TUNNEL SURVIVOR:  A worker (center) trapped in a collapsed tunnel in south China's Hainan Province is helped to walk out after being rescued on June 7. All eight trapped workers were rescued 64 hours after the accident (GUO CHENG)

Safer Computers

China's IT industry administrative authorities said on June 9 they would require that all new computers in China come pre-installed with filtering software, in a bid to protect minors from "unhealthy information" on the Internet.

All computers produced or sold in China after July 1 will be installed with such software, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Computers produced outside China are also subject to the requirements before they can be sold in the country.

Dim Career Prospects

Chinese college graduates witnessed a drop in both their employment rate and salary last year compared with 2007, according to the 2008 Employment Report released by the Labor Department on June 10.

The report is based on a survey that was conducted in January this year and received 218,000 college graduate responses.

By the end of 2008, the employment rate of last year's college graduates stood at 86 percent, down 2 percentage points year-on-year, said the report.

The report also showed a big drop in college graduates' salaries.

Preserving CPC History

The Chinese Government purchased letters believed to be of "revolutionary and historical significance" by exercising its preemption right for the first time at a commercial auction, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) confirmed on June 9.

On May 30, China Guardian, a leading Chinese auction house, sold more than 10 handwritten letters by Chen Duxiu, a Communist Party of China (CPC) founder and leading figure, to philosopher Hu Shi who was once president of Peking University.

The letters were auctioned for 5.544 million yuan ($813,000).

The SACH then decided to exercise its "preemption right" to buy the letters at the same price reached at auction.

The Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics authorizes the government and its representatives, such as state-owned museums, to buy relics of important historical or cultural significance before other collectors.

Awarding Responsibility

Thirty-one Chinese enterprises were given the 2008 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) China Award in Beijing in June for their exemplary practices.

Of the 352 enterprises that entered the competition, 12 were honored as "Leading Enterprises," six were honored as "Growing Enterprises" and 13 others received awards in various categories.

The award was created to recognize enterprises that not only behave as good corporate citizens, but also spread CSR values through their businesses and among their stakeholders.

Pottery on Display

The Yixing City Government, in China's eastern Jiangsu Province, is holding an 11-day pottery exhibition at the National Art Museum of China beginning June 12.

The city has a pottery-making history of more than 1,000 years and is best known for its teapots made from zisha, or purple clay, which can be found only in Yixing.

Of the 216 works on display, more than 80 percent are made of zisha. Apart from a few ancient pieces, most are recent creations from award-winning local artists.

Ten local artists were also invited to give live pottery-making demonstrations.