also states “adopters may be exempt Photos by Jingmen Online
Traffickers first reached out to preg- tion, Li Chunlei, a scholar at Chinese Peo- from criminal liability as long as they
nant women through black channels and ple’s Public Security University, found have not abused the abducted children which in turn creates the need for traf-
made deals with potential buyers to sell that 67 of the 133 cases reported by media or interfered with police rescue efforts” ficked kids,” said Yang Xiaolin, a lawyer
newborn girls for 60,000 yuan and boys since 2000 involved the child’s natural in Article 6. at the Beijing YueCheng law firm.
80,000 yuan. parents or relatives as the original seller. Article 241 rarely ends up being An editorial on the Guangming Daily
China has seen numerous child-traf- applied in judicial practices while Arti- analyzed the allegedly high requirements
ficking cases in the past few years. In Laws to Target Buyers cle 6 acts as a powerful legal shield for in detail. China’s Adoption Law requires
2013, police rescued 92 children and Men and women found guilty of traffick- buyers of trafficked children. applicants to be childless, qualified to
But buyers have another reason to “implement family education,” free of
feel lucky. When a trafficked child’s nat- diseases or disabilities that could affect
ural parents are convicted and sentenced their ability to raise a child and older
to prison, the court often rules that the than 30.
child should stay with his or her adoptive Few couples can meet all the require-
parents – even if they acquired the baby ments at once.
through illegal channels. Another barrier is the formalities.
Those eligible for adoption must submit
Too Many Barriers a series of certifications and go through
“Poverty is the root of trafficking,” said five checks by both local authorities and
Pia MacRae, China’s director of Save the authorities in the child’s birthplace.
Children. “Trafficking routes go from The cost of the formalities can exceed
poor, remote areas to more developed, 35,000 yuan.
affluent regions.” Families yearning for healthy chil-
When asked whether the sale of chil- dren can easily be led to search the black
dren by families too poor to raise a baby market when legal options are placed
should really constitute a crime, Liu Huis- beyond their reach.
heng, deputy chief of a criminal inves-
tigation brigade under the Changting Learning from Abroad
Public Security Bureau, said yes. Wang Linghong, a Chinese national living
Last year, Changting, Fujian province in France, had much to say about the
was singled out for its child trade. Local European country’s adoption system.
police found that five children raised by “France has a higher degree of child
local families were trafficked with three adoption than its European neighbors
being sold by their natural parents. due to vastly simplified procedures. It’s
“I thought it was fine as long as the very helpful in suppressing the black
adoptive parents treated my child well,” market,” Wang said.
said one of the parents surnamed Feng. “You only need to prove to the
Feng’s confession sounded more like social welfare department that you
an appeal for adoption reform. can give the child a healthy environ-
Qin Xiyan, head of Hunan Qin Xiyan ment, access to school education and
Law Firm, said 10 percent of Chinese safety. That’s it,” she said. “You can
couples are unable to conceive and 10 even apply to adopt multiple children
percent of the children born suffer from at once. The examination procedure
physical disabilities. With the addition takes about six months.”
of families who lose their only child, the France has many protective mea-
demand for adoption is growing. sures granting children’s rights. Fami-
But China’s only legal path to adoption lies living in poverty, once they have a
is the Child Welfare Association: pri- child, can access to tax breaks, subsidies
vate adoption exists on the fringes of and a small allowance when the school
the law. year begins. Single mothers receive the
“The legal process of adoption from most assistance.
the Child Welfare Association is ham- “The law and social security support
pered by excessive requirements. That’s each other, which leaves the underground
CFP Photo what makes private adoption so popular, market nowhere to thrive,” she said. ~
EDITOR: YANG XIN ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN
5
BEIJING TODAY BUSINESS JANUARY 30, 2015
AliPay’s New Features Betray
Intense Fear of WeChat
BY LYNNE WANG
A
s WeChat Payment becomes holder of Sina Weibo in 2013. Thanks to a boom of e-commerce
the platform of choice for set- And now Weibo is dying. industry and the band effect of its sister
tling online accounts, Alib- “Alibaba is once again at a disadvan- firm Taobao, AliPay quickly became
aba is fighting back with its tage in the game of mobile social media, the largest payment app. By 2013,
increasingly neglected AliPay Wallet. and that disadvantage is threatening the AliPay Wallet had surpassed PayPal
On January 26, the company released dominance of its AliPay payment plat- to become the world’s largest mobile
an updated version of the product that form,” Huxiu Daily said in an editorial. payment platform.
