Fever of Studying Abroad
In 1993, Yu Minhong, a university English teacher in his early 30s, established the New Oriental Foreign Languages Training School. He did so because many of his friends and former schoolmates had gone abroad to study, but his own visa applications were rejected several times. In 2006, the New Oriental Education & Technology Group went public on the New York Stock Exchange, and Yu was the largest shareholder. On the first day of the public offering, the opening price was US $22, which was US $7 higher than the issuing price, up 46.66 percent. Yu Minhong became the richest teacher in China, with assets valued at US $242 million. The guidance books he edited for TOFEL and GRE tests were considered "Bibles" by students who wanted to study abroad. By the end of 2005, New Oriental had trained more than 3 million students. Between 2005 and the present, New Oriental has trained 800,000 students annually. From 1978 to the present, Chinese students studying abroad amounted to 1.21 million. According to UNESCO statistic, in 2006 China had the largest number of students studying in foreign universities, making up 14 percent of the world's total.
While Chinese students go abroad to study, countless Chinese also go abroad to work. A television play, Beijingers in New York, which stars Jiang Wen, described the Chinese immigrants making a living in the United States. A classic line from the television drama is: "If you love him, send him to New York, because it is paradise; If you hate him, send him to New York, because it is hell." To seek their fortune some people have even resorted to borrowing money to go abroad illegally through human traffickers, resulting in many tragedies.
Government Restructuring
In 1993, China conducted the third government restructuring since the country's reform and opening-up. The two previous restructuring measures abolished the life tenure of government officials, and introduced the concept of appointing young and capable cadres. The restructuring in 1993 began to establish a government better suited to a market economy. In the restructuring of 1998, the number of ministries and commissions under the central government was reduced from 40 to 29, and the number of public servants in the State Council was reduced from 34,000 to 17,000. In the government restructuring of 2003, to meet the conditions of joining the World Trade Organization, the target was to build a just, transparent, clean and efficient government.
1994
Reform of Social Welfare
Since the initial objectives of reform were marketization and commercialization, the socialization of social welfare became one of the most crucial issues among the populace, and also one of the most denounced social problems. Take medical reform as an example. In the 2000 rating of fairness in health fundraising and distribution among the World Health Organization's 191 members, China ranked 188th, fourth from last. Certain impoverished strata could not even get basic medical services, and the difficulties in seeking medical treatment and overexpensive medical services were a constant problem. The 2005 opinion polls showed that 90 percent of respondents were not satisfied with the changes in the medical system over a decade. The new medical reform plan released in 2008 has reiterated that the target of the medical system must be to uphold the public good. In housing reform, to change the situation of high housing prices beyond the reach of common people, the government made clear in 2007 that low-rent housing is to be the center of the housing guarantee system.
1995
Commercialization of the Internet
In 1995, Ding Lei, aged 24, quit his job at a telecommunications firm. Two years later he established Netease.com, a company whose main businesses are online advertising, wireless connection and online entertainment. In 2002, with the rapid development of China's telecommunications sector, the stock price of Netease rose sharply, and Ding Lei's assets rose to RMB 5 billion. At age 32, he became the richest person in China.
In the same year, Ma Yun, a 31-year-old university English teacher, resigned his job and established the website China Yellow Pages, which specializes in the release of commercial information on the Internet. Based on this, three years later he established alibaba.com, now the largest B2B commercial platform in the world and the largest personal auction website in Asia.
The Internet appeared in China in 1987, but its commercialization did not start until 1995. In the 13 years that followed, the Internet has developed rapidly, and by the end of 2007 China's netizens exceeded 220 million, ranking first in the world.
To the Chinese, the Internet has drastically changed society. Gong Xiantian, a professor at Peking University, commented that the Internet possesses the nature of a Utopia. Anyone can express his/her opinions on the Internet. Even though it has created numerous "net mobs" that lack a sense of responsibility, it indeed plays an active part in promoting social justice and fairness.
