[Editor’s Note]: On January 26th, the State Administration of Market Supervision of China, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration issued a notice saying that in order to prevent the pneumonia epidemic in novel coronavirus and block the possible sources of infection and transmission routes, wildlife trading activities were banned nationwide from the 26th until the national epidemic was lifted. After the announcement, all provinces and cities actively responded and adopted corresponding management measures. Recently, Neil D&rsquo, director of global wildlife research for the World Society for the Protection of Animals; Dr. Cruze also published a document expressing the professional views and opinions of scientists.

　　In response to the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak, China took action at an unprecedented speed and made a commendable and brave decision — — Impose a temporary ban on all wildlife trade nationwide. It is estimated that 70% of all emerging diseases are originated from wild animals. Undeniably, in recent decades, the growth of global wildlife trade (whether legal or illegal) has also become one of the disease transmission mechanisms that the world is increasingly concerned about.

　　On January 29th, citizens passed the Wuhan South China Seafood Wholesale Market, which had been closed. Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Qishe

　　After all, in a typical vegetable market, animals suffer terrible pain, and there are no proper biological safety measures, which provides an excellent opportunity for pathogens (such as viruses) to mutate and spread. In the market, animals with weak immunity are subjected to the pressure and trauma caused by wild capture or intensive artificial reproduction, and can only sit in their own urine and waste. This is a very common phenomenon, and close contact with humans may cause disasters.

　　In modern society, as people capture wild animals from natural habitats and transport and trade dead or alive wild animals to different parts of the world by land, sea and air, such threats have expanded to a global scale. There are many factors that can affect a country’s risk of transmitting zoonotic diseases from wild animals and its ability to cope with the consequences. For example, according to the number of animals traded, our recent review of the trade database of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora identified many countries worthy of attention. As the largest exporter of live mammals, China only traded 98,979 live mammals between 2011 and 2016, accounting for 58.7% of the total global trade listed in this international treaty.

　　However, this is not just a number. A new deadly disease, such as coronavirus, can appear from an animal, and it can also be hidden in wild animal markets like Wuhan all over the world. There is a great possibility that this situation will continue and it is a real threat.

　　One green planet map of a wildlife market in Myanmar

　　So what should I do? Instead of simply treating wild animals as "disease bags", trying to eliminate pathogens or selectively hunting wild animals with pathogens, trying to reduce the contact between wild animals and people may prove to be the most practical and lowest-cost method to reduce the global human health risks.

　　In the long run, we need to meet consumers’ demand for wild animals and their body parts. In the short term, a trade ban, such as the one currently implemented in China, will help to reduce the spread of diseases. However, if they are to be fully effective, these bans should be global and based on demand reduction.

　　China’s national ban on wildlife trade will save millions of wild animals from suffering, and they will no longer be regarded as exotic pets, traditional medicines and meat. Crucially, this will also stop the harsh treatment they suffer in transportation and markets, where the living environment is a hotbed of deadly diseases. It remains to be seen whether the ban will be made permanent and whether appropriate measures will be taken to protect the welfare of animals that have been caught in the wildlife trade. However, in the short term, it will undoubtedly protect wildlife and human beings.

　　Wild birds rescued from Miami’s black market were put into clean cages.

　　The regulation of wildlife trade involves many issues, from animal welfare to protection and ethics, but as we have seen so far, the risks posed by pathogens (and emerging zoonoses) may not be underestimated and need to be solved urgently.

　　References:

　　Can E, D’ Cruze N, Macdonald DW. Dealing in deadly pathogens: Taking stock of the legal trade in live wildlife and potential risks to human health. Glob Ecol Conserv. 2019; 17. doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00515

　　Dean of Peking University Examination and Research Institute interviewed Xueba.

　　What is the life direction of these "cow children"?

　　Author: Qin Chunhua

　　□ Education has been simplified into a straight line for further studies. All the processes exist only for that final result: going to Peking University or Harvard. No one told these children what to do after going to Peking University or Harvard. Since then, life has been smooth, and we will never encounter all kinds of troubles, difficulties and hardships?

　　-just busy looking for what kind of school for children, what kind of teachers to find, what kind of conditions to provide for children, how much knowledge to teach students, and how many marks to improve students are all lazy practices, and in fact they have given up their educational responsibilities as parents and teachers.

　　□ Life is a journey of discovering yourself, and the road has to come out step by step. Realizing what kind of person you will become in the future is like a lighthouse in the distance, which can constantly illuminate the way forward.

