HONORED WITH MAY FOURTH MEDAL

HONORED WITH MAY FOURTH MEDAL

Xu Peng， a 38-year-old man from Suzhou， Jiangsu Province in east China， was posthumously awarded a May Fourth Medal to commemorate his sacrifi ce in the fi ght against the novel coronavirus disease on April 28. He died in a car accident on February 21 while delivering medical supplies to Hubei Province， the hard-hit province during the epidemic in China.

As a member of Blue Sky Rescue， an independent public-service organization with volunteers focusing on professional rescue during emergencies， Xu， who was general manager of a culture communicate company in Suzhou， had participated in many signifi cant missions， including ecological protection in Hoh Xil， Qinghai Province， northwest China.

The annual awarding of the medals are the top honor for young Chinese. The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and the All-China Youth Federation announce the list of winners.

This year， the medal was presented to 94 individuals—including 34 posthumously—and 34 groups for their great contributions to the country.

Books Brighten Life

Peoples Daily April 24

In 1995， UNESCO selected April 23 as World Book and Copyright Day， calling on people around the world to enjoy reading and protect intellectual property rights.

With the development of the Internet， peoples reading habits have substantially changed. However， the value and truth that reading can bring to life， along with a demand for it， will never change.

In recent years， China has put considerable effort into promoting educational equality， removing the gaps between urban and rural areas and eastern and western regions. It has called on the government and the society to work together to explore new approaches. While reading is an important part， experts believe when students in rural areas have access to quality books， they can share the same starting line as children in cities in terms of spiritual development as well.

Field research has shown that schools that emphasize reading and the building of high quality libraries can shape teachers and students to have excellent spiritual temperaments， while at the same time， have outstanding performance in various test requirements. In addition， children growing up in a good reading environment at home can realize a balanced development.

During another World Book and Copyright Day， relevant departments can focus on how to provide more good quality books to children in rural areas. Sufficient instructions are also necessary to lead them to enjoy this activity， which can bring them a better life.

Odd Job Workers

China Youth Daily April 24

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19）， low-income people have attracted signifi cant attention from society. Thanks to the enhancement of temporary assistance， their daily life has been safeguarded.

Those depending on odd jobs should not be ignored. Most of them are migrant workers， engaged in catering， construction， household maintenance and other fi elds， and whose work is not stable under market changes. Given their poor ability to resist risks， our society has the responsibility to help them tide over these difficult times.

Grassroots governmental departments can provide families having this problem with subsidies and necessities after an allaround investigation.

As a supplement to traditional employment models， people who have odd jobs are closely tied to the success of Internet platforms and the sharing economy. Thus， from a long-term perspective， it is necessary to provide legislative protection for this group and include them in the system of social security and regulation.

Today， many enterprises have adopted a flexible employment model to improve efficiency and cut operation costs. However， information asymmetry fails to meet the demands of enterprises and unemployed workers at the same time. So relevant authorities should build a platform of information and organize online job fairs to expand channels in this regard.

Vocational training is also a signifi cant approach under the joint efforts of enterprises and governments at all levels based on the changing needs of industries. It can enable this group of workers with more employment possibilities by learning and mastering new skills.

For those who have returned to their hometowns， local governments have guided them to take part in spring plowing and the construction of agricultural infrastructure. They are also encouraged to set up their own businesses and apply ideas and commercial models that they have learned in cities to develop their hometowns.

Opportunities and Challenges

Nanfang Daily April 23

This years May Day holiday will last for fi ve days and is not only a starting point for revitalizing the cultural and tourism markets， but also an opportunity to release the potential of domestic demand.

At present， issues such as imported asymptomatic infections increase the complexity of the situation， which highlights the fact that the tourism industry must adhere to the principle of epidemic prevention and control amid stimulating industrial development.

As a labor-intensive industry， tourism is likely to face a rebound of consumption during the holiday， which brings pressure in many aspects， such as catering， transportation and accommodations. This emphasizes the need for coordination and support from all governmental departments to avoid large gatherings and guarantee quality service.

To guide virus containment during the holiday， the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Health Commission jointly unveiled a document on April 14， which advises tourist attractions to control the number of visitors to 30 percent of their maximum capacity. They also need to establish and improve their reservation system to organize people to sightsee at different times.

For consumers， they should comply with epidemic regulations not only for their safety but also for the overall prevention and control of the virus countrywide.

TOP EPIDEMIOLOGIST HEADS TO NORTHEAST

Du Bin， Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit， Peking Union Medical College Hospital （PUMC）， arrived in Heilongjiang Province in northeast China on April 26 from Hubei Province to support the regions novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19） containment efforts.

Du obtained his medical degree from PUMC in 1994 and then joined the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the hospital. As the only epidemiologist from the high-level expert group of the National Health Commission， Du arrived in the COVID-19-hit city of Wuhan， Hubei Province in central China， on January 19. He was awarded the title of “Advanced Individual in the Epidemic Prevention and Control of COVID-19 by the National Health System” on March 4.

After Hubeis epidemic situation came under control， he headed to Heilongjiang with two other outstanding epidemiologists Tong Zhaohui and Qiu Haibo due to the provinces increased pressure of imported COVID-19 cases.

“It is wrong to transfer the industrial chain back to ones own country since the economy is globalized... It is impossible for any country to build up total factor productivity on its own， and the cost of building a total factor industrial chain is relatively high for any country.”

Ren Zhengfei， founder and President of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.， in an interview with Dragon magazine on April 22

“Wed better forget politics now； we are in a very special time. Were in a battle， a battle between homo sapiens and the virus. We cannot just start another battle， a battle between a group of homo sapiens and another. Its wrong.”

Zhang Ming， head of the Chinese Mission to the EU， during a conversation with Friends of Europe， a Brussels-based think tank， on April 24

“Although competition in ideology， geopolitics and science and technology has already started between China and the U.S.， there is still broad areas for the two to cooperate in economy and trade， counterterrorism and international assistance. This is the key difference between the Cold War and todays competition.”

Yao Yang， Dean and professor with National School of Development at Peking University， in an interview with Beijing Cultural Review， a bimonthly Chinese magazine， on April 24

“President Trumps decision to harm an agency whose sole purpose is to protect the health and wellbeing of the worlds peoples is a crime against humanity. It is a knowing and inhumane attack against the global civilian population.”

Richard Horton， Editor in Chief of The Lancet， a weekly medical journal， criticizing U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to suspend funding to the World Health Organization on April 25