CRI Heartbeat

Beijing has seen unusually blue skies with beautiful cloud formations for successive days and Chinese authorities pledge to keep them; the State Council calls on the simplification of procedures for citizens going abroad; the mainland's relaxation on entry-permit requirements are welcomed by Taiwan residents; private museums in Shanghai are looking to find new ways to survive and some museums have gone digital, and a visit to the beautiful Beihai Park in down town Beijing.

Airborne Chinese airlines get Wi-fi; Hong Kong issues red alert for travel to South Korea; an auto industry forum targets the new-energy-vehicle market in China; Suburban Beijing holds a biking festival;a story on how much electronic devices have brought us; and music written on the body.

Experts discuss the possiblility of a two children family planning policy; new guidelines on the reform of the country's medical system; China-made subways to serve Olympic Games in Brazil; A charity campaign helps the young generation's eyesight in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region; China pledges long-term support to boost Africa's emergency health readiness; and a visit to a small and cozy Jiali Art Gallery in Beijing.

Controversies surrounding the replica of the Old Summer Palace being built in Zhejiang; a touching story of how an Indian lady reunites with her sister in Beijing; road safety has become a major concern for many people in the country; people worry about the stability of the landing-gear of a Chinese-produced airplane; sustainability of canteen services for the elderly.

China lifts price controls on most medicines; Guide dogs are allowed for the first time to get on Beijing's subways; Hong Kong retail sales remains sluggish during May Day holiday; companies are eyeing investments in China's film industry; Finland develops an energy harvesting 'tree'; and a restaurant photographer in South Australia sticks to old style photography.

The city of Ya'an is striving hard to recover from an earthquake two years ago; Chinese enterprises create jobs for disabled people; China intensifies regulations on health care product advertising; China experiments on so called 'sponge cities" to utilize rain water; and global luxury brands cut their prices to attract buyers.

China sets goals for controlling agricultural pollution; A major industrial player has been punished for dumping waste water into the Tennger Desert; Chinese sturgeons have been released into the Yangtze River to increase the species stock;Cancer hotels have sprung up in the country to meet their demand; China's time-honored pharmacy spreads traditional medicine overseas; And last but not least, a glimpse of the fun but practical scientific research at the 2015 Pineapple Science Award in Hangzhou.

Environmental authorities publish findings on the leading air pollution sources in China's major cities;Beijing introduces stricter rules to tackle smog;Nanjing becomes the first city in the country to adjust the monthly franchise fees for taxi drivers;Hong Kong becomes the third city in the world to host a "Raising the Bar" event.Elsewhere in Hong Kong a number of modern Chinese paintings are being displayed and are set to go under the hammer soon;And last but not lease, we will hear the story of a doctor who was sent to Sierra Leone to provide medical aid to African people.

Since the two most important political meetings the NPC,National People's Congress and the CPPCC, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference are drawing to a close, today's show will highlight and discuss some of the major issues presented at these meetings that are closely related to Chinese people's lives.And we will also have a book review at the end which introduces a book on Marxism for young readers in China.

As the country's two most important political sessions, the NPC and CPPCC meetings are going on, let's take a close-up look of how one NPC deputy performs his duty. March 3rd was China's National Ear Care Day. Therefore, we will soon hear a story about a charity concert designed to call for the careful protection of our ears. And that will be followed by reports on the rapid develoment of China's mobile online games, and why online lottery ticket sales are being suspended on many websites. And last but not least, we will learn about how young Kung Fu enthusiasts are keen on bringing their performances to the rest of the world.All that, along with our feature song of the day, coming up soon! So stay tuned.

China is becoming more and more attractive to international migrants and it is mulling over policies to retain them.Shanghai math teachers come back after an exchange program to teach British students.The trial running Baby hatches in the country are overburdened to the brink of closure.A beautiful story of a volunteer doctor healing patients in Zambia.And last but not least, an animation themed restaurant in Bejing attracts a lot attention from tourists.

China reveals its ambition to improve the country's football performance; Chinese law makers discuss how to better protect animals; the country's political advisors call on people to raise awareness on cultural preservation; Beijing recruiting 800 cultural relics protectors; and last but not least, Apple Watch is going to be released in China next month.

We will hear reports about whether the "new normal" of China's economy will provide greater opportunities to Chinese entrepreneurs; why Chinese couples are less enthusiastic about having a second child; Is the idea of women-only carriage practical in Beijing subway? An electronically controlled elephant is being used to raise awareness for the illegal ivory trade and consupmtion.

a TV documentary that aims to present the real picture of seniors' lives in the country and try to find solutions; China looks to improve its overall football performance by starting from basic level education; a row between China's largest shopping website, Taobao.com, and the country's commerce regulator has once again led to the question of effective supervision on businesses producing or selling sub standard products.A special museum specializes in displaying "lotus shoes", a revelation of Chinese women's past foot binding tradition.And last but not least, we will sit down with one of the world's greatest conductors Zubin Mehta on his latest production of the Italian Opera Aida performing in Beijing.

China pushes for strict tobacco control by engaging young people in fighting against smoking; A blacklist may be created for people involved in bad behaviors on planes;A free popular reading service is being introduced in Beijing subways.Some Chinese writers are reaching out to global young readers.And last but not least, maestro Zubin Mehta is now in Beijing for Verdi's opera Aida.

Beijing bids for the 2022 Winter Olympics;Harbin kicks off its annual Snow and Ice festival;China further promotes medical assistance abroad;Government explains reforms to executive payment;And last but not least a lady captures smiles around her with a Camera.

Since we are still celebrating the brand new year of 2015, let's start off with a report on how Chinese enterprises will perform in the capital market in this brand new year.And all work no play makes tom a dull boy, from looking at the prospect of Chinese enterprises' performance, we will bring our listeners to a Mazu temple in Qingdao.And since there are reports that book sales in China are actually going up, we will dig into the future of paper books and see whether they are eventually going to fade out against the competition of ebooks.And last but not least, since 2015 is the year of goat, though officially it starts in February according to Chinese Lunar Calendar, today we will learn something about the year of goat.

China's legislative body soliciting opinions on family violence law; new regulations on family foster care takes effect; the Massachusetts General Hospital seeks opportunity to build a joint venture project in China; a report from China's education authorities suggests dire prospect for Chinese students studying overseas to find a job back home. And last but not least, a glimpse of the old and rare fun pastime of pigeon race in Beijing.

Stricter smoking ban measures have been introduced in the country; a report on China's first cyber space security week; experts are calling for school bus operations to be included in local government budgets; at the Guangzhou auto show car makers are looking towards more tech-savy vehicle buyers; possible over production of electric vehicles in the country; as well as Qingdao enterprises going innovative.