“The first public destruction of ivory in China was to demonstrate the countrys determination to discourage illegal ivory trading， protect wildlife and raise public awareness.”

Zhang Jianlong， Vice Administrator of the State Forestry Administration， commenting on the Chinese Governments destruction of 6.1 tonnes of confiscated ivory on January 6

“His suicide may be an extreme case， but the debate on social morality it has triggered is more heart-rending.”

Yang Nailiang， a professor of humanities and law at South China Agricultural University， commenting on the suicide of 45-year-old Wu Weiqing in Dongguan of Guangdong Province， who rescued an injured senior citizen but faced accusations and demands for compensation afterward

“With the issuance of 4G licenses， Chinas mobile networks will embrace a wave of explosive growth in 2014. Enthusiasm will be further released， create new development opportunities for Internet industries.”

Gao Xinmin， Vice President of the Internet Society of China， at a conference in Beijing on January 8

“Higher incomes， along with the growing awareness of the benefits to English education at an early age， mean we expect more resources to be allocated for preschool English education.”

Zhang Yang， a Beijing-based education analyst， commenting on the booming preschool English education market in China

PHILANTHROPIST PASSES AWAY

Hong Kong media mogul and philanthropist Run Run Shaw passed away at the age of 107 on January 7. As one of the most influential figures in Asias entertainment industry， Shaw co-founded the wellknown Shaw Brothers Studio， which was one of the largest film production companies in Asia， and also founded Television Broadcasts Limited， which remains the dominant television company in Hong Kong. Over the years， he has donated more than HK$3.2 billion （$413 million） through the Shaw Foundation， mostly to causes in China， including charities， schools and hospitals. He also created the Shaw Prize， which offers up to $1 million annually for individuals making achievements in astronomy， mathematics， as well as life and medical sciences.

RECORD BREAKING MOM

Sheng Hailin， a retired lady from Hefei， east Chinas Anhui Province， has been recently reported as the oldest woman to ever bear children in China. On October 13， 2009， Sheng received in vitro fertilization （IVF） treatment and went on to give birth to twin girls in May 2010 at the age of 60. Sheng gave birth to her first daughter in 1980， who died from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2009. Sheng and her husband eventually decided to have another child. In November 2013， the Chinese Government announced couples could have two children if at least one parent is an only child.