Sino-Japanese relations examined among the youngsters of both nations.

Chinese Respondents Rational Toward Sino-Japan Relations

A group of Chinese and Japanese journalists, academic experts and non-governmental organizations conducted simultaneous surveys on Sino-Japanese relations in both countries. The result showed 62.9 percent of the Chinese respondents had a “very bad” or “not very good” impression of Japan, while 37.9 percent of their Japanese counterparts felt the same about China. However, the Chinese respondents remained rational over other Sino-Japanese issues, 65 percent saying that economic relations between the two countries benefit both sides, and 59 percent that they “firmly support” or “support” Sino-Japan cooperation in regional issues.

China attracts numerous foreign visitors.

20 million in Rural Areas "Lefe Behind"

With the recent influx of migrant workers into China’s large cities, more than 20 million children remain in the countryside growing up one or sometimes both parents. Of the “left behind” children, 86.5 percent are under 14 year old. There are 360 million children in China, and one out of every 18 does not live with both its parents.

English Speaking TV Contest

The second ACT National Youngsters’ English Speaking TV Contest to strengthen English skills among Chinese youngsters has kicked off in Beijing. The contest is being held in 50 venues its entrants are under such categories as youths and high school, middle-school, primary school and pre-school students. A total of 300,000 participants is estimated. As China is the largest market for English teaching in the world, the president of ACT Education Solutions Ltd. says he is “very optimistic” about the contest, and has worked out a sponsorship deal that runs till 2011.

Ten Domestic Cities Awarded “Favorite Chinese Cities of European Tourists”

Ten Chinese cities were lauded as “favorite destinations for European tourists” during the 2005 Europe-China Tourism Forum held in Switzerland's Lausanne. They are: Beijing, Guangzhou, Xi’an, Kunming, Lhasa, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Luoyang, Lijiang and Weihai.

Revised Law to Ban Sexual Harassment

The recently amended Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests takes effect on December 1, 2005. The ground breaking aspect of the amendment is its acknowledgement of sexual harassment as a legal issue, and its ruling that victims lodge complaints to their work units or other relevant organizations. The revised law also guarantees gender equality, a fundamental New China policy. The law stipulates that colleges may not reject applicants for reasons of gender, although certain are not covered by the law.

China’s Online Shopping on the Rise

Chinese citizens spent a total of RMB 10 billion (US $1.23 billion) on online purchases in the first half of 2005, including about three million mobile phones. E-government, e-commerce and improved technologies continue to revolutionize people’s lives. There are now 100 million netizens in China, and 50 million computers are hooked up to the Internet.

CCTV-Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Honors premiere.

Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards Held in China

The CCTV and Nickelodeon co-produced a Chinese version of Nick’s Kids’ Choice Awards at Tianqiao Theater in Beijing on September 10, when local children spent a happy night with a raft of Chinese celebrities. As one of the biggest kids’ events today, the Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards show has been running for 18 consecutive years, and featured such Hollywood heartthrobs as Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. The Chinese version, the CCTV-Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Honors, marks the first performance of the show in China and Asia.

Beijing Lifts Firecracker Ban

To reignite the traditional atmosphere of the Chinese Spring Festival, Beijing has partially lifted a 13-year ban on fireworks. The regulations take effect on December 1, and will allow residents to set off fireworks within the city’s Fifth Ring Road at designated times during the week-long festival. Firework displays are an essential aspect of the Chinese Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, as they represent the driving away of demons and banishing of bad luck.

Haier rated a No. 1 Chinese global brand.

Top Ten Chinese Global Brands Published

The Financial Times newspaper and McKinsey have published the results of the FT Top Ten Chinese Global Brands survey. The winners were: Haier, Lenovo, China Mobile, Tsingtao Beer, Ping’an Insurance, the Bank of China, CCTV, Air China, Huawei, and a tie between Sina.com and Sohu.com for tenth place. More than 3,500 Financial Times readers from over 70 countries participated in the survey.

Soong Ching Ling Foundation Renamed

The Soong Ching Ling Foundation (SCLF) was established in 1982 to commemorate Madame Soong Ching Ling, widow of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and honorary president of the People’s Republic of China. At the foundation’s fifth executive council meeting this year, the decision was made to rename the SCLF the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation. Taking the motto of “Peace as the theme and the youth as its ambassadors,” the foundation has since its inception raised large amounts for children. In the past four years it raised a total of RMB 70 million towards aiding and educating the impoverished. These funds were used to construct more than 30 primary and pay the school fees of 10,000 poor students.