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Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Monday urged medical authorities to increase prevention and control measures against schistosomiasis, as lingering rainfall and massive floods in the country\’s south have increased outbreaks of the disease.

Priority should be given to upgrading the capacity of grass-roots level medical institutions in disease prevention and control, he said, adding medical authorities should distribute free medicine to prevent contracting the disease as well as treating patients as early as possible.

He further said medical costs should be reduced or exempted for the poor and efforts should be made to raise people\’s awareness in disease prevention and control.

Schistosomiasis, a wasting disease that causes blood loss and tissue damage, afflicted many Chinese before the 1960s due to widespread below-standard waste treatment in rural latrines, fishing boats and water.

People who work or play in areas where the water contains freshwater snails are especially prone to be affected by the water-borne parasitic worm disease, commonly known as snail fever.

People outside China were generous to rank Beijing one of the 10 most livable cities in China.

An Internet survey of 7,980 people throughout the world voted for 10 cities including Shanghai, Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Xi\’an. The criteria used to rank the cities are unknown.

Beijing may take encouragement from the result. But it still has a long way to go before becoming a truly livable city.

Most of the nearly 20 million permanent residents in Beijing are too busy living their lives to feel any great need to reflect on its meaning – for the city or them. In a city as diverse as this one, one person\’s Beijing is likely to be quite different from another\’s, as is their concept of what makes their part of it \”livable\” – or not.

The survey did not make clear the complexity of livability. What socio-economic indicators, such as housing affordability, job availability, and hubs of community activity, were included?

Working couples with children are likely to have quite different priorities from the elderly. Even people of similar ages have very different lifestyle preferences. Someone on the urban fringe may delight in the daily birdsong; a CBD resident probably won\’t mind its absence.

Good public planning must aim to distinguish between an endless list of wants, which reflect people\’s status and values, and the key needs that should be met in every community. Despite the diversity of community choices, the high cost of property in Beijing means that affordability decides where most people live – only an affluent few have a free choice.

People might have more money and lead more exciting lives in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, but they face greater challenges in daily living.

Beijing\’s museums and historical sites such as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall are enchanting and among the best in the world. But traveling is not easy in Beijing. People need to get used to crowded buses and subways. And the city\’s air quality is poor for many days of a year.

Still, Beijing should grab this chance to aim big. The city needs to set extraordinary goals.

There are examples of this among the places we think of as \”great cities\”. Copenhagen has the goal of getting 50 percent of its residents to cycle to their place of work or education by 2015. Chicago has the goal of becoming the \”most bicycle friendly city in the United States.\” Portland\’s goal is to become \”the most sustainable city in the world.\”

The challenge to Beijing\’s officials is simple: set a challenging target, such as \”Beijing will be the most livable city in the World by 2030\”.

Even if we fall short, no one will have a problem with only being the ninth most livable city in the world.

Japanese Miyoshi Nakahara plans for high-end weddings.[China Daily]

Miyoshi Nakahara has spent the last two and a half years working as a wedding planner for the Japanese wedding planning company I Wish Wedding. She earned her Association of Bridal Consultants certification in 2008 after taking the qualifying test in Japan. The 28-year-old has spent nearly all her adult life living and working in Beijing.

7:00 am – 8:00 am

Miyoshi Nakahara wakes up to what she knows will be a nerve-wracking day. For the past four months, she has been planning this wedding and just like a bride she buzzes with nervous excitement.

Dressing in the I Wish Wedding \’uniform\’, a stylish dark blue pantsuit and high heels, she eats a quick breakfast and checks the weather, before confronting the long list of tasks that fill the day ahead.

8:00 am – 8:45 am

Before she even leaves the house, Nakahara is working. She texts the make-up artist to make sure she will be at the bride\’s house in time to get the make-up done. Then, she texts the florist, photographer and, most importantly, the bride and groom to ensure everyone is ready. Most days everything runs smoothly, but Nakahara admits that she always feels nervous on the actual day of a wedding, and today is no different.