　　In the first half of this year, I went to Shanghai to interview students. The students have made very serious preparations, one by one, just like the application materials provided by them. Without exception, every student has excellent academic performance — — At least in the top 5% of the grade; Outstanding artistic expertise — — At least one musical instrument; Won awards for scientific and technological innovation at all levels — — At least the second prize at the municipal level; Enthusiastic about public welfare — — Go to the nursing home to wash the feet of the elderly at least once; Wait a minute. While lamenting the high comprehensive quality of Shanghai students, I also have a faint regret: they look so perfect that they don’t seem to see any shortcomings; They look so alike, just like a set of "furniture" made by a mold.

　　Including their performance in the interview is also very similar. One by one, sitting in danger, smiling without showing teeth; Speak clearly and cadently, as if reciting a poem affectionately. A student came up and said, "Confucius said … …” I interrupted him and asked him what his name was. After he told me, he went on to say "Zi Yue". I interrupted him again and told him that I didn’t care how to say it, but what I cared about was what you wanted to say. He blushed and couldn’t say a word. Another student sat confidently in front of me, waiting for me to ask all kinds of possible questions, as if everything was under control. I said, I don’t have any questions for you. Do you have any questions for me? She didn’t expect me to ask such a question at all, and suddenly she panicked and was tongue-tied and almost cried.

　　Obviously, all the students have received some interview training before coming, and at least have seen some "treasure books" on how to deal with the interview, but perhaps no one told them that I am not interested in who they are, but who they really are.

　　What surprises me most is that when I ask them what kind of person you want to be in the future, few people can answer. The students told me that they didn’t think about it at all.

　　Really never thought about it? Actually, it is not. He (she) once thought about this question, but it was a long time ago, so long that he (she) even forgot it.

　　When I was a child, whenever an adult asked a child, what do you want to be when you grow up? Children always answer happily: scientists, astronauts, pilots, police uncles (aunts) … … However, when the children go to school, these problems are never mentioned again, as if they never appeared. Listening to lectures in class, doing homework at home and attending remedial classes are the whole life of students. As for what children’s interests are, what kind of people they want to be when they grow up and what kind of life they live, no one seems to care, even the children themselves don’t care. Almost all teachers, parents and students only care about one thing: how many points they got in the exam and what school they can go to.

　　A growth track that is recognized as a good student, or a perfect education roadmap imagined by parents, looks like this: go to the best kindergarten in the local area; I knew a lot of Chinese characters before I went to primary school, I can do complex math problems, I can recite many classic articles in large paragraphs, and I speak fluent English. Then go to the best local primary and secondary schools; Admitted to the best university in China — — Peking University, Tsinghua; Go to the best university in the world after graduation — — Harvard, wait. Of course, many people have been aiming at famous schools such as Eton and Exeter since junior high school. Not to mention that not everyone can achieve these goals, even if all of them are achieved, then what? Where is the goal of life?

　　I really want to ask: what will happen after being admitted to Peking University?

　　This is not my imagination. Over the years, I have seen many excellent children all over the world. They are all talented, hardworking, and have never failed. They are always among the top groups of their peers, choosing the best schools and classes, and they are the envy of others. However, few people can observe their inner pain and confusion.

　　Many students from Peking University or Harvard told me that going to Peking University or Harvard was their goal since childhood, but one day when they were really in the campus that appeared in their dreams for countless times, they often fell into deep anxiety: What should they do next? Like a mountaineer’s confusion on Mount Everest: Where is the next mountain?

　　Life needs goals, but society, schools and families have not taught children how to find and set their own goals. Our understanding of life and education is too simple and lacking in imagination. We always ask our children to be successful, to be better than others, and to be admitted to the best school, but we rarely tell them what success means, where the happiness of life comes from, and what is best for them. Education has been simplified into a straight line for further studies. All the processes exist only for that final result: going to Peking University or Harvard. No one told these children what to do after going to Peking University or Harvard. Since then, life has been smooth, and we will never encounter all kinds of troubles, difficulties and hardships? In 1923, Mr. Lu Xun once thought-provoking asked: "What happened after Nora left?" I also want to ask: "What happened after I was admitted to Peking University?"

　　Going to school is to get a good education, but just as savings can’t be automatically converted into investment, going to school doesn’t necessarily mean getting a good education. The reason why we send our children to school is not because they have to go to school, but because they have to be fully prepared for their future lives. Going to school is a process that a person must go through in order to achieve his life goals. In this process, the most important thing is to realize what kind of person you will become in the future.

　　It is not easy to do this. Everyone comes to the world with a unique mission, which is the value of independent individuals. The difference is that some people can find their mission and finally achieve great things; Some people don’t find their mission, and they end up doing nothing and living a lifetime. Just like marriage, "a radish is a pit", and everyone has their own "uniqueness". Some people find the "only" that matches them, and their marriage is happy; Some people don’t find it, and marriage is not happy, at least not happy.

