Society

New Schedule for Chinese Railways

China Railway Corp， the State-owned rail operator， introduced a new service schedule on July 1 to meet the booming public demand. The new plan， marking the most significant changes since 2007， puts the number of Chinese passenger trains in service at 4，894， of which 2，660 are CRH high-speed bullet trains running at speeds of more than 200 km per hour. Chinas highspeed bullet trains now make up more than half of the countrys railway services. China has the longest high-speed railway network in the world， with more than 10，000 km in operation. It is also actively promoting Chinese high-speed railway technology to other countries， including Turkey， Thailand， and the United Kingdom.

War Criminal Archives Made Public

Starting on July 3， Chinas State Archives Administration began to publish online the confessions of 45 Japanese war criminals， one every day. The release includes scans of the original manuscript in Japanese， with Chinese and English translations. The documents detail a wide range of crimes against humanity committed by the Japanese army. The atrocities exposed include production and use of biological weapons， use of poisonous gas， live human experimentation， massacres of civilians， mass rape， and sexual slavery. Earlier this year the administration applied to UNESCO to list documents relating to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and the “comfort women” on the Memory of the World Register.

Chinas Private Wealth Second Only to the U.S.

The annual global wealth report by the Boston Consulting Group （BCG） disclosed that Chinese households had the second-richest private fortunes last year， trailing behind the U.S. The report also states that the worlds total private wealth rose by 14.6 percent in 2013 since the previous year， reaching US $152 trillion. Growth in the Asia-Pacific region （excluding Japan） was a steep 31 percent， with a volume of US $37 trillion. This strong momentum is credited to Chinas gains， which had an annual growth of 49.2 percent and reached US $22 trillion in 2013. This places China at the No.2 slot worldwide， followed by Japan， the U.K. and Germany. The private wealth tallied by the report covers cash holdings， bank savings， stocks and other assets excluding real estate， luxury goods and private corporate assets.

New Job Promotion Program for College Graduates

An employment support scheme for fresh college graduates kicked off in Beijing on July 4， aiming to find jobs for one million new graduates over the next three years. Jointly sponsored by China City Public Welfare Dissemination Alliance， Psych China Group， and Zhu Zhe Jiao Yu， a training provider for architects， the project rallies public resources to improve employment prospects for young people. With reforms to Chinas educational system and expansion of university enrollment， higher education is no longer for the elite but accessible to most of the Chinese population. Last year new college graduates reached a record 6.99 million， which is expected to reach 7.27 million this year. The spike in the educated population has resulted in intense competition on the job market. The new program is intended to help graduates transition from campus to workplace.

2014 Asian Youth Orchestra Concert

Date： August 12， 2014

Place： Concert Hall of the National Center for the Performing Arts

Price： RMB 80/120/160/240/300/360/480

The Asian Youth Orchestra was founded in 1987. Its 100 members are among the finest young musicians in Asian countries. Chosen through highly competitive auditions， they get together for six weeks each summer for international concert tours with celebrated conductors and solo artists. Cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Mischa Maisky as well as violinists Gidon Kremer and Gil Shaham are among those who have performed with the orchestra.

Wilten Boys Choir Concert

Date： August 17， 2014

Place： Xian Concert Hall

Price： RMB 100/180/280/380/480

The Wilten Boys Choir is one of the oldest boys choirs in Europe. Its history dates back to the 13th century. The choir has appeared at major international and regional events including the World Skiing Championship in 2001. It often performs on TV and radio. The choir has been invited to perform in many countries including Belgium， Denmark， Germany， France， Italy， Czech Republic and Japan.