Bilibili carves a niche with synchronized online interactions
Video is the go-to-business in China's thriving internet sector. From tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent to highflying apps like Douyin and Kuaishou, industry players are sparing no effort to be part of the intense race to gain user traction.
Video site Bilibili, however, has carved out a unique niche by cultivating a vibrant online environment, based on synchronized online interactions.
At a grand gala in Shanghai celebrating Bilibili's 10th birthday on June 26, Chief Executive Officer Chen Rui made a rare appearance and shared the latest strategy of the site, which is deemed "ground zero" for much of China's post-1990 and post-1995 generations' internet culture.
Starting out as an obscure online spot for animation, comics and games, Bilibili has turned into a Nasdaq-listed media conglomerate encompassing all video themes one can imagine. Today it is also on the radar for nurturing, producing and distributing movies, TV series and comics.
Bilibili's 100 million monthly active users now spend on average 81 minutes on the site per day, playing videos for a total of 510 million times, according to Chen.
The platform is also enriched by over 730,000 original content curators who submit 2.08 million indigenous videos accounting for 89 percent of the total videos being played.
But one feature that serves as a genuine differentiator is its "danmu", or "bullet comments" system. It is a loanword from Japanese animation circle, depicting a user conversation system where time-synced comments are overlaid directly on top of the video as it plays.
The comments can either be in real-time or left by previous viewers pegged to specific moments of a video. Such spontaneous interaction creates a social watching experience similar to that of sitting in a rowdy theater: during pivotal moments in a video, reactions wash over the video in a dense tidal wave, as if you are sharing your feelings instantly with your online neighbors.
"Here at Bilibili, we see the generation of over 1.4 billion danmu comments each month. It is the epitome of emotional interaction and makes Bilibili a genuine, heartwarming community," Chen said.
Another factor gluing the Bilibili users tight is setting a high threshold for membership in pursuit of cultural recognition. While anyone can watch the majority of videos on the site, only members who have passed a 100-question test regarding animation culture, the danmu etiquette and other related topics, are granted more rights such as uploading videos and prioritized comments.
"Contrary to the common practice of lowering the threshold for user acquisition, such settings ensure the bulk of participants at least understand the norms of the community, which helps the platform hold onto users and enhances their loyalty," said Ma Shicong, an internet analyst with consultancy Analysys.
Thanks to that congruence, Bilibili isn't just intriguing to comic and animation lovers, but it has serious undertakings. The platform is shaping up to be the country's top self-learning platform, with 4.2 million videos on a variety of educational topics accessed by 18.27 million avid learners.
"It is a paradise, an encyclopedia, a fenceless university, and a gas station," said Zhang Zhaozhong, a retired professor from the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army and a rear admiral. His series of online videos populating military knowledge among youngsters has secured him some 2 million followers.
But Bilibili's ambition does not stop there. It proposed a "Made by Bilibili" plan last year, aiming to invest in high-quality content production houses to craft original content.
In the past three years, Bilibili has been involved in the investment and release of 71 Chinese-made comics, accounting for half of all homemade comics during the same period. In the latest development, it announced the launch of the animation adaptation sci-fi trilogy The Three-Body Problem, based on the namesake sci-fi novel by popular Chinese writer Liu Cixin.
They plan to coproduce the animation with two other Chinese companies - the Three-Body Universe (Shanghai) and Wuhan-based animation maker YHKT Entertainment.
Ruan Rui, CEO of YHKT Entertainment, said the animation is at the script writing stage and will be shot with 3D technologies. Ruan did not reveal whether the animation will be a series or a film.
"Animation, as an image art form, is especially suitable for presenting science fiction content. I look forward to seeing the adaptation go beyond my imagination," Liu, the author, said at the launch ceremony.
[if !supportLists]1. [endif]summary
Bilibili has found its own position among video-sharing sites or apps because of its unique culture. The author introduces the video contents on Bilibili, the number of original videos, the unique danmu system, and the community culture. The author also focuses on bilibili's education section which received praises and its support for original videos and movie making.
