The New Year holiday ended on a polluted note as smog enveloped China during the Lantern Festival (China Daily):

The authority issued a yellow smog alert at 10 am. Yellow is the second lowest level in China’s four-tier color-coded weather alert system.

Thick fog, lowering visibility to less than 1,000 meters, shrouded central and northern parts of Jiangsu and areas in Zhejiang early Sunday morning. Smog choked southern Beijing, and parts of Shanxi, Henan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, according to NMC monitoring data.

Beijing acted to reduce fireworks as air worsened (Bloomberg) and while this year’s pyrotechnics were noticeably inferior to previous years’, Beijing air on Sunday was horrible, as you can see in this picture of the Central Business district I took at 1:30 PM.

But when the air is clear Beijing can be stunning. Here is a picture I took Friday afternoon on a visit to the Lama Temple. That beautiful Beijing blue sky is not the result of any filters on my phone.

China Daily thinks Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s visit with President Obama was not a complete success. The paper today writes that Abe fails to get full US backing over islands:

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fell short of achieving his key goal, getting Washington’s unequivocal support for Tokyo’s stance over the Diaoyu Islands, as he concluded his visit to the US capital on Sunday…

But Obama did not mention the islands in his brief remarks after his meeting with Abe.

Abe sees a strong alliance with the US, which he said had been damaged by the previous Japanese government, as a key part of keeping China and the DPRK in check, Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun said on Sunday.

But a Japanese government source said the US decided not to touch upon the issue during the summit to avoid irritating China unnecessarily, it reported.

Kenneth Lieberthal, a senior fellow in foreign policy and global economy and development at the Brookings Institution, said despite the US-Japan alliance, it’s up to China and Japan to work it out themselves.

Any readers know if the US or Japanese governments would agree with this analysis?

The New Year holiday may have been good for Bo Xilai, as John Garnaut of Fairfax Media writes in support for Bo grows before China’s ‘trial of the century’:

The purge of Bo Xilai is in danger of losing momentum as the maverick political star remains defiant and associates question the fairness of keeping him in jail while other tainted leaders remain free.

Support for the charismatic and polarising leader has grown over the Spring Festival break as powerful princelings visit one another’s families and gather to share opinions and information, several princelings and close observers have told Fairfax Media.

One lifelong associate of Mr Bo said the handling of the case was a challenge for the Communist Party rather than Mr Bo, whose political execution was not in doubt…

Difficulties in staging what promises to be China’s ”trial of the century” have been compounded by a Reuters report on Thursday night that Mr Bo has grown a chest-length beard and gone on a hunger strike, requiring him to be taken to hospital.

Sources with connections to the Bo family questioned the veracity of the report but confirmed he had been unwell and broadly unco-operative.

A milquetoast approach to the Bo Xilai prosecution would be a very bad sign for those who believe Xi Jinping has the will and the political capital to at least rollback some of the more egregious corruption and push through difficult economic reforms.

Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

Chinese general Luo Yuan’s battle on Weibo | Offbeat China– Just as netizens on Weibo were about to conclude that Luo was finally edged by netizens to insanity, Sina Millitary channel stood up in Luo’s defense and announced that Luo’s Weibo account has been hacked, and that all the self-praising remarks were not from Luo himself. Not only did netizens not believe the clarification, they even further made fun of Luo: “In my opinion, if general Luo cannot even protect his own Weibo account, it’s simply bullshit that he is capable of protecting our country.” Judging from the development so far, Luo’s hope to win over public favor has been crashed completely. Weibo continues to show Chinese officials that the war of public opinions isn’t one that’s easy to fight. Luo is not the first nor the last to be defeated in the battlefield of China’s social media.

