LETTERS

I read your September issue with great interest. My hometown is in Lingqiu County of Shanxi Province， where the Battle of Pingxingguan took place in 1937. It ended in the Eighth Route Armys first triumph in the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. We were very proud to read Baiyatai villager Zeng Shirongs recollections how his father acted as guide for the Communist-led Eighth Route Army during the battle. A great number of senior villagers shared such memories， but most have died and no written records of that time remain. I hope the world will read these reports and appreciate Chinas great sacrifice and contributions to the World War II effort.

Wang Peng

China

As CEO of the earth village network www.dqcmw.com and secretary-general of the World Institute of Ecological Civilization， my greatest wish is to make contributions to world ecology， and in particular to improving Chinas troubled environment. I now live in Beijing， a capital city shrouded in fog and haze throughout most of the winter months. All world habitants know that sustainable development is essential for our offspring. Therefore， the reports on the Kubuqi International Desert Forum drew my attention， prompting me to republish these articles on our website and share Elions green economy mode with more readers globally.

Han Xiongliang

China

In recent years， we hear too much talk of Chinas serious envi-ronmental issues. It was interesting to read about the Kubuqi miracle and Mr. Wang Wenbiaos personal story. I agree that China is capable of protecting the ecology. As discussed in the forum， the Kubuqi experience will indeed help to improve Chinas environmental conditions. But I hope also that Mr. Wang Wenbiao and his group give full consideration to the side effects and ensure a winwin development mode in the coming years.

José Berches

France

Since the beginning of Ramadan， foreign media have misinter- preted and distorted Chinese policies toward religion. They say that the Chinese government prohibits Muslims in Xinjiang Ugyur Autonomous Region from celebrating Ramadan. Such misleading reports have led to anti-Chinese protests in Turkey， evident in attacks there on Chinese tourists and vandalization of Chinese restaurants. I am a Muslim living in China. According to my observations， these reports are ridiculous， absurd， and have nothing to do with reality. China has a Muslim population of around 20 million and a proportional number of mosques， which are open to the faithful all year round and have no guards or police officers at their entrances. In many parts of China， especially where people of the Hui ethnic group live， mosques have a distinct style and date back centuries. I am convinced that such lies about China will soon dissipate in the face of reality.

Mohamed Hassan

Jordanendprint