9:00 am – 10:00 am

Nakahara is always the first to arrive at the venue. She goes through her checklist, meticulously making sure everything is ready to go: checking the drinks and the seating, helping the florist arrange the flowers.

\”It is important that everything is perfect for the bride, the day is meant for her,\” she says.

10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Most of the traditional Chinese weddings Nakahara arranges take place in the morning. But because this event is a mixed wedding between a Chinese bride and a Mexican groom, the decision was made to hold the ceremony at 5 pm.

While she waits for her helpers to arrive – five regular staff, one photographer, two videographers, one MC and three lighting crew – she walks around making sure everything is perfect down to the very last detail.

This is a relatively big wedding, \”sometimes it will be just me, the MC, and the cameraman,\” she said.

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The Bride and groom arrive smiling, closely followed by family members, just in time for a dry run before the ceremony begins at 6:15 pm.

As the bride and groom stand on stage practicing their vows, Nakahara stands by and calmly helps explain how things should be done.

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

The guests of the groom, mostly friends and relatives who have flown in from Mexico, begin arriving. The decision was made to invite the foreign guests half an hour earlier than the Chinese guests because most Chinese don\’t drink before the wedding ceremony, Nakahara said.

Before all the guests arrive, Nakahara walks through the reception hall with the bride and groom one last time to make sure everything is perfect.

Receiving a nod of approval from the bride, the event officially begins.

6:15 pm

The moment of truth: the bride descends the stone steps wearing a beautiful traditional embroidered red wedding dress and a face veil.

The bride steps onto the stage and the groom smiles as he successfully executes the rehearsed script.

After the ceremony, the guests are ushered into the reception room where they begin the wedding feast.

7:45 pm – 8:00 pm

Her colleagues are dining on Seven Eleven sandwiches, blackcurrant yogurts and bottled water. But as the wedding planner, Nakahara is almost always the last to eat.

\”Sometimes the bride will want a picture while we are eating, so I will have to go grab the photographer from his meal to do some quick snapshots,\” she said.

She gets someone to replace her at the bride\’s side for 15 minutes while she steps into a backroom for a quick snack, after which she goes back to set up the reception hall.

9:00 pm – 12 midnight

The tough part is over and while she is still busy, Nakahara finally breathes a sigh of relief. The challenges of today\’s wedding were no more or less than any other wedding and at the end of the day, it was a job well done, but it\’s taken it\’s toll.

\”I am so tired, I have been on my feet all day,\” she said. Now it\’s time for her to sit back and enjoy the company of the guests as she observes the happy new couple.

\”It\’s this moment, after all the work is done, that I enjoy my job the most,\” she said, \”to see the happiness that I helped create.\”

Midnight – 1:00 am

Tired from a stressful day Nakahara must still stay awake to help clean up after the celebrations. Fortunately her helpers are loyal and stick around to lend a helping hand.

Exhausted, she returns home. Tomorrow the process begins again.

Malpractices are rampant in the appointment of officials. This is both a reason for, and an outcome of, the prevalence of corruption in public offices. The Communist Party of China knows this, and wants desperately to solve the problem. The CPC\’s disciplinary and organizational departments and the Ministry of Supervision have just issued a joint decree stating that they will crack down on the offering and taking of bribes in official appointments. They made public the specifics of 12 violations.

That the appointment of officials has become a new trading place for public and private interests is an indication that the traditional approach is failing. The emerging consensus is that a government built on the favors and disfavors of individual leaders cannot deliver good governance.

So long as it is not done merely to lower the average age of public-office holders, which has often be the case, we agree there is an imperative to breathe new life into our less-than-respected public offices. The CPC and government offices never have to worry about lack of candidates, but the question remains who should be appointed, and how.

In the \”two-way exchange\” program that brings promising young officials to central government offices from the provinces, and dispatches young officials with leadership potential the other way, those born in the 1960s are in the absolute majority. Aging is a natural phenomenon. Sooner or later, younger people will take the place of their elders. This is natural. Life-long tenure for leaders, no matter how capable they are, does no good to society. Nor does poorly thought-out age limits for public offices. That is why we disagree with any favor or discrimination based solely on age.

