Quotable

"Industrialization and urbanization represent people's endeavor of creating wealth, but low-quality urban life can make them feel depressed, anxious or even angry, instead of feeling more happy."

Jin Bei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, commenting in a recent People's Daily article that people's happiness should be the main theme of China's urbanization drive.

"I was not able to attend primary school because I had no hukou when I was aged 5 to 13. So I hate people who check hukou the most. I'd rather never enter the UK, and will never hand in my hukou book."

Yu Jianrong, a social researcher, saying that he was asked to hand in his hukou book (residence permit) with his UK visa application. The British embassy eventually granted him a visa without seeing the book and apologized.

"The economy in the US and Europe won't recover in a short time. Chinese enterprises should speed up investments in emerging markets like Africa and South America."

Zhao Changhui, chief country risk analyst at the Export-Import Bank of China, saying in a recent interview that Chinese companies should cast their net more widely fore business opportunities.

(China Daily 01/25/2013 page2)