Opinion of China Daily Website - Connecting China Connecting the World

: Zhu Yuan
Penitence is the way to learn past lessons
We didn't have a religion of our own in the real sense in our entire history of civilization, and neither do we have a tradition of penitence although Confucius did say a lot about how a person should behave to become a man of moral integrity. There is a difference between trying to be a good person and developing a sense of penitence and penance.

: You Nuo
Looking for post-crisissolutions
The meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Friday seems to have laid down all the principles for the national economy for next year. There will be heavy limitations on what China can do to guide its economy away from the crisis to the uncharted waters of the post-crisis era (a phrase often being used by officials nowadays).

: Chen Weihua
China beats US in green shopping bags
New York might consider itself the fashion capital of the world, yet it's surely not as fashionable as Shanghai or many other Chinese cities when it comes to shopping bags.

: Raymond Zhou
Saintly Sinner of Shaolin temple
Shaolin Temple's website recently took on a new look.

: Alexis Hooi
Serving up some fine food for thought
The news shook many in the top echelons of the global gastronomic world down to their very guts last week: The elite Michelin annual food guide had awarded more three-star ratings to Tokyo restaurants than the ones in Paris, effectively crowning the Japanese capital the new culinary center for most gourmets.

: Hong Liang
A beacon on the financial horizon
Imagine yourself as one of the millions of so-called "home mortgage loan slaves", scrimping on everything to make the repayment to the bank every month. And then one evening after dinner, sitting on your sofa watching a silly TV drama (one of the few entertainments you can afford), you got a call from a stranger making you an offer that promises to reduce your loan principal.

: Li Xing
Obama made friends, not enemies
United States President Barack Obama received an avalanche of criticism from the Western media for his recent trip to Asia.

: Liu Shinan
Commentators, please pardon the universities
When the media reported that Nanjing Forestry University had advised its students not to "overtly or excessively" express love on the campus and Wuhan Polytechnic University threatened to disqualify "student cadres" who hugged or kissed their lovers in public, I knew that commentators were bound to make a mountain out of a molehill.

: Zhu Qiwen
Time for debate on exit strategies
The different pace of economic recovery across the world highlights not only the varying degrees of success in international efforts to fight the worst global financial and economic crisis in decades, it also underscores the urgency to discuss how stimulus measures should be withdrawn in line with conditions in each economy.

: Op Rana
Welcome to a ride through the gutters
I am used to returning home late - not necessarily from office. But for some quirky reason or the other, I don't see them during other (and for me, more tolerable) seasons. It's only during the nerve-numbing Beijing cold that I see them huddled in circles on bustling-by-day streets that turn ghostly at night. The idea of working in the open during those deathly cold hours sends the iciest shudder up my spine even in the comfort of a well-heated taxi.

: Xu Xiaomin
Why women choose to stay out of wedlock
I am a shengnu, which literally means "left-over woman".

: Mark Hughes
Let's hope China leads the new green revolution
As I look out over Beijing from my 10th floor balcony, there is barely a cloud in the cobalt blue sky. A gentle, fresh breeze takes the edge off the sun's warm rays. In the distance I can see the mountains, and the Olympic Green stands out like an oasis. It is as nice a day as any I have experienced in the city but it is not always thus.

: Yao Ying
Character not in need of cosmetic change
It would be unfair to say that the Ministry of Education didn't conduct thorough research before issuing a list of 8,300 standardized Chinese characters on Aug 12 to solicit public opinion before regulating the way we write.

Debate

Is climate change the most pressing threat for mankind?

As world leaders are slated to gather in Copenhagen this month to find a replacement to the Kyoto Protocol, talks about climate change are gathering steam. But is climate change the most pressing threat for mankind?

Reports

Asia faces two economic challenges - IMF

Asia has rebounded fast from the depth of the global crisis. Initially, the region was hit extremely hard, with output in most countries shrinking by much more than even those nations at the epicenter of the crisis.

IMF: Resore health to financial system

IMF: Global recession is ending

The OECD economy is recovering

World Bank: China's economy continues to grow robustly.

more

Newsmakers

Shi Yongxin

Saintly Sinner of Shaolin temple

All the drama about Obama

Three younglives riseabove death

A fight to the death

Shadow play in stardom

From the Readers

Gratitude to helpful people

I recently traveled in your country and I had the most wonderful experience in the municipality of Tianjin!

COLUMNISTS