Focus

China's Birth Control Policy

"If China had no birth-control policy, the population would be bigger by 300 million, and there would be half the number of current college students," stated Professor Wu Cangping of the People's University at the 2003 China Social Sciences Forum.

She added that by successfully inhibiting population growth by 300 million during the past 30 years China has saved more than 10 billion yuan on annual spending. This decrease in the birth rate has raised the cultural quality of two generations, as more Chinese people get the chance to take up higher education.

Frozen Ancient Tree Unearthed from a Riverbed

Villagers from Beijing's Huairou were recently digging sand on the bed of the Chaobai River when they unexpectedly unearthed a 20-ton ancient tree buried 15 meters deep. The tree is 20 meters tall and one meter thick, and when discovered, its greenish bark was coated with ice. Workers from the Huairou Forestry Bureau say the tree dates back at least 700 years, but have yet to determine its species.

Aliens Harm Native Plants

According to the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, 380 species of alien plants have entered China. Some, such as the common water hyacinth (eichhornia crassipes), alligator alternanthera (alternanthera philoxeroides) and mikania micrantha, severely threaten ecology, agriculture, animal husbandry, fishery and human health.

These invading plants have strong viability and dominate the living environment and nutrition sources of native plant life. Alligator alternanthera can reduce the output of rice by 45 percent. In Guangdong Province, mikania micrantha grows so thick over banana, lichee, longan, shrubs and arbors as to make them die from inability to photosynthesize. These invading plants are difficult and costly to eradicate. It is reported that Shanghai spends over 60 million yuan every year on clearing the common water hyacinth.

Mental Illness on the Rise

China now has more than 16 million people suffering from mental illness about 1.347 percent of the population. Beijing is one of the most affected areas. According to statistics the number of its citizens with mental and psychological disorders stands at more than one million. Experts attribute the sharp increase in mental and psychological disorders to increasing pace of life and competition. Psychiatrists are lamentably few.

Grade Education a Lucrative Trade

A market research company in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province, recently conducted a survey on the 10 most lucrative trades in Jiangsu. Unexpectedly, primary and middle schools were among the top ten listed. Many schools utilize their educational resources to run various fee paying classes and courses. Reputable schools charge hefty fees for patronage or school selection to parents anxious to send their children to a good school. Last year the province checked on 2,851 primary and 1,547 middle schools, and discovered a total of 16.47 million yuan in illegal charges.

2,000-year-old Cosmetic Tools Unearthed

Archaeologists excavating the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) tombs at Yingchengzi Town, Dalian discovered a set of cosmetic tools in a tomb chamber. They comprise a shallow copper box, an inkslab and a copper tube. According to experts, the copper tube was used to hold ink granules that were ground on the inkslab and mixed with water in the copper box to make pigment, which Han Dynasty women used to paint their eyebrows.

Striving to Build Cosmopolis

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Construction recently disclosed that 182 of China's 667 cities have announced their intention to become cosmopolis.

The Ministry of Construction spokesperson warned that municipal construction must be conducted with a scientific exactitude, taking into account local conditions.

Sex Education Described as Conservative

A four-year-long investigation involving 15,000 university students in 22 provincial-level localities shows that Chinese university students have only superficial knowledge about sex. Of those investigated, 85.1 percent considered Chinese sex education "too conservative." Sex education situation is particularly lacking at school level, as the investigation showed that no more than 1.4 percent of university students received sex education at school.