NATIONAL, SOCIETY, EDITORIAL, Reversal - On the Standing Up of Qin and the Kneeling Down of Many Others

By Dan Ran

"We Want A Rest By Standing Up" is the name of a newly erected sculpture by a Shanghai artist called Jin Feng, who claims together with several critics that the longstanding historical sculpture, "Qin Hui And Wang On Their Knees," is a violation of human rights and that the two figures should be "helped up" so as to show our concern for human rights.

Yet the righteous eyes of the elegant artist and critics ignore one thing, one thing that really matters.

Is Qin Hui's and Wang's kneeling-down a simple one? Never. Hardly any Chinese citizen with an adequate knowledge of history denies that their kneeling down here was a powerful expression of the Song Dynasty people's anger towards the evil couple. Chinese people's hatred towards the devils was expressed. Chinese people's fundamental moral sense was expressed, so perfectly, so thoroughly, so drastically, and so completely that to this day millions of visitors still cannot help spitting on the kneeling sculptures.

Suppose the new sculpture does take the place of the old one? In the future, how do we explain to our children when they see the couple being helped up right after they've read of the couple's sin in their history textbooks? How do we pass on to our children the historical and cultural heritage of the basic moral sense of our ancestors: respect those who fight for the interests of the nation and loathe those who collaborate with foreign invaders?

People have the inclination to follow any current consensus of history, some say, and therefore society needs to have those who will make challenges, those who condemn the "violation of human rights" reflected by the kneeling sculpture. Now, no matter how wide I open my eyes, I see no grounds for any such violation.

The issue of human rights is of significant importance, which I will never deny. Nevertheless, do we require the governors of the feudal China of 500 years ago to be aware of the necessity of caring for human rights? Do we blame the Chinese government for ignoring human rights merely because it rationally keeps an ancient sculpture that embodies invaluable historical and mental significance? Does the government now force those who murder, corrupt, or plunder to kneel down before the victims or the citizens?

"Ridiculous" is the word I least wish to use. Yet, I search my vocabulary high and low and still cannot find a better word to describe the act of creating a new sculpture in the name of "protecting human rights" while distorting the long held basic moral sense of the Chinese people.

It is such a pity to see those who should kneel down forever helped up because there are people who falsely apply the term "human rights" everywhere. Yet it is more of a pity to see those who should remain on their feet made to kneel down because there are people who totally ignore the meaning of "human rights"!

We heard of a 16-year-old worker in a clothing factory who was forced to kneel down in front of the director because he helped his workmate to escape from the appalling working environment and extreme low pay of the factory. We heard of eight rural laborers that were forced to kneel down before the principal because they made a mistake about the size in cutting a piece of wood. We heard of a PhD. student in China Central Art College who was forced to kneel down before the anchor of a TV program because the student informed him of bribery. We heard of a 16-year-old girl who was forced to kneel down before a driver because she ran into his car on her bike and did not have enough money to pay for the scratch on the car. And we heard of a three-wheel cab driver that was forced to kneel down before a dog because he accidentally killed it as he dodged a car!

The list is endless. And the list is ironical. While Qin Hui and Wang are now so kindly helped up, countless innocent flesh and blood people are so cruelly coerced to kneel down. The condemnation against these heartless people has long been buzzing around people's ears. The sympathy for these miserable victims continuously rolls in people's hearts. But the fact is we see more and more news about workers being forced to kneel down by directors, or students being beaten by teachers, or the poor being insulted by the rich. It is really time for us, not only the critics but all of us, to reconsider our care for the weak.

Where should human rights be applied? So many people are so busy caring about the "human rights" of the evil couple from 5 centuries ago, they have no time to concern themselves with the human rights of actual human beings who suffer under the same sky as them.

What a disappointing reversal we see today...to help up the guilty, yet force the innocent to kneel down; to cry for human rights for the non-human, yet deny human rights to the human.

NATIONAL, BEIJING, SOCIETY, NEWS: BFSU Female Students Went Under Attack For Their Sex Survey

By Li Mu (Lianne Li)

Six female students at Beijing Foreign Studies University have come under fire for a survery they gave to their fellow students on their sexual knowledge and activity.The state press and internet media added spices to their statistics of female sexual experience, launching a hot debate on virginity.

The survey, published on the November issue of the BFSU campus paper, 107 INVESTIGATION, was claimed to be the first effort to understand the sexual condition of female students in BFSU. Over 400 recipients from different grades returned the questionnaires designed by the girls, and the report went on the paper under supervision of a teacher.

The questionnaire featured 13 questions about recipients' attitudes and knowledge of sex and college sex education, one of which asked whether they had sex during college. Only 11.5% of the female students had sex during college, the report said. The figure was a sharp contrast to the on-line rumors claiming that only 15.86% out of BFSU graduates are virgins.

BFSU,a female-dominated school,has a reputation for pretty girls and is often looked upon as a "dyejigger" corrupting female virtues, despite there has been no research on its campus sex condition. The report caught the eye of a reporter from Chinatimes. On December 9th, he came to interview Luo and Liang, two girls on the survey team. "He kept asking us whether we were trying to rebut the internet gossip, but we denied it because that was not on our mind when we were doing this," said Luo.

However, the Chinatimes report published on December 12th was headlined as "BFSU Girls Carried Out a Sex Investigation to Rebut On-line Gossips".It emphasized the finding that only 11.5% of the responding students had sex, quoting Luo anonymously as He Ming, saying that she believed only a small number of students were sexually active and that the bad impression that had been stamped on BFSU girls was unfair.

Luo recalled that she never mentioned in the interview that the girls were "six virgins," but the reporter manufactured it by extracting it from a sentence in her personal blog, which actually pleaded for tolerance from readers on campus, saying that the six of them had no experience with sex and the other issues investigated.

Although a later article in the Legal Evening Post(Fazhiwanbao) published most of the results in the survey with no special emphasis on any one part, almost all of the major on-line news media put up the Chinatimes article and played games with it. One secondary report was headlined as 6 Virgins Carried Out a Sex Survey in BFSU. On December 15th, China Daily even put on its front page a story entitled "Sex, lies, and surveys: Point is, is there a point?"

The virgin ratio determined by the investigation became one of the most hotly debated topics of on-line bulletin boards. By December 14th, there had been 1448 comments on the bulletin board of Netease alone, with a whole page specially devoted to the topic. Many expressed disbelief and disapproval of the survey. According to a vote-in survey on sohu.com, only 18.27% of the 4000 participants considered the result convincing, and over 70% of them disagreed with the argument that only 10% of female students were sexually active.

Almost half of the visitors considered the survey to be a joke. Some said the investigation was "trying to mask things by making them obviously contradictory." Feminists openly condemned the purpose of the survey. "The gossipers are mean indeed, but to rebut it, the investigators themselves must have been supporters of masculine notion on women's virginity and the idea that sexual relationships are filthy," said a commenter on Netease.

Facing flooding public impugnment, the students argued that the report was meant to show large gaps in sexual knowledge among female students of BFSU. "The whole thing about the virgin ratio didn't flash into our mind until we were setting about doing a backdrop for reporting on the investigation," complained Luo.

The statistics showed that even among female graduate students, there were some who admitted knowing very little necessary sexual knowledge. The major source of the girls' sex knowledge was found to be books, pornographic films and the Internet; over 80% responded that they had no idea of any lectures on sex held on campus, and the school had never distributed condoms according to their memory.

Although the focus of public concern still lies on the virgin ratio, some scholars are starting to support the effort of the survey. When interviewed by Chinatimes, Fang Gang, a scholar on the Sociology of Sex at Renmin University, believes that it is important for people to know why female college students were considered to have casual sex lives. He said: "These girls are young and attractive, which is why people like to think of them that way and why they become targets of sexual desire. It's a mark of the masculine sexual possessiveness in our male-dominant society. It is not right for society or the media to distort their image."

CHINA,INTERNATIONAL,BUSINESS: Search Key words: Microsoft-Dr. Kai-Fu Lee-Google

By Beryl Hou (Hou dong)

No matter how the judge rules, Microsoft will lose a highly skilled employee, along with part of its reputation, impact, market, and wealth. What's worse, it lost "the face of Microsoft in China," just as Microsoft had said the week before the preliminary injunction was issued in a Washington State court.