[if !supportLists]2. [endif]carves a niche
[if !supportLists]3. [endif]go-to-business
[if !supportLists]4. [endif]on the radar
[if !supportLists]5. [endif]如何看待B站
Bilibili started it journey as a small community that was filled with acg culture, and gradually developed into a video sharing site with various original videos, and thanks to his unique danmu system, viewers can find a lively atmosphere while watching videos just like chatting with friends while watching a show.
Bilibili has a wide variety of sections, including funny stuff, music, education, games, anime, etc., all the popular culture among the youth can be found here. People come to this platform mainly because of the fun it brings, most of the popular videos are not necessarily well made, but they must be creative.
However, bilibili is not just for fun. The education section is a cave full of treasure for learners, you can see people from different fields sharing knowledge in interesting ways. Want to get some knowledge about military, just follow Professor Zhang Zhaoxiong; for the law, check out Mr. Luo Xiang’s videos. If you want to learn how to compose music, how to edit videos, how to take wonderful photos with your phone and how to cook-anything you can think of, there are always some videos available for you.
I have learned ....
Computer programming catching on in Chinese schools
"We are designing an anti-drunken driving car system, with a master switch and an alcohol sensor," said Li Jialin, an 11-year-old from Beijing Caoqiao Primary School.
Li and his team were demonstrating their invention at the Play+Make event for Beijing's primary and secondary school students in late May.
They installed an alcohol sensor in the steering wheel and set up a program. When the driver presses the vehicle's start switch, the alcohol sensor begins to monitor the concentration of alcohol in the air. If it exceeds a certain standard, the car issues a warning and will not start.
More than 1,500 school students from Beijing showcased their designs at the event. They included a vehicle with an environmental-detection system and an intelligent baby stroller.
While showing great imagination, they all had one other thing in common－they needed programming.
Li learned to use Arduino, an open-source electronics platform, to create interactive objects at school. Young inventors at the event programmed their gadgets with all kinds of programming platforms, including Scratch, which offers a visual programming environment.
Programming is catching on in schools as one of the core skills of information technology.
Wang Jun, an official from the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, says more than 200 primary and secondary schools in Beijing teach programming. More schools are exposing students to programming through extracurricular activities and science societies.
"Programming is a tool, not an end. We hope the students can apply the skills of programming to innovation and develop a problem-solving mindset," Wang says.
In the United Kingdom, computer programming is a compulsory course for children older than 5.
Although China has yet to add programming to the national school curriculum, some private-education providers are eyeing the market.
Codemao is an education company that provides online graphical programming courses for students ages 6 to 16. It also provides an online programming platform where children can design and display their own work, such as games, music and animation.
Li Tianchi, founder of Codemao, is confident of the programming education market in China, which he believes may exceed the market for English study.
"The English-learning craze derived from the need for people-to-people exchanges in the globalized world. Nowadays, artificial intelligence is creeping into daily life," Li Tianchi says.
"Programming is the 'dialogue' for dealing with artificial intelligence.
"Students are not learning programming to become programmers when they grow up. It is going to become a basic skill for many walks of life. If a doctor requires a surgical robot or an astronomer wants to do a planetary-crash simulation experiment, they will need programming skills."
Li Tianchi is happy to find that many children who indulge in games become game designers, while children who like painting and writing incorporate their hobbies into programming.
From this year, Zhejiang province is listing information technology as an optional subject on the college entrance examination, and programming is an important part. In Beijing and Shanghai, students' programming talent may improve their chances of getting into better secondary schools.
But Li Tianchi wants students to think of programming as "interesting" instead of another cram subject.
"Programming education should focus on how to liberate the students' creativity－not on utilitarian needs."
Makeblock, a Shenzhen-based robotics company, develops programmable education robots, programmable drones and other education products with graphical programming functions.
Founded in 2013, Makeblock has gained a market share in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Wang Jianjun, the founder and CEO of Makeblock, says its products are selling in more than 140 countries and regions across the world. One of its star products, mBot, for example, has been particularly welcomed at schools in France and Spain.
But the company is now turning its attention to the Chinese market.
"We are working with more than 1,000 public schools across China to promote programming education," says Wang Jianjun.
Many parents in China are more open-minded than previous generations, and they have more favorable attitudes toward programming and raising better-rounded children.
Wang Jianjun admits he didn't have the chance to learn programming until he was an undergraduate. But now many Chinese children have access to programming at a younger age.
