1. A Test: To Cook a Weekend Meal

On April 16th, 2001, Weidonglu Elementary School at Hexi Dixtrict of Tianjin City carried out a mid-term test, asking the pupils to cook a weekend meal for their parents. The pupils were required to work out independently a process of making a shopping plan, going shopping in the supermarket, calculating the quantity of the food needed, and doing the washing and cooking all by themselves. The purpose of the test is to examine the pupils' comprehensive ability of using their head as well as their hands. Seen here is a photo of Lei Lei, a third-grade pupil, doing the cooking with her mother as the invigilator.

(Photo by Liu Haifeng on April 16, 2001)

2. Welcoming New Spring with a World of Ice and Snow

On the Snow Mountain Skiing Ground of at Xiling, Sichuan Province, people are jubilantly spending the first Spring Festival of the new century.

(Photo by Yang Quanxin on January 24th, 2001)

3. Kindergarten in Countryside

Seen here is a countryside kindergarten located at Nandan County, Guangxi Province. Its scale and facilities are by no means inferior to the kindergartens in the city. It is founded by Yang Zaiyong, a 65-year-old farmer, who makes an investment of RMB 7,500,000 the money he has earned with his industrious labor.

(Photo by Chen Ruihua on June 10th, 2001)

4. Gratis Blood Donations, Concerns for Others

One day in May 2001, Zhao Fei (right), a citizen of Shanghai, is making gratis blood donation in a hospital with the accompaniment of her daughter.

(Photo by Fan Jun on May 20th, 2001)

5. A Greybeard of Seventy Taking College Entrance Exam

On July 7th, 2001, Wang Xia, an old man of 72, takes the college entrance exam, creating a record of the oldest student taking national college entrance examination.

From the beginning of 2001, Chinese citizens are no longer limited by age or marital status for taking college entrance examination so that they can materialize their wish to learn all their life.

(Photo by Xu Peng on July 7th, 2001)

6. Longer Holidays

From the year of 2000, both May 1st and October 1st have seven days off for the holiday so that people can have 124 days off for a whole year. Seen here are the citizens of Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei Province, choosing books at the book market in a park during the long holiday.

(Photo by Zhou Wenguang on May 5th, 2001)

7. Longevous Greybeards Running for Health

In the Longevous Greybeards Running for Health held in May in Beijing, three 80-year old people participate in the match in high spirits. In the population of roughly 1.3 billion people in China, 10% are aged people over 60.

(Photo by Song Lianfeng on May 13th, 2001)

8. Seaside Taijiquan

With the approach of the Spring Festival of 2001, the related departments of Hainan Province holds a Taijiquan (a system of physical exercises) competition at the cultural tourism area of Nanshan, Sanya City with the participation of around 1,000 retired veteran cadres and retired cadres. The aged people practice Taijiquan by the seaside with the accompaniment of the rolling sound of the sea waves, attracting the audience and tourists with great interest.

(Photo by Chen Xiaoying on January 19th, 2001)

9. New Spring in Ancient Town

Anchang, a town at Shaoxing County in Zhejiang Province, is one of the well-known ancient river towns in Jiangnan (a region in the lower Yangtze Valley, including southern Jiangsu and Anhui and northern Zhejiang). The simple and plain streets, the ancient shops and stores, and the ancient stone bridges are all varied and different and the self-employed private enterprises of the ancient small town are full of life. In the year of 2000, GDP of the town reached RMB 940 million, not including the export value of US$ 22 million done by the town itself. When wandering in the ancient streets of Anchang, one can have not only a taste of the ancient and simple local customs but also feel the development steps of the modern and prosperous cities and towns. A black felt hat, a well-cut suit, a bowl of rice wine and a mobile telephone -- all this is just a unified picture blending the traditional life and modern life harmoniously.

(Photo by Wang Xiaochuan on January 19th, 2001)

10. First Supermarket Cinema in China Open in Kunming

On February 16th, 2001, the first supermarket cinema in China opens in Kunming. It consists of 11 standard projection halls. The audience can see a film at any time and choose whatever movie he likes with the admission fee varying from RMB 2.00 to 15.00. In addition, the supermarket cinema also holds periodically various kinds of activities, such as enjoyment and analysis of the famous films, lectures on movie knowledge and informal discussions among the audience. Seen here are the posters of the movie stars outside the cinema attracting the moviegoers.

(Photo by Lin Yiguang on February 16th, 2001)

11. Increasing Demand for Home-use Cars in China

The Sail car manufactured by the General Motor in Shanghai has made its appearance in the market. GM's idea of turning out l00,000 Sail Cars for Home Use attracts the sight of numerous salaried people. Seen here is Ms. Yang Hong of Beijing ready to drive her own car. In the recent two years, personal purchase of cars in China is over 50% of the total volume of car sales.

(Photo by Yu Xiaoping on June 8th, 2001)

12. Collective Wedding Ceremony in Macao

On April 24th 2001, 120 couples of bride and bridegroom from 12 provinces or cities of the inland China carried out a large-scale collective wedding ceremony in the Special Administration Region of Macao, China. The brides and bridegrooms are seen to release balloons in front of the St. Pauls.

In the spring of 2001, the new Marriage Law began to be implemented. It clearly defines the legal provisions related to the issues of family property, bringing up and educating the children, and committing bigamy.

(Photo by Li Kun on April 24th, 2001)

13. Hospital Service Based on Principle of Taking Human as the Basis

Seen here is a nurse of the People's Hospital of Guangdong Province helping a patient to get off the convenience car for seeing the doctor, which stops with hand waving. This kind of car is specially provided for the patients. To improve the medical service and reduce the medicine cost are the targets laid down for the recent reform of the Chinese medical system.

(Photo by Liu Dawei on April 24th, 2001)

14. Population Reduction of 300 Million After 30 Years of Family Planning

Since China implemented the policy of family planning at the beginning of 1970s, a population of 300,000,000 has been reduced in the 30 years. The idea of bearing and rearing better children and the concept of bearing less children and becoming rich faster have stricken root in the hearts of the people. Seen here are the mother and son of the Miao minority living in the Longlinge Nationality Autonomous County of the Beise Region, Guangxi Province.

(Photo by Liu Guangming on January 14th, 2001)

15. World's Best in Hands of Laid-off Workers in Tianjin

At the beginning of 2001, the Baijiao Yuan (a garden of one hundred kinds of dumpling) Restaurant in Tianjin got the certificate of The World's Best issued by the Genius Headquarters in Shanghai.

This restaurant, founded in 1997 by seven laid-off woman workers, has now provided over 300 working opportunities for the laid-off workers. They have run six direct selling stores in Yangzhou, Beijing and Tianjin and are preparing to open branch stores in America and Japan to carry forward the art of Chinese cooking. The staff of Baijiao Yuan says with full confidence Our dumplings are really good!

(Photo by Ma Ping on April 20th, 2001)

16. Performance of 1,000-Hand Guanyin by Dumb Actresses

On May 11th, 2001, the Art Troupe of the Dumb of the Chinese Art Troupe of the Handicapped gives a performance of 1000-Hand Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy), dancing to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Act of Protecting the Handicapped of the People's Republic of China.

(Photo by Zhuang Jin on May 11th, 2001)