added instant messaging features and Alibaba has been reeling since the But as a leading mobile payment tool,
friending. Called “My Friend,” the func- beating it took during Spring Festival business insiders question the wisdom of
tion encourages users to add their friends’ 2014. In a move that Chinese IT watch- jumping on WeChat’s success. It’s hard
mobile numbers or AliPay accounts and ers called “Tencent’s Attack on Pearl to imagine why users would want to use
to communicate with them. Harbor,” WeChat dragged Chinese tradi- a relatively mature payment tool to chat
Other social features include Intimate tion into the digital age with electronic or socialize.
Pay, which allows users to send money to red envelopes. “In the digital age, users’ social
close friends and relatives, and the Ten “Using digital payment platforms to behavior is exclusive. They are reluctant
Years Bill, which allows users to share send gifts was nothing new. AliPay and to change to a new social platform as
their usage history. Weibo already did it. But what made long as the current one can satisfy their
But after a decade as an online pay- WeChat different was that it tapped into demands. Given WeChat has more than
ment tool, it’s hard to say whether Ali- the culture of red envelopes to turn 500 million users, it’s not hard to imag-
Pay’s new features meet a demand or WeChat Payment into a household name ine what future awaits AliPay if its cur-
betray Alibaba’s own anxiety over losing almost overnight,” said Tian Shujuan, a rent users follow their friends to jump
the social media arms race. reporter for Chengdu Commercial Daily. ship,” said Zhu Jianhe, business analyst
More than 8 million users connected from Beijing Times.
Ali’s Obsession their bank accounts to WeChat during the Another obstacle is safety.
Social media helped many start-ups next week and began settling their digital “AliPay is a financial application, and
weather the fallout from the dotcom transactions through WeChat Payment. its users require safe financial transac-
bubble of the early 2000s. For a firm that “Public opinion turned on Alibaba tions. But once you mix this up with
survived without the aid of social media, almost immediately. Everyone believed chatting, AliPay Wallet could become a
the concept holds a particular mystique. WeChat Payment would eclipse AliPay. new tool for criminal offenders looking to
Alibaba has been passionate about Both the user experience and product steal money or personal data,” Tian said.
developing social networking products were very well engineered, and the beat- “Our aim is not to be the next WeChat.
since 2008. Its series of attempts to ing Alibaba suffered was a profound The reason we added social networking
date includes Taojianghu, Aiguangjie and lesson,” said Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba. services is to stay close to our users,” said
Quanzi, all based on its own e-com- To fight back against WeChat, Alib- Chen Liang, a spokesman for AliPay.
merce platform, as well as the indepen- aba is looking to its widely used AliPay Despite this explanation, it’s not hard
dent application Laiwang. Wallet as a potential social nexus. to recognize the blatant similarities
Readers who never heard of any of According to Alibaba’s official data, between WeChat and AliPay Wallet
these should not feel surprised: all were the app has more than 190 million users. regarding services, payment scenarios
colossal bombs. Finding a way to keep them there and and social features.
But a string of failures has done little monetize their social connections is But WeChat is at its heart a social
to diminish Alibaba’s passion for social the challenge. platform and AliPay Wallet a financial
media – especially after witnessing the tool: those identities will never change
power of Tencent’s WeChat. Redundant Features no matter which features the companies
After investing $40 million in MoMo, Released in 2003, AliPay was the first choose to tack on.
