CHINESE SENSATION MAKES HISTORY

Snooker player Ding Junhui won second place in the sports World Championship in Sheffield， the UK， on May 3， the best performance ever by an Asian player at the event. Ding lost to Briton Mark Selby 14-18 in the final.

The 29-year-old， from east Chinas Jiangsu Province， started playing snooker when he was 8. In his sports career to date， Ding has won several international events including snookers second-most prestigious tournament， the UK Championship， in both 2005 and 2009， when he became the only non-British snooker player to have won the title twice. Now， just the World Championship title remains unclaimed by Ding.

Serving as Chinas flag-bearer for snooker， Ding has inspired a new wave of young Chinese players to pursue the sport.

After the World Championship final， Ding said， “Five years ago， I reached the semi-finals， and this year I made it one step further. So， maybe next time， Ill win this.”

Buddhism Meets High Tech

China Newsweek April 25

A cute communication robot named Xianer that serves in the Longquan Temple on the northwestern outskirts of Beijing has recently become an online hit.

The 50-cm-tall machine was produced by a tech company based on a cartoon figure in a comic strip created by the temples animation department. It can have simple conversations with visitors.

Xianer is one of the many examples of how advanced technology has permeated every aspect of the temple， which launched its official website in 2008. The head of the temple， Master Xuecheng， who is also president of the Buddhist Association of China， opened a multilingual account on Chinas Twitter-like microblogging platform Sina Weibo in 2009. He has uploaded messages daily and regularly posts cartoon strips featuring Xianer disseminating Buddhist teachings.

In its efforts to promote Buddhist teachings， Longquan Temple has also been holding assemblies to teach scriptures and provides free activities for visitors to live the life of a monk. Over the past few years， the temple has drawn an increasing number of people to take part in various Buddhism classes.

But the Longquan Temple isnt enough to satiate public demand for learning about Buddhism. Beijing， which has a population of nearly 20 million people， is home to just 200 registered monks residing in about 20 temples.

Xuecheng said that China needs at least 300 monasteries of a similar ilk to the Longquan Temple to meet current demand. He expects Buddhism will play a bigger role in promoting social harmony.

How Can High-Caliber Workers Be Cultivated？

Oriental Outlook April 28

While China has the largest number of vocational academies and registered students in the world， the quality of vocational education is not up to the same level.

Graduates of these schools made an average monthly income of just 3，200 yuan （$493） in 2014， while undergraduates made 3，773 yuan （$581） after graduating， according to a report from MyCOS， a Beijing-based education consulting and research firm.

Fewer people are choosing to go into vocational schools because of lower salaries and gloomy career prospects following graduation. Societys extreme emphasis on academic degrees is also contributing to the decline in popularity of attending vocational schools.

The purpose of vocational education is to improve students technical skills. Trade associations and enterprises should play a central role in promoting its development.

For instance， in Germany， students sign a contract with a company before they enroll at vocational schools， which stipulates the trainings curriculum. Under this system， students learn practical skills in the company and theoretical knowl-edge at their school. Trade associations are responsible for setting assessment standards for vocational students and granting certificates.

Chinas Ministry of Education has said that it is mulling over efforts to make changes. For example， it will subsidize cooperation programs between vocational schools and companies. Trade associations and firms will also be encouraged to participate in vocational education through single proprietorship， joint venture or cooperation.

Corporate Social Responsibility Needed in Cyberspace

Peoples Daily May 3

Wei Zexi， a computer science major at Xidian University in northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province， died from synovial sarcoma， a rare soft tissue cancer， on April 12. He received immunotherapy treatment at a Beijing-based military hospital， which was advertised by Baidu， Chinas largest Internet search engine， from September 2014 until the end of 2015. His family spent more than 200，000 yuan（$30，800） on it.

However， Wei later discovered that the therapy treatment he was receiving had been abandoned in the United States. Investigations by media outlets found that the department where Wei received treatment had been subcontracted to a private company， which violates regulations on the management of medical institutions.

In the Internet Age， people often rely on search engines to find useful information. It is the service providers responsibility to get rid of falsehoods. Medical information should be paid particularly close attention because it concerns the health and life of patients.

But it came to light that Baidu bases a websites positioning in its search results on how much money its owner pays them. Private hospitals with questionable qualifications reportedly have paid a lot for prominent positions on search results.

This is not the first time that Baidu has come under fire. It was accused of selling its online group discussion service Tieba to substandard private hospitals or “quack” doctors in January.

When a company ignores its responsibilities and betrays customers trust in the process of pursuing economic benefits， it will not succeed. Internet companies are no exception.

RENOWNED WRITER PASSES AWAY

Novelist Chen Zhongshi died of cancer in Xian， northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province， on May 3.

Chen was born in a village near Xian in 1942. He started writing prose in 1965 and in 1992 finished his best-known novel， White Deer Plain. In 1997， the novel won Chen the Mao Dun Literature Prize， one of most prestigious literature awards in China.

White Deer Plain， which has sold 1.6 million copies since its publication in 1993， has been adapted into various art forms including Shaanxi Opera and film. As it recounts the hardships and spiritual pursuits of several generations， the story mirrors the profound changes that took place in the Chinese countryside in the first half of the 20th century.

Chen became a member of the China Writers Association in 1996 and served as vice chairman of the association from 2001 until his death.

“We are not being attacked， raped or made poorer in any manner by buying more goods from China than we sell to them. Quite the contrary： We are made richer by what we import.”

Tim Worstall， a senior fellow at the Adam Smith Institute， a British think tank， refuting U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trumps criticism of Chinese imports in an article published on the Forbes website

“The so-called ‘government in exileis completely illegal， and is not recognized by a single country in the world. The ‘election is nothing but a farce staged by this organization.”

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei， commenting on the recent “election” held by the so-called Tibetan“government in exile” at a regular news briefing on May 3

“Italian entrepreneurs are looking forward to knowing how they can concretely be involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.”

Gianluca Mirante， Italian Director at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council， speaking about the opportunities offered by the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative at an academic conference in Italy on May 3

“The partnership between the African Union （AU） and China is grounded on the areas of collaboration to walk hand in hand with Africa in our visions[of] Agenda 2063.”

Erastus Mwencha， Vice Chairman of the AU Commission， at a May 3 reception in Ethiopia marking the first anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese mission to the pan-African bloc