| Deng Xiaoping's Legacy
Lifeweek
January 7
The Chinese version of the book Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China, written by Harvard professor Ezra F. Vogel, will be released on January 18 via SDX Joint Publishing Co. It reviews the life of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and the country's development since reform and opening up. The original English version, first published in 2011, received favorable response.
Although Deng passed away 16 years ago, he still bears influence on modern China. Newly elected Party leader Xi Jinping visited Guangdong Province shortly after assuming his post, treading in the former leader's footsteps of 20 years ago.
Li Xin, chief editor of SDX, said, "We believe today's China forms part of the Deng era. The book will help Chinese readers to understand their country's past and present direction."
Vogel began work on the book in 2000 upon retirement and finished it 10 years later. He said in the preface, "Since Deng Xiaoping exerted the biggest influence on China's modernization, an in-depth analysis of his life and career can afford a better understanding of the country's recent social and economic development."
Beijing Youth Daily
January 8
A huge amount of the chemical compound aniline leaked into a disused reservoir and a river in Changzhi, north China's Shanxi Province, after a pipe burst on December 31, 2012. However, provincial environmental protection authorities did not receive an accident report until January 5. Pollutants subsequently spread toward neighboring Hebei and Henan provinces, seriously affecting daily life.
Explaining why the report was delayed, officials in Changzhi said they failed to clearly grasp the extent or effect of aniline pollution.
According to local residents, officials would have understood the scale of the disaster if they had visited the affected area sooner. With a little more concern regarding the public, it would have come to light that a local plant named Tianji Coal Chemical Industry Group has been polluting the environment for years, poisoning fish and contaminating drinking water.
While the local government made efforts to block pollutants, it failed to report to upper-level authorities for technical guidance and expertise to deal with the matter.
The incident has exposed the bad habit of covering up and indifference to environmental well-being. In many cases, such irresponsibility serves as the fundamental reason behind catastrophe.
The Economic Observer
January 7
Primary and secondary school students in Wuchuan, a city in south China's Guangdong Province, are required to bring their own desks and chairs to schools for class.
The area, among China's first to open to the outside world, is regarded as both rich and prosperous. However, to public surprise, scholars have been left to fend for themselves.
In explanation, local education authorities said the fiscal budget for each primary school student per semester is very low, which is enough to support basic daily expenses alone. If schools provide desks and chairs, it would be very difficult to sustain daily operation.
However, such facilities are basics in education and a precondition for school life. Besides, yearly refurbishment is unnecessary.
Some principals explain that, because schools can only provide old desks and chairs, parents prefer to buy their own, allowing kids to use their personal sets from primary through to middle school. This explanation lacks credibility too, though. If schools have good desks, will students have to provide their own?
Asking scholars to do so is a violation of the Law on Compulsory Education, and relevant officials must be held accountable. The phenomenon is a shame to China, but, is to some extent exposing a cruel reality.
Oriental Outlook
January 3
A report on the welfare of Chinese employees was released in December 2012 in Beijing.
The report is based on the first nationwide investigation into employee welfare conducted that year, which involved 4,356 companies across 64 cities. Accordingly, the Chinese enterprise employee welfare index is 65.37, against the highest of 100. An increased index means better welfare.
Social insurance has the widest scope, with 91.8 percent employees covered. Commercial insurance has the lowest, with only 53.8 percent included. Welfare that employees hope to improve most includes pensions, medical care and housing.
The financial, energy and chemical industries have a higher welfare index than others while the hotel, tourism, media and publishing industries have the lowest. Foreign companies offer the best welfare, state-owned ones follow and private enterprises offer the poorest.
In a word, Chinese employee welfare lags behind that of developed countries. An imbalance exists between different regions, industries and companies of different ownerships. | 
