Beijing Today News (January 16, 2015)

10.4 MB·English

by  Beijing Youth Daily Group

PUBLISHED BI-WEEKLY ~ ISSUE NO. 710 ~ JANUARY 16, 2015 ~ 3.00#
Turnpikes Hunan TV Students Left
Claim Deficit as Bets on Private Behind in
Tolls End Platform Sex Education
The most expensive toll roads Hunan TV is putting all its Conservatives and weak
say 15 years wasn’t enough to eggs in the company’s own policy are leaving children
break even. Page 4 Mango TV platform. Page 5 without sex ed. Page 6
Subway
Scammers
The capital’s new and
complicated subway fee
structure is fertile ground
for scammers.
Many have taken to
occupying the ticket
machines to cheat Bei-
jing’s visitors out of their
spare change. Page 2
Subway Sheds 800,000
CHINESE STOCK INDEXES
SSE (Shanghai)
Pasengers After Price Hike
Close Change YTD
3,336.46 4 114.02 (3.54%) +3.15%
SZSE (Shenzhen)
Close Change YTD
BY DIAO DIAO
ing that the notoriously congested line Though main lines such as Lines 1 and 11,483.68 4 245.90 (2.19%) +4.26%
has more space during off hours. 10 have fewer passengers, there are still
T
he number of people riding Bei- Analysis found an obvious reduction seven others that remain crowded. The HSI (Hong Kong)
jing’s subway network has fallen by in the number of people who take longest north-south running Changping Line had Close Change YTD
800,000 per day in the month since and shortest trips. a 38 percent increase in traffic. 24,350.91 4 238.31 (0.99%) +3.16%
operators raised ticket prices, according The number of people travelling more The numbers are expected to shift as
to an analysis by the Municipal Traffic than 72 kilometers fell 13 percent; 52 to passengers adapt to the new pricing system. Accurate to market close on January 15, 2015
Department. 72 kilometers 15.2 percent; less than 6 There are 170,000 fewer passengers buying
The report found that Line 10 and the kilometers 8.8 percent; and less than 4 one-way tickets, and as many as 85 percent
Batong Line saw the greatest reduction in kilometers 11.5 percent. travel by using a transportation card.
traffic flow. Almost every line saw a traffic However, the department’s data But passengers complain that there
reduction of between 3 and 18 percent. showed that traffic fell only 3.9 percent are still beggars occupying many of the
Line 10 alone shed some 340,000 pas- and 8.7 percent during morning and eve- lines – a problem the increased fares
sengers, and passengers are also report- ning rush hours. were supposed to solve. ~
Beijing Youth Daily Group President: Zhang Yanping Editor-in-Chief: Jack Wang ~ Content Director: Su Derui ~ Designer: Zhao Yan ~ Phone: [phone] ~ FAX: [phone]
Editor-in-Chief: Yu Haibo ~ Director: Li Xiaobing ISSN: 2095-9591 ~ 刊号: CN11-0120 ~ 邮发代号1-364 ~ Overseas Code No: D1545 ~ Subscriptions: [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 16, 2015 NEWS BEIJING TODAY
City Puts
he told me the missing money was his
‘tip,’” she said.
Subway workers have reported many
18-Meter
similar cases.
“There are always seven or eight
men wandering around here and pre-
Trams
tending to be kindly people who are
happy to instruct tourists in how to use
ticket machine,” said a nearby subway
into Use
clerk who refused to be named.
“Back when tickets cost 2 yuan, it
was quite common for touts to buy tick-
ets in advance and upsell them to com-
BY DIAO DIAO
muters who were unwilling to wait for
T
in the long queue,” he said. “Prices have he city is adding a new kind
increased, and they’ve upgraded their of 18-meter tram to its fleet
tricks to match.” of public buses. The longer vehi-
According to a random inquiry by the cles are already serving some bus
Beijing Youth Daily, fewer than 40 per- lines near the Yuetan Beijie area
cent of subway passengers could swiftly in Xicheng district and Pingxifu
figure out how to buy tickets through in Changping district.
the ticket machine without help. The previous longest trams
“Technically, it should take less than were 16 meters long and used to
20 seconds to buy a subway ticket service routes No. 102, 106, 109
Subway Photo by CFP including selecting route, stop and the and 118.
number of tickets prior to inserting the The buses have brighter and
money,” wrote by Liu Yang, a reporter more modern designs, and are
for the paper. divided into two sections with
Scammers Profit “But the reality is that most com- two doors on each. The wind-
muters, especially outsiders, don’t know shield is also larger and more bul-
which line their destination iPsh oltooc bayt CeFdP let-shaped.
on and whether they will need to trans- The inside seating arrange-
on Tourists’
fer. Sorting that out eats a lot of time,” ment is also improved. Many
Liu said. passengers said it’s easier and
Another reason may be the time safer to use the middle seat in
Tickets limit of the ticket machine. the last row, which has long been
“The machines only accept 1 yuan a danger for its lack of a safety
coins or 5 yuan and 10 yuan notes. Out- rail. Buses have three seats in
siders don’t know this and often spend the rear and allow more space
a lot of time hunting for the right cur- for small luggage.
