"Study trains" provide "study carriage" for passengers A slow train NO. 5609/5610 which runs between Chongqing and Xiushan county has attracted much attention. In some carriages, seats have been replaced with desk and chairs close to the windows to transform it into a "study carriage" for passengers in need. The Chinese characters "Yu Yue" appear on the train, which translates to "traveling and reading happily". Other inspirational slogans(激励标语) can be seen throughout the carriages. ▲
Wearing his bright red armband and speaking fluent Mandarin(普通话), 62 year-old Gao Tianrui could be taken for any regular Chinese man. But on a closer look, things are not quite what they seem. Gao's real name is Terry and he is from the United States. Having lived in Beijing for more than 20 years, Terry Crossman has finally made his Chinese dream: becoming a public volunteer. Life as a "Xicheng Dama" has even made him an online hit. "I like helping others," he said. "I live in the hutong and my neighbors and I usually help each other… This |
is where I live, where my friends are and where I call home." Left-behind children didn't leave behind phones
A recent report by a research center on rural(乡村的) issues at Wuhan University shows that 90 percent of left-behind children in China's rural areas spend a long time on smartphones every day: nearly 70 percent are hooked on short videos and 30 percent are playing online games. In some extreme cases, a child was found playing games without sleep for five days. More than half the students in the sixth grade spent more than 10 hours on their phones during weekends. As a result, children's physical fitness, learning abilities and interests have all declined, the report said. |