There is a universal understanding that as long as the CPC\’s watchdog wants to bite, there is no safe haven for corrupt elements. The stark reality, however, is that it simply cannot take care of all the problems. Nor would it be possible or fair to have every case attended to personally by somebody of a sufficiently high rank.

Numerous similar proposals and heavy-handed campaigns have failed to stem corruption. But this is not because our leaders are not serious about their pledges. However, to achieve the desired result, we need a change in approach.

Since decisions made behind closed doors have bigger risks of failure, and public-office holders are supposed to serve the public, and are supported by taxpayer\’s money, taxpayers deserve some say in such processes.

Or at the very least, the appointment of public officials should be conducted in broad daylight.

Premier Wen Jiabao said Tuesday that China will shoulder its responsibility and contribute more to the world.

Wen made the remarks when meeting with several former foreign leaders here to attend the two-day 21st Century Forum.

They are former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former European Commission President Romano Prodi, former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, former Russian Prime Minister Evgeni Primakov, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.

In the meantime, Wen appealed for understanding, support and help from the international community, noting China still faced tremendously complicated issues and challenges after realizing great achievements.

He also said China will adhere to the policy of reform and opening up, cooperation of mutual benefit and peaceful development, which will not only be China\’s strategic choice, but also its promise to the world.

He said mankind should be confident of their success in achieving balanced, harmonious and sustainable development.

Citing the profound impact caused by the global financial crisis, Wen said it was crucial at this moment for people to work together in a better way when dealing with global issues.

The former foreign leaders said the international community paid close attention to China\’s development and its role in the world.

Solving global issues required more understanding and trust between countries, more efficient cooperation, and development of science and technology, they said.

The former officials also voiced the international community\’s willingness to cement cooperation with China so as to achieve common development.

The forum, featuring the theme \”New Era, New Challenge, New Vision — Building a Future For All,\” is hosted by the Chinese People\’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Later Tuesday, CPPCC National Committee Vice Chairman Wang Gang also met with some delegates here attending the forum, including Antonio Marzano,the president of the International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions.

The forum will conclude on Wednesday.

A century ago, American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1995) envisioned buildings that rose out of the ground towards the sun. The Shanghai pavilion in the Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA) of the Shanghai Expo has realized this dream.

Eco-friendly Building \”Eco-House in Shanghai\” introduces a model for the future city of Shanghai: an enormous framework props up a slanted roof that is covered by crystalline metal plates. Window shades adjust their levels automatically according to the movement of the sun. When it pours, you cannot see water rushing out of rainspouts – a scene typical with a conventional building – because it is recycled within the dwelling. This house in Minhang District is China\’s first prototype eco-residence.

In September 2004 the original eco-building – an office complex – was erected in the sci-tech park affiliated to the Shanghai Research Institute of Building Science. The construction integrated a dozen internationally advanced eco-friendly technologies of the time. For example, when the number of people rises and carbon dioxide density increases, the sensor will activate the ventilation system automatically. The huge glass skylight above the lobby of the building alters its opening angle in response to the daylight, in order to optimize illumination in all directions. These features enable the building to cut its use of air-conditioning by two to three months a year.

The energy consumption of this exemplary office building is only one-fourth of that of a regular building of its size, and the contribution of renewable energy accounts for 20 percent. What\’s more, as many as 60 percent of its building materials came from reclaimed construction garbage, such as concrete and plaster from dismantled buildings, and solid industrial waste as well. Such innovations are both environmentally friendly and economical: the per square meter construction cost was RMB 4,000 (exclusive of the land cost), well below the average rate for a regular office building.

\”The technology and concept represented by the Eco-House in Shanghai has been applied successfully in this case. We hope to elaborate on this green renaissance and promote the healthy living in future architectural designs and urban planning,\” says Cao Jiaming, chairman of the Architectural Society of Shanghai.Cao believes that in the long run eco-houses are the most effective solution to saving natural resources (energy, land, water and building materials), protecting the environment and providing healthy, comfortable and highly efficient living spaces for human beings.

