WORLD: CHINA’S ARCTIC POLICY P.22 | BUSINESS: OFFLINE RETAIL BOOST P.

38

VOL.61 NO.7 FEBRUARY 15, 2018 WWW.BJREVIEW.COM

The AI AGE
Bringing profound changes
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VOL.61 NO.7 FEBRUARY 15, 2018 CONTENTS

EDITOR’S DESK BUSINESS

02 AI: Opportunities and Challenges 38 Clicks and Mortar
Physical retailers make a comeback
THIS WEEK alongside online stores
40 Market Watch
COVER STORY
16 Thinking Ahead CULTURE
Smart technology is being deployed 44 Splendid Isolation
in diverse ways An art-house movie provokes
18 Reading Between the Lines introspection on social issues

12 COVER STORY
Machines outperform humans in
reading comprehension
FORUM
46 What Should Today’s Poets
WORLD Bona Fide Intelligence Write About?
26 One Year On
Expert insight into the first year of The state of play and road ahead EXPAT’S EYE
Donald Trump’s presidency
for China’s AI industry 48 A Spring Festival Encounter
 $UROHLQDVKRUWĶOPUHYHDOVWKH
NATION true values of Spring Festival
30 Springing Into Action NATION
A closer look at those involved in the
Spring Festival travel rush
P.28 | Rural Vitality
32 On the Home Straight Key document provides roadmap
The world’s largest human migration
gets underway for rural development

BUSINESS
P.36 | Rub of the Green
*UHHQĶQDQFHERRPFKDQJHVWKH
domestic landscape

¼
Cover Photo: Liu Zihong demonstrates
a wireless foldable keyboard developed
by his company, Royole Corp. in Shenzhen,
WORLD
south China’s Guangdong Province,
on August 18, 2017 (XINHUA)
P.22 | In Pole Position
White paper sheds light
©2018 Beijing Review, all rights reserved.
on Arctic governance

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 EDITOR’S DESK
A News Weekly Magazine
Published Since 1958
President: Li Yafang
Vice President: Luo Xianyong

AI: Opportunities and Challenges

Associate Editors in Chief: Li Jianguo, Ding Zhitao
Assistant President: Li Zhenzhou

Executive Editor: Yan Wei

Assistant Executive Editors: Zan Jifang, Liu Yunyun, Yu Shujun
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Editorial Administrators: Zeng Wenhui, Shi Bosen Imagine driverless cars running on high- of the entire AI market. The China Center for
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Business Editor: Zhou Xiaoyan
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Visual Director: Pamela Tobey core part of the emerging Fourth Industrial the development of AI is to maximize man-
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Chief Designer: Cui Xiaodong
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2 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018 http://www.bjreview.com

 THIS WEEK

XINHUA
CROSSING THE YANGTZE
A crane lifts steel frames to the top of a power transmission tower under construction near the bank of the
Yangtze River in Fanchang County, east China’s Anhui Province, on February 6.
7KHWRZHULVSDUWRIWKHZRUOGoVORQJHVWSRZHUJULGSURMHFWZKLFKUHDFKHVNPIURP&KDQJMLLQ
QRUWKZHVW&KLQDoV;LQMLDQJ8\JXU$XWRQRPRXV5HJLRQWR*XTXDQLQ$QKXL7KHSURMHFWZLOOEHILQLVKHG
within the year with a designed transmission capacity of 12 million kw while setting a world record for
highest voltage at 1,100 kv.

http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 3

THIS WEEK SOCIETY
Earthquake Prediction Satellite
%JKPC«³TUVUGKUOQGNGEVTQOCIPGVKEUCVGNNKVGZhangheng 1 VCMGUQHHHTQOVJG,KWSWCP5CVGNNKVG.CWPEJ%GPVGTKP
northwest China’s Gansu Province on February 2. The satellite was launched to study seismic precursors, which could
help to establish a monitoring and forecasting network in the future.
Water Safety
All Chinese cities at the county
level and above will disclose the
safety conditions of drinking water
this year as the country makes
further efforts to curb water pollu-
tion, the environmental protection
minister has announced.
The remediation of drinking
water sources is among the top
priorities for China’s water pollution
control in 2018, said Minister of
Environmental Protection Li Ganjie.
Remediation has made headway
QXGTVJGRCUV³XG[GCTUYKVJCVQVCN
of 490 related issues discovered
in cities along the Yangtze River
Economic Belt now resolved, accord-
ing to the minister.
By the end of 2017, 97.7 percent
of cities at the prefecture level and
4 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018
above had set up signs and notices
drawing attention to the safety of
drinking water sources.
Li said China will work to ensure
that over 80 percent of the country’s
water meets at least the Grade III
standard by 2020.
%JKPCENCUUK³GUYCVGTSWCNKV[
into six grades, where Grade I is
suitable for drinking after minimal
treatment and Grade VI is water that
is severely contaminated.
To achieve this goal, the Ministry
of Environmental Protection will
increase the supervision of severely
polluted regions, focusing on the
treatment of “black odorous water”
and drinking water sources.
The ministry will push for the
remediation of black odorous water
in 36 major cities and the Yangtze
River Economic Belt this year as
XINHUA
well as improving environmental
infrastructure, Li said.
China has passed its toughest
ever Environmental Protection Law,
and introduced a “river chief” system
to protect water resources. Ecological
red lines will also be drawn in certain
regions to strengthen environmental
protection, according to previous
plans.
Religious Regulations
Revised regulations on religious
affairs went into effect in China on
(GDTWCT[EWTDKPIRTQ³VUGGMKPI
activities by religious groups.
The updated rules remind reli-
gious groups, schools and venues of
VJGKTPCVWTGCUPQPRTQ³VQTICPK\C
tions and forbid any organization or
KPFKXKFWCNHTQORTQ³VKPIVJTQWIJVJG
sponsor of the building of religious
venues.
Groups and individuals are
banned from investing in or con-
tracting for the operation of religious
venues, and they may not carry out
commercial promotion in the name
of religion, said the regulations.
It is also stipulated that religious
groups, schools, venues and their
staff should register at taxation
authorities and declare their taxes.
In recent years, some temples
have become too commercialized,
harming the healthy development
of religion and triggering corruption.
A Taoist temple in central
China’s Henan Province was shut
down in November 2017 after it was
HQWPFVQJCXGUQWIJVRTQ³VUKPVJG
name of religion, according to the
State Administration of Cultural
Heritage.
The temple, which dates back
to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), was
renovated by a local company in
2006 and opened in 2007. It was
approved by local authorities to
operate as a site for Taoist activities
in 2011.
Traveling Overseas
A total of 6.5 million Chinese will
travel overseas during the upcoming
Spring Festival holiday (February
15-21), said a report released by the
China Tourism Academy and travel
portal Ctrip.com.
People from more than 200
Chinese cities have booked out-
bound tours to over 700 cities in 68
countries and regions on Ctrip, said
the report released on February 2.
The tourists are expected to
spend 9,500 yuan ($1,510) each on
their trips.
The most popular destinations
are Thailand, Japan, Singapore and
Viet Nam. The Nordic countries and
the United Arab Emirates are also
among the favorites, while some
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Antarctica.
During the Spring Festival
holiday in 2017, 6.15 million Chinese
traveled overseas, up 7 percent year
on year.
http://www.bjreview.com
 THIS WEEK
Maternal Mortality

China’s maternal mortality rate
contracted to 19.6 per 100,000 in
2017 from 19.9 per 100,000 the
previous year, the National Health
and Family Planning Commission
said on February 1.
Moreover, the rate of infant mor-
tality also dropped last year from 7.5
per thousand to 6.8 per thousand,
narrowing the gap between China
and the developed world.
Attributing the achievements
to the maternal risk screening and
treatment system, the commission
called for improved maternal and
infant healthcare services by allocat-
ing more resources at the grassroots
level.
There should be at least one
public maternal and infant health-
care institution in each county by
2020, said the commission.
China plans to further reduce
the maternal mortality rate to 12 per
100,000 and the infant mortality
rate to 5 per thousand by 2030, ac-
EQTFKPIVQCPQH³EKCNIWKFGNKPGVKVNGF
Healthy China 2030.
XINHUA
“The rampant and vulgar
speculation on celebrities’ private
lives has seriously disrupted order
online, sent an incorrect ideological
message, affected the healthy devel-
opment of the youth, and caused
wide social discontent,” the regulator
said in a statement.
The CAC said the campaign
would continue to strengthen over-
sight over social media operators
such as Weibo, Tencent, Baidu and
Youku, while punishing entertain-
ment companies and studios found
to be in violation of the law.
The regulatory authority closed
more than 6,000 websites and
accounts on popular social media
service WeChat for containing
pornographic and indecent content
KP5GXGTCNKP´WGPVKCNUVTGCO
ing websites were shut down and a
Festive Mood
number of live-stream hosts were A Polish tourist tries out dragon dancing in Mingyan Village, Ningbo, east
detained for producing pornograph- China’s Zhejiang Province, on February 4, as 100 foreigners took part in
ic content, according to the National traditional folk-custom activities in celebration of the upcoming Chinese
1H³EG#ICKPUV2QTPQITCRJKECPF Lunar New Year on February 16.
Illegal Publications.
More than 4.5 million indecent
RQUVUYGTGFGNGVGFCVVJGTGSWGUV
QHVJGQH³EGFWTKPIVJG[GCTYJKNG
online service providers removed In 2017, China’s forest tourism in 2012 to 140 billion yuan ($22.23

Paparazzi Curb around 20 million similar posts

themselves, it said.
industry yielded an output of 1.15
trillion yuan ($182.67 billion).
billion) in 2017.
The number of trips to forests
The Chinese authorities have About 1.39 billion trips were grew 15.5 percent annually over the

ordered social media operators to
ENQUGUGXGTCNJKIJRTQ³NGCEEQWPVU
accused of spreading celebrity
paparazzi content considered to be
of low taste.
The Cyberspace Administration
of China (CAC) said on February 2
that the closure would be permanent.
Forest Tourism
By the end of 2017, the number of
national forest parks in China had
reached 881, covering 12.8 million
hectares, or about 1.3 percent of
China’s total land area, according to
the State Forestry Administration (SFA).
XINHUA
made to forest and wetland parks
last year, accounting for around 28
percent of trips made in China, ac-
cording to the SFA.
Forests have become popular
travel destinations in China over the
NCUV³XG[GCTUYKVJTGXGPWGTKUKPI
from 61.8 billion yuan ($9.81 billion)
RCUV³XG[GCTUVQVQVCNDKNNKQP
and forest-themed tourism areas
increased by about 1,000 sites.
The booming forest tourism
industry has also helped alleviate
poverty, adding 3,500 yuan ($556)
per household on average for
350,000 poor families each year.

Commemorative Currency
A bank clerk displays commemorative coins for the Year of the Dog in
Beijing on February 2, the day that the People’s Bank of China issued the
coins with a face value of 10 yuan ($1.59).

http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 5

THIS WEEK ECONOMY
ICO Transactions
Restricted
China’s central bank has revealed
plans to tighten regulations on the
participation of domestic investors’
in overseas transactions of “initial
coin offerings” (ICOs) and virtual
currency as risks remain high in the
sector.
Overseas ICO transaction plat-
forms pose risks including illegal
offerings, false information, fraud
and pyramid schemes, according to
the People’s Bank of China.
Regulators warned that domes-
tic investors should be alert to risks
and refrain from speculating on
virtual currency transactions.
Regional Vegetable Basket
Farmers cultivate leeks in a greenhouse in Zuojiawu Town, Tangshan, north China’s Hebei Province, on February 5. As
the Spring Festival approaches, pollution-free fruit and vegetables produced by more than 20,000 mu (1,333 hectares)
of greenhouses in Tangshan will be transported to Beijing and Tianjin.
6 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018
“ICOs, in essence, are a kind
of unauthorized and illegal public
fundraising and are suspected of
having ties to criminal activities
UWEJCU³PCPEKCNHTCWFCPFR[TCOKF
schemes,” according to an earlier
statement from the central bank.
Last September, authorities or-
dered a ban on ICOs and shut down
all virtual currency exchanges in the
country, as the rapidly expanding
market triggered concerns over
³PCPEKCNTKUMU
Loan Fraud Punished
China’s banking regulators have
KORQUGFC³PGQHOKNNKQP[WCP
($8.33 million) on 19 banking institu-
tions over a fraud case involving
pledge loans in Shaanxi and Henan
provinces.
These lenders, including local
branches of the Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China, were
punished for granting loans of up
to 19 billion yuan ($3.02 billion) to
criminals who illegally used low-
purity gold as pledges, the China
Banking Regulatory Commission
(CBRC) said.
The loan fraud case has exposed
“numerous defects” in the internal
controls and management of these
institutions, which sought business
expansion aggressively and blindly,
“creating loopholes that criminals
could exploit,” the CBRC said in a
statement.
XINHUA
A total of 104 employees in the
banking industry were punished,
while 35 people involved in the case
have been arrested, according to the
CBRC.
China has been intensifying reg-
ulatory scrutiny on lending activities
VQTGKPKP³PCPEKCNTKUMU1PN[CYGGM
DGHQTGVJGECUGDCPMUYGTG³PGF
a total of 295 million yuan ($46.94
million) over a bill fraud case in the
northwestern province of Gansu.
Apple Data Center
The construction of a Chinese data
center for U.S. tech giant Apple Inc.
is scheduled to begin later this year,
with the center expected to open in
2020.
The timetable was issued by the
communications administration of
southwest China’s Guizhou Province,
where the center is to be built.
With an investment of $1 billion,
the data center will cover 1,000 mu
(67 hectares) in Guian New Area and
offer iCloud services on the Chinese
mainland.
Starting from February 28,
iCloud services on the Chinese
mainland will be operated by local
partner Guizhou-Cloud Big Data
Industry Co. Ltd.
Before the data center begins
operation, the Chinese company will
rent servers from China’s three major
telecom operators to provide iCloud
services.
Guizhou is one of the least de-
veloped regions in China, but it has
become a big data pioneer due to its
climate, power supply and network
infrastructure.
Animation Maker’s
New Start
CMC Capital Partners, China’s
leading investor in media and
entertainment, announced on
February 2 that it has led a con-
sortium in taking full ownership of
Oriental DreamWorks, which had
begun as a China-U.S. joint venture.
The company will be rebranded
Pearl Studio, the CMC said in a press
http://www.bjreview.com
 THIS WEEK

XINHUA
In the spot foreign exchange
market, the trading rate between the
VYQEWTTGPEKGUECP´WEVWCVGD[WR
to 10 percent from the central parity
rate each trading day.
To support the Belt and Road
Initiative, China will also waive the
transaction fee for yuan-baht direct
trading until July 31, 2020, the CFETS
said.
China is Thailand’s largest trad-
KPIRCTVPGT+PVJG³TUVOQPVJU
of 2017, bilateral trade volume rose
13.2 percent year on year to $60.68
billion.
Bad Debt Exchange
'ZEJCPIG%QKUVJG³TUVKPUVKVWVKQP
in China dedicated to the trading of
bad debt and has a registered capital
of 500 million yuan ($80 million).
It opened for business in the
Zhongguancun area, which is known
HQTKVUJKIJEQPEGPVTCVKQPQHVGEJ³TOU
The company was jointly found-
ed by China Huarong, Beijing Qibu
Tianxia Technology Co. and the
State-Owned Properties Investment
& Management Co. of Haidian
District, Beijing. China Huarong owns
a 58 percent stake.
By introducing online transac-
tions for the disposal of distressed
assets, the company will be able to
promote the sharing of information

Digital Agriculture
China Huarong Asset Management
Co. has set up an online platform
for bad debt transactions to broaden
Farmers attend an e-commerce training class in Nanfeng County, Jiangxi channels for the disposal of dis-
Province, on February 5. tressed debt.
In recent years, more and more farmers are attending such sessions to The new entity, Huarong
learn how to integrate Internet technology and traditional agriculture. Zhongguancun Distressed Asset
on bad debt transactions and make
the process more standardized,
Huarong said in a statement.
The exchange comes as China
channels more energy into address-
KPIDCFFGDVUVQFGHWUG³PCPEKCN
risks.

