TABLE TENNIS WORLD CHAMP

　　Table tennis world No.1 Fan Zhendong beat Japanese teenage sensation Harimoto Tomokazu 4-2 to lift the trophy at the ITTF men’s World Cup on December 1.
　　It was the third time that Fan was crowned at the annual major tournament， considered one of the top three table tennis events alongside the Olympic Games and World Championships.
　　The 22-year-old started playing for the national team in 2012. He won the 2016 and 2018 World Cup.
　　At the award ceremony， Chinese Table Tennis Association President Liu Guoliang told him to do an encore next year， meaning the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Lights Banned in Ancient Edifices

　　China Youth Daily December 3
　　Lighting devices have been banned in buildings considered to be cultural heritages， as per a recent guideline by the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Ministry of Emergency Management to improve the fi re safety of cultural artifacts. This is the fi rst such guideline.
　　In recent years， many tourist destinations have been illuminating their ancient monuments to beautify the cities’ night view and draw tourists.
　　However， such lighting poses hazards as a short circuit or faulty lights could trigger a fire. Wood being the main component of many ancient edifices， they are bound to go up in flames within minutes once a fire occurs.
　　The fire in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in April and a second one in Shuri Castle on the southern island of Okinawa， Japan， in October have sounded an alarm for fi re safety of ancient buildings in China.
　　Ancient building lighting is the result of insuffi cient understanding of the core values of architecture， which should be studied through details such as doors， windows and structure to dig into the history behind. Lighting only beautifi es the exterior.
　　Ancient architectural marvels are irreplicable. Any move to dress them up for shortterm interests is improper.

Healthy China

　　Outlook Weekly December 2
　　The Healthy China initiative to improve the overall health of the country’s population became a national strategy in 2017.
　　Over the past decades， China’s spending on healthcare has increased significantly， reaching 6.6 percent of the GDP in 2018. Currently， 95 percent of the population are covered by the basic medical insurance system.
　　The improved health of the people has contributed to China’s high-speed economic growth. From 1950 to 1982， the average life expectancy increased from 35 to 69 years， creating an economic value of 2.47 trillion yuan （$349.8 billion）. 　　As ageing accelerates and the population dividend shrinks， improved health will prolong the working years of employees and boost productivity， which can create new dividends for growth.
　　In addition to ageing， China’s disease spectrum is also shifting. There are now over 250 million people with high blood pressure and more than 100 million people with diabetes. Death caused by non-infectious diseases such as cancer， diabetes and cardiovascular problems accounts for 88 percent of the total death toll. To address this， more attention should be given to improving people’s health to prevent diseases.
　　For instance， the government can sub-sidize the producers of healthy food， cap the amount of salt used in processed food， and restrict the use of trans fatty acids， whose consumption is thought to increase the risk of arterial blockages. It can also build more sports facilities to enable people to exercise regularly.

　　The people themselves also need to change their way of life. The Chinese health knowledge and awareness is still insuffi cient. Unhealthy habits such as smoking， overdrinking， lack of exercise and unbalanced diet are common. An action plan for implementing the Healthy China initiative from 2019 to 2030 issued in July provides guidance for individuals， families， society and the government.

HIV/AIDS Prevention

　　Guancha.gmw.cn December 2
　　In 1995， a woman in Shanghai had a massive hemorrhage while giving birth and needed blood transfusion. In the process she was infected with HIV but no one knew it at that time. Ten years later， when she was pregnant again， it was discovered that both she and her husband had HIV. However， her new-born son was found to be HIV-free， thanks to the measures taken to prevent mother-to-fetus transmission of the virus. The case shows that even though HIV/AIDS cannot be cured， HIV infection can be controlled with medication.
　　As the technologies and means for treating HIV/AIDS improve， the average life expectancy of patients is increasing and their quality of life improving.
　　In 1987， there was only one medicine for the disease but today， there are over 30 kinds in six categories.
　　However， the number of young and senior people contracting HIV is rising. In 2018， there were 16，000 people aged 15-24 and nearly 32，000 people aged above 60 diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. 　　How to prevent transmission among young and senior people will be the primary target of China’s HIV/AIDS prevention in future.

NEW NATIONAL RAILWAY ADMINISTRATION HEAD

　　Liu Zhenfang， former Deputy General Manager of China State Railway Group （China Railway）， has been appointed head of the National Railway Administration， a vice ministerial-level post that was vacant for nearly a year.
　　The 58-year-old has worked in the railway sector for over 30 years. He started out as an engineer with the Beijing Railway Bureau in Datong in north China in 1983. He worked his way up to become deputy director of the branch in 2000. He was director of the Kunming Railway Bureau in southwest China from 2011 to 2013.
　　In 2013， the Ministry of Railways split into the National Railway Administration and China Railway. Liu was director of the Nanchang Railway Bureau under China Railway from 2013 to 2014 and director of the Beijing Railway Bureau from 2014 to 2017.
　　“China has demonstrated how a country can transform itself through innovation and technology…There are opportunities for collaboration in innovation and technology between China， South Africa and Africa.”
　　Daan du Toit， Deputy Director General for International Cooperation and Resources， South African Department of Science and Technology， at a conference on governance and socioeconomic development in China and Africa in Pretoria， South Africa， on December 3
　　“The problems we face today—especially environmental ones—are no longer confined to individual countries or regions. They are global in scope and scale. And an effective response will also be global. For that， we need staunch multilateralism， and I am pleased to see China taking an active role in promoting this approach.”
　　Inger Anderson， Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program， at the UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid， Spain， on December 3
　　“The three Internet courts have accumulated experiences that can be reproduced and promoted in fields such as case handling， online platform development， litigation guidelines， technology application and Internet governance.”
　　Li Shaoping， Vice President of the Supreme People’s Court （SPC）， commenting on an SPC white paper that says Internet courts accepted close to 120，000 cases by October 31， reducing the time taken to handle cases by nearly 50 percent
　　“The demonstration zones， designed to sustain high-quality development of agriculture via science and technology， will be built into the high ground of modern agriculture with international influence in regard to innovation， talent and industry development.”
　　Xu Nanping， Vice Minister of Science and Technology， at a press conference in Beijing announcing the approval of two national agricultural hi-tech industry demonstration zones in north and east China