BY LYNNE WANG
B rency denominations. They take so long The final routes for the new
eijing’s new subway ticket at South Railway Station and went to that the purchase ends up being canceled buses have yet to be decided. ~
machines and fee schedule can be buy a subway ticket after getting off for going over the time limit and they
overwhelming for out-of-town- the train. I didn’t know which line have to start all over,” said a subway vol-
ers. With a shortage of staff and autho- I should take, let lone how to use unteer who works at Jintailu Station.
rized volunteers to answer visitors’ the newest ticket machine,” said a “Also, passengers are worried about
questions, scammers have found a new woman surnamed Zhang. “As I was buying the wrong tickets and having to
opportunity to profit. hesitated, a young man walked over pay more money,” Beijing Daily wrote.
In early January, Beijing police to me, helped me buy the ticket and An increase in subway staff and opti-
received several reports that a group gave me the change.” mization of the machine would help
of “assistants” were loitering beside the Zhang didn’t realize the man was people adapt to the new pricing system,
ticket machines to skim money from the neither a subway worker nor a kind- the paper said.
machines’ coin return slots while feign- hearted passerby until she found 1 As for the change skimming, Beijing
ing assistance. yuan missing in her change. “When I police had arrested one man and “edu-
“On January 2, I arrived in Beijing chased him down and confronted him, cated” several others as of January 8. ~ Photo by news.cn
Censors
pied by close-up shots showing only heads The Empress of China is broadcast on
of the female characters – even though the Hunan Satellite Television, a provincial
Crack Down seventh-century Tang Dynasty is famous television station often seen as one of
for being an era when a woman’s beauty the major competitors to CCTV, China’s
was defined in part by her plump figure. state broadcaster. In 2003, the authorities
on Popular
A survey by industrial research group canceled Hunan TV’s weather show for
Zero Power Intelligence found that nearly having scantily clad presenters. In 2011,
40 percent of the show’s viewers said the they pulled the plug on the hugely popu-
Series’
cuts were too prudish, though another lar Super Girl talent show, condemning it
quarter of the 13,768 respondents said it as “vulgar” and “manipulative.”
Cleavage helped make the program appropriate for But a few fans praised the drama’s
all ages. censored form.
For the past few years, the State “Women in the Tang Dynasty were
Administration of Press, Publication, full-figured, open-minded and fashion-
BY YANG XIN
Radio, Film and Television, China’s reg- able. But the plunging necklines and
T
he world of Chinese soap operas has ulating agency, has issued a bizarre tightly squeezed bosoms were just for the
been riddled with drama and inane series of edicts to shoehorn all TV pro- viewers’ titillation,” said Zhao Haijun, a
political antics for the last several weeks. gramming into a wholesome and family resident of Lanzhou, Gansu province.
After being pulled from the air for a four- Photo by Brother P friendly form. He added it failed to show the “true”
day “technical hiatus,” The Empress of Hunan TV’s explanation for the obvi- Banned content includes racy cos- reality of Wu Zetian’s period. He also wor-
China returned in a format that was suspi- ously aggressive cropping. Industry ana- tumes, plots that involve one-night stands, ried the “sexy” drama would have a bad
ciously free of breasts. lysts said it was a punitive punishment wife-swapping, female protagonists fall- influence on young viewers.
The show, also known as the Saga of for the show’s much-discussed flamboy- ing in love with more than one man and Compared with cropping pictures, it
Wu Zetian, chronicles the life of China’s ant and revealing costumes that had the use of sex in military espionage. More is the lack of innovation in TV drama
only female emperor Wu Zetian (624-705) earned it the online nickname “The Saga strangely, the authorities have also banned that is the greater worry, said Tuo Cha-
during the Tang Dynasty. of Squeezed Breasts.” plots that involve time travel “for the sake oqun, a communication teacher at Lan-
Viewers were unwilling to swallow The new format left the screen occu- of preserving historical integrity.” zhou University. ~
EDITOR: DIAO DIAO ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN
3
BEIJING TODAY NEWS JANUARY 16, 2015
THE WEEK
IN WEIRD
STRANGE HAPPENINGS ON
THE CHINESE NEWS WIRE
BY SU DERUI
Chengguan Turn Sprinklers
on the Homeless
A chengguan office in Guangzhou has
attached sprinklers to the building exte-
rior in hopes of scaring away the 20 or so
homeless people who attempt to use it as
a shelter.
The sprinklers run for 20 minutes every
two hours, hosing down anyone who dares
to sleep nearby. A spokesman for the office
told Ifeng that the sprinklers were “neces-
sary” in order to “beautify the city.”
