Educational Funding Continues to Rise

A bulletin jointly released by the Ministry of Education， the National Bureau of Statistics， and the Ministry of Finance disclosed that Chinas fiscal spending on education amounted to nearly RMB 3.14 trillion in 2016， surpassing the RMB 3 trillion mark for the first time， and up 7.44 percent from the previous year. This sum accounts for 4.22 percent of the national GDP. It is the fifth year that the proportion of yearly educational expenditure has stayed above four percent of GDP.

By measure of sectors， over half of the 2016 funding， 52.85 percent， went to compulsory education； by measure of regions， 59 percent or RMB 1.71 trillion， was funneled into the less developed central and western provinces； and by measure of purpose， 61 percent was used to pay teachers salaries and provide financial assistance to students. The 13th Five-Year Plan for Educational Development， released earlier this year by the State Council， states that fiscal spending on education should not be under four percent of the GDP.

Chu Zhaohui， a researcher with the National Institute of Education Sciences， held that while maintaining a stable increase in educational funding， China should adjust its allocation of money， reducing administrative costs and spending more on teaching and those working at the forefront of education. This way， the benefits will be shared by more people.

National Platform for Land Expropriation Info

As part of an effort to improve government transparency， China will establish a national platform for land expropriation information. At a recent meeting Vice Minister of Land and Resources Wang Guanghua said that land expropriation concerns the direct interests of the people， and has always been a priority in Chinas efforts to make government operations more transparent.

Starting in May this year， 35 counties （including districts and cities at county level） in Heilongjiang， Zhejiang， Anhui， and Sichuan provinces and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region ran a trial program to open up issues about land expropriation to the public through an electronic platform. The Ministry of Land and Resources and its local agencies will guide and monitor its operation， and eventually extend their experience to the whole nation. The ministry will establish a national platform to pool， sort through， and share with the public information about land expropriation， which will cover the latest and past information in this regard.

Disrespect of National Anthem Prosecutable

People who disrespect Chinas national anthem will be given a sentence of up to three years in prison， according to a revised law approved on November 4.

The revised Chinese Criminal Law， which was passed at the bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress， also stipulates that those who intentionally damage the national anthem， such as distorting its lyrics or tampering with it disrespectfully in public places， will face detention or deprivation of political rights.

The new article was added in the laws revision with the aim of regulating peoples behavior while singing the anthem and upholding respect to the song. It became effective on November 4.

Previously， the law applied to people who disrespected the national emblem and flag. Violators were given a criminal penalty， including a sentence of up to three years in jail.

Chinas national anthem， March of the Volunteers， was composed in 1935 and named as the national anthem in 1949.

Four More UNESCO Creative Cities in China

Four Chinese cities were among the 64 cities from 44 countries newly designated as UNESCO Creative Cities in October. They join a network at the frontline of UNESCOs efforts to foster innovation and creativity as key drivers for more sustainable and inclusive urban development. Changsha made it onto the list on the merit of its prominence in digital art； Macao was selected for its gourmet culture； Qingdao for its accomplishment in films； and Wuhan for a leading design industry.

“These new designations showcase an enhanced diversity in city profiles and geographical balance， with 19 cities from countries not previously represented in the network，” declared UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

Since 2004， the UNESCO Creative Cities Network highlights its memberscreativity within seven fields： crafts and folk art， design， film， gastronomy， literature， media arts， and music. It now counts a total of 180 cities in 72 countries.

Prior to October， eight Chinese cities had already joined the network. They are Jingdezhen， Shanghai， Shunde， Hangzhou， Suzhou， Chengdu， Beijing， and Shenzhen.

Activity

Disney on Ice

Date： December 1 to 3， 2017

Place： Mercedes-Benz Arena， Shanghai

Price： RMB 180/280/380/580

Produced by Feld Entertainment， a world leader in producing live entertainment， Disney on Ice blends awe-inspiring figure skating with enthralling music， lavish costumes， and innovative set designs. Thus far， it has been showcased to around 30 million people annually in over 70 countries and regions across the globe since its debut in 1981.

KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil

Date： December 15， 2017 to February 11， 2018

Place： Sun Park， Beijing

Price： RMB 280/380/580/680/1580/1980

With fascinating acts， storylines， set design， costumes， and music， KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil presents an amazing circus spectacle packed with endless thrills and mind-boggling surprises. Since its debut in 2007， it has enthralled over 6.85 million people in 18 countries.