"Children have a lot of creativity, and programming is a useful path to creation, helping them turn their ideas into reality," he says.
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The author uses several examples of students participating in programming events to illustrate how programming is becoming popular in schools. Some education companies are starting programming for children in the market. One education company says that programming is a basic skill in many industries and may become more popular than learning English in the future. Another robot company stated that programming will help children be better-rounded and make them more creative.
[if !supportLists]2. [endif]meaning of catch on
[if !supportLists]3. [endif]你如何看待小学生开始学习编程这件事情
First of all, if children choose to learn on their own out of interest, I am certainly all for it. Every child has different talent, and it's a blessing for them to be able to make their own choices, and to learn something that they find enjoyable and fulfilling.
And fortunately this subject has not yet become compulsory in schools, because if it were, the burden on students would be even heavier. I've already seen elementary school students being deprived of sleep from too much homework, not to mention middle school students. So I feel relieved to have this subject as a choice not a requirement.
The market being able to offer these types of training also allows some kids to find their interests and strengths as they grow up. I have witnessed that so many people don't even have a goal in mind when they choose a college major and they don’t know what jobs they love after college. Exposure to a number of different interests at a younger stage can help a child find their interests and strengths earlier in life.
如何看待学生毕业论文抄袭问题
Officials take on academic misconduct
Students who cheat on dissertations will be added to social credit system
Postgraduate students who commit fraud in their graduation dissertations will be recorded in the national social credit system, a new guideline said on Tuesday as the country aims to further strengthen the quality of its postgraduate education to cultivate more high-level talent.
The guideline, jointly issued by the Ministry of Education, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance, asked universities and research institutes to intensify their efforts to crack down on academic misconduct.
Academic integrity should be an important part of postgraduate education and training for supervisors, and dissertation writing guidance should be compulsory for all students, the guideline said.
Education authorities should increase the percentage of students going through random dissertation inspection, and should revoke the accreditation of disciplines that fail to ensure the quality of such works, it said.
It also asked universities and research institutes to impose stricter evaluation standards for supervisors, including their work ethic, academic performance and efforts in supervising students.
The guideline came after President Xi Jinping called for greater efforts to cultivate a large body of high-level talent with integrity and the ability to meet the developmental needs of the Party and the country.
In a recent instruction on the country's graduate education, Xi said high-level talent is urgently needed and stressed the importance of graduate education in boosting innovation, aiding economic and social development and modernizing the system and capacity for governance in China.
More than 10 million students in China have obtained master's or doctoral degrees from domestic higher education institutions as of 2020, according to the Ministry of Education. More than 3 million Chinese students will be pursuing their postgraduate studies this year at domestic universities or research institutes, it said.
Lyu Jianping, an official from the Ministry of Finance, said the central government invested 5 trillion yuan ($750 billion) in China's higher education system from 2012 to last year.
Hong Dayong, director at the department of degree management and postgraduate education of the Ministry of Education, said the ministry will issue another guideline to regulate the behavior of supervisors and establish a mechanism to identify and deal with misconduct.
The whole process of postgraduate education, from enrollment to graduation, should have stricter standards, and the country should establish a selection system midway through postgraduate studies to weed out students who are unfit for advanced research, he said.
Ge Daokai, director of Jiangsu Education Department, said as universities in the province have adopted stricter requirements on postgraduate students, more than 8,200 postgraduate students faced delayed graduation last year, and another 758 students who could not meet the standards were asked to end their studies.
[if !supportLists]1. [endif]summary
Facing current academic misconduct and plagiarism, the government enacted some regulations. For students, plagiarism will be recorded in the social credit system. For the educational authorities, random inspections of students' theses should be carried out. For universities, there should be a course on thesis writing instruction. For supervisors, they should receive a stricter evaluation. All these regulations are aimed at ensuring the training of highly qualified students.
In addition, the author discusses the current situation of postgraduate education, including the number of postgraduates, the amount of money invested in universities as well as the number of students who have been removed from universities.
[if !supportLists]2. [endif]Meaning of take on?
[if !supportLists]3. [endif]Meaning of weed out?