We can only wonder what would
manner of desperation would inspire a
CFP Photos
homeless person to seek shelter in a cheng-
guan office of all places.
(Ifeng)
Officials Prepare Photo by CFP Thieves Tunnel Through
Wall to Steal iPhones
offer coupons.
Liang said many illegal taxi drivers Three burglars tunneled through a ware-
have seized on the zhuanche phenome- house wall to steal 240 iPhone 6 handsets
to Crack Down
non as a chance to feign legality and earn worth an estimated 1.4 million yuan in the
about 800 yuan per day. early hours of December 13.
“Many unlicensed and illegal taxi driv- According to Beijing police, one of the
on ‘Special Taxis’ ers get regular business by taking orders men is a former employee of the warehouse
through these apps,” Liang said, “Apps are owner who was familiar with the site.
not strict in verifying the qualifications The Shanghai Daily reported that the
of their special taxi drivers, meaning that men sold the phones to buy gold bricks and
safety could be a problem.” spent the remaining money on gambling.
BY DIAO DIAO
W But many passengers depend on Police managed to track down the
ith the proliferation of taxi and when and where the driver will pick zhuanche for transportation. thieves using the iPhones’ serial numbers.
booking apps, traffic adminis- them up. Gao Xuedi, a resident of the city’s far (Shanghai Daily)
trators are preparing to crack But according to Liang Jianwei, a west side, said there are few legal taxi driv-
down on Beijing’s favorite transportation spokesman for the Traffic Enforcement ers in his area. The special taxi service is
Child of the Year Drives
service: zhuanche, or “special taxis.” Corps, the city aims to stamp out the far more convenient for residents.
Drunk Father Home
Initially launched in Shenyang, Nan- illegal service before the Spring Festival. “Most taxi drivers don’t like driving to
jing and Shanghai, special taxis have Zhuanche booked through apps such as my area because it is remote and they have A seven-year-old son was photo-
become immensely popular in Beijing Didi Taxi are among their targets. to drive back downtown with an empty graphed carting his drunken father
and other areas where the difficulty of Such drivers are not legally licensed car,” Gao said. home on the back of a flatbed electric
securing a legally licensed cab continues to carry passengers for commercial pur- App makers also said their special tricycle earlier this month.
to skyrocket. poses and seriously affect the order of the taxi service is different from common The picture first appeared on the
The first zhuanche booking apps taxi industry, Liang said. illegal cabs. Each driver is recorded in website of the Guangxi Daily on January
were created at the end of 2013 and Such special taxi services can cost the system and passengers can check the 7. According to a report on Ifeng, the
became popular in 2014. Users can spec- between 10 yuan and 30 yuan more than details of the car and contact the driver boy actually left home to go pick up his
ify what kind of car they want to take an ordinary taxi, though the apps often at anytime. ~ drunken father before returning with the
man in a journey totaling 20 kilometers.
Netizens were concerned that the boy’s
calm appearance may be a sign that such
BY LI RUIQI
trips are a regular occurrence.
W
uhan, Chongqing, Xi’an, Chengdu, and impoverished interior. (Ifeng)
Zhengzhou and Lanzhou are com- But many say the plan to open too
peting for the right to open an inland free many free trade zones might cause eco-
Plane Passenger Opens
trade zone in 2015. Of the six, Xi’an and nomic fragmentation and trade protec-
Emergency Door, Again
Wuhan submitted blueprint proposals to tion, as has occurred many times in
the State Council this month. Chinese history. While it may be difficult to understand the
China has opened four free trade zones Opponents counter that improved physics of aerodynamics, it does not take a
along its coastline in the past two years. infrastructure and high-speed rails degree in advanced math to understand the
But inland cities have long been excluded make central and western China more workings of an airplane’s emergency exit.
Photo by cqpa.org
Inland from such commercial advantages. closely connected than ever before. A Nevertheless, this simple concept con-
While Donghu district in Wuhan has decade of urbanization has also created tinues to elude many passengers on Chi-
become a major player in device connec- a more fluid population that can respond nese flights.
Cities Vie tivity and boasts rich geological resources, to the demands of big employment. Stewardesses were shocked when a
Binjiang district in Chongqing enjoys a “Free trade zones can allow central middle-aged male passenger on a Lhasa–
better position at the junction of the Silk and western China to gradually catch Chongqing flight threw open the door
for Free
Road and Yangtze River economic bands. up with the east coast,” said Bai Ming, while the plane was taxiing in at Chongq-
Compared to costal free trade zones, vice director of International Market- ing’s airport. Runway workers made an
Trade inland cities have a greater advantage ing Research Department of Ministry emergency call to the police and the man
in agriculture and mineral industries. of Commerce. “We will certainly leave was detained shortly after landing.