In July 2005, nothing was more contentious than Microsoft's vice president Dr. Kai-Fu Lee with Microsoft's Natural Interactive Services Division shifting from Microsoft to head the Chinese research and development team of Google, which is indeed a fatal blow to Microsoft, since the information Dr. Kai-Fu Lee possesses is "strategically and economically advantageous to any company or individual seeking to compete with Microsoft."

On July 18, 2005, Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, spanned two eras.

On July 19, 2005, for the two companies, the atmosphere was worlds apart:

Google confidently announced that it had hired Lee as president of its newly-born China operations. Dr. Kai-Fu Lee is responsible for opening a research and development center here in China, which intends to create a strong research and development team to develop products and services.

Microsoft indignantly issued its own press release announcing it had filed a lawsuit against Lee and Google regarding breach of Microsoft's employee confidentiality and non-competitive agreement Dr. Kai-Fu Lee had signed when he began at Microsoft, saying asserting that in his position at Google, Lee will focus on the same technologies and strategies as he had at Microsoft. Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., said Lee has 'direct knowledge' of its trade secrets on search technologies and its China strategies.

On October 13,2005, Microsoft won a preliminary injunction in a Washington State court against Kai-Fu Lee and Google Inc. that prevented Dr. Kai-Fu Lee from working for Google on products or services related to search and speech technologies. Unless California repeals it, the preliminary injunction will remain in effect until the case is decided following a trial scheduled for early next year.

One of the aspects of the injunction is that it forbids Lee from recruiting employees of Microsoft, which revealed the current situation of Microsoft's working staff. Google has been the beneficiary of a recent brain drain, recruiting talents from competitors including the pc giant Microsoft.

We cannot help asking: what is wrong with Microsoft? Why did Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, who once told Chinese students that he would never leave Microsoft except for certain very important reasons, choose to work for Google? How Google can attract so many talents?

The values and culture of a company is vitally important for it to attract highly skilled employees. At Microsoft, Dr. Kai-Fu Lee earned not only a considerable amount of money but also a world-wile reputation for both his talent and his personality. It seems to us that he has already gotten everything. But, to a person who possesses a legion of knowledge and in certain fields stands on top of the world, money and reputation is not that important. For a talent, he needs more space and freedom to create something his own and to fulfill his ambition without much restriction form the higher rank officers.

Just as Dr. Kai-Fu Lee has said after he joined Google: "I feel rather lucky to join a company whose values and culture are a perfect match with mine." Probe between the lines and it is not that difficult to figure out why Dr. Kai-Fu Lee left Microsoft. To Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, he may be like a fish out of water with the values and culture that surrounds Microsoft.

Dr. Kai-Fu Lee said that "I am very happy to work with Google, and happier to work in China. I like Google for the most part because it is very supportive of me helping Chinese students." Dr. Kai-Fu Lee has always had an intention to influence people around him, especially young students. He said once that, "I cannot change education, but I can change the attitude towards education." He even established a personal website to help students, especially Chinese college students, in answering all the questions concerning their study, work, etc.

In an answer, Dr. Kai-Fu Lee told the students he wouldn't leave Microsoft except for two reasons: to do something more influential; retire to help the Chinese students. Obviously, to head Google in China is in accord with his wish and he needn't retire.
　　　　
The case of Dr. Kai-Fu Lee is not simply a shift from one company to anther. It represents the conflict between two values and gradually forms two cultures. The culture of Google is typical of "cultivation of the origin." Does Google sell anything? The answer is definitely not. It only aims to provide high quality, high-tech and the most advanced services to its users. To profit is the side effect, which is way different from the other companies with respect to this point. That is why Google is so successful today. Before Google, there was no company that could both provide first-rate service and profit from it.

That is exactly what Microsoft is afraid of. Admittedly, during the past years, Microsoft has reached the goal it pursued. Google insisted upon treating every product the same and holding the firmest belief: benefit the customers as much as possible. Though, apparently, it is a very simple doctrine, to materialize it in the fierce competition is really a tough task. But whoever can fulfill it is the final winner. Google is on its way.

Google tells its staff that only excellent goods will hold the attention of customers This value and culture is a dire threat and the exact reverse to the traditional modes of competition. It gains Google the competitive edge in the nowaday IT market, which acts as a terminator to Microsoft's long term hegemony and monopoly.

As a vigorous company, Google provides ample space for its staff to innovate. It has a list called: "the elite 100 pets projects," from which the staff can choose to attend any one of them freely. The core technology group will select the successful ones to promote. So there's no fixed plan, all the projects are chosen by the staff, geared to the needs of the market.

Compared with Google, Microsoft is already in its middle age. It has very strict organization and hierarchy, so inevitably sometimes it will follow the prescribed order. Room for the staff to innovate and create something of their own is not that great. Microsoft is famous for its technology monopoly. It attacks its competitors and purchases innovative companies so as to keep its absolute domination in the world market. In this sense it does live up to its reputation as world "tyrant." This might be one reason why Dr. Kai-Fu Lee left Microsoft.

Microsoft should draw a lesson from Dr. Kai-Fu Lee's leave. How to attract highly skilled employees is of great significance in nowadays competition. Capital alone, and customers alone cannot make a company prosperous. The highly skilled employee is the driving engine for every corporation. A free atmosphere with ample room to materialize ideas are key factors binding a talent to a company.

Just as the old Chinese saying goes: "It is easy to recruit a hundred soldiers, but it is extraordinarily difficult to find one to lead them."

NATIONAL, NEWS, EDITORIAL: More Lethal Than Spill: Lies

By Duan Kun (Justin Alex)

It's disturbing that two years after the trauma of SARS, and right in the middle of the bird flu pandemic, the Chinese government, at least at the provincial level, still does not know how to respond promptly and properly to a public emergency.

At a time when China wants to build a transparent government along with its credibility in the world, the last thing that the Chinese government should do is hide the truth of a chemical spill in the Songhua River from the public.

It's now known that the local and provincial officials learned about the accident hours after the explosion of a petrol chemical plant in Jilin. Yet weighing the consequences, they chose to save face first rather than the 8 million lives at stake in Harbin. They held up the truth for as long as eight days; only after they received orders from the central government did they reveal the spill to the public.

Apart from their belated response to the spill, local officials even lied about the cause of the water cut-off in Harbin, trying to cover up what was otherwise an acceptable accident. They lied to the citizens that the water system had to be shut down for four days because of pipeline repairs. Then two days later they suddenly told the truth. By that time, the harm was already done. Contradicting accounts for the water stoppage from city officials fueled the rumor of an imminent earthquake. Confused and desperate, thousands of people in Harbin fled the city in panic.

It's now also exposed that local officials in Jilin, in an early attempt to cover up the explosion, even released reservoir water to dilute the spill, only to accelerate the spread of fatal chemicals, including benzene, down the Songhua River. Thanks to their irresponsible and reckless action, now we have Russia pointing a finger at us, and the whole world questioning our country's credibility.

Times of public emergencies test the true competence and conscience of a government. When disaster strikes, the government should be the one to dispel the public's concerns and keep everything in order, certainly not the one to arouse concerns, much less public panic.

As this humiliating incident shows, irresponsible local government can be the source of people's plague. Any government should know better than to trifle with people in distress. Hiding truth from people will eventually and inevitably backfire, bringing even greater discredit to the Party and the Chinese government.

At a time when the Chinese Communist Party seeks support and legitimacy from the public, there is no better occasion than responding responsibly and effectively to a public emergency, be it mine explosion, flood, earthquake or epidemic.

SPORT, COMMENTARY: Commercialization: to Be or Not to Be

By Christina Liang

November 19th, 2005, the Real Madrid FC lost the most important match of the season, the so-called "war of the century" against Barcelona FC, at a humiliating 0-3.

All the data show that the Barcelona got the upper hand throughout the whole match. Even the fans of Bernabeu, who are famous for their captiousness, gave their applause to the fantastic performance from Ronaldinho. Their applause did not merely pay tribute to the "De Ballon D'or" winner Ronaldinho, but also showed respect to soccer as a game. Seeing a wonderful delivery of the sport, anyone who really loves soccer should not hold prejudice, no matter he or she is a fan of Real Madrid FC or Barcelona FC.

It seems that the Derby only showed the strength gap between the two clubs. If Real Madrid wants to get a better result in the next Derby, it is the players that should think over the whole case and improve themselves. And coach Luxemburgo should account for the failure. Actually, he did become the object of criticism. After the game, reports of "the appeal for firing Luxemburgo pierced the sky of Bernabeu" could be seen in all kinds of sport newspapers. People said the arrangement of players on the pitch was not proper and Real Madrid should change her coach.

However, will a new coach save the team? Let's take a look at what Luxemburgo have said about the failure first. "I have been a coach for several years, but have never decided the starting-line with others' interference. The situation is unimaginably complex. Generally, there are more than four players who should appear on the pitch. You can only decide the other seven ones. It's hard for any coach."

He was not evading his responsibility. What he was talking about is those soccer stars. Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, R. Carlos and Casillas, all of whom are supposed to appear in the name list of the staring-line. If they are not on the pitch, chairman of the club, Florentino will be unhappy with the coach, because the audiences pay to see those stars. Zidane's salary is 75000pounds per week, and Ronaldo has 60000 pounds per week. If their fans could not see them frequently, they would not be worth that much. And the purchase of these famous players is only on the plan of the market manager, instead of the coach. They are part of the "Star-policy", but what the coach needs. Besides, even if these stars are geniuses who can satisfy all the needs of the coach, they are still human-beings. They may not keep up their skills after a summer of tiring global commercial matches.

As the general manager of the Bayer München has said, Real Madrid FC has become Real Madrid C (circus). How can we expect a coach of such a "circus" to present a satisfactory result to us? At the same time, Rijikaard has the definite authority to decide the starting-line. And he has the great players as he wishes, such as Ronaldinho. So obviously, Rijikaard is the winner.

But is chairman Florentino the only one to blame? I don't think so. Actually, it is the result of commercialization. Nowadays, sports are not organized spontaneously entertain people, but a growing industry. If the club can't make enough money, no one would like to sponsor it. Without investment, it cannot provide the audience wonderful performances. As a result, it seems to be irreversible for the development of soccer.

At present, Arsenal FC is busy constructing a new stadium and prepares to make use of Highbury to develop a luxury residence. But the premise of these great plans, including the "Star-policy" of Real Madrid, is that there are a large number of loyal fans. So the preference of the audience is to be taken into consideration seriously. For example, when most of the fans in Bernabeu hope to see offensive football, Luxemburgo should not stick to counter attack, as he himself has said, "In such a club, you can't lose, not even come to a draw, and sometimes you can't just win one to zero."

This inevitable industrialization and commercialization of football seem to be accepted universally. People take them as the only methods of developing the sport. However, has anyone thought of the harmful side of this trend? Will the preference of the audiences (most of them are not experts in football) becomes the most important judgment of the sport? Will the clubs give up many originalities and basic rules of football to "fawn on" the fans? Will soccer just become an entertainment and money-making tool?

Fortunately, there is still something to protect the soccer itself from being distorted---the results. Although fans love to see offensive football and many stars on the pitch, the first thing they care is the results. If the club they love is at the bottom of the League table, they won't buy the tickets, no matter how many "Zidanes" it has purchased.

Nevertheless, the matter is not so simple and optimistic beyond the football-pitch. We can find a similar phenomenon in the area of culture. Ever since the conception of "culture industries" was brought up, the argument between "elite culture" and "pop culture" has never stopped. On one hand, to meet the appetite of the majority, the businessmen should lower the standard of "elite culture". The result is that after several generations, our children may not know the origin of the "elite culture". On the other hand, we should not take their right of having their own culture among the majority. So how can we keep the "elite culture"? And how can we avoid offending the rights of most people? If the results can help the soccer, what can help the culture?

[LIFE STYLE]

Beggar Man or Thief? by Liu Yeqing

The Dream and the Reality of Studying in Japan by Li Shuting

The Spring Festival of a Dog Year by Hou Dong and Li Mu

What Chinese Children Used to Play by Song Rui

A Third Sex? by Yu Zhijuan

Shouldn't Childhood Be the Happiest Time of Life? by Yu Feng

Five Mascots for Beijing Olympic Games by Ji Fang

Confession of a 'Ghost Examinee' by Lin Lin

One of the Two "Devil Teachers" at BFSU by Li Shuting

Being Tibetan at BFSU by Shi Rui

Life in Tibet, A Rebuttal by Shi Rui

Tibet, a Land of Enchanted Extremes by Shi Rui

Tibet, A Major Part of China’s Beauty by Hou Dong

Behind This "Door," New Beijing is Waiting for You by Hou Dong

QUEER AS FOLKS: A Study of Homosexuality on Campus,Part One by Wang Yan

Part Two by Lin Lin

The Forbidden City by Ji Fang

Their Unusual Student Life by Yu Feng

“Korea Wave” Catches China Off Guard by Lou Li

The Age of Graduate Study? by Li Chen

The Girl Who Cries for Cats, Cries For Humans by Li Jing

Haoyou, Will the Drums Fall Silent? by Li Mu

Mobile Trust by Li Mu

Sina's Journal & What's Up With the French in China?

TRAVEL: Sightseeing In Lien Chan's Footsteps by Xu Yan

[NEWS & COMMENTARIES]

National:

U.S. And China Have a Similar Problem: An Addiction to Other People's Oil by Ding Xiaoyue

We Owe Them Their Due by Vivian Guo, Leslie Sun and Andrew Lv

The Clamor of the "Manganese Triangle" by Li Mu

On the Standing Up of Qin and the Kneeling Down of Many Others by Dan Ran

Virgin Ratio at BFSU: the Making of a Story by Li Mu

Search Key words: Microsoft-Dr. Kai-Fu Lee-Google by Hou Dong

More Lethal Than Spill: Lies by Duan Kun

Korea Steals "Duan Wu" by Deng Jing

The Cold, Hard Truth About Beggars by Song Mo

Abolish the Death Penalty in China, Yes or No? by Li Jiajia

When You Can't Afford to Live, Die or Give Birth by Shi Rui

Irresponsible Multinationals in China by Liu Yeqing

Education Westward by Li Mu

The Urgent Need for a Digital Library in China by Tian Yuan

Which is More Important, Human Life or Profits? by Li Zhen

Are We Ever Supposed to Own Our New Bicycles? by Li Zhen

Panic Is Caused by Covering Up Truth by Li Shuting

Drivers' Training Is a Fever by Dong Yinglei

The Comprehensive Assessment System - Is It Fair? by Dan Ran

Is the "Right" Job Worth a Life? by Tian Yuan

The Cruelest Choice by Yu Zhijuan

When Going to School Is a Matter of Life and Death by Liu Liting

Chinese Media and Homosexuality, a Marriage of Opportunity or Idealism? by Lou Li

Classism in Beijing? by Yu Feng

Love Beijing, Love its History by Chen Chen

China's Top Muckraker Wants To Tell It Like It Is by Li Mu

Just Making Do, Selling Fruit in Beijing by Zhu Chaoli

The Day the Light Went Out by Deng Jing

Shenzhou VI - a Windfall for Advertisers and All by Tian Yuan

We Only Want to Live a Simple Life Without Being Beaten or Impoverished by Lv Zhuo

Move Back or Leave Forever? by Deng Jing

Should China Legalize Gambling? by Liu Yeqing

Should Science Reach Beyond National Boundaries? by Gao Jie

For the Love of a Prostitute by Shi Rui

Sex Education: Face It or Avoid It? by Dan Ran

Tsinghua PhD Candidate Quits School by Vera Chen

Murder On Bus 726? by Song Mo

Among Her Relics, The Story of a Murdered Prostitute by Hou Dong

When Ghosts Kill, Who is to Blame? by Li Mu

Is Tenure Reform at Peking University Good For All? by Liu Yeqing

Professor Accused of Extorting Sex for Grades by Zeng Siyun

To Buy Japanese or Not to Buy Japanese…? by Sun Meng

The Case For Flunking by Hou Dong

Disaster Profiteering by Ding Xiaoyue

The Executed Can Not Rise Again by Xu Yan

When Love Mixes with Money by Yang Xiaobao

Communication Brings Peace Across the Taiwan Strait by Chen Xizi

Lien Chan's Step of a Thousand Miles by Anita Sun

Everything is Down, Except Tests by Li Mu

Facing the Unemployment Problem of College Graduates by Dan Ran

Facing the Population Problem by Zhu Chaoli

RELIGION: What We Believe by Jin Ying

An Insiders' Point of view of the Lenovo & IBM Deal by Cecilia Luo

Eighty-two Marrying Twenty-eight, a problem? by Liu Liting

Chinese Bloggers, Information Providers or Hobbyists? by Chengxi Zhang

On the Wings of CCTV-9 by Editorial Staff

A Convicted Murderer Ties for Second Place in Annual Poll for "Figures of the Year at BFSU." by Editorial Staff

AIDS, Homosexuals and Human Destiny Zhang Qi

My Thoughts on December 1st by Ji Fang

More College Students, More Benefits? by Liu Liting

Mine Blasts, How Many More? by Dan Ran

Economic Adjustment in China by Ji Fang

International

Thinking Over the Unrest in France by Zhu Chaoli

A Wailing Land Calls For Cease-Fire by Song Rui

Psst! Want to Buy a Piece of the Moon…Cheap? by Li Jiajia

Visiting Yasakuni Shrine: Enjoyable for Japanese Prime Minister? by Zhu Chaoli

Why Bomb London? by Zhu Chaoli

Some Chinese Thoughts on the London Explosions by Liang Liang

JAPANESE RELATIONS, Opinion: Spirits Sobbing in the Wind by Lin Lin

A Thought On Sino - Japanese Relations by Guo Kaiyu

Japan Should Seek a Balance in Multilateral Relations by Dorothy Wong

My Appeal to Japan by Zhu Chaoli

What Arafat’s Passing Brought to the Middle East by Peter Cui

Thoughts on the American Presidential Election by Ding Xiaoyue

Middle East: Turmoil Will Go On by Zhu Chaoli

Conundrum on the Korean Peninsula by Ding Xiaoyue

North Korean Nuclear Crisis and the Six-party Talks by Zhang Qi

WOW SURVEY: U.S. Presidential Election and Iraq War by Editorial Staff

Observations on Iraq War by Li Mu

An Analysis of the American Presidential Election by Ji Fang

The American Presidential Election and the Iraq War by Zhu Chaoli

My Observation on Iraq War by Zhang Qi

CHINA, NATIONAL, SOCIETY, EDITORIAL: Korea Steals “Duan Wu”

By Deng Jing

South Korea recently succeeded in bringing the title "World cultural heritage" from UNESCO to a "Duan Wu" festival as their endangered tradition.

Upon learning of this, at first I felt ridiculous; then, furious and bitter; finally, I turned to happy and hopeful.

Dating back from 2200 years ago, a patriotic yet exiled aristocrat drowned himself in the Yangzi River at the news that his nation was conquered. His name was Qu Yuan. In folk stories he is handsome and elegant, talented at poetics in history, but too high-minded to survive in politics--a typical ancient Chinese literate.

According to the story coming down through thousands of years, people boated 9 days and 9 nights looking for Qu Yuan's remains, which is the origin of "dragon boat" races. So that fish would not eat his remains, people made "zongzi" (a type of food) for the fish to eat instead; it became a custom that every Chinese eats zongzi that day in memory of him. All the things Qu's fellowmen did in a desperate flurry of rescue attempts, formed a custom, then a festival, in Chinese it is called "Duan Wu" (端午节).

In deference to the fact that Qu, standing for the Chinese spirit, has been honored as a national hero, it is grossly ridiculous for me to connect Koreans with "Duan Wu." Qu Yuan is definitely Chinese, yet UNESCO adjudged a festival in honor of him to Koreans? Next time will they adjudge bullfighting to China?

I saw it as a Mission Impossible for the Koreans' plan the first time I heard the news. "It must be yellow news coming out of some foreigners who have not the slightest knowledge of China," I asserted, and forgot that the experts with UNESCO also possess no such knowledge.

The Korean ambassador said that the Korean version of "Duan Wu" greatly differs from the original one in many aspects--sure, so they don't have to worship a foreign guy. Then why do they still stick to this name!

It's just like you raise a baby, and just because you did not apply for an ID card for your child, others who did apply can tear your offspring away from you, legally. You suddenly turn out to be only a passer-by.

This bitter notion upset me, but what provoked my anger were some domestic scholars' opinions. In the process of application they just weakly protested to God-knows-who; then when seeing it's hopeless to win, they resort to preaching that it's a good thing to see Chinese customs "gain popularity and development in other countries."

In the name of the dead! Do they realize that the Korean's success means that "Duan Wu" will no longer be admitted as a Chinese tradition? Have they realized in the future that we will have to explain that a festival is both Chinese and Korean? That it originates from China but now is acknowledged as Korean tradition? Don't they think it's too much like a bitter tongue twister?

They raise the analogy that Chinese antiques in the British Museum have received proper, even better safekeeping than those at home. Moreover, it's beneficial to spread Chinese civilization in this great international museum.

All right, this analogy reminds me of another.

We all know Chinese attach much importance to family. However, in the old days, when Chinese met cataclysm, the poor sold their children to anyone who offered a passable price--as parents, they would rather leave children to destiny than bring them to death together, hoping the kids can be raised in a better environment.

Reduced to that plight, they believe the sovereign priority is to live.

Nobody is entitled to condemn them. But everyone will throw stones at them if they are well to do and still sell their children for money.

That's the thing. When I see the heads of Buddha hanging on the wall of the British Museum, I feel inevitably ashamed as well as happy for them for evading endless wars and the Cultural Revolution. As long as they can survive, I don't care who preserves them. But China now is neither in wartime nor cataclysm, I see no ground why we should sell a tradition born from our own culture.

No, I will never agree with such opinion that storing Chinese antiquities in foreign countries is a good thing so we needn't care. No, I will never consider giving up a tradition or antiques to other countries as "generosity"; on the contrary, it uncovers our inability. No, I will never forgive dapper experts and officials who always preach that because China has a 5000-year history it's not a big deal if we abandon some of it.

That's the worst thing; I didn't mention that we Chinese as well lack knowledge of China.

Qu Yuan was a tragic person. He aspired for a stronger motherland but the king didn't; he saw his ambition along with the nation come to naught; in storm and flash he queried the gods but no answer came down to comfort him. And now his death is a foreign festival for people to enjoy themselves.

So many years have passed from the day Qu Yuan chose a clean death over a dog's life. So long that we almost forgot him: as boat races gradually disappeared in cities; as we became rich enough to eat food more delicious than zongzi; as the standard of a national hero was turned to profit-making; and as his blood-cemented poem, which used to be universally sung by girls and scholars, has been too recondite for modern Chinese to comprehend-- classical Chinese is too hard to master and English is more useful and international after all.

I myself have never seen a dragon boat race. I can buy zongzi in the dining hall as often as I want. To say nothing of other less famous customs. And I am not exceptional at all.

It is we who abandoned him in the first place, along with our mutual memory, which is nicknamed "history."

Then my agony was appeased and I became enlightened. I should not be angry with Koreans, but instead thank them for this event. But for them, I as well as most Chinese would not pay any attention to an out-of-date festival. We witnessed its fading, however, on the verge of its death it is rescued by the Koreans.

Should I be happy? Maybe. Now that it survives--though in a different body. I even fancy that maybe this event can catch some eyeballs and avert them to the treasure we have abandoned as rubbish and a burden.

People learn to cherish only after great loss. I hope so. But may I feel a cautious optimism? It depends. After all China has a very long history, with a great many traditions, and there will not always be people who will turn up as a rescuer, or a reminder.

CHINA, NATIONAL, ARTS, BOOK REVIEW: Author and Readers; Going Beyond the Story

By Ding Xiaoyue (Moonlet)

During the American Civil War, a wealthy plantation owner in Northern Alabama, Peyton Farquhar, was going to be hanged by the Federal army at Owl Creek Bridge because he revealed his sympathies towards the Confederacy in front of a disguised Federal scout. The execution being carried out, Peyton Farquhar did not die immediately. He fell into the water beneath the bridge where he was hanged. Hallucinations occurred in his mind when he was swimming. He visioned that he managed to escape from the Federal soldiers. He swam to the bank and fled to the forest. Having made his way in the forest for a whole day, he finally arrived home, seeing his wife beautifully dressed to meet him at the parlor. Peyton Farquhar was about to clasp his wife, when suddenly all illusions were shattered: he was dead.

This is Ambrose Bierce's short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. The narrative of it is not as plain as the story is described. Readers don't realize that they are also deceived by the hallucination until the disclosure at the end.

When I read the story, I found my thought was interestingly changing all the time. From the beginning, I decided that it was going to be a story of escape. Then a weak suspicion crept into my mind because the whole course seemed much too easy and lucky for the prisoner, Peyton Farquhar. Is it possible that a man who is almost half dead and without any aid manages to escape from several sergeants with weapons? After all it does not seem to be a cat-and-mouse thriller written to meet the curiosity of readers. However, gradually I believed the author as he presented me too many details to allow one to believe it is not absolutely true. Finally, as I expected Peyton Farquhar to be arrested in his own house, all illusions broke with his neck. Until then, I realized that I had been deceived.

You can see that during my reading my communication with the story was more important than the plot itself. I was trying to form my own judgment in spite of the author's interference. At first there was a chance that I would win; I lost this separate thinking in the eddies of the stream and the forest, though. Thus, when I read the sentence "Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek Bridge", my first response was, "I got cheated," rather than "Oh, he is dead."

Of course, reading is not a competition between the author and the reader, but there is no doubt that a good story has to make one or more suspensions which holds readers' attention till the end, and for a good story like An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, even that is far from enough. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge catches one's heart. It leaves space for the readers to consider and doubt. As I mentioned above, the reading turns out to be a communication or, for a better word, a conflict between the author and the reader.

If a writer intends to make his story a communication or a conflict, which allows the reader to decide whether he is going to participate or not, a good number of details and plots are always necessary. The readers of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge are able to receive an entire sensory impression: they can see, hear, smell, taste, and feel all that Peyton Farquhar does. In this way, the author succeeds in tricking his readers into believing the whole illusion.

In conclusion, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge has successfully shown us how a psychological game is played between the author and the readers. As the shock goes beyond the pages, I believe it is the very time that the depth of a story actually reaches its peak.

CHINA, NATIONAL, SOCIETY, EDITORIAL: The Cold, Hard Truth About Beggars

By Song Mo

A ragged girl begs regularly in Gong Zhu Fen, one of the busiest areas in Beijing. She is about eight or nine years old, without arms. Her begging bowl is always full of money. Unlike other beggars, she does not kowtow or cry for money, what she does is hold a waterish brush pen in her mouth, which she uses to write such words: "I do want to go to school! I do not want to quit! But I cannot afford my tuition." Her penmanship is excellent, which captures all the passers-by's attention. People are moved and give her money, one after another.

Admittedly, the girl looks really pitiful and she deserves people's help. But are they doing the right thing, even if the girl is in great difficulty? Every time I pass by, I do not give her money. It seems that I am indifferent to those who need our help; however, as far as I am concerned, giving money to beggars is not the right thing to do. This is because, in the first place, passers-by's aid is quite confined. The girl's begging bowl is filled with small change, the total amount is no more than ten Yuan. If the girl wants to save her tuition at such a speed, she will beg for quite a long time. What is more, the girl cannot depend on begging all her life. It is precarious, and cannot solve her problem once and for all.

To a larger extent, almsgiving can only deteriorate the whole thing. That is to say, if people keep on giving beggars money, then some people, like those who want to reap the fruits of other people's toil, will take advantage and pretend to be beggars. Thereupon, kind people, in this sense, promote a thriving market for them. In the end, there will be more and more beggars, and the whole matter will become a vicious circle. Surely no one wants to wear worn-out clothes, make oneself stinky and kowtow to others with no money gained; thus, If no one gives money, the beggar problem will be reduced and eventually vanish altogether.

On the other hand, it is better for the government to take measures. If citizens really want to help those who need it, it is better that they give to the relevant relief organizations.

The beggar problem is a headache for governments in nearly all nations. It is undeniable that in nowadays China, with the economy developing so fast and the gap between rich and poor widening, begging has become one of the most serious phenomena, which arouses the close attention of both the government and the public. It is so complicated that that there seems no golden means to deal with it.

In the first place, the government cannot arbitrarily stop all begging activities. Though it may prevent some begging, there will still be a great number of beggars living off their begging bowl. If we break their bowl, how will they live? Moreover, some beggars do not just beg for a living, but also for their children's education or medical expenses, and the like. So just housing them and taking care of their room and board does not work, either.

In the second place, it is rather difficult to regulate beggars. The number of beggars is vast, and they are free to go wherever they want. In addition, there is no potent law available. Once it was stipulated that a beggar would get a ten-Yuan fine if arrested. However, it turned out to be ineffective. Beggars can easily earn ten Yuan in one day, but it is hard to get arrested everyday.

A better idea might be what is happening in Minneapolis, the biggest city in the State of Minnesota, in the United States, where a new measure will provide each beggar a "qualification card" to regulate begging activities. If anyone begs without the card, one will be fined or even stay in prison for up to thirty days.

It is not a bad decision, just as Chief Williams of the Minneapolis police said, "Our purpose is not to punish them or drive them away; what we want is to regulate their way of begging." In my opinion, it might be a good measure: on the one hand, it prevents the increase of beggars who take begging as their profession; on the other hand, it helps those who need help.

In today's China, we have a long way to go to find the best solution to this phenomenon. It is not a bad choice to learn from the experience of others, such as Minneapolis. Nevertheless, it is impossible to solve this problem solely through government. It is also necessary for our citizens to establish and donate to charities to help beggars. All things considered, ultimately achieving common prosperity is the most ideal solution to this problem. Which is much easier said than done, of course.

CHINA, NATIONAL, SOCIETY, EDITORIAL: Abolish the Death Penalty in China, Yes or No?

By Li Jiajia

In recent days, conferences and debates concerning the abolishment of capital punishment in China were held in many big universities in Beijing. Different voices were heard, and the topic drew a lot of people's attention.

Should capital punishment be abolished in China? My answer is "yes."

Firstly, the death penalty is not an effective means of punishment. The purpose of punishing criminals is to bring justice to the victims and to keep similar cases from happening. However, capital punishment fails to do either. To sentence a criminal to death can make him suffer physically, but spiritually he can't realize his guilt. He may feel regretful when receiving the verdict, but it's not for the misfortune of his victims; it is for his own ending that he grieves.

After just one shot, the sense of guilt vanishes like so much smoke. In other words, killing criminals cannot really do justice to their victims. On the contrary, it is a kind of relief to criminals like Ma Jiajue, who did something extremely vicious. (He killed his four roommates in college).

As for the prevention of crimes, the facts from past years are not very convincing. Since 1979, when the first penal code was passed, the number of crimes for which the death penalty can be applied has increased greatly, but serious crimes continue to occur. Some people say that without the death penalty there would be more serious crimes, but facts from many foreign countries that have abolished capital punishment fails to prove so or even proves otherwise. As a famous scholar of law said, "What has sanction on crime is not the severity of punishment but its inevitability." The threat of the death penalty is probably just our illusion.

Secondly, capital punishment has serious negative effects. "Since you have robbed someone of his life, so the law will rob your life." This 'eye for eye; blood for blood' logic is actually a form of revenge in the name of the nation. This, in my opinion, can do no good to the harmony of society. Moreover, too many examples of the death penalty will impress upon people the idea that life can be deprived so casually, which will pose difficulty to the fostering of a healthy and humane society.

The death penalty also leaves no room for remedy. Those who are wrongly condemned have no chance of coming back to life. As a matter of fact, such cases are not unusual in China, where the legal system is still very incomplete and not transparent.

Besides the negative effects above, there are also cases where a criminal accidentally kills someone and then chooses to go on killing because he knows he has no option other than receiving the death penalty.

Based on the two reasons I have stated, I believe the abolishment of capital punishment is a historical trend. However, by holding this opinion I am not advocating making the transformation overnight. As the saying goes, "haste makes waste," we must carry out the reform step by step.

In my opinion, the top priority now is to reduce the number of crimes that the death penalty can be applied to. Life imprisonment can be a good substitute. Long-term imprisonment of more than ten years is also helpful. Consequently, of course, laws concerning adjudication also need to be more transparent, because under the complicated system in present China, life imprisonment can usually be reduced to only 11 years of imprisonment due to judicial loopholes.

Though the road to abolishing capital punishment is lined with difficulties, we must begin to prepare now, because it is the historical trend. To abolish it or not, it is just a matter of time.

CHINA, NATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, FEATURE: What Chinese Children Used to Play

By Song Rui

Nowadays, with the development of high technology, especially the computer, children all over the world are sharing the same games and joys. With the help of the Internet, even children from different continents can play the same game at the same time. However, when there was not such easy access to modern games, kids in China also enjoyed their colorful childhood with various traditional Chinese games, among which, flying kites, playing diabolo and shadow puppets show were the most popular.

The kite, a Chinese invention, has been praised as the forerunner of the modern aero plane. Although it has contributed to science and production, to Chinese children, it's only a good toy. Every year, when spring comes and the wind blows, one can always see sundry kites dot the sky.

It is no easy job to make a kite that one can be proud of. First of all, you have to select the right kind of bamboo for the frame and make it into the shape you want. In most cases, they are made in the shape of animals, such as birds or dragons. The second step is the covering of the frame. This is normally done with glue and paper, sometimes with silk. You should cut the piece of paper or silk according to the shape of the frame and stick it to the frame. The last step (painting the kite) is the most creative one. You can paint whatever patterns you like. Many Chinese choose designs that bear messages of good luck to show their wishes.

When the kite is done, friends usually fly their kites together on a fine day and compete with each other. Of course, the higher, the better.

Another game that is quite popular among kids is diabolo, or Kongzhu in Chinese, meaning empty bamboo. It is an hour-glass shaped hollow toy which consists of a wooden spool that is whirled and tossed on a string tied to two sticks held one in each hand.

The diabolo has a long history as described in literature from the Ming dynasty. Although it seems simple, not everyone can control it well. The player holds the sticks and the diabolo spins as it is manipulated from side to side. Crack players often toss it from the string to the air, then catch it again by the string. It's a kind of high skill game, and today, playing diabolo is a splendid program in acrobatic shows. But in the past in Beijing's narrow old Hutongs, you could easily meet a girl or a boy playing with it. Actually, Diabolo is enjoyed not only by kids but also by many adults.

Apart from those games that can be played on one's own, Chinese children also had games that can be enjoyed together, namely, the shadow puppets show. Among Chinese movable toys, shadow puppets enjoy the longest history and best reputation. Made of colored cardboard, leather, or hardened sheets of plastic, they are used by children and adults in a variety of puppet shows. With wires, strings, or sticks attached to them, the puppeteers can move various parts of their bodies. Similarly made furniture is also used as scenery in puppet shows.

Many of the sets and characters are from ancient Chinese history and folk literature. While appreciating the show, the children are also being educated on Chinese traditional culture.

There are numerous other kinds of Chinese games that were played, and some are still played by Chinese children from generation to generation. Although they vary by time and place, they are a reflection of Chinese culture and also are the memory of many Chinese exhausted by the modern, busy adult world.

CHINA, NATIONAL, SOCIETY, EDITORIAL: When You Can't Afford to Live, Die or Give Birth

By Shi Rui

5000 RMB won't even get you born

A newborn baby died in a small private clinic in Wulumuqi city, Xinjiang Province on November 12th, 2005. The doctor of the clinic did not have a medical certification and was arrested soon thereafter. When asked why they didn't go to the regular public hospital for parturition, the parents said, "It's too expensive, we can not afford it."

Before Zhou Jie got pregnant, she and her husband Lin Xiao had worked in the city as migrant laborers for a year to save money for childbirth. They saved 5,000 RMB ($612) by the end of 2004, which gave them the confidence that they were ready. Hoping to have a clever and healthy baby, the mother took the doctor's advice several months before her parturition and went to the public hospital for a physical exam regularly.

In October, however, the couple found that over 3,000 Yuan had been spent on all kinds of exams. They had only about ￥1, 000 left and the real childbirth had not even begun.

"I visited more than ten public hospitals and got more and more disappointed," Mr. Lin said. "The charge of the childbirth operation, plus inpatient fee, ranged from ￥4, 000 to ￥10, 000. If I had had money, I would not have sent her to the private clinic and my son would not have died," Lin Xiao said as he cried.

This is not the saddest medical tragedy to happen in China today, since Chinese people are still troubled by the high price and poor service of public hospitals. In recent years, the government has cut the price of medicine 17 times but the improvement in medical treatment is tiny. It's not only because the policy failed to be carried out completely; it's also due to excessive, repeated charges for physical exams and other nursing services.

What's the key point of the medical reformation? People in their 30s and 40s must remember the medical care system ten or twenty years ago, when the patient could apply for reimbursement and his or her company would pay back 50% - 80% (sometimes even 100%) of the medical fee.

I get confused. What is going on in our country? Maybe reform released the financial burden of the nation but it also turned public hospitals into independent moneymaking agencies. It's not a secret that each department of these public hospitals is given a profit goal every year (or season), and in order to achieve the target, the departments make full efforts to prescribe unnecessary medicine, hospitalize patients with light illness and offer excessive and repeated exams and services.

The effort to take your money is so obvious it's ridiculous.

Last year, I was in the hospital for a lower back condition. I had not a trace of fever and, medically speaking, I was not supposed to. The nurse visited my room that night to measure my body temperature once per hour, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.; she bothered me to death. Sleepily, I asked how much would be charged for the constant taking of my temperature, and she told me ￥5 each time.

In my eyes, hospitals today are just shopping centers and patients are consumers--consumers who know nothing about the commodity. They don’t know whether they really need it; whether it is of good quality or not, and whether the price is reasonable. Once you enter the hospital you are like pork on the chopping board.

So, nowadays in China, do not get ill, or get pregnant, if you have no money.

3,000 RMB before you die, please

Pingle town, Qionglai city of Sichuan province--black smoke rose from the bamboo forest at 10 a.m. Nov. 24th 2005, giving out a disgusting smell. The smoke came from a burning dead body.

Chen Guohai, 47, died of epilepsy on Nov. 21st. Since he had no child, his nephew Wang buried him in the forest, but the inhumation was opposed by the Pingle-town government, which ordered Wang to cremate the body.

"They (the officials of the town) asked me to pay 3,000 Yuan for the cremation, but I don't have the money," Wang told a journalist. "A vice bailiff even threatened to dig my uncle's body up and burn him with gasoline."

His threat came true 3 days after Chen's death.

If Chen Guohai had known his miserable ending, he would have begun to save the 3,000 Yuan long before he died.

The public criticized the arbitrariness of the local government officials when the news came out. But we have more to think about.

To everyone, death is inevitable. In the old times, the rich could buy huge plots and tombs for their last inhabitancy, and the poor could be wrapped in his mat and buried in the barren soil. Nowadays, society is more civilized. With the coming of civilization, however, came the increase in the cost of dying: only the burning costs 3,000 Yuan, that's not to mention the dressing, the face-painting, the urn, and tombstone.

What can we do with 3,000 Yuan in Sichuan Province? It equals to 1,500 kilos of rice, or 750 kilos of apples; it can cover 20 months' meal expense of a college student in the city; it is what an ordinary peasant family might earn in two or three years. Not saved mind you, but earned; most farm families struggle hard just to make ends meet at the end of each year, so they seldom have a money surplus to 'save.' Shudder to think if 2 people in the same family died in the same year?

The dead have gone but those in life must carry on.

Following the hospitals, the crematoriums became another profit-making industry. Since then, the wish of "death pays all scores" will never be fulfilled.

If you are too poor to give birth to a baby, or to get medical treatment for your lethal illness, please give up the idea of committing suicide however desperate you are, because you can not afford it either. All the same charges apply.

CHINA, NATIONAL, SOCIETY, EDITORIAL: Irresponsible Multinationals in China

By Liu Yeqing (Louise)

For quite a long time, an unusual phenomenon has confused and disappointed us. Ever since the 1980s, our country has applied the reform and opening-up policy expecting multinationals, which strictly adhere to the laws in their own countries, to introduce their advanced management to China. They were expected to be the model for Chinese enterprises as they value product quality, practice fairness in competition, pay taxes according to regulations, give prominence to environmental protection and social benefits, and safeguard customer's interests.

However, the fact is that after many multinationals entered the Chinese market, instead of influencing Chinese enterprises with their advanced international practices, they were rapidly 'Chinalized' and quickly adopted Chinese practices. They contend for market share not through fair competition but by bribing authorities. When their product goes wrong, the first thing they do is negotiate with authorities instead of solving the problem.

In spite of substantial profits, they still try every possible means to evade paying taxes. They attach high importance to the environment in Europe and America, but cut the budget greatly for environmental protection in China, making profit at the cost of heavy pollution. The wage of their employees, especially rural laborers, is extremely low compared with their enormous profit. Sometimes the working conditions are so hostile as to damage their workers' health. When their products fail, they do not regard Chinese customers as important as those overseas, instead, they adopt negative measures such as: silence, aversion, refusal of compensation, and so on.

Take the Nestle Corporation for example. Recently their milk powder was found to contain an excessive amount of iodine. Their attitude towards customers was quite arrogant and indifferent, but not to the government. They explained to the Chinese government immediately, attributing the cause of the quality problem to the source of the milk. They chose to mediate in private with the government instead of moving their excessive-iodine-containing milk powder out of the market. They didn’t stop selling the defective powder until a week later. They reluctantly apologized to Chinese customers but refused to exchange purchases. One week later, under great social pressure, they finally agreed to exchange the milk powder.

Their behavior was totally different from their common practices when confronted with similar emergencies in their own and other developed countries. There, they would publicize detailed information about the defective product; apologize to the customers sincerely; move all the defective products out of the market as fast as possible; recall or exchange the sold product; and compensate the customer. Why hasn't the Nestle Corporation applied their common practices in China? We cannot help but ask such a question. And what's more, similar things happen all the time.

It was recently discovered that Kentucky Fried Chicken food products were inadvertently contaminated with an illegal dye, Sudan I, and their reaction towards it was also comparatively slow. Heinz, a goliath international food manufacturer, issued a national recall of chili sauces and chili oils that contained the red industrial dye, Sudan I. But the business partner of Heinz, the Parkson Group, attributed the responsibility to the supplier and refused to compensate customers. The Proctor & Gamble Group was charged with false advertising of a body lotion. P&G only recalled the ads in the stores but didn't compensate nor apologize to the consumers who had suffered ill effects.

In May 2000, the media exposed the deficiency of the FD controller of Toshiba laptops. The amount of compensation Toshiba paid to their American customers was way higher than that paid to their Chinese customers. This has aroused the discontentment and protest of over 200,000 Chinese owners of Toshiba laptops.

Faced with this 'second-class citizen' treatment, many customers are confused. Why should we lay great trust in name brand products from developed countries and pay so much more money for them when we receive only secondary services? Why does the advanced management form that developed courtiers back home change when they are in China?

When you think it over, it's not hard to understand. All enterprises will seek as huge a profit as possible. These 'unusual' practices of multinationals are an indication of the loopholes in the legal system of China. So, if we want the multinationals to follow their international practices in the Chinese market, we should not only rely on their own consciousness for long-term interests, but also form powerful regulations to force them to obey. For example, we should perfect the legal system to make it easier for consumers to defend their rights.

The government should adhere to its principles in supervising the multinationals. If the government keeps yielding, the situation will go from bad to worse. But if it takes the initiative to intervene in such matters, on the contrary, it will exert pressure upon the enterprises, which will benefit the enterprises, the consumers, and also help create a better image of the government.

We should also strengthen media supervision. As a matter of fact, many problems were solved after the media exposed them. With transparency of media, public opinion will not only impose pressure upon the enterprises but also give stimulation to the governmental departments concerned with ensuring social and economic justice.

In addition, the rule of the market and the choices of the public will teach the enterprises a good lesson. For instance, after the Nestle milk powder incident, a 'trust crisis' occurred among customers. In a survey conducted online, 80.76% of cyber citizens said they would not consider buying Nestle milk powder. This is a serious loss for the enterprise.

The multinationals really should give serious thought to how they treat their Chinese customers. No amount of extra profit will matter once customers lose trust in them.

CHINA, INTERNATIONAL, NEWS, EDITORIAL: Thinking Over the Unrest in France

By Zhu Chaoli (Julia)

Listening to the BBC the other day, I came across what a Muslim living in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois said when he was interviewed: "You only need to walk around the roads to realize what it's like to live here. Being Muslim adds to the problem, being foreign and Muslim is bad, being foreign and Muslim and black is catastrophic."

I was shocked and stunned. So far as most people see it, France is a state of liberty, equality and fraternity, or a garden of romance and fashion; but never would it be related as the picture this Black man portrayed. Yet the mayhem, which took place on 27 October in the low-income Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, and did not quiet down until recently, tells us everything.

It is France's worst civil unrest in more than a decade. The spiraling violence and the inability of authorities to bring it under control have shaken France and stunned neighboring nations. Many people imputed it to the deaths of two teenagers of Mauritanian and Tunisian origin. The youths, who thought they were being chased, were accidentally electrocuted as they hid from police in a power substation. Yet the story is far more complicated.

In my opinion, the most crucial cause is the improper disposition of the immigrants from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and other African countries. Until a decade or so ago, immigrants proudly referred to themselves as "French Arabs," "French Algerians," "French Moroccans," and so on. However, now they find only great disappointment. Though the government continuously preaches equality among all people, advocating a policy of racial integrity, what it does is totally opposite. They send the immigrants to the suburbs where they are isolated in bad neighborhoods with poor schools and little or no opportunities and no one caring how they feel or what their problems are.

Many Africans and their French-born children live on society's margins, struggling with high unemployment, racial discrimination and despair. Instead of being treated equally, they are abandoned. What is more pathetic than living in a community with no one knowing who you are? What is more tragic than being treated unequally when you deserve equal respect and the same rights as others? What is more desperate than holding onto a hope that you know can never come true?

These are all tortures the immigrants in France experience and endure. Under such circumstances, rage and anger are due to build, and when these reach a certain point it is fertile terrain for crime of all sorts as well as for Muslim extremists offering a way out.

Triggered by discrimination and social exclusion, other problems also come up. According to statistics, the disparity between rich and poor, namely the urban and suburban areas of Paris, is more than ten times apart. The average high family income reaches 50,961 euros, yet the lowest family income is only 6,864 euros. In recent years, the average national rate of unemployment in France has consistently been within 8% - 10%, but in the suburban areas, this number reaches as high as 30%. The widespread poverty and high unemployment rate, together with their lack of social recognition and acknowledged identity, are beyond a normal human being's endurance.

And there is more. In the course of suppressing the unrest, the French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, called those young people "trash" and "motley crews." Some racists in the police force even put forward the slogan of "remove the mosque." It is like adding petrol to a flaming fire.

Clearly, this is not an issue concerning France only. Estimates vary, but somewhere between 15 million and 20 million Muslims make their homes in the 25 nations of the European Union. Countries like Britain, Germany and Holland, also have restive Muslims of their own and the same problems; the whole of Europe is adopting a similar policy in the migrant integrity issue. It is as Manzoor Moghal, chairman of the Muslim Forum, an organization of Islamic groups in Britain, said: "What is happening in France could trigger copycat reactions elsewhere in Europe."

Then, how to cope with the crisis? The French government has offered a way out--the use of force. President Jacques Chirac, whose government is under intense pressure to halt the violence, promised stern punishment for those behind the attacks: "The law must have the last word--France is determined to be stronger than those who want to sow violence or fear, and they will be arrested, judged and punished."

And he did what he said. The government has, with no hesitation, imposed curfews and widened police search-and-seizure tactics all through the country.

Though it did work in France at present, I don't think it is a good way in the long-term. To straighten it out, it is necessary for us to have an overall view of the unrest. Apparently, it started as an outburst of anger in suburban Paris housing projects and fanned out nationwide among disaffected youths, mostly of Muslim or African origin.

Why are these people angry? At this desperate point, they are the victims. They want to change their situation, but due to their underclass social status, the only way they can think of to raise attention, to pour out their dissatisfaction, is to protest, to burn garbage cans, cars, and buildings. But when they do these things, they are committing crimes, producing social instability and hurting other people. They are now criminals facing punishment according to the law. Victims, hopeless and desperate, burst out and choose to be criminals. What an irony!

