NEW YORK - In 1601, an Italian missionary named Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) entered the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Chinese imperial palace, opening a path for East-West cultural exchange that many people set foot on. Inspired by Matteo Ricci's legend, in 1986, Dionisio Cimarelli, aged 21 then, boarded a Trans-Siberian train to Beijing for the first time. FASCINATED WITH CHINA China is one of my very old passion. Since I was a student, I was very interested in Chinese culture, Chinese art, Chinese people....so in 1986 I stopped my study in the academy and I decided to move to China for a big trip, said Cimarelli, who now teaches sculpture at the New York Academy of Arts. Matteo Ricci probably went to China to teach, but I went there primarily to understand, which was also my way to try to understand and exchange, and explain to the Chinese my culture, my education, and Chinese can teach me their own culture, he told Xinhua. China at that time was not yet fully open to tourism and streets of its cities were full of bikes, no busy traffic at all, he recalled. ...in 1986, I found China a poor country, it was coming out from a very difficult time in terms of economy and culture. But in 1986 I was also able to see the beginning of the change after the opening-up, he said, referring to China's adoption of the policy of reform and opening to the outside world in 1978. Cimarelli returned to find a very different China in 2004 and he stayed nine years since in the booming country. I feel very lucky and I'm very very proud that I was able to see this change which would not only be part of China, but also part of the world change, he said. I saw huge change. From 1986 to 2004, China already changed a lot, he said. But during my nine years in China from 2004 to 2013, there was huge, enormous, amazing change. I was able to see every week the difference in Shanghai and Beijing, which I was going to very often. Continuously I saw the change, he said. I would say that in 2007 and 2008, there were the biggest changes in Beijing before the Olympic Games, I would say the change was 180 degree completely, he said. I could also see the change of people, the change of the attitude of the Chinese. They became more wealthy, they started to travel, they started to know. For the young people, they were able to do their Ph.D. in Europe and the U.S.A. So there are the enormous changes, you almost can't recognize the country, I would say, he said. charity braceletsmotivational bracelets for athleteswristband makerwellies and wristbands 2017livestrong braceletplastic braceletspaper wristbands ukcustom silicone wristbandsfestival wristband claspglow wristbandsgo wristbandspaper wristbands for eventsprintable wristbandsfabric braceletswide rubber bands
BEIJING -- China's State Council has detailed rules for the enforcement of an upcoming environment protection tax law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2018.The regulation specifies taxation targets, the tax-setting basis, conditions for tax reduction and exemptions as well as tax collection management, according to a State Council decree signed by Premier Li Keqiang.The rules also make clear the taxation scope of solid waste and centralized sewage treatment areas.China has a regulation on collecting the "pollutant discharge fee." However, some local governments exploit loopholes and exempt enterprises which are otherwise big contributors to fiscal revenue. For years, regulators have suggested replacing the fee system with a law.After the new regulation becomes effective, the regulation on "pollutant discharge fee" will be abolished.The new regulation also offers a cooperation mechanism between tax and environmental protection authorities for sharing information.The discharge data filed by companies will be deemed "abnormal" if the figure is much lower than its figure the previous year or the amount of its peers without appropriate explanation, the regulation said.In this case the new law requires a review on abnormal data by environment protection authorities.Under the new law, which targets enterprises and public institutions that discharge listed pollutants directly into the environment, companies will pay taxes for producing noise, air and water pollutants as well as solid waste.Tackling pollution has been listed as one of "the three tough battles" that China aims to win in the next three years, according to the Central Economic Work Conference earlier this month.From January to November, China investigated over 35,600 violations of environmental protection laws and regulations, up more than 102 percent year on year.