the dating app whose notoriety came influential online payment platform in Alibaba’s focus on learning from its
from its adoption by prostitutes and call China. It stepped into the mobile pay- top competitor puts it at a risk of dilut-
girls, Alibaba burned another $586 mil- ment arena with a smartphone applica- ing its identity and forgetting what it
lion to become the second largest share- tion in 2009. does best. ~
Photo by CFP
EDITOR: LYNNE WANG ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN
6
JANUARY 30, 2015 EDUCATION BEIJING TODAY
Photo by SUSTC
Independent
University
Resumes with
New President
Zhu Qingshi, former president of SUSTC Chen Shiyi, new president of SUSTC
BY YANG XIN
Photo by CFP Photo by Nanfang Daily
A
fter a four-month vacancy, the said in an early interview with Nature. although the test only carries 60 percent His failure may betray the government’s
Shenzhen Municipal Government weight in their admission. In exchange, all continued opposition to higher education
has settled on its new president What to Reap? the students are granted diplomas that are reform. Although the school was nomi-
for South University of Science and Tech- SUSTC graduated its first batch of stu- recognized by the ministry. nally supported by the Shenzhen munici-
nology of China: Chen Shiyi. dents on January 9. All were admitted But Zhu faced criticism for caving on pal government, government officers had
Chen’s resume includes 20 years of over- through independent recruitment and con- his promise to buck the current educa- no intention of allowing SUSTC to formu-
seas experience and an impressive posi- ferred bachelor’s degrees by the university tional system. late its own school code,” said Gonghai, a
tion as the former deputy chief of Peking without ever sitting the National College The previous limitation was also essen- reporter at Qi Lu Evening News.
University. He is credited with rebuilding Entrance Exam. tial in pressuring SUSTC to pursue interna- “Although the discussion over
the school’s engineering department from Among the top 41 graduates, two were tional exchange. Last year, its international SUSTC’s trial performance is not over, it
scratch on his return to Beijing in 2005. admitted to top schools and five faced cooperation department reached at least 15 has already helped us learn more about
More importantly, Chen is seen as a deferred graduation with the rest on the agreements on international exchange pro- the bureaucratic barriers to higher educa-
reformer. He and 10 professors at Peking way to apply for graduate study at foreign grams with 12 prestigious schools. tion reform. This is the school’s greatest
University wrote a joint letter in 2011 to universities including Oxford University, value,” Xiong said.
the dean suggesting admissions should be London University and the Israel Institute What to Make Up For?
based on a combination of interviews and of Technology. Zhu said his failure to complete a school New President, New Future?
exam scores. “At SUSTC, I got experience discussing code is his biggest regret. Chen Shiyi shares a similar background
When the Shenzhen municipal govern- school construction, public affairs and sci- “As a brand new university, SUSTC with Zhu Qingshi. Both are experienced
ment created SUSTC in 2007, its prepa- entific issues with classmates and teach- has always been missing something in in higher education reform and have pro-
ratory committee hoped it would offer a ers,” said one of the graduates. its vision. Creating the school code was found academic backgrounds.
revolutionary model for higher education by Student recognition might be the best a major job that Zhu failed to complete “He is a definitely a leading figure
breaking free of the bureaucracy imposed gift for Zhu. Before resignation, he penned in his tenure,” said Xiong Bingqi, a in his academic area,” SUSTC faculty
by the Ministry of Education. more than 200 letters of recommendation renowned educator. said. The selection committee also said
Zhu Qingshi, formerly president of the for the graduates seeking to apply abroad. “A school code specifies rights and Chen’s academic competence and orga-
SUSTC, was elected president of SUSTC It was a necessary step, as SUSTC’s stu- liabilities of the government, founders, nizing and coordinating abilities would
through a global audition in 2009. dents were barred from China’s postgrad- managers and students involved. Most sig- be valuable assets.
“SUSTC is different from most Chi- uate entrance exams and the domestic civil nificantly, it offers a guiding principle in Supported by his social and political
nese universities in its focus on sweeping service exam. the university’s daily administrative man- status, Chen may have a powerful say in
out bureaucracy, which means that aca- The dilemma ended this year due to a agement. Once it is settled, it becomes the the future of SUSTC.
demic freedom can take precedence and compromise with the Ministry of Education ultimate authority and prevents personnel But it will take wisdom as well as power
researchers can pursue academic excel- in 2012. Students at SUSTC are now required changes from casting a shadow on the to balance administrative restrictions with
lence rather than bureaucratic rank,” Zhu to take the National College Entrance Exam, school’s development,” Xiong said. the quest for education independence. ~
EDITOR: YANG XIN ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN
7
BEIJING TODAY EMBASSY JANUARY 30, 2015
Japan
The Japanese government released a series
of measures to relax multiple-entry visa
conditions for Chinese travelers from Jan-
uary. Multiple-entry visas will be valid for
three years and the duration of stay for
each entry limited to 90 days.