　　Although a person’s life is long and there seem to be many things to do, there is only one thing that can really be done. This is a person’s mission to the world. Discover that the mission cannot rely on the "apocalypse" — — Although many people do suddenly realize their mission in their dreams or flashes of light — — Education is the most important and fundamental means. The value of education lies in awakening the potential in every child’s heart and helping them find the special mission hidden in the body and the thing they are destined to do.

　　This is the real challenge that every school and every family faces in education. It is more important and fundamental to know what kind of person you will become in the future than which school you go to and how many points you get. Avoiding or ignoring this problem, just being busy with what kind of school to find for children, what kind of teachers to find, what kind of conditions to provide for children, how much knowledge to teach students, and how many marks to improve students are all lazy practices, and in fact giving up the educational responsibility as parents and teachers.

　　In fact, once a child realizes what kind of person he will be in the future, he will inspire endless motivation from his heart to strive to achieve his goals. Numerous research results have proved that this endogenous driving force is far greater and more effective than the externally imposed force for human growth. We should be soberly aware that life is not a game designed by others. As long as we invest time and money and configure more powerful "equipment", we can get through customs. Once the customs clearance is completed and the game is over, life will immediately face a situation where there is no way out. Life is a journey of self-discovery, and the road depends on yourself step by step. Realizing what kind of person you will become in the future is like a lighthouse in the distance, which can constantly illuminate the way forward.

　　Know what you like? Make a negative list first.

　　So, how can we know what kind of person we will become in the future? In other words, how can we find the special potential in our life? Everyone’s methods may be different, but the most important thing is to listen to your inner voice, find your real interest and realize why your life will come, just like Steve Jobs who was born for Apple.

　　Generally speaking, an excellent person will never do anything too badly. The real difficulty is to distinguish whether it is something you really like. The way to judge whether you really like it or not is very simple, that is, whether you are obsessed with it, whether you can willingly devote time and energy to it regardless of utility and stick to it all the time. True obsession is a state of lovesickness. I think about it during the day and at night, even dreaming. I can’t help laughing when I think of him (her). I will think of him (her) when I see anything, and all I talk to others is him (her). I am excited about it, crazy about it, and even crazy about it. It is a state of immersion in happiness. "If you don’t go crazy, you won’t survive." If you don’t reach this state, you won’t be obsessed, and you won’t be really interested.

　　I suggest that every student, no matter how heavy his schoolwork is, must spare some time to be alone every day, leave a little gentle space for his mind, and listen to his deep desire in a completely relaxed state. Sometimes, you can take out a blank sheet of paper and write down your thoughts. No matter how naive, ridiculous or even shocking these ideas seem, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, they are written for themselves and have nothing to do with others.

　　Some people say that I just don’t feel anything, I don’t know what I like or even what I don’t like. What should I do? A good way is trial and error. Keep trying everything, and get rid of things you don’t like in the process of trying. Make yourself a negative list. Don’t be afraid of failure. For students, the cost of failure is very small. As long as they are not expelled or dropped out of school, they can return to the classroom and start all over again.

　　Be patient with yourself. Not everyone can find their "the only thrill", which takes time and effort. Don’t worry when you can’t find it, take your time, but you must keep looking for it. You may not find it if you look for it, but you won’t find it if you don’t look for it. At the same time, we should have confidence in ourselves. Since you are here for this matter, no one can steal it. It doesn’t matter if you find it earlier or later. The important thing is that you like it from your heart. Remember the American Grandma Moses who picked up a paintbrush at the age of 77? Her story tells us that as long as you really like to do something, you can start at any time, even if you are 80 years old.

　　Life is not only a life, but also a quality life. Judging whether a life has quality depends on whether every day is the day you really want. "If you hear the Tao, you will die in the evening." As long as you find something you really like, even for one day, it is a happy and quality life.

　　(The author is Dean of Peking University Examination and Research Institute)

Topic: picture channel

　　

　　As a leading enterprise in China’s real estate industry, Wang Shi, chairman of Vanke Group, is still at the cusp of fierce controversy, and Pan Shiyi, president of SOHO China, recently declared that many real estate companies in China will have drastic changes within 100 days and enter an unprecedented financing difficult period.

　　Once the viewpoint of "Hundred Days Drama Change" was thrown out, it immediately aroused unprecedented repercussions. What kind of tomorrow will China real estate industry face? Will housing prices fall in the "drastic changes" predicted by Pan Shiyi? How many housing enterprises will "die" in this cold?

　　On March 25th, when Pan Shiyi attended the Sina Real Estate Innovation Summit, he accepted an exclusive interview with the reporter of China Times to explain in detail the "Hundred Days Drama Change" released by him.

　　The sudden change of the situation leads to "a hundred-day drama change"

　　China Times: Why do you put forward the view that the real estate industry will face a "hundred-day drama change" at this juncture?

