CONVICTED FORMER OFFICIAL DISALLOWED PAROLE

Bai Enpei， a former senior lawmaker at the National Peoples Congress （NPC）， was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on October 9 for taking bribes worth some 246 million yuan （$36.6 million） and holding excessive assets with unidentified sources.

Bai， 70， has become the first high-ranking official deprived of the chance of parole under the nations Criminal Law following its revision last October.

According to the amended legislation， if a suspect is found guilty of corruption and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve， the court may decide that he or she can receive no further reduction of sentence besides a change to life imprisonment.

Before assuming his post as vice chair of the NPC Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation Committee in 2011， Bai served as head of the Qinghai and Yunnan provincial committees of the Party of China. He was placed under investigation in August 2014.

Popularizing Food Banks

Beijing Morning Post October 10

The first sharing refrigerator in the Chinese mainland was installed in a residential complex in Shanghais Putuo District on October 9. The use of sharing refrigerators， by which restaurants and supermarkets provide food for free to local residents， will be extended to other communities in the district in the future.

Such facilities operate as food banks—charitable programs that distribute food to people with low incomes. Food banks can help enterprises dispose of food nearing its expiration date， thereby both reducing food waste and alleviating food shortages for im- poverished people.

While operating such a charity program， however， several rules should be followed in order to ensure its sustainability and fairness. First， food banks should have adequate and stable food supplies. Second， food safety should be strictly guaranteed. Third， those who benefit from the donations should be people in genuine need.

The success of food banks abroad stems from cooperation between the government， food donors and charities. In China， however， non-governmental charity organizations are still at a preliminary stage of development and need government guidance and support. Whether the sharing refrigerator program can succeed depends on whether a sound charity system can be established. The government should neither intervene too much in the charity sector nor adopt a laissez-faire approach.

Opening Up Parks

Oriental Outlook October 13

Since the first public park appeared in China in 1868 in Shanghai， parks have become an important component of the lives of people residing in Chinas urban environments.

In recent years， the number of parks has been on the rise， and park management has also changed. A guideline on strengthening supervision of urban planning and construction issued by the Central Government at the beginning of this year suggests that parks should open to the public for free.

Parks without walls and admission charges have become a trend in China. Increasingly， it is believed that parks should be designed for and shared by locals. They are the public spaces of a city， like roads， and should merge into the public transportation network.

Some parks， though， still charge entrance fees and remain enclosed. The managing bodies of such parks typically claim security concerns and management convenience as reasons for maintaining their parks this way. Nevertheless， as scenic spots dotting the urban landscape， parks should be more open， versatile and friendly. Enclosed parks can negatively affect a citys image. Park design， construction and management concepts should evolve and adapt to the new trend.

Controversial Philanthropist

Caixin Weekly September 26

Claims made by self-proclaimed billionaire philanthropist Chen Guangbiao about his charitable donations have been shown to be false in a report published on Caixin.com in September.

The 48-year-old entrepreneur gained fame for taking over 100 members of his staff and various pieces of equipment to Sichuan Province to help disaster relief work following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Chens subsequent high-profile charitable acts added to his fame but also stirred up controversy.

According to Chen， his donations—comprising money given to charities， cash distributed directly to needy people and funds for building public infrastructure including schools—had amounted to 2 billion yuan （$300 million） by July 2012.

Caixin reporters spent over one year investigating Chens claims. According to their findings， none of the 52 schools to which Chen claimed in his autobiography he had donated money actually exist. Furthermore， many of his charitable donations were either found to be exaggerated or could not be verified due to a lack of documentary evidence such as invoices.

The report says that Chen made a name for himself as a charitable role model with the help of former senior official Ling Jihua， who was sentenced to life imprisonment in July for taking bribes， illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power. It also says Chen secured many government contracts through this relationship.

Chen has sued Caixin Media Co.， which owns Caixin.com， for libel， demanding 1 million yuan （$152，000） in compensation as well as an apology.

TGUZHENG ARTIST CHOSEN AS MARS AMBASSADOR

Musician Yuan Sha， who plays the guzheng， a traditional plucked string instrument， was recently named ambassador for Chinas Mars probe mission alongside 10 other public figures including national volleyball team coach Lang Ping and award-winning science fiction writer Liu Cixin.

This is the first time a major scientific project in China has employed ambassadors. China plans to launch its first unmanned probe to Mars by the end of 2020 and to land the probe on the planet by July 2021. The ambassadors will serve to increase public understanding of the Mars probe project and use their influence to inspire teenagersenthusiasm for science.

Yuan， who teaches at the Central Conservatory of Music， has contributed to promoting and popularizing the guzheng by staging concerts and giving lectures about the instrument around the world as well as by publishing textbooks and CDs.

“A negative list for foreign investment， initiated by the China （Shanghai） Pilot Free Trade Zone in 2013， will now be rolled out nationwide， ending an era dominated by administrative approvals.”

Ye Lin， a professor with Renmin University of China Law School， commenting on a decision made at a State Council meeting on October 9 to simplify procedures for foreign investment in China

“Much of the success in poverty reduction globally has actually been driven by Chinas incredible success in reducing poverty.”

Ana Revenga， Senior Director of the Poverty and Equity Global Practice at the World Bank Group， during a teleconference on the institutions inaugural annual Poverty and Shared Prosperity report， released on October 9

“Literary magazines in this new era should be vitalized by harnessing the Internet in a bid to expand their coverage and influence.”

Liu Qibao， head of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China， during a visit to the Chinese WritersPublishing Group on October 8

“It is not a clumsy pairing. The symphony fits the theme quite well.”

Yu Rongjun， scriptwriter of a Long March-themed drama adapted from a symphony by 19th-century Austrian composer Gustav Mahler， speaking about the fusion of Chinese and Western arts at the Shanghai International Arts Festival， which opened on October 12