PALACE MUSEUM CURATOR RETIRES

Shan Jixiang retired from his post as curator of the Palace Museum， also known as the Forbidden City， on April 8， according to an announcement from the museum.

During his tenure， Shan made multiple innovative attempts to bring the museum closer to ordinary people.

For instance， the areas opened to the public increased from 52 percent in 2014 to 80 percent by the end of 2018. He also made great efforts to develop creative cultural products for the museum. In 2017， the sales of its extensive creative product lines reached 1.5 billion yuan （$223 million）.

Born in 1954， Shan majored in urban planning and graduated from Tsinghua University. Before becoming head of the Palace Museum in 2012， he was director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

Shan will be succeeded by Wang Xudong， who was formerly director of the Dunhuang Academy China， a national comprehensive institution responsible for the conservation， management and research on the Mogao Grottoes located at Dunhuang， northwest Chinas Gansu Province.

Cultural Controversy

The Beijing News April 8

The Summer Palace， an imperial garden in Beijing， has launched a series of cosmetics in association with a national brand， Catkin. The lipsticks， whose packaging is inspired by an embroidered screen artifact， were snapped up on an e-commerce platform， with 4，000 pieces sold within 24 hours.

However， like the products released by the Palace Museum， which was the imperial palace of 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties（1368-1911）， the Summer Palace cosmetics too have sparked controversy.

The first problem is copyright and authorization. Catkin was accused of doing unauthorized business after the lipsticks were promoted on the e-commerce platform. It forced the Summer Palace to explain that while it holds the copyright， Catkin has been authorized for the work.

Another company， China Cultural Tourism and Creativity， also develops， promotes and sells products for the historical site. It later claimed rights related to the embroidered screen， forcing the Summer Palace to clarify the situation once again.

While the success of any associated company will bring benefits to the Summer Palace， if there is any ensuing chaos， it will make consumers confused.

As the development of cultural creativity in China is still in a phase of exploration， it is vital to clarify the intellectual property rights， other rights and responsibilities of authorized enterprises and historical sites.

To improve the situation， the historical institutions need patience. During the process of innovation， they not only need to coordinate with relevant parties， but also ensure a more effective mechanism within the legal framework as soon as possible.

Smartphones Need Smarter Thinking

China Financial Weekly April 1

According to data released by International Data Corporation （IDC）， in 2018， global smartphone shipments totaled 1.4 billion units， shrinking by 4.1 percent year on year. For China， it was a 10-percent fall year on year.

This decline was due to various factors， such as people buying fewer new phones.

Thanks to innovation in technology， such as elevating selfi e camera and reverse wireless charging， domestic mobile phones have acquired a formidable reputation and popularity in the market， especially products by leading enterprises. But they still have a long way to go.

Research and development （R&D） and manufacture of smartphones are an integrated industry， and this includes the software， semiconductor， camera and other relevent industries. However， the supply chain has failed to meet the needs of enterprises and the market. The most direct and effective way to increase companies share in the market is to improve their R&D capability and produce more services like mobile applications.

All manufacturers agree on this. They also agree that it is necessary to win the high-end market， which will bring in higher profits. However， selling cheap phones has been the hallmark of Chinese smartphone enterprises for a long time. So to make their profi ts grow， domestic mobile phones need to not only improve their hardware and brand premium， but also create an ecosystem for an intelligent society using extended services.

Fortunately， the top domestic smartphone companies have realized this and made adjustments. Today， they not only provide phones but also various services and the phones can be connected to more devices. The arrival of 5G also requires mobile phone manufacturers to upgrade.

Smartphone manufacturers need to improve their capability and adjust better to the digital ecosystem. They also need to coordinate with related industries.

Fighting Fire

Workers Daily April 4

A deadly forest fi re broke out in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province on April 2. Twenty-seven firefighters and three others died fighting the blaze.

Though natural factors like the direction of the wind and its force aggravated the tragedy， we need to learn a lesson from the loss of valuable lives and plan how to prevent fi res.

The fi refi ghter recruitment system is being reformed to enhance their professionalism. Since January， fi refi ghters are part of the Chinas fi refi ghting rescue team under the Ministry of Emergency Management with specifi c recruitment policies. But despite attempts to improve the firefighting capability， problems still exist. Regulations and plans are not always implemented， fi refi ghters lack adequate training， and there is little coordination between fi re safety and urban development.

In addition， public awareness of fire safety is insufficient， which can lead to disasters. According to a report from Liangshan， in the past there were several criminal cases of starting fi res. This demonstrates that some of the tragedies are caused due to peoples negligence and even arson.

YOUNG IDOL PROMOTES YOUTH WELFARE

Teenage singer Yi Yangqianxi shared his vision of promoting health among young people on April 8， citing his experiences working with the World Health Organization（WHO） at the Asia and Pacifi c session of the UN Economic and Social Council Youth Forum.

As a WHO China special envoy for health， Yi has been working with the UN health agency in China since 2017 to promote healthy lifestyles among young people. He has also been working through his fund to support disadvantaged children.

Yi said in order to build a healthier society， “we need to start with our own personal actions， make healthy choices” and “we must make an effort to reach out to those who need support， including children and teenagers.”

Born in 2000 in central Chinas Hunan Province， Yi is part of the popular three-member boy band TF Boys. He is also an actor and is currently studying at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing.

“The Chinese market is one of the most promising markets for Egypts tourism.”

Egyptian Tourism Minister Rania al-Masha， on the sidelines of the 19th World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit hosted by the Spanish city of Seville on April 4

“No other country has adopted an ecological civilization goal like China has， and no other country has achieved a similar kind of effect… Thats tremendous leadership in itself.”

John Cobb， Jr.， U.S. ecological philosopher and member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences， in a recent interview

“China calls on the Venezuelan Government and the opposition to seek a political solution through dialogue and consultation within the countrys constitutional and legal framework.”

Ma Zhaoxu， Chinas Permanent Representative to the United Nations， telling the UN Security Council on April 10

“Local governments should live up to their supervision duties and take effective preventive measures to fundamentally keep safety accidents from happening.”

Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong at a meeting ahead of the Central Governments inspection tour on provincial governments role in production safety and fire control， on April 10