Liu Shinan is China Daily's assistant editor-in-chief. He writes commentaries on social and cultural issues.
Two pieces of news in the media yesterday caught my attention. Both instances, which happened last week, were violent acts committed by middle school students. One was the killing of a mentally challenged woman by four middle schools students in Yunnan province. In the other incident, a middle school teacher was thrashed and injured by his students and their parents in Guangdong province.
I like traveling across the country, visiting places of historical interest and beautiful scenery, including famous tourist attractions. But I prefer traveling alone to joining a tour group, especially a package tour arranged by a tour agency. I enjoy the freedom of staying long at places that appeal to me and skipping those I find less interesting.
China has built many expressways in recent years. The quality of the roads and infrastructure is so good that they can beat any of their counterparts in the United States, Germany and Australia, where I've had the experience of driving a car. But the road management in this country is a far cry from the oversight in Western developed countries.
The last day of February, I was driving past the gate of the "Langfang University City" in Hebei province when my car was stopped by hordes of students, back from their vacation, crossing the street in front of the "city".
As a man who has many relatives in rural areas, I was delighted at the news about the recent shortage of laborers in China's most developed coastal regions - the Yangtze delta and Pearl River delta.
Nearly every reader of Internet news has expressed the same intent in their online messages: I want to donate some money to her and her family after learning their story.
A photograph that shows some railway staffers helping passengers get into a train through the windows cost two station managers their jobs.
Burst into an angry roar at the sight of injustice and draw your sword to help the victim. This is an old Chinese saying, calling on people to fight crime without the slightest hesitation. People who believe in it have a very strong sense of justice. The very sight of someone trying to commit a crime - attempt to rob, rape or pilfer - or an act of bullying swings them into action. They descend on criminals like a curse. A common feature of such heroes is that they act on impulse, without thinking about potential dangers.
Last week, a media report on the miserable state of laid-off "substitute teachers" triggered online debates over the government's plan to qingtui - screen and discharge - teachers not on its regular payroll. While some argue in defense of the government, the better half of the online critics accuse the education authorities of "killing the donkey after the milling job" - a Chinese proverb meaning getting rid of somebody after he has outlived his usefulness.
Day before yesterday, I watched a Beijing TV program and was moved by what a young woman said about commuters' reflection on the traffic conditions during the city's heaviest snowfall in 59 years. She said: "In this weather, we young people should show more concern for senior citizens. For instance, we should refrain from pushing our way into a bus and wait for older people to get in unhurriedly."
The Time magazine's announcement that "the Chinese Worker" was one of four runners-up for its Person of the Year award and its use of eight photographs of workers at a factory in Shenzhen have taken us by surprise. "Why does a US media outlet, which has not been so friendly to China, credit Chinese workers thus" must be the question on the mind of every Chinese.
The problem, however, is whether the money really finds its way into the farmers' pockets. We urban residents want to know.
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