Passes sign of progress

The transport department in Huizhou, Guangdong province, plans to issue special passes for senior citizens later this year. This will allow people above 65 years - who have lived in Huizhou for more than six months - to enjoy a range of free and discounted services. The special passes not only reflect the local government's efforts to take care of the needy, but also its respect and concern for senior citizens, says an article on gmw.cn. Excerpts:

Many Chinese cities have issued passes to senior citizens above 65 years to enable them to travel on public transport for free. But the passes have always been for people with a local hukou, or household registration. Due to such restrictions, those senior citizens living in the city without a local hukou cannot enjoy the same treatment and thus feel discriminated against. It is necessary to break down the hukou barrier.

All citizens are supposed to enjoy the same treatment, no matter whether they have a local hukou or not. The special card for the elderly to be introduced by Huizhou will enable senior citizens to use public transport and public parks for free and obtain a waiver on hospital registration fees. These measures demonstrate the city's human-oriented approach. Hence, Huizhou's example should be followed by other Chinese cities.

The key lies in whether city managers have an open mind and human-oriented approach to governance. It will not put more pressure on public transport to grant senior citizens without a local hukou the same concessions as those elderly who do have a local household registration. On the contrary, it demonstrates progress in city management.

Sports discussions inspiring

The London Olympic Games has produced many heated debates, not only about the sports events and the medal table, but also beyond competitive sports to China's ongoing transformation. This is a good thing, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

The discussions about Olympics-related topics have been quite open-ended, which is a positive thing, as broad discussions about sports and fairness from different perspectives, can help cultivate the open mind most needed in Chinese society, which is often seized by extreme emotions.

We cannot force everyone to share the same opinion, but a mainstream consensus can be reached through discussion and communication. We can argue about the training system for athletes, but individual effort is praiseworthy; we can question the loopholes in the rules governing various sports, but should still stick to the bottom line of fair play.

Competition between ideas is important. Perhaps the London Olympics, which aimed to "inspire a generation", will, thanks to the discussions it has triggered, inspire Chinese people on their way to modernization.