Press Interpreter

05/15/08 -- After a severe earthquake hit Wenchuan County in China's Sichuan Province, the Chinese government's swift deployment of earthquake relief has become a positive example for the international community.

So far 1520 cases of infection in Fuyang*; Jiangsu** requires kindergartens and elementary schools to carry out morning physical examinations

Cases of EV71 reach 1520

04/30/08 -- Yesterday afternoon at 2:00, the Fuyang Newsroom held their second press conference about the children infected with enterovirus type 71 (EV71)***. Leaders and experts from the Fuyang Health Department and the Fuyang People's Hospital made an announcement concerning the city's control and prevention efforts against the enterovirus epidemic. "As of 11:00 on the 28th, the city has reported 1520 pediatric cases of enterovirus type 71." The Fuyang Health Department spokesman and Deputy Director Yan Wei announced that the city's most recent statistics on hospitalizations show that from 11:00 on the 27 to 11:00 on the 28th, there were 321 reports of enterovirus--37 more cases than the day before. Of these, 216 cases were seen in clinic and 105 were hospitalized; 34 patients were released from the hospital.

Highly infective -- in one year a single person can infect 15 others; even more frightening is that many TB sufferers still socialize

04/08/08 -- Yesterday, the Jiangsu Province Department of Health published the March 2008 provincial report on infectious disease as mandated by law. The report indicated that tuberculosis (TB) is still the leading cause of new infections and of death from infection [in the province]. In the course of interviews [for this story], this reporter found out that some individuals who know that they have tuberculosis take buses without wearing masks, continue to eat at restaurants as usual, and certainly will not publicly reveal their infection status. Some patients do not comply with treatment once they are diagnosed with TB. Experts say that behind these problems is the current legal vacuum for supervision of those with TB.

Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital treats three cases of Leptospirosis and stroke

03/06/08 -- Five years ago, Old Wang* never imagined that a careless cut on his hand from washing snails would lead to long-term high blood pressure and a sudden stroke that left him in the hospital and nearly crippled. Zhang Jun, the director of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital’s Emergency Department, told reporters that beginning in January, the hospital had seen a series of three stroke cases brought on by Leptospira**. The other two cases besides Old Wang may have been infected from contaminated water that came into contact with their broken or injured skin.

One just born, another just married

03/05/08 -- “It’s so unusual that we would see two ‘stone maidens’* in such a short time!” said a doctor from the Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, absolutely flabbergasted by the situation. In recent days, the hospital saw two rare ‘stone maidens’, one a young woman that had just gotten married and another a newborn infant girl.

7600 kg of rat poison waits for them to feed

03/16/07 -- When winter is mild, rats reproduce quickly. The Nanjing City Patriotic Health Campaign Committee Office’s (PHCCO) most recent survey indicates that the average density of Nanjing’s rats is 3.5%, already much higher than the 2% national standard. Action cannot be delayed. The PHCCO revealed to the Modern Bulletin yesterday that a campaign across the entire city to eradicate the rats has already begun and that 7600 kg of rat poison will be unleashed in every district next week.

03/10/07 -- During the ‘two sessions’*, delegates** occasionally spouted some startling words, including many that went against ‘popular opinion and common sense’, comments that made more than a few uncomfortable. For instance, there was the suggestion that Tai Mountain be designated the National Mountain***, the comment that price gouging during the peak travel times of the Lunar New Year was part of the laws of the market, a proposal for renaming Ladies’ Day as Womyn’s day****, and the claim that a ban on smoking would undermine social stability. There was even a representative that wrote a draft of a resolution entitled, “Environmental Protection Begins With Me,” decried by netizens as “the work of a seven-year-old.”

"Life is most precious under heaven"

The change gives new meaning to the old phrase: "Human life is matter of 'heavenly' concern." Now, the word "heaven" refers to the Supreme Court.
　　
01/04/07 -- On December 31st, 2006, chief justices of the Hunan and Sichuan Higher People's Courts signed the last batch of death sentences. Just one day later, the authority to decide life or death would lie solely with the Supreme Court.

10/12/06 -- Q: State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan visited the United States yesterday. What was the purpose of this visit? What important officials accompanied him on the visit?

A: State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan acted as Chairman Hu Jintao’s special representative yesterday afternoon opening Beijing’s engaging in making visits to the U.S. and Russia. His important responsibility for this visit was to exchange opinions with the U.S. and Russia regarding current situation on the Korean Peninsula. Important people accompanying him included Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, Deputy Chief of Mission He Yafei, and some other high level State Department officials.