Xi rallies the ‘Second Generation Red’– The Age – another interesting piece from John Garnaut//–Mr Xi enjoys natural prestige among the “Second Generation Red” because he is one. His father, Xi Zhongxun, helped establish the revolutionary bastion of Yan’an in the 1930s.Mr Xi’s first 100 days in power, which he reached on Thursday, has been marked by high-profile campaigns against corruption, pomp and conspicuous consumption among the Party and military elite. He has adopted a more nationalistic and militaristic tone in pursuing territorial claims against Japan and making repeated high-profile visits to military commands.  Less visibly, in internal speeches and oblique public references, Mr Xi has elevated the prestige and legacy of Chairman Mao Zedong and held himself out as a leader who has the courage to fight to save the regime – in explicit contrast to Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union.

Words of caution for China bulls | FT Alphaville – The consensus is for growth of a touch more than 8 per cent this year, roughly in line with what Beijing itself is forecasting. Yet Zhiwei Zhang and Wendy Chen, economists at Nomura, argue this is too bullish, and offer five reasons why they think 7.7 per cent is more realistic, with growth slowing to 7.3 per cent in the second half of 2013.

Analysis: China central bank takes lead in economic reform push | Reuters– Central bank insiders interviewed by Reuters say the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is the country’s most potent force for reform in the face of powerful vested interests, echoing sources with leadership ties who last week said Zhou would keep his job despite reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65. Keeping Zhou ensures that the PBOC will remain a trusted instrument through which China’s leaders can enact financial reforms designed to boost free markets and private enterprise, rebalance the economy, reinvigorate growth and ultimately heal a socially divisive rift between the country’s rich and poor

Rhodium Group » Chinese Investment: Europe vs. the United States  Chinese direct investment in the United States and Europe has grown fast since 2008. In the past two years, Europe has attracted twice as much investment as the US as Chinese investors seized commercial opportunities arising from the European crisis. Flows to the US can be expected to remain strong on the back of the US economic recovery and growing Chinese interest in high tech and modern service assets. However, policy and politics have become important factors for investment in sectors like infrastructure and high tech, and they will become even more critical for future deal making.

China’s New Leaders Plan First Government Overhaul in Five Years – Bloomberg – The scandal-hit Ministry of Railways will be merged into the Ministry of Transport, while the Ministry of Civil Affairs may widen its responsibilities over social management, Caijing magazine reported yesterday. The changes will also include nationwide reform of food safety and more responsibility for the State Oceanic Administration, according to a report on the magazine’s website. New York-based Duowei News, which accurately predicted in July that the Politburo Standing Committee would be reduced to seven from nine members, said in a Feb. 21 report on its website that the transport ministry will take over responsibility for railway construction and network planning, while the railway ministry’s operational units will be separated into a new company.

Official suspended after outbreak of airport rage — Shanghai Daily – huge play on Weibo// A MINING company official in southwest China was suspended yesterday after a video showing him flying into a rage at an airport was posted online [A must watch Youtube. And you wonder why there is a sense a lawlessness…].  Yan Linkun also faces punishment as the member of Shizong County’s political advisory body in Yunnan’s Qujing City.//repeated cases of outright lawlessness at Chinese airports. China needs to start sending these people to jail, as the US would if people were dumb enough to behave this way in American airports these days

The cyber age demands new rules of war – FT.com–Zbigniew Brzezinski – But to make that process productive, the US itself – while resisting the temptation to do to others what America condemns others for doing – must make certain that its vulnerabilities are not easily exploited by adversaries that are difficult to identify. It is perplexing that the US, which apparently is able to use computers to inject undetectable viruses into sensitive foreign targets, seems so vulnerable and so uninformed regarding foreign hacking into its assets. Calm and determined deterrence – including intensified efforts credibly to identify perpetrators as well as readiness in effect to retaliate in kind – must be the point of departure for new and genuinely reciprocal rules of the game. The need for such rules is becoming urgent.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

China’s farm produce prices down |Industries |chinadaily.com.cn – Farm produce prices in China have seen a marked decline since mid-February, according to a survey conducted by Xinhua News Agency. The average price of 21 monitored vegetables declined 11.2 percent from February 10-22, while the price of eggs was down 0.4 percent, said the survey released Friday.