Inland free trade zones are expected at least one place for registered inland Opening an emergency door during
Status to foster regional corporation and beat cities in the third batch of free trade anything other than an actual emergency
down the longstanding economic imbal- zones list, though the outcome remains carries a fine of 100,000 yuan.
ances between the country’s rich coast under discussion.” ~ (Tencent)
EDITOR: DIAO DIAO ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN
4
JANUARY 16, 2015 FEATURE BEIJING TODAY
don’t explain how and where the reve-
nue went,” said an insider who refused
to be named.
Stories of revenue theft are unfor-
tunately common in turnpike-related
news. According to a report by the
Audit Commission in 2013, massive
amounts of turnpike revenue were
being funneled into real estate projects
or invested in stocks and staff pen-
sions. A dispute between the local gov-
ernment and bidders over management
of the Hechaohu Expressway caused
a further 1.24 billion yuan loss of
national assets.
With the end of the toll years fast
approaching, administrators are now
trying every means possible to extend
the toll period and repay their debts –
if not profit.
On November 30, the Shandong
government announced its plan to
extend the toll period on 15 turnpikes
to “pay back debts.” “The toll period
is about to expire, but our province’s
turnpikes are still 13.88 billion yuan
in the red. The tight budget leaves us
with no other choice,” said a spokes-
man for the Shangdong provincial
government.
But even the country’s most profit-
Turnpikes ClaimPhoto by p eople.com.cn able turnpikes are finding ways to con-
tinue collecting their tolls.
Thanks to its geographic position
and traffic flow, the Jingshi Express-
way was quick to pay off its debts in
Deficit as Toll
CFP Photos 2000. In order to squeeze more money
out of commuters, the local govern-
ment reassigned the road’s ownership
to a corporate firm that could collect
Periods Expire tolls for a longer period. By 2004, the
express had already turned a profit of
585 million yuan on its Beijing sec-
tion alone.
Drivers recently celebrated the end
of the tolls on November 22. However,
the free period only lasted 40 days
BY LYNNE WANG before the government opted to destroy
F
the Jingshi Expressway and build a
or Chinese drivers, it’s hard reached 4.3 million kilometers. Chi- “It is quite hard to understand why new one at the same site so that it could
to imagine that the country’s nese expressways also grew from being Chinese turnpikes have such as a great begin collecting again.
notoriously expensive turn- nonexistent in the 1980s to stretching deficit, especially since local media “Fixed periods are a bad way to reg-
pikes are running a 66.1 billion some 104,400 kilometers in 2013. previously called them the most prof- ulate road tolls,” said Hu Fangjun, a
yuan deficit. But those are the facts Last year, China surpassed the US itable industry,” said Wang Yang, a deputy director of the Transportation
according to the 2013 Statistical Bul- to become the country with the longest reporter at NetEase. Finance Institute under the Ministry
letin on National Turnpikes, the gov- expressway network in the world. of Transportation. “Roads develop at
ernment’s first ever disclosure of toll But at the same time, China is Tolls for Debt or Profit? significantly different speeds thanks
roads finances released last month. also the world’s leader in turnpikes. Heavy debts to corporate banks and to factors such as economy, population
Although turnpikes originated in Research by the World Bank in 2007 increasing construction costs are two density and traffic flow.”
the US in the 18th century, the first found that of the world’s 140,000 kilo- explanations according to officials. Japan also relied on social debt to
toll road in China did not appear until meters of turnpikes, some 100,000 kilo- “Most road tolls are used to pay develop its national transportation at
three decades ago. Opened to traffic in meters of them are in China. back the banks, and the percentage an earlier stage. Although the effi-
1984, the Zhangjiamai Jingang Road in By the time of the 2007 report, of repayment occupies 86.2 percent of ciency of the repayment was initially
Guangdong province was the China’s turnpike revenue accounted for 2 per- the turnpikes’ revenue. Other expendi- low, the government fused six inde-
first road that implemented the policy cent of China’s GDP, passing both the tures include maintenance, taxes, oper- pendent turnpike operators into one
of “building roads by loads, returning US and Germany. ating costs and so forth,” the People licensed organization to deal with all of
loads by tolls.” “For Chinese transportation enter- Daily said in an editorial. the debts of national turnpikes. Instead
That policy, crafted by the State prises, road tolls account for as much “From this point, Chinese turnpikes of profiting on specific roads, it had
Council, was intended to relieve the gov- as one third of their fixed costs,” said could be regarded as ‘super wage earn- to profit from billboards, service areas
ernment’s financial burden in construct- Hou Hanping, director of the Logis- ers’ for banks,’” the paper said. and information services.
ing a national transportation network. tics Research Institute at Beijing Jiao- The cost of constructing Chinese The approach allowed the Japanese
Government agencies and companies tong University. “In order to avoid the roads has also surged, especially with government to repay 17 percent of its
could become turnpike administrators expensive tolls, truck overloading has the development of road networks in debt in only six years.
