Transporting Cars by Train

Yangcheng Evening News

September 30

Beijing launched the country's first car-transporting train for tourists to Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, on September 28. Travelers who shipped their cars that day left for Hangzhou two days later from Beijing South Railway Station and picked up their cars on October 1 at their destination. They were charged between 3,000 and 4,000 yuan ($489-652).

This service was intended to meet the needs of tourists who wanted to drive their own cars at their destination. The move saved customers the exhaustion from driving a long distance and prevented them from being caught in heavy traffic congestion on expressways during the week-long National Day holiday.

Some voiced concerns that the transported cars would add to congestion issues at the destination city and cause more pressure to passenger train transportation. However, tourists who chose this service would have driven to Hangzhou even if the service was not offered. Furthermore, the trains used for transporting the cars were freight trains that cannot be used for transporting passengers. In conclusion, such an initiative contributes to innovating railway services and satisfying the diversified needs of tourists.

The new service, however, is not free from inconveniences. Most notably, travelers were not able to use their cars during the two days before leaving Beijing. Despite this, the service proved viable, highlighting the inefficiency of the expressway system during national holidays when toll gates are free.

Growing Film Investment Fervor

Caixin Century Weekly

September 29

Financial institutions and Internet companies investing in films have upset some traditional film makers, who worry that the film industry is going to be changed.

China's movie making is still a relatively small business. The Chinese film industry raked in 20 billion yuan ($3.26 billion) in box office in 2013, just under a third of the $10 billion that of the United States reaped the same year.

However, financial institutions and Internet companies represented by Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent have considered the film industry a new investment channel at a time when other markets such as real estate are heading downward.

With financial institutions and Internet companies caring more about financial rewards, they are shifting the traditional Chinese method of filmmaking and orienting the industry toward commercial films. Films that have little money to advertise themselves, however, face difficulties amid competition from commercial films.

When financial institutions treat films as investments and Internet companies approach them as products, they both have their eyes set on box office revenue. When the artistic and cultural characteristics of films are laid aside, will Chinese films develop into the mature industrialized model of the Hollywood or relapse into the crudely made films of Hong Kong in the 1990s? Nobody knows the answer, and it's possible few care.

Upholding the Constitution

Outlook Weekly

September 22

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to be held in October will discuss issues regarding the rule of law. The importance of the Constitution will again be highlighted. New requirements and arrangements are also expected to be made.

Since China has declared the establishment of a legal system guided by the Constitution, the country has shifted its focus from making laws to addressing problems in the implementation of the Constitution and other laws.

The ruling CPC has always pushed for the effective implementation of the Constitution. The Constitution says the National People's Congress (NPC) is the supreme organ of state power. The NPC has become increasingly competent to play its role over the past decades. In recent years, for instance, the NPC Standing Committee has passed resolutions on authorizing the Central Government to temporarily change foreign investment approval regulations in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, abandoning the reeducation through labor system and adjusting the family-planning policy.

The upcoming session will detail measures to resolve issues that may hinder the all-round implementation of the Constitution. It may prescribe the principles and methods for increasing the number of bigger cities possessing local legislative powers. It may also contemplate creating a set of standards gauging progress in advancing the rule of law.