Here are the headlines for Southern Weekly on March 11, 2010.
Chinese style political discussion
The editors have written this grand theme at the top of A1 on top of a photo of two men peering into a cloud of fog.  Or is that pollution?  Perhaps it's both; I'm not sure.  Here’s a rundown of the headlines, all of which relate to the annual legislative session called Two Meetings.
The small talk between ministry and provincial heads

Why is product safety within China a consistent problem?  Why do the food stuffs and other products given to domestic consumers always lack quality guarantees?

To give people their dignity, we must first give dignity to their demands.  We must respect and revere them.  This begins with people who are willing to tell the truth.  Only when it is possible to express yourself freely can demands become clear and refined, and they can finally be a true guide to supply.

The lead story in Southern Weekly for March 4, 2010 is the annual “Two Meetings” where China's legislature convenes with more fanfare than expectations.  The newspaper takes a hard look at what has actually changed in the past year all while maintaining a tone of high expectations.  The lead is titled “The change of China’s methods of governance.”  Since the editors wrote some insightful notes to each section, I’ve only translated them this week. 

Limits on power in most cases are limits on the discretion of administrative authorities.  And according to the constitution and the law, the NPC is the primary body for limiting these powers.  If the purpose of education reform is to institute limits, then this clearly involves the regulatory duties of the NPC. 
The NPC should come out and take the reigns on education reform, ensuring checks and balances so that the power of education is truly in the hands of society, that the sovereign right of education truly returns to society.  This is the right thing to do and a responsibility that cannot be shirked.  

We have always seen a huge gap between social management and the government’s own behavior.  For example, government websites fall short of their own standards and cannot meet the demands of the public for basic information, yet at the same time the government is carrying out a policy of strict management of the Internet in society….
If those people from the old way of life fear a change in people’s hearts when looking at the digitization of their former glory, you can’t say their thinking is completely muddled.  But you can’t actually say they see things clearly either.  They’re just going in the wrong direction.

Education reform is essentially a battle for the dignity of education, and it is a fight with one’s back to the wall.  Whether or not it will be like education reform when Deng Xiaoping [邓小平] took charge, meaning advocacy with the highest authority, meaning the cutting off of iron rice bowls and the interests that surrounded and entangled it, remains to be seen.

Educators need the most powerful form of advocacy

By Xiao Shu [笑蜀]

As the first city in this nation to become wealthy, Guangzhou does not need to act with extreme caution or fear anymore as it prepares to host the Asian Games.  Even more so it does not need a lot of pageantry or to make everyone feel tense in order for the Games to be considered important.  The people trust that if they spend a little more effort and attention than usual they will be satisfied with the results.

The Asian Games in Guangzhou: Reality is more moving than perfection
By Shi Zhe [史哲]

Domain registration is not suitable for continued use as a control.  Rather it should be treated purely as a plan for civil rights.  There should be no limits on the qualifications of those who register for domain names…. The current laws and regulations restricting basic registration are too strict.  They are not beneficial for the expansion of the dot-cn system, nor are they in synch with the basic characteristics of the Internet world wide –– openness and equality.

This demonstrates the biggest difference between our age and the last.  Previously we were only able to whisper and grumble at best.  But neither whispering nor grumbling can change China… But the biggest advance today is that we can stop whispering.  We can go beyond this.  An open area for public opinion has already come to us in China. 

Scrutiny can change the nation


By Xiao Shu [笑蜀]



News
The lead story this week is on a cemetery in Chongqing for those who perpetrated violence during the Cultural Revolution.  It was recently rated a municipal level cultural conservation site. 
The last tombs of victims who resorted to violence
Over 400 people are buried here who resorted to violence in the Cultural Revolution, along with the deeply concealed memories of a generation and the history that we must directly face.