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China Daily

98 / 04 / 13 /

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1. Farmer's ideas yield new law
2. What's on (Page 9, Date: 04/13/98)
3. Shanghai to host KONSUGERMA fair
4. SIEC excels at organizing exhibitions
5. Briefs (Page 10, Date: 04/13/98)
6. Highlights of China Daily Supplements
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Farmer's ideas yield new law
FOR a year's good harvest, Chinese farmers in the 1980s always had
their two "bibles" nearby.
The almanac provided a scientific foundation and practical
experience to predict the harvest. The other -- called No 1
red-capped documents, the Central Government's policies and
measurements for guiding a year's agricultural development.
Few expected more. If the weather was favourable, with less
flooding or droughts, the policies scarcely varied from year to
year.
But Fei Guilong, a farmer from a village in Jiangsu Province's
Jiangdu County, had a plan. He decided that a high yield required
something more stable and manageable to free himself and other
farmers from anxieties over the fixed policies.
After consulting the late Cai Ziwei, then in charge of the
agriculture and forestry group of the Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Fei realized a new law had to be
drafted to make a difference.
During the initial stage of China's reform and process of opening
up, these No 1 documents were always eagerly expected by peasants
and village cadres because the documents ensured the sustained
development of the just-recovered rural economy.
Yet as the nation's economy grew more market-oriented, it has
become imperative to govern the country with laws instead of with
administrative regulations sometimes too rigid to act as a
guideline for the ever-changing economy of agriculture, Cai told
Fei.
Fei decided to work on an agriculture law by himself. Once the
idea struck him, he plunged into the solitary mission -- almost a
mission impossible given his limited education and lack of legal
background. Everybody in his village thought Fei was just going
crazy again, for this was not the first time he had done something
stunning.
Fei's education stopped abruptly after high school, as the
National Entrance Examination to Colleges and Universities was
cancelled during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). He returned
to his village, once part of the "land of rice and fish" south of
the Yangtze River. But Fei saw less rice and no fish then, as the
villagers were forced to cultivate their rice paddies in Dazhai's
way.
Dazhai was then a model village in northern China's Shanxi
Province, well known for its achievements in building terraced
fields and growing high yields of sorghum. Sorghum seeds of
superior quality from Dazhai were ordered and sown in Fei's
village. No one was permitted to raise any fish, duck, chicken or
other domestic fowl because they were regarded as signs of
capitalism, a doomed word then.
Fei, like many others, was perplexed. He took down his every doubt
in his notebooks, hoping someday someone would simply give out the
answers, just like in his school days.
The notebooks piled thick until 1978, when the late Deng Xiaoping
began the sweeping campaign of "family contract system" reforms in
rural areas.
Peasants were encouraged by the reform. Yet they were still scared
that the money they earned under this policy would someday turn
into a proof of their guilt under some other policies. Besides,
more and more levies had put heavy financial burdens on farmers.
At that point, Fei began to realize that all his doubts in the
previous years could be summed up in one sentence: Agricultural
production was not arranged in accordance with the objective law
of agricultural development itself.
Fei spent a year writing a novel based on his doubts. However, it
was never published and few got to read his manuscripts. In fact,
Fei himself began to doubt whether the novel could assuage all his
doubts once he finished it.
Maybe a paper with profound theoretical analysis and solid figures
and facts could be of more help, he thought. In this way, Fei
embarked on his theoretical exploration of the complex problems in
agriculture production.
It was at Cai's hospital ward in Beijing that Fei met the ill old
man, then the head of the agriculture and forestry group of CPPCC,
and presented his ideas. Cai was excited that a seemingly everyday
farmer was so devoted to the issue and encouraged him to carry on
with his research.
If there were an agriculture law, that would be great, Cai said.
Fei took Cai's opinion to heart and made up his mind. He wanted to
be the one to draft a law for China's agricultural future.
For that commitment, Fei gave almost all he had -- money, time and
energy. But few in his hometown realized that he was doing
something great for their benefit. Fei became the object of their
mockery, especially when they returned from their business trips
with bunches of cash and found Fei still in his shabby room
scribbling in his notebooks. Some even suspected that Fei might be
plotting some kind of conspiracy, but they could find no solid
evidence against him.
Fei, however, barely noticed the hubbub. He was too busy.
He had to start from the very beginning -- the ABCs of legal
affairs and economics -- and end with a coherent, workable plan.