Direct Trading

release.
Oriental DreamWorks was
launched in 2012 by DreamWorks
Animation and three Shanghai-
based state-owned groups—CMC,
the Shanghai Media Group and
Shanghai Alliance Investment Ltd.
CMC Capital Partners was previously
known as China Media Capital.
Oriental DreamWorks is focused
on the production of animations,
and was the studio behind Kung Fu
Panda 3 .
“With full ownership, CMC
expands its commitment to building
Pearl Studio into one of the world’s
NGCFKPIETGCVQTUQHJKIJSWCNKV[CPK
mated content,” the company said.
Li Ruigang, Chairman and CEO
of CMC, said the company had great
XINHUA
Initiated
China announced on February 2 that
it is to allow direct trading between
the Chinese yuan and the Thai baht
on its interbank foreign exchange
market beginning February 5.
The move aims to boost bilat-
eral trade and investment, facilitate
the use of the two currencies in
associated settlement, and reduce
exchange costs for market players,
said the China Foreign Exchange
Trade System (CFETS) in a statement.
This will also bring the number
of foreign currencies that are al-
lowed direct trading with the yuan to
24. Previously, trading between the
yuan and the baht was only allowed

cooperation with NBC Universal
and its subsidiary DreamWorks
Animation.
NBC Universal and DreamWorks
.0)ECTIQ
Animation will continue to collabo-
rate with Pearl Studio on relevant
programs.
in regional interbank markets.
The central parity rate between
the yuan and the baht will be
decided according to the average
SWQVCVKQPQHFKTGEVVTCFKPIOCTMGV
makers before the market opens
each day, according to CFETS.
Ready to Go China
5KPQRGE«U6KCPLKPVGTOKPCNTGEGKXGUKVU³TUVNKSWG³GFPCVWTCNICU
from Australia on February 6.
6JG.0)YKNNDGTGICUK³GFCPFUWRRNKGFXKCRKRGNKPGVQ$GKLKPI6KCPLKPCPF
Hebei and Shandong provinces, alleviating gas shortages in the region.

http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 7

THIS WEEKWORLD
XINHUA

RUSSIA SRI LANKA

Russia’s aerobatic team Swifts fly past Military personnel attend celebrations for
during a celebration of the 75th anniversary the 70th anniversary of the country’s
of the Battle of Stalingrad in Volgograd on independence in Colombo on February 4
February 2. A grand ceremony was held to
commemorate the event
XINHUA

XINHUA

POLAND
Visitors look at Lego installations at an exhibition
in Warsaw on February 4. The exhibition, made entirely
from 10 million pieces of Lego and containing some
notable creations, is being held at the Warsaw National
Stadium from January 29 to March 25

8 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018 http://www.bjreview.com

 THIS WEEK

¼
UNITED STATES
Police officers stand guard outside Salvador Castro Middle School
in Los Angeles on February 1, where five people were injured
in a classroom shooting that day
XINHUA

XINHUA

XINHUA

¼
CYPRUS
Cypriot incumbent President Nicos
Anastasiades waves to supporters
in Nicosia on February 4 following his
reelection. Anastasiades won
a second term in a runoff election
against leftist presidential candidate
Stavros Malas that day

CANADA
An indigenous community performs
during the Hoobiyee celebration in
Vancouver on February 3. Thousands
of indigenous people celebrate
Hoobiyee, the lunar new year
of Canada’s Nisga’a people

http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 9

THIS WEEKPEOPLE & POINTS
¾ CHINESE CULTURE MASTER PASSES AWAY
Jao Tsung-I, renowned scholar of Chinese culture, passed away at the age of 101 in Hong
Kong on February 6. He was a versatile scholar in archaeology, literature, philology, musicol-
ogy and history. He was also a poet, calligrapher and painter.
Born into a scholarly family in Chao’an, south China’s Guangdong Province in 1917, Jao
began learning traditional culture from childhood. He taught in the University of Hong Kong
from 1952 to 1968 and became chair professor and head of
the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at the
Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1973. After retiring in
1978, Jao continued researching and teaching at numerous
institutions in China, France and Japan.
-DRZDVDSUROLĶFVFKRODUDQGPDQ\RIKLVZRUNVDUHFRQ
VLGHUHGSLRQHHULQJLQWKHLUUHVSHFWLYHĶHOGV-DRUHFHLYHGWKH
Award of China Studies at the Fifth World Forum on China
Studies held in Shanghai in 2013 for his contribution to the
research of sinology.
Contending for
Copyright
Oriental Outlook
February 1
As an important legal basis in intel-
lectual property, copyright is essential
for authors and creators as well as for
companies in the value chain of cultural
products. The protection of copyright is
also vital for the healthy development of
culture and entertainment in the world.
Today, with the boom of the culture
market in China, the competition over
copyright is becoming increasingly

Fewer Administrative and the private economy is struggling as a

Restrictions
People’s Daily
February 5
Xingcheng County in northeast China’s
Liaoning Province is a manufacturing base
IRUVZLPVXLWV,WoVVDLGWKDWRQHLQĶYHRIWKH
world’s swimsuits is made in Xingcheng in
an industry that employs 60,000 people in
the county. The swimsuit industry’s rise in
Xingcheng is evidence of how an industry
can grow from nothing to a global scale
WKDQNVWRDQRSHQPDUNHWDQGVXIĶFLHQWVXS
portive services, instead of administrative
orders and means.
Nowadays, northeast China is under
huge economic pressure, largely due to the
local overnment overstepping its authority.
The government’s excessive involvement in
the economy is squeezing out market forces
result. Northeast China was the first part of
the country to enter the planned economy
DQGWKHODVWWRTXLWDQGPDQ\ORFDORIĶFLDOV
are yet to develop an understanding of the
market economy, distrusting the market.
The government is not good at making the
most of social capital in order to operate
HFRQRPLFSURMHFWVDQGLWODFNVUHVSHFWIRU
entrepreneurs, let alone the idea of striving
to keep businesses local and helping them
make money for the regional economy. All
these are stumbling blocks to economic re-
surgence and long-term development.
While the government should not be
totally absent from the economy, its role
should be focused on offering services. The
key to the new round of economic revital-
ization in northeast China is to streamline
administration and improve the business en-
vironment, which is the foundation for local
economic resurgence.
ĶHUFHHVSHFLDOO\LQWKHPXVLFDQGVSRUWV
broadcasting industries. Rivals are not
individuals but entertainment service
providers. In recent years, many online
music platforms have participated in the
war over copyright. They have spared
no expense in bidding for exclusive
copyrights, which has resulted in legal
disputes and market chaos.
Copyright contests must not be-
come an “enclosure movement.” The
monopoly of copyrights will hamper the
development of music and other cultural
products. More importantly, the market and
the industry should pursue a stable pattern
for the sustainable development of copy-
right trading, authorization and use.
Copyright problems have caught the at-
tention of the public and the government.
On January 3, a seminar on the draft for the
third amendment of the Copyright Law was

“Ibelievewehavethecompetitive “Buildingsuchacommunitymeans
DGYDQWDJHóWRóRIIHUóDóRQHVWRSóVHUYLFHóWRó pursuingaworldwithlastingpeace,
Malaysians.Inaddition,ourpartnership universalsecurity,opennessand
withAntFinancialhashelpedustoexpand tolerance,aswellasbeauty.”
ourmerchantcoverage.” Evandro Menezes de Carvalho,formerChairmanof
Preecha Praipattarakuló&(2óRIó0DOD\VLDQóHSD\PHQWóHQDEOHUó theBrazilianLawTeachingAssociation,speakingabout
MOLGlobal,speakingaboutcooperationwithChinesepartnersin China’sproposaltobuildacommunitywithashared
arecentinterviewwithXinhua futureformankind

10 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018 http://www.bjreview.com

 THIS WEEK
Colleges’ Motivations for Renaming
Guangming Daily
February 5
According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, the years between 2012 and 2017 saw
more than 200 colleges and universities change their names.
Most acts of renaming are apparently undertaken for pragmatic purposes. When a college
is upgraded into a comprehensive university, the local education authorities and administra-
tions of these colleges believe that a splendid new name will gain greater attention, as it is
widely agreed upon in China that universities are superior to colleges. Sometimes these col-
leges have indeed expanded recruitment once their nomenclature had been changed to that
of a university.
Colleges must stop unnecessarily changing names and reverse the trend of blindly devel-
oping into comprehensive and multi-discipline universities. They should be required to spend
WKHLUOLPLWHGUHVRXUFHVRQWKHLURZQGLVWLQFWLYHĶHOGVDQGIXUWKHUHQKDQFHWKHLUFXUUHQWFDSD
bilities based on these disciplines. In recent years, name changes have mainly taken place in
local undergraduate colleges and universities, and higher vocational schools. Most of them
are driven by pragmatism, not because they need to do so.
It’s also important for education authorities to change the current assessment system for
KLJKHUHGXFDWLRQLQVWLWXWLRQV,IFROOHJHVHQMR\WKHVDPHWUHDWPHQWDVXQLYHUVLWLHVDQGMXQLRU
colleges and academies the same as undergraduate universities, then universities and col-
leges will be more content with their current position and thus concentrate fully on academic
research as they should.

¾ CHINA’S FASTEST MAN BREAKS RECORD

Su Bingtian set a new Asian record for the men’s 60-meter dash in 6.43 seconds while winning
KHOGLQ%HLMLQJ2YHUVHQLRURIILFLDOVODZ
experts, scholars and lawyers specializing in
intellectual property across the country were
in attendance. The amendment is expected
to improve legislation for the protection of
copyright and build a solid legal safeguard
against piracy while serving as the legal basis
to solve copyright disputes in near future.
“ThesatelliteZhangheng 1willhelp
preparetheresearchandtechnologyfora
JURXQGVSDFHóHDUWKTXDNHóPRQLWRULQJóDQGó
forecastingsysteminthefuture.”
Zhao Jian,aseniorofficialwithChinaNationalSpace
Administration,speakingafterthesatellitelaunchonFebruary2
http://www.bjreview.com
WKHĶQDORIWKH,QWHUQDWLRQDO$VVRFLDWLRQRI$WKOHWLFV)HGHUDWLRQV,$$):RUOG,QGRRU7RXU
in Düsseldorf, Germany, on February 6. Su sliced 0.04 seconds off the recent record created by
the Chinese sprinter himself in the German city of Karlsruhe on February 3.
Su was born in Zhongshan City, south China’s Guangdong Province, in 1989. He shot to
fame during the National Track and Field Championships in 2009 by win-
QLQJWKHPHQoVPHWHUWLWOHLQVHFRQGV6XWKHQMRLQHGQDWLRQDO
team, recording a number of good times at international competitions.
+HEHFDPHWKHĶUVW&KLQHVHDWKOHWHWRHQWHUWKHVHPLĶQDORIWKHPHQoV
100-meter at the London Olympics in 2012, making history for China’s
team at the Olympic Games. He also claimed the men’s 100-meter title in
10.09 seconds in Shanghai during the IAAF Diamond League on May 13,
EHFRPLQJWKHĶUVW&KLQHVHVSULQWHUWRZLQDZRUOGFODVVWLWOH
“Ourlistingasapubliccompanyonthe
Nasdaqisasignificantmilestonefor
SSLJ,whichwillgiveusabettergrowth
platformtocreatemorevalueforclients
andshareholders.”
Wei Zhengó&KDLUPDQóDQGó&(2óRIó&KLQHVHóRQOLQHWRRIIOLQHó
homeimprovementcompanySSLJ.com,speakingatthe
NasdaqmarketinNewYorkonFebruary5
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 11
 COVER STORY

BONA FIDE INTELLIGENCE

The AI industry is flourishing despite obstacles along the way By Lu Yan

12 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018 http://www.bjreview.com


