Free health insurance initiated, to lift villagers out of their poverty

Hexie Health Insurance Co Ltd has donated 49.74 million yuan ($7.22 million) of personal accident insurance to villagers in East China's Shandong province as part of an effort to lift rural citizens out of poverty.

IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Passport to success

Twenty-year-old Chen Qiyu stood center-stage, holding a crystal trophy, a certificate and a bouquet in her arms. The cameras lingered, dazzling with flashes. A continuous volley of applause swept through the large audience as she was crowned the champion of this year's 21st Century National English Speaking Competition.

What they say

Feng Feifei, senior producer, BBC Learning English

How the competition has evolved over the years

1995: Huang Qing, then deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, conceived the idea of holding a national English speaking competition in China. Preparation for the competition began soon afterward.

Creating a model lawyer in books

If He Jiahong had been better at mathematics, he might never have become one of China's top legal experts.

New Zealand gets new taste of Chinese culture with tai chi, more

WELLINGTON - Han Xuanting spins in a skirt typical of the style of China's Uygur ethnic group, with a dozen New Zealand girls in school dresses imitating her steps around her.

Laos and UN expand efforts to keep girls in school

VIENTIANE - The Lao Ministry of Education and Sports and the United Nations Population Fund have agreed to strengthen their partnership by continuing to build on their campaign titled "Noi".

Now 'odd' even cool

Mismatched shoes are suddenly a fashion statement, not the sleepy accident of the absent-minded.

New earbuds are good futuristic fun

I've always thought that knowing good sound from bad didn't require any expertise. You just know it when you hear it.

Playlist

Film

Globalization: enough is enough?

Editor's note: Chen Qiyu, 20, a sophomore student at Tsinghua University, won first place out of 34 college-student finalists at the 22nd China Daily "21st Century·Coca-Cola Cup" National English Speaking Competition, held from March 24 to 26 in Nanjing. Honoring the elite young English public speakers from across the country, the competition attracted more than 100,000 college students nationwide to take part this year.