In 1990, Fei brought his newly finished draft to Cai in Beijing.
To his chagrin, upon reaching the capital he found that Cai had
passed away. Desperately, Fei wrote to Jiang Zeming, then Party
Secretary, and enclosed his draft in the envelope. On June 3rd,
1991, he received a letter from the Policy and Law Department of
the Agriculture Ministry offering a positive review of his draft.
"Your work is very significant. We will draw upon some of your
ideas for our final draft," the letter said.
In May 1992, Fei was invited to attend a conference in Zhejiang
Province's Xiaoshan County to review the agricultural law drafted
by experts from the Policy and Law Department of Agriculture
Ministry and other relevant State departments. Fei was the only
farmer there. His speech was warmly welcomed when he used vivid
comparisons to describe the current situation of farmers' lives
and what they want.
"Even though few Chinese farmers knew him at that moment, Fei was
really voicing their concerns on their behalf," Gao Kuanzhong, an
official from the Policy and Law Department, said.
The agriculture law was approved on July 2, 1993 by the Standing
Committee of the Eighth National People's Congress. It has finally
replaced the outdated "policy bible."
Fei returned to his hometown and finally received the recognition
he deserved from his village fellows. He was named head of the
Jiangdu Agriculture Science Institute that same year.
_____________________________________________________________

_Date: 04/13/98_
_Author: Bian Yi_
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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What's on (Page 9, Date: 04/13/98)
CONCERTS
"Hot Red" -- British-Chinese violinist Vanessa Mae was warmly
welcomed upon on arrival in Beijing last Friday. Now she is ready
to play her white Zeta electric violin at the Capital Stadium on
April 15.
The 19-year-old has pleasantly surprised the musical world with a
completely new and earth-shaking interpretation of the ancient art
of violin playing. Onstage, she is a musical mermaid exuding
youth, beauty and talent. A striking balance between classic and
pop, traditional and vanguard, Mae's music is as fresh as the
spring wind to the ears of her fans.
On June 30, 1997, Mae played "Happy Valley -- the 1997
Re-unification Overture" in Hong Kong to commemorate China's
re-exercise of sovereignty.
People have described Mae as a "violinist of the Coca-Cola
generation." Actually, Mae's music is an alternative for busy
modern people who enjoy sampling cultural snacks.
Time: 7 pm, April 15
Place: Capital Stadium, Haidian District
Tel: 6405-5512, 6406-3324
Violin recital -- Sheng Zhongguo will stage two violin recitals,
playing works of violin sonatas by Brahms, Handel and Mozart, and
a violin concerto from "Butterfly Lovers."
Time: 7:30 pm, April 13, 14
Place: Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Beixinhuajie, Xicheng District
Tel: 6605-5812
Russian style -- The Stars Delegation of Russian Musicians is to
hold a concert, presenting vocal and instrumental music pieces.
Time: 7:30 pm, April 16
Place: Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Beixinhuajie, Xicheng District
Tel: 6605-5812
Chinese music -- After a successful show from America, China
Huaxia Chamber Music Orchestra is to stage a concert, packaging
the most favoured traditional Chinese instrumental music pieces
favoured by music fans at home and abroad.
Meanwhile, modern pieces for traditional Chinese instruments are
also to be shown.
The works include traditional tunes like "The Floral Moonlit Night
on a River in Spring," "Three-Time Chanting on Yangguan Pass,"
"The Quiet, Deep Night" and also modern pieces by Tan Dun, an
American-Chinese musician.
Zhang Weiliang, the orchestra director and a famous flute, xun,
and xiao player, will also perform "The Crying Flower," a piece he
composed. The sentimental sad piece depicts Daiyu, heroine from
the novel "Dreams from the Red Mansion" who burns her poem scrolls
before her death.
Time: 7:30 pm, April 17
Place: Beijing Theatre, 10,Area 10 Anhuili, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6491-0516
STAGE
"Rain Over, Sky Clear" -- Beijing People's Art Theatre's new
product "Rain Over, Sky Clear" has opened.
Written and directed by Li Liuyi, the drama is a real "Made in
China" small theatre play.
The plot develops through dialogue between a traditional Chinese
opera actor and a make-believe woman. The dialogue touches on four
people's readings of works by Marx, Nietzsche, Hegel and
newspapers.
All the characters in the play are looking for the honest side of
humanity through continuous self-denial.