Footing the Bill

Some people worry that anything connected to the green idea, like green vegetables, comes with at a high price. Is it true with green construction? The short answer is not necessarily. China has some experience with costing over the long term as well as the short term: the eco-friendly office building is only part of China\’s exemplary eco-construction try-outs. Others have included a 200-sq-m single house and a 391.5-sq.-m apartment building.

According to Sun Daming, executive director of the Shanghai Green and Ecological Building Research Center affiliated to the China Academy of Building Research, a green building usually adopts necessary energy-saving technology and equipment as required by the particular needs and energy targets of the project. A popular green building is not necessarily a showcase of all the state-of-the-art technologies at once, so high costs need not be entailed.

Sun believes that with the advancement of technology and growth in supporting policies, the development of green construction will have a welcoming environment and the cost for going green will also drop. According to 2008 investigations, a construction that met the state\’s one-star green standards cost an extra RMB 100 per square meter. The unit\’s cost rose by RMB 250-270 for compliance with two-star standards, and RMB 350-450 for being built to three-star standards. Today this has been lowered to RMB 50, 150 and 250 respectively.

Driving the shift is undoubtedly the government\’s policy support for the utilization of renewable energy. Solar power, for example, has become mandatory for new housing projects in many areas. Normally application of renewable energy contributes to 40 percent of the extra spending on green buildings. When the state rules this to become the code for all buildings, the cost disparity between green and conventional buildings will narrow, deviating little from standard costs.

City and Lifestyle Renaissance

Wu Jianzhong, one of the masterminds of the Shanghai Expo\’s city theme, comments that the Eco-House in Shanghai and its prototype are intended to highlight a holistic eco-living concept instead of isolated energy-saving and emission reduction technologies. \”The model is just one cell of the city. If every building can reduce its drain on surrounding resources and orient to future reutilization, our low-carbon city will be realized,\” he says.

\”Eco-construction points the way for the development of world architecture in the 21st century. It can reconcile relations among men, architecture and nature and propel the development of new materials and trades,\” remarks Wang Wei, vice president of the Shanghai Research Institute of Building Science and head of the pilot eco-construction project. Wang predicts the market potential for this big picture within Shanghai will amount to RMB 16.4 billion. By his estimate, the adoption of eco-construction will save RMB 100 million in construction garbage treatment each year, cut cement consumption by three million tons and reduce building materials cost by RMB 600 million. In addition eco-buildings can save 747,800 tons of standard coal in energy consumption, and the adoption of green building materials can save another 420,000 tons of standard coal. The result is an annual reduction of carbon dioxide discharge by 1.35 million tons.

Studies show that the energy consumption of existing buildings in Shanghai is three or four times that of developed countries. Industrial insiders point out that eco-construction is an architectural and lifestyle revolution, and its popular application depends very much on making its cost acceptable to consumers. They call for effective stimulus measures, policy guidance and support, related rules and regulations, comprehensive green standards, and an evaluation system. Much is yet to be done in these respects.

There is definite consensus that urbanization will fuel China\’s fast economic growth in coming years. However, if Chinese policymakers really want urbanization to become the principal growth engine, they must do more to enrich and empower those farmers who have emigrated to cities in search of better prospects.

A report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has revealed that China\’s urban population touched 620 million last year, accounting for 46 percent of the country\’s total.

This urban sprawl is twice that of the population of the United States and one quarter more than the combined population of the 27 countries of the European Union. Moreover, it is projected to grow by 10 million a year in the next five years. This will certainly make China a largely urban-centric nation.

Given that Chinese farmers on average earn just one-third of what their urban cousins take home annually, it is easy to conclude that rapid urbanization will result in a substantial increase in the country\’s overall income levels, thereby incurring massive urban infrastructure investment.

For a country that is shifting from export dependence for growth, an increasing number of richer consumers and robust investment growth is definitely needed to sustain its long-term growth story.

