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A Game of Chicken

On December 18， 2012， China Central Television reported that chicken farmers in Shandong Province were injecting the birds with synthetic hormones and antibiotics to accelerate growth， some of which supply fast food chains such as KFC.

The “instant adult chicken” incident has cast shadow on one of the worlds largest fast food chains. Despite roaring public concern， KFC hasnt taken specific action yet. In fact， KFC has faced food safety concerns many times in recent years， but was rarely punished. Supervising authorities seem to grant more leniency to international fast food chains such as KFC.

If food safety regulations are not properly implemented and enforced， it not only hurts consumers， but could also decimate the food industry. Just like the “instant adult chicken，” it appears mature， but remains weak.（Li Kangning， Huanqiu.com）

Box Office Lesson

Lost in Thailand， a comedy directed by and starring Xu Zheng and co-starring Wang Baoqiang and Huang Bo， arrived at Chinese theaters on December 12， 2012. That day alone， it earned 39 million yuan at box office. Just five days after its release， the film had pocketed nearly 310 million yuan and broken several Chinese box office records， including the highest one-day take for a domestic movie.

Even more surprising is that the production cost only 14 million yuan， plus another 10 million to market it. Although the low-budget movie lacks amazing visual effects and A-list stars， its artistic qualities have been praised by both critics and spectators. Many of the laughs in the film are inspired by daily life， which hit close to home with many Chinese moviegoers.

The film teaches many big-budget filmmakers a good lesson： Be true to the audience. Just as Xu Zheng said， “A good comedy should be intimate with the audience.”（Geng Yinping， Xinhuanet.com）

Economic Conference Seeks Healthy Growth

From December 15-16， 2012， the annual Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing to map out macroeconomic plans for the coming year.

The conference didnt set a certain goal for GDP growth in 2013， but stressed enhancing quality and returns on economic development and ensuring steady， forward growth. According to analysts， this indicates that Chinas top leadership stopped focusing on quantitative economic goals， and is beginning to pay more attention to the quality of economic growth.

“GDP growth will drop to a secondary priority，” opines Professor Huo Deming from the China Center for Economic Research at Peking University. “The focus of economic policy for 2013 will shift to maintaining steady， consistent economic development and accelerating the growth of residents income.”

Some experts estimate that Chinas GDP will increase by 7.5 percent in 2013. “China will not pursue an 8 percent growth rate specifically， but the rate will remain healthy，” illustrates Huo.

Undervalued at Work

A recent survey conducted by a Canadian research firm shows that 84 percent of Chinese people think they are undervalued in work， the highest rate in the world.

Although the figure seems high， no one can deny that a large chunk of the Chinese workforce feels that way. One important reason is that the nations “elite-oriented” educational mode strays from the demands of the employment market. Many graduates find that col- lege didnt provide the skills they need for the workplace.

Another factor lies in uneven opportunity. Those with powerful parents can more easily achieve successful careers， while massive amounts of talent go to waste. An easy fix is unimaginable， but the phenomenon is certainly worth pondering.（Wu Jiang， People.com.cn）

Buzzwords

Aircraft Carrier Style

﹙“航母Style”﹚ The phrase “aircraft carrier style”， or alternately “takeoff style，” can be traced to November 25， 2012， when China announced the successful landing of a fighter jet on its first aircraft carrier， Liaoning. An official photo showed two technicians on the carrier crouching and pointing to signal the fighter pilots， which sparked a national trend of striking a pose and posting the photo online.

To Love or Not To Love

﹙“12，12，12，要愛，要愛，要愛”﹚ December 12， 2012， marks a numerical date reading 12-12-12. Its Chinese pronunciation sounds similar to “To Love， To Love， To Love.” For this reason， the day was dubbed “The Century Day of Love.”Many young lovers made proposals or scheduled weddings then. According to statistics from the Beijing Civil Affairs Department， more than 7，000 couples in Beijing alone registered to wed on that day.

Gaofushuai vs. Diaosi

﹙“高富帥”vs.“屌絲”﹚

The term “Gaofushuai”， literally “Tall， Rich， and Handsome，” is a new internet buzzword referring to a man with physique， looks， and wealth so ideal that he easily wins favor with women. Its antonym， “Diaosi”， originated on Baidu Tieba（a Chinese bulletin board） related to soccer player Li Yi. Lis fans were first called“Diaosi” for the rude and dirty language in their posts. The term was eventually adopted for single， young men who dont earn much money， arent very good-looking， and find difficulty getting promotions. The ubiquity of the term is the result of a self-mocking trend prevailing today.