O
n the streets of Zhongguancun,
a science and technology hub of
VRPHUHSXWHLQQRUWKZHVW%HLMLQJ
a yellow box, half a meter wide and
one meter high with a black semicir-
cular head and six wheels, is running smoothly.
Pedestrians hurry by with some giving the oc-
FDVLRQDOFXULRXVJODQFHWRWKLVXQXVXDOREMHFW
Little do they know that they are passing a pro-
WRW\SHRI&KLQDoVĶUVWLQGHSHQGHQWO\GHYHORSHG
self-driving delivery robot.
“Adorable” is the word its creator, Liu
Zhiyong, founder and CEO of Zhen Robotics,
used to describe it, but inside it is far more
http://www.bjreview.com
A driverless vehicle on display at an exhibition in
Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province,
on June 19, 2015
XINHUA
sophisticated than it looks. The robot is
based on three core technologies: simultane-
ous localization and mapping, deep learning
REMHFWGHWHFWLRQDQGPDFKLQHOHDUQLQJFRQ-
trol technology.
According to Liu, logistics has become
an important market with the surging of e-
commerce, demonstrated by the 15-percent
share the logistics industry holds in China’s
GDP. Human cost accounts for 50 percent of
the courier service industry, and there are 2
million couriers in the entire country.
“I hope as artificial intelligence (AI) and
the automated delivery industry mature in
the future, robots like ours can free humans
from hard labor and make life more conve-
nient for people,” he told Beijing Review.
Now the “delivery minions” developed
by Liu’s company, a pioneer in the applica-
tion of self-driving technology in delivery
services, have been bringing convenience to
several enclosed residential and work units
by providing services to customers who want
instant, unscheduled deliveries.
In recent years, AI has become a
buzzword for the government, the media,
business communities and the public in
China. According to a market report released
in April 2017 by iiMedia Research, an Internet
GDWDDQDO\VLVĶUPLQ*XDQJ]KRXWKHVFDOHRI
the country’s AI industry exceeded 10 billion
yuan ($1.59 billion) in 2016, with the number
expected to reach 34.43 billion yuan ($5.48
billion) in 2019.
Robin Li, CEO of Chinese Internet giant
Baidu, predicted in his recent book on AI and
the technological revolution that the tech-
nology will completely change the world’s
economy, politics, society and daily life,
describing how it will “surround and support
us, like electricity and other daily necessities,
providing all that we need.”
Unstoppable trend
AI has already become an important focus for
the government, evidenced by the inclusion
RIWKHFRQFHSWIRUWKHĶUVWWLPHLQWKH&HQWUDO
Government’s work report in 2017.
The State Council, China’s cabinet, issued
the Next Generation Artificial Intelligence
Development Plan in July 2017, setting the
goal of becoming a global innovation center
LQWKHĶHOGE\
“We will work faster to build China into
a manufacturer of quality, and develop
advanced manufacturing, promote further
integration of the Internet, big data and
AI with the real economy,” said President
Xi Jinping, also General Secretary of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central
Committee, in his report delivered at the
19th CPC National Congress in October
2017. A series of policies have since been
rolled out to this end.
In December 2017, the Ministry of
Industry and Information Technology pub-
lished an action plan for the AI industry
from 2018 to 2020 as a complement to the
Made in China 2025 strategy, the country’s
blueprint for upgrading manufacturing, and
previously issued plans. These policies more
clearly laid out the schedule and roadmap
V
V
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 13
for the industry’s development. and AI experts met to discuss ethical, technical, nology. Baidu is investing in deep learning and
These developments reflect a wider societal and political issues as well as promoting voice and image recognition technologies,
trend. In October 2016, the White House re- international dialogue and cooperation in sup- among others, indicating the company’s plan
leased a report titled Preparing for the Future port of AI innovation. to go all in on AI. In early July last year, Baidu’s
of Artificial Intelligence, expounding upon “China, with its huge market, large popu- GULYHUOHVVFDUKLWWKH)LIWK5LQJ5RDGLQ%HLMLQJ
the potential impact of AI across multiple lation and great development potential, can generating a buzz among netizens. Several
industries. offer the world innovative technology and months later, the company announced that its
Elsewhere, the International thinking in terms of AI research and develop- AI-powered self-driving minibuses would go into
Telecommunication Union (ITU) of the UN held ment,” Zhao Houlin, Secretary General of large-scale production in 2018.
the AI for Good Global Summit in June 2017, ITU, told Cri.cn during the summit.
ZKHUHJRYHUQPHQWRIĶFLDOVUHSUHVHQWDWLYHVRI
other UN agencies and NGOs, industry leaders,
Business circles have wasted no time in Improving lives
making moves to capitalize on the new tech-
Alibaba and Tencent, China’s largest Internet
companies, are also investing heavily in AI
technology to better facilitate their respec-
&KLQD·Vó$UWL½FLDOó,QWHOOLJHQFH tive focuses in new retail and social media
services.
(By the end of October 2017) Besides the biggest names in business,
small and medium-sized enterprises as well
AI Industry Projections as startup companies are also striving to
WUDQVIRUP$,IURPLQFRPSUHKHQVLEOHMDUJRQ
2020 150 bln yuan into something of tangible benefit to ordi-
nary people.
2025 400 bln yuan 1 tln yuan
An important focus of these efforts is the
medical treatment and healthcare industry.
7DNH%HLMLQJ/LQNLQJ0HGLFDO7HFKQRORJ\DV
2030 an example. Established in March 2016, the
(1 yuan=$0.16) company focuses on building a data plat-
form, mainly in oncology, for doctors and
AI Companies by Sector (%) Geographic Distribution of China’s hospitals.
AI Startups (%) According to its CEO, Zhang Hua, for a
Computer vision long time, the core medical data was mainly
Shenzhen managed by hospitals. But as volume in-
17.7 17.8 35.7 %HLMLQJ creased, traditional data management was
Robots unable to optimize treatment, sometimes
Shanghai 17.0 even wasting the valuable time of patients.
p,WZRXOGWDNHDGRFWRUĶYHWRVL[KRXUVLQ
Voice and natural
language processing
11.3 18.2 front of the computer to design a treatment
15.0 plan based on data that had been collected
Guangzhou Others LQDWUDGLWLRQDOZD\,WZDVLQHIĶFLHQWIRUERWK
Medicine and health the patients and the doctors,” Zhang told
Beijing Review.
9.7 Views on AI & Employment (%) An oncologist himself, Zhang resolved
Self-driving vehicles What people think: to change the situation. Together with his
8.4 team, he came up with a solution; using AI
AI reduces employment opportunities
algorithms to collect and manage medical
Machine learning data. Now the design of treatment plans is
6.2 35.7
mostly automated by the system itself, with
5.8 WKHGRFWRUVVSHQGLQJMXVWWRPLQXWHV
Data services $,KDVQRLQßXHQFHRQHPSOR\PHQW verifying the results and making necessary
5.3 30.9 revisions. Zhang said the method not only
Finance saves time for treatment, but is also more
5.3 accurate, since the algorithms are less prone
AI increases employment opportunities
4.9 to error than human doctors.
Home appliances 18.9 “Now we are leading the country and
4.4
maybe even the world in this area, and we’re
working on extending the system to more
Education It’s hard to say diseases,” he said.
17.3 14.5 In addition to treating diseases, AI is
Others also helping to manage social issues. China
has an aging society, and according to the
Note: All interviewees were mobile phone users. Ministry of Civil Affairs, the number of elderly
(Source: iiMedia Research; designed by Pamela Tobey) citizens aged 60 and above topped 230 mil-
lion in 2016, 16.7 percent of the country’s
14 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018 http://www.bjreview.com
 XINHUA
AI-powered home devices intrigue customers at the Shanghai Smart Home Technology Exhibition on September 5, 2017

population. on the ground. of Automation of the Chinese Academy of

Identifying the potential issues caused
by this situation, some companies are work-
ing out how to use AI to make the life of the
elderly better. Leading technology company
Xiaomi introduced a smart iHealth blood
pressure monitor, which automatically sends
results to the smartphones of the elderly
users’ children.
AI firm iFlytek has invented a remote
control called Magic Stick, which seniors can
use to change television channels using only
their voices.
Xin Yu Connect PTE Ltd. has patented a
smart lighting system that can monitor the
actions of the elderly at home and detect
and report accidents such as falls. “Smart
home appliances have become a crucial part
of elderly care,” said Cai Zhen, the company’s
founder and CEO.
Gradual progress
While some observers seem overwhelmed by
the power of AI technology, many experts in the
ĶHOGDUHHQFRXUDJLQJSHRSOHWRNHHSWKHLUIHHW
http://www.bjreview.com
“The concept of AI is kind of ‘deified’
by the media, when it should be treated as
a common part of people’s daily life,” Cui
Hongyu, Technical Evangelism Director
of Microsoft’s Developer eXperience and
Evangelism, told Beijing Review.
“Often people overestimate the tech-
nological changes that will take place in the
coming two years, without paying enough
attention to the revolution in the coming 10
years,” said Hao Xizhe, Marketing Director of
RealDrive, a VR technology company, at the
&KLQD$UWLĶFLDO,QWHOOLJHQFH'HYHORSPHQWDQG
Application Summit in Shanghai on January
19. Hao believes that the industry still needs
to undergo significant development and
overcome various bumps in the road.
One of the challenges facing the AI industry
is a lack of high-caliber professionals. According
to a report released by LinkedIn, by the end of
the first quarter of 2017, there were over 1.9
million professional and technical AI personnel
worldwide, with 50,000 of them in China.
Yi Jianqiang, a professor at the Institute
6FLHQFHV&$6DUJXHGWKDWWKHLQßXHQFHRI
Chinese scholars’ research is less than that
of counterparts from the U.S. and the UK,
even though they produce a large number
of theses on AI.
“China’s education system should evolve
with the times and adapt to the changes
brought by the AI revolution,” CAS research-
er Duan Weiwen told Guangming Daily.
Apart from a shortage of professionals,
many other issues including data security
and the ethical and legal impact of AI still
need to be addressed as time goes by.
“If you compare AI to a 100-meter dash,
LWLVMXVWQRZJHWWLQJRIIWKHPDUNqVDLG'U
Eric Chang, Senior Director of Technology
Strategy and Communications of Microsoft
Research Asia. “The current phase of AI is
comparable to where the Internet was at the
beginning of the 1990s.” Q
Copyedited by Laurence Coulton
&RPPHQWVWROX\DQ#EMUHYLHZFRP
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 15
 1

COVER STORY

THINKING AHEAD
C
hina’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry
is flourishing. It seems that almost ev-
eryone, from leading tech companies to
plucky startups, is striving to discover innovative
ways to get the most out of the incredible po-
tential promised by AI.
Concepts which once belonged safely in
WKHFOXWFKHVRIVFLHQFHĶFWLRQoVPRVWLPDJLQD-
tive worlds—driverless cars, robot employees
and digital medicine—are becoming an every-
day part of our reality as we stand on the brink
of a new technological age. Accompanying this
wave of innovation is a sense of social respon-
sibility and humanitarianism which has seen
much of the most cutting-edge technology
focused on bettering people’s lives.
The AI revolution is underway, and if current
results are anything to go by, it is set to be an
epoch of profound good for mankind. Q
(Photos by Xinhua News Agency)
Copyedited by Laurence Coulton
&RPPHQWVWR/X\DQ#EMUHYLHZFRP

1. A visitor checks out a surgical robot capable of conducting minimally invasive surgery
at Shanghai Jiao Tong University on December 21, 2017

$GRFWRUFRQVXOWVDQH[SHUWLQ%HLMLQJYLDDQ$,SRZHUHGUHPRWHGLDJQRVLVV\VWHPIURPDKRVSLWDO
in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on May 5, 2017

3. A man is photographed by a smart mirror, which checks people’s health based on pictures
of their facial features and tongue before providing a customized traditional Chinese medicine
WUHDWPHQWSODQDWDQH[KLELWLRQLQ1LQJERHDVW&KLQDoV=KHMLDQJ3URYLQFHRQ0D\

4. A smart agriculture product is displayed at the World Internet of Things Expo in Wuxi,
east China’s Jiangsu Province, on September 10, 2017

16 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018 http://www.bjreview.com

 2

4 3

http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 17

 COVER STORY
READING BETWEEN
THE LINES
Alibaba’s artificial intelligence technology beats humans at reading
comprehension in a world first By Laurence Coulton
C
hinese technology and e-commerce
giant Alibaba has developed artificial
intelligence (AI) software capable of
outperforming humans on a rigorous global
reading comprehension test, according to the
company’s English language news platform
Alizila. The breakthrough marks the first time
machines have surpassed people on language-
EDVHGWHVWVDQGFRXOGKDYHDPDMRULPSDFWRQ
the future of employment worldwide.
On January 5, a machine-learning model
developed by Alibaba’s AI research branch
scored higher than humans on the Stanford
Question Answering Dataset (SQuAD),
a credible system for the evaluation of
machine reading. The achievement was
FRQĶUPHGLQDWZHHWIURPRQHRIWKHWHVWoV
FUHDWRUV3UDQDY5DMSXUNDURQ-DQXDU\
Alibaba scored 82.44, while the figure for
human performance registered by Stanford
University stood marginally lower at 82.304.
Microsoft achieved a similar feat, with its
entry registering a score of 82.65 a day later
than Alibaba’s.
Man and machine
Competition between humans and AI is noth-
ing new, with computers long able to challenge
people in strategically complex games such
as chess. The ancient Chinese board game Go
(weiqi), however, had always been considered a
much greater trial for machines to overcome,
ZLWKPRUHSRWHQWLDOERDUGFRQĶJXUDWLRQVWKDQ
there are atoms in the universe, at least until
Google took up the challenge in 2014. The
FRPSDQ\oV$OSKD*RUHVHDUFKSURMHFWZDVFUHDW-
ed to test how well a neural network using deep
learning could compete at Go.
Beating its first human opponent in
2015, AlphaGo relied on mechanisms similar
to the human brain to improve its playing
style from experience, before beating a world
FKDPSLRQRYHUĶYHKLJKO\SXEOLFL]HGURXQGV
18 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018
in Seoul in 2016. However, according to ex-
perts, games such as Go and chess rely more
heavily on memory and computing power,
which computers have in abundance, while
language-based tests of the kind evaluated
E\64X$'DUHIDUPRUHGLIĶFXOWIRU$,WRFRQ-
tend with.
SQuAD, the system used for the evalua-
tion of Alibaba’s technology, was created by
researchers at Stanford University as a means
of testing the ability of machine-learning
models developed by corporations, individu-
als and academic institutions. Launched in
2016, it consists of over 100,000 questions
on more than 500 Wikipedia articles, where
the answer to every question is a segment of
WH[WIURPDUHDGLQJSDVVDJH,WLVVLJQLĶFDQWO\
larger than previous reading comprehension
datasets and correspondingly more chal-
lenging. According to the developers, SQuAD
is unique compared with other benchmarks
because its means of testing is hidden.
Teams submit their code which is run on a
test set that is not publicly readable, crucial
to preserving the integrity of the test results.
The topics of the questions are extreme-
ly broad, ranging from 16th-century religious
ĶJXUH0DUWLQ/XWKHUWRWKHLPPXQHV\VWHP
and from European Union law to prime num-
bers. One of the selected articles focuses
on the Chinese Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368),
throwing out obscure questions such as
“what interfered with Kublai Khan’s second
invasion of Japan?” that would even have his-
tory buffs reaching for a search engine.
The competitiveness of the SQuAD
leaderboard has already led to the signifi-
cant advancement of novel deep learning
software, as teams contend to build ma-
chine comprehension systems that can
outperform those of their rivals. A number
of renowned international academic institu-
tions and global technology companies have
submitted their models so far, including
Microsoft, Tencent, Facebook and Tsinghua
University.
Rewriting the future
:KLOHWKHZLQFRQVWLWXWHVDPDMRUVXFFHVVIRU
Alibaba and Chinese technology in general, the
QHZV\VWHPVRI$,JHQHUDWHGE\WKHSURMHFW
are expected to have wider and potentially
profound consequences for employment, par-
ticularly in the customer service industry.
According to Luo Si, head scientist for
natural language processing at Alibaba’s
research institute, machines will now be able
to respond to simple questions with a high
level of accuracy. “We believe the underly-
ing technology can be gradually applied to
numerous applications such as customer
service, museum tutorials, and online re-
sponse to medical inquiries from patients,
freeing up human efforts in an unprecedent-
ed way,” he was quoted as saying on the
Alizila site.
In fact, Alibaba has already been deploy-
ing similar technology in real customer
service situations. When customers call
Alibaba’s helpline with a question, they are
usually put through to the internal computer
system Ali Xiaomi. Ali Xiaomi deals with spo-
ken and written queries, providing answers
to frequently asked questions and specific
inquiries pertaining to delivery status, wish
lists, and recommendations. The system can
automatically access account information
for callers, and through the same kind of
mechanisms that allowed AlphaGo to teach
itself Go, Ali Xiaomi is continuously upgrad-
ing its own capabilities and learning through
experience.
The technology is efficient and cost ef-
fective compared with human customer
service, and, according to the company,
has been especially useful in managing the
huge volume of inbound inquiries during the
http://www.bjreview.com

