NEW ASTEROID NAMED AFTER CHINESE SCIENTIST

A newly discovered asteroid has been named after renowned Chinese scientist Wu Weiren， chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program.
　　On September 8 a ceremony was held in Beijing to offi cially announce Asteroid Wuweiren， approved by the International Astronomical Union （IAU） earlier in April.
　　Wu， an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a major pioneer of Chinese deep space exploration， is the winner of the World Space Award， the highest award of the International Astronautical Federation， in 2020.
　　Wu was appointed as the chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program in 2008. Under his guidance， China launched three lunar probes， the last one being Chang’e-4， which made the fi rst-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon.
　　The asteroid， coded 281880， was discovered by the Near-Earth Object Telescope at the Purple Mountain Observatory in east China.
　　Asteroids are the only celestial bodies that can be named by their discoverers. The naming is recognized as an international and permanent honor.

Abacus Learning

　　Nanfang Daily September 11
　　During this year’s Two Sessions held in late May， some members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference proposed students begin learning abacus skills in primary-level mathematics classrooms across China. Currently， while abacus is taught in schools， students are not required to master abacus skills. In response to the proposal， the Ministry of Education said the group responsible for mathematics curriculum standards would decide whether abacus skills should become compulsory.
　　Supporters believe that learning abacus is not only a necessary platform for inheriting Chinese intangible cultural heritage but also a way to improve children’s imagination and spatial thinking ability. Others believe learning abacus skills will have a detrimental effect on regular math learning， as the abacus uses a different set of mathematical rules.
　　Public discussion has been previously sparked by suggestions that other traditional cultural heritage， such as woodcarving and opera， be included in the national curriculum.
　　Discussions have centered around whether or not inclusion in the school curriculum is the best way to pass on Chinese culture， and whether students’ academic burdens should be increased without their consent. The inclusion of abacus learning in the national curriculum should be the result of careful analysis by experts， as well as the result of public discussion.

Prevention on Campus

　　Beijing Youth Daily September 12
　　A number of Chinese universities have announced to reduce Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19）. The universities plan to extend the winter holiday in compensation.
　　Beijing Municipal Education Commission spokesperson Li Yi explained that it is necessary to adopt closed management as part of regular epidemic prevention and control. At the start of the new semester in late August and September， over 930，000 university students returned to Beijing from all over China. In order to deal with the large and mobile population of university students， universities need to adjust their methods of teaching and learning， as well as campus lifestyle.
　　Students are being encouraged to stay on campus and to avoid non-essential travel. However students planning to visit family， seek employment， or receive medical treatment may leave campus after notifying the university. The policy aims to provide effective tracking of infections and sources of infection.
　　Beijing is still in the stage of epidemic prevention and control， so students are required to reduce their off-campus activities， including entertainment， tourism and fi tness.
　　Autumn and winter are always the seasons with a high incidence of respiratory diseases. Also， according to a guideline released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention， there is a risk that the coronavirus could become much more active during the coming winter. Accordingly， universities in Beijing still require students to wear masks on campus. Students and staff are also priority groups for infl uenza vaccination.

Targeting Poor Populations

　　People’s Daily September 11
　　Securing employment is the most direct and effective way to raise people out of poverty.
　　In a bid to support the export of labor services， a vital channel for creating jobs， local governments should cooperate with enterprises to provide policy promotion， information exchange and skills training in poverty-stricken areas. Besides offering an organized way to expand labor service export， the governments should also consider offering transportation subsidies for poor people who work in other provinces.
　　Local governments also need to combine employment and poverty alleviation with industrial development by supporting enterprises that contribute to poverty alleviation and that develop relevant industries. In addition， the construction of industrial parks with preferential policies throughout the country can create an encouraging environment for migrant workers returning to their hometowns to start businesses. 　　Providing better job training is also a signifi cant contributor to poverty alleviation， helping upskill workers and improve the knowledge of entrepreneurs.

CHINESE DIRECTOR WINS GOLDEN LION

Chinese director Zhao Ting has taken home the top award at this year’s Venice Film Festival with her fi lm， Nomadland， on September 12.
　　Also known as Chloe Zhao， the Beijing native who moved to the United States when she was 15， is the fi rst Chinese female director to win the festival’s top prize， and also the fi rst woman to win the prize in a decade.
　　Due to the ongoing pandemic， this year’s Venice Film Festival was held as a combination of in-person and virtual events. As travel restrictions prevented her attendance， Zhao accepted the Golden Lion award via video link.
　　The fi lm， which is based on Jessica Bruder’s 2017 non-fi ction book， Nomadland： Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century， tells the story of an out-of-work American woman who becomes a modernday nomad. It will screen at major festivals in Toronto， New York and Telluride， as the events agreed to put aside their rivalry to cooperate amid the pandemic.
　　“I think there has to be an awareness that we are not in a zero-sum game. Particularly in globalization， the cake gets bigger， and we can both have a share. I guess the only solution is to try to find common ground， and common ground means you have to compromise.”
　　Joery Wuttke， President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China， in an interview with CGTN on September 15
　　“Global challenges， from the pandemic to climate breakdown， continue to mount and require Sino-American collaboration. After the U.S. election， a window of opportunity might open for a careful renegotiation of the[U.S.-China] relations at the heart of the world economy.”
　　Isabella Weber， a U.S. professor of economics， in The Guardian on September 11
　　“The Democratic Progressive Party authority and the pro-independence elements on the island are the culprits responsible for the current complex situation in the Taiwan Straits. They had made a total miscalculation in believing that they could succeed in splitting the country by relying on foreign forces.”
　　Ma Xiaoguang， a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Offi ce of the State Council， at a press conference on September 16
　　“For countries across the income spectrum， human rights-based policies can help to shift these [COVID-19 pandemic’s] impacts from devastating to manageable； and contribute to a recovery with better protection and greater resilience.”
　　Michelle Bachelet， UN High Commissioner for Human Rights， at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council on September 14