Society

Alibaba Splurges on Cutting-Edge Technology Development

Alibaba is set to establish a new research institute and invest over RMB 100 billion（US $15 billion） over the next three years in advanced technology development and disruptive innovation， announced Jack Ma at the opening session of the Computing Conference 2017， held in Hangzhou， on October 11， 2017.

The new institute is called DAMO Academy– standing for “discovery， adventure， momentum， and outlook.” The name often features in Chinese martial arts fiction as a venue in Shaolin Temple where masterful monks practice skills and experience enlightenment.

The academy aims to attract world-class talent in such areas as quantum computing， machine learning， basic algorithms， and network security. The 10-person DAMO academic advisory committee includes three academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering， as well as five members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Michael I. Jordan， a leading scientist in artificial intelligence and Jeannette M. Wing， director of the Data Science Institute at Columbia University are among the committee members.

The DAMO Academy is composed of independent research centers across the globe， joint labs with research institutes and universities， and a worldwide plan for open study.

Xinjiang to Offer 15-year Universal Education by 2020

Northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will make 15 years of universal education available by 2020， improve the education infrastructure， and uplift the region to a key node in building the Silk Road Economic Belt， according to a development plan released by the regions education department.

China has popularized nine-year compulsory free education from primary to junior high. Xinjiang is one of the first to expand free education to 15 years. It aims， the plan said， to guarantee that more than 98 percent of children have free access to three years of preschool， with 95 percent of them set to complete their nine-year compulsory schooling by 2020. It is expected that the gross senior high school enrollment will amount to 90 percent， and that of post-secondary education to 40 percent. By 2020， students attending kindergartens， primary and junior middle schools will receive bilingual education， to ensure that all children， whatever their ethnic group， have a basic command of the nations standard spoken and written language.

Xinjiang will improve its grant system to cover all students from preschool to university， helping those from poverty-stricken families to complete their studies. By 2020， the average years in education of new workers in Xinjiangs job market will reach 13， and that of the prime working age population will stand at 11 years.endprint

Data Platform Established to Assist Rural Children

On October 10， 2017， a national information management system was officially launched， aiming to collect data on children in rural areas whose parents often leave the family home to find work in more populous cities. These so-called left-behind children generally live with their exhausted grandparents， under loose guardianship.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs requires all provincial-level civil administration departments to complete the information collection， review， and reporting by the end of November this year. The system will be improved and updated regularly in a bid to better monitor the situation of Chinas left-behind children.

The national rural left-behind children information management system will help form an accurate picture of these children， thus allowing the government to carry out targeted policies to protect this group. Moreover， it serves as a useful information infrastructure to channel social resources needed to deal with this ongoing endeavor.

Palace Museum Tickets Available Online Only

The Palace Museum， or Forbidden City， announced on October 10， 2017， that all entrance tickets are to be sold online. The 30 ticket booths in front of the Duanmen Gate will be closed， and instead used to showcase exhibitions.

To save visitors from queuing to buy tickets at the gate， the Palace Museum started online ticket purchasing in September 2011. The Palace Museum has installed many guide boards with a QR code for visitors to scan and purchase tickets on site. Museum staff also have the QR code， and are ready to assist those in need at any time.

Curator Shan Jixiang of the Palace Museum said refined measures and management techniques will also be introduced at the museum.

Activity

Audi Cup of China ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2017

Date： November 3 to 5， 2017

Place： Capital Indoor Stadium

Price： RMB 80/180/280/380/480

Organized by the International Skating Union （ISU）， the Grand Prix is hosted in six countries including the U.S.， Canada， Russia， France， China， and Japan. The first Cup of China was hosted in 2003. Sixty figure skaters from 11 countries will be attending this years competition in China.

Zhi Yin Piano Concert

Date： November 18 & 26， 2017

Place： Shanghai Bingo Cinema

Price： RMB 100/150

Seated in a movie theater， the audience can listen to an outstanding piano concert while watching animated impressionist paintings on a giant screen. The images will accompany the live performance of pianist Zhi Yin， giving the audience an audio and visual feast.endprint