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that because they were originally victims and, to some extent, still are, they should be spared lawful punishment. What I really want to say is that the government and the whole of society should also claim responsibility.

Please put down your guns and listen to this voice: "Just allow us the dignity of good jobs and a chance to make better lives, then the French will have nothing to fear from 'dangerous Muslims.'" This was said by Zoubidia, a 29-year-old Muslim living in Clichy-sous-Bois, as she nervously led her two small boys past cordons of riot police guarding a fire station. Clearly, we get everything.

The root of the problem exposes the ridicule of using force. What really needs to be done is to give the immigrants equal rights, equal chances and equal respect. When that is realized, it will be time to take constructive actions.

CHINA, NATIONAL, SOCIETY, EDITORIAL: Education Westward

By Li Mu (Lianne)

For the country's 160 million rural students receiving their 9-year compulsory education, nothing would induce more bitter happiness than the central government's recent promise of financing incidental school fees within two years. For over twenty years, poor families and deficient-budget county governments have been paying for the tuition-free compulsory education out of their mean pockets, with the students suffering the lack of teachers and poor educational environments.

"The state's policy of dealing with compulsory education in rural areas is like bidding a horse run while forbidding it to eat any grass," commented a recent visitor to an on-line education forum. Since 1985, a decision to reform the education system by the central government has laden responsibility for basic education upon the local counties. The law merely defined free compulsory education as the provision of tuition and stipend by the central government, leaving to the local governments, which turn in most of their tax revenues to the state, a cumbersome burden on their tight budgets.

To help the local governments finance two thirds of the nation's primary and junior high schools, the law on implementing compulsory education passed in 1990 further allowed schools to collect incidental fees, which later became one of the major expenditures of peasants' yearly income. A conservative estimation noted that different incidental fees and funds collected from peasants across the country during the past decade amounts to at least 150 billion RMB.

Surging national complaints drew the government's attention to eliminating "exactions of fees," but without success. At a NPC meeting on March 5th, Premier Wen Jiabao promised that the state will finance incidental fees and provide free textbooks and boarding stipends for all rural students by 2007. But the ministry of finance was even more ambitious. Minister Jin Renqin told the public on November 16th that the government should provide for all rural students within the next year, 3 years ahead of the agenda of the ministry of education.

"The statement articulates the government's preparation to take on a burden of at least 20 billion RMB on its yearly revenue," says Zhang Yulin, a professor of sociology at Nanjing University. Yet the effort should have been made 5 years ago. According to the Outline of the Reform and Development of Education in China issued in 1993, the government should invest more than 4% of the GNP in education by the end of 20th century, yet that goal hasn't been met.

But even if all the rural students are spared any payment for school, they are still far from being better educated. Implementing free compulsory education is not a simple matter of providing subsidies for books and boarding. Over 70% of the rural education budget consists of teacher's wages unsupported by the state. Although the law granted them the same benefits as civil servants, many teachers receive low wages or have payments in arrears. In some poverty-stricken areas, they are not even treated as teachers.

The public schools in these areas rely on low-paid unqualified probation teachers for education because of the lack of standard teachers and the budget for standard wages in counties. In some of the poorest areas, probation teachers are paid 40 RMB monthly. With the wage of a standard teacher, 20 probation teachers can be hired, the local authority explains, as it is impossible for them to hire standard teachers out of their deficient budget when no help from the state is forthcoming.

According to statistics, there are over 32 thousand probation teachers educating a million students in villages across Gansu Province alone. They have no benefits aside from their monthly salary averaging 200 RMB. Across the nation, the number of probation teachers is estimated at over 500 thousand, educating at least 10 million rural students.

Many of these teachers are far behind the requirements of competence. Most of them are without a college degree and any training in teaching, but are required to teach classes that can be as large as 200 students because of the unavailability of teachers. In the end, the students have to pay their youth to the failures of education.

Education theories say that education involves community, family and school. In the west, rural students find themselves born in inadequately cultured families and communities without libraries, museums, laboratories and intellectual influences, and the only hope they can cling to is the education provided by public schools. And it's in such public schools that they find it impossible to compete with urban students who enjoy better facilities and faculties in the east.

It has been a long ignored fact that the education problem in rural areas of the west lies not only with the students, but also with the teachers. Aside from the failure of providing them standard wages and promotions that strangle their enthusiasm, there are no training programs to boost their teaching skills, which drags the development of education years behind that of the east.

In his address to the fifth high-level group meeting on EFA UNESCO, Premier Wen Jiabao stated that China is concerned about setting up a system that provides better training and benefits to teachers. He also promised that the central government would ensure the financing of their wages.

The west is waiting for the realization of these promises.

CHINA, NATIONAL, SOCIETY, EDITORIAL: Who Can Afford to Go to the Movies?

By Gao Yifeng

A few days ago, China's biggest film festival opened in the island province of Hainan. The Golden Rooster Award and Hundred Flowers Award, not only celebrated achievements in the past year, but also commemorated 100 years of Chinese filmmaking.

2005 is the 100th anniversary of Chinese film. In this festival, 100 movie practitioners, including directors, singers, actors and actresses, such as Zhang Yimou, Jackie Chan and Andy Lau, were selected from the past 100 years and honored with gold medals.

"The Chinese film market is going to grow, a lot of foreign studios want to come here and produce films," said Li Zhou, general manager of Sony Pictures Entertainment. "Chinese films have done well in the international market," he explained.

However, another question is emerging. Many Chinese film fans can't afford the expensive film tickets. Statistics show that the audience pays, on average, 50 RMB for seeing one film in a cinema. Compared with some developed countries, it is still a very high expense. It is an undeniable fact that the high price of a film ticket is not good for the development of the Chinese film industry.

Though today's decline in film audienecs can be attributed to many factors--such as the rising popularity of the DVD--expensive film tickets are partly responsible.

To attract larger audiences, cinemas should reduce the price of film tickets. Currently, many movie theaters are making a positive proposal by offering a 50 percent discount on Tuesdays.

In China, film tickets are priced by the China Film Corporation and the film theaters. Audiences have no right to make suggestions in the process. In the future, let's see something done in order to afford the pleasure of going to the cinema.

CHINA, NATIONAL, SOCIETY, EDITORIAL: The Urgent Need for a Digital Library in China

By Tian Yuan

There is no proper digital library for foreign language materials for college students in China. Thousands of obstacles are found on the way to obtain knowledge from libraries. The government should pave the way for college students to get free use of digital libraries.

Digital libraries are urgently in need for college students now. In China, most of the universities have their own libraries but few of them get enough, or even the proper, books for students whose major subjects have close relationships with studies conducted in foreign countries.

Take Beijing Foreign Studies University for example, if you are majoring in journalism, you can find few books on your subject in the school library and all the teachers there advise you to go to the National Library of China for the information you need. However, the National Library asks a thousand Yuan as a deposit for borrowing books in foreign languages, which is too much for a college student.

This just shows the dilemma nowadays: college students are encouraged to use libraries more, while libraries are asked to be better protected by limited use. Therefore, a digital library has a proper reason for existing--it can provide students all the books they need while keeping the originals from the ruination caused by too much reading and handling.

But the fact is that there is no proper digital library for students in China. The recent news that the U.S. Library of Congress is setting up a system for creating digital copies of rare documents from around the world may offer a ray of hope. However, the Internet service inside college campuses around China is provided by Tsinghua University and its control center is located at that university, which charges more for logging onto foreign internet sites. In other words, if one needs to visit a site based in a foreign country, one must pay more money, about 1 Yuan for 1MB of data, to Tsinghua University or its Internet provider/partner.

Most students cannot afford it. Therefore the channel for college students to get to foreign digital books is blocked. As mentioned above, not being able to get enough and/or the proper books from the library, and with their use of foreign digital libraries being limited by finances, what can college students do if they need to study foreign sources?

A proper answer might be that China should eliminate the control of Internet service inside campuses and give college students free access to foreign academic sites, especially digital libraries. That may cause an increase in the education budget for a short period, but the result will prove worth it.

As college students get more useful information in time and learn their majors better, they can make more contributions to their motherland. This is good both for China's efforts at catching up with the developed countries and for students trying to improve themselves.