China’s aluminum stockpiles reach new high: expert |Industries |chinadaily.com.cn – China’s aluminum inventories reached a record high this week, caused by rapidly growing supply and weak demand in the country, resulting in sharp price drops, an expert said. The country’s overall aluminum stockpiles climbed to 1.25 million metric tons on Monday, almost double the level during the same period late year, according to Myyouse.com, a Shanghai-based commodities information consultancy. On January 10 last year, the nation’s aluminum stockpiles stood at about 700,000 tons, said Li Xun, an analyst at the consultancy. He told China Daily the excessive supply in China’s aluminum industry will continue at least for the first half of the year. “The aluminum price will fall by 200 yuan ($32) to 300 yuan a ton during this week,” he said. “That is considered a dramatic price drop in the market.”

China to Increase Fuel Prices for First Time Since September – Bloomberg – The pump price of 90-RON, China III gasoline in Beijing will rise 3.1 percent to 10,030 yuan a ton, or $4.55 a U.S. gallon, according to Bloomberg calculations from NDRC data. The price for North Sea Brent crude has increased by 2.7 percent this year, while U.S West Texas Intermediate added 1.4 percent in the period. “According to recent development in international oil prices, we decided to increase finished oil product prices,” the NDRC said. The government will continue to subsidize the farming and public transportation industries to offset the impact of costlier fuel, it said.

房地产调控的退与进_观点频道_财新网 – 其实，在承认北京“住房供求紧张”以及“短期内难以根本改变”之时，也不得不承认“热点城市”之所以“热”，是因为区域发展得不均衡，大量优质的教育、医疗、养老和就业机会等社会公共福利资源集中在这些“热点城市”，即便这里的PM2.5数据可能排在前列。供求紧张的表面上是房，实际上是社会公共福利资源。提出“以人为本”的新型城镇化，就意味着这不是单单交给房地产开发商就能解决的问题

多地投巨资“劈山造城” 政府自称“愚公移山”_网易新闻中心– “foolish old man who moved a mountain” back as local governments level mountains in urbanization projects?// 新华网北京2月24日电 近日，关于湖北十堰“千亿劈山造城”的网上讨论愈演愈烈，众多网民对此忧心忡忡，有识之士更是疾呼：“劈山造城”遗患无穷，安敢称“愚公”？ e哥一盘点，发现“劈山造城”并非十堰个案，早已在全国呈“癌细胞式”裂变：陕西延安，投资上千亿削山填沟造城；甘肃兰州，投资200多亿削平700多座荒山；广东惠州，美丽东江边的连绵青山被剃成“黄土高原”……“劈山造城”卷起黄尘滚滚，地方政府竟自诩曰：“愚公移山，向山要地”；地方百姓则怒斥曰：违背自然，破坏生态，实则祸害子孙。

CPI数据泄密案8人获刑 当事人曝证券业潜规则_财经频道_一财网 – more official details released about the leaking of official CPI data that sent 8 people to jail,,,very interesting story// CPI泄密者落网的背后，西城检察院上午首次披露这起轰动一时大案侦破始末。

楼市调控细化政策最快“两会”前出台 – details on more real estate repression rules may come out before the two meetings// 随着20日国务院常务会议部署房地产市场调控的五项政策措施出台，相关部门正紧锣密鼓启动准备工作。中国证券报记者获悉，近期多个部委和机构纷纷召开会议，总结调研情况，提出政策建议，对楼市调控做出部署。一些地方政府尤其是一线城市相关部门也在加强市场分析，并提交市场报告，为新政出台提供依据。业内人士认为，此前提出的五项措施，在房屋限购、房产税试点、保障房建设、差别化信贷政策等方面暗含了加码空间。随着房价持续上涨，调控加码预期强烈，近期相关部委和地方政府可能出台细化政策。

吴敬琏：市场的灵魂在于竞争-中国金融新闻网 – “改革大关还没有过，前面的任务还很艰巨，要打开新局面，一个重要课题就是怎么构筑竞争性的市场体系。”在2月22日召开的亚布力·中国企业家论坛开幕式上，经济学家吴敬琏发表演讲并强调，市场的灵魂在于竞争，任何失去竞争性的市场，只是一种貌似市场的伪市场。

 

POLITICS AND LAW

人民日报-习近平在中共中央政治局第四次集体学习时强调 依法治国依法执政依法行政共同推进 法治国家法治政府法治社会一体建设 –

CPC should act according to law: Xi – Xinhua | English.news.cn – – The Communist Party of China (CPC) organizations at all levels should act in accordance with the Constitution and laws, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, has stressed. As the ruling party, the CPC should insist on governing by law, which is of great significance to promoting the rule of law in an all-around way, Xi said while presiding on Saturday over a seminar of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Xi stresses promoting rule of law – Xinhua | English.news.cn – A socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, with the Constitution as the “commander” has taken shape in the country, and on the whole, there are laws to follow in every respect of society, Xi noted. “This is a significant achievement that we have scored,” he said. Xi required that legislative planning be improved to highlight priorities and combine the making, amendment and annulment of laws.

Xi Jinping says all must act in conformity with Constitution, laws – Xinhua | English.news.cn – Presiding on Saturday over a seminar of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Xi said that all citizens, social organizations and government agencies must exercise their rights or power, and fulfill their obligations in accordance with the Constitution and the laws.

Xi vows to ensure fairness, justice in every case – Xinhua | English.news.cn – Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has vowed to ensure fairness and justice for litigants in every judicial case.Judicial organs at all levels should give priority to resolving deep problems that harm judicial justice and impede the enhancement of judicial capacity and make sure that litigants in every case can be treated with fairness and justice, Xi said while presiding over a seminar of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Saturday.

人民日报-腐败是沉重的枷锁（人民论坛） 郑 剑 – 相反，一个人能够自警自律、拒腐守廉，就可以心灵放松、精神轻松，就可以整日愉快、永夜安眠。这样，干起工作来就能够敢抓敢管，动员群众来自然会一呼百应，即使教育别人来也多了些资格和底气。还是老话说得好，“打铁还需自身硬”，“己不正，焉能正人”；“其身正，不令而行；其身不正，虽令不从。”

人民日报-改革再吹集结号 ——学习贯彻落实十八大精神系列述评之四 – 30多年的改革开放犹如一个巨大的转折号。然而，转折号并非一笔画出，而是由无数个微小的转变累积而成。“渐进式”改革的精髓，恰恰在于下好改革、发展、稳定这三着棋——由此可见，稳定是改革发展的前提，必须坚持改革发展稳定的统一。 邓小平同志曾经坦言：“乡镇企业是谁发明的，谁都没有提出过，我也没有提出过，突然一下子冒出来了，发展得很快，见效也快。”正是千千万万普通人的激情燃烧，才锻造出改革开放的丰功伟业——由此可见，改革开放是亿万人民自己的事业，必须坚持尊重人民首创精神，坚持在党的领导下推进。 今年的春天将开启新的改革元年。

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

Chinese army to tighten expenditure – Xinhua | English.news.cn – The regulation, approved by Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, was issued by the Headquarters of the General Staff, General Political Department, General Logistics Department and General Armament Department. In terms of money distribution, the army should give priority to preparations for battle and development of information technologies, high-tech weaponry and new types of fighting capabilities. It should also prioritize combat-simulating drills and personnel training, said the regulation. “The regulation is an important move to improve the army’s work style and practice frugality,” said Sun Huangtian, vice head of the General Logistics Department. People’s daily page 1 on this regulation: 人民日报-经习主席批准 解放军四总部联合印发《厉行节约严格经费管理的规定》 经费投向投量向“能打仗、打胜仗”聚焦 规范基建投资、集中采购等重点领域 –

解放军四总部联合印发《厉行节约严格经费管理的规定》 – 新闻中心 – 新华网–  《规定》以习主席关于加大依法治军、从严治军力度，发扬艰苦奋斗光荣传统、勤俭办一切事业的指示精神为指导，与中央军委加强自身作风建设“十项规定”相衔接，着重对“哪些钱能花、哪些钱不能花”作出明确和规范。——从花钱办事源头严起，强调经费投向投量向“能打仗、打胜仗”聚焦，优先保障军事斗争准备、信息化建设、高新技术武器装备建设、新型作战力量建设、实战化军事训练、新型军事人才培养、政策制度调整改革等重点，扩大标准化供应范围，改进和加强预算管理，坚决防止重复建设、贪大求洋、铺张浪费，提高经费使用效益。

China to conduct routine fishery patrols in Nansha islands – Xinhua | English.news.cn– Routine fishery administrative patrols around Nansha islands in the South China Sea will be carried out to better safeguard the legitimate interests of Chinese fishermen, a fishery official has confirmed. Wu Zhuang, chief of the South China Sea Fishery Bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture, said carrying out routine fishery patrols in the territorial waters surrounding the Nansha islands will be the top priority in 2013.

Merkel: China, Russia seeing Syrian president’s time is up | Reuters – “In view of the terrible events the impression is mounting that China and Russia realize that Mr Assad no longer has a future, that his time is up and that there must be a democratic government,” she told troops deployed to operate the missile batteries.//really, and a democratic government?

Analysis: The near impossible battle against hackers everywhere – Yahoo! News – The former head of the National Security Agency, Michael Hayden, supports the use of trade and diplomatic channels to pressure hacking nations, as called for under a new White House strategy that was announced on Wednesday. “The Chinese, with some legitimacy, will say ‘You spy on us.’ And as former director of the NSA I’ll say, ‘Yeah, and we’re better at it than you are,” said Hayden, now a principal at security consultant Chertoff Group. He said what worries him the most is Chinese presence on networks that have no espionage value, such as systems that run infrastructure like energy and water plants. “There’s no intellectual property to be pilfered there, no trade secrets, no negotiating positions. So that makes you frightened because it seems to be attack preparation,” Hayden said.

Lawmakers Dismiss China’s Denials Over Cyberattacks – NYTimes.com– Mr. Rogers suggested that the United States use not just economic sanctions on those responsible but also to take tough action against specific Chinese individuals. “I argue you need to start indicting bad actors,” he said. “You need to start impacting individuals’ ability who are participating in this activity in China to get visas, their families to get visas.” “It’s that serious,” he said.

Japan, China pledge pollution cooperation : National : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)– BEIJING (Jiji Press)–Government officials from Japan and China have confirmed the two countries’ intention to cooperate further in tackling air pollution amid growing contamination in China caused mainly by particles called PM2.5. The officials met Friday in Beijing in the first intergovernmental meeting related to air pollution between the two nations since China’s air quality fell sharply in January due to PM2.5 and other pollutants.

Secret U.S.-North Korea diplomatic trips reported – latimes.com – An Obama administration official visited North Korea twice in 2012 in an unsuccessful effort to improve relations after Kim Jong Un assumed power, ex-officials say.

农业部介绍2013年护渔重心：看好黄岩岛 守好美济礁_资讯频道_凤凰网 – 新华网广州2月24日电（记者梁钢华）记者从农业部南海区渔政局获悉，针对维权护渔工作面临的新挑战，我国将在2013年在南沙群岛海域开展常态化护渔，切实保障我国赴南沙作业渔民的正当权益。农业部南海区渔政局局长吴壮介绍，2013年是我国维权护渔面临新挑战较为集中的一年，渔政部门将围绕做好维权护渔工作这一个中心，统一对工作形势的认识，以高度的责任感，全力以赴地积极推进维权护渔各项工作。

Railway linking China, ASEAN becomes operational – Xinhua | English.news.cn – A railway that links southwest China’s Yunnan Province with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries became operational on Saturday after seven years of construction, local railway authorities said. The railway between Yuxi and Mengzi is part of the eastern line of the planned Pan-Asia Railway network. The 141-km railway has a designed maximum speed of 120 km per hour. It passes through 35 tunnels and crosses 61 bridges, which together account for 54.95 percent of the eastern line’s total length.

FBI probe of defense tech allegedly leaked from NASA stonewalled, sources say | Fox News– A four-year FBI investigation into the transfer of classified weapons technology to China and other countries from NASA’s Ames Research Center is being stonewalled by government officials, sources tell FoxNews.com. Documents obtained by FoxNews.com, which summarize these and other allegations and were given to congressional sources last week by a whistle-blower, described how a “secret grand jury” was to be convened in February 2011 to hear testimony from informants in the case, including a senior NASA engineer. But federal prosecutor Gary Fry was removed from the case, which was then transferred from one office in the Northern District of California to another where, according to the documents, “this case now appears to be stalled.”//anything to these allegations, or completely political?

Secret U.S.-North Korea diplomatic trips reported – latimes.com – An Obama administration official visited North Korea twice in 2012 in an unsuccessful effort to improve relations after Kim Jong Un assumed power, ex-officials say.

 

HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN

H.K. Weekend Property Sales Fall on Doubled Stamp Duty – Bloomberg Hong Kong’s government raised stamp duty from Feb. 23 to 8.5 percent of the purchase price for all properties above the HK$2 million threshold. It was the third set of property curbs to cool the city’s real estate market since Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying took office in July. Home prices have doubled in the past four years on near-record low mortgage rates, an influx of mainland Chinese buyers and a lack of new supply.

人民日报-平均一天两个亿 三年投下2000亿 福建平潭：两岸共建“一日生活圈”(改革开放新地标) – People’s daily page 1 on the Pingtan Island project, an ambitious showcase for cross-strait relations

 

TECH AND MEDIA

LinkedIn, others face challenges against China ‘guanxi’ | South China Morning Post – Business network sites face a huge extra obstacle of their own: guanxi, China’s system of personal relationships reinforced by mutual favours which plays a vital role in conducting business and navigating a messy government bureaucracy. Wei Wuhui, a professor at Jiaotong University in Shanghai, says that online alternatives will have a hard time supplanting its deeply embedded role.

Duable Chinese Makes the Internet your Language-Learning Textbook – Duable 讀ABLE – Chinese, a US/Taiwan based startup, doesn’t want to send you into the labyrinth alone. It’s a web app, a Chinese reading interface that feeds you selected reading material synced to your proficiency level. Now accepting pre-orders for monthly subscriptions, they hope to release their first prototype in April 2013. Co-founder Nikolaas Van Der Ploeg, speaking to me in Singapore, says:

The Oscars show, nominated films shortchanged in China – latimes.com – Chinese movie fans often turn to pirated DVDs or download Academy Award-nominated films free on the Internet because the films arrive late to the theaters if at all and are chopped down by censors. The Oscars aren’t broadcast until later, after the censors have made sure nothing bad is said about China during the show.// CCTV movie channel 6 website says live streaming the academy awards ceremony 第85届奥斯卡_电影节专题_电影网_M1905.com. Tencent’s coverage here.

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

百年老油坊 生死维权路-中国青年报– “本以为申请非物质文化遗产成功，它就能一直‘活’下去。可现在，遗产传承人都被赶走，失去了在原址榨油的机会。”陕西省民间文艺家协会会员李健对中国青年报记者说。 他所说的，是位于陕西省西安市长安区滦镇的沣峪口老油坊，是我国仅存的几处百年老油坊之一。如今，这个百年“活化石”的院落已被拆作一堆瓦砾，即将被建成供游人参观的博物馆。

武安傩戏纪实_自由的空间_连庆华_博联社 – cool pictures from a village performance of an Anhui Opera over the lunary new year holiday, wish I knew what was going on in

各地恋爱起步价出炉 上海深圳北京超8000元_社会_南都网 – minimum cost of love in various cities// 摘要：很多人择偶时会用一些“硬指标”：收入、房、车、学历、年龄等都要拿来掂量一番。不久前，一家婚恋网站联合国家人口与计生委发布《2012~2013年中国男女婚恋观调研报告》，面向全国进行了77045人次调研。调查结果显示，在对理想的另一半收入要求上，其中，90、80、70后女性对理想男友收入的最低要求为5000元。90、80、70后重庆女性对理想男友的收入的最低要求为：4842元，5705元，6451元。

