INNOVATIVE PROFESSOR AWARDED

Xiao Fei， a professor and head of a research institution at the Naval University of Engineering， was awarded a fi rst-class merit citation according to orders signed by Chairman of the Central Military Commission and President Xi Jinping in July.

Xiao is an expert of power electronics and drives， and a key member of a Chinese technological innovation team. He has participated in dozens of major domestic scientifi c projects and developed several world-leading technologies independently.

His projects mostly deal with cutting-edge technologies for national defense and key problems in enhancing power facilities. Xiao has made great contributions by developing several electric power systems signifi -cant for optimizing Chinese naval vessels and enabling the country to save a great deal of technology import funds.

Born in 1977， Xiao completed his masters degree at the Naval University of Engineering at 25， and began to work in the comprehensive electronic systems laboratory of naval vessels.

Holiday to Escape the Heat

Peoples Daily July 20

A company in Hangzhou， capital city of east Chinas Zhejiang Province， recently gave its employees a holiday to escape the heat. The fi ve-day paid annual leave received high praise from the workers. However， many others longing for a holiday on scorching days still fi nd it hard to get these days off with pay.

Working on hot days may lead to low effi ciency and health risks， while a paid leave to avoid the heat can ensure employees rights to rest and improve their sense of belonging and identity. Although the company may lose some profi ts， win-win cooperation can be achieved by improving workers effi ciency.

The competition between enterprises has extended from financial assets to cultural capital. Some enterprises can attract and retain talent with a great corporate culture while others fail in this endeavor. Employees are not machines. Some enterprises ignore their reasonable demands and instead urge them to work continuously. In contrast， the abovementioned company has taken employeesneeds into consideration and won their support.

Therefore， more enterprises should follow suit and protect employees rights. Workers can also make more efforts to join companies with a better corporate culture.

An enterprises culture is reflected by how it treats its employees. And in current society， workers are also free to make their own decisions when selecting companies.

AI Teachers on the Way

Oriental Outlook July 19

Artificial intelligence （AI） teachers can provide customized teaching for students to meet their unique conditions through analyzing data and deep learning. In the future， they may replace human teachers for basic teaching tasks. Since some students may find it hard to follow teachers in class， AI teachers can meet their individual needs， give them confidence and inject new impetus into traditional teaching modes. An educational system providing customized teaching centered on students represents the future trend of AI education.

Chinas AI education has developed rapidly in recent years with the rise of several thousands relevant companies. Currently， AI teachers are able to help students learn pronunciation， analyze their condition， guide them to learn independently and even grade writing assignments. Some foreign AI educational systems have been introduced into several domestic schools and have worked well in trials.

However， the promotion of AI education is still facing several difficulties in practice such as low technological levels， inadequacy of data and lack of funds. AI education still depends largely on human teachers work. Most importantly， it conflicts with current educational modes because the foreigndeveloped courses are not prepared for Chinese examinations. Teachers may also find it hard to change their original roles in classrooms since easing control on classes may make them seem irresponsible. These problems need to be tackled before the mass promotion of AI education.

With AI teachers， the original teachercentered classes will be transformed into student-centered ones where teachers only organize the class and provide guidance. Since teachers are supposed to not only infuse students with knowledge but shape their values and help them develop innovation abilities， AI teachers will not replace humans but will only pose higher requirements on teaching. A combination of human and AI teachers can create the best prospect for AI education.

Stop Illegal Cigarette Selling

Peoples Daily July 20

A storeowner who sold cigarettes to underage students recently paid a fi ne of 30，000 yuan （$4，400） to the local authority in Shenzhen， south Chinas Guangdong Province， marking the settlement of the fi rst case involving the selling of cigarettes to minors in China， where it is illegal.

The storeowners punishment will act as a deterrent to prevent other sellers from profiting illegally from underage smoking， and will help reduce teenagers buying and smoking cigarettes. For teenagers， lack of self-discipline and the absence of family or school discipline may coalesce to expose them to cigarettes， a problem that needs to be tackled with joint efforts from the whole society.

Relevant surveys have shown an increase in the proportion of underage smokers in China， making it urgent to prevent teenage smoking. School teachers should play an exemplary role and ban underage students from smoking. But since students may still smoke in public areas outside of school， regulations should also be strengthened and appropriate penalties applied.

In this regard， punishing those selling cigarettes to teenagers severely is only the first step. More appropriate measures should be taken in view of foreign practices such as attaching studentsscholarships to the banning of cigarette smoking. Laws should also be strengthened to stop teenagers from smoking and hold their guardians accountable.

CHINESE HOOP STAR SIGNS WITH NBA

Ding Yanyuhang， a Chinese star forward was signed by the 2011 National Basketball Association （NBA） champions Dallas Mavericks on July 23， according to the franchises offi cial Twitter account.

In the summer of 2017， Ding wowed fans during the NBA Summer League where he played for the Mavericks. However， he ultimately decided to play another season in the Chinese Basketball Association （CBA）.

During the CBA 2017-18 season， Ding averaged 26.0 points， 5.2 rebounds， 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game en route to winning his second consecutive CBA Most Valuable Player （MVP） award， helping his team， the Shandong Golden Stars， reach the league semifi nals.

Terms of Dings deal with the Mavericks were not disclosed， but he will join the teams fall training camp.

Born in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in 1993， Ding began his basketball training as a teenager and was named the CBA All-Star Game MVP in 2017， as well as the CBAs regular season Domestic MVP in 2017 and 2018.

“Expanding imports could help optimize the supply chain and promote intelligent manufacturing and thus push Chinese firms to churn out better products for both domestic and overseas markets.”

Zhou Lun， Executive Vice President of the Guangdong Association of Garment and Garment Article Industry， on the benefits of Chinas consumption upgrading

“Being in this partnership has been a unique position [for Standard Bank] to occupy and to facilitate trade and investment in Africa.”

Sim Tshabalala， CEO of Johannesburg-based Standard Bank， speaking at the 10th anniversary of the partnership between the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and the Standard Bank on July 23

“The key to minimizing costs and reliance on imported cancer drugs is to raise our capability in research and development.”

Zeng Yixin， Vice Director of the National Health Commission， speaking on the importance of creating innovative drugs and meeting the demands of domestic cancer patients in a recent report by Xinhua News Agency

“Previously， some of the entrusted and trust loans were channeled into local government financing vehicles or real estate enterprises. Such substandard financing activities have been on the decline thanks to deleveraging efforts.”

Ruan Jianhong， Spokeswoman for the Peoples Bank of China， commenting on the decline of shadow banking activities at a recent press conference