TMAYOR APOLOGIZES FOR INEFFECTIVE EVACUATION

Dong Xiaoyu， Mayor of Xingtai City in north Chinas Hebei Province， apologized on July 23 for the local governments poor response to recent floods that devastated the city.

“I regret that we have failed to protect peoples lives and property，” Dong said at a press briefing. “As there havent been huge floods for years， officials lacked the emergency response capacities to deal with them.”

Xingtai， a city with a population of 7.26 million， was hit by a heavy rainstorm on July 19-21. Ensuing floods affected more than 1.6 million people. By July 24， 34 had been killed in the disaster， and 13 remained missing.

Dong， 47， began his career as a primary school teacher in 1987. He had served as mayor of Zhuozhou and vice mayor of Langfang and Hengshui， all in Hebei， before taking on his current post in February.

Fending off Floods

Beijing Times July 22

Since July 18， flooding across China has affected millions of people and left more than 100 dead. Disaster relief has therefore become a daunting task.

Storms and floods are unavoidable natural disasters. However， efforts can be made to reduce the number of deaths and injuries that occur. Long-term planning for infrastructure construction is required. In cities， construction standards， especially in drainage systems， should be improved； in rural areas， more water conservation projects should be built in order to counter flooding. Water conservation projects and the construction of drainage systems should be taken into account when assessing local officials performance.

Meanwhile， accurate weather forecasts， a strong emergency response capacity and information transparency are required to deal with floods. Enterprises and ordinary citizens should also be mobilized to participate in disaster relief. For instance， in the recent storm which pummeled Beijing， local authorities made use of modern technology to publicize information on traffic flows and flooded areas. Some enterprises allowed employees to work from home or provided them with food and accommodation， which greatly reduced traffic pressure and safety hazards in the storm.

In summary， the lives and safety of people should be accorded the utmost importance， whether while planning infrastructure construction or carrying out emergency disaster relief.

Princely Mansions

Oriental Outlook July 28

There are over 10 princes mansions built in the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911） in Beijing. However， most of them are occupied by public institutions or residents， with the exception of Prince Gongs Mansion， which fully opened to the public in 2008. Protection of these historical sites is a matter of urgency. Prince Fus Mansion， for instance， hosts nearly 400 families and harbors serious safety hazards.

Beijing did not have enough office and residential buildings after the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949. In addition， there was a lack of awareness concerning heritage protection. Consequently， a lot of old buildings， including the princesmansions， were occupied by schools， publishing houses， research institutes and ordinary residents.

The biggest problem in vacating the mansions is a lack of funding. For instance， it cost at least 600 million yuan （$90 million） to vacate and restore Prince Gongs Mansion. Also， those who currently reside in the historic dwellings are worried about losing their property rights.

A timetable for moving out occupants and repairing the buildings should be formulated. Preservation through restoration will contribute to the cultural diversity of the capital city. The mansions have the potential to become unique tourist destinations in the future owing to their exclusive presence in Beijing.

More Rational Patriotism

Nanfang Daily July 20

Chinese citizens are expressing their indignation at the recent South China Sea tribunal ruling. Although many have displayed their anger rationally， there are some who have advocated a boycott of Philippine mangoes and American fast food chain KFC.

In a few places， residents protesting outside KFC outlets can be heard calling for a boycott on American products， and some gas stations even refuse to refuel U.S.-made cars. Their patriotism is understandable， however， their ways of expressing it are questionable.

In the era of globalization， countries are more economically interdependent. Chinas products are sold in other countries， and foreign countries products are also sold in China. Take KFC for example. Although its a U.S. fast food chain， it has helped increase employment and contributes tax revenue in China. Boycotting KFC may reduce the American companys Chinese revenue， but it will do more harm than good to Chinese employees and consumers. Therefore， such action is inappropriate.

Behavior that affects a countrys national image or transgresses the law is not patriotic. Real patriots should not only have enthusiasm but also follow civil codes and act in an appropriate manner. In addition， they should adopt an international perspective and channel their love for the country in a better direction.

TEX-GENERAL SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON

Guo Boxiong， former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission （CMC）， was sentenced to life in prison for accepting bribes on July 25.

The military court ruled that Guo had taken advantage of his position to assist the promotion and reassignment of others and he had accepted huge amounts in bribes both personally and in collusion with others. Guo pled guilty and decided not to appeal.

Guo， 74， joined the army in 1961 and rose through the ranks from his initial position as a soldier. He was deputy commander in chief of the Beijing Military Area Command from 1993-97 and commander in chief of the Lanzhou Military Area Command from 1997-99. He served as vice chairman of the CMC， the highest authority of Chinas armed forces， from 2002-12.

“Self-confidence and mutual trust are the best ways of coping with the various dangers.”

Astronaut Ye Guangfu， speaking at a briefing after taking part in an international training session in the Sa Grutta underground caves in Sardinia， Italy， in July

“Im excited to see how LeEcos global reach and resources will elevate Vizio as we continue to bring great technology， innovation and value to our consumers.”

William Wang， CEO of Vizio， a California-based TV manufacturer， talking about the Chinese tech giant LeEcos $2-billion purchase of Vizio， the largest acquisition in the TV Industry to date， in Los Angeles on July 26

“We must tackle the financing difficulties for small and micro businesses as part of our effort to encourage financial support to the real economy.”

Premier Li Keqiang， speaking on July 27 at an executive meeting of the State Council， at which senior policy makers approved measures on boosting financing for these businesses

“Data are paramount for astronomical studies.”

Liu Chao， a researcher with the National Astronomical Observatories， commenting on the performance of the observatories Guo Shoujing Telescope， which has collected data on over 7 million stars since 2012. The telescope， named after a 13th-century Chinese astronomer， is situated in Xinglong County， north Chinas Hebei Province