What I wish for Chinese New Year
By Bai Ping (China Daily) Updated: 2014-01-11 09:07I hope the president's visit marks a new beginning for other local food brands, too.
3: Better working conditions for journalists: Believe it or not, journalism has become one of the most stressful and dangerous jobs in China. Last week, the All-China Journalists Association launched a special fund to compensate journalists who have died or have been injured in the line of duty, with claims ranging from 5,000 yuan ($852.6) to 300,000 yuan.
I wish good luck to colleagues and fellow journalists who risk their health and even lives in the competition to grab headlines and readers' attention.
4: Happier family life with anti-graft campaign: Corruption may have played a significant role in many family break-ups because crooked officials are more likely to be unfaithful to their spouses. Since the end of last year, officials in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, have been asked to answer the question, "Do you desire extra-marital affairs or sex outside marriage?", as a key indicator of corruption.
The ongoing anti-corruption drive has significantly reduced the nightlife and other extra curricular activities of people in power. The latest joke doing the rounds is that the divorce rate could fall as more officials head home after work.
5: Stabilizing housing prices: The continuing frenzied home sales at stratospheric prices surprized both homeowners and property agents last year. In the last five years, home prices have risen by three to four times in Beijing.
While sellers are laughing their way to the bank and buyers are rushing to take the plunge, remember the popular belief that housing prices will only go up is false. Let's pray the market will stabilize soon to avoid a housing bubble, which will have a serious impact on the economy and millions of homeowners when it bursts.
The writer is editor-at-large of China Daily.
Email: dr.baiping@gmail.com.
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