Cameron’s Social Networking in China

Cameron’s Social Networking in China

British Prime Minister David Cameron paid a visit to China from December 2 to 4， 2013， and brought with him an entourage of 150 businessmen， the largest such foreign delegation in British history.

During his stay， Cameron claimed to be China’s strongest supporter in the West. He has been dubbed the“magic salesman from Britain” for his great efforts to enhance cooperation between the two countries in sectors of intellectual property， cultural exchange， automobiles， and healthcare.

Cameron didn’t waste time enjoying the delicate food and beautiful scenery. He made a special trip to Chengdu， the provincial seat of Sichuan， to taste authentic hot pot. Prior to his visit， the Prime Minister opened an account on Sina Weibo （Chinese Twitter）， and quickly attracted 500，000 followers， who ribbed him with various questions.

Questions from Chinese netizens to Cameron：

“Will you please push Sherlock to move a little faster？ If we get only three episodes a season， we have to wait for three years to finish it all！”

“Any truth to the rumor about Tony Blair and Wendi Deng Murdoch？”

“How is Larry the cat doing？”

“Today， we have the City of Fog. As British Prime Minister， are you ashamed？”

“As prime minister of one of the countries to draw it up， do you still support the Cairo Declaration？”

Haze across the Country

The central and eastern parts of China have suffered from extensive， persistent haze since November 2013. Even worse， the southern regions， including Shanghai and provinces of Jiangsu， Zhejiang， and Anhui， were also hit by heavy haze. December 2 was the worst day ever for Shanghai air.

By December 5， the measure of PM2.5 soared up to 500. On December 10， 2013， the Environmental Protection Department of Liaoning Province in northeastern China fined eight cities a total of 54.2 million yuan for air pollution. The fines will fund projects for air pollution control.

@people.com.cn： Nobody likes smog. Yet it brought some positive developments： Firstly， it brought the nation closer together， forming a united front to fight against pollution. Secondly， it levels the playing field – rich and poor alike cannot avoid it. Thirdly， it has awakened everyone. As the world admires China’s economic miracle， we can see that becoming the “world’s factory” came at a steep cost. Fourthly， it helps our sense of humor. People must joke about the weather when they feel so powerless against it. Finally， it offers us a chance to learn more about weather. Nobody would have known what PM2.5 is without the smog， and nobody would have known about the catastrophe in London 60 years ago， which took 12，000 lives.

@Gao Xiaosong： When I was 20， I could see the Western Hills on the outskirts of the city from Deshengmen Gate in central Beijing. From the same spot， I could see Xizhimen three kilometers away when I was 30， but now， at 40， I can’t even see across the street.

@kisukecats： Even the capital can not escape such weather. If one looks in a telescope right after a cataract operation， he is going to think the surgery failed.

Abacus Joins the World Cultural Heritage List

The Chinese abacus， or zhusuan， was officially added to the UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage List at the 8th Annual UNESCO World Cultural Congress on December 4， 2013， in Baku， Azerbaijan， and it became a hot topic for Chinese netizens.

@Ning Xiangwei （corporate executive）： As soon as it made the list of the World Intangible Cultural Heritage， some suggested resuming teaching the abacus in primary schools. What a terrible idea！ What’s heritage？ If every Chinese person performed math on an abacus， it would never be added to the list. In an era of electronics， it’s nothing but a relic. It’s called “intangible heritage” because it lives on in memory only. It’s nothing more than a novelty to youngsters， but its usage could provide positive benefits for the elderly.

@Yuan Guohui （financial executive）： The abacus was the tool of the trade for accountants as well as a tool for calculation in ancient China. During my years in college in the mid-1990s， it was a required course for accounting majors. Our fingers flew up and down， practicing arithmetic rules and theories. The clacking of abaci resonated through the classroom like an orchestra. Its acceptance as UNESCO cultural heritage brings me back to the “good old days！”

“Jade Rabbit” Lands on the Moon

Yutu， or Jade Rabbit， touched down on the lunar surface at 4：35 a.m. on December 15， 2013， after separating from the lander of non-manned spacecraft Chang’e 3， and began its three-month scientific exploration of the moon.

Media has reported that Yutu， a six-wheeled rover fueled by solar energy， can probe five square kilometers， climb 20-degree hills， and scale 20-centimeter obstacles. It will face challenges such as temperature variations of more than 300 degrees Celsius on the moon.

“Technically speaking， the rover is not a vehicle，” explains Zhao Xiaojin from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. “It is a wheeled spacecraft that can adapt to changing environments and conduct scientific and technological exploration. It is a highly-intelligent robot consuming minimal energy.”

At 1：30 a.m. on December 2， Chang’e 3 began orbiting the moon， kicking off China’s first soft-landing project in space.

Beijing Mulls Rush Hour Subway Fare Hike

Authorities from the Beijing Municipal Government are debating whether to raise the subway fare of two yuan（about US$0.33） during rush hour in an attempt to contract peak flow of passengers.

Beijing’s two-yuan ticket price， which allows passengers to ride any line and make unlimited transfers， has been receiving both positive and negative public feedback since 2007， when total subway mileage measured only half of today’s 456 kilometers. When the idea of raising the rush-hour fare was firstly proposed in 2010， it was rejected because administrators still considered encouraging usage of public transportation a necessity. When the topic came up again， it immediately sparked considerable public attention.

\"London Underground： ？4.3 （US$7.35） each way. New York City Subway： US$2.5 each way. The subway fares in major international cities have been published by some media outlets to illustrate how Beijing residents enjoy such low costs. However， the ticket price should not be compared in such a superficial manner without considering residents’ income levels and the currency’s purchasing power. \"

@ Song Hongbing： In Moscow， subway trains run on average intervals of 40 seconds， which have significantly increased the city’s transportation capacity. It is all about service. Though it may slightly lighten the government financial burdens， increased ticket prices will do little for Beijing’s traffic jams.

\"Why are so many “experts” busy discussing subway fares， long holidays， reverse mortgages， traffic jams and postponed retirement？ I suggest sending all these experts on a long holiday， my treat！ \"

Calendar Makers Decimated by New Rules

It was recently reported that China’s calendar industry shrunk by almost half its previous scale after a ban on using public funds to buy gifts such as New Year cards was issued by the central government on October 31， 2013. “We used to be overwhelmed with piles of orders this time of year， but this year， we are overwhelmed with what to do with all the unsold piles of paper，” lamented a business operator in Yiwu， Zhejiang Province， the biggest manufacturing and distribution hub in China’s Yangtze River region. According to Jin Jingxi， president of Yiwu Cultural Present Industry Association， about 200 calendar companies in Yiwu have lost at least 100 million yuan this year. Some enterprises have realized that they must transform drastically.

\"The power to save an industry or fatally kill one： this is policy.\"

\"Time has expired for those enterprises， which were relying on orders from governmental agencies and state-owned enterprises. Every business owner should take immediate steps to adjust their services and products to cater ordinary people’s need and look towards the international market for expansion.\"

\"Such a ban should have been enacted earlier in the year， so such a big waste of manpower and material resources could have been avoided. The central government should be more considerate.\"