November 11 Singles’ Day shopping festival
in China. It has been so successful, in fact,
that Alibaba is offering customizable, text-
based versions of the technology free to all
merchants on their platforms so that they
can automate their own customer service.
Based on this level of proliferation, observ-
ers are predicting that such technology may
soon replace human-operated customer
service positions worldwide.
AI, the future of its application and devel-
opment, was among the most talked about
topics at the recently concluded World
Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in
Davos, Switzerland. Industry leaders came
down on both sides of the debate, positive
and negative, about the impact of AI and its
associated technology on mankind. Despite
his company’s recent success in the field,
Jack Ma, founder and Executive Chairman of
Alibaba, struck a cautious tone. “AI and big
data are threats to human beings. I think AI
should support human beings. Technology
should always do something that enables
people, not disable people,” he said at the
WEF.
“The computer will always be smarter
than you are; they never forget, they never
get angry, but computers can never be as
wise as man. AI and robots are going to kill a
ORWRIMREVEHFDXVHLQWKHIXWXUHLWoOOEHGRQH
http://www.bjreview.com
by machines. Service industries offer hope,
but they must be done uniquely,” Ma said.
Elsewhere at the forum observers were
unanimously positive in their appraisal of
AI’s potential, with many quick to point out
that historically technology has created
PRUHMREVWKDQLWKDVGHVWUR\HG*RRJOH&(2
Sundar Pichai expressed his view that “any
time you work with technology, you need to
OHDUQWRKDUQHVVWKHEHQHĶWVZKLOHPLQLPL]-
ing the downsides.”
“AI is probably the most important thing
humanity has ever worked on. I think of it as
something more profound than electricity
RUĶUHqKHVDLGH[SODLQLQJWKDWWKHWHFKQRO-
ogy could eliminate many of the constraints
humanity now faces, helping for example to
make “clean, cheap, reliable energy” a reality.
A new frontier
Since being founded in Hangzhou in 1999,
Alibaba has gone on to become one of the
world’s 10 largest companies with a market
value of $490 billion, primarily through its suc-
cessful e-commerce platforms. Toward the
end of 2017, the company revealed grandiose
plans to invest $15 billion in emerging tech-
nologies such as AI, quantum computing, and
the Internet of Things, with its leading machine
UHDGLQJWHFKQRORJ\MXVWRQHDVSHFWRIDPXFK
VCG
larger research initiative.
The breakthrough arrives amidst a wider
climate of technological innovation in China.
The World Internet Conference was held in
:X]KHQHDVW&KLQDoV=KHMLDQJ3URYLQFHLQ
December 2017, where global technology
leaders employed powerful rhetoric to herald
a new age of consumer technology with AI
at its core.
China plans to lead the vanguard of
global AI research, development and applica-
tion according to plans issued by the State
Council last July, described by Vice Minister
of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang as
DPDMRUVWHSIRUFDUU\LQJRXWDQLQQRYDWLRQ
driven development strategy and making
the country a global leader in science and
technology.
The plan stated that AI has the poten-
WLDOWRVHUYHDVDPDMRUGULYHURIHFRQRPLF
growth as the shape of the Chinese econ-
RP\XQGHUJRHVDPDMRUWUDQVLWLRQWRZDUG
innovation, capable of tangibly improving
people’s lives by 2020. The release also set
WKHJRDOIRU&KLQDWREHFRPHDPDMRUJOREDO
center for AI development, leading the world
in AI technology by 2030. Q
&RPPHQWVWR]DQMLIDQJ#EMUHYLHZFRP
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 19
WORLD
In Pole
Position
China’s Arctic Policy proposes the active, sustainable and
peaceful development of the region By Yang Jian
The author is vice
president of the Shanghai
Institutes for International
Studies
I
n January, the Chinese Government
published its first white paper about the
country’s role in the Arctic. The white paper,
titled China’s Arctic Policy, declared to the world
China’s intent to actively participate in Arctic
governance and willingness to shoulder re-
sponsibility in combating global challenges. The
release of the white paper can enhance under-
standing between China and other stakeholders
in the region while increasing the awareness
of the country’s people and enterprises in re-
gard to the preservation of the Earth. Under its
guidance, the activities of various government
departments and organizations in China can be
better coordinated in the region.
The ideas included in China’s Arctic Policy,
such as protecting the region’s ecological
environment, addressing climate change and
creating a community with a shared future for
mankind, echo President Xi Jinping’s philosophy
of governance. Last year, in addressing the
812IĶFHDW*HQHYD;LFDOOHGRQDOOSDUWLHVWR
cherish the Earth, the only home to mankind,
and work together to implement the Paris
Agreement, vowing that China would continue
to tackle climate change, fully honoring its obli-
gations under the treaty.
Xi also noted that countries should obey
the principle of peace, sovereignty, inclusive-
ness and shared governance, turning the deep
sea, polar regions, outer space and the Internet
into new frontiers of collaboration, rather than
battle grounds for geopolitical competition.
22 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018
7KHVHFRQFHSWVRIPXWXDOO\EHQHĶFLDOFRRSHUD
WLRQZHUHUHßHFWHGLQ&KLQDoV$UFWLF3ROLF\
A stakeholder
The Arctic has become the focus of global at-
tention in recent decades along with global
warming in general. A country in the northern
hemisphere with a vast territory, China’s condi-
WLRQVDUHVLJQLĶFDQWO\LQßXHQFHGE\WKH$UFWLFoV
climate, and the stability of China’s ecosystems
and the security of its agriculture production are
closely linked to any ecological change in the
$UFWLF6LQFHDQ\PDMRUFKDQJHLQWKHSRODUUH
gion would have a drastic, possibly catastrophic
effect on the country, China is a key stakeholder
in matters pertaining to the Arctic.
Three issues require particular attention in
terms of the global governance of the Arctic.
Firstly, the balance between resource explora-
tion and environmental protection should be
responsibly approached. Secondly, the contra-
diction between relatively primitive governance
structures and increasing human activities in
this area must be resolved. Lastly, the rights of
Arctic countries and the common interests of
all mankind need to be carefully aligned. As can
be seen from China’s Arctic Policy, China hopes
to play a positive role in dealing with these is-
sues.
A warming climate has brought more de- ment and technology. People living in the Arctic
velopment opportunities to the Arctic, with the are striving to realize the UN 2030 Sustainable
conditions suitable for the extraction of resourc- Development Goals and to eliminate the digital
es having greatly improved due to the melting divide, both of which also present opportunities
ice and rising temperatures. An Arctic shipping for cooperation with China as the second larg-
route would contribute to the overall growth of est economy in the world.
the region’s economy and could bring about The Chinese Government has advocated
PDMRUFKDQJHVWRWKHVKLSSLQJSDWWHUQRIJOREDO the creation of a Polar Silk Road guided by the
trade. principle of achieving shared growth through
However, infrastructure in the region is MRLQWFRQVXOWDWLRQDQGFROODERUDWLRQ%\IRFXVLQJ
weak. The huge demand for infrastructure economic cooperation on forward looking in-
improvement and the financing gap offer big vestments in Arctic shipping routes and energy
opportunities for the Chinese market, invest- SURMHFWV&KLQDKDVEHHQFRQWULEXWLQJWRWKH
http://www.bjreview.com

improvement of the construction and digitiza-
tion of local infrastructure. China also values the
utilization of green development technology
in seeking a balance between exploration and
preservation in the region.
China’s engagement in Arctic affairs has
produced concern in some countries. Mostly,
these concerns are due to an inadequate un-
derstanding of China’s intentions and worries
that China’s participation in Arctic affairs may
hinder environmental protection in the region
on account of China’s huge economic size, with
some observers fettered by a Cold War mental-
http://www.bjreview.com
$&KLQHVHWHDPFRQGXFWVFLHQWLĶFLQYHVWLJDWLRQDQGUHVHDUFKRQWKH$UFWLFLFHVKHHWRQ$XJXVW
ity toward global politics.
In response to these concerns, the Chinese
Government made it clear in its white paper that
it would continue regulating and supervising
the activities of Chinese citizens, legal persons
and other organizations in the Arctic to ensure
that their activities accord with international
law and respect the relevant national laws on
environmental protection, resource conserva-
tion, and sustainable development. It has also
endeavored to strengthen the overall coordina-
tion of its Arctic policy and related affairs. The
white paper is essentially a commitment made
WORLD
XINHUA
by the Chinese Government to the international
community in this regard.
Sustainable development
Any governance of the Arctic should be focused
on mutual support between global ecological
and social systems and the stability and sustain-
ability of development.
However, scientific investigations in the
area are restricted by technological and natural
limitations due to the harshness of the environ-
V
V
ment, poor facilities and remoteness. Human
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 23
WORLD

XINHUA
Leaders from the Arctic Council member countries
DQQRXQFHWKHGHFLVLRQWRDFFHSW&KLQDDVDQRIĶFLDO
XINHUA

observer of the organization on May 15, 2013,

in Kiruna, Sweden

knowledge and understanding of laws about

the changes of the region’s natural systems are
insufficient for the sustainable governance of
the Arctic.
&KLQDKDVVRIDUFRQGXFWHGHLJKWVFLHQWLĶF
expeditions to the Arctic and carried out various
research on ice and snow, hydrology, meteorol-
ogy, sea ice, biology, ecology, and geophysics
related to climate change and environmental
protection. Chinese scientists have become
DPDMRUIRUFHLQJOREDOVFLHQWLILFFRRSHUDWLRQ
having made significant contributions to the
accumulation of knowledge and perfection of
A man belonging to the Nenets group, an aboriginal Arctic people, herds reindeer in Russia’s Yamalo-Nenetskiy governance mechanisms.
on November 5, 2017 It is because of such contributions that

24 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018 http://www.bjreview.com


China was officially approved as an observer
of the Arctic Council in 2013 which includes
WKH8QLWHG6WDWHV5XVVLD&DQDGDDQGWKHĶYH
Nordic countries as its member states.
Besides participating in regional level co-
operation, China, as an important member of
the UN and other intergovernmental organi-
zations, has actively built momentum for the
systematized governance of the Arctic in the
global arena. The Arctic issue is of global sig-
QLĶFDQFHDVWKHPHOWLQJRIWKHLFHVKHHWLQWKH
region may trigger an overall rise of sea levels.
Therefore, environmental protection in other
parts of the world will also contribute to the pro-
tection of the environment in the Arctic. To that
end, China has promoted the implementation
of the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris
$JUHHPHQWDVSDUWRIHIIRUWVWRĶQGDFRPSUH
hensive solution to climate change.
China also plays a constructive role in the
work of the International Maritime Organization
and works with related parties to formulate the
International Code for Ships Operating in Polar
:DWHUV,WDOVRIXOĶOOVLWVLQWHUQDWLRQDOREOLJDWLRQV
to safeguard maritime navigational security and
prevent ships from polluting the marine envi-
http://www.bjreview.com
WORLD
XINHUA
A Chinese cargo ship sails through the Barents Sea, an Arctic shipping lane, on September 19, 2017
ronment, committed to finding a coordinated ZLWKLQWHUQDWLRQDOH[SHFWDWLRQV7KURXJKMRLQW
solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. efforts to combat international challenges such
as climate change, the Chinese Government is
Official policy showing its readiness to work with the whole
community of nations to seek a convergence
According to China’s Arctic Policy, the country
of interests and to build a shared future.
will participate in Arctic affairs in accordance
The release of the white paper marks
with the basic principles of respect, cooperation,
the official formation of China’s Arctic policy,
mutually beneficial results and sustainability,
which reflects China’s preoccupation with the
advocating the sustainable development of the
common interests and concerns of all human
region based on a stable international environ-
beings in global governance as well as its hope
ment while expanding cooperation on the basis
WRDGMXVWWKHJRYHUQLQJRUGHUPRUHDSSURSUL
of mutual trust.
ately and fairly. It also demonstrates China’s
China respects the international laws re-
commitment to sustainable development
lated to this region and its primary mechanism
DQGREMHFWLRQWRH[SDQVLRQDWWKHFRVWRIWKH
of governance, as well as the sovereign rights of
environment.
Arctic nations. These countries must in turn re-
In accordance with the principle of peaceful
spect the rights of non-Arctic states according
coexistence and a community with a shared
to the principles of international law, while the
future, China will make full use of its economic,
concern of the original residents in these areas
technological and market advantages to play
must also be addressed.
a positive part in safeguarding security in the
Through equal and mutually beneficial
Arctic, utilizing the region’s resources in a sus-
international cooperation, China is aiming to
tainable manner, and balancing the interests of
understand, protect, develop and participate in
countries in and outside the Arctic. Q
the governance of the Arctic, so as to safeguard
the common interests of all countries.
In China’s Arctic Policy, the government Copyedited by Laurence Coulton
has coordinated the country’s national policy &RPPHQWVWR\XOLQWDR#EMUHYLHZFRP
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 25
WORLD
One Year On
A year after taking office, the Trump presidency is struggling to operate
at home and abroad By An Gang
The author is an
op-ed contributor to
Beijing Review and
a researcher at the
Pangoal Insitution
‘O
ur new administration had already
taken swift action. A new tide of opti-
mism was already sweeping across our
land,” U.S. President Donald Trump announced
LQKLVĶUVW6WDWHRIWKH8QLRQDGGUHVVRQ-DQXDU\
30. Outlining plans “to build a safe, strong
and proud America,” Trump reviewed the ac-
FRPSOLVKPHQWVRIKLVĶUVW\HDULQRIĶFHZKLFK
according to him, include promoting fair trade,
Ķ[LQJLPPLJUDWLRQODZVFRQGXFWLQJWD[UHIRUP
combating terrorism and successful diplomacy.
A new American moment
Trump placed particular emphasis on his admin-
istration’s contributions to the recovery of the
U.S. economy through slashing tax rates and
wiping out regulations, announcing that since
KLVHOHFWLRQPLOOLRQQHZMREVKDYHEHHQFUH
ated, the business tax rate has been cut from 35
percent to 21 percent and unemployment has
hit a 45-year low. “After years of wage stagna-
WLRQZHDUHĶQDOO\VHHLQJULVLQJZDJHVqKHVDLG
He took the opportunity to primarily
market his designs for immigration reform
and infrastructure. According to the new
immigration reform plan, illegal immi-
grants brought to the U.S. by their parents
at a young age will be able to become full
citizens, while the systems of immigration
lottery and chain migration are to be ended.
He also called on Congress to approve $1.5
trillion for new infrastructure investment.
Having reviewed “unfair” trade deals,
Trump declared that “the era of economic
surrender is over,” and revealed his admin-
LVWUDWLRQoVLQWHQWWRĶ[pEDGqWUDGHGHDOVDQG
negotiate new ones.
He highlighted the recognition of
Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as the
zenith of Trumpian diplomacy, alongside his
26 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018
resolution in efforts to thwart North Korea’s
nuclear ambitions. The president said he
would not repeat the mistakes of past ad-
ministrations because their “complacency
and concessions only invite aggression and
provocation.” Presumably that means that
the U.S. will continue to overlook the thaw-
ing of ties between the two Koreas as the
Pyeongchang Winter Olympics approach,
and instead maintain “maximum pressure”
on North Korea.
Trump is also trying to present his
administration as one responsible for the re-
vitalization of American values, stressing the
Christian flavor of U.S. society and inviting
the 12-year-old boy who started a move-
ment by placing flags on veterans’ graves
to present at the speech, aiming to counter
liberalism through extravagant displays of
patriotism.
Although Trump is an unconventional
president elected unexpectedly in 2016,
some people have tried to portray him
as diligent, vigorous and resolute, show-
ing a strong ability to learn and adapt to
Washington politics.
Before delivering the State of the
Union address, Trump attended the World
Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos,
making a speech. He claimed that America
First does not mean America alone, and
seemed to be suggesting that under certain
conditions, the U.S. is preparing to return to
the fray of international affairs, especially in
the reform of international trade systems.
His speech was seen by some as a signal
that the U.S. might be willing to return to
WKHQHJRWLDWLQJWDEOHRYHUWKH7UDQV3DFLĶF
Partnership multilateral trade deal.
In entering his second year in office,
Trump has evolved from a green hand im-
mersed in divisive campaign sentiment and
solely focused on negating Obama-era poli-
cies to a political leader more closely aligned
with the Republican establishment and one
accordingly more professional in conduct.
However, his achievements in his first
\HDULQRIĶFHDUHQRWDOORIKLVRZQPDNLQJ
Recovery in the American economy has
been accelerating with the growth rate for
2017 expected to be 2.5 percent, but this
performance is largely the lasting effect of
eight years of economic stimulus by the
Obama administration.
In March last year, Trump encountered
his biggest frustration since taking office,
relinquishing plans to abolish Obamacare
after he was unable to get the vote through
Congress. This reality indicated that the
Republicans did not have a suitable replace-
ment in place. It also highlighted that Trump
is not a conventional republican and there-
fore cannot use the Republicans’ superior
numbers in both Congress and the White
House to his administration’s advantage.
An evolving figure
During the first year of his presidency, Trump
relied too heavily on a small circle of advisers
made up of military personnel, family members
and supporters of the alt-right, governing the
country by bypassing Congress. He failed to
win over the mainstream media and instead
resorted to frequent tweets as a means of com-
municating with his supporters, defending his
opinions and setting agendas.
But following intense internal competi-
tion, the distribution of power in the Trump
inner circle has changed; the influence of
military personnel has increased, while the
sway of family members has dropped away,
with the power of the alt-right almost totally
VTXHH]HGRXW7KHĶQDOUHVXOWLVFRPSURPLVH
and coexistence between Trump and the
Republican establishment. This new-look
administration might be able to attain rela-
tive stability, but is still unlikely to adopt any
policy aimed at unifying the alienated sides
of society and politics in the U.S.
There are still many difficulties ahead
for Trump in the next few years of his
presidency. His administrative team remains
understaffed, while the Russia scandal
continues to crop up. Tax reform might
stimulate more capital to return into the
U.S. in the short term, but it will increase the
debt burden in the long run, while a strict
immigration policy might ultimately limit the
http://www.bjreview.com

vitality of the labor force and affect the long-
term performance of the economy.
In the mid-term elections toward the end
of this year, the Republicans are expected to
retain their supremacy in the Senate, but it
remains a possibility that the party will lose
LWVPDMRULW\LQWKH+RXVHRI5HSUHVHQWDWLYHV
On December 12 last year, Democrat Doug
Jones defeated Republican Roy Moore to
become Alabama’s senator, while senior
Republican Senator John McCain took sick
leave due to a brain tumor. Currently, the
Republicans hold 50 seats in the Senate
DQG WKH 'HPRFUDWV KROG  ,I MXVW RQH
Republican senator defects, the Democrats
will be able to take control of the legislative
process. In such a scenario, Trump will have
become a lame duck way ahead of schedule.
Trump has vowed to push the modern-
ization of national defense and rebuild the
U.S. nuclear arsenal, but such pursuits are in
FRQßLFWZLWKWKHĶQDQFLDOSUHVVXUHVEURXJKW
about by the cutting of taxes. The quandary
over whether to use force against North
Korea also looks set to deepen, with Trump
opposed to another meaningless conflict
overseas on the one hand, but determined
to show strength against North Korea on the
other.
In the past year, Trump has withdrawn
from certain international agreements,
pushed forward protectionism and mer-
cantilism, and approached diplomacy with
a Cold War mentality. These performances
have seriously damaged U.S. soft power and
leadership while fueling instability and po-
larization in both the Middle East and Asia-
http://www.bjreview.com
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the
8QLRQDGGUHVVRQ-DQXDU\WRDMRLQWVHVVLRQRI
Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
XINHUA
3DFLĶFUHJLRQ)XQGDPHQWDOO\WKHZRUOGVWLOO
distrusts Trump’s trade and security policies.
While Trump may have proudly
announced that the U.S. is rebuilding its na-
WLRQDOVWUHQJWKDQGFRQĶGHQFHDQGUHVWRULQJ
its international influence, for America, the
reality is far from so optimistic. Trump is
unlikely to have an easier ride this year than
last and might even experience more severe
tests of his political experience and policy
expertise.
Rivalry with China
“Around the world, we face rogue regimes, ter-
rorist groups, and rivals like China and Russia
that challenge our interests, our economy, and
our values,” Trump said in his State of the Union
address. The Trump administration had previ-
ously released the National Security Strategy on
December 18, 2017, and the National Defense
Strategy on January 21, in which China was
named a “strategic competitor.” Trump also
said “whether we like it or not, we are engaged
in a new era of competition” in a speech outlin-
ing the national security strategy in Washington,
D.C. on December 18, 2017.
7KH86DGMXVWPHQWRILWV&KLQDSROLF\WR
focus on competition is closely connected to
China’s rapid economic growth. China’s GDP
KDVGRXEOHGLQMXVWVHYHQ\HDUVWRUHDFK
trillion in 2017, two thirds that of the U.S. which
currently stands at $19.39 trillion. This places
the U.S. under unprecedented pressure and
has proven a powerful awakening from illusions
of its own unparalleled grandeur. It is from this
LQVHFXULW\WKDWWKHDGMXVWPHQWRIWKH86&KLQD
WORLD
policy has sprung.
In the first year of Trump’s presidency,
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump ex-
changed state visits and the two countries
cooperated over the nuclear issue on the
Korean Peninsula.
However, the Trump administration has
characterized China as a “strategic com-
petitor,” launched an investigation under
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 over
intellectual property issues and threatened
to implement large-scale punishments
against China over its alleged “violation of
U.S. intellectual property rights.” Moreover,
some clauses in the U.S. National Defense
$XWKRUL]DWLRQ$FWIRUWKHĶVFDO\HDUDX
thorize the possibility of mutual visits by navy
vessels between the U.S. and China’s Taiwan,
which is strongly opposed by the Chinese
Government, as such actions would be in
serious violation of the one-China policy.
China’s trust in the U.S. has declined and
bilateral ties look set to enter a period with
many bumps in the road.
China and the U.S. are both fundamental
to the global economic system and their
interests are deeply intertwined. The Trump
DGPLQLVWUDWLRQoVDGMXVWPHQWRILWVIRFXVWR
ward economic growth will require China’s
cooperation and support. The U.S. has prov-
en itself unable to summon enough power
to completely contain China, and so it can
only deal with China within the framework of
coexistence and cooperation.
Although competition between China
and the U.S. cannot be avoided, the two
countries should nonetheless make efforts
to ensure that any such competition is
healthy. If China and the U.S. can success-
fully circumvent confrontation, then they
can maintain cooperation and achieve
mutual progress through a healthy rivalry,
which could see great contributions to-
ward not only the development of science
and technology, but also the civilization of
mankind. Q
Copyedited by Laurence Coulton
&RPPHQWVWR\XOLQWDR#EMUHYLHZFRP
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 27
NATION

XINHUA
$FRXSOHZRUNLQWKHLUJDUGHQLQ1DQ\XDQOLQJ9LOODJH)XMLDQ3URYLQFHRQ-XQH

Rural Vitality
The Central Government recently released a package of policies on the development of
rural areas, charting the course for the country's rural vitalization strategy. This article,
compiled from reports by Xinhua News Agency, takes a closer look at these initiatives.

C
hina has outlined targets for a rural
vitalization strategy, addressing issues
related to agriculture, rural areas and
farmers in this year’s installment of the annual
1RFHQWUDOGRFXPHQWMRLQWO\UHOHDVHGE\WKH
Central Committee of the Communist Party of
China (CPC) and the State Council on February 4.
There is a lot to be accomplished in rural areas
where opportunities for development have
arisen as the country enters a new era, accord-
ing to the document.
This is the 15th year in a row that the No.1
central document has been focused on agricul-
28 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018
ture, rural areas and farmers. The No.1 central
document is the name traditionally given to the
ĶUVWSROLF\VWDWHPHQWRIWKH\HDUUHOHDVHGE\WKH
central authorities, and is seen as an indicator of
policy priorities in the year to come.
Historic task
5XUDOYLWDOL]DWLRQZDVĶUVWSURSRVHGDVDPDMRU
aspect of developing a modernized economy in
a report delivered to the 19th National Congress
of the CPC last October. In this latest document,
the strategy is described as a “historic task” es-
sential to accomplishing China’s modernization
goals and building a moderately prosperous
society.
“China cannot develop without also mod-
ernizing its agriculture and rural areas,” said the
document.
The timetable put forward by the cen-
tral authorities at a rural work conference in
December 2017 remains unchanged, but the
REMHFWLYHVIRUGLIIHUHQWVWDJHVKDYHEHFRPH
PRUHVSHFLĶF
President Xi Jinping, also General Secretary
of the CPC Central Committee, attended the
http://www.bjreview.com

two-day rural work conference, delivering a
speech in which he summarized the achieve-
ments in agriculture and rural areas since 2012
and expounded on the rural vitalization strategy
with concrete requirements.
Despite considerable progress, a develop-
ment gap remains between urban and rural
regions due principally to lack of quality and
HIĶFLHQF\LQDJULFXOWXUH7KHFRQIHUHQFHFDOOHG
for the advance of integrated urban-rural de-
velopment, with more focus on infrastructure,
education and public services in rural areas.
By 2020, the strategy will have an institu-
tional framework and policy system, with no
Chinese living below the existing poverty line,
while rural productivity and agricultural supply
will be substantially improved.
By 2035, decisive progress will be made,
with the basic modernization of agriculture and
rural areas. All Chinese, in cities and rural areas,
will have equal access to basic public services,
and urban and rural integration will improve.
By 2050, rural areas should have strong
agriculture, a beautiful countryside and well-off
farmers.
Policy designs
+DQ-XQKHDGRIWKH2IĶFHRIWKH&HQWUDO5XUDO
Work Leading Group, said the document was
“problem-oriented” and a “top-level design” for
the country to achieve prosperity in rural areas.
“The document not only elaborates on
the significance of the strategy, but also sets
WKHWRQHVSHFLĶHVWKHWDUJHWVDQGSROLFLHVDQG
makes requirements for governments at lower
levels,” he said.
The document places emphasis on the
need for proper organization. Local govern-
ments have been required to specify their plans
according to local realities, especially for the
period from 2018 to 2022, and to coordinate
policy-making with relevant spheres.
For instance, in well-developed villages, in-
creasing public services may be a priority, while
in villages with a long history and rich natural
and cultural resources, development must be
undertaken alongside preservation.
In villages with harsh living conditions and
a fragile natural environment, more efforts shall
be made toward relocation.
The document also highlighted better
governance and strengthened leadership
of the CPC in rural regions. Stronger punish-
ments should be imposed to stop grassroots
corruption that harms the interests of farmers,
especially those concerning rural subsidies, col-
lective asset management and land acquisition.
As the Chinese economy shifts toward
high-quality development, the country is also
aiming for more competitive agriculture driven
by higher productivity and better quality.
According to the document, China will have
more high-quality farmland, install more effi-
http://www.bjreview.com
)DUPHUVSLFNFKU\VDQWKHPXPVLQDĶHOGLQ+XDLoDQHDVW&KLQDoV-LDQJVX3URYLQFHRQ1RYHPEHU
cient water conservation facilities, and use more
advanced agricultural equipment.
Farm produce will face tougher quality tests
while more efforts will be made in the treat-
ment of soil and water pollution.
Controls over rural homestead plots and
housing will be loosened to make it easier for
new businesses and industries, but they should
not be used for building country villas and pri-
vate clubs, according to the document.
“This is not a plan to encourage urban resi-
dents to buy rural properties, but rather to turn
unused housing into places for rural tourism
and elderly services,” said Han.
China will also expand exports of high-quali-
ty farm produce and broaden rural cooperation
with countries and regions involved in the Belt
and Road Initiative.
More capital will be channeled into rural
DUHDVWKURXJKVWHDGLO\ULVLQJSXEOLFĶQDQFHLQ
SXWVEURDGHQHGĶQDQFLQJDQGEHWWHUĶQDQFLDO
services.
The package of policies also includes better
education and medical services, green develop-
ment, improved infrastructure and facilities such
as toilets, and more training and incentives to
build a workforce to support rural development.
Environmental upgrades
A day after the No.1 central document was issued,
the central authorities unveiled a three-year action
plan to improve rural living environment.
“Although progress has been made, the
living environment in rural China is very unbal-
anced with many areas dirty and disordered.
It falls far short of people’s expectations and
marks a key weakness in social and economic
NATION
XINHUA
development,” the document said.
The country aims to make remarkable
improvements in the rural living environment
by 2020. Villages should be clean and tidy, and
residents should have a better awareness of
hygiene and health.
The document listed some key tasks includ-
ing garbage sorting, toilet upgrades, residential
sewage treatment and village management.
East China and developed areas in central
and west China should fully implement these
tasks. In less developed regions in central and
west China, garbage sorting should be put into
place in around 90 percent of villages. Around
85 percent of toilets must be improved to meet
hygiene standards.
Remote and underdeveloped regions of
the country should meet the basic standards for
keeping the environment clean and tidy, on the
basis of ensuring farmers’ basic quality of life.
The authorities told local and central gov-
ernment organs to increase fiscal input. Local
governments are encouraged to issue govern-
ment bonds to improve the environment.
0DMRUILQDQFLDOLQVWLWXWLRQVLQFOXGLQJWKH
China Development Bank, the Agricultural
Development Bank of China, the Agricultural
Bank of China, and the Postal Savings Bank of
China have been advised to increase credit and
ORDQVWRVXSSRUWUHODWHGSURMHFWV
Private companies are also encouraged
WRMRLQWKHSODQWKURXJKWKHVWDQGDUGL]HG
implementation of public-private partnership
schemes and franchised businesses. Q
Copyedited by Laurence Coulton
&RPPHQWVWR]DQMLIDQJ#EMUHYLHZFRP
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 29
NATION

Springing the station during this year’s Chunyun.

“G4907 is a temporary train that will
operate throughout this year’s Chunyun,”
the train conductor Yan Tao explained. At its

Into Action
maximum capacity, the train can carry 556
SDVVHQJHUV2QWKHĶUVWGD\RILWVRSHUDWLRQ
it had a seat occupancy rate of 80 percent
and based on previous years, four or five
days into Chunyun will be when passenger
volume reaches its peak.
According to the timetable, each day
7UDLQ*GHSDUWVIURPWKH%HLMLQJ6RXWK
Railway staff are the unsung heroes of the holiday season Railway Station at 6:15 a.m. and arrives in
Anqing at 1:19 p.m. after a seven-hour and
as annual travel rush kicks off By Zhou Xin ILYHPLQXWHWULS2QLWVUHWXUQMRXUQH\WKH
train departs from Anqing at 4:45 p.m., ar-
ULYLQJDWWKH%HLMLQJ6RXWK5DLOZD\6WDWLRQDW

O
n February 1, the 40-day 2018 Spring
Festival travel season, known as Chunyun
in China, officially began. As the most
important traditional festival in China, the Spring
Festival, Chinese Lunar New Year, is a time for
family reunions, and so millions of Chinese
people across the country start returning to
their hometowns for the celebration.
Chunyun is the world’s largest human
migration and China’s transport authorities
estimate that the railways will transport 390
million passengers during this year’s travel
rush. Unlike previous years, high-speed trains
will make many trips home considerably
faster.
At 4:00 a.m., before day had even bro-
ken, passengers began queuing outside the
HDVWHQWUDQFHRIWKH%HLMLQJ6RXWK5DLOZD\
Station. Train G4907 destined for Anqing in
$QKXL3URYLQFHZDVWKHĶUVWWUDLQGHSDUWLQJ
0:25 a.m. the next day.
Chunyun is a severe test for railway staff.
According to Yan, the crew for Train G4907
must be on board as early as 4:00 a.m. on
the day of departure. “They need to continue
ZRUNLQJXQWLOWKHWUDLQFRPHVEDFNWR%HLMLQJ
in the small hours of the following day,” Yan
said.
Zhang Guiqin, 48, is a cleaner aboard
the train and like other crew members she

Chunyun Travel Rush 2018

(Between February 1 and March 12)
Expected trips during the 2018 Additional train services Additional nightly Daily capacity of
Chunyun high-speed train additional trains
services

100,000
177
2.98 bln 1,152 1,330 3,819
Before the After the Usual daily train
festival festival services
=10,000 passengers