provided they could secure a loan from become increasingly common. If the mountainous western interior areas, “On the surface, it appears that
a corporate bank and win a bid. The average firm adds in the related fines, said Wang. According to statistics from most of the road tolls ended up in
former could levy tolls until they paid transportation alone can account for the Ministry of Transportation, the the pockets of the banks. What hap-
off loan for a maximum term of 15 years, 50 percent of their total cost of opera- cost of expressway construction was pened after that is anyone’s guess, as
while the latter enjoyed a maximum of tion costs.” 50.67 million yuan per kilometer in is what financial plan if any the turn-
25 years, according to the Administra- But even buoyed by tolls, China’s 2011, but just two years later, it surged pike operators had for this revenue,”
tion of Toll Roads. turnpikes have tumbled into a debt to 90.82 million yuan. said Wang Yijun, a reporter for China
crisis according to the Ministry of “Indeed, the interest rate is as high Youth Daily.
Tolls and Debt Transportation. Their deficit has as 6 to 10 percent, and the increase “It will take more detailed laws and
The State Council’s policy led to an exploded in the last three years, from in construction costs has further bur- a third-party national auditing organi-
explosion in roadway construction. In 32.3 billion yuan in 2011 to 66.1 billion dened the turnpikes. But without zation to resolve the mess of toll roads
2013, the country’s total road mileage yuan in 2013. detailed accounts, these explanations in China,” Wang said. ~
EDITOR: LYNNE WANG ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN
5
BEIJING TODAY BUSINESS JANUARY 16, 2015
Hunan TV
Reclaims Content
from Streaming
Competitors
BY LYNNE WANG
T
he January 2 broadcast debut – by distributing programs to the bution of copyrights, it will turn out optimize user experience. It will be
of I’m a Singer III, the latest latter and making profits on high- that the money we earn will only pay difficult for Hunan TV to catch up,”
installment in China’s favor- priced royalties. for our own coffin,” said Zhang Ruobo, said Li Tuo, a technology reporter for
ite reality show series, has Quality video resources have made CEO of Happy Sunshine, the wholly Huxiu Daily.
helped Hunan TV and its mobile app Hunan TV a lot of money over the past owned subsidiary of Hunan TV station In fact, technology problems have
Mango TV to grab headlines. two years. that developed Mango TV. troubled Mango TV since its debut.
But it is not the idols that are get- At the end of 2013, LeTV.com “In an earlier stage of the Inter- Developed in 2013, the app has been
ting attention: it is the fact that the bought the online broadcasting rights net era, newspapers contributed their constantly condemned for its awk-
program has helped Mango TV rise to to I’m a Singer II at the price of 100 mil- best content to portal sites with little ward interface and bugs. Users once
the top of the free app list on the Apple lion yuan. The following year, Hunan return. But instead of surviving, they rated an earlier version as low as 1.5
App Store. TV station sold the broadcasting rights dug their own graves. Similar to how stars and labeled it “the download
According to statistics from Hunan of five self-produced shows including portals ruined the news industry, they most regretted.”
TV, the first episode of I’m a Singer Dad, Where Are We II, Happy Camp video sites will ultimately dissolve Being locked into its own world
III was viewed more than 50 million and Day Day Up to IQiyi at the price of TV stations if we don’t fight back,” may also keep Mango TV from devel-
times on its Mango TV client: fans 200 million yuan. Zhang said. oping as quickly as it could. “Keep-
have increasingly downloaded the app But royalty revenue has become By bypassing video sites and cre- ing a distance from former video
because it was the only way to catch increasingly less attractive for the ating its own broadcasting platform, partners means it has given up the
clips if they missed a live broadcast. Hunan TV station according to Yu De, Hunan TV can test the actual value of existing promotion channels for its
The boom in Mango TV shows an independent business observer. its video content. But whether Hunan programs,” said Yang Yang, a jour-
Hunan TV’s new broadcast strategy “The various advertising revenue TV can thrive in a competitive envi- nalist at Ifeng.
may be bearing fruit. that video sites enjoy is even more ronment and – more importantly – be “Also, relying on self-produced
appealing. For Dad, Where Are We a role model for other traditional TV content can’t sustain the users’ loy-
Beyond Content Creation Going II, IQiyi made a profit of 66 mil- stations, still needs to be discussed. alty to Mango TV. It will be quite easy
Last May, Hunan TV announced lion yuan for the program’s online ads, for users to change to other platforms
it would cease to license its programs not including the embedded ads and Strike Back or Die that offer content from more sources,”
– including popular original drama pre-rolls, which means nearly a third With the shift of eyeballs toward Yang said.
