Giving More Power to Local Governments

Oriental Weekly
June 3

The first session of the 12th National People's Congress in March passed a proposal to transform the function of the State Council in order to properly deal with the relationship between government and market, government and society and the Central Government and local governments. In short, the State Council should give more power to the latter.

Song Xiaowu, Director of the China Society of Economic Reform, said canceling the State Council's administrative examination and approval function or transferring it to local governments reflected the government's determination to reform. It will help to improve its management ability and efficiency.

Zhou Hanhua, researcher at the Law Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the first group of administrative examination and approval functions to be canceled or transferred centers on the economic field, which means that the goal of reform is to reduce restraint for the development of enterprises and make the market play a bigger role.

At present, the relationship between the central and local governments on the whole suits the demand of social and economic development. However, in some areas, the State Council has interfered too much, to some extent impeding local government's activeness. Transferring power to local governments will allow the State Council to pay more attention to macro management in order to provide more and better public services for society.

Working Together to Combat Air Pollution

Phoenix Weekly
June 2013

To combat serious air pollution in Beijing, cities like Tianjin and those in Hebei Province also need to make an effort. Even if Beijing gets rid of all its traffic and industrial pollution, the problem will still be serious with helps from neighboring regions.

Take the emission of sulfur dioxide for example. Beijing's sulfur dioxide emission comes mainly from coal burning in the winter. However, in the summer, sulfate still constitutes 20 percent of Beijing's PM2.5—or airborne particles measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. These sulfates are all transmitted from nearby cities.

Satellite monitoring indicates that Beijing's sulfur dioxide in the upper air is increasing but that in the lower parts is decreasing. Such a result is not contradictory because Beijing's sulfur dioxide does not come from emissions in the lower air, but from nearby cities.

If Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province want to curb air pollution, none of them can solve the problem on their own. If the three parts do not cooperate with each other, air pollution will never be solved.

Heritage of Traditional Festivals

Beijing Youth Daily
June 9

During this year's Dragon Boat Festival, sky-high priced rice dumplings, a traditional food associated with the event, didn't attract as much attention as usual. This year, such gift packages were rarely seen at supermarkets and shopping malls. Instead, packages at a more reasonable price took the center stage.

This shows increased public awareness about the festival as an opportunity to develop cultural identity and not only a chance to eat rice dumplings and give out presents to family members and friends.

Traditional festivals are purveyors of Chinese cultures and cannot be left to commercial activities alone.

To maintain the root and seed of our culture requires continuous efforts. The Dragon Boat Festival is not only a national holiday, it is more about cultural identity. It should become common sense in Chinese society to uphold cultural values above commercial interests.

A Fair Exam

People's Daily
June 7

For high school graduates and their parents in China, the most nerve-racking days of the year usually center on the gaokao, or the college entrance examination, which falls on June 7 to 8. During these two days, the whole country is mobilized to serve examinees, who even enjoy police escorts. Any news or events related to the gaokao triggers a heated buzz among the public.

In China, the education of children is one of the most important elements affecting a family. The exam determines whether a high school graduate can enter a university, which has enormous implications for his or her future. It also offers families the chance to change their fates.

For this reason, it is easy to understand why parents are hypertensive over the gaokao and why society offers it such respect and protection. The exam has the ability to aid the pursuit of a better life via the culmination of knowledge.

Today, despite multiple channels to success, selecting qualified youth still relies heavily on the gaokao system, before which all people stand equal.

Currently, the gaokao is facing reform, with many universities deciding to increase the recruitment of students from poor families to ensure the inclusion of "lower-class" groups within the educational sphere.

To most youngsters from ordinary families, the gaokao is still the most important way to protect educational equality and alter destiny.