IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Mastering English an uphill struggle

Liu Jian started learning English while in middle school at age 13. It was a compulsory subject, and he took classes in it every day.

English education in China

Important moments for English learning in China over the past four decades:

Township building reputation as major baseball hub

In the Pearl River Delta, Dongsheng township was previously best known for manufacturing office furniture and its fishing industry, having greatly benefited from China's policy of reform and opening-up since the 1980s.

Nanjing creating soccer schools

The provincial capital of East China's Jiangsu province will establish 120 specialized soccer schools and hire foreign coaches in 2017 to improve students' health.

Learning Italian fashion in Shenzhen

Italian fashion school Istituto Marangoni has opened its second China branch in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, to help to meet the demand for talent from the local fashion industry.

Sino-French arts management school to open

The China Academy of Fine Arts celebrated the inauguration of its new campus in Shanghai on Dec 4.

Collaborative technology institute wins approval

Approval has been granted for the Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology to be established in Shantou, Guangdong province.

Can helping clean campus cultivate self-discipline?

A university in Qingdao, Shandong province, has replaced some of its cleaning staff with students, saying this could "help cultivate an awareness of self-discipline and service among students".

Join in while abroad, says US university head

Chinese students at US colleges should take advantage of every opportunity to engage with people from other nations, a visiting university head has advised.

No charges for officers in man's death

Beijing prosecutors have decided not to press charges against five law enforcement officers suspected of negligence in a case in which a man choked to death after being taken into custody, saying the severity of their actions was minor and all have shown remorse.

Country to open market for elderly care

Businesses that serve the needs of the elderly in China are in the spotlight again as the central government announced on Friday that it will "fully open up" the market by 2020 and invite more foreign investors into the nonprofit service sector.