series and reality shows – to stream- of its investment on royalties could be digital media, traditional TV stations While most online video competi-
ing media sites such as Youku, Tudou recovered,” Yu said. must embrace the Internet and develop tion has focused on possessing content,
and IQiyi. From the perspective of Hunan TV their own online channels. creating channel is also important –
“From now on, we will exclusively station’s long-term strategy, earning But in most cases, they fail due to especially with the industry still losing
own our programs and cease to license quick money at the price of the loss of weak Internet experience and a lim- money four years into its development,
their intellectual property. The only users is the last thing they want to do. ited technical background – the same Beijing News wrote in an editorial.
online broadcast channel will be Instead of being a pure content pro- obstacles that Mango TV faces accord- “In the Internet era, there is no dif-
Mango TV,” said Lü Huanbin, the pres- vider, Hunan TV wants to control its ing to industry insiders. ference between TV stations and video
ident of the TV station. top programs and lock viewers into its “For players in the current online sites, and how to extend the industry
Prior to the announcement, own online platform, according to the video arena, they have spent four years chain and find ways to profit is some-
Hunan TV collaborated with video station’s executive board. to construct a content delivery net- thing all the players have to think
sites like most of its counterparts “If we always focus on the distri- work and have invested heavily to about,” it said. ~
Photos by mmbiz.qpic.cn
EDITOR: LYNNE WANG ~ DESIGNER: PAN FAN
6
JANUARY 16, 2015 EDUCATION BEIJING TODAY
A 14-year-old student Zheng Xiaoling
conducted a survey of seven Shenzhen-
based middle schools and found that most
parents regard sex as a forbidden topic.
More than 71.6 percent of the parents
never provided any knowledge about sex
to their children. When asked about sex
issues, only 18.6 percent of parents gave a
patient answer.
Traditional concepts about sex
remain an invisible but firm barrier to
sex ed in China.
“People conflate sex with eroticism.
This kind of perception comes from con-
servative trends that have been prevalent
in China for several hundred years, and
which effectively put the brakes on sex
ed,” said Hu Ping, an expert on Chinese
adolescents’ sex and health education.
Four years ago, several sex educa-
tors compiled a series of textbooks for
schools to use. Many parents protested
that the books were “too explicit for
children’s eyes.”
“Sex ed in China is a mission of
endless struggle. We are dogged by
moralistic, anti-sex concepts and unco-
operative parents,” said Li Yinhe, a
researcher at the Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences.
Lessons from Abroad
Research both within China and
abroad shows that the best time to
begin sexual education is before a
While expected to be the forefront of China’s sex ed, elementary schools seem reluctant to shoulder the responsibility. Photos by CFP child is 10 years old.
Sex Ed Still a The UK, France and Holland have
strict education outlines requiring chil-
dren to begin receiving basic sex ed from
kindergarten. British law requires chil-
dren over the age of five to receive com-
Blank Space
pulsory sex education. In Russia, sex ed
begins at the age of seven.
In the US, sex ed is a part of basic
education, and schools set up courses
After 50 Years
for students starting from first grade.
Even China’s Asian neighbors are put-
ting in better efforts.
Since 2001, South Korea has been
requiring sex ed courses in elementary,
BY YANG XIN middle and high school. The government
A
requires every student to attend a mini-
string of sexual abuse cases a legal basis by writing it into the Law those teaching language, politics and mum of 10 such classes each year. To edu-
in 2014 made it clear that Chi- on the Protection of Minors. The State athletics. cate younger students, Korea’s national
na’s sex education is still lack- Council’s Development Program of Chi- Documents from the Ministry of Edu- publishing system released a series of
ing. But in spite of the facts, nese Children’s Development (2011-2020) cation showed that there were more than fairytale books designed to illustrated
sex ed is a school topic that both adminis- took it a step further by requiring sex ed 320,000 middle schools in 2011. Even basic sex ed.
trators and bashful parents remain loath to be included in the nine-year compul- having only two sex ed teachers per Japan, a country recognized as being
to tackle. sory education system. school would mean a need for 640,000 as conservative as China – at least in
Jin Wei, a professor at the Party But in spite of official requirement, professionals. China does not train any- public – has Asia’s most advanced sex ed
School of the CPC Central Committee, sex ed shortcomings remain ubiquitous. where near that many. system. Sex ed courses run through the
said she was shocked when her daugh- Early puberty has become a common Teachers who are assigned to handle entire six-year elementary school period
ter, a middle school student, asked phenomenon in Chinese society, and sta- sex ed are often at a loss for what to teach with content adjusted depending on what
whether shaking hands with, hugging tistics reveal that most Chinese adoles- and how. the students can grasp.
or kissing an AIDS patient could infect cents reach sexual maturity between the “Adolescent sex ed relies on sup- Bathing with children is another way
her with HIV. ages of 12 or 13 – during their final years port from the school leadership to a for Japanese parents to help their chil-
“Even in Zhonguancun District – of elementary school and long before sex large extent. If the leaders treat it dren to learn basic sexual knowledge.
the heart of China’s most advanced ed ever becomes a topic. as nonsense, then no one’s effort can The old tradition allegedly works even
technological and education resources Simplistic teachings are another make it otherwise,” said Yu Cheng- better than school education.
