Society

U.S. Biggest Invader of Chinas Cyberspace

The latest data from the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center of China （NCNERTT/CC） show that， from March 19 to May 18， a total 2，077 Trojan-horse networks or botnet servers in the U.S. had direct control over 1.18 million host computers in China. The NCNERTT/CC found 135 host computers in the U.S. were carrying 563 phishing pages targeting Chinese websites， which led to 14，000 phishing operations. In the same period， the center discovered 2，016 U.S. IP addresses that had implanted backdoors into 1，754 Chinese websites， involving 57，000 backdoor attacks.

The U.S. has attacked， infi ltrated and tapped Chinese networks belonging to government， institutions， enterprises， universities， and major communication backbone networks. Such activities target Chinese leaders， ordinary citizens， and potentially anyone with a mobile phone. At the same time， the U.S. has repeatedly accused China of spying and hacking.

Xinjiang to Launch Its First High-speed Train

The June 3 full-scale test-run on the second line of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway marks the countdown to formal operation of the fi rst high-speed train in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Its designated speed of 250 km/hour is twice that of the fastest trains now in service in the region. When the line opens， joining other rail networks， train travel between Urumqi， the capital of Xinjiang， and Lanzhou， capital of Gansu Province， will be cut from the current 16 hours to nine hours， and the travel time between Urumqi and Beijing will also be halved. After the new line devoted to passenger services comes into operation， the old line will handle cargo transport only. This will double Xinjiangs rail transport capacity.

Chinese Live Longer Thanks to Better Public Health Services

Human life expectancy gained six years over the past 22 years globally， with Chinas progress on par with the world average， according to the WHOs World Health Statistics 2014 Report. At 75， Chinese life expectancy is among the highest in the developing world. From 35 years to the current 75， this big jump over four decades has been achieved thanks to remarkable advances in Chinas public health sector. The national vaccination program， launched in 1978， has slashed the incidence and mortality rate of six deadly diseases – measles， whooping cough， diphtheria， polio， tuberculosis， and tetanus – by more than 99 percent. At an April meeting， Wang Guoqiang， deputy chief of the National Health and Family Planning Commission， disclosed that from 2000 to 2013， Chinas maternal mortality rate fell by 56.2 percent， to 23.2 per 100，000， and that the mortality rates for infants and children under fi ve were down 70.5 percent and 69.8 percent， respectively to 9.5 per 1，000 and 12 per 1，000 –advances that also contribute to longer lifespan.

Chinese Families Dwindle

Chinas fi rst national report on family development was recently released by the National Health and Family Planning Commission. In 2010， as many as 40 percent of Chinese households， or 160 million households， comprised one to two members， a fi gure expected to rise. Reasons include late marriage， more demographic mobility， and an aging population. The proportion of husband-and-wife-only households has doubled over recent years， as more elderly couples opt not to live with their adult children， and more young couples are postponing childbearing or deciding not to have children. The report indicates that Chinas average household size has shrunk， from 5.3 members prior to the 1950s， to 3.02 in 2012.

Activity

Rhonda Larson Flute Concert

Date： July 11， 2014

Place： Guangzhou Xinghai Concert Hall

Price： RMB 680/380/280/180/100

An exceptionally talented flautist， composer and conductor， Rhonda Larson started to learn flute at the age of 10. In 1985， she won first prize at the U.S. National Flute Associations Young Artists Competition. Later， Larson won a Grammy Award. She has collected a variety of valuable and rare flutes from indigenous peoples and nations around the world， to enrich her musical instruments and the timbre of her music. In her Guangzhou concert， the flautist will render folk songs， classical music and world new-school music， playing more than 10 types of flutes.

Lawrence Foster & the Marseilles Opera Orchestra

Date： July 13， 2014

Place： Shanghai Oriental Art Center

Price： RMB 880/680/480/280/180

The Marseilles Opera Orchestra was founded in 1965. World-famous conductor Lawrence Foster has been the orchestras music director since the 2012/13 season. In 2013， Foster conducted the orchestra at the inaugural concert of the Marseilles-Provence 2013 music festivals. They ended the 2012/13 season with performances of Massenets Cléopatre and Les Troyens by Berlioz with tenor Roberto Alagna， also personally conducted by Foster. At this concert in China， the orchestra will perform well-known opera selections， accompanied by U.S. mezzosoprano Jennifer Holloway.