Nevertheless, such a growth prospect is far from certain if the country\’s widening wealth gap within cities is not properly addressed soon. Though most migrant workers are earning more in city jobs, they have made little progress in climbing the urban social ladder. This has been largely due to their general lack of equal access to many urban welfare resources.

The current pace of urbanization is only a reflection of the fact that millions of farmers are working at least six months a year in urban areas.

Only by reforming the country\’s rigid household registration system will migrant workers become equal and permanent members of urban society. And, that still seems quite a way off.

Olympic champions Liu Xiang and Lin Dan will lead China\’s assault to win the most medals at the Asian Games for the eighth straight time as China unveiled on Tuesday a 1,454-member delegation, the largest ever in history, for next month\’s Asiad.

A total of 35 Olympic gold medalists were included in the 1,454-member delegation for the 16th Asian Games which will take place in southern Chinese city of Guangzhou from November 12 to 27.

About two thirds of the 977 athletes did not take part in the 2008 Olympics nor the Asian Games held four years ago in Doha, Qatar.

\”We hope to spot young talents at the Asian Games and prepare them for the 2012 London Olympics,\” said Duan Shijie, head of the Chinese delegation.

Bowling player Mi Zhongli, 49, is the eldest athlete, and dragon boat drummer Xia Shiying is the youngest, aged 13.

More than 14,000 athletes, trainers and coaches from 45 countries and regions are expected to take part in the Guangzhou Asian Games, vying for 476 gold medals in 42 sports.

Guangzhou is the second Chinese city to host the Asian Games. Beijing staged the quadrennial sporting event in 1990.

As Chinese prepare to pay their respects to departed loved ones during Qingming Festival – Tomb-sweeping Day – on Monday, it is traditionally a time to remember the heroes who helped shape modern China.

But it is not just Chinese martyrs who are in people\’s thoughts; it is also the likes of Dwarkanath Kotnis and the brave Flying Tigers, who have remained not only firm fixtures in school textbooks, but also in the hearts and minds of Chinese.

Like the words on a tombstone, the actions of the past are engraved in history, and for Chinese, Qingming Festival, which is celebrated on the 15th day after the spring equinox, is one of the most important days.

People have offered sacrifices to their ancestors for more than 2,500 years since the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC). Nowadays, people clean their ancestors\’ tombs and eat cold food. Weeds are pulled and dirt swept away, and the family makes offerings and burns special \”money\”.

Although largely a festival for families, many still take time to remember the actions of a few. However, experts have discovered that some heroes\’ tombs have fallen into disrepair due to a lack of care.

Today, students still learn about legendary author and former Peking University scholar Edgar Snow, and budding medics still celebrate the dedication of George Hatem. But the tombs of others, such as the Flying Tigers, who bolstered China\’s war effort, have either been forgotten or lost due to the nation\’s rapid development.

To mark Tomb-sweeping Day, China Daily reporters went to four cemeteries across China to not only visit the tombs of some of China\’s most important and influential foreign heroes, but also talk to the people who honor and preserve their memory.

Busy time for martyrs\’ memorial

These are busy times for the staff at the North China Martyrs\’ Memorial Park in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province. At least two memorial ceremonies will be held every day until April 6 as thousands flock to pay their respects to the dead ahead of Tomb-sweeping Day.

Among the national heroes interred in the park are Norman Bethune (1890-1939), a Canadian surgeon, and Dwarkanath Kotnis (1910-1942), an Indian doctor, both of whom provided vital medical assistance to China during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945).

\”We had more than 5,000 people come for the morning ceremony on the first day,\” said Duan Fengguo, a park worker who is responsible for compiling the guest list. \”People come in here to make appointments with us to join these ceremonies and, just a few days ago, some Canadian visitors came in with a wreath for Bethune.\”

College students and high school pupils also come to the park to learn more about their revolutionary heroes.

\”Our students walked for one hour from our campus to get here,\” said Hou Zhiqi, an official with Hubei Banking School, who was accompanied by more than 800 youngsters wearing handmade paper flowers. \”We want to encourage them to follow the examples of the revolutionary generation, who were hard-working and plain-living.\”

Wandering along the many paths of the memorial park are also people who come on their own to reflect, far from the noisy crowds.

\”I think history is actually neglected during these ceremonies, so I\’d prefer to spend more time in the museum looking at old pictures and learning a few details about the heroes\’ lives,\” said 27-year-old Liu Hui, a medical intern at the No 3 Hospital of Hebei Medical University. \”I was so surprised to see the picture of Bethune as he operated without wearing gloves.\”

Although people come to pay homage in different ways, the majority share one thing in common: They have all read In Memory of Norman Bethune, an article written by Mao Zedong following the medic\’s death in 1939.

\”I think Bethune is the most famous foreign friend to China and, although Kotnis is not as famous, they both made great contributions,\” said He Liming, 30, who works in a nearby supermarket and quoted Mao\’s article by adding: \”They \’made light of traveling thousands of miles to help us\’.\”

Every year, she comes to visit the tombs for Tomb-sweeping Day. \”They were great people. Hopefully, they can bring me some good luck as well,\” she added.

Call to protect memory of brave pilots

American pilots and Chinese soldiers killed in battle against the invading Japanese airforce during World War II were buried in the woods of Puzhao village, Yunnan province, more than half a century ago. However, their tombs were virtually undiscovered until 2007, when the Yunnan Flying Tigers Research Institution found them by following clues included in The Aluminum Trail, a book written in 1989 by Chick Marrs Quinn.

About 300 pilots with the Fei Hu, or \”Flying Tigers\” – the nickname given to the 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force – and 500 Chinese soldiers are buried at the site, which was built beside a nunnery in 1943 in the northeastern suburbs of Kunming, the provincial capital, said Sun Guansheng, chairman of the institution.

The tombs were \”lost\” when they were moved to make way for a storehouse either in the late 1940s or early 1950s, and since then, the memorial has not been properly protected, experts say .

\”Some of the graves have been robbed and some have sunken,\” said Sun. \”Many tombstones carrying names of the dead pilots and soldiers were even used to build a reservoir in the 1950s. Exposed to the wind and the rain, what is left of the Flying Tigers cemetery is bleak.\”

\”We are calling on the authorities to take measures to effectively protect this vital and historic site.\”

The tombs in Puzhao are about 4 km from Wujiaba Airport, the former air base of the Flying Tigers, most of whose names have since been forgotten.

The group, which was led by United States General Claire L. Chennault, was formed on Aug 1, 1941, to help China fight off invading Japanese troops and later absorbed into the US Air Force 23 Fighter Group, part of 14th Air Force. Their planes were recognizable for the shark\’s teeth painted on the nose, while the pilots were revered for their courage and skill in battle.

Many Chinese now call all US pilots who flew with the 14th Air Force in World War II \”Flying Tigers\”.

Li Shan, a Kunming resident who read about the tombs, took her 7-year-old son to see the cemetery as she wants him to learn more about the history.

\”We\’ve now put a tombstone in the graveyard for people who come and pay their respects, but we should build a better cemetery to honor those who helped us during the war,\” said Sun.

Author still a big hit on campus

Ask any student on Peking University\’s campus in Beijing where to find the tomb of Edgar Snow (1905-1972) and nine out of 10 will not only point you in the right direction, but also probably give you a brief history lesson on the life and works of the prominent American journalist.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, the scribe and former teacher at the university is best remembered for his book Red Star Over China, which introduced the Chinese Communist movement in early 1920s to late 1930s to domestic and overseas readers. He was also the first Western journalist to interview China\’s former leader Mao Zedong.

\”I know every year there will be a few essays about him written by our students,\” said Sun Hua, director of the university\’s Chinese center for Edgar Snow studies. \”Some seniors also made a documentary film about him.\”

Following his death in Geneva, Switzerland, half of Snow\’s ashes were flown to China. The original plan was to bury them in Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing, which is reserved for national heroes. \”However, his family thought it was better to have his tomb on campus because he loved to hang out with young Chinese people,\” said Sun.