– schools taught nothing at all about hurdle. “China’s sex education focuses too mou, the school doctor at Beijing No.
sex,” Jin said. “Even worse, the basic much on physical health courses while 11 Middle School. Preserving Ignorance
health knowledge they taught was flat- avoiding an explanation of sexual moral- Wang Xiying, a professor at Beijing But many fear that conservative Chinese
out wrong.” ity, perception and culture, which are Normal University, said policies related society, once exposed to an atmosphere
important in building children’s under- to implementing sex ed are mere formali- of open sexual education, will devolve
Tumbling Sex Ed standings of love and the world,” said Xu ties in most regions. An editorial in China into a cesspool of sin.
Former Premier Zhou Enlai is largely Zhenlei, secretary-general of the China Youth Daily said most experts blame that “Without natural bashfulness when
responsible for setting the tone of Chi- Sexology Association. on the government for passing policies faced with sexual issues, there may be
na’s sexual education in 1963. But even Another barrier is the insufficient written in vague language. even more middle school students having
his modest plans did not see any imple- teaching staff and poor teaching method. Although the nation is making some sex,” said Xu Zhenlei, secretary-general
mentation until the 1980s. Sa Zhihong, a professor of social efforts to promote sex ed, parents must of the China Sexology Association.
In 1988, the State Education Commit- development and public policy at Beijing also play a crucial role in the process. “Bashfulness is a deep-rooted reac-
tee united with the Ministry of Health Normal University, said most teachers But things are even less optimistic on tion when Chinese people are faced with
and the State Family Planning Commis- placed in charge of sex ed have a dual that front: the majority of Chinese par- sex. If we just imitate Western sex edu-
sion to introduce sex ed to Chinese middle identity. It’s not only anatomy teachers ents never speak about sex with their cation indiscriminately, this kind of emo-
schools. In 1992, the government gave it and school doctors teaching sex ed, but children. tional reaction will disappear,” he said. ~
EDITOR: YANG XIN ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN
7
BEIJING TODAY EMBASSY JANUARY 16, 2015
Li Xiaobing in guidance of the delegation
Zhang Yanping meets with Alberto Alvarino Atienza. Photos by Beijing Today
Sino-Cuban Ties
Financial Daily. also quite inefficient.
Li Xiaobing, vice president of Bei- “As one of Cuba’s most influential
jing Youth Daily Group, welcomed the newspapers, Cuba Youth Daily has never
Strengthened in
delegation and gave a brief presentation been able to produce enough to meet
about the history of Beijing Youth Daily, demand. We look forward to drawing
the city’s most widely circulated metro- from the experience of our excellent
Industry Talk politan newspaper. friends,” he said.
Li led the visitors to the group’s type- Zhang Yanping, president of Beijing
setting room, where they were able to Youth Daily Group, assigned the group’s
learn more about the process of laying head of print to meet with the delegation
out and creating Chinese publications. and discuss further bilateral exchange.
BY YANG XIN
A For the delegation, the trip was a During the exchange, Zhang Yanping
~
lberto Alvarino Atienza, deputy Gaston Olivares, vice general director chance to learn about China’s prevail- emphasized the common history and fra-
head of the Propaganda Depart- of Federico Engel Company, Luis Mar- ing printing hardware systems. “Cuba is ternal ties between the peoples of Cuba
ment of the Central Committee tinez-Casado, technical director of the still far behind world average in terms and China, and the need to find new
of the Communist Party of Cuba, led a Cuban Newspaper Group, and represen- of printing technologies. The equipment fronts for joint cooperation.
Cuban diplomatic delegation to visit Bei- tatives from the Cuban Embassy. we use today was left to us by former The dialogue ended with a settle-
jing and explore developments in Chi- The delegation visited Beijing Youth Soviet Union technicians. That’s why ment that the delegation will be given
na’s publishing industry on January 8. Daily Group, publisher of the capital’s we spared no effort to make this trip,” a chance to visit one of the group’s larg-
The delegation included Carlos flagship newspaper Beijing Youth Daily Atienza said. est printing houses to see the practical
Alberto Moreno, general director of the and nine other newspapers including the Atienza said Cuban printing technol- application of Beijing Youth Daily’s print-
Cuban Newspaper Company, Jorge popular Legal Evening News and First ogy only supports black and blue ink. It’s ing technology. ~
Anniversary Celebrations Bring
Sino-Danish Relations to a New Level
Entrance of the Danish Legation in 1912 Alex Morch met with Mao Zedong in 1950.