Modes of transport
By the end of 2017, China’s railway network During the travel rush, aviation authorities
Train trips Air travel was 127,000 km in length plan to schedule an additional
Road trips 390 mln trips 30,000 flights
2.48 bln 65 mln
With high-speed railway totaling 25,000 km
3,038 km of new tracks were
put into production last year °LJKWV
(on the basis of about 14,500 ßLJKWVHYHU\GD\
1.6% 8.8% 10.0%
(y.o.y.) (y.o.y.) (y.o.y.)
(Sources: National Development and Reform Commission, Civil Aviation Administration,
China Railway Corporation, Ministry of Transportation; designed by Pamela Tobey)

30 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018 http://www.bjreview.com

 NATION
XU XUN

$%HLMLQJEDVHGFRXSOHWUDYHOZLWKWKHLUPRQWKROGWZLQGDXJKWHUVWRWKHLUKRPHWRZQLQ:XZHL&RXQW\HDVW&KLQDoV$QKXL3URYLQFH
for the upcoming Spring Festival, on February 1

XU XUN
must work for 18 hours per shift. Her duty is
to keep the carriages, aisles, toilets and seats
clean. “Though a tough period, Chunyun
lasts for only 40 days,” she grinned. “I’m
ready for it.”
;X *XR]KX  D QDWLYH RI /XMLDQJ
&RXQW\LQ$QKXLKDVZRUNHGLQ%HLMLQJIRUD
dozen or so years. He took the train home
with his wife and son for a family reunion.
According to Xu, it now takes only six
KRXUVRQDKLJKVSHHGWUDLQIURP%HLMLQJWR
Tongling, a county close to his hometown.
,QZKHQKHEHJDQZRUNLQJLQ%HLMLQJ
he spent nearly 24 hours returning home
before that year’s Spring Festival. “High-
speed trains make travel more convenient
and comfortable, and cut travel times
considerably.” Q

This article was originally published on China Pictorial

Copyedited by Laurence Coulton
&RPPHQWVWR]DQMLIDQJ#EMUHYLHZFRP
$QDWWHQGDQWGHOLYHUVIRRGWRSDVVHQJHUVDERDUG7UDLQ*IURP%HLMLQJWR$QTLQJ$QKXL3URYLQFHRQ)HEUXDU\

http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 31

NATION

On the Home Straight

S
pring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, falls
on February 16 this year. Hundreds of millions
of people across China will return to their home-
towns for family reunions or travel around the country 1. Ground crew remove ice and snow from
in what has become the largest human migration in the a plane at Shanghai Hongqiao International
world. Airport on January 25, reducing the length of
Around 2.98 billion trips are expected to be weather-related delays
made during the 2018 Spring Festival travel rush
from February 1 to March 12, consistent with
figures from last year, according to the National 2. Staff monitor ticket sales on China Railway Corp.’s
Development and Reform Commission. RIĶFLDOZHEVLWHFQLQDFRQWUROFHQWHUDWWKH&KLQD
China Railway Corp., the national rail operator, Academy of Railway Sciences on February 2. The daily
has launched a series of measures to provide “smart” capacity of the website has increased from last year’s
services, including self-service counters to check 10 million tickets to 15 million this year
WLFNHWVDQGLGHQWLĶFDWLRQDWWKHHQWUDQFHRIUDLOZD\
stations, smart navigation systems in waiting rooms,
and ubiquitous travel notices.
3. Volunteers from the China National Petroleum
Free smartphone apps are also available for
Corp. help migrant workers refuel their motorcycles
download, allowing passengers to check details
EHIRUHWKHULGHUVVWDUWWKHLUMRXUQH\VKRPHLQ
DERXWWKHLUMRXUQH\VXFKDVWKHQXPEHURIWLFNHWV
4XDQ]KRXVRXWKHDVW&KLQDoV)XMLDQ3URYLQFH
available and the number of stops along the way.
on February 1. Besides free oil, volunteers also
As for travel by road, the integrated electronic
provide other services including hot tea and maps
WROOFROOHFWLRQV\VWHPZLOOKHOSHQKDQFHWKHHIĶFLHQ
as a part of their Spring Festival service campaign,
cy of travel, said the Ministry of Transport.
now in its seventh year
The Civil Aviation Administration of China has
also increased the provision of services by making
full use of the Internet, new media platforms and
4. A passenger receives a free pair of Spring
DXWRLGHQWLĶFDWLRQWHFKQRORJ\Q
Festival couplets, known as chunlian in Chinese,
(Photos by Xinhua News Agency)
written by volunteering calligraphers at Shanghai
Hongqiao Railway Station on February 2
Copyedited by Laurence Coulton
&RPPHQWVWR]DQMLIDQJ#EMUHYLHZFRP

4 3

32 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018 http://www.bjreview.com

 NATION
1

http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 33

BUSINESS
Rub of the Green
Innovations in financing methods are supporting China’s ecological progress By Wang Jun
$VWDIIPHPEHULQVSHFWVVRODUSDQHOVLQVWDOOHGXQGHUDQHZHQHUJ\GHPRQVWUDWLRQSURMHFWĶQDQFHGE\WKH%5,&61HZ'HYHORSPHQW%DQNLQ6KDQJKDLRQ-XO\
A
ERRPLQJUHHQĶQDQFHKDVEHHQWKHKLJK
light of China’s financial sector in recent
years, with the emergence of a variety of
innovative credit products. However, China’s
JUHHQĶQDQFLDOV\VWHPVWLOOQHHGVLWVLQFHQWLYHV
and regulatory frameworks improved.
*UHHQĶQDQFHUHIHUVWRĶQDQFLDOVHUYLFHV
that fund economic activities supportive
of environmental improvement, climate
change mitigation and more efficient
UHVRXUFHXWLOL]DWLRQDFFRUGLQJWRDMRLQW
document released by the People’s Bank of
China (PBC), the central bank, and several
other ministerial departments.
International leader
Chen Yulu, PBC Vice Governor, said China’s
JUHHQĶQDQFHLVEHFRPLQJDZRUOGOHDGHUGHP
onstrating accelerated development in an all-
round way.
36 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018
According to Chen, the market’s top-
level design and primary institutional
arrangements are both improving. In 2016,
the PBC and other six ministries and com-
PLVVLRQVMRLQWO\LVVXHGJXLGHOLQHVRQEXLOGLQJ
WKHJUHHQĶQDQFLDOV\VWHPZKLFKGHĶQHVWKH
VFRSHRIJUHHQSURMHFWVDQGWKHVWDQGDUGV
IRUJUHHQĶQDQFH
China’s green finance market grew
steadily last year, with its basic systems
upgraded and its support to the green econ-
omy enhanced.
In June 2017, the State Council an-
nounced the establishment of eight pilot
]RQHVIRUJUHHQĶQDQFHUHIRUPDQGLQQRYD
tion in the four provinces of Guangdong,
=KHMLDQJ *XL]KRX DQG -LDQJ[L DV ZHOO DV
;LQMLDQJ8\JXU$XWRQRPRXV5HJLRQWRH[
plore models which can then be replicated
in other regions. In the meantime, tools
XINHUA
for green investment and financing have
become increasingly diversified, and the
financial environment further optimized.
Initiatives raised by the G20 Green Finance
Study Group have been incorporated into
the G20 Leaders’ Communiqué at the 2016
Hangzhou Summit of the world’s largest ad-
vanced and emerging economies, which will
rapidly increase global recognition of green
ĶQDQFH
Studies show that green investment
focusing on climate and the environment
usually have higher returns but lower fluc-
tuations, and among the hundreds of green
SURMHFWVLQUHFHQW\HDUVPRVWDUHSURĶWDEOH
according to Ma Jun, Director of the Center
for Finance and Development at Tsinghua
University and Chairman of the Green
Finance Committee of the China Society for
Finance and Banking.
http://www.bjreview.com

9LOODJHUVGLVFXVVDJUHHQĶQDQFHSURJUDP
backed by the government in Pingxian
&RXQW\)XMLDQ3URYLQFHRQ-XQH
According to Ma, more than 260 green
funds have been set up, and innovations
in green financial products, such as green
asset-backed securities (ABS) and green ex-
change trade funds, are booming in recent
years.
Lu Zhengwei, chief economist with
China’s Industrial Bank Co. Ltd., believes
ecological progress and green development
will become trends in China’s economic
DQGVRFLDOWUDQVIRUPDWLRQRYHUWKHQH[WĶYH
years. Battles against pollution are underway
in several parts of the country, and the pilot
zones for the innovation and reform of green
XINHUA
finance will explore the most suitable path
for green development in the future, he said.
“As the national strategy advances,
green industries will have more promising
prospects, and financial innovations and
the guidance of the regulatory authority
will also encourage financial institutions to
increase investment in the green sectors,”
said Zeng Gang, Director of the Banking
Research Institute at the National Institution
for Finance and Development (NIFD).
Scale and innovation
“As ecological progress enters a new era, the
banking sector is facing great challenges,” said
Li Yang, NIFD Chairman.
First, financial institutions must change
their business concepts. Commercial banks
UHJDUGSURĶWDVWKHLUXOWLPDWHJRDOEXWLQWKH
future they must change this idea and take
into account more non-economic factors.
Second, the business models of the
banking sector must be reformed. Currently
commercial banks primarily rely on favor-
able taxation policies or subsidies from the
government to provide green credit. This is
necessary at this early stage, but commercial
banks must explore sustainable business
models for the future. The banking sector
must cooperate with related government
departments to establish green standards
for granting credit while exploring new busi-
nesses such as carbon trading.
“The banking sector has realized fast
growth in the scale of green financing, and
as the basic systems and standards are im-
proved, the sector will serve as the support
IRUHVWDEOLVKLQJWKHJUHHQĶQDQFLDOV\VWHPq
Lu said. He believes that in the future the
banking sector will accelerate the innovation
http://www.bjreview.com
of green financial products, such as green
ABS, a combination of green credit and fi-
nancial leasing, green investment and credit,
mortgages and environmental property
rights.
According to Lu, as the scale of green
ĶQDQFLQJJURZVJUHHQDVVHWVDUHEHLQJUDS
idly accumulated. The development of green
investment businesses such as green funds,
assets administration and property manage-
ment is important to increase the liquidity
of green assets and improve the overall ap-
peal of the market. Against the backdrop of
advancing mixed banking operations, the
ĶQDQFLDOLQVWLWXWLRQVoHIIRUWVWRSURPRWHWKH
GHYHORSPHQWRIJUHHQĶQDQFHDQGHVWDEOLVK
DQLQWHJUDODUUD\RIJUHHQĶQDQFLDOSURGXFWV
will significantly facilitate their business
transformation. Banking institutions must
set up and improve their internal manage-
ment systems for green finance, establish
appropriate business procedures, strengthen
PDUNHWVWXGLHVRQJUHHQĶQDQFHDQGHIIHF
tively identify and evaluate environmental
risks.
Zeng said the banking sector’s backup
WRJUHHQĶQDQFHLQYROYHVLQQRYDWLRQLQERWK
products and business management. For
example, some commercial banks have set
up new departments or business units for
HQYLURQPHQWDOĶQDQFH
Policy support
Chen believes that in the future the govern-
ment must focus on making green finance
more sustainable so as to better serve the
country’s development goals. Key measures
include better deploying the role of incentives
BUSINESS
such as macro prudential assessment and
HQKDQFLQJWKHDSSHDORIWKHJUHHQĶQDQFHPDU
ket. More efforts should also be made to build
XQLIRUPDQGH[HFXWDEOHJUHHQSURMHFWVWDQGDUGV
DQGJUHHQĶQDQFHVWDQGDUGVHQKDQFH&KLQDoV
international leadership in green finance and
LQWHQVLI\LQQRYDWLRQVRIJUHHQĶQDQFLDOSURGXFWV
and service systems in order to better satisfy the
GLYHUVLĶHGLQYHVWPHQWDQGĶQDQFLQJGHPDQGV
Lu said if government policies can bet-
WHUFRPELQHpJUHHQqDQGpĶQDQFHqWKHQWKH
PDUNHWGULYHQGHYHORSPHQWRIJUHHQĶQDQFH
will be accelerated considerably. He sug-
gested the government reduce the required
reserve ratio for commercial banks specifi-
FDOO\IRUJUHHQĶQDQFHEXVLQHVVHV
$WSUHVHQWDOWKRXJKPDQ\JUHHQSURM
ects are profitable, they are still unable to
source enough funds, and the rate of return
IRUPRVWJUHHQSURMHFWVLVQRWKLJKGXHWRH[
ternal reasons. To solve these problems, the
government must provide more incentives,
such as discounted and guaranteed loans.
Zeng believes green finance should be
a multilevel and diversified system, which
includes not only the support of bank credit,
EXWDOVRGLUHFWĶQDQFLQJHTXLW\LQYHVWPHQW
and the trading of carbon emission rights.
6LQFHWKHUHPD\EHĶQDQFLDOGHULYDWLYHVDQG
the participation of funds from the insurance
sector in the future, green finance needs
more guidance and incentives from the
regulatory authority. Q
Copyedited by Laurence Coulton
&RPPHQWVWRZDQJMXQ#EMUHYLHZFRP
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 37
BUSINESS

Clicks and Mortar

Competition is giving way to harmony between physical and online stores
By Deng Yaqing

I
t’s lunchtime and streams of people stroll IURPZKLFKRIßLQHUHWDLOLVHPHUJLQJVKRXOG
2I¾óLQHó5HWDLO around GoMarket, a convenience store in
%HLMLQJoV&KDR\DQJ'LVWULFWZKHUHLPSRUW
be seen as a transformative experience that
ZLOOXOWLPDWHO\SURYHEHQHĶFLDOWRWKHIXWXUH
(2017) snacks and healthy beverages are sold to the of the sector as a whole.
white collar workers who frequent the neigh- “Offline retail has reacted in time and
Sales of physical borhood. “These days, convenience stores have KDVPDGHWKHULJKWDGMXVWPHQWVZKLFKKDYH
retailers rose become cleaner and more customer-friendly. sharpened its unique advantage in satisfying
Sometimes, I have my lunch here, and it’s also consumers’ demands. Now, the chances are
3 percentage DVXLWDEOHSODFHWRWDNHDVWUROORQFH,oYHĶQLVKHG it may win back customer favor,” said Li.
4.6% points eating,” said Li Weiliang, a bank clerk who works Looking back through the history of the
faster than the
nearby. EXVLQHVVZRUOGLWLVKDUGWRĶQGDQH[DPSOH
previous year
(y.o.y.) The recent sprouting of small conve- of a commercial activity dominated by a
nience stores is part of an upward trend and single business model.
2SHUDWLQJSURĶWVRI a reflection of China’s recovering physical “Now, online and offline integration is
physical retailers rose retail sales. According to statistics from the underway, and the two are moving forward
6.5 Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), the sales shoulder to shoulder,” said Ren Guoqiang,
percentage of the 2,700 typical retail companies nation- senior partner of Roland Berger Strategy
8.0% points wide rose 4.6 percent in 2017, 3 percentage Consultants.
faster than
the previous points faster than the growth speed of the Physical stores are actively embracing
(y.o.y.) year SUHYLRXV\HDUZKLOHWRWDOSURĶWVFOLPEHG new technology in pursuit of transformation
percent, 11 percentage points faster over and upgrading, while e-commerce players
7RWDOSURĶWVRISK\VLFDO the same period. are trying to infiltrate the offline world and
retailers rose China’s retail industry had begun to energize brick-and-mortar stores, Ren noted.
11 show signs of a return to stable growth in “More and more Chinese retail compa-
percentage 2017, but the recovery of physical retail nies have come to realize that the way out
7.1% points will go even further this year according to lies in tackling the issues faced by consump-
faster than the MOFCOM spokesman Gao Feng, speaking tion and improving consumer experience
previous year at a press conference in January. But a few through the innovation of business patterns
(y.o.y.)
years ago, brick-and-mortar stores were and improvement of operation capacity,”
said Ren.
Online Retail scraping a living, squeezed by aggressive on-
line competitors. What exactly is behind this
(2017) turnaround in fortune? Changes afoot
The mutual prosperity of physical and online
Sales of online retailers
rose
Reaching synergy stores has been facilitated by the integration of
Online retail sales hit 7.2 trillion yuan ($1.15 upstream and downstream business, the multi-
trillion) last year, an increase of 32.2 percent. plication of business models and the stretching
Sales totaled “Physical and online stores don’t necessarily out of sales channels.
7.2 tln yuan negate one another. Survival of the fittest is In developing new business models,
the name of the game,” Li Keaobo, Executive BingoBox and Taocafe are leading the way
32.2% by exploring unmanned convenience stores,
Secretary General of the Center for China in
the World Economy, Tsinghua University, told while Yonghui Superstore’s brand Super
People’s Daily. Species has pioneered a new format by com-
E-commerce alone should not be bining supermarkets with catering.
(y.o.y.) blamed for the lame performance registered Some retail companies have also started
E\RIßLQHUHWDLORYHUWKHSDVWIHZ\HDUVDQG making use of advanced information tech-
(Source: Ministry of Commerce; nology in multiple marketing channels,
SRWHQWLDOVWLOOH[LVWVIRUWKHRIßLQHPDUNHWDF
designed by Pamela Tobey) such as mobile terminals, self-service stores,
cording to Li, who believes the frosty period
38 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018 http://www.bjreview.com

