CONDUCTOR OF A HISTORIC CONCERT

Conductor Yu Long led the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in a musical celebration to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II （WWII） at the UN headquarters in New York City on August 28. The concert featured symphonies ranging from newly composed Shanghai 1937 to Beethovens Choral Fantasy.

“It is a concert in which the music we play is about memories and about new beginnings，” Yu said.“WWII was of course a great tragedy， as well as a victory over evil， which must be remembered， while the birth of the UN from out of the wreckage of that war was a new beginning for the world.”

The 51-year-old maestro was born in Shanghai. He studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music before going on to further his studies in Berlin in 1988-92. After returning from Germany， he founded the annual Beijing Music Festival in 1998 and the China Philharmonic Orchestra two years later. He currently serves as the orchestras artistic director.

Amnesty Deal Shows Idea of Governance

Peoples Daily August 30

Chinas top legislature has adopted a prisoner amnesty deal， which will see four categories of prisoners who are not deemed a threat to society and who were sentenced before January 1， 2015， granted official pardons， in a move marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War on September 3.

The decision is based on the amnesty system stipulated in the Constitution， which is also in accord with the governance philosophy of combining law and mercy and has great political and legal significance.

Prisoners eligible for the pardon include those who fought in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the civil war against the Kuomintang； those who fought in wars to safeguard national sovereignty， security and territorial integrity after 1949 （single-time offenders who did not commit embezzlement， terrorism or organized crime）； those over 75 or with physical disabilities； and those who committed juvenile crimes with terms of less than three years or who have less than a year of their prison term left to serve （not including those deemed guilty of murder， rape， terrorism or narcotics offenses）.

The amnesty is usually utilized to exempt prisoners from punishment or extenuate a crime. It is a humanitarian practice common internationally.

This deal is the eighth amnesty since the Peoples Republic of China was founded in 1949. It shows the government and countrys confidence in its system of governance and gives China an open， democratic， civilized and legal image. It also presents that Chinas criminal policy of combining punishment with leniency that would help promote the rule of law.

Cultural Bonds Count

World Affairs September 1

Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union， Central Asia has been one of the principal areas of global geopolitical focus. While the governments of the five countries of Kazakhstan， Kyrgyzstan， Tajikistan， Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have become over time more independent and mature， their political and cultural traditions are interweaved with a number of external influences. As a result， the geopolitical situation in Central Asia is characterized by both diversity and uncertainty.

As a bridge connecting China to West Asia， South Asia and Europe， Central Asia is of strategic significance to China. The Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative will provide great opportunities for both sides to achieve common prosperity and stability. Central Asian countries possess advantages in energy resources， while China can offer investment， technologies and markets for their development. In addition to economic matters， security is another area in which cooperation can be bolstered. Terrorism is a common threat facing all these countries.

To boost cooperation and communication， the people of China and Central Asian countries need to understand and respect each other in terms of religions and customs. Unfortunately， cultural exchanges have lagged behind. Movies and TV shows from Russia and Western countries are popular in Central Asian countries， while Chinese media and culture have little influence. China should redouble its efforts to promote mutual understanding culturally.

How Can Responsible Parties Be Called to Account in Tianjin Probe？

Beijing Times August 28

Chinas top procuratorate has accused 11 officials and port executives of neglect of duty and abuse of power in the management of storage and transportation of dangerous chemicals in the Tianjin Port， where explosions killed more than 160 people and devastated the port area on August 12.

Those officials will be held criminally accountable for their role in the accident.

The culpability of all involved， administra- tive and criminal alike， should be identified using a strict and clear system. But what is more important is to determine how to avoid such a tragedy from happening again. The explosions in the Tianjin Port have exposed a string of problems such as illegal storage of hazardous materials and flawed safety evaluation procedures.

There is a serious lesson to be learned in this calamity. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered production safety enhancements by improving emergency mechanisms， strengthening supervision and law enforcement， and adopting effective risk-prevention measures. The investigation of the Tianjin blasts is expected to raise the safety awareness of enterprises and supervisory bodies in order to remove any risks in production.

HIGH-ACHIEVING SCIENTIST

Shi Yigong， a molecular biologist with Tsinghua University in Beijing， has recently reported a breakthrough that could potentially qualify him for a Nobel Prize.

Shi and his team uncovered the structure of a substance called spliceosome， which is crucial in gene expression and is related to 35 percent of genetic disorders in humans. The results of the teams analysis were published in the academic journal Science in August.

“The structure of the spliceosome represents a much greater challenge than the structure of the ribosome， for which three individuals in the past were awarded the Nobel Prize，” Phillip Sharp， a 1993 Nobel Prize winner for physiology or medicine， commented.

Shi， 48， received his bachelors degree from Tsinghua in 1989 and Ph.D. in biophysics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1995. He joined Princeton University in 1998 and was promoted to full professor in 2003. Shi returned to Tsinghua in 2008 to head its School of Life Sciences.

“With my painting， I think one sees the scenes. One sees the pain， all the feelings of fear， hate and anguish.”

French painter Christian Poirot， commenting on his new painting on the Nanjing Massacre committed by Japanese invaders during their war of aggression against China

“China is going to maintain a 7-percent growth rate for the next 10 years. While that means a 25-percent reduction from the growth we had in recent years， we should keep in mind that the 7-percent growth is among the highest rates in the world.”

Justin Yifu Lin， former World Bank Senior Vice President and chief economist， in an interview published by Argentinas La Nacion daily on August 29

“I made Tibet： The Truth because I have been annoyed by the constant negative reporting about Tibet in the Western media.”

Chris D. Nebe， director of the 60-minute documentary debuted in the United States in 2013， expressing his frustration about biased Western media reports on the autonomous region in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency

“The students were very understanding and interesting. I get calls from different parts of west Kenya like Kericho， Muhoroni and Siaya from people who want to learn Chinese and improve their lives.”

Zhang Wenqiang， a Chinese teacher at the Kibos Secondary School in the west Kenyan county of Kisumu， speaking about his students before finishing his five-year tenure in the country in August