What the People Want From the New Leadership

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   Social Fairness Is Key
  Seventy-year-old Ge Ting is former director of the China Association for Science and Technology’s Information Center. He graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China, where he majored in aerodynamics. Despite having the right credentials, Ge never actually worked in the field of aerodynamics; instead, he became an expert in the popularization of science.
  Ge remarked during our interview on the impression Hu Jintao’s speech at the APEC 2012 Leader’s Meeting had made on him. Hu said in his speech that efforts would be made to build a system that would guarantee social equity with a focus on ensuring fairness in rights, opportunities and rules. Everyone should enjoy equal opportunities to develop him or herself, the President said. “Hu’s comments marked a promising milestone. They reflected that high-ranking leaders in China are making social fairness their priority,” Ge said.
  “That said, complaining about unfairness is to some extent futile. There is bound to be inequality in a society. Everyone is different and has unique abilities, some of which may be more lucrative than others. Absolute social equality is a fine ideal, but is unattainable. We should concentrate our energies on building a mechanism whereby everyone is afforded equal opportunities to develop their own, unique talents,” Ge said.
  


  President Hu’s proposal for the establishment of such a mechanism, made prior to the 18th National Congress at an international meeting, drew widespread praise. Ge also welcomed the move, reiterating that a growing wealth divide between China’s rich and poor has hampered the country’s development. “Closing this gap requires focusing on leveling the playing field. If someone wins a lottery and gets rich, that’s fine. What we won’t accept is if the draw is rigged by insiders. We oppose inequality that is the result of an unfair system,” Ge said.
   opening a Door for China
  Zheng Gang is director at the International Center for New Media Arts of Tongji University. In the 1980s, Zheng interviewed many big names in the field of art and literature including Ba Jin, Xiao Qian, Wang Zengqi, Ji Xianlin and Wu Guanzhong. These interviews became classics that are still watched today for the insights they give into the minds of the artists.
  Zheng recently finished editing a book entitled Academic Arts of the Last Thirty Years. In the process Zheng came to understand the huge changes that have taken place in China over the past three decades from another angle, and reappraised the success of the country’s reform and opening-up period.   “For China, reform and opening-up was like opening the door to new knowledge,” Zheng said. “In the first decade people’s understanding of government and the world changed. In the second and third decades people came to apply their new understanding to direct actions and initiatives.”
  “The coming 18th National Congress of the CPC will review the past and seek new strategies for future development. Thirty years of reform and opening-up have given the Chinese people– and the government – more money to spend. How we use this new wealth to construct China will be a key topic at the congress. I’m optimistic,” said Zheng.
  Since reform and opening-up was initiated, large-scale construction has been carried out all over China. The Chinese people have come to terms with rapid economic development, and seen the tangible effects on their lives in a myriad of ways.
  “Thanks to economic development, people earn more today. That’s a great first step, but now the CPC is attaching more importance to people’s overall wellbeing. The government is allocating funds to building public squares and fitness facilities to enrich people’s leisure time,” said Zheng.
  Inspired by a friend, Zheng has decided to create a photo diary. He plans to take a photo of life around him every single day of his life starting with the 18th National Congress. Years later Zheng hopes his photos will accurately catalogue the evolvement of Chinese society. “I’ve witnessed great changes in my life and the life of my compatriots over the past 30 years. If I can record my life in photos over the coming decades, those pictures should portray a microcosm of a changing society,” Zheng said.
  Zheng believes the idea of a scientific approach to development pioneered by President Hu Jintao strengthens the theoretical and practical policy base of the CPC and improves the party’s ability to govern. “Different stages of history have different characteristics. If we do things according to the natural law of progress, then we will advance on the right track. Although Western societies don’t practice the planned economy, by and large they are still working through a set of plans and goals that similarly aim to better ordinary peoples’ lives. A scientific approach to development is Hu Jintao’s interpretation of the ‘natural law’applied to our time,” Zheng said.
  Zheng holds that the longevity of Chinese civilization – 5,000 years – is thanks to the ability of Chinese people to continually strive to better their circumstances. “And this betterment has been based on our own culture. As long as we don’t forget our cultural heritage, we’ll continue to prosper as a society,” Zheng said.   


   Promoting the Practical Use of technologies
  Ge Ting recalls that people were keen in the 1980s to learn about all the new scientific techniques flooding into the country. At that time the rural household-based contract responsibility system, which tied remuneration to output, was implemented. People were eager to learn the latest farming techniques, raise production and hence break free from the shackles of poverty.
  About 150 million rural residents benefited from technology training schemes each year in the 1980s. Training covered a wide area of the industry, such as planting, crop breeding and pruning fruit trees. Expertise developed. During the period a group of watermelon and apple breeding experts emerged with whom Ge was professionally involved. He still remembers meeting many such experts on a visit to western China to lend a hand to poverty alleviation efforts. “At the time I really felt that the 800 million-odd peasants displayed an unprecedented enthusiasm for learning technology, and putting what they learned into practice,” Ge said.
  In Ge’s view, it is important not only to ensure that farmers understand the roles science and technology play in raising productivity and incomes, but also to be certain that rural residents know how to apply the technology. He anticipates that the cutting-edge cloud computing technology will launch a new era of prosperity. “China has always attached great importance to the study and application of advanced technology. Cloud computing technology offers a real opportunity for the country, and I hope we embrace it,” Ge said. “Cloud computing will trigger new reforms,” Ge added. “Once the technology is in place, hard disks and operating systems will be rendered unnecessary. All we’ll need is a display; this will open digital technology to everyone.”
  With the implementation of strategies to revitalize the nation’s economy through science and education – as Ge sees the country doing with cloud computing – China has continually increased its investment in science and technology and improved policies and measures to encourage innovation. Ge suggests one future initiative could be to establish a cloud-computing center to seek out market opportunities. “The cloud computing model can maximize server utilization rates and improve data center efficiency. The technology effectively reduces energy consumption as it allows computers to operate without a host of the usual components. This is also a boon for the environment,” Ge explained. With more ideas like those Ge has, China’s economy should be assured the innovative capacity it needs to excel into the future.    New Management, New Policies
  


  Che Yanan, a 28-year-old painter based at Beijing’s Kuoyitang Arts and Culture Co., Ltd., dreams of owning her own studio. Che loves her work and spends much of her day painting. On the topic of the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Che says she is paying close attention to new policies, as well as to whether the fresh leadership will bring a new style of governance to the country.
  In 2008 Che graduated from Ludong University, where she majored in music. She feels lucky to have gone to university, as few people in her parents’ generation had such a chance.
  “Compared to the older generation, we lead relatively free and easy lifestyles. We have our own dreams, and the ability to pursue them. In the past few parents allowed their children to learn arts and music, for instance, as they believed that to get a good job one must focus on science. But times have changed and my parents supported me in choosing my own course of study,”Che said.
  Che admits that she benefited greatly from the academic environment of a modern university. “I learned music at university, but now I paint. I see no contradiction between the skills I learned then and what I am doing now. Education today emphasizes not only the cultivation of skills, but also helps us develop our general creative potential. This is the big change in education since reform and opening-up kicked off,” Che said.
  Che is pleased to see that more and more people are interested in calligraphy and painting. “Our country has entered an era of unprecedented affluence, peace and openness. Nowadays the government is paying more attention to the arts and putting the livelihood of people first. In the past people didn’t even have enough to eat, let alone money for artwork,” Che said. “The CPC has made great contributions to China’s development.”
  Che hopes to have her own studio in which to work on and display her paintings. “It doesn’t need to be big, but it should be a cozy and relaxing environment in which to be creative.” Che is confident that her career, like her country, has a bright future.
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