Another School Attack

An elementary school in Guangshan County， Henan Province became the latest in a series of Chinese schools hit by unprovoked knife attacks， leaving 22 children injured.

At 8 AM on December 14， Min Yingjun， 36， broke into a classroom and stabbed scores of children who struggled to escape. Min was eventually subdued by the school’s security guards and police. 23 students and an 83-year-old passerby who had attempted to stop Min were injured in the attack， though no fatalities were reported.

Police later announced that Min had suffered from mental illness for 20 years. After discovering that no security guards or staff had been on duty at the school gate that morning， parents swiftly rounded on the school administration， accusing officials of negligence.

Economy

China Issues 2013 Economic Report

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， China’s leading official think tank， issued its annual report on the state of the economy on December 5， 2012.

The report listed US fiscal cliff negotiations and the ongoing Eurozone crisis as potential risks to China’s future growth， as well as highlighting ways in which the government could stimulate slowing domestic GDP growth. These included boosting efficiency and increasing domestic consumption， as well as greater direct investment in social services， infrastructure and housing.

Traffic

First Anti-freeze Rail Line

China’s Harbin-Dalian line， the world’s first highspeed rail line designed to operate under extreme weather conditions， officially entered service December 1， 2012.

Equipped with advanced technology to prevent heavy snow and ice from damaging the rails， the line is designed to cope with the 80 degree fluctuation in yearly temperatures known in China’s three northernmost provinces of Heilongjiang， Jilin and Liaoning.

Despite the new line’s rolling stock being designed to travel at over 350 kilometers per hour， trains will run at 300kmph in the summer and 200kmph in the winter in the interest of safety.

With over 8，600km of high-speed rail lines now in service， China has the world’s largest rail network. However， the memory of the fatal 2011 Wenzhou bullet train crash in which 40 people lost their lives has left commuters uneasy over the pace at which new lines are being opened.

Culture

Move Over， Forbidden City

Chinese archaeologists have found the remains of an ancient palace complex attributed to Qin Shi Huang， the first emperor of a unified China and founder of the short-lived Qin Dynasty （259BC-210BC）， according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The unearthed complex covers a total area of 170，000 square meters， one fourth the size of Beijing’s Forbidden City， arranged into a grid-like floor plan comprising 18 courtyard houses built on a north-south axis around a single central chamber. The remarkably intact state of the foundations calls into question historical accounts claiming that the entire complex was razed by local rebels following the First Emperor’s death.

The walled city of Xi’an served as the imperial capital of China for several ancient dynasties when it was known as Chang’an. On its outskirts， Qin Shi Huang’s vast burial mound， which has yet to be excavated， shot to worldwide fame after the discovery of a life-size funerary army of over 6，000 well-preserved terracotta soldiers and horses.