From our archives

August 24, 1983

Drive to improve land quality in arid regions

A recent national work conference by the Ministry of Agriculture put planting more trees, promoting husbandry and dry-farming techniques as key points for increasing grain production and improving people's life in North China's arid areas.

Meanwhile, a contract system will be introduced to encourage individual farmers to reclaim waste lands such as mountain slopes by growing and harvesting grass and trees on their own.

Steel figure solves scientific problems

The Baotou Iron and Steel Complex has unloaded long-existing troubles in production and pollution-control through a scientific campaign started in 1978.

The complex has made a breakthrough in eliminating or retrieving rare-earth metals, niobium and sodium from iron ore it unearthed.

It has completed 48 of 52 research topics and set 14 of 17 semi-industrial experiments and thus raised production and reduced pollution.

Respect for intellectuals becomes popular

Respect for knowledge and trained personnel is becoming part of the social climate in China, said Deng Liqun, member of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee's secretariat, at a national symposium on Dunhuang studies in Lanzhou of Gansu Province.

As a large number of younger intellectuals have been working on leading posts at various levels in many fields, the time when they were denied opportunities to serve the country is gone and will never return, Deng said.

(China Daily 08/26/2008 page9)