The site of his tomb, which is on a slope south of the university\’s Weiming Lake, is close to the recently renovated Tan Siu Lin center for international studies, where Snow taught journalism in the early 1930s. His tombstone reads \”Edgar Snow, American friend of the Chinese people\” in English and Chinese.

\”He is a reporter with a conscience. He deserves a Pulitzer prize,\” said Li Yuming, 29, a Beijing legal professional who visited the writer\’s tomb after reading his works. \”When I went to his tomb, no one was there, just a bunch of dried flowers. It\’s a desolate scene but I think people like Snow are still remembered.\”

She is right. Apart from the Chinese center for Edgar Snow studies, the author continues to be an inspiration to students and scholars nationwide.

\”For the post-1980s generation, the history in his book does not exist in our memory,\” Yan Lu, a 26-year-old journalist with the Liuyang Daily in Hunan province, wrote on her blog after finishing Red Star Over China for an assignment. \”If (Chinese) students can read news stories like these, instead of struggling to memorize the textbooks without emotion or even meaning, they would have more passion and respect for earlier generations.\”

\”Snow knew nothing before he met Chairman Mao and the Red Army, just like we know nothing about the past. But we learn.\”

Chinese people visit the grave of a departed loved one at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing. The cemetery is reserved for national heroes, which includes American doctor George Hatem. [China Daily]

Wife carries on doctor\’s good work

For Zhou Sufei, Tomb-sweeping Day marks just one of the 365 days a year she spends honoring her husband, George Hatem (1910-1988), the legendary American doctor who worked for more than five decades to rid China of leprosy and venereal diseases.

Zhou, 91, has been running the Ma Haide Foundation since 1988 and every year distributes 20 awards – with a cash prize of 5,000 yuan ($700) – to people who have made a contribution to the treatment for leprosy.

\”We usually give out the money before the Chinese New Year. It\’s not a lot of money, but for those winners who are doctors and nurses in the rural areas, this money could be very helpful,\” she said.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Hatem (his Chinese name was Ma Haide) was the first foreigner granted Chinese citizenship in 1949 after the founding of the People\’s Republic of China and was also made a public health official by the Communist Party of China.

His tomb is among those of famous artists, poets, musicians, soldiers and statesmen interred at Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing\’s Shijingshan district.

On Monday, Zhou is planning to make her annual trip to sweep her husband\’s tomb. \”It will just be family members,\” she said. \”I take two flower baskets to his tomb with my son, grandson and daughter-in-law every year. My son is quite busy these days, so we have to wait for him. And there will probably be traffic jams on Tomb-sweeping Day, so we might go there in the afternoon.\”

Hatem provided most of the Ma Haide Foundation\’s funds before his death but the group now relies on donations from within China and overseas. However, with the depreciation of the United States dollar and the lowering of interest rates in recent years, \”it has become harder for the foundation to get involved with charity projects\”, said Zhou.

Although she is worried about the future of the foundation, she has no fears about her husband\’s legacy being remembered.

\”When I go to my husband\’s tomb, there are always flowers beside it,\” she said. \”We have no idea where most come from. It might be his old friends, or families of his former patients.\”

A signed article to be published on Tuesday\’s People\’s Daily, a flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has reminded Party officials to be mindful of the people\’s interests.

The article, authored by Zheng Qingyuan, says CPC officials must bear in mind that \”no power in the world could replace the power of the people\” and \”the Party should demonstrate more resolve, wisdom and methods\” in solving people\’s problems and meeting their demands.

The article says CPC officials should \”always take into consideration the fundamental interests of the people\” and \”never do things that waste money and manpower and go against the people\’s wishes.\”

\”All CPC members must remember that development is for the people and by the people,\” it says.

The Party will mark its 90th anniversary next year.

The article comes about two weeks after the the CPC Central Committee concluded a key policy-setting meeting on Oct. 18.