[if !supportLists]4. [endif]Do you agree that students who are unfit for advanced research should be weeded out
I partly agree with this, because from an overall point of view, without this mechanism we can't get highly qualified people.
But the article doesn't mention any way out for those unfit students. Will they be kicked out of the university and get nothing after spending years studying and researching becasue they are unfit or have no talent for it. I wonder if it will be too much of a psychological shock for them. We've heard news of college students committing suicide, mostly because of poor academic performance and a sense of hopelessness about their future.
I kept thinking about their way out, but could not find an answer. Perhaps the issue should be solved from the very beginning by detecting whether the students have a certain level of research ability during the entrance exams and interviews. So all parties involved won’t lose. students won’t waste time, universities won’t waste money, and the society won’t lose some talents.
阅读
How can law better protect women?
Over the last month or so, the tragedy of Lamu has left millions of Chinese distraught, demonstrating again the urgent need to better protect women against domestic violence.
Lamu, aged 30, a popular influencer on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, was set on fire by her former husband on Sept 14 for livestreaming popular content and becoming an online influencer. She suffered serious burns and died on Sept 30, leaving behind two children.
Prior to the incident, Lamu had endured domestic violence for years and managed to get a divorce only in May.
Lamu's former husband, who has committed a horrendous crime, is expected to receive the severest punishment according to the Criminal Law. But no matter how harsh a punishment he gets, Lamu cannot be brought back to life. Which calls for revising our laws and strengthening their enforcement to prevent such tragedies.
China passed the Anti-Domestic Violence Law in 2016. Over the past four years, the landmark legislation has achieved some success. For instance, the All-China Women's Federation reported a 10 percent decline in domestic violence complaints in 2018 and 2019. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Public Security said police officers had stopped or prevented more than 6 million incidents of domestic violence in the past four years. And by December 2019, the courts had issued more than 5,700 protection orders for domestic violence victims, with the number increasing from less than 700 in 2016 to a little over 2,000 in 2019.
Nonetheless, there is still a long way to go to make the law truly effective. An estimated 30 percent of households in China have experienced domestic violence, and 60 percent of the women who have committed suicide have done so due to domestic violence. Yet on average a woman suffers domestic violence 35 times before she chooses to call the police. Even after the enactment of the Anti-Domestic Violence Law, a huge number of cases, even tragedies, have been reported, reflecting the whopping gap between the law and its enforcement. Which means the authorities have to do more than just enact a law and recommend harsher punishments to prevent domestic violence.
In fact, the law has many loopholes. It covers married couples, live-in partners and other family members, but not violence against former spouses or partners who don't live together. It covers physical and psychological violence, but does not include sexual violence such as marital rape, or economic control such as deprivation of financial resources.
Besides, there is much room for improvement when it comes to the enforcement of the law. Take the protection orders issued by the courts for example. Delays in and rejection of issuing these orders have been widely reported, especially because there are still no national implementation guidelines for standardization of criteria and procedures for recognizing domestic violence and protecting victims. As a result, while hundreds of thousands of women suffer domestic abuse, the number of protection orders issued by the courts adds up to only a few thousands.
Therefore, the law and its enforcement both need to be improved in order to deter perpetrators and become a robust protection mechanism for potential victims.
How?
Domestic violence often starts with verbal abuse and minor physical aggression. So both actual and potential victims of domestic violence should protest against the perpetrators and their actions－and seek the help of friends, family members and ultimately the police. Articles 16 and 17 of the Anti-Domestic Violence Law state that public security agencies must issue warning letters to minor offenders and share such letters with the local residents' committee or villagers' committee, which are legally obliged to keep an eye on the perpetrators and thus prevent further violence against the victims.
But in reality, due to the tradition of "do not wash your dirty linen in public", the victims are reluctant to report such cases to the authorities. Also, officials, including the police and judges, find it difficult to deal with such matters, especially if they involve divorce and custodial disputes.
The Anti-Domestic Violence Law requires social organizations including residents' committees, villagers' committees and medical institutions and their staff to report only violence against underage or mentally challenged victims. In contrast, in the United States, 47 states have made it legally obligatory for medical and social service institutions and their staff to report all types of domestic violence. Such a practice could create a better social safety net and facilitate easier abuse detection.
