Poverty Alleviation through Education

At a recent international conference， an official from Chinas Ministry of Education revealed that poverty alleviation through education will be a priority for the Chinese government over the next five years. In order to achieve this goal， rural schools will be staffed with more teachers to close the urban-rural education gap.

According to Wang Dinghua， director general of the Teachers Affairs Department of the Ministry of Education， the state will recruit trainee teachers from the least developed regions around the country – particularly the 832 prefectures/counties classed as “impoverished” – and encourage them to work in their hometowns after graduation.

Graduate teachers will be offered various incentives， including reimbursement of their tuition fees. Emphasis will be placed on the training of teachers in disciplines which are in high demand but short supply， like special education teachers and bilingual teachers in regions with large ethnic minority populations. The state hopes these measures will help rural schools to recruit sufficient teachers， retain their staff and improve teaching quality.

Healthy China 2030： Goals Set

The recently released “Outline for a Healthy China 2030” program sets national health goals for 2030. These include increasing the average life span to 79 years， creating healthy living and working environments for Chinese citizens， and ensuring food and drug safety.

The country will also upgrade its healthcare system and fitness service system， boost science & technology innovations in the health sector， and build a bigger， stronger health industry. Meanwhile laws and regulations will be made or improved to enhance the nations management and governance of its health sector.

The outline also listed a number of achievements China has made in public health. By 2015 the average life span for Chinese people had increased to 76.34 years. Chinas infant mortality rate fell to 8.1 per thousand， the mortality rate of children under five fell to 10.7 per thousand， and the rate of death in pregnancy was stated as 20.1 in every 100，000. These figures are all above the average level for mediumincome and high-income countries. These improvements have laid a crucial cornerstone for the construction of a well-off society in all respects.

Job Creation Target Hit

China created 10.67 million new urban jobs in the first nine months of this year， reaching its annual target of 10 million ahead of schedule. In addition to this， 1.25 million people from disadvantaged backgrounds were assigned jobs， exceeding the annual target of 1.2 million.

At the end of the third quarter of 2016， the urban unemployment rate stood at 4.04 percent， below the 2016 target of 4.5 percent， and there was a surplus of jobs in 100 Chinese cities. Incomes have steadily increased. At the end of September， nine provinces had increased the minimum wage by an average 10.7 percent. Shanghai now has the highest minimum wage in the country at RMB 2，190 per month.

First Cybersecurity Law Adopted

On November 7， 2016， Chinas top legislature， the National Peoples Congress （NPC）， adopted a cybersecurity law to safeguard cyberspace sovereignty， national security， and the rights of citizens.

The government will take measures to “monitor， defend and handle cybersecurity risks and threats originating from within the country or overseas sources， so protecting key information infrastructure from attack， intrusion， disturbance and damage，” the law states.

The law has clarified responsibilities and obligations for governments， enterprises， operators and individuals， “and increased the protection of personal information，” Yang Heqing， deputy director of the Office for Economic Law， part of the NPC Standing Committees Legislative Affairs Commission， said at a press conference.

The Cybersecurity Law will come into effect on June 1， 2017.

Activity

Tetris

Date： December 16-18， 2016

Place： Shanghai Himalayas Center

Price： RMB 80/180/280/380

Based on the popular video game， Tetris swaps blocks for bodies on a theater stage. Dancers flip over， slide under， or pile on top of each other， forming various shapes. Through their performance， we learn how to make connections and fit with others while remaining true to ourselves. It is a highly interactive performance that invites audience participation.

Burn the Floor

Date： December 21-22， 2016

Place： Shenzhen Grand Theater

Price： RMB 180/280/380/480/680/880

Burn the Floor， a live dance show initiated in 1997， has toured 130 countries and regions. This impressive performance has previously played on Broadway in New York City and in Londons West End. The show features former contestants of various international versions of Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance.