Society

Five-Year Plan for a Cleaner Environment

Chinas State Council has drawn up a national plan on environmental improvement for the 13th Five-Year Plan period （2016-2020）， detailing strategies for cleansing polluted air， water， and soil. Proceeding from the core proposal to improve the quality of the environment through a stringent system of environmental protection， the plan focuses on curbing air， water， and soil pollution； strengthening protection and restoration of the ecological environment； preventing and controlling ecological environmental hazards； upgrading the national governance system； accelerating governance capacity in the environmental sector； and improving environmental management through a highly scientific information network that provides the people with higher quality ecological products.

The plan also proposes obligatory and anticipated environmental protection targets for urban air quality， surface water quality， forest coverage rate， and pollutant emissions.

Start Your Own Business in the Countryside

Statistical data show that more than 5.7 million people have returned from cities to start businesses in their rural hometowns. Among them， 4.5 million people are rural migrant workers who previously worked in urban areas. Some recent graduates， scientists， and technicians from cities also go to the countryside to launch innovative projects. All play a significant role in vitalizing Chinas rural economy.

The Vice Minister of Agriculture， Chen Xiaohua， remarked that the synchronous development of industrialization， informationization， urbanization， and agricultural modernization is creating a new dynamic； one where many rural residents go to cities for employment， while others head to the countryside to start businesses. Moreover， Chen added， a new class of “rural entrepreneur，” who has been through higher education， is growing， and is venturing into a wide range of fields.

Encouraging this new trend may bring about several benefits. It can help introduce modern technology， lifestyle， and management ideas to rural areas， thus improving agricultural efficiency and competitiveness； it can also generate new rural business activities and models， and further promote the flow of production among rural and urban areas， as well as promoting equality.

Guidelines on Protection of Property Rights Released

On November 27 China released guidelines on better protection of property rights in an effort to shore up social confidence and promote social justice.

This was the first time the country had issued state level guidelines on property rights protection.

The state will provide equal， comprehensive， and law-based protection of all kinds of property rights， and encourage public participation in the process. The guidelines were issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

Although China endeavors to protect property rights， certain problems （including the infringement of private property by public power， and poor protection of intellectual property rights） still exist.

Property rights cases that remain unresolved for historical reasons should be dealt with appropriately， the guidelines stated. An accountability system will be implemented to guard against improper court decisions.

The guidelines also pledge intensified protection of intellectual property rights. Information on the administrative penalty imposed by authorities should be included in the social credit system to ensure violators are penalized for poor credit records.

Activity

British National Symphony Orchestra New Year Concert

Date： January 2， 2017

Place： Shenzhen Concert Hall

Price： 280/480/680/880/1080/1280

The prestigious British National Symphony Orchestra has been established for over 70 years， and its players are from all over the U.K. Known for its high quality concerts and recordings， the orchestra has an excellent reputation in the U.K. and overseas.

Salina – The Last Vertebra

Date： January 11-12， 2017

Place： Beijing Longfu Theater

Price： 50/100/180/280/380

Salina – The Last Vertebra， by French writer Laurent Gaudé， premiered in Rio de Janeiro in 2015. With the themes of hatred and forgiveness， the play evokes an in-depth understanding of human nature. In addition to combining such diverse cultural elements as Greek tragedy and African epic poetry， the play is also based on the personal experiences of the actors， their body language， imagination， and profound sense of ancestry.