Moreover, since the victims are hesitant to bring their cases to court, the police and prosecutors should play a more active role in fighting domestic abuse. Norway, for example, introduced unconditional prosecution for domestic violence cases way back in 1988. So a criminal case can be brought before the court even if the victim withdraws the formal report. This is an effective practice, which China should look at closely.
Last year, the United Kingdom proposed an amendment to its domestic abuse law to ensure serial domestic abusers or stalkers are identified and monitored in the same way that serious violent and sexual offenders are. As some cases in recent years show, in China, it is quite easy for perpetrators of domestic violence to continue their criminal behavior even after remarrying or starting a new relationship. In order to protect women from such people, China should consider adopting a UK-like mechanism.
The somber lesson from Lamu's tragedy is that the authorities should improve the law and its enforcement, because we cannot afford to lose any more lives to such barbarous and cowardly atrocities.
[if !supportLists]1. [endif]summary
This article begins with the case of Lamu’s death caused by her ex-husband. Then the author introduces a social attitude on this case. He describes the case details, presents some historical data on women protection, and introduces some legal practices taken in the past on the protection of women. But at the same time, the author also points out many loopholes of the legal practices. Therefore, the author makes some suggestions to close the loopholes and suggests that we should learn from something in legal practice from other countries.
[if !supportLists]2. [endif]What do you think we should do to prevent domestic violence and protect women.
First of all, the legal practice mentioned in the article are the most important ones. Harsh laws can certainly deter potential violence. But as we have already noted, there are always several disadvantages: first, the procedures are complex and many people may not know how to file a lawsuit; second, it is difficult to obtain evidence and a large number of acts are difficult to define, e.g. some physical injuries leave no scar and some psychological injuries are not measurable; third, some legal practice are still difficult to implement, e.g. restricting men from harassing women are difficult to enforce.
Secondly, technology might help. For example, electronic ankle cuffs could restrict the offender to a certain range so as not to endanger women again. And surveillance cameras could be installed at a woman's front door, which would automatically alert the police if the ex-husband who committed the violence before comes over.
In addition, divorce needs to be made more affordable to women, which means the economic status of women needs to be improved. Many women tolerate domestic violence because they don't have the financial independence to leave their homes. Therefore, women should also be treated equally in all positions in society so as to help them achieve financial independence and gain more strength in the event of a divorce.
Also, men should reflect on their own problems. It is a fact that men have a tendency to be violent by nature, and statistics show that the percentage of violent crimes committed by men is way higher than that of women. So in the family men are more likely to use violence to take control. To help, our basic education should provide us with guidance on marriage, on how to behave like a responsible family member. Luckily we see a lot of organizations working on this, for example TED has a lot of talks on how to get a harmonious family and how to protect women.
如何看待嫦娥登月计划
China declares Chang'e-4 mission complete success
With the assistance of the relay satellite Queqiao (Magpie Bridge), the rover Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2) and the lander of the Chang'e-4 probe took photos of each other.
The scientific instruments aboard the probe worked well, and the images taken by the probe and detection data have been sent back to ground control, said the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
At 4:47 p.m. Beijing Time on Friday, the images of the lander and rover appeared on a large screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, showing the Chinese national flag on both the lander and the rover with landscape dotted with craters in the background.
A congratulatory message sent by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission hailed the Chang'e-4 mission as a remarkable achievement in China's space program, which marks an important stride toward China being a strong country in space exploration.
The Chang'e-4 probe touched down on the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the far side of the moon on Jan. 3, with the rover driving onto the lunar surface late that night.
The lander, the rover and the relay satellite are in good condition. After the lander and the rover photograph each other, the probe will start scientific detection, the CNSA said.
Named after Chinese moon goddess "Chang'e," China's lunar exploration program, which began in 2004, includes orbiting and landing on the moon and bringing samples back to Earth.
The program has achieved five continuous successes, said CNSA, referring to Chang'e-1, Chang'e-2, Chang'e-3, a test craft for Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-4.
THRILLING EXPLORATION
One of the images published by CNSA earlier on Friday is a 360-degree panorama, which was pieced together from 80 photos taken by a camera on the lander.
"From the panorama, we could see the probe was surrounded by many small craters. It was really thrilling," said Li Chunlai, deputy director of the National Astronomical Observatories of China and commander-in-chief of the ground application system of Chang'e-4.
"The rugged terrain will pose great challenges for planning the route of the rover," Li said.
"Compared with the landing site of the Chang'e-3, which was sent to the Sinus Iridum, or the Bay of Rainbows, on the moon's near side, fewer rocks can be found in the area surrounding Chang'e-4, indicating the landing area of Chang'e-4 might be older."
The CNSA also released a video of the landing process of the Chang'e-4, which was produced by processing more than 4,700 pictures taken by a camera on the probe.
The video, lasting about 12 minutes, showed that the probe adjusted its altitude, hovered and avoided obstacles during the descent.
As a result of the tidal locking effect, the moon's revolution cycle is the same as its rotation cycle, and it always faces Earth with the same side.
Many lunar orbiters had shown that the moon's two sides are very different: the near side is relatively flat, while the far side is thickly dotted with impact craters.
"We hope Chang'e-4 could carry out unprecedented and more challenging tasks," said Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program.
"The far side of the moon has unique features, and has never been explored on site, so Chang'e-4 might bring us breakthrough findings," said Zou Yongliao, director of the lunar and deep space exploration division of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The scientific tasks of the Chang'e-4 mission include low-frequency radio astronomical observation, surveying the terrain and landforms, detecting the mineral composition and shallow lunar surface structure, and measuring neutron radiation and neutral atoms.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
The Chang'e-4 mission embodies China's hope to combine human wisdom in space exploration, with four payloads developed by the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Saudi Arabia.
The radioisotope heat source, a collaboration between Chinese and Russian scientists, will support the probe through the lunar night, when the temperature falls to about minus 180 degrees Celsius.
The ground station that China built in Argentina has played an important role in the monitoring and control of the mission, and ground stations run by the European Space Agency will also offer support.
The scientists of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter of NASA have also cooperated with Chang'e-4 mission team to study the landing of the Chang'e-4 probe, according to the CNSA.
"International cooperation is the future of lunar exploration. The participating countries will share the costs, risks and achievements, and learn from each other. We hope to have more international cooperation," said Wu Weiren.
GOING DEEPER INTO SPACE
China is becoming a major player in lunar exploration and contributing to scientific discovery.
The next step of its lunar program is to launch the Chang'e-5 probe to collect 2 kg of samples and bring them back to Earth.
As China's moon exploration progresses, its space experts are considering going deeper into the solar system -- to Mars, asteroids and Jupiter -- as well as a manned lunar mission.
China plans to launch a probe in 2020 that will orbit, land and rove on Mars the following year.
"Exploring the unknown is human nature. The moon is a mysterious world to us. We have a responsibility to explore and to understand it. Exploration of the moon will also deepen our understanding of Earth and ourselves," Wu said.
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From the article, it is known that Chang'e 4 mission was successful on January 11, when the probe landed on the far side of the moon, and from the photos and videos taken by the probe we get some information about the far side of the moon. The author also mentions the scientific mission of Chang'e 4 and the support provided by other countries. In future space exploration, international cooperation will be a trend.
[if !supportLists]2. [endif]Meaning of reconnaissance
[if !supportLists]3. [endif]Should we spend the money on space or should we spend it on more realistic issues, like poverty alleviation?
Someone states that money should be spent on more practical fields, such as poverty alleviation, investment in education instead of on space exploration. I totally disagree with that.
First, when we look back in history, if the ancestors of mankind had not been willing to take the risk to come out of their caves and cross rivers and deserts, people of the world might still be in Africa, the place where human originated. And we knew although people once thought it was meaningless to sail across the ocean before the Age of Exploration, adventurous pioneers were still willing to risk their lives to discover new continents. Nowadays, we have already known that there are so many unknowns in the universe, how can we are not willing to spend our money and talents on it?
Second, curiosity and the love of exploration are part of human nature, and not exploring space is like not being curious about the next movie of Avengers series or not wanting to know what my life will be like as a freshman in college.
Third, willingness to explore the space doesn't mean we won't be concerned about more practical things like poverty alleviation, but we need to do is getting both jobs done nicely.
