Protect employees from overwork

Liu Xianjun, a 33-year-old engineer, was recently found dead in his room in Dongguan, Guangdong province; records show he worked 190 extra hours in March alone.

The tragedy was made worse by his manager's cold comment that he was "willing" to work the extra hours and the fact that working excessive overtime is common practice in many enterprises. Some companies even promote long hours as part of the corporate culture.

It is time to strengthen the law to put an end to such a perverted culture, says a column in Beijing Times.