河南头面及颈部血管神经分布模型(太原支气管右肺解剖模型) (今日更新中)

As Beijing's migrant population continues to grow, some experts believe the decades-old hukou system is outmoded and broken. A migrant worker walks past a row of new property buildings in Beijing April 4, 2007. As Beijing's migrant population continues to grow, some experts believe the decades-old hukou system is outmoded and broken. [Reuters]The policy requires migrants to get temporary permits, or the much harder to obtain hukou, once they move to the city. These days, a growing number of those who relocate to find better jobs in Beijing tend to stay longer or even resettle with their entire families, according to a study by the Renmin University of China. The investigation revealed that this "floating population" in Beijing, currently at 3.57 million, stays an average of 4.8 years in the city. In addition, over 51 percent of those remain for more than five years while over 41 percent bring the whole family. "It is getting trendier for them to come and reside with the whole family," said Zhai Zhenwu, dean of the School of Social and Population Science. Representing 23 percent of local residents, most migrants live in the nearby suburban areas and villages within downtown. The thriving low-skilled labor market in Beijing has been a major source of jobs for unskilled migrants. Zhai said the most basic jobs in the city offer higher wages that far exceed what migrants would have earned in rural areas. But city life also means a poor quality of life and inadequate social services. For example, statistics show that the urban per capita disposable income in Beijing is five times more than the average in rural areas of neighboring Hebei Province and 6.7 times more than that in Anhui Province. China's hukou system, established in the 1950s, divided the Chinese into two categories: rural and non-rural households. The policy was established to control population migration, largely from rural to urban areas. Under the policy, rural people are not granted social security in cities and are restricted from receiving public services such as education, medical care, housing and employment. On the other hand, their urban compatriots have no access to farmland in the countryside. For years, non-rural residency, especially in cities like Beijing and Shanghai, has been a difficult goal for outsiders, particularly rural migrant workers. According to Zhang Chewei, vice-president of the Research Institute of Population Science at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, the system needs work. He referred to the "unfair treatment in social recourses and justice, also it hinders market development in both rural and urban areas." For example, each migrant worker must fork over 20,000 to 30,000 yuan (,597 to ,896) for a child to enrol in a local primary or middle school. And they're often turned down if they try to buy affordable homes in urban areas. It is estimated that more than 120 million rural workers live in cities throughout China. "Hukou has played a significant role as basic data provider and identification registration in certain historical periods, but it has become neither scientific nor rational," Zhang said. Reform of the hukou system began in 1992, but the policy remains complicated and unfair for many. Last month, the Ministry of Public Security said the country will reform the system, but did not offer any details. Yu Lingyun, a professor with the Law School of Tsinghua University, called for the system to be abolished. "It is not hukou that has robbed the social welfare of the 'floating population,' but the discriminating system itself, and most fundamentally the limited public finance," Yu told China Daily yesterday. "If not for the hukou system, schools can find other reasons to decline a rural student," he said. "Under current conditions, at least we should not bear any prejudice against them," he said.  

All provincial and municipal authorities must act on findings of investigations of serious workplace accidents occurred since 2005, the State Council's work safety committee office ordered Monday.A check on the local investigations and whether the parties responsible were accordingly dealt with "must be instantly organized" and reported to the office by work safety departments before January 15, said the document, released on the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) website at www.chinasafety.gov.cn.Such reports should include the latest updates on every investigation, whether each case was closed within a reasonable time, and reports on the financial, Party, administrative as well as legal punishments of all the parties involved, the document stated.These will act as a direct response to the tardy progress seen in the investigations of accidents in some areas, the document stated.Nepotism at the local government level has hindered bringing "people responsible for workplace accidents to justice", SAWS director Li Yizhong had earlier said.For example, five people found responsible for a coal mine blast that killed 171 in Heilongjiang Province in November 2005 were jailed only last Saturday. The men were reportedly detained by local police in December 2005 but were released on bail nine months later.The five were arrested again last month, after Li visited the site of the accident and learnt of the case's progress.A notorious and unauthorized coal mine in Chenzhou, Hunan Province, has been making the headlines for its harsh treatment of workers and attempts to cover up accidents. But the mine's chief, Huang Shengfu, reportedly managed to stay in the clear and bought himself out of any legal liability, reported the Oriental Outlook magazine.Eight respective probes into the mine by the central and provincial disciplinary committees as of last month all returned no clear results, the document stated.SAWS said on Sunday that there were about 457,000 workplace accidents reported from January to November this year, representing a decrease of 22.4 percent year-on-year. The number of accident deaths also dropped to 88,923, a year-on-year decrease of 14 percent.During the past 11 months, a total of 83 serious accidents, each of which 10 or more people were killed, claimed a total of 1,380 lives, SAWS reported.

The U.S. National Academy of Sciences announced on Tuesday the election of 72 new members and 18 foreign associates in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. The election was held this morning during the business session of the 144th annual meeting of the academy, and brought the organization's total number of active members to 2,025. Foreign associates are non-voting members of the academy. The 18 newly elected, from 12 different countries, brought the total number of foreign associates to 387. Two Chinese scientists, Zhang Qifa and Li Aizhen, were among the new foreign associates. Professor Zhang is the director of National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, in central China's Wuhan. Li is from the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the advance of science and its use for the general welfare. It was established in 1863 by a congressional act signed by Abraham Lincoln. The act calls on the academy to act as an official adviser to the federal government, upon request, in any matter of science or technology

The newly approved Labor Contract Law will not undermine the investment environment although it will better protect workers' interests and rights, China's top trade union body said yesterday. Liu Jichen, director of the law department at the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, denied that the law - which goes into force from January 1 next year - is biased toward employees. "It not only protects workers' interests and rights, but also equally protects employers'," he told a press conference. The law, passed on Friday by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, had raised concerns that stricter contract requirements could raise business costs and give companies less flexibility to hire and fire employees. Liu, however, said that the law takes into account employers' interests. For example, he said, employers can sign non-competition contracts with workers, with a non-competition period of not more than two years to encourage innovation and ensure fair competition. So an employer can rest assured that an employee does not walk out at the end of the contract period and join a direct competitor. It also softens the terms under which employers can cut staff - if an enterprise switches to other production, adopts a major technological innovation or changes its mode of business. Liu stressed that the law will help create a harmonious labor relationship. "Labor protection is a worldwide trend," he said. "With working conditions improved and rights protected, employees will feel more secure, which leads to a higher productivity." Liu pointed out most labor disputes result from violations of workers' rights. Because of the huge supply of labor force, workers are in a disadvantaged position, he said. Liu said the federation has succeeded in keeping most of the items on protecting workers' rights and interests in the law. For example, the law makes mandatory the use of written contracts and strongly discourages fixed- or short-term contracts. It also stipulates severance be paid if a fixed-term contract expires but is not renewed without an appropriate reason. The law requires all employers to submit proposed workplace rules or changes for discussion to the workers' congress - concerning pay, work allotment, hours, insurance, safety, holidays and training. Employers and trade unions will then jointly decide on workplace agreements. It stipulates trade unions have the right to sign collective contracts with employers on behalf of workers. In a position paper released yesterday, the European Chamber of Commerce in China said it welcomes the law and its aim of improving labor conditions and creating workplace harmony. "A more mature legal environment should be considered as an advantage in attracting foreign investment," the statement said. However, the chamber said the key challenge remains compliance by employers and the enforcement by authorities of the existing laws.

来源：资阳报