Since January 19, more Chinese nation-
als will be given the chance to apply for
multiple-entry visas to Japan. The original
200,000 yuan per year minimum thresh-
old on applicants’ annual incomes will be
eased to 10,000 yuan.
Applicants who meet the previous
income requirement may be eligible for a
multiple-entry visa good for five years.
Australia
Late last year, the Australian Department
of Immigration and Border Protection
announced it would set up an online appli-
cation portal for Chinese nationals to
submit digital visa application forms. This
is the first time the Australian government
opened its online tourism visa application
portal to Chinese nationals. Insiders say
that the new move has narrowed the pro-
cessing period by two to three days.
Thailand
Photo by CFP Thailand will waive visa fees for tourists
Visa Waiver
recently released a statement that visa from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan
requirements for Chinese passport hold- from August through October. The Thai
ers will be lifted for those staying less tourism authority is also running a shop-
Programs Spark than 15 days. ping campaign with large discounts.
Little known outside France, Reunion
Island is a tropical island within Polyne- United States
sia and has long been a hideaway paradise In his weeklong trip to China for the
Tourism Fever
retreat for the French jet-set. The newly 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Coopera-
introduced visa-free facility is expected tion (APEC) Summit, American Presi-
to attract luxury Chinese travelers to dis- dent Barak Obama announced that the
cover the isle’s breath-taking scenery. US and China had agreed to a recipro-
The territory’s government has spoken cal 10-year visa policy for tourists and
BY YANG XIN
out in favor of the change as it comes businessmen.
was a busy year for every- This year may be even busier, as the after years of clamor in Tahiti to open up Under the visa agreement, business
2014
one who works in Beijing’s benefits of last year’s work provide increas- to the potentially lucrative Chinese tour- and short-term tourist visas will be valid
diplomatic circles. It was a ingly loose and friendly visa provisions that ism market. for 10 years, while student and cultural
year of diplomatic events such as the are boosting outbound tourism. To be eligible for visa free travel to exchange visas will last for five. Cur-
APEC Summit, the G20 Summit and Pres- Tahiti, Chinese tourists will have to book rently, such visas expire after just one
ident Xi Jinping’s visits to many Euro- France their trips through travel agents approved year. The visa extension began on Novem-
pean nations. The French Polynesian government by French consular authorities in China. ber 11,2014. ~
Year of Cultural Exchange Sets Tone for
2015 UK-China Relations
BY YANG XIN
T
he UK is preparing to show off the With up to 30 projects across China,
best of its culture in a year of exchange the Year will bring some of the best of
agreed upon during the UK-China Summit established UK talent to China as well as
in London last year. look to the next generation. Hundreds of
The 2015 UK-China Year of Cultural millions of people in China, the UK and
Exchange will comprise two ‘seasons’ of abroad will have access to the very best of
culture – a UK season in China in the first British arts.
half of 2015 and a China season in the UK Last December, China’s vice Minis-
in the second half of 2015. ter of Culture Ding Wei met with Sir
The theme for the UK season in China Martin Davidson, chief executive of the
will be Next Generation. It will include British Council to exchange ideas about
a carefully organized series of contem- Sino-British cultural communication and
porary, adventurous, multi-disciplinary cooperation.
and innovative works, with digital media Ding spoke highly of Sino-British cul-
at its heart. tural ties. “For the past few years, our
Its groundbreaking digital arts will Photo by gbtimes two countries worked together to succeed
push creative boundaries, and the launch on many influential cultural events which
of a new online arts portal will give view- creative industries generate 8 million dreds of millions of people in China and yielded fruitful outcomes, especially in
ers a chance to engage through a variety euro per hour and grew almost 10 per- globally. It promises to be a flagship year, the cultivation of professionals on culture
of integrated platforms. cent in 2012. offering significant opportunities for us and art,” he said.
