Entertainment Titan's New Career

(FILE)

Chen Tianqiao, Chairman and founder of Shanghai-based Shanda Group, which was one of China's top online entertainment giants, has made his symbolic exit from this industry by selling his stake in Shanda Games. It was reported that Shanda has been transformed into an investment firm focusing on finance and the Internet.

Chen, born in May 1973 in Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, is numbered among China's top IT leaders. He graduated from Shanghai's Fudan University in 1993, one year earlier than his classmates owing to his status as an outstanding student. He started Shanda in 1999 with 500,000 yuan (about $60,000 at that time) and 20 employees. Five years later, the company became listed on NASDAQ, and since then, its fortunes have skyrocketed to the point where Chen has become one of China's Top 100 richest individuals.

Grassroots Writer Recognized

(FILE)

Hua Qianfang, a young online writer, was recently elected vice chairman of the Writers' Association of Fushun, northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Hua, whose real name is Ning Xueming, was born in 1978 in Qingyuan Manchu Autonomous County, Liaoning Province. He worked as a migrant laborer far away from his hometown after graduating from middle school in the early 1990s. Then he returned to become a full-time farmer, and started to write articles on the Internet in his spare time.

Hua is one of the representatives of online writers that emphasize generating positive energy concerning patriotic values on the Internet. Owing to his articles, he has accrued millions of fans. On October 17, Hua was one of the two Internet writers who attended a seminar hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping for prominent figures in modern Chinese art and literature.

"Our Asian neighbors are paying a great deal of attention to how the Japanese Government and leaders will handle next year and what kind of messages will be delivered."

Tang Jiaxuan, former State Councilor and now President of the China-Japan Friendship Association, speaking on December 3 at a meeting of the 21st Century Committee, an advisory panel on Sino-Japanese relations

"The merger is not just about making a change, but represents a large step forward in preventing unhealthy competition in overseas markets."

Liu Youmei, a railway transportation specialist with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, commenting on the merger plan of China's two biggest train makers, China CNR Corp. and CSR Corp., on December 3

"It is a milestone for the development of China's tourism industry."

Zhang Jilin, an official from the National Tourism Administration, referring to the fact that China's outbound tourist departures from the mainland have recently exceeded 100 million in a calendar year for the first time

"This is perhaps the best time ever in China's cinematic history."

Zhao Baohua, Deputy Director of the Chinese Film Literature Association, film critic and screenwriter, talking about China's box office takings hitting a new record high in 2014