The modern plot structure and use of montage technique means that
the audience should not approach the play with traditional
preconceptions. However, the director does not pursue obscurity,
but rather hopes to create a light atmosphere.
While the story is not realistic, the living conditions of modern
people reflected in the play are all too real.
Time: 7 pm, April 14-20
Place: Small Theatre of Beijing People's Art Theatre
Tel: 6525-0123
New drama -- Chekov's "three sisters" will meet Beckett's two
vagabonds in the new drama "Three Sisters. Waiting for Godot."
This is the first work of Lin Zhaohua Drama Workshop, which plans
a "Beijing Drama Season" to put on classics of Western and Chinese
drama during spring and autumn seasons from 1998 to 2000.
Lin Zhaohua, vice president of the Beijing People's Art Theatre,
is well known for his experimental adaption of drama classics,
such as "Hamlet" and "Faust."
By making use of the two plays, the play emphasizes human beings'
destiny of waiting through history.
Time: 7:15 pm, April 13-14, 16-21, 23-30, May 2-6
Place: Capital Theatre, 22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
Tel: 6512-1598, 6525-0978
Peking Opera --The Mei Lanfang Peking Opera Troupe is presenting
four Peking Opera pieces of the Mei School at the Beijing Chang'an
Grand Theatre to mark the 104th anniversary of the birth of Mei
Lanfang (1894-1961), a master of Peking Opera and founder of the
Mei School.
The performance features the following pieces: "Dutiful Daughter
Lian Jinfeng," "King's Parting with His Favourite" and "Battle of
Jinshan."
Time: 7:30 pm, nightly
Place: Beijing Chang'an Grand Theatre, 7 Jianguomennei Dajie,
Dongcheng District
Tel: 6510-1309 or 6510-1308
Peek-in opera -- Located in an ornate former temple, painted and
draped in a manner fit for royalty, Zhengyici Theatre may be worth
a visit just for a peek inside.
Better yet, stick around until the show gets rolling with live
Peking Opera packaged in short programmes for foreign audiences.
Each excerpt includes an explanation in English.
You'll see at least one lively acrobatic or fighting scene. There
are snacks, tea and ice cream during intermission.
Place: 220 Xiheyan Dajie, Xuanwu District (behind Hepingmen Roast
Duck Restaurant)
Time: 7:30 pm, daily
Tel: 6318-9454, 6315-9105
EXHIBITIONS
Portrait of Beauty -- Four young artists are holding a group show
entitled "Portrait of the Beauty" at the Hanmo Gallery.
More than 30 ink paintings on show are done by Lei Ziren, Li
Guangping, Zhu Xinjian and Yang Chunhua, each with a distinctive
style.
Time: 9 am -5 pm, through April 19.
Place: Hanmo Gallery, Beijing Curio Mansion, Huawei Flyover,
Dongsanhuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Tel: 6774-7711 ext 1064.
Russian landscape painting show -- The Exhibition of Russian
Landscape Paintings by Levitan and His Contemporaries is being
held at the China National Art Museum as an event of the 1998
China Year of International Fine Arts.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and organized by the China
International Exhibition Agency, the exhibition displays 86
landscape paintings by Isaak Illich Levitan (1860-1900) and his 35
contemporaries.
From the mid-19th century to the beginning of the 20th century,
the premiere Russian landscape artists established themselves as
an important school in the art world for the diverse subject
matters as well as for their unique style and way of expression.
With an exploration that captures answers to the mysteries of
nature, the Russian landscape artists portrayed in their works the
ever-changing lights in nature and the profound meaning behind
them. Hence, these artists opened up a new horizon of landscape
painting by combining passion with scenery and keeping motion and
taste in harmony.
In the second half of the 19th century, the Russian landscape
school reached its peak of splendour. With its accomplished
artists and works, it distinguished itself from the other European
landscape schools, which by all means could be rivaled with the
French Barbizon School and other realist landscape schools.
Among 19th century Russian landscape painting, Levitan undoubtedly
is the most resounding name. Gifted with the ultimate talent to
feel and understand nature, he depicted in his works, with
exuberant colours, the simple but profound beauty hidden behind
nature itself and revealed to the extreme the simple inner charm
contained in Russia scenes.
Levitan's landscape paintings compare favourably with the poetry
of Alexander Pushkin and Mikhail Lermontov, with the prose of
Nikolay Turgenev and Leo Tolstoy and with the music of Peter
Tchaikovsky and Sergey Rakhmaninov.
The 86 works, which come from four local museums in Russia,
include "Lake," "The Coming Back of Rooks" and other Levitan
masterpieces.
Time: 9 am-5 pm, until April 28
Place: China National Art Museum, 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District
Tel: 6401-2252
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_Date: 04/13/98_
_Author: _
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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Shanghai to host KONSUGERMA fair
KONSUGERMA, or the German Consumer Goods Exhibition, will be held
in Shanghai from April 27th to May 2nd, 1998.
The event is aimed at showing Chinese people what the German
consumer-goods industry has to offer.
For years, Germany has been the most important European trading
partner of the People's Republic of China, with recent exports to
China amounting to DM 10.9 billion. Direct investment by German
industry in China reached US$518 million in 1997 (up 32.8 per cent
from 1996).
A survey of the foreign trade figures between Germany and China
would reveal that the bulk of German exports to China are still
products of the capital goods industry: nearly half of them are
products of the engineering industry, then there are electrical
products and vehicles that are assembled in China.
Added to this is the fact that more than half of Germany's exports
to China come from less than a dozen companies like Siemens, VW,
BASF and some other big firms. But there still remains
considerable work to do, especially with regard to the presence of
small and medium-sized German companies in the Chinese market.
On the other hand, the miraculous economic boom of China in recent
years provides good potential for small and medium-sized German
companies to tap into.
The transition of China to a modern industrial nation is nowhere
more apparent than in the miles of shopping streets in China's
metropolises, with row upon row of department stores and exclusive
shops.
Whether in fashion, household goods, the sports and recreational
sector, or food, beverages and tobacco -- it is becoming clear
everywhere that this transition is accompanied by a new zest for
life and new consumer habits.
With leaps of up to 25 per cent, the Chinese market for consumer
goods is going through high growth rates the like of which no
other country in the world has ever experienced.
Consumer goods from Germany have a good reputation in the People's
Republic of China. This is underlined by the fact that, at
present, Germany exports more consumer goods to the People's
Republic of China than other European countries like Italy, France
or Great Britain.
However, in this sector, exports with a volume of only 1.3 billion
RMB (US$156 million), are a long way behind their actual
potential. And it is this gap between the potential and present
trade figures that has prompted the Federal Ministry of Economics
and the Confederation of German Trade Fair and Exhibition
Industries to put on this exhibition.
The venue for the exhibition will be the centrally located
Shangahi Exhibition Centre, which covers some 17,000 square
metres. Here, goods and services from the following five product
areas will be exhibited:
1. Foods and Beverages
2. Home goods and Handicrafts
3. Fashion
4. Recreation, Sports and Vehicles
5. Interior Design and Lifestyle
On all days of the event the KONSUGERMA fair will be open to trade
visitors -- importers, wholesale and retail traders and buyers
from department stores, hotels and restaurants -- and to all
consumers.
A German-China Week of Culture and Events will complement
KONSUGERMA. A comprehensive fringe programme with art exhibitions,
classical music, folklore, jazz and rock and theatrical
performances will bring the most varied facets of German culture
to China. Highlights will definitely be the first exhibition in
China of work by Georg Baselitz and open-air baroque concerts,
among others, and perfomances by the trumpet virtuoso and
conductor Ludwig Guttler.
In addition to this, and directly connected with the fair, there
will be a presentation of a variety of "German Design Highlights"
by the North-Rhine-Westphalia Design Centre, as well as fashion
shows, game shows and sporting events.
The "German House" will provide vivid glimpses into German family
life -- a complete one-family house with a German family of five
living in it to demonstrate how the exhibited products are put to
everyday use.
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_Date: 04/13/98_
_Author: Zhu Changyong_
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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SIEC excels at organizing exhibitions
ONE of the organizers of the coming German Consumer Goods
Exhibition KONSUGERMA, the Shanghai International Exhibition
Corporation (SIEC) is confident that the event will be a success,
according to its project manager Li Zhenkang.
Established in July 1984, and the first of its kind in Shanghai,
SIEC, with an exhibition space of 1.3 million square metres, has
organized over 260 international exhibitions covering the
telecommunications, electronics, machinery, instrument,
metallurgical, automobile, light industrial, chemical, textile,
medical, port and consumer sectors.
Through 13 years of continuous effort, SIEC has developed from a
service company for foreign exhibitors into a large corporation
capable of organizing high- profile exhibitions for such companies
as China Leather, Sports & Fitness Shanghai, China Elecomm, Auto
Shanghai, Die & Mould China, Interfood Shanghai, and such major
exhibitions as the Shanghai International Fashion Culture Festival
-- Shanghai International Fashion Expo and a Multinational
Exhibition for the Textile Industry.
Statistics show that SIEC has attracted some 100,000 overseas
businessmen to its exhibitions, which promoted the development of
tertiary-sector business such as tourism, commerce, hotels and
restaurants, and made active contributions to the strategic target
of developing the tertiary, second and primary sectors stipulated
by the Shanghai Committee of the Communist Party of China and the
People's Government of Shanghai Municipality.
About US$520 million worth of exhibit products have been imported
during the international exhibitions organized by SIEC, and more
than US$1,200 million worth of high tech and new equipment import
contracts signed, which stands as proof of its commitment to the
aim of "enabling the world to understand Shanghai, and enabling
Shanghai to understand the world," said Li.
The staff of SIEC are proud of their successful organization of
the Korean Exhibition, France '97, the American Consumer Goods
Exhibition, the Asian Consumer Goods Exhibition and China Tourism
Fair, and the Iran Products Exhibition.
"We are ready for the KONSUGERMA and wish it great success," said
Li .
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_Date: 04/13/98_
_Author: Chang Jun_
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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Briefs (Page 10, Date: 04/13/98)
China Glass '98
CHINA 7th International Glass Industrial Technical Exhibition,
also known as China Glass '98, opens today at the Beijing
Exhibition Hall. Organized by the Chinese Ceramic Society, the
exhibition is the largest of its kind in Asia, with 381
participating companies from over 20 countries and regions and a
total exhibition floor space of 15,000 square metres. Exhibits at
China Glass '98 will focus at deep processing of glass products
and energy-saving technology. The exhibition lasts till Thursday.
Mo Wenyi, an organizer of the exhibition, said despite the Asian
financial crisis, overseas participants are enthusiastic about the
event because they foresee a potentially huge market in China.
Print Expo '98
PRINT Expo '98, a large-sized international printing equipment and
materials exhibition, will be held at the China International
Exhibition Centre in Beijing on June 9-13 this year. Organized by
CIEC Exhibition Co (HK) Ltd, the exhibition will be participated
in by 120 companies from 17 countries and regions in the world. It
will widely invite manufacturers and suppliers of pre-press,
printing machinery, and finishing products to exhibit their new
technology and equipment.
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_Date: 04/13/98_
_Author: _
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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Highlights of China Daily Supplements
China Daily Supplements provide detailed economic, technological
and cultural information about particular regions, industries and
enterprises. China Daily is the only national English-language
daily newspaper in China. It is the most authoritative source for
Western countries that want to learn more about China and study
its major issues. The paper has a circulation of 300,000 and is
distributed throughout China and in more than 150 countries and
regions around the world.
China Daily Supplements help foreign companies enter the huge
Chinese market and help Chinese enterprises secure foreign
investment. The supplements are a channel through which government
organs, economic entities, tourist services and trade companies
solicit foreign investment and international co-operation.
China Daily puts out provincial and municipal supplements
highlighting the remarkable achievements in the implementation of
reform and opening policy in the past 20 years, development of new
hi-tech industrial zones and China City and Country Tour '98.
China Daily will launch supplements on important industries such
as automobile, aviation and aerospace, railway, international
exhibitions and conference, building materials, finance and
insurance and chemicals. On March 26, 1997, the first Aviation
Supplement appeared, initiating our effort to keep our readers
well informed about the latest technology, products, industrial
micro-development policies, market forecasting and analysis and
exclusive interviews with executives from leading Chinese and
foreign aircraft manufacturers, airlines and enterprises whose
products and services are related to aviation industry.
The China Daily Supplement Department will also co-operate with
foreign embassies in Beijing to publish supplements jointly. These
supplements will mark the national days of foreign countries,
celebrate the anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and
foreign countries and publicize visits to China by State heads or
prime ministers of foreign countries to help promote the
development of good relations between China and other nations. The
highlights of such supplements will include: Sino-British
Friendship Supplement, Sino-French Friendship Supplement,
Sino-German Friendship Supplement and Sino-American Friendship
Supplement.
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_Date: 04/13/98_
_Author: _
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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