LEGENDARY VOLLEYBALL COACH RESIGNS

　　Lang Ping announced that she stepped down as head coach of China’s national women’s volleyball team on September 1.
　　Lang， one of the most famous Chinese volleyball players in the 1980s known for her fierce spikes， returned to the national team as head coach in 2013. The first time she took up the post was back in 1995.
　　Since 2013， the 60-year-old legendary coach has led China to victory in the Rio Olympics and taken home two World Cup championship titles， one World Championships silver and one bronze.
　　Nevertheless， China failed to venture beyond the group stage in the Olympic Summer Games Tokyo 2020. Lang apologized to Chinese audiences and voiced her willingness to quit the job on July 31.

Protection of Minors

　　People’s Daily August 26
　　The Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress adopted the Personal Information Protection Law on August 20. The new law classifies the personal data of any minor under the age of 14 and stores it as sensitive personal information. Furthermore， it requires personal information processors to develop the specific processing rules. This legislation on the cyber protection of minors’ data is welcomed by the public， especially parents of students.
　　According to the Annual Report on the Internet Use of Chinese Minors， in 2020， the number of minor netizens in China exceeded 183 million， with an online penetration rate of 94.9 percent. More than one third of pupils had the habit of going online before school， and this figure remained on the rise.
　　China highly values the online protection of minors. In 2019， the Provisions on the Cyber Protection of Children’s Personal Information as formulated by the Cyberspace Administration of China put forward the specific requirements for all relevant parties on how to protect children’s personal information.

Ancient City， New Vitality

　　Outlook August 30
　　Spanning over 3，100 years， the city of Xi’an， once known as Chang’an， was the capital of 13 dynasties and kingdoms from the Western Zhou Dynasty （about 1100– 771 B.C.） to the Tang Dynasty （618– 907）.
　　Xi’an never stops embracing the world. In the Han Dynasty （206 B.C.-A.D. 220）， royal emissary Zhang Qian （164-114 B.C.） visited the western regions， opening up the Silk Road to the world. During the culturally flourishing time of the Tang， markets running from the East to the West accommodated business people from all over the world. In 2021， Chang’an， the China-Europe freight trains starting from Xi’an， are operating smoothly， fully integrating into the city’s new development paradigm. 　　Over the past decade， the population of Xi’an has increased to 10 million. Xi’an has developed from an industrial town to the first city in northwest China with a GDP of 1 trillion yuan （$154 billion）.
　　Meanwhile， modern-day Xi’an features more opportunities and wider prospects. Given its 20-plus national missions， Xi’an has been turned into a new focal point of reform and opening up and the China （Shaanxi） Pilot Free Trade Zone has been established.
　　Its industries today are more high-end and cutting-edge. Xi’an promotes economic advancement through scientific and technological innovations as well as mechanism modernization.
　　Cultures in the 21st century have become more fashionable and inclusive. No matter the usage of hi-tech on the ancient city wall or the restoration of time-honored restaurants， Xi’an integrates its ancient imagery into a modern street view， redesigning the city’s development pattern.

Working Overtime

　　Beijing Youth Daily August 27
　　The Supreme People’s Court of China and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security jointly released the second batch of common labor dispute cases referring to some companies’ “996” overtime work rules. The new release comes against the backdrop of certain Internet firms announcing the cancellation of the so-called “longer-shorter week，” which means employees have to work a six-day week every other week.
　　In one of the released cases， a parcel de- livery company stipulated that the working hours were “996，” from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.， six days a week， proving a serious violation of the lawful provisions on the maximum limit of working hours. Zhang， an employee of the company， refused to work overtime and was subsequently fired. The labor arbitration body then ruled that the company involved in the case should pay 8，000 yuan （$1，200） in compensation for the illegal termination of Zhang’s labor contract.
　　Any attempt to thwart employees’ rights to protection is doomed to fail. The cases also give workers an increased sense of security and guide them to protect their rights according to law.

EXPLOSIVES EXPERT DIES AT 97

　　Zheng Zhemin， an academician of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences （CAS） and the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a winner of the State Scientific and Technological Award， died from an undisclosed illness at the age of 97 in late August.
　　Zheng obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Tsinghua University in 1947， and earned his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology under the guidance of Qian Xuesen， aka the father of China’s missile and space programs. 　　After returning to China in 1955， Zheng joined the CAS， proposed the basic theories for explosive mechanics and developed the technologies behind the explosive forming of underwater soft foundations and the treatment thereof.
　　His theories on explosive mechanics have been applied to solve practical problems in a wide range of engineering projects.
　　“The extreme China policy of the previous U.S. administration has caused serious damage to our relations， and this situation has not changed. It is continuing. It goes against the fundamental interests of the Chinese and American people and the wishes of the international community.”
　　Qin Gang， Chinese Ambassador to the U.S.， at the Welcome Event by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations Board of Directors， on August 31
　　“Open cooperation in science and technology is a major trend， and China will accord importance to scientific and technological innovation from a global perspective.”
　　Li Meng， Vice Minister of Science and Technology， at the World 5G Convention in Beijing on August 31
　　“Supporting Hong Kong’s participation in the Belt and Road Initiative is an important measure taken by the country to carry out high-level opening up. It is also a significant way for the mainland and Hong Kong to complement each other and achieve common growth.”
　　Commerce Minister Wang Wentao， addressing the sixth Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong via video link， on September 1
　　“As the largest emissions trading system in the world， this [launching its national carbon trading market] is an important step in China’s push to reach carbon neutrality before 2060， a goal which requires tens of trillions of dollars in investment to achieve.”
　　Beate Trankmann， United Nations Development Program resident representative in China， in an article published in China Daily on September 2