&XVWRPHUVEX\GDLO\FRPPRGLWLHVLQDVHOIVHUYLFHVXSHUPDUNHWRSHQHGE\-'FRPLQ7LDQMLQRQ-DQXDU\
physical outlets and television shopping
platforms. China’s largest e-commerce com-
pany Alibaba is pushing ahead with online-
offline integration by linking arms with
Intime Department Store, retail conglomer-
ate Bailian and supermarket chain RT-Mart.
&RQYHUVHO\%HLMLQJEDVHG:XPDUW6WRUHV,QF
KDVMRLQHGKDQGVZLWKPRELOHDSS'PDOOWR
provide a supermarket self-checkout service.
In addition, some retail players are en-
ergetically promoting the extension of the
supply chain toward the production end in
order to reduce costs, match output with
demand and improve cold-chain logistics
and fresh food supply chains.
At the same time, retail giants are speed-
ing up their plans to infiltrate small and
medium cities, towns and rural markets.
http://www.bjreview.com
JD.com is striving to establish its supermar-
kets in small cities, while Suning aims to
open 1,000 outlet stores in rural areas.
“China’s retail industry should maintain
the momentum we are seeing in its innova-
tion,” said Ren, noting that innovation should
EHWDUJHWHGDWVSHFLĶFFRQVXPHUJURXSVDQG
pain points.
The coexistence of multiple channels
represents a long-term trend,” said Wang
Chen, CEO of the GoMarket convenience
store chain, in an interview with People’s
Daily. He suggested that the owners of physi-
cal stores adopt Internet thinking in their
EXVLQHVVRSHUDWLRQVZLWKRQOLQHDQGRIßLQH
operations able to complement each other.
According to Li, the environment for
the development of the retail industry still
BUSINESS
XINHUA
needs to be improved. No matter if brick-
and-mortar retailers seek to expand online
or vice versa, a fair and ordered competitive
environment is indispensable.
At present, online sales account for 15
percent of physical commodity sales. This
given, proper supervision is quite necessary
for the healthy development of the retail in-
dustry, said Li.
“Efforts should be made to further
standardize supervision and bridge the insti-
WXWLRQDOFRVWJDSEHWZHHQRQOLQHDQGRIßLQH
retail, in order to put in place a level playing
ĶHOGIRUWKHKHDOWK\GHYHORSPHQWRIHFRP
merce and traditional retail in the long run,”
said Li. Q
Copyedited by Laurence Coulton
&RPPHQWVWRGHQJ\DTLQJ#EMUHYLHZFRP
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 39
BUSINESS MARKET WATCH
OPINION
Manufacturing Activity Holds Steady
O
IĶFLDOGDWDVKRZHGRQ-DQXDU\WKDWDO
though China’s factory activity expanded
at a slower pace in January, it still stood
well above the boom-bust line, bolstering evi-
dence of a stable broader economy.
The manufacturing purchasing manag-
ers’ index (PMI) came in at 51.3 for January
compared with 51.6 in December last year,
according to the National Bureau of Statistics
(NBS). A reading above 50 indicates expansion,
while a reading below shows contraction.
Despite the slowdown, the index, which
was the same one year ago, suggests that
factory activity remains steady, according to
NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe.
Echoing Zhao’s comments, Bloomberg
economist Tom Orlik said that although the
market may focus on the decline, “small
movements in the PMI are not particularly
meaningful, and the basic picture of growth
at a steady, if unspectacular, pace remains
unchanged.”
The manufacturing PMI has been posi-
tive for 18 straight months.
Sub-indices for production and new orders
also dropped slightly to 53.5 and 52.6, which
Zhao partly attributes to the fact that some
An assembly line producing LED lights in Qinhuangdao, north China’s Hebei Province, on January 30
40 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018
industries entering the slack season weighed
down growth in supply and demand.
“But manufacturers of consumer
products saw more increases due to the
upcoming Spring Festival holiday [from
February 15 to 21],” he said. Sectors includ-
ing farm produce processing, food and
beverages, textiles and garments, and medi-
cine saw robust growth.
“Consumption has demonstrated its role
in driving the economy,” Zhao added.
The Chinese economy is shifting to a
consumption-led growth model, weaning it-
self off a reliance on exports and investment.
Consumption accounted for 58.8 percent of
economic growth last year.
Meanwhile, sub-indices for raw material
inventories, employment and supplier deliv-
ery times were still lower than 50. “Businesses
saw easing pressure from operating costs,”
Zhao said.
The NBS data also showed that the non-
manufacturing sector has picked up the
pace, with its PMI in January standing at 55.3,
up from 55 in December and 54.6 for the
same month last year. The index has been
on a gaining streak for three months.
XINHUA
The service sector, another economic
driver accounting for more than half of the
country’s GDP, reported stronger expan-
sion with its sub-index rising to 54.4 from
53.4 in December. Retail, aviation, telecoms,
information technology, banking and other
commercial services are also looking robust.
“The earliest data for 2018 suggest
China’s growth momentum is steady, though
with some warning signs as export orders
fall and the industrial reflation cycle turns
down,” Orlik said, adding that optimism on
growth prospects remains high.
%HLMLQJEDVHG LQYHVWPHQW EDQN &,&&
predicted a “good start” for the economy
this year in a research note, citing continued
industrial strength and a pick-up in demand.
7KHFRPELQHGSURĶWVRI&KLQDoVPDMRULQ
GXVWULDOĶUPVVXUJHGSHUFHQWODVW\HDUWKH
IDVWHVWVLQFHp3URĶWDELOLW\PD\LPSURYH
further in mid-to-downstream industries with
the rising inflationary impulse in consumer
goods,” said the CICC report.
China’s economy expanded by a fore-
cast-beating 6.9 percent in 2017, speeding
XSIRUWKHĶUVWWLPHLQVHYHQ\HDUVDQGZHOO
above the government’s annual target of
around 6.5 percent.
Given this resilience, many financial
institutions at home and abroad have an-
nounced plans to raise their growth forecast
for this year.
Nonetheless, concerns are on the rise
as January’s PMI data showed softened ex-
port growth as overseas demand started to
retreat after the Christmas and New Year
holidays. The revival in exports is considered
a significant factor for China to sustain its
economic growth.
Orlik warned of impacts from trade
IULFWLRQVZLWKWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVZKLFKMXVW
raised tariffs on washing machines and so-
ODUSDQHOVPDMRUSURGXFWVIURP&KLQDDQG
South Korea.
The holiday factor led to seasonal
volatility in economic indicators, including
trade data, which is normal and is not in-
dicative of a wider trend in 2018, the Bank
of Communications said in a report. “The
manufacturing PMI will rise after March and
remain in expansion territory,” it said. Q
This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published
by Xinhua News Agency
Copyedited by Laurence Coulton
&RPPHQWVWR\XVKXMXQ#EMUHYLHZFRP
http://www.bjreview.com
 MARKET WATCH BUSINESS
NUMBERS
($1=6.31 yuan)

China’s Auto Industry

56% 2017 560,000 units
Year-on-year revenue Number of Units Growth Number of cars recalled
growth of China’s Output by Changan Ford
e-commerce giant Alibaba Automobile Co. Ltd. due
for the quarter ended 29.02
mln 3.19% to defective brake hoses
December 31, 2017
Sales
28.88
mln 3.04%

2.24 tln yuan

36.4% Car Sales in China by Brand Origin Shenzhen’s GDP in
Year-on-year revenue Proportion of total, 2017 2017, an increase of 8.8
growth of Macao’s percent
gaming industry
Others
in January 0.72% Chinese
French 43.88%
1.84%
South Korean 4.63%
U.S. German
13.9%
12.30% 19.62% Growth of the total value
202.9 bln yuan Japanese of imports and exports
Revenue of the State 17.01% in Tibet Autonomous
Power Investment Corp., Region in 2017
China’s state energy giant,
in 2017
Top 10 Automakers in China
2017
SAIC 2.82 mln
10.7%
Changan 1.66 mln Growth of the industrial
305.7 bln kwh Dongfeng 1.48 mln
added value of China’s
China’s wind power machinery sector
generation in 2017, Geely 1.31 mln in 2017, up 1.1
accounting for 4.8 percentage points
percent of the country’s BAIC 1.27 mln compared with 2016
total power output, up 0.7
Great Wall 1.07 mln
percentage point on the
year before Chery 588,800

FAW 571,500
Guangzhou
Automobile 510,200
JAC 505,200

0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0

(Source: China Association of Automobile Manufacturers)

http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 41

CULTURE
Splendid Isolation
A low budget film about the loneliness of the elderly strikes a chord
in China By Li Nan
A
fter first watching A Loner, renowned
Hong Kong director Derek Yee Tung-
sing didn’t slip out of the cinema unseen
once the lights went out as he had originally
planned. Were it not for the invitation of an old
friend in June 2017, Yee would never have been
VLWWLQJWKHUHZDWFKLQJDQDUWKRXVHĶOPRQWKH
loneliness of twilight years by a young, relatively
unknown director named Xing Xiao. And yet
there he was, gripped by the considered and el-
egant storytelling, eyes glued to the screen until
WKHĶQDOFUHGLWVUROOHGp,WoVZHOOFRQVWUXFWHGDQG
worthy of high praise,” said Yee.
:HL'D[XHSOD\HGE\=KX;LMXDQHDWVDORQHLQKHUKRPHLQDVWLOOIURPWKHĶOPA Loner
44 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018
A LonerVWDUV\HDUROG=KX;LMXDQD
SUHHPLQHQWĶJXUHLQWKH&KLQHVHĶOPLQGXVWU\
and recipient of the first best actress award
since the founding of the People’s Republic
of China in 1949. It depicts the lonely and
tragic life of an elderly widow, Wei Daxue. Wei’s
daughter works in Shanghai, and Wei herself
lives with a dog in an old quadrangle courtyard
KRPHLQGRZQWRZQ%HLMLQJ6KHLVLQWURYHUWHG
and seldom talks with others, spending her
days walking her dog and watching TV dramas.
While the occasional phone conversation
ZLWKKHUGDXJKWHUEULQJVMR\WRKHURWKHUZLVH
cheerless life, her daughter is usually too busy
to talk. Wei wallows in loneliness, and ultimate-
ly dies watching TV, with several days passing
before anyone notices.
Insiders’ applause
The film aims to highlight the struggles faced
by some seniors in China, and the all too often
inadequateness of their care. Figures from
the Ministry of Civil Affairs show that there
were around 150 million Chinese aged 65 and
above by the end of 2016, 10.8 percent of
FILE
http://www.bjreview.com

