NEW UNESCO DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL

Senior diplomat Qu Xing has been appointed deputy director general of UNESCO， according to an announcement by the organization on March 29.

Qu joins a growing list of Chinese leaders who have been tapped for prominent positions in international organizations as the country gains a greater global presence.

A scholar-turned-diplomat， Qu will continue his role as Chinese ambassador to Belgium.

Born in 1956 in Chengdu， southwest Chinas Sichuan Province， Qu received his bachelors degree from the French Department of Beijing Foreign Studies University in 1982 and his masters degree in history of Chinese diplomacy at China Foreign Affairs University in 1985. Qu continued his studies with a PhD in Political Science at the Paris Institute of Political Studies in 1992. He was vice president of China Foreign Affairs University from 1999 to 2006， minister in the Chinese embassy in France from 2006 to 2009 and president of the China Institute of International Studies from 2010 to 2014. He assumed the role of ambassador to Belgium in 2014.

Curbing Traffi c Violations

Beijing Youth Daily March 28

The Traffi c Management Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security vowed to overhaul the courier and food delivery sectors to improve traffic safety at a video conference with the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing on March 26.

According to a new management regulation on couriers and delivery drivers use of ebikes unveiled at the meeting， serious traffic violations， such as running red lights， going in the wrong direction and occupying the motorway， will be severely punished. Those who are responsible for traffic accidents or repeatedly break traffi c rules will be banned from working in the courier and food delivery sectors.

According to statistics recently published by Shanghai traffi c police， there were 117 traffi c accidents involving couriers and food delivery drivers in the city in 2017， which caused nine deaths and over 100 injuries.

Violation of traffi c rules such as using mobile phones while riding an e-bike is common among couriers and food delivery drivers， which endangers their safety as well as others.

Although it appears that the prevalent transgression of traffi c rules among couriers and food delivery drivers results from their lack of awareness of safety， as a matter of fact， courier and food delivery companies are also to blame. They often have evaluation systems which prioritize the speed of delivery in order to make more profits and improve user experience， pushing couriers and food delivery drivers to shorten their time between deliveries.

Therefore， courier and food delivery companies should put less emphasis on speed and enhance safety awareness education for their employees.

Botanist Remembered For His Contribution

China Newsweek April 2

Zhong Yang， a professor of botany at the School of Life Sciences at Fudan University in Shanghai， was recognized as a contemporary role model by the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on March 29.

Zhong， who died in a car accident in September 2017 at the age of 53， became part of a contingent of offi cials and scholars that went to Tibet Autonomous Region in 2010 from Chinas developed eastern and central regions to help local development. Previously， Zhong， who was also director of the Graduate School of Fudan University， had already carried out scientific research there， spending around 150 days in the region every year.

Tibets intact natural environment and abundant natural resources provided ideal conditions for his research. Over the span of a decade， he collected samples of more than 1，000 native fl oral species and over 40 million seeds in Tibet， which are of vital importance to preserving local resources.

After finding that Tibet Universitys overall scientific research ability lagged behind higher-learning institutions in neighboring regions and provinces， Zhong made improving the universitys research capacity one of his priorities during his service there.

Thanks to his efforts， a masters program in ecology was established at Tibet University in 2011 and a PhD program in ecology in 2013. Zhong trained several of the graduates， including the fi rst student to receive a PhD in biology from the Tibetan ethnic group. Zhongs goal was to cultivate a number of teachers in Tibet to boost local development.

His colleague Yang Yajun， compared Zhong to a meteor， burning himself violently but shining brightly during his short lifespan.

A Comeback in Stage Performances

Guangming Daily March 30

An increasing number of young people have been drawn to the theater for stage performances in recent years， according to statistics from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and the Beijing Trade Association for Performances.

Box offi ce revenue for the citys market of performing art and entertainment exceeded 1.71 billion yuan （$273 million） in 2017， with 10，758 million tickets sold， a historical high on both counts.

Modern dramas， childrens dramas and concerts were the three most popular forms of performances， selling over 1 million tickets each. Most of the audiences were white-collar workers.

The return of young viewers to the theater also shows the charm of dramas. As an ancient art form， drama embodies the best part of the performing arts and therefore has lasting glamor. Its allure lies in the close interaction between audiences and performers. The appeal also rises from the uncertainty of the performance given that there may be moments when a performer forgets his or her lines.

The prevalence of low-quality TV and Web dramas has also inadvertently helped to drive audiences back to theaters. Many TV dramas rely on stars to attract viewers rather than content. In contrast， stage dramas have a higher requirement for performers acting skills because they cannot be reshot like TV dramas.

The thriving of stage dramas once again indicates that only by improving content and acting skills can performing arts win audiences back.

COMEDIAN NAMED CULTURAL AMBASSADOR

Guo Degang， a leading crosstalk performer， was named the cultural ambassador of the National Museum of Australia （NMA） on March 29.

Crosstalk is a traditional performing art form presented as a dialogue between two performers and delivered in a rapid， bantering style.

Under the agreement， Guo will promote the NMAs programs in China， the fi rst of which will be a major exhibition of bark paintings on tour in China starting in July.

The NMA， based in the Australian capital city of Canberra， holds the worlds largest and richest collection of bark paintings.

Born in 1973 in the northern port city of Tianjin， Guo started learning crosstalk and various forms of traditional Chinese opera at an early age. He founded the crosstalk group Deyun Club in 1996， shooting to fame in recent years and contributing to the revival of the art form.

After rising to stardom， Guo began to take on other roles including TV show anchor， fi lm director and star.

“The partnership between Caoa and Chery complements each others qualities. Chery can develop， produce and manufacture a quality product， and Caoa has ample knowledge of and experience in commercial marketing and services in the Brazilian market.”

Chen Anning， General Manager of Chinese automaker Chery， commenting on the recently launched Tiggo 2， the fi rst vehicle jointly manufactured by Chery and Brazils Caoa Group

“To establish and perfect the review mechanism for IP transfers overseas is not a move to upset foreign investors. Instead， the guideline has formulated concrete measures to secure a better business environment.”

Zhang Zhicheng， Director of the Protection and Coordination Department at the State Intellectual Property Offi ce of China， on the recently issued guideline on reviewing the transfer of intellectual property rights to overseas buyers

“The City of Londons expertise and knowledge in the development of green and smart cities， together with Chinas infrastructure capabilities and talents， will make the Xiongan project a successful model for cooperation.”

Lord Mayor of London Charles Bowman， expressing the willingness to contribute to the building of a smart， green Xiongan New Area， a new economic zone about 100 km southwest of Beijing， in an interview with Xinhua News Agency

“We have a high-speed rail project with China... If Chinese companies can teach us how to fish for ourselves， I think itll be very impressive to work together in terms of railway in Thailand.”

Chayakorn Piyabunditkul， senior analyst of Thailands National Railway Technology Development Institute， speaking at the Rail Asia Expo & RISE Symposium 2018 on March 28-29