QUESTIONABLE: A growing number of traffic rule violations have triggered various regulatory measures, including a system to award people obeying traffic lights when crossing the street in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province (XINHUA)

Help Them

"Women hold up half the sky!" This is a popular saying in China. But for the vast majority of China's rural women left behind at home by their migrant worker husbands, they now hold up the whole of the sky of their life. These women now number 47 million—the total population of South Korea.

No one knows how they are suffering in the less developed countryside, but one thing is certain, without them, thousands of poor rural families would collapse.

Nowadays, in order to make money to support families, temporary work in cities is almost the only choice for most young and strong rural males.

Meanwhile, due to the practice of a divisive household registration system, migrant workers and their families are unable to live permanently in cities.

As a result, the entire burden of caring for the young and the elderly, toiling in the fields and the housework, falls totally on the shoulders of these lonely women. They are separated from their husbands for a year or even years and are under strong psychological and physical pressure, without basic social security.

This may be the huge price women living in less developed regions have to pay in the process of modernization. Cities are the direct beneficiaries of the large-scale migration of rural labor forces. It's unfair all the negative consequences of the migration fall on rural areas and rural women. The government, the business community and the whole of society should not be blind to their difficulties and struggles. They must do something for these women so they can share in the rewards of the development to which they have contributed so much.

People's Daily

Low Ethics

Traffic police authorities of Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province offered 100,000 yuan ($14,700) as a prize to residents who observe the rules of the road. During sample citywide inspections on every day between July 10 and 21, the first pedestrian or first driver of a non-motorized vehicle at any intersection observed obeying traffic lights when crossing the street would be awarded 500 yuan ($73.5) each. On the first day of this campaign, six people won the award.

Traffic police authorities said the award was launched to encourage non-motorcyclists to follow traffic rules when using the roads.

Is the award campaign so effective that no one will run traffic lights afterwards? It is a temporary action that lasted only 10 days. After it concluded, what will the traffic police authorities do to regulate people's behavior on the roads?

Even a child knows that to ignore traffic lights is a violation of traffic rules. It's ironic, however, that it's the adults who now have to be taught to obey traffic lights. It is unnecessary that this should be realized through any kind of award. Running traffic lights is something that should be punished. The local traffic police authorities do not punish rule violators but offer awards to honor those who do nothing but only follow basic rules. This practice will ultimately prove to be ineffective.

Nanfang Daily

Diploma Fraud

At the final examination for last semester at Beijing Open University, as hundreds of students cheated in the exam, the supervisors who were supposed to be keeping an eye on the proceedings turned a blind eye to what was happening. This is reportedly the largest exam fraud case in this school's history and an investigation is being conducted.

Beijing Open University's task is to offer a channel to learn knowledge for adults who are not capable of entering regular colleges. The fraud can, of course, be blamed on the lack of supervision. But the major reason is that adult education is seen as a way of winning a college diploma but not a way of receiving ongoing education. Because regular colleges have expanded enrollments, adult higher learning institutions now recruit fewer and fewer students. Meanwhile, many students only pursue a diploma, paying no attention to whether it's useful or not. As a result, some adult higher learning institutions have turned to be diploma sellers.

If this trend continues, the quality of adult education will decline and this form of education will gradually lose its credibility. It's important to treat adult education as a way of receiving knowledge instead of a shortcut to a diploma.

Xinmin Evening News

Celebrity Frenzy

Recently, the Ministry of Culture and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage jointly issued a ban on advertising controversial hometowns of historical celebrities.

More than one place claims to be the hometown of well-known celebrities such as ancient philosophers, writers and poets. Not only real people, but fictional figures are claimed by many places. Some local governments even spend huge amounts in their campaign in attempt to beat rivals.

The Ministry of Culture gave a clear reason for the ban: The competition to win the status of being a celebrity's hometown is ostensibly to protect cultural heritage while in nature it is motivated by economic interests.

The ban is encouraging, but the public lacks confidence in it. Previous examples indicate if one place is recognized as a celebrity's hometown, its popularity can get a strong boost immediately and local industries such as tourism will benefit from it. Without strong curbs in practice, we can hardly believe it will stop local governments' crazy struggles to be either the real or fake hometowns of historical celebrities.

Yanzhao Metropolis Daily