10/04/06 -- Tehran -- According an Iranian National Television Station report, the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued an order yesterday requiring related agencies to open the gates of Iran’s nuclear facilities, allowing foreign tourists to visit.

03/24/06 -- In The Draft Proposal, Petty Loan Companies Are Not Allowed to Receive Public Deposits -- “Under the circumstances wherein China’s credit environment is still imperfect, if individuals or specialized companies were allowed to use equity capital to make small loans, in accordance with laws drafted by regional governments and subject to the constraints of contract law, then perhaps the normalization of private finance will slowly become a realistic alternative.�? On March 22 at the Asia-Pacific Regional Small Loan Forum, Wu Xiaoling, a vice president at the People’s Bank of China, spoke thusly. Yi Gang, the Assistant to the President of the People’s Bank of China, read the statement aloud on her behalf.

01/18/05 -- I am rarely amused by the jokes or video clips that friends email me, but not long ago I could not help but smile at a clip of a Swedish commercial I received. In the commercial a young father is strolling through a supermarket with his son. Suddenly the child is attracted by some chocolate on a store shelf. Tugging on his father's sleeve, he says, "Dad, can I have some chocolate?" "Not now! It's almost dinnertime." Hearing this, the little fellow wrinkles his eyebrows. "But I want some! I want some!" His yawping grows louder and louder. He lies down on the ground crying and making a scene. The crowd of onlookers grows. The young father is completely embarrassed. He looks as if he wishes he could find a crevice to hide in. The camera turns away and the following message appears: "Please use condoms."

The Beginning and End of the “Third Debate on Reform�? 2004-2006
2004-2006 "第三次改�?�论争"始末 　

Would it be Possible to Disclose All the Cases Brought to the People’s Congress?

03/09/06 -- On July 9, 2005, after killing his factory supervisor, A-xing, accompanied by reporters from this paper, turned himself in to the authorities. The A-Xing murder case and the subsequent murder case of worker Wang Binyu aroused widespread interest. In the coming days, the A-Xing murder case will be tried in the Shantou, Guangdong court. (This is a follow-up to a story first reported on in the July 14, 2005 edition.)*

The Chinese Countryside Emerges

Coming to a Consensus on the Meaning of Reform

China’s Development Strategy Formally Changes Course

“The Master of Great Potential�? and the Myth of Instant Wealth

03/09/06 -- Never Say None -- The owner of a store overheard one of his employees tell a customer, “Ma’am, at this time there isn’t any. It looks like it will be a while before we can expect some.�? The owner was very upset. Hurriedly, he ran over to the customer and said, “We’ll have some soon; Last week we ordered a big batch.�? After the customer left, the owner turned to his employee and said, “In the future, never tell a customer that ‘there isn’t any’ or that ‘we’re out of stock.’ You should always say, ‘We just ordered some’ or ‘They’ll be here soon.’�? He then asked what the lady had wanted to purchase. “She wanted rain.�? The employee said smiling. “She had been asking when I thought it was going to rain.�?

02/24/06 -- Since the Six Dynasties period, the Yangtze River delta has been famed for its prosperity.

Today, the 210,700 square kilometers of the Yangtze River delta contain 74 cities of small, medium, or large size, of which 16 count as large cities with population greater than 1 million people, and 8 count as especially large cities, with population greater than 2 million. This "15+1" cluster of cities has already become one of the world most energetic city groups.

02/23/06 -- On New Year's eve 2006, 23 year old Xu Ping, a female village school teacher, looked around the table full of family members. She was on the verge of tears.

Xu Enhuai looked at the unusually mature face of his daughter and said something of deep significance to his three sons: "In the future, when life is good, you absolutely should not forget your older sister."

02/16/06 -- Henan is a microcosm of China. China is the world's most highly populated country, Henan is China's most highly populated province. China is also the world's largest agrarian country, Henan is China's largest agrarian province. China is the world's largest developing country and it can be said that Henan is China's largest developing province. China's GDP is among the highest in the world but its per capita GDP falls below average. Henan's GDP is the fifth largest in China but the province's per capita GDP is only 18th in the country.

03/04/06 -- More and more people are spending their leisure time listening to MP3s. They should listen with more care - Yesterday, Beijing Tong Ren hospital aural specialists reported to the media that clinical research has proven that listening to portable audio devices too much can cause hearing loss.

