society

Xi Calls for Country to Curb Myopia

A WHO report shows that 600 million Chinese are nearsighted， with the worlds highest rate among its children and youths – nearly 40 percent among primary school students and over 70 percent in senior middle school and universities. Recently the Ministry of Education and National Health Commission drafted a plan to address this problem， and is soliciting public opinions on it.

The plan proposes to bring down the nearsightedness rate to below 38 percent in primary schools， below 60 percent in junior middle schools and lower than 70 percent in senior middle schools.

The health of children and youths， including ophthalmic health， will be part of the evaluation of government performance， and regional governments and schools concerned will be held accountable if the wellness of their minors is found in decline for three successive years， according to the plan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping also chimed in on the issue， saying that the proliferation of myopia， especially among children of younger ages， is a serious health issue that impacts the future of the country and nation. China must pay great attention to it and stem it.

Residents of Taiwan no Longer Need Permits to Work on Mainland

Taiwan residents no longer need a permit to work on the Chinese mainland， the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council confirmed on August 8. Ma Xiaoguang， spokesman for the office， said the decision was made based on a study by the office and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security， drawing on suggestions and advice from Taiwanese compatriots.

The policy aims to provide Taiwanese people with treatment equal to that of their mainland compatriots in employment， education， and starting businesses， he said. The decision is part of a State Council decision made public on August 3， which also eliminated the requirement for Hong Kong and Macao citizens to acquire a permit to work on the mainland. Business licenses， contracts， payroll， and social insurance payment records can all serve as evidence for Taiwanese compatriots working on the mainland， Ma said.

The human resources ministry will publish a series of supporting measures as soon as possible related to Taiwanese residents working on the mainland， in accordance with instructions from the State Council， he said.

The mainland has long promoted exchanges and cooperation with the island. In February， 31 measures were rolled out to allow Taiwanese residents to share the opportunities brought by the mainlands development.

Export of Publication Copyrights on the Rise

China exported 12，651 copyrights on publications in 2017， up 29 percent from the previous year， according to a report on the countrys publishing industry in 2017.

The report issued by the State Administration of Press and Publication said book copyrights accounted for the majority with 10，670， while the remainder was made up of 424 copyrights of audio and video products， and 1，557 of electronic publications. A total of 18，037 copyrights of publications were imported into the country last year， including 17，154 book copyrights.

Copyright authorities across the country uncovered 4，102 institutions involved in copyright infringement and other illicit acts and 155 locations where pirated publications were produced during the year， and confiscated some 9.7 million pirated publications， including 5.5 million books and journals.

China exported 21.7 million copies of books， newspapers， and journals in 2017， and imported 32.6 million. Over 5.4 million copies of childrens books were exported， according to the report.

Four Chinese Sites Inducted as World Heritage Irrigation Structures

Four ancient irrigation sites in China have been inducted as world Heritage Irrigation Structures， bringing the total number of Heritage Irrigation Structures in China up to 17. They are the Dujiangyan irrigation system， the Lingqu Canal， the Jiangxiyan irrigation system， and the Changqu Canal.

The result was announced on August 13 by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage （ICID） in Saskatoon， Canada.

The Dujiangyan irrigation system is located in Dujiangyan， Sichuan Province. Built in 256 BC for irrigation and flood control， it still irrigates 1.7 million hectares today. The Lingqu Canal is in Xingan County， Guangxi. It connects two major waterways， the Xiangjiang and Lijiang rivers. Built in 214 BC， it is one of the oldest canals in the world. The Jiangxiyan irrigation system in Zhejiang Province was built from 1330 to 1333. The project is still used for irrigation in the area. The Changqu Canal in Hubei Province was dug in 279 BC under the order of Bai Qi， a general from the State of Qin， for military purposes. It was converted for irrigation use afterwards.