China Can Hit Major Economic Targets in 2014

September 10， Tianjin： Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a keynote speech at the opening of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2014， also known as the Summer Davos forum. The 2014 Summer Davos forum was held in northern China’s port city of Tianjin from September 10 to 12. Premier Li Keqiang remarked China can meet its major economic goals this year and that policymakers will not be distracted by short-term fluctuations of individual indicators. Li downplayed the importance of some economic data from the past two months during the keynote. At the meeting of more than 1，600 business leaders from across the globe， Li appeared more concerned with the job market. China has targets of GDP growth around 7.5 percent and a consumer price index （CPI） increase of about 3.5 percent in 2014， with 10 million more urban jobs to keep the urban unemployment rate at a maximum of 4.6 percent. As the economic aggregate continues to expand， Li said， growth will mean more jobs and there will be a greater tolerance of fluctuations. The forum also discussed diverse issues including China’s economic outlook， shifts in finance and energy sectors and infrastructure. Li Xueren/Xinhua

Largest O2O Joint Venture

August 29， Shenzhen： Robin Li， chairman and chief executive officer of China’s biggest search engine Baidu Inc.， Wang Jianlin， Chairman of Dalian Wanda Group， and‘Pony’ Ma Huateng， Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd.， attend a press conference to announce the launch of an e-commerce platform worth US$814 million in Hong Kong. Among the three shareholders， Wanda will hold a 70% stake， while Baidu and Tencent 15% each. Wanda is a commercial property， luxury hotel and film conglomerate， which bought US-cinema operator AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc in 2012 and operates 83 department stores in major cities throughout China. By teaming up， Wanda will become the biggest online-to-offline e-commerce platform in the world， making it easier for people to use their smartphones to find and purchase goods and services. The new company will bring fierce competition to China’s reigning e-commerce firm Alibaba in the O2O （Online to Offline） sector. Mobile revenue is a quickly expanding market， in which Wanda， Tencent and Baidu are all vying for cuts. CFP

Formula E Racing to Beijing

September 12， Beijing： Drivers of 10 teams from 11 countries walk outside the National Stadium， also known as the Bird’s Nest， as they pose for an official video after a news conference for the upcoming Formula E Championship race. The FIA Formula E Championship kicks off on September 13 with its first stop in Beijing. To get the race going， foreign and domestic companies have stepped up to sponsor the race. Chinese clean energy producer Hanergy Group will provide a solar power speed-charging system for the championship. The inaugural Formula E Championship， which according to organizers is the world’s first fully electric racing series， will see 10 two-driver teams over 10 rounds， spanning nine cities around the world over a 10-month period. It creates a sport that pushes the boundaries of technology and will inspire and educate people throughout the world to embrace sustainable technologies and practices. Jason Lee /REUTERS

Substantial Apology

August 30， Taipei： Taiwanbased Chinese actor Ko Chen-tung， 23， attends a news conference to publically apologize for using drugs after being released from twoweek detention by Beijing police. He was detained for possession of marijuana in Beijing on August 18. Jackie Chan’s 32-year-old son， Jaycee Chan， also an actor and singer， was also arrested along with Ko. After testing positive for marijuana， police found 100 grams of the drug at Jaycee Chan’s home. China is turning up the heat in a high-profile crackdown on drugs amongst a string of celebrities， as the government expands its campaign against extravagance and decadence. Pichi Chuang/ REUTERS

Giant Rabbit

September 4， Taipei： A “giant rabbit” created by Florentijn Hoffman makes its official appearance， reclining at an old aircraft hangar of the former Taoyuan Naval Base during a preview of the Taoyuan Land Arts Festival. The 25-meter- tall model faces the sky， so people can hardly see its face， except via bird’s-eye view. Made of waterproof paper， wood and styrofoam， the rabbit can withstand both sunshine and rain. Hoffman’s creation， like much of his giant animal work， aims to arouse happiness. Because the exhibition coincided with the Mid-Autumn Day holiday， he drew inspiration from the traditional Chinese legend of Chang’e and Jade Rabbit. The 37-year-old artist is best known for his giant rubber duck， which made quite a splash last year in China while floating on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor and the Kunming Lake of the Summer Palace in Beijing. The rubber duck has visited 23 cities in 12 countries so far. CFP

Shanghai Tourism Festival

September 13， Shanghai： Artists from South Korea march in a parade on Huaihai Road， marking the commencement of this year’s Shanghai Tourism Festival. A total of 22 floats and 31 troupes from home and abroad attended the annual event. Half of the floats joined the parade for the first time， including the highly-anticipated Disney Resort float. Four performing venues were set up for visitors along Huaihai Road by the organizer， located at Longmen Road， Shui On Plaza， Huating Isetan shopping mall and Huashi Square， respectively. The parade offered visitors a visual feast and attracted about 500，000 spectators. The annual event is expected to last until October 6， during which time the city’s 56 scenic spots will offer preferential tickets for tourists. IC

Parental Tents in Tianjin

September 3， Tianjin： Colorful tents line up in the gymnasium of Tianjin University. The university pitched more than 200 tents to provide free accommodation for parents who accompanied newly-enrolled students to college registration and lacked a place to stay. Separate bathrooms for men and women were located inside the gym， drinking water and air conditioner were also provided and custodial staff cleaned the area regularly. When the registration period for new students arrives， normally September， many parents wish to see their kids off at the gate of the university. For many children and parents arriving from remote regions， it’s hard to afford accommodations. To solve the problem， Tianjin University formulated the idea for providing “temporary homes”. CFP

Snoopy Celebrates 65th Birthday in Shanghai

September 3， Shanghai： An eight-meter-tall Snoopy balloon is seen as part of a Snoopy exhibition at the entrance of the International Financial Center shopping mall in Shanghai. The exhibition， which celebrates the 65th birthday of the famous comic dog， includes dozens of Snoopy statues and over 2，000 Snoopy dolls and will run until the end of October. Aly Song/ REUTERS

Quotes

“Drugs are becoming a means for social interaction. A person inviting someone to use drugs together means he appreciates and values him. And if the invitation is accepted， he will be signing away his life.”

- Yi Shenghua， Criminal Department director of Yingke Law Firm in Beijing， commenting on drug problem penetrating grassroots of China， including remote areas. Police crackdown on drug use amongst entertainment celebrities has already produced a remarkable effect.

“There are four seasons in a year. If we blast the air conditioner all year round， we have to pay for both the power and our health. We don’t need to be distracted by just a few tenths of a percentage point in economic fluctuations.”

-Fan Jianping， chief economist of the State Information Center （SIC）， believes macro-control should be tolerant of slowdowns in economic growth.

Buzzwords

節孝族

Holiday Filial Children >>>

This term applies to those who practice filial piety only on holidays. Younger generations in China are moving to big cities for careers， while their parents stay in their hometowns. Only during long holidays like Spring Festival， National Day and Mid-Autumn Day can they find time to go back to visit parents and practice filial piety， so they have to endure Chinese holiday travel stampedes no matter how hard they are.

智慧相親

Wisdom Dates >>>

This term applies to romantic dates to hear lectures， attend theater and book clubs or take part in other high-brow activities. Daters are increasingly opting for relatively elegant leisure activities， hoping such dates will reveal more about potential mates at a slower pace， contrasting those participating in speed dating and casual dinners. Wisdom dates can provide good conversation topics for the daters， so it helps them better communicate and avoid awkwardness effectively.