SNOW HITS BEIJING: A de-icing vehicle cleans a plane at Beijing's Capital International Airport after a snowstorm on January 3. The snowfall was the heaviest recorded in nearly six decades and caused the cancellation of more than 400 flights (MA RUZHUANG)

Workers Without Borders

Foreigners in China could be eligible for the title of "National Model Worker," one of China's highest honors, under a draft regulation that was opened to public comment on January 5.

The nationwide honor, which until now has been restricted to Chinese citizens, was started in 1950 and has been held once every five years since 1989. It commends exemplary figures from millions of the country's working people.

The State Council's draft on commendations and awards states that foreigners who have made remarkable contributions to China's socialist modernization can be honored. The regulation states that the laureates will be given material rewards.

Digital Management

A million Communist Party of China (CPC) local branch secretaries received a text message greeting from Vice President Xi Jinping on January 5, signifying the launch of a new Party management system.

The message was sent through a mobile phone service platform launched by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee and telecom company China Mobile. Xi is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

The platform has a server that links the mobile phones of 1 million local Party officials with those of the heads of the CPC's provincial, city and county committee organization departments.

Local officials can receive and send text messages from and to heads of the organization departments at higher Party organs, and those using 3G phones can communicate through video.

The new system is an effort to apply modern technologies in Party organization and management, Xi told Xinhua News Agency.

Chinese Resent Corruption

Chinese citizens believe corruption is the biggest problem hurting the nation's image, a recent survey has found.

A poll conducted by the Beijing-based Global Times newspaper and the Horizon Research Consultancy Group showed nearly 60 percent of respondents viewed corruption among government officials as the biggest stain on China's image, followed by counterfeit and shoddy goods and pollution.

A total of 1,350 people in five major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, were surveyed by telephone in December 2009.

Overworked Urbanites

A national study on the health of Chinese white-collar workers showed that 76 percent are in poor health and are biologically 10 years older than their actual age, the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post newspaper reported on January 5.

Urbanites said the skyrocketing price of apartments is their top source of pressure, with parents who were left behind in hometowns being the second. Single adults also are unhappy about not being able to find partners.

Medical institutions and websites that cover 589 cities in China's 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions organized the survey, which was completed by 513,000 respondents, the report said.