Chinese People’s Pursuit for Better Life Unstoppable
The 4,700-character article, titled “Create a Better Life, Come Rain or Shine,” summarized China’s development and reform since 1949, as well as its attitudes towards the challenges facing the country.
The article quoted the words of Chinese President Xi Jinping while addressing the BRICS Business Forum on July 25 in Johannesburg, South Africa, as saying that “Success only comes through hard work,” an old Chinese saying he used to describe the arduous journey China has taken and the remarkable achievements it has made.
It recalled the situation of the People’s Republic of China after it was founded in 1949 when its gross national product was merely US $10 billion and it had almost no heavy industry.
Thanks to the self-reliant and hardworking Chinese people, the country rose up both, in the political and economic arenas, said the article.
When China was severely destitute with its economy on the verge of collapse in the late 1970s, the country resolutely made the strategic choice to make economic development the central task and adopted the policy of reform and opening-up, bringing about historic leaps for the Chinese nation in terms of economy, science and technology, national defense, and comprehensive national strength.
Today, as the world’s second largest economy, China is forging ahead to fulfill the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020, said the article.
It went on and noted that there are problems that need to be addressed, such as the extensive but inefficient economic development model, the need for the transition to a stage of high-quality development, development gaps between urban and rural areas, and between eastern and western regions.
“The building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects entails tough measures to forestall and defuse major risks, carry out targeted poverty alleviation, and prevent and control pollution, and calls for deepened reform in all areas,” it said.
“Still, some people out there are loath to see a lion awaken or a dragon take off, feeling uncomfortable with a population of more than 1.3 billion living a better life,” the article said.
They seek unilateralism, protectionism, and trade bullying, which are challenges that must be faced up to, read the article.
The article further stressed that China is confident as the country is in a period of historic opportunity, which could lead to unlimited possibilities.
Citing the positive data of the country’s gross domestic product and other major economic and social indicators so far this year, it concluded that China remains one of the countries with the strongest development momentum, the biggest potential, and the greatest tenacity.
“We stand firm, as the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics provides the fundamental institutional guarantee for progress and development in contemporary China,” it stated.
It stressed that building a community of shared future and shared interests with win-win cooperation has become the common aspiration of the people and an irresistible trend.
There are some people, however, who choose to go against that trend and betray common morality just to meet their selfish agenda with tariff barriers and hegemony, said the article, adding that they would be hoisted by their own petard in the end.
A growing China is experiencing some rains and storms today. However, nothing is going to stop the Chinese people from pursuing a better life, the article said.
(Source: Xinhua) 
Experience of Reform
China Newsweek
Issue No. 27, 2018
In 2018, China’s reform and openingup entered its 40th year. The policy has profoundly changed the destiny of the country and its people. China’s economic growth has created a miracle.
Forty years ago, the “All-round Contract System” that originated in Xiaogang Village became the harbinger of reform and opening-up. Since then, reforms were initiated in rural areas and extended to cities. After Deng Xiaoping’s “South Tour Speeches,” a large number of enterprises came into being, and the innovation and endeavors of countless enterprises and entrepreneurs led the Chinese economy onwards.
Looking back at the 40 years of reform, the most important experience is adherence to the direction of marketoriented reform. The goal of reform is to eliminate the need for reforms. The final result of reform should be that all entrepreneurs can feel the poignancy of justice and market fairness, the existence of rights, the long-term development security of property and enterprise, and the inner spiritual balance.
From “advance cautiously” to “building a modern economic system,” from “catch up with the times” to “leading the times,” the reform and opening-up have gathered the broadest consensus and inspired the innovative spark among Chinese people. Nowadays, with the deepening of reform, China faces greater challenges than ever before. What experience has China gained in the 40 years of reform and opening-up? In the face of future challenges, what kind of attitude is up to the challenge?
China Newsweek launched “A Tribute to the Era – Experience of Reform,” interviewed institutional economists and outstanding entrepreneurs, traced the story of reform, and explored the glory of the times.
Generation Z Defies Definition
SWeekly Issue No. 7, 2018
The first batch of Generation Z has reached adulthood. This seemingly simple statement contains much deeper meaning and mixed emotions. They have strong self-awareness and characters, and are realistic and ambitious. These words are also used to describe the generation born in the 80s and 90s, but when the Generation Z reached maturity, defining them became even more challenging.
Their stories vary widely, so do their personalities. At the same time, they clearly show some characteristics of the commonality of the times, which is not surprising at all. But such contradictory terms and ideas have also been used to describe youth at different times, especially times of paradigm shifts in societies for thousands of years. This generation finds itself at that same crossroads of time and events in transition, and thus there also lies within it, as a reflection of the times it lives in, a certain cognitive dissonance.
Generation Z defies simple categorization. It seems they merit further attempts at understanding.
AI Teacher Is Coming
Oriental Outlook Issue No. 27, 2018
As the hottest technology nowadays, artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of education can be traced back to 1958. In those days, IBM introduced a piece of educational software that taught students to learn addition and subtraction on a computer. This is considered to be the starting point for smart education. At the end of the 1980s, the Plato intelligent tutoring system developed by the University of Illinois could teach hundreds of courses at the university. Since then, research on intelligent tutoring systems has increased, and new products and applications have been introduced.
Since 2014, China’s Internet education has developed rapidly, and AI technology has also made breakthroughs. The conditions and market opportunities have become increasingly mature. Therefore, New Oriental, Tomorrow Advancing Life, Hujiang and other educational institutions and Internet giants such as Baidu and Tencent have begun to focus on AI education.
Statistics show that there are currently over 1,000 AI education companies in China, of which AI technology developers and suppliers exceeding 100. But this does not mean that “machine substitution” will become the future of education. Human teachers will not be replaced; they will simply transition to new roles – from the center of traditional classroom teaching to the organizer of intelligent classroom teaching; from the transmitter of knowledge, to a guide through the process of learning.
Breakfast in China
Sanlian Lifeweek Issue No. 31, 2018
The meal that begins the day should be grand. Breakfast reflects the produce of a place. Wheat is produced in the central plain of Shaanxi, and cooked wheat-based food is a staple in the area. Breakfast is also an important means of socializing, and Yangzhou’s breakfast is carefully and neatly done, reflecting that locals consider dining in a certain way an important facet of daily life. From the various varieties of snacks, the distinctive characteristics of a city and its people, as well as a glimpse into their lives, can be garnered.
In Wuhan, there are nearly 100,000 people getting up early every day, who are busy preparing breakfast for nearly 10 million people. Looking at Xi’an’s breakfast from the point of view of modern food, it seems simple. Local eateries that serve breakfast are old school, and do not shift location nor operate in chains, relying on regulars to drum up business.
China lucked out in terms of the sheer variety and richness when it comes to options for breakfast due to the broad spectrum of cuisine that offers something for every taste and preference.