人民日报-孩子之过，教育之伤（人民时评） 吴 焰 – People’s Daily commentary page weighs in on Li Tianyi gang rape allegations and failures in teaching kids how to be good people//几年前，李双江夫妇接受媒体访谈，说到培养孩子，曾表达过这样的意思：不会过高要求孩子，不期望孩子人生多“成功”，只愿他快乐、自由地成长，有点个性、带点叛逆也是天性。这样的教育观本身并无错，甚至是对传统功利教育的突破和进步。然而，今天再看，应该引起“这一代”更多思考：当“成功”有了更丰富平实的内涵、社会对新生代价值取向与人生选择有了更多尊重、家庭有条件提供更好成长环境时，如何不去误导、松懈引导？在培养价值观、树立是非观、增强道德感方面，我们为孩子、为社会做了什么、该做什么？

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

Beijing orders removal of garbage near reservoir – Xinhua | English.news.cn – eijing authorities have ordered removal of the garbage in a pit near the Miyun Reservoir, a major source of water for the city, the local environmental protection bureau said late Sunday.According to a statement issued by the bureau at its official microblogging site, the Miyun County Government has ordered all household garbage dumped in the pit at the Bulaotun Township be cleared by Monday noon.

密云水库上游现垃圾巨坑 北京饮用水安全受威胁 – 延展阅读-新华网– 兵马营村位于密云水库北面。dump above Miyun Reservoir, one of Beijing’s primary water sources, leaching into the reservoir// 牤牛河是密云水库的五大支流之一，在村庄西面穿过。这条河自北面挟山而来，到琉辛路戛然而止。琉辛路是一条分界线。公路以南，是广阔的库区；公路以北，是整治后的牤牛河新河道。近日，兵马营村的村民反映，牤牛河的河道边有一个大型垃圾填埋坑，占地数千平米，存在3年之久，从2009年秋天开始，全镇10多个村的垃圾都运到此处。垃圾填埋坑所处位置，被认为是在老河床上。村民称，老河床有数百米宽，1976年发大水，水一直淹到西山脚下。“河道本来是弯的，拐向西山，大坑的位置是个拐角。后来河道被修成直的，成了现在的样子。” “村里的水井才十几米，垃圾发酵产生的污水往下渗，肯定会影响地下水，地下水再流到水库，还会影响到水库的水质。”村民很担心。

苏州抽检炒瓜子均含铝 大量吸收将损害大脑_网易新闻中心 – Suzhou inspects watermelon seeds, finds all have above average levels of lead// 据新华社电“你还敢吃炒瓜子吗？”这两天，不少市民在微博上表达对“炒瓜子”的恐惧，明矾、滑石粉等词汇也因与“炒瓜子”挂钩而备受关注。苏州质监部门22日对从市场上随机抽样的炒瓜子进行检测。结果发现，七种瓜子均检出铝含量

 

FOOD AND TRAVEL

Shangri-La, China: paradise found – Telegraph – In the Thirties the writer James Hilton described the mythical kingdom of Shangri-La. Teresa Levonian Cole visits a remote Himalayan region the Chinese have decided is the real thing .

 

BOOKS AND LITERATURE

Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw – review | Books | The Observer – The five main characters, three men and two women, all come to Shanghai (by some definitions the world’s largest city) from Malaysia, though their backgrounds range from old money to rural deprivation. As a title, Five Star Billionaire is close to brash, and the book’s storyline could persuasively be pitched to a producer in search of a blockbuster miniseries, but the reading experience it offers is coolly engrossing – with elements of frustrating evasion – rather than propulsive.

 

JOBS AND EVENTS

China Air Daily announcement– We are looking for new photographers for our China Air Daily project. Those interested in documenting air quality/pollution from their (beloved) resident cities in China are welcome to get in touch with us about this exciting citizen journalism project. We are currently covering Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Hong Kong, so these are what we strive to continue. But if you live in another major city, feel free to get in touch as well. We ideally seek a great view from somewhere high above ground that looks out far into the distance over some local landmark buildings/landscapes
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