The UK is renowned for its experi- “Our plans for 2015 are ambitious. The both to build on new and existing partner- Davidson said the Year will be a per-
ence and reputation in fostering creativ- potential reach of being a partner for 2015 ships together,” said Carma Elliot, minis- fect opportunity for the two countries
ity across all industry sectors to drive will be enormous: we will be working ter of the Cultural and Education Section to cooperate in creative industry, theater
growth and investment. In fact, the UK’s with major media partnePrhso ttoo b rye Taac Khu nhg uPano- of the British Embassy. operation and talent development. ~
EDITOR: YANG XIN ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN
8
JANUARY 30, 2015 NEWS RELEASE BEIJING TODAY
Top Brands and Highlights of
ISPO Beijing 2015
I
SPO Beijing 2015 and Alpitec China are being held Furthermore, the China Sports Fashion Trend Forum,
from January 28 to 31 at the China National Con- on January 29, offers additional insights into design and pro-
vention Center (CNCC). duction trends. The ISPO AWARD Area will host the best
This year, 434 exhibitors of 656 brands will be pres- sports products for 2015, especially the Asia Product Award
ent at the show. Asia’s only B2B multi-segment platform winners. The program culminates today with the renowned
presents the latest innovative equipment for hiking, Asia Pacific Snow Conference.
sports and skiing, as well as the most innovative new This year’s focus will be on the 2022 Olympic Winter
MIUZIRS
athletic fabrics and fibers. Games and the planning of ski resorts.
The show presents the latest products and provides In addition to a number of Asian exhibitors such as
up-to-date information on the industry and current trends Kailas, Mobi Garden and Toread, the exhibition will once and FM Start
through its event and conference program. again draw many international companies, such as Gar-
The Industry Forum delves into the Chinese sporting mont, LOWA, Mammut, Scarpa and Tecnica. There are
Search for New
goods industry using the latest market research on Chinese many newcomers and repeat exhibitors, as well. Craft,
sporting goods by SGI Europe and ISPO. The ISPO TEX- Dynastar, Gore, Oneway, Halti, La Sportiva, Point65, Swix
TRENDS Forum presents textile trends, innovations and and Thule are among this year’s exhibitors who have Best Singer
colors for the fall/winter season 2016/2017. come to present their products to the Chinese market. ~
Slow Food Internazionale
M
IUZIRS, China’s leading skincare product maker,
is teaming up with FM to find the next Voice of
Opens China Branch
China. The two held a press conference on January 18 to
announce the start of this year’s search.
MIUZIRS invested millions of yuan in this year’s Voice
C
hina Slow Food Association, a branch of Slow Food cessfully fulfill the task – protecting ecological crop of China musical journey to 100 cities around the country.
Internazionale, was founded on January 27 at the diversity – or not.” The fierce competition will pick 20 outstanding sing-
Embassy of Italy in China’s Cultural Department. Zeng Hui, director of the Organizing Committee of ers to undergo musical training in Hong Kong, Macao,
The new association is intended to popularize the Beijing Design Week, said the design week would coop- Taiwan and Korea, and then form a team for The Voice of
Slow Food concept in China, to build a platform for the erate with Slow Food Internazionale. China Season 4 challenge in June.
exchange of Chinese food culture and experience and to Slow Food Internazionale, established in 1989, is a FM is the only music broadcast officially authorized
organize international food exhibitions. global and grassroots organization with supporters in to use the name “The Voice of China.” It also has exclu-
“No matter in the food system or in our organi- 150 countries who link the pleasure of good food with sive rights to broadcast of the program.
zation, China always plays an essential role consid- a commitment to their community and environment. Through its long-term planning and development, FM
ering its abundant types of plants and animals,” said It fights against expanding fast food culture, preserves has broadened its Voice of China brand and developed
Paolo Di Croce, secretary general of Slow Food Inter- local traditional foods and makes more people realize the a large cultural platform for a win-win model between
nazionale. “[China] even decides whether we can suc- importance of choosing the right food. ~ entertainment and marketing. ~ (By Shu Pengqian)
EDITOR: VENUS LEE ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN