Farmers benefit from standardized farmland transfer service

NANCHANG, March 1 (Chinese media) -- Xiong Yousheng and his wife can work for a

whole year as migrant workers as they have leased their farmland to a grower via

a newly established land transfer service center in their village. Before, they

had to return to harvest their crops which actually brought slender revenue.

"We can do work outside without worries now," said the 41-year-old farmer

in Qiaotou Village, Fengxin County of eastern Jiangxi Province. He is renovating

his house and after completion he will go to Taiyuan, capital of northern Shanxi

Province, to continue processing aluminium-alloy windows with his wife.

The couple has worked in the cities for 11 years. But for fear that his

rights and interests would be harmed, he had not dared to transfer his nine mu

of farmland (mu is a Chinese unit of area with one mu equal to 1/15 hectare) to

others before the land transfer service began.

The land transfer service center was set up in his village after a landmark

land policy was issued by the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the third

plenary session of the 17th CPC Central Committee in October last year. Under

the policy, farmers may "lease their contracted farmland or transfer their land

use rights" to boost farm production and provide funds for them to start new

businesses.

Xiong signed a land transfer agreement with the center, which is in charge

of collecting information and looking for planters. The center's personnel are

village officials and representatives of farmers. It offers free service.

At a price of 330 yuan (about 48 U.S. dollars) per mu, Xiong leased the

farmland to a planter named Wei Zhenyong for one year. Meanwhile, Xiong

continues to take a government subsidy of about 110 yuan per mu to farmers.

Farmers who often worked in the cities used to transfer their farmland to

others orally. Disputes concerning prices or contracted rights were common. To

regularize the transfer, the county set up land transfer service centers in six

villages in Songbu and Chitian townships at the end of last year.

Jiangxi is a major agricultural province. With the standardization of the

farmland transfer service, farmers can choose to go to cities for work without

worries while farmland planters can gain more by renting more farmlands.

A village group in Tangzhuang Village in Songbu Town has 34 households and

206 people. Most of them process aluminium-alloy windows in big cities such as

Beijing and Shanghai, bringing several million yuan of revenue in total to the

village every year. Only the elder and children are left behind. The village has

308 mu of farmlands. Elders in the village plant 50 mu for food, while the rest

has been all transferred to a neighboring village famous for grain planting.

Xiong Bin, a farmer of the village, rented 112 mu of farmland, gaining a

net revenue of 50,000 yuan last year.

"Each of the total 21 households in our village has planted 50mu to 100 mu

of farmland via transfers from other villages," Xiong said. In Fengxin, each

person has one mu of contracted, collectively owned farmland on average.

Land transfers make farmers gain more from planting crops, which will

contribute to the grain production, said Yin Xiaojian, deputy director of the

agricultural economy institute of Jiangxi Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.

"The land policy will also accelerate work divisions between agricultural

and non-agricultural sectors, promoting rural development, as more farmers can

go to cities to find work to do without worries," he said.

Land transfer service also enables farmers to start businesses themselves

at home. In Wuxian Village in Chitian Town, four farmers jointly set up a

spinning mill in October 2007.

"I leased my eight mu of farmland to my brother so that I can do work in

the factory," said Xiong Dianhua, one of the four investors. Xiong said he

gained 80,000 yuan last year from the factory, far higher than the revenue from

his farmland. Farmers gain 300 yuan to 400 yuan in net revenue from per mu of

farmland every year.

According to the Fengxin County Agricultural Bureau, the area of

transferred farmland reached 58,700 mu by the end of 2008, accounting for 14.6

percent of the county's total farmlands.

The percentage of transferred farmlands against the total has risen from 5

percent to 10 percent, the provincial agricultural department said. Both the

acreage of transferred land and number of farmers who manage larger area of

farmlands are on the rise.

To standardize the land transfers is a must for the realization of

agricultural modernization, said researcher Yin. It should be done in accordance

with the government policies which say, for example, the use of land and its

collective ownership nature should not be changed, Yin emphasized.

Cosmetic surgery, a choice for college graduates to be confident in job hunting

HEFEI, March 1 (Chinese media) -- Appearance matters. That's what some job-seeking Chinese college graduates say.

Tang Tingting is among 6.1 million Chinese college students who will graduate this year. She got cosmetic surgery to change her simple eye to double eye, saying it was absolutely necessary. She thinks it will bring her luck while job hunting.

"The new appearance makes me more confident in interviews," said Tang. She is a secretary major at a college in Hefei, capital of eastern Anhui Province.

She said she has not found a satisfactory job as China is in a severe employment situation due to economic downturn.

The surgery cost her 2,000 yuan (292 U.S. dollars), all provided by her parents, who are farmers in Wuhu City, a 90 minute drive from Hefei.

Tang said she was influenced by the current fashion trend. She had consulted the Danfeng Chaoyang Maternity Hospital, a private one in Hefei before she had the operation.

The hospital told her the percentage of college students having cosmetic surgeries has risen sharply.

Small operations such as double eye, nose augmentation or removal of whelks on face cost 1,000 yuan to several thousand yuan, said Huang Li, a doctor in the hospital.

The number of college graduates looking for jobs will exceed 7 million this year, the country's top labor and social security authorities has said.

"I have participated in several interviews, but failed," said a 22-year-old graduate surnamed Zhao. She is an English major at a college in Hefei.

"I felt my face broad and my eyes small," said the girl. "The appearance made me lack confidence and perhaps affected the judge of interviewers."

With the support of her parents, Zhao had a cosmetic surgery on her face at the cost of 10,000 yuan a couple of weeks ago to make her face look thinner and eyes larger.

"At least I am more confident now," said Zhao. She said she believed she would have more chances of success in job hunting after the surgery.

"After the Spring Festival, our center has seen a remarkable rise of the number of college students who come to have cosmetic surgeries," said Zhao Yu, a doctor who performed her surgery at the cosmetic surgery center of the No. 1 Hospital affiliated to Anhui Medical University.

Currently, there are four to five cosmetic surgeries for graduates every day, about half of the center's total, he said. Hesaid both girls and boys, mainly in liberal arts and fine arts, had the surgeries.

"Appearance is a representation of a person's quality and the first impression that a job hunter leaves to the interviewer is very important," said Wang Kaiyu, a sociology researcher with Anhui Academy of Social Sciences. "It is necessary for a person to display the best aspect to interviewers."

"But job hunting is not a beauty contest, talent and working capability still remain the most important factors," said the researcher.

Premier Wen Jiabao said in January that finding jobs for graduates was a government priority, and the State Council announced a series of new measures to boost graduate employment.

Most of the measures, including a three-year internship program for 1 million graduates, encourage students to lower their expectations and to seek jobs in rural areas or in smaller firms, for example.

"As long as a graduate is talented and practical, appearance will not play such an important role given the employment promotion measures the country has taken," said Wang.

Origin of the title of "Dalai Lama" and its related backgrounder

BEIJING, March1 (Chinese medianet) -- The title of "Dalai

Lama", was not granted by the Dalai Lama himself, or created by Tibetan

Buddhism, or conferred by the old Tibetan ruling class and still less by any

foreigners. The title was actually granted by the central government of China's

dynasties and has multi-ethnic language features.

In the late Ming dynasty, Tibetan Buddhism

proliferated into a number of sects, among which Sagya, Gagya and Gadang were

most popular. However, many monks failed to follow Buddhist tenets; instead,

they always served the devil by seeking fame and personal interests,

disrespecting senior monks, indulging in entertainment, abducting, cheating or

raping women. This resulted in grievances among the public in Tibet. At that

time, Tsongkapa, a monk born in Qinghai Province, was learning Buddha Dharma in

Tibet. Seeing all this, he felt that what these monks did was a long way from

the actual requirements of Buddhism. Then he proposed a religious reform of all

sects in Tibet, and vowed to create a new sect.

The picture shows a fresco in the Potala

Palace depicting that Emperor Shunzhi received the 5th Dalai Lama in

Beijing. In 1652, or the 9th year of the reign of Emperor Shunzhi, Ngawang

Lobsang Gyamco came to Beijing and was granted to be the 5th Dalai Lama

plus a golden certificate of appointment and a gold seal of authority in

the following year. (Chinese media file Photo)
Photo

Gallery

In

1402 and 1406, Tsongkapa finished writing "Treaties of the Staged Enlightenment"

and "Tantra in Tibet: The Grand Exposition of Secret Mantra" respectively,

laying a theoretical basis for establishing the Gelug Sect. He thought that

Buddhism believers ought to first respect Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, be

devoted to learning Sutras, Vinaya and Sastra of Tripitaka Sutra, as well as the

three trainings of precepts, concentration, and insight. That is, to abide by

taboos, to esteem the Buddhas and Patriarchs, to be immersed in studying the

original meaning of Buddhist scriptures, to cultivate oneself according to

Buddhist doctrine, to free oneself from vulgarity, to study intensively sutras

of Mahayana and Hinayana, as well as to practice both Esoteric and Exotoric

Buddhism.

Tsongkapa's reform soon won support from the Tibetan

nobles and serf owners. In lunar January 1409, he held and presided over the

first Pray for Blessing Dharma Assembly in Lhasa's Jokhang Temple. Later in the

same year, Tsongkapa had the Ganden Monastery built and appointed himself the

chief abbot there, marking the establishment of the Gelug Sect.

With an increasingly higher influence, the Gelug

sprang up in Tibet and Qinghai. As a result, more monasteries were set up, such

as Drepung, Sera and Tashilhunpo, laying a solid foundation for the development

of the Yellow Sect.

The picture shows that Emperor Shunzhi

granted the 5th Dalai Lama the title of "His Holiness Dalai Lama," and a

golden seal of authority in 1653. (Chinese media file Photo)
Photo Gallery

Tsongkapa's success in the reformation enabled the

Gelug to become the largest sect in Tibetan Buddhism. "Gelug" means that

Buddhism believers should do good things and never do evil things. It is also

called Huangjiao (the Yellow Sect) by the Han people because its followers

always wear yellow hats.

Though it was the last to come into being, the Gelug

had grown into the most powerful sect in Tibet with the energetic support of the

central dynasty. This indicates that even a small sect would be able to become

grand and influential in a region, so long as it gained support of the imperial

court, the central government or a secular regime.

The title of "Dalai" first came from the third Dalai

Lama Soinam Gyamco. "Gyamco" means the Sea in the Tibetan language, which is

contained in the name of Dalai Lama of later generations.

In 1577, the 38th year of the reign of Emperor

Jiajing of the Ming dynasty, Soinam Gyamco, Tsongkapa's third-generation

disciple, came to Qinghai, by traveling thousands of miles from Tibet, to

publicize the doctrine of the Gelug Sect. At that time, Mongolian noble Althan

Khan, who ruled Qinghai, was a Buddhist who believed in Tibetan Buddhism the

most. Hearing that Soinam Gyamco had arrived, he extended a rousing welcome to

the dignitary and conferred him the title of "the Overseer of the Buddhist Faith

Vajra-dhara Dalai Lama" to express appreciation of his wisdom and talents.

The picture shows the golden certificate

issued by Emperor Daoguang to appoint Kezhol Gyamco the 11th Dalai Lama.

(Chinese media file Photo)
Photo Gallery

The title has multi-ethnic language characteristics.

"The Overseer of the Buddhist Faith" is the Han language. "Vajra-dhara" in

Sanskrit means the ultimate Primordial Buddha, or Adi Buddha, according to the

cosmology of Tibetan Buddhism. "Dalai" in the Mongolian language means the sea,

and "Lama" in Tibetan means Living Buddha. All the best words in multi-ethnic

languages had been granted to Soinam Gyamco.

Thanks to the support of the mighty Mongolian Khan,

the newly-established Gelug Sect was able to stand firm in Tibet. Then the

titles of "the first and the second Dalai Lama" were given to the former

generations.

In 1653, the 10th year of the reign of the Emperor

Shunzhi of the Qing dynasty, the 5th Dalai Lama, who had reached Beijing in the

previous year, was granted an honorific title plus a golden certificate of

appointment and a golden seal of authority by the Qing imperial court. For the

first time the Dalai Lama had the administrative power as authorized by the

central government. As a result, the Dalai Lama became a principal leader of

theocracy in Tibet, which integrated administrative and religious powers.

Having been imperially acknowledged and granted the

authority over Tibet since then, almost all the Dalai Lamas of later

generations, except for the 14th Dalai Lama, were patriotic, loyal to the

central government, and devoted to safeguarding the national unity. What people

could not understand is that now that every Dalai Lama was the reincarnation of

the late Living Buddha, why the patriotic quality wasn't passed to the 14th?

In fact, what the 14th Dalai Lama loves is his personal reputation, personal status and old Tibetan local regime practicing a feudal serfdom under the theocracy. Since he fled to India in 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama has been depending on the western countries for survival and those politicians with ulterior motives who can support his living, to win his so-called honor, status and obtain more funds from them. How despicable it is that Dalai, a previously esteemed religious leader in Tibet, has been reduced into a card of others chosen to play in the game!

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

History of the Dalai Lamas

Let's look at the history of the Dalai Lamas.

As mentioned above, the first and the second Dalai

Lamas were posthumously admitted after the third Dalai Lama, who died at 46, was

conferred the honor title by the Mongolian Khan.

The 4th Dalai Lama, Yundain Gyamco, was confirmed as

the reincarnated soul boy of the late 3rd Dalai Lama by Gaden Tripa (the supreme

head of the Gelug lineage, whose status was the same as Tsongkapa) before the

Sakyamuni statue in Ganden Monastery. And he was granted the title of "Holy

Vajra Buddha" in addition to an official seal as well as Lama costume and hat by

Emperor Wanli in Ming dynasty. He died at 28.

The picture shows the Gold Bum-pa which

was specially made for the lot-drawing process introduced by Emperor

Qianlong for Lamasery to determine the reincarnation of the late Living

Buddha in 1792, or the 57th year of the reign of Emperor Qianglong.

(Chinese media file Photo)
Photo Gallery

The 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyamco, was

conferred the title of "the Dalai Lama" by Emperor Shunzhi, plus a golden

certificate of appointment and a golden seal of authority, bearing inscription

written in three languages: Manchurian, Tibetan and Han. In 1682，he passed away

at 68.

Three years later, Cangyang Gyamco was selected to be

the 6th Dalai Lama and Emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty appointed Living

Buddha Lcang-skya to officiate the sitting -in-the-bed enthronement ceremony at

the Potala Palace. Cangyang Gyamco died at 25.

The 7th Dalai Lama Lobsang Gyamco was determined as

the soul boy at 12 in Tar Monastery by Emperor Kangxi's 14th son Yunti on behalf

of the Qing imperial court. And he was granted a golden certificate of

appointment and a golden seal of authority by Emperor Kangxi, with inscription

written in three languages, Manchurian, Tibetan and Han Chinese. He died at 49.

In 1761, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty

approved confirmed soul boy Jambai Gyamco in the form of an edict and he ordered

Grand Minister Resident of Tibet and the 6th Panchen Lama to hold the

enthronement ceremony at the Potala Palace in the following year, granting a

golden certificate of appointment and a golden seal of authority. The 8th Dalai

Lama passed away at 46.

The fresco shows that the Emperor

Dowager received the 13th Dalai Lama who came to Beijing in 1908, or the

34th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu. (Chinese media file

Photo)
Photo

Gallery

The 9th Dalai Lama Lhundo Gyamco was confirmed as

Living Buddha without going through the procedure of "drawing lot from the

golden urn (the system introduced by Emperor Qianlong for Lamasery to determine

the reincarnate of the late Living Buddha)" with the approval of Emperor Jiaqing

of the Qing dynasty, who issued an imperial edict for this purpose. He was

enthroned in the sitting-in-the-bed ceremony held by Grand Minister Resident of

Tibet at the Potala Palace, but he died at the age of 10.

The 10th Dalai Lama Curchen Gyamco was determined as

the soul boy with the approval of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing dynasty and went

through the procedure of the drawing (of) lots presided over by Grand Minister

Resident of Tibet together with the Panchen Lama. The 10th Dalai Lama died at

the age of 21.

The 11th Dalai Lama came to throne after being

approved imperially and going through the lot-drawing process. Emperor Daoguang

dispatched a special envoy to deliver the certificate of appointment and gifts.

The 11th Dalai Lama died in 1855 at 18.

In 1860, the sitting-in-the-bed ceremony was held to

enthrone the 12th Dalai Lama Chenlie Gyamco after the lot-drawing procedure

officiated by Grand Minister Resident of Tibet and the Hotogtu Living Buddha

Razheng. Emperor Xianfeng of the Qing dynasty granted him a golden certificate

of appointment and many gifts, and he died at the age of 20.

The 13th Dalai Lama was the second Dalai Lama approved as the reincarnated Living Buddha exempted from the drawing lot. Emperor Guangxu of the Qing dynasty ordered Grand Minister of Resident in Tibet and the 8th Panchen to preside over the sitting-in-the-bed enthronement ceremony and issued an imperial edict approving Lobsang Takai Gyamco to use the golden seal of authority of the 12th Dalai Lama. The 13th Dalai Lama passed away at 58.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Hong Kong Marine Police seize 119 smuggled lizards

HONG KONG, Feb. 28 (Chinese media) -- Hong Kong Marine Police had arrested three men and seized 119 smuggled lizards during a joint operation with the Customs and Excise Department (CE) in Tung Chung, Hong Kong Marine Police said Saturday.

In a statement, the marine police said that at about 07:00 p.m. local time, officers of Marine Small Boat Division conducted a joint anti-smuggling operation with CE near Chek Lap Kok.

Officers spotted five men unloading goods from a light goods vehicle (LGV) at the shoreline near the eastern side of Chek Lap Kok. A speedboat approached the scene and two men onboard began to load the goods onto the speedboat.

When Police and CE officers swooped, the two men from the speedboat and two men unloading goods from the LGV jumped onto the speedboat which sped away and left Hong Kong waters.

The three remaining men who unloaded goods from the LGV tried to escape but were intercepted by officers at the scene.

The men, aged between 15 and 44, were arrested for assisting in the export of unmanifested cargo. They are still being detained for further enquiries.

Seven wooden boxes containing 119 lizards were seized at the scene.

The case was handed over to for further action, according to the police.

Vehicle crash injures 39 in south China

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Chinese media) -- A total of 39 people were injured, including two seriously, after a bus collided head-on with a truck in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Saturday morning, the China News Service reported.

The accident happened about 7:50 a.m. in Shanglin County when a double-deck bus from Chongqing Municipality crashed into a truck from Henan Province, a witness said.

"I was sleeping at that time. Suddenly a huge clash broke out. I was then thrown out," the assistant driver of the bus, surnamed Zhang, was quoted as saying.

There were 44 people in the bus.

An initial investigation showed that the truck occupied the opposite lane and the bus ran too fast in the rainy weather, said a traffic police officer surnamed Tan.

China vows to clear misleading online securities information

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Chinese media) -- China's securities regulator has ordered the country's major financial websites to clean up misleading and illegal securities information.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said Friday that all false advertisements and incorrect information should be deleted. Illegal websites operating under the name of securities companies should be shut down.

The regulator said the crackdown would be the priority of its work this year.

Illegal securities information is widespread on China's financial portals. Unreliable institutions and individuals, pretending to be well-informed analysts, profit from persuading investors to buy particular shares which are touted as being valuable.

Besides portals, incorrect securities information has been disclosed on blogs, chat rooms and bulletin board systems.

Falsities impair investors' interests and disorder the securities market, said the CSRC.

Websites that do not follow the rules will be closed by force, according to the regulator.

Names of legal websites will be made pubic.

Since the campaign against illegal online securities trading started in 1997, the CSRC had investigated 37 such cases.

The CSRC set up a specific office last May to oversee illegal online sites. It has also stepped up education for investors to keep them sway from those that would defraud them.

Traffic resumes on Sichuan-Tibet Highway after avalanche

LHASA, Feb. 28 (Chinese media) -- Traffic began flowing again on a highway linking

Tibet with the neighboring province of Sichuan in southwest China on Saturday

morning. It had been closed for three days as a result of avalanches Thursday.

Chen Jun, a

police officer directing snow clearing work, said it took 300 policemen 30

hours to remove some 46,000 cubic meters of snow piled up on the road.

policeman (L) gives food and water to

the people stranded by avalanche on a highway linking Tibet with the

neighboring province of Sichuan in southwest China on Feb. 27, 2009.

Traffic began flowing again on a highway linking Tibet with Sichuan on the

moring of Feb. 28. It had been closed for three days as a result of

avalanches Feb. 26. (Chinese media Photo)
Photo Gallery

The avalanches occurred between Tibet's Baxoi and Bomi counties,1.5

kilometers from the Midui Glacier, after continuous snow from Wednesday.

In some mountainous areas snow was 80 centimeters deep, Chen said.

No casualties has been reported, though many people and vehicles were

stranded in Bomi County and Ra'og Township, Baxoi County.

Weather was clear on Saturday, but the Tibet Meteorological Bureau forecast another round of snowfall next week.

A snow remover helps to drag a stranded

police vehicle (in white colour) to move forward on a snow-and-ice-covered

part of a highway linking Tibet with the neighboring province of Sichuan

in southwest China on Feb. 26, 2009. (Chinese media Photo)
Photo

Gallery

Quotable quotes: online questions for Chinese Premier Wen

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Chinese media) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is scheduled to chat with Internet surfers at 15:00 Saturday on two state news portals.

The following are some eye-catching questions raised by netizens from home and overseas before the web chat:

-- It is well known that late Premier Zhou Enlai can drink liquor a lot, so I wonder how much can you drink?

-- What sports do you like?

-- As a premier, how much is your salary?

-- How long do you sleep a day?

-- Did you have any idea that you would become China's premier when you were a child?

-- Please comment on China's national soccer team.

-- Do you often go online in your spare time, chatting via QQ (similar to MSN) or playing online games like us?

-- May I have your mobile phone number and email address?

-- I really want to make a visit to China. Could you recommend some places of interest in China?

Netizens change China's political landscape

Special report: Premier Wen gives online interview at Chinese medianet,

Government Portal

Backgrounder: China's

central government website

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao holds an

online chat with netizens jointly hosted by the central government website

and Chinese media website in Beijing, China, Feb. 28, 2009. (Chinese media/Yao Dawei)


Photo

Gallery

By Chinese media Writer Li Huizi

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Chinese media) -- Listening to online

voices is becoming more important for Chinese officials, as was shown in Premier

Wen Jiabao's web chat with netizens on Saturday.

Observers believe it reflects the top leadership's

will to promote "Internet democracy."

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) shakes

hands with staffs of GOV.cn, the official web portal of the Central

People's Government of the People's Republic of China, and Chinese medianet.com,

the online news service of Chinese media News Agency, in Beijing on Feb. 28,

2009. The two portals will jointly interview Wen, which will be shown live

in both text and video.(Chinese media Photo/Fan Rujun)
Photo Gallery

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (C, front)

arrives at the building where the offices of two state news portals are

located, to chat with Internet surfers in Beijing, China, Feb. 28, 2009.

The two portals, the central government website (www.gov.cn) and the

Chinese media News Agency website(www.Chinese medianet.com), will jointly interview Wen,

which will be shown live in both text and video.(Chinese media Photo/Yao

Dawei )
Photo

Gallery

"Chinese officials and scholars felt obliged to

notice online views because it keeps them informed of the social situation,"

said Yu Guoming, vice president of the Media College of Beijing-based Renmin

University of China.

"On-line opinions have become an indispensable part

of public voices," he said.

"Reading piles of documents, listening to work

reports and going among the public" might not be an effective way for officials

to gauge society in the information age, Yu said.

According to the China Internet Network Information

Center, an increasing number of Chinese choose cyberspace to express opinions.

As of January, there were more than 300 million

Chinese, or 23.8 percent of the population, who had access to the Internet.

That's up 40 percent year on year.

The figure increases monthly by about 8 million to 9

million. It means the Chinese Internet population has become the world's

largest.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (C) waves

tostaff of GOV.cn, the official web portal of the Central People's

Government of the People's Republic of China, and Chinese medianet.com, the

online news service of Chinese media News Agency, in Beijing on Feb. 28, 2009.

The two portals will jointly interview Wen, which will be shown live in

both text and video.(Chinese media Photo/Fan Rujun)
Photo

Gallery

INTERNET

DEMOCRACY

Last year saw the peak in social and political

activity on the Internet with unprecedented media coverage and public attention.

In June, President Hu visited Qiangguo Forum, a

virtual forum under the People's Daily. He chatted with the public for four

minutes and said he got to learn of people's concerns through netizens.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (C) talks with

staff of GOV.cn, the official web portal of the Central People's

Government of the People's Republic of China, and Chinese medianet.com, the

online news service of Chinese media News Agency, in Beijing on Feb. 28, 2009.

The two portals will jointly interview Wen, which will be shown live in

both text and video.(Chinese media Photo/Fan Rujun)
Photo Gallery

Premier Wen also said he used the Internet to listen

to public opinions and suggestions. Netizens posted tens of thousands of

questions and advice for Wen on several Chinese news portals.

"I've perceived confidence and strength from people's

suggestions online," Wen said at a press conference held after the National

People's Congress session in 2006.

Netizens also flex their muscles, or fingers, to

advise local government work. In April, 26 active netizens from southern

Guangdong Province were invited to talk face-to-face with Wang Yang, the

provincial Party chief. They were allowed to freely express their views on the

province's development.

"The Internet has increased public participation in

political and social affairs and promoted socialist democracy," said Wang, who

is known for his creative and bold reform ideas.

Meanwhile, Internet vigilantes, known as "human flesh

search engines", tracked government officials, including the deputy head of

Shenzhen's marine affairs bureau, who allegedly tried to molest a teenage girl,

and the director of Nanjing's property bureau, who misused public funds to buy

luxury goods.

Netizens were even invited by the local government to

investigate a controversial death of an inmate who allegedly died during a game

of "hide-and-seek" in a detention house in southwestern Yunnan Province.

Moreover, three people in central Henan Province, who

represent a local netizen association, made headlines last month by becoming

lawmakers and political advisors .

Analysts said it was an unprecedented sign of

"netizens stepping out of virtual space into the real world's political arena."

With this year's top legislature and advisory body's

annual sessions around the corner, some lawmakers and advisors used blogs or

online forums to collect opinions or gain public support for their bills or

proposals.

Similarly, the Internet has become a major channel

for the government to solicit public opinions for draft laws, regulations and

national policies.

Netizens were invited last month to offer suggestions

on guidelines for a national educational program. Last October, the State

Council also solicited online opinions for the country's medical reform program.

Yu said the Internet "offered the most convenient

vent for voices of common people, without any editing."

"Conventional media usually convey only one kind of

view but the Internet allows dissenting views as long as they are in line with

laws," he said.

He said the Internet had become a mainstream medium

in China. Mass communications theories said "20 percent" is the threshold

indicating whether a medium was mainstream.

Yu said the Internet was so popular in China that

people with different ages used it, so it was able to reflect social issues.

The country's top leadership is aware of the

transformation.

In January 2007, Hu, general secretary of the Central

Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), urged officials at a lecture

attended by members of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, to improve

their Internet literacy and use it to "improve the art of leadership".

"I LOVE

BAOBAO"

Netizens, who dubbed themselves fans of Hu Jintao and

Wen Jiabao, created a website called "Shijinbabaofans" in Chinese last

September.

The site collected accounts of Hu and Wen's

activities, remarks and photos and allowed the public to post suggestions about

government work.

Fans' formed Internet words using Hu and Wen's name

such as "Brother Tao" and "I love Baobao". The latter was brought to the

spotlight when overseas Chinese students carried a large banner with the four

Chinese characters during Wen's recent European visit.

Anonymous fans also built a home page for Wen on the

popular social networking website Facebook. Foreigners and overseas Chinese

students, among others, posted praise and criticism for the work of the Chinese

government.

Some local Chinese politicians also have their own

websites which provide a space for the public to lodge complaints.

President Hu said in June that he would "seriously

read and study" on-line postings sent to him by netizens.

Observers believe the "grassroots democracy,"

reflected by the interaction on the Internet between the public and the

leadership, shows that netizens have become a constructive force in public

affairs.

But they also warn that relevant laws are needed to

better regulate and improve online activity.

"Trip of

confidence"

Tripartite

summit

UN

meetings

SCO

meeting

Wenvisits

industrial hub

Wen visits

quake-hit Sichuan

Ongov't work

report

On economic

slowdown trend

Wen meets with

Clinton

Int'l meetings,

visit Singapore

SCO meeting, visit

four nations

GMS

Summit

Chinese premier welcomes suggestions

for annual gov't work report

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L, back)

presides over a forum to get suggestions to improve the government work

report from economic and social scholars in Beijing, capital of China,

Feb. 9, 2009. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao invited non-Communists party

members, economic and social scholars, people from business,

technological, educational, health, cultural and sports sectors as well as

workers and farmers to his work place over the past week, soliciting input

for a draft government work report to be submitted to the annual

parliament session next month. Five forums were held between Feb. 6 and 13

at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in downtown Beijing.(Chinese media/Liu

Jiansheng)
Photo

Gallery

BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Chinese media) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao

invited non-Communists party members, economic and social scholars, people from

business, technological, educational, health, cultural and sports sectors as

well as workers and farmers to his work place over the past week, soliciting

input for a draft government work report to be submitted to the annual

parliament session next month. Full story

Chinese premier invites grassroots

suggestions for gov't work

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R, front)

shakes hands with representatives of grass roots civilians attending the

forum in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 12, 2009. Chinese Premier Wen

Jiabao invited non-Communists party members, economic and social scholars,

people from business, technological, educational, health, cultural and

sports sectors as well as workers and farmers to his work place over the

past week, soliciting input for a draft government work report to be

submitted to the annual parliament session next month. Five forums were

held between Feb. 6 and 13 at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in

downtown Beijing.(Chinese media/Liu Jiansheng)
Photo Gallery

BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Chinese media) -- Thirteen grassroots

representatives - some of them farmers, pig-raisers, migrant workers, college

graduates, doctors and primary school teachers - were invited to the Zhongnanhai

leadership compound in downtown Beijing last week by the premier to voice their

opinions on government work.

Sitting beside an oval table, the 13 people, excited

and nervous, all experienced their first face-to-face talk with Premier Wen

Jiabao. Full story


Chinese Premier urges "top priority"

on drought relief

BEIJING,

Feb. 8 (Chinese media) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has urged officials in drought-hit

areas to place "top priority" on relief work as agricultural stability concerns

China's bid to revive its economy.

The fight against drought has to do not only with the

safety of grain supply but also with the country's efforts to stimulate domestic

demand, Wen said during a visit to central China's drought-hit Henan Province on

Saturday and Sunday. Full story

All-out efforts in employment

expansion urged

BEIJING, Feb. 10

(Chinese media) -- China's State Council, or the cabinet, issued a notice Tuesday that

urged governments at all levels to make every possible effort to expand

employment.

The notice said that the deepening global financial

crisis makes it more difficult to offer jobs for new labor force and

unemployment risks continue to increase. In response, governments should adopt a

more vigorous employment policy to maintain stable employment and social order.

Full story

Ministry: China to create 775,000 jobs

through rural stores by end-2010

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Chinese media) -- China will establish

250,000 rural retail stores by next year to create 775,000 jobs for migrant

workers who have lost their jobs as a result of the global economic crisis, a

Ministry of Commerce official said Monday.

Vice Commerce Minister Jiang Zengwei said this year

the ministry would set up 150,000 stores. This and the building of ancillary

services, including delivery centers and post offices, which would create "a

large amount of jobs" for migrant workers. Full story

Rising unemployment becomes China's

top challenge

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Chinese media) -- A survey conducted by

China Economic Monitoring and Analysis Center predicted that rising unemployment

would be the biggest challenge for China's economy this year.

The survey showed, more than 90 percent of the 100

economists surveyed expressed their worries over the country's increasing

unemployment rate, which had added woes to a world economic downturn. Full story

Chinese Vice Premier: boost

employment, guarantee people's living

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Chinese media) -- Chinese Vice Premier Li

Keqiang said Monday that employment and people's livelihood should be

guaranteed.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the

Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the

remarks when visiting the southern Guangdong Province, a major base for

export-oriented manufacturers that had provided jobs for many migrant

workers. Full story

Hu underscores stable agricultural,

rural economic

development

BEIJING, Jan. 24

(Chinese media) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao urged the promotion of stable

agricultural and rural economic development and said issues concerning

agriculture, countryside and farmers should continue to be the top priority of

the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Hu, also General Secretary of the CPC Central

Committee, made the remarks during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC

Central Committee on Friday. Attendees at the meeting studied the means to

promote agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics.Full story

China to take measures to spur

consumption, stimulate foreign trade

BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Chinese media) -- More measures will be

taken to stimulate consumption and support foreign trade, according to

Wednesday's executive meeting of China's State Council, or the cabinet.

A document released after the meeting, chaired by

Premier Wen Jiabao, said to stimulate domestic consumption, efforts should be

made to improve the rural circulation network, increase the variety of

commodities available in rural markets, improve urban community

service-facilities, promote upgrade of durable goods, support development of

circulation companies, stimulate holiday consumption through exhibitions, and

step up supervision over product quality and safety.Full story

China legislature hears State Council report on financial

crisis

BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Chinese media) -- The

legislature heard here on Wednesday a somber report on how the intensifying

impact of the world financial and economic crisis is reverberating through

China's economy.

Zhang Ping, minister in charge of

the National Development and Reform Commission, representing the State Council

(cabinet), outlined the situation to the Standing Committee of the National

People's Congress. Full story

China GDP grew 9.9% in 1st three quarters:

official

BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Chinese media) -- A

senior cabinet member supervising the national economy said here on Wednesday

that China's economy grew 9.9 percent in the first three quarters of this year.

Zhang Ping, minister in charge of

the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), reported the

implementation of the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) on national economic and

social development to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress

(NPC). Full story

China opens top economic work meeting

with focus on stable growth

BEIJING, Dec. 8 (Chinese media) -- China's annual

Central Economic Work Conference opened here Monday to set tone for the economic

development next year.

Observers believed the three-day event

would give priority to efforts to maintain stable economic growth. Full story

China adopts "active" fiscal,

"moderately easy" monetary policies to boost economy



BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Chinese media) -- China

has decided to adopt active fiscal policy and moderately easy monetary policies

to boost fast but steady economic growth by expanding domestic demand, according

to an executive meeting of the State Council on Sunday.

It is estimated that investment into

infrastructure, social welfare and other key sectors will amount to four

trillion yuan by the end of 2010. Full story

China's 4 trillion yuan stimulus to

boost economy, domestic demand

BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Chinese media) -- China said

on Sunday it will loosen credit conditions, cut taxes and embark on a massive

infrastructure spending program in a wide-ranging effort to offset adverse

global economic conditions by boosting domestic demand.

This is a shift long advocated by

analysts of the Chinese economy and by some within the government. It comes amid

indications that economic growth, exports and various industries are

slowing. Full story

Chinese premier visits industrial

hub

TIANJIN, Feb. 16 (Chinese media) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao

went on a morale boosting tour in the northern port municipality of Tianjin, an

industrial hub near Beijing, Sunday and Monday.

Wen talked with textile workers, steel makers, tire

manufacturers and students during the tour to see how the city is weathering the

global financial crisis. Full story

Chinese villages introduce reform for democratic management

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Chinese media) -- The Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Friday that China has launched a national campaign to strengthen democratic management and boost transparency among about 30,000 villages.

The three-year campaign, led by the National Information Openness Team of Village Affairs under the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA), aims to resolve rural disputes and conflicts by safeguarding farmers' rights of knowing and monitoring, China Daily quoted Huang Guanhong, an official in the department of local governance and community construction of MOCA, as saying.

The move comes as a result of the circular issued recently by 12 ministries in an effort to "achieve a fundamental change of challenged villages in three years", the paper reported.

He Yong, the deputy secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), who is in charge of the team, warned that reform, development and stability in the countryside would be affected if the challenges in these villages were not addressed in a timely manner, according to the newspaper.

He Yong said targeted village organizations are required to improve transparency and information briefing of village affairs.

The campaign also aims to safeguard farmers' legitimate rights and interests, facilitate social harmony and promote rural economy.

Chinese legislator dismissed for alleged lawbreaking

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Chinese media) -- Mi Fengjun, a senior legislator

in China's northeastern Jilin Province, was dismissed from the national

legislature on Saturday for allegedly breaking the law.

Members of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee adopted a resolution to terminate Mi's eligibility as deputy to the 11th NPC, in accordance with a decision earlier made by the Jilin Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee.

Mi, a former vice chairman of the Jilin Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee, was expelled "for suspected violations of discipline and law," said the resolution. However, it did not specify what the violations were.

English-Language edition of biography about "last eunuch" published

BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Chinese media) -- The English-Language edition of "The Last Eunuch of China -- Life of Sun Yaoting" was recently published by the Beijing-based China International Press.

Its author Jia Yinghua, now 57, is known for his serial biographic works about Emperor Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the last dynasty in the Chinese history, and the royal family.

Sun Yaoting (1902-1996) used to be an eunuch serving some members of the royal family, and he followed Pu Yi till his last years as the puppet "emperor" of the so-called "Manchukuo" in northeast China, created by Japanese aggressors and in existence from 1931 through 1945.

Jia, a Beijing native 50 years younger than Sun, happened to be a close friend of Sun. In their long-time talks, the former eunuch told his young friend lots of inside stories about the "last emperor" and the royal family. Sun allowed Jia to record these stories with a tape-recorder and a video-tape-recorder.

Jia had already published the Chinese edition of the eunuch's biography and a Japanese-Language edition.

So far, Jia has written six books on the royal family. Jia said he wanted to translate his books into major foreign languages to help foreign readers better understand the history of China.

Four remain trapped in flooded coalmine for over 24 hours in C China

WUHAN, Feb. 28 (Chinese media) -- Rescuers were still unable to find four miners who have been trapped in a flooded coalmine in central China's Hubei Province for more than 24 hours as of 6:00 p.m. Saturday.

The accident happened about 11:30 a.m. Friday in Xiaojiacun Coal Mine, Xianning City, when 3,000 cubic meters of rainwater and silt from a nearby well flooded into the mine.

A total of 21 miners were underground when the accident happened, of whom 17 were saved.

Huang Jiaxun, deputy director of the Hubei Provincial Coal Mine Safety Bureau, said hundreds of rescuers have been pumping water out of the mine for 20 hours, but it was still flooded.

The surrounding area was soaked rain for 12 days and was still receiving drizzle on Saturday, which made rescue work extremely difficult.

The Xiaojiacun mine is a newly built mine and belongs to the foreign-owned Xianning Puqi Mining Co. Ltd. The name of the foreign investor is still unknown.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Quake-hit Chinese hope for better life

Special Report:Reconstruction After Earthquake

CHENGDU, Feb. 27 (Chinese media) -- Liu Renqin in his

sixties has reopened his decade-old gravy store, with the savory smell often

attracting queues of buyers from his temporary-house community.

In his view, the store is less of business purpose,

but more a link to the calm and happy life before last May's devastating

earthquake that left more than 80,000 people dead or missing.

The original store, which Liu had run for more than

ten years in Beichuan, one of the hardest-hit counties, was toppled, and half of

his families, including a son, a daughter-in-law and a granddaughter, died in

the catastrophe.

Though turning more silent, Liu has gradually been

adapted to the life in the new community, the largest prefab neighborhood in

Mianyang City, Sichuan Province. The neighborhood is home to more than 10,000

fellow residents from Beichuan.

"We have to live on," says Liu. He even plans a tour

to Beijing within a couple of years if the gravy store can help him save enough

money, since he has dreamed of visiting the national capital.

Wen Huarong, 40, who lost both her son and mother in

the quake, now works as a volunteer in the community and devotes most of her

energy taking care of the preschool children in the neighborhood.

"It touches me with a sense of family," Wen says.

"People who are still alive need some sort of dedication to life and work to

make them more courageous."

But some are still struggling for the future.

Liu Daihe, 43, finds it difficult to find a stable

job after the phosphorous mine at Qingping Town of Mianzhu, another hard-damaged

city, was gulped by the quake. He had worked for the mine for years and was the

breadwinner of his family.

He looked for jobs elsewhere, but was turned down for

his age. "I'm not competitive on the market. In addition, I don't have technical

skills. I can only do hard labor in the pit."

Liu had to travel hundreds of miles to Yibin in

southern Sichuan to work at a private mine, where he was paid 80 yuan (11.8 U.S.

dollars) a day working from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Before the Spring Festival, Liu came back and placed

himself at a small mine in the adjacent city of Shifang, which was set up by one

of his fellow villagers. The pay is 50 yuan on a daily basis.

Facing the tough situation, local governments have

listed employment as the top priority, hosting a series of job fairs and

offering training programs to help job seekers improve their technical skills.

By the end of last year, more than 1.2 million

laborers in quake-hit areas got re-employed. In Mianzhu alone, the local labor

bureau reached out to offer more than 18,000 public-welfare posts with modest

earnings, such as guarding warehouses or sweeping streets.

Jiangsu, which is responsible for the direct

assistance to Mianzhu, offered 50,000 jobs at five large-scale job fairs.

If jobs are regarded as the top priority, the second

comes housing. Ma Qianguo, chief of the Communist Party committee of Luobozhai

village in Beichuan, is so busy with house rebuilding that he has slept for only

three to four hours a day for months.

He hopes that all the villagers can move into new

houses before May 12. That will be the best way to commemorate the dead at the

quake's first anniversary, he says.

"The foundations of the new houses are as solid as

bridge piers," Ma says. "They can to stand against even a magnitude-10 quake."

"While building our new village, we are also

establishing our new life goals," he says.

In Longxi village, Wenchuan County, the quake

epicenter, 37-year-old Chen Shixue keeps his temporary house warm through the

winter with an electric heater.

Chen said the government has offered construction

materials and each family 2,000 yuan (290 U.S. dollars) to help build the wind

and rain-proof houses made of plastic cloth and wood boards.

Among the 96 families in the village, 90 lost their

homes in the quake. They built temporary houses to live through the winter as

their new permanent houses have not been completed.

As it's getting warmer, they have packed away the

quilts and the electric carpet given by the local government, says Chen.

By the end of January, 560,000 rural households in

Sichuan, almost half of the total number, had completed building their new

permanent houses.

"Spring is coming. There are always new hopes," Chen

says.