02/23/06 -- Don't be startled, but the number of people who have died from AIDS has already exceeded the number who have died from Hepatitis B. The Ministry of Health has released last year's legally mandated report on infectious disease epidemics in China. Of the 13,262 people who died from infectious diseases, the five diseases accounting for the greatest death tolls in order from greatest to least were: Tuberculosis, Rabies, AIDS, Hepatitis B, and Neonatal Tetanus. This report, which was released on February 14, Valentine's Day, didn't have the slightest shade of romance to it.

“平时是天使 周末是魔鬼�?
Angel During the Week, Demon on the Weekend

�?�焦改�?�争论
Summarizing the Arguments for and Against Reform

榆林：“中国科�?特�?的�?长烦�?�

02/16/06 -- The healthcare burden has already become one of the largest complaints reported by the public -- there is the relentless sound of criticism in our ears. To be fair, all levels of government have not been unconcerned about this issue. Rather, they have been wracking their brains for a solution to the difficult problem of "seeing the doctor is expensive." However, even though the government has tried a lot of solutions, such as, for example, fixing the price of medicine, setting up "fair price hospitals," restructuring the administration of hospitals demanding unreasonable fees, etc., it has always attacked the symptoms of the problem rather than the roots. The problem lies in the fact that these measures all were aimed at the supply side of healthcare services. Effective measures aimed at the demand side, which is determined by the robustness of the medical insurance system, have been few.

02/16/06 -- There are many things, which if we only look at the things around us, don't seem at all strange. For example, when we look at the several 14 or 15 year old children by our side who have left school and are unemployed, hanging around in the streets with nothing to do, it doesn't seem like anything at all. But if we widen our view and look at the country's future, the problem doesn't seem so small.

02/19/06 -- Previously Awarded the Merit Citation Class III, Recently Sentenced to Death

Xu Bin, a former member of China’s first Narcotics Squad and the first to serve as Head of the Narcotics Squad in the Public Security Bureau (PSB) of Wanding, Yunnan, decorated three times with the Merit Citation Class III; Xia Shaoxiong, formerly a coworker and subordinate of Xu Bin, and the third to serve as Head of the Narcotics Squad in the Wanding, Yunnan PSB, decorated once with the Merit Citation Class III. Now, they have become drug dealers, sinking to become prisoners: because after retirement the two men gradually followed the road to trafficking drugs, they have recently been sentenced to death by the Intermediate People’s Court of Kunming, a sentence suspended for two years.

02/16/06 -- State Intellectual Property Office head Tian Lipu was a guest in the Chinese government's intellectual property online chatroom

State Intellectual Property Office director Tian Lipu was a guest on the 15th of the Chinese government website, engaging in an online discussion on how to promote the use of intellectual property rights and advance self-reliance in innovation as well as answering questions from netizens.

02/09/06 -- I recently saw by chance on the web the qualifications required for taking the examination to become a public official. Two aroused my suspicion. Examinees must be between 18 and 35 years of age and must have graduated from college. As a result of these rules those older than 35 and those without a college education will lose the right to take the public officials examination. I needed to see whether depriving this group of people of the right to take the exam was indeed authorized by law. Opening to page 2, section 11 of "The Public Officials Law of the People's Republic of China," I saw that the relevant qualification requirements for public officials are "18 and older" and "has a level of education suitable to the requirements of her posting and the ability to do the work." There is no requirement that examinees be 35 or younger and have a college education. As a result, I drew the following conclusion: the qualification requirements for taking the exam are not authorized by law, but rather are illegal and must be revoked.

01/19/06 -- A Glance Around -- There is an old episode that goes like this: A mouse assembly is discussing how to deal with cats. There are many ideas, but none are satisfactory. Finally, the mice have a breakthrough. By hanging a bell from the body of the cat there will be warning when the cat arrives and everyone will have time to flee. The multitude acclaims the idea, but an honest mouse quietly asks, "if this plan is so good, then who will go to hang the bell from the cat?"

02/09/06 -- According to Human Rights statistics, last year in China private charity donations reached an historic new high, reaching 1.7 billion yuan. This is undoubtedly a new development in the charity industry, however looking at it from the perspective of the population average, that works out at only a little over one yuan per person. This therefore only shows limited growth in the development of the charity industry in China. The direct result of the yawning gap in the charity industry is that charitable organisations lack funds and have difficulties functioning. This results in some charity offices receiving an annual income of a mere ten thousand yuan. The body of social security charities is finding it hard to stand the strain.

01/26/06 -- Strengthening rural land management is a crucial component of development and reform. It not only concerns agricultural development and rural stability, but also the sustainable development of industrialization and urbanization. On the issue of land management, we certainly must not make the mistakes of history.