Fourthly, from a practical point of view, technologies developed during space exploration are practical, e.g. some materials in Tesla's space exploration rockets can also be used in electric cars produced by Tesla. The development of space technology will surely promote the development of science like material science and telecommunication technology.
China's train experience would only improve with total smoking ban
Nowadays a trip to China isn't complete without an experience aboard China's high-speed trains, or China Railway High-Speed, a proud national brand name bearing witness to how China has emerged confident and triumphant following 40 years of reform and opening-up. The Chinese are particularly proud of how CRH trains run faster, quieter and smoother than Japan's flagship Shinkansen trains.
As a non-smoker particularly sensitive to the unpleasant smell of cigarettes, and one concerned about the effects of secondhand smoke in the environment, I'd also like to give credit to CRH for its complete onboard smoking ban. In contrast, Japan's Shinkansen does provide onboard smoking rooms. Therefore, at least on the surface, it'd seem that China's CRH is doing a much better job on ensuring a complete smoke-free environment than its Japanese rival.
The reality is much more nuanced, though. My personal experience with Shinkansen is you won't smell the odor of cigarettes unless you are standing right in front of the smoking room. Even when you are standing right in front of the room, you'd only be affected by the smell temporarily, when the smoking room door slides open. This fact, I assume, is the result of rather solid air ventilation design aboard the Shinkansen train.
Of course, without smoking rooms aboard the CRH train, you won't smell smoke at all. However, the caveat is when you are on the train platform, which is inevitable since you have to either board the train or disembark, it's almost certain you will encounter many smokers. In all the major stations that host high-speed trains, it's always crowded, and that means a terribly strong smoking odor on the train platform. In contrast, the train platform is totally smoke-free in Japan. Therefore, the end result is that, as a non-smoker, you'd feel terrible riding China's CRH, but you'd feel much better off when traveling with Japan's Shinkansen. In addition, it's also worth noting Japan's smoke-free environment applies both to Shinkansen high-speed and general train platforms.
China's train experience can only get better with a complete smoking ban on train platforms. The reason is much more than national pride when competing with China's eastern neighbor. Rather, the real reason lies in how much China cares about people's health and their right to not be harmed by secondhand smoke.
I'd strongly recommend the smoking ban cover not only train platforms that host CRH high-speed trains. To be comprehensive, effective, and protective enough, the ban must cover all train platforms that receive both CRH high-speed trains and regular trains. China's train stations have long received complaints for crowdedness, dirtiness and chaos that can drive travelers mad. If such problems cannot be resolved any time soon, which is understandable given the huge numbers of travelers China's railway system has to accommodate, the health hazard caused by smoking can at least be dealt with rather quickly.
In addition to train platforms, I'd also talk a bit about the trains themselves. The concerning fact that only CRH high-speed trains in China are smoke-free makes me doubt the seriousness of the authorities when it comes to protecting the health of all travelers, instead of only those affluent travelers who opt for CRH service. Given such, I'd also strongly recommend the smoking ban be imposed on all trains.
Let's hope China's train experience can be much better and healthier — not only for those foreigners who are eager to see one of contemporary China's most amazing achievements, but also for the 1.4 billion Chinese countrymen who demand their right to health to be well-protected.
The author is a Beijing-based consultant working on international development issues, covering public health, clean energy and poverty reduction.
[if !supportLists]1. [endif]summary
After praising the comfort and convenience of China's high-speed trains, the author makes a suggestion that the smoking ban on China's high-speed trains leaves much to be desired. He noticed that smoking is still allowed on the platforms while this it not the case in Japan. The author also recommends that smoking should be banned on all types of trains, and both in the carriages and on the platforms.
[if !supportLists]2. [endif]Do you agree with the author? Why?
The author's intentions are good, and the suggestions are also good from the perspective of most non-smokers, but the only thing he doesn't consider is the thoughts of smokers.
I prefer the Japanese Shinkansen’s practice to respect smokers’ right to smoke in a special room without disturbing other regular passengers. The kind of respect is like when we consider the rights of men and women, we also have to consider the rights of the LGBT community, we should give the minorities the right to choose as long as we don’t hurt or disturb each other.
So my point is that give normal people the right to breathe fresh air, and give smokers the right to enjoy the smell of their cigarettes as well.