BY YANG XIN
O
n January 9, 1950, Premier and For- Matin Lidegaard expressed his good
eign Minister Zhou Enlai received a wishes for the future of Sino-Danish rela-
telegram from the Danish Foreign Minis- tions by recording a short video and sharing Photos by the Royal Danish Embassy in Beijing
ter Gustav Rasmussen informing him that it with Chinese netizens on Weibo. “In ship will be placed on exhibition in Suzhou, Denmark were exemplified on many occa-
Denmark would recognize the People’s Denmark, we look forward to celebrating Jiangsu province,” said Friis Arne Petersen, sions during the visit, not least when Mar-
Republic of China. The two countries for- the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations the Danish ambassador to China. grethe II and First Lady Peng Liyuan
mally established diplomatic ties on May between China and Denmark, enlarging our “Today the relationship between Den- read H. C. Andersen’s fairy tales to Chi-
11, 1950. cooperation and taking our relations to a mark and China is at an all-time high. Polit- nese children. The Queen also visited the
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Denmark new stage,” he said in the video. ically, economically and culturally we see Museum of Victims of the Nanjing Massa-
supported the People’s Republic of China to According to the Embassy of Denmark an incremental growth in both depth and cre by Japanese Invaders.
assume the Chinese seat in the UN. It eventu- in Beijing, 2015 will see several events unfold width of the bilateral bonds,” Petersen said. Denmark is the only Western country
ally did in 1971, and at the same time the Repub- in both countries to commemorate the ties In 2014, there were a record number of that has had an unbroken diplomatic pres-
lic of China’s UN membership came to an end. established 65 years ago. Danish official visits to China and vice versa. ence in China since 1908.
“We have come a long way since, building a “We have many exciting events coming One of the most prominent visits was a State In 1912, Denmark established its own
comprehensive strategic partnership between up this spring, including many more cul- Visit by Danish Queen Margrethe II on the mission in China headed by Count Preben
our two countries.” said Matin Lidegaard, the tural gatherings from the Danish Cultural invitation of President Xi Jiping. Ahlefeldt-Laurvig, making China the first
incumbent foreign minister in Denmark. Season, where an authentic Danish Viking The deepened ties between China and Asian country to host a Danish Embassy. ~
EDITOR: YANG XIN ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN
8
JANUARY 16, 2015 NEWS RELEASE BEIJING TODAY
Re-Designing China’s Wedding Costume
As the new year begins, NE•TIGER is preparing a visual In NE•TIGER’s show, many thin threads hang and
feast of Chinese wedding dress designs that might cross each other to resemble a river with shining waves.
inspire couples to more closely examine the cultural tradi- For viewers, it’s like tumbling into a river of love
tions they represent. The show will be on diaplay through across time and space. The show is divided into five
March 22 at Mt.Foguang, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. parts: “Hundred-bird Dress,” “Annunciation of Happi-
As described in the Book of Rites, “The marriage cere- ness from Luan and Feng (Husband & Wife),” “Pros-
mony is the origin of rites.” NE•TIGER’s Beauty of Wed- perity of Dragon & Phoenix,” “More Children, More
ding show takes “Yuan Xian” as its theme to indicate Happiness” and “Flowered Dress for Greeting.” The
“a couple with a predestined relationship is connected long history of Chinese civilization gives NE•TIGER
across the distance by an invisible thread.” infinite ideas for creation.
The pronunciation of Yuan Xian stands for Yuan NE•TIGER’s haute couture wedding dresses
Rong, where Yuan means roundness and Rong means follow a design concept of “connecting ancient and
combination and integration. The Buddhist term Yuan modern times, and integrating both Chinese and
Rong means consummation and integration with tol- Western elements.” Many draw inspiration from the
erance. Marriage is a predestined relationship deter- Book of Zhou Rites, the Book of Etiquette and Rites and
mined by a red thread. the Book of Rites.
Photo Provided by NE•TIGER
NE•TIGER’s designs blend concepts from the Zhou,
Tang and Ming Dynasty to create a truly classic dress.
In seeking the origin of Chinese wedding dress colors,
the designers have replaced plain black and crimson with
Chinese red. Purple and blue dresses serve as supple-
ments representing auspicious signs and good luck. In
terms of technique, they use royal weaving crafts such
as Kesi (Chinese silk tapestry), brocade, embroidery and
gold embroidery. These are combined with the fashion-
able 3D cutting techniques of Western design to skillfully
show the beauty of Huafu, Chinese national dress.
“Couples are the origin of everything and the basis
of human relations. Chinese wedding culture has a long
history. The wedding dress not only serves as the sign
of love, but also represents parents’ encouragement and
blessing for their children. It should be passed down to
future generations as a treasure to enable the love to sur-
vive forever,” said Zhang Zhifeng, founder and artistic
director of NE•TIGER. ~
(BY LI RUIQI)
EDITOR: VENUS LEE ~ DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN