时间：2022-07-21 11:12:00
Despite unbridled criticism of its “shallowness” and poor narrative， the new comedy Personal Tailor， directed by one-time master of the genre Feng Xiaogang， had earned over uS$82 million at the box office by the end of 2013. Feng’s general popularity proved a major draw， and Personal Tailor’s liberal use of product placement and mass marketing also secured major profits. It might be good news for shareholders but not for movie critics， who have bemoaned China’s increasing dependence on marketing， not talent， to sell movies. Feng Xiaogang is a classic example， having abandoned his gritty dramas such as Back to 1942 and Assembly， both of which are generally viewed as flawed artistic gems， for the family-friendly fare which earned him his fame.
Caixin
December 30， 2013
Vaccine Crisis
A total of seven Chinese infants allegedly died after receiving domestically-produced hepatitis B vaccines since December 2013， casting a shadow on all the country’s infant inoculation programs. A Chinese national is now required to be vaccinated against 15 infectious diseases， with hepatitis B on the list since 1992. Although the compulsory vaccination has helped reduce China’s population of juvenile hepatitis B carriers by an estimated 19 million between 1992 and 2010， the growing number of reported harmful side effects of the vaccine， which in most developed nations is only administered to adults， has led to reluctance to participate among parents. Experts have attributed this crisis of confidence in well-documented poor quality control procedures and outdated manufacturing technology， blaming State monopolies for China’s laggard development of vaccines. Calls are now growing to introduce a third party into the supervision process， as well as to open the market to private and foreign competitors.
China Economic Weekly
December 27， 2013
Muddy Waters
Despite millions of yuan in government investment， formerly scenic Taihu Lake in the Yangtze River Delta has remained heavily polluted since 2007 when the river was hit by a bloom of blue algae. The major source of the pollution is a mixture of fertilizer residue， livestock effluent and human waste from riverside communities which， due to their small scale， generally are not covered by national environmental protection regulations. Local governments have also complained that they are unable to afford the installation of unified pollution control systems for all communities， instead arguing for mechanized agriculture and organic farming as a solution to the problem. However， farmers have opposed this tack， as few could afford the associated costs. All eyes are now on the central government to rebalance China’s outmoded agriculture.
Oriental Outlook
January 8， 2014
Salt Spat
China’s food safety risk assessment lab recently published a report on dietary iodine intake in the international magazine Nutrition， concluding that the Chinese people should continue to eat iodized salt as part of a national policy implemented since 1994 after widespread iodine deficiencies were discovered throughout the general population， a problem criticized at the time by the UN and the WHO. The report came as part of a government investigation which sought to debunk claims that Chinese people were consuming excessive amounts of iodine as a result of the policy. Despite a rise in reported numbers of thyroidrelated diseases， often blamed on excessive iodine consumption， policy supporters argued that there is no strong medical evidence connecting iodine to thyroid complaints. While the iodine content of salt has been moderated and there is a certain degree of flexibility in the implementation of the policy， the government has stood by the State salt monopolies， and refused to roll it back entirely.
Southern Metropolis Weekly
January 2， 2014
Moving in Circles
Many Chinese people， young or old， are now keen to join various “circles，” online groups whose members share the same background， the same interest or the same values. Though born online， these organizations frequently meet in the real world， usually for dinners or tea parties. Sociologists point to a need to establish an identity in an increasingly faceless China， as well as the age-old need of the Chinese to establish “connections，” and form elite groups， such as golf circles for businesspeople. Nevertheless， the advent of “circles” has shaken China’s traditionally dominant family unit and offered strangers a chance to meet and connect not to mention broadened the national dating pool.