the country’s total population and 3.8
percentage points higher than the UN
threshold for an aging society.
“Wei’s problem is universal in the
world. Everyone grows old. How to
HQMR\GHFHQWDQGPHDQLQJIXOWZLOLJKW
years is a challenge for us all. We should
pay more attention to the elderly in our
society,” Zhu told Beijing Review.
Xing, 35 and a director with the
&KLQD)LOP*URXS&RUSKDVVHYHQĶOPV
to his name including China’s first 3D
movie Don Quixote, having won two
awards including best new director at
the Third Macao International Movie
Festival. A LonerPDUNV;LQJoVĶUVWIRUD\
LQWRWKHZRUOGRIDUWKRXVHĶOP
“I have worked in the industry for
14 years. The more I devote to my
work, the less time I can spare for my
parents. I feel guilty about this and so
,GHFLGHGWRSURGXFHWKLVĶOPWRVKRZ
my respect to them,” Xing told Beijing
Review.
“I hope that everyone who watches
WKHĶOPZLOOHLWKHUFDOOWKHLUSDUHQWVRU
go home and give their parents a big
hug,” he said, adding that he invited his
PRWKHUWROLYHZLWKKLPLQ%HLMLQJDIWHU
WKHFRPSOHWLRQRIWKHĶOP
“It’s good to be with my mother,”
Xing said.
Han Yeqiang, a scriptwriter with the
Xi’an-based Western Movie Group, felt
the same guilt after watching A Loner. “It ;LQJ;LDRGLUHFWRURIWKHĶOPA Loner
reminds us that we need to spend more
time with our parents,” Han told Beijing
Review.
Yee and Han are not the only ones in
the film industry to be moved by A Loner.
Before its premiere in January, the film had
been shortlisted for four international prizes
including the Chinese Film Festival Award
at the 41st Montreal World Film Festival and
the Golden Angel Award at the 13th China-U.
S. Film Festival in 2017. A Loner was also
SUHVHQWHGDWĶYHGRPHVWLFĶOPHYHQWVLQFOXG
ing the 26th Golden Rooster and Hundred
Flowers Film Festival, popularly known as the
Chinese Oscars. Leading actress Zhu won the
Jury Grand Prix Prize at the 20th Shanghai
International Film and TV Festival in June
2017.
Courtesy of its critical success, A Loner was
DOVRRQHRIGRPHVWLFĶOPVWRHQMR\DVXEVLG\ ĶYHWRVL[FOLSVVWLWFKHGWRJHWKHUEXWVRPHZKDW
rave reviews?
“The reality of life touches us,” said Yin
Hong, Professor with the Journalism and
Communication School of Tsinghua University,
p7KHSORWHYROYHVVORZO\)HZGLUHFWFRQßLFWVDUH
VHHQLQWKHĶOPKLJKOLJKWLQJWKHIHHOLQJRIORQH
liness from the very beginning to the end.”
“A Loner is not an amusing film. It has
neither dramatic plots nor superstars that can
entice young moviegoers. What I want to pres-
ent is my understanding of life and death,” Xing
said.
Professional dedication is another possible
explanation for the movie’s success. For Zhu,
the most unforgettable part of the film is her
character’s seven minute monologue.
“I thought that the scene might require
CULTURE
WEI YAO
“It is difficult to get funding for
art-house films,” Xing said, describ-
ing how the day before shooting was
scheduled to start, he still didn’t have
all the money at his disposal. Due to
the tight budget, the production team
had to finish all the 1,000 plus shots
in a month. It meant that the cast had
to work 10 hours a day for 26 straight
days.
However, the remuneration for
the leading actress was some 100,000
yuan ($15,874), less than one 10th of
what it would cost to pay a young star
WRDWWHQGDSURPRWLRQDOHYHQWRIMXVW
a few hours. “I was very anxious giving
the script to Zhu. After all she is a re-
nowned veteran actress,” said Xing.
To Xing’s surprise, Zhu agreed
WRVWDULQWKHĶOPZLWKRXWDVNLQJIRU
so much as a penny more for her
payment.
“Society should show more love
for the elderly. I love the character and
I love dogs so I thought it was worth
a try. For us old people, money is not
what we strive for,” said Zhu.
When asked about her views on
the exorbitant amounts of money de-
manded by popular young actors who
often underperform in films, Zhu re-
spectfully replied that “time is the best
test for their careers. In life only the
best survive in the long run. I believe
that as time passes this generation
will grow up and understand that they
have to improve.”
Box office plight
A LonerHQMR\VDJRRGUHSXWDWLRQLQĶOPFLUFOHV
EXWLWVER[RIĶFHSHUIRUPDQFHIDUIURPUHßHFWV
its critical acclaim. With screening opportunities
restricted to less than 1 percent of cinemas
QDWLRQZLGHLWKDVJURVVHGMXVW\XDQ
($30,166) in the 10 days following its release on
January 25.
Nonetheless, the film’s box office per-
formance has done nothing to affect Xing’s
VDWLVIDFWLRQp$OWKRXJKZHORVWDWWKHER[RIĶFH
we won the attention of film critics. It’s a film
made with great passion that expresses what
I want to express. I think A Loner has accom-
plished its mission,” said Xing.
“Will you try the art-house genre again in
the future?” asked Beijing Review.
RIPLOOLRQ\XDQIURPWKH%HLMLQJ remarkably, Zhu was able to pull it off in a single
p'HĶQLWHO\q;LQJUHSOLHG
Municipal Bureau of Press, Publication, Radio, extended shot,” said Xing. But Xing is not blind in his optimism
Film and Television in 2017. It took a whole day to get it right, and about what’s to come; Yee, so impressed by
the 80-year-old veteran actress was natu- A Loner, has agreed to be the producer of his
Quality throughout rally exhausted by the end. According to Xing, QH[WĶOPQ
+RZFDQDORZEXGJHWĶOPZLWKRXWWKHXVXDO the budget for A Loner was 3 million yuan
big hitting elements of the movie industry ($476,311), the lowest of any movie in his ca- Copyedited by Laurence Coulton
&RPPHQWVWROLQDQ#EMUHYLHZFRP
such as action or comedy have earned such reer to date.
http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 45
FORUM
What Should Today’s
Poets Write About?
G
uo Lusheng, a renowned poet popularly
known as Shizhi, has an important place
in the Chinese poetic circle, regarded as
the founder of the “misty” genre of Chinese
poetry. Yu Xiuhua, a new member of this circle,
came from a farming background. Yu, who has
had cerebral palsy since childhood, has endured
untold suffering in her life. Her poems, however,
are now well received by Chinese readers, and
have been bestsellers in recent times. Though
both are remarkable poets, Shizhi and Yu did
not have any interaction until recently, when he
openly criticized her at a book launch.
In a recent public speech, Shizhi de-
nounced Yu writing that to her, “an ideal
life was to drink coffee, read and talk, and
do similar leisurely things.” Shizhi scathing-
ly said that Yu has forgotten that a poet’s
responsibility is to think of the nation and
mankind. In Yu’s case, he said her respon-
sibility was to write about the pain and
Dear Readers,
Forum is a
column that
provides a space
for varying
perspectives on
contemporary
Chinese society.
We invite you to
submit personal
viewpoints on past
and current topics
(in either English
or Chinese).
EDLVKL#EMUHYLHZFRP
Please provide your name
and address along with
your comments
46 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018
misery of ordinary farmers and their pursuit
of a better life. In reply, Yu vehemently
claimed that Shizhi was insulting others be-
cause of his elevated position in the poetic
circle.
The public and media have reacted
strongly to their altercation, with different
people taking different views.
A brave voice
Tang Shan (Beijing Youth Daily): In his remark,
Shizhi expressed his concern for the future of
vernacular poetry, arguing that poems should
UHßHFWWKHOLIHRIWKHPDVVHVDQGWKHQDWXUHRID
nation. He expressed his dissatisfaction with Yu
Xiuhua’s way of life, instead of her work.
Shizhi is not commenting on readers’
indifference to culture, but is explaining
the many problems that vernacular poetry
faces. This shows his bravery and sense of
responsibility. It’s a pity that not many such
voices are heard these days. Many people
misunderstood Shizhi’s concerns.
The kind of anxiety embedded in
Shizhi’s criticism has been there since the
birth of Chinese vernacular poetry which
is much different from the classical style,
plaguing poets for generations.
Chinese society is heading toward di-
YHUVLĶFDWLRQVRLWoVQDWXUDOWRKHDUGLIIHUHQW
voices. As long as these voices do not dis-
tort the facts or exaggerate, they should be
shown tolerance. Shizhi could have chosen
to keep silent, but he did not. He expressed
his worries over the current situation and
over the future of vernacular poetry. Even
if he is unable to provide a solution, his
DSSHDODQGLQWURVSHFWLRQDUHVWLOORIVLJQLĶ
cance to Chinese vernacular poetry.
Poets should be free
Wang Xiaolei (blog.sina.com.cn): Even though
Yu is a poet now, in Shizhi’s mind, she is, first
of all, a farmer. Maybe even he himself has
not realized yet that he looks at Yu from the
perspective of class and identity and then con-
cludes that as a farmer poet, Yu should write
this but not that. This is an outdated way of
thinking. It’s a shame that a modern poet thinks
in this way.
Besides, is there any rule that a farmer
poet must write about the misery of farm-
ers’ lives and their desire for a better life?
In this kind of thinking, it’s taken for
granted that everyone from a certain class
must dress, speak and act in the same way,
and even their dreams should be similar.
Therefore, a farmer poet must focus on
the efforts to achieve a better life, instead
of talking about leisure in the afternoon
sunshine.
Of course, writing about things closely
related to one’s life will provide more depth
to the writing than if those things were
from another background. However, there
LVQRĶ[HGUXOHWKDWIRUELGVSRHWVWRWRXFK
upon topics that are not so relevant to
their own backgrounds.
Let’s come to Yu Xiuhua. What is the
kind of misery that she focuses on? What
is the kind of life she longs for? I personally
ĶQGWKDWKHUSRHPVUHßHFWWKHNLQGRIPLV
ery she feels as a woman, and I don’t think
there is anything wrong with that. Her sen-
timents expressed in her latest poems are a
far cry from what farmers are supposed to
care about, but it’s not a fault. As a woman,
she is totally entitled to care about female-
centric topics.
Not every poet is obligated to write
about the fate of the nation or even man-
kind. Those who write about women’s
sentiments and feelings are by no means
inferior to those who write about lofty
things like mankind and the nation.
Reasonable criticism
Tan Kexiu (www.ifeng.com): Shizhi shot to
fame because of his talent, not because of
his personal situation, and critics have always
praised his work. By contrast, Yu Xiuhua be-
came well-known due to her personal situation
becoming known to the public. It’s readers’
recognition that makes her what she is today.
6HOGRPGRHVVKHJHWSODXGLWVIURPDĶUVWFODVV
critic.
Shizhi’s criticism of Yu is not as bad
as some have said and denounced. In the
world of modern poetry, poets are free to
http://www.bjreview.com

choose the topics they are really interested
in, rather than writing about mankind’s fate
and the nation’s future. Yu became popular
as a farmer poet. The public was moved by
WKHNLQGRIPHODQFKRO\VKHWULHGWRSURMHFW
through her revelation of the many dark
or dull sides of their society in her poems.
Today, she has shaken off the farmer poet
label and that’s why these problems have
arisen.
We can try to understand her in this
way. After becoming famous, her perspec-
tive changed. In her eyes, a cozy and ideal
DIWHUQRRQLVĶOOHGZLWKOHLVXUHO\WKLQJVOLNH
drinking coffee, reading and talking. It’s
alright. Most people who get rich suddenly
choose to do so. Shizhi, on seeing this,
expressed his dissatisfaction with this kind
of mindset. The public went too far in de-
QRXQFLQJ6KL]KLMXVWEHFDXVHKHH[SUHVVHG
this sentiment.
Yu Xiuhua is labeled as a farmer poet
who has undergone various hardships.
6KHLVREYLRXVO\DEHQHĶFLDU\RIWKLVODEHO
6KHFHUWDLQO\KDVWKHULJKWWRDGMXVWKHU
image as a poet as she is elevated to a
higher social class, but the public also has
the right to express what they expect from
her, based on those works that made her
famous.
Li Qinyu (China Youth Daily): How
http://www.bjreview.com
should we look at Shizhi’s criticism of Yu
Xiuhua? This is a hard question for those
who are interested in vernacular poetry.
Indeed, to show interest in and concern for
the fate of the disadvantaged, the nation,
and mankind is an important task for poets.
Many of Shizhi’s opinions are reasonable,
and we need more poets like him.
However, he might have gone too far
by criticizing Yu on these grounds. Any
comment about Yu and her work must be
based on her personal background. She
has endured untold sufferings in life as she
has had cerebral palsy from childhood. She
yearned for a free life but this dream was
shattered by an unhappy marriage. In other
words, she spent the past decades of her
life grappling with fate.
She manages to write moving poems,
thanks to her sensitiveness to the brighter
VLGHRIOLIH6KHZDVDEOHWRĶQGSRHWLFPHO
ancholy in tedious daily life, which featured
such humdrum things as washing clothes,
cooking and taking her medicines. It’s un-
derstandable that she has more to say about
ordinary and even dull life than about big
topics like the nation and mankind. Besides,
her work is not totally lacking in the big top-
ics that Shizhi accused her of missing.
In literary comments, compassion and
understanding matters a lot. Shizhi is being
FORUM
LI SHIGONG
rebuked for criticizing Yu Xiuhua harshly,
because he lacks basic compassion and an
understanding of Yu’s case.
However, it’s not that whatever Shizhi
said about Yu is wrong. Shizhi shot to fame
in an era of changes and political passion.
His poems were about the fate of mankind
and such big topics. At that time, his po-
ems were very much valued. For poets, to
focus on idealism is a natural thing. By criti-
cizing Yu, Shizhi may have targeted not Yu
personally, but the whole poetry and poets’
circle in China, which is tainted by money-
worshipping and utilitarianism.
Shizhi is worried about farm life, but Yu
retorted that Chinese farmers are not liv-
ing a painful life. Therefore, Shizhi does not
fully understand what Yu is thinking about.
They need more communication to clear
up their misunderstanding.
The public should not be caught in
WKLVZDURIZRUGVRUWDNHVLGHV'LYHUVLĶHG
cultural values are what the poetic circle
in China is asking for. Our poems touch on
various topics and aspects of life. This has
always been a feature of Chinese culture.
China’s poetry circle needs poets like Shizhi
as well as poets like Yu Xiuhua. Q
Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BEIJING REVIEW 47
EXPAT’S EYE

A Spring Festival Encounter

By Jacqueline Miller

LI SHIGONG
n January, I acted in a short movie called I’m
spending Spring Festival in China. The dia-
logue was almost exclusively English, about
a Western family with a Mom, played by myself,
a Dad played by a Russian who had no lines,
their 20-year-old daughter Meghan, played by
a vivacious Australian intern at the company
SURGXFLQJWKHĶOPDQGD*UDQGSDSOD\HGE\D
talented Canadian.
Meghan gets a scholarship to study in
China and is worried about going since she
has heard negative things about the country,
but is encouraged by her Mom and Grandpa
to go. Upon arriving in China, she discov-
ers that these negative aspects are mostly
H[DJJHUDWHGDQGHQGVXSHQMR\LQJKHUWLPH
there with its combination of contemporary
and traditional charm, including the mod-
HUQ%HLMLQJDLUSRUWXVLQJDWD[LKDLOLQJDSS
shared bikes, and cupping. While Meghan is
celebrating the Spring Festival with a Chinese
friend, she has a video chat with her family
back home.
The location for the film was a swanky
villa, about an hour’s drive from downtown
%HLMLQJEXLOWLQDEL]DUUHLQWHUSUHWDWLRQRI tor was needed to help those actors who ity but could also be a source of annoyance
Western style. couldn’t understand Chinese, he called, “ABC when the director didn’t like our improvisa-
Mom appeared in two of the six scenes. come!” tion. Sometimes he thought we were too
7KHĶUVWZKLFKZDVWKHODVWWREHVKRWRQWKH The kitchen scene was my least favor- lethargic.
day, saw me in the kitchen preparing break- ite because in real life I loathe cooking and “Amazing!” I exclaimed, pretending to
fast. Meghan sulks at the kitchen counter having no children myself, I found being VHH0HJKDQHQMR\LQJD6SULQJ)HVWLYDOPHDO
because she is worried about going to China, maternal upon command to be difficult. I with her new Chinese friends. The actor play-
and when her mother learns what’s wrong, did, however, look the part in an oversized ing Grandpa said, “Meghan, where are you?”
she suggests Meghan ask Grandpa for advice sweater and large plastic glasses! I tried to asking “can you make dumplings now?”
because he used to work there. channel a cross between my own mother Meghan then shows her family a gift she has
While filming the scene, I had to multi- and matriarch Carol Brady from The Brady made for Grandpa: a new photo of Grandpa
task, using kitchen props and chatting at Bunch TV series into the role, doling out and his late wife which superimposes them
the same time. I was asked to roll around a maternal advice to her children from behind into the same location in China where an
piece of fruit and read my lines but it didn’t a counter, but the cold and exhaustion from original photo was taken. Grandpa slowly
look natural, so I tried cutting a stale piece DORQJGD\RIĶOPLQJSUHYHQWHGDVXFFHVVIXO takes off his glasses, a master act which had
of toast instead, careful not to cut myself performance. My Russian costar was so tired to convey the right mix of surprise, profound
while delivering my lines. While filming the he stole a nap in the family room downstairs emotion, a pinch of happiness and grief, and
camera was on a dolly and space was limited, when he wasn’t needed. be perfectly timed. Mom then wraps her arm
so my large feet could only barely squeeze The second scene I was involved in was around Grandpa’s shoulder to comfort him.
between the track and the kitchen counter. in the living room. I felt better in that setting, At the end of the day, I felt I had bonded
$QRWKHUFKDOOHQJHZDVWKDWP\ĶOPGDXJK ZRUNLQJLQDQRIĶFHLQUHDOOLIHVHDWHGLQIURQW with my foreign film family on the set over
ter and I were freezing since there was no of a laptop. It was a cozy moment with me, our shared challenges and experiences, and
heat in the house, even though the commu- Grandpa and Dad sitting on the couch and felt the Spring Festival spirit kindled within
nity we were in was ironically called Oriental Skyping with Meghan, who was celebrating me. I hope we will reunite one day for an-
Hawaii. the Spring Festival in China. While pretending RWKHUSURMHFWQ
When it was time for me to approach to Skype, we had to stare at the computer
the kitchen counter, the director, who could screen, wave excitedly and say hi to Meghan.
hardly speak English, ran down the stairs and 7KHDXWKRULVDQ$PHULFDQOLYLQJLQ%HLMLQJ
7KHUHZHUHQRĶ[HGOLQHVKHUHVRZHKDGWR Copyedited by Laurence Coulton
yelled, “Mom, come out!” When the transla- LPSURYLVHZKLFKDGGHGßH[LELOLW\DQGFUHDWLY

48 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 15, 2018 http://www.bjreview.com