　　Pan Shiyi: At the end of November last year, the central government put forward a tight monetary policy, but the formulation at that time was still relatively general, and the international situation was still unclear at that time, and China’s monetary policy still had operational flexibility.

　　But this year, especially since February, the CPI has increased by 8.7% year-on-year, and the inflationary pressure is enormous. When answering a reporter’s question, Premier Wen Jiabao said that the first thing for the government this year is to control the CPI index to around 4.8% and GDP growth to 8%. To control inflation, we must implement a tight monetary policy.

　　The day after the Prime Minister made these remarks, the reserve ratio of the central bank was raised to 15.5%, which is already very high. At this time, the domestic situation has become clear, and the tight monetary policy is very clear.

　　Let’s take a look at the international environment. In the past two months, there have been some events and current situations, such as the Bear Stearns incident and the stock market crash, including the stock crash of overseas listed real estate companies, the failure of real estate enterprises to issue bonds and shares. There are more than 40 real estate enterprises that want to list this year.

　　However, led by Evergrande Real Estate, its IPO has been shelved. At this juncture, any IPO will go wrong. This is a landmark event, and the pipeline between the international capital market and China real estate is basically blocked.

　　China Times: Last year, you were still refuting Wang Shi’s "inflection point theory", and now you are proposing "a hundred-day drama change". Is it inconsistent?

　　Pan Shiyi: Up to now, my point of view has changed, because the situation changes every day, and I am constantly revising my point of view as the situation changes.

　　Last year, when I talked to Wang Shi about the inflection point, I listed the data to refute him. At that time, I didn’t expect the American economy to be so bad. I didn’t expect Bear Stearns to have an accident. I didn’t expect the subprime mortgage crisis to be endless. I didn’t expect the CPI index to rise to 8.7%.

　　Including the current point of view, I am not necessarily right. The real estate industry is 200 billion yuan a year. The domestic and international situation of such a big industry and market has changed too fast.

　　Diwang developers will be greatly adjusted.

　　China Times: Which real estate enterprises do you think will face the most severe challenges in this upcoming great change? Is it possible for small and medium-sized real estate enterprises in China to be integrated?

　　Pan Shiyi: The year before last, especially last year, many developers were irrational and bought many landlords. However, the real estate industry cannot do without the support of the financial industry and the capital market. If this support is disconnected or weakened, the real estate industry will face great adjustments. And the first to be adjusted are those real estate enterprises that expanded extremely last year and the year before, and they will face the biggest problem.

　　Some people say that I want to merge small and medium-sized enterprises, which is a wrong misinterpretation of my point of view. Some small and medium-sized real estate enterprises in China have not expanded, and the capital chain has been well arranged. When the winter comes, they will naturally not encounter problems. On the contrary, it is the developers who have expanded extremely in previous years who are most prone to problems.

　　China Times: Do you think that the real upheaval is those Diwang enterprises that emerged last year?

　　Pan Shiyi: It is an indisputable fact that the financial situation at home and abroad is tense, which leads to the lack of money in the real estate industry. But even for Diwang enterprises, every situation is different. There are pains, only you know.

　　Buying a house can resist inflation.

　　China Times: Do you think the house price will drop because of the "100-day drama change"?

　　Pan Shiyi: When it comes to "dramatic changes in a hundred days", this is a general concept, maybe two months, maybe four months. Speaking of this view, people are most concerned about the problem of housing prices, that is, the impact of drastic changes on housing prices-is it rising or falling? But we can’t look at the price for the sake of the price. Behind the price is the relationship between supply and demand.

　　We need to see if it has an impact on demand, and the control of mortgage loans will definitely have an impact on demand; Whether it has an impact on supply, if you have land, you can’t build a house without money, and supply also has an impact; Whether house prices are rising or falling depends on which is more affected, demand and supply, and whether the state of supply and demand can still be in a balanced state.

　　China Times: When developers encounter drastic changes, will they withdraw funds by reducing prices?

　　Pan Shiyi: Price reduction is not only a problem in the land market, but also a problem in the real estate market. From the perspective of the real estate market, in January and February this year, because of the turning point, the cold weather and weak demand, the transaction volume was falling, but from the end of February to March, the sales volume increased greatly, which proved that the demand was still strong.

　　Under this demand, developers will not reduce prices, but also see whether inflation can be controlled. If it can’t be controlled, I suggest that everyone should buy a house quickly. Only by buying a house can we resist inflation. This is a particularly simple truth. I think we should buy something valuable, and the house is the most valuable and valuable.

　　It will only develop in Beijing’s Third Ring Road.

　　China Times: How do you think real estate enterprises should cope with the coming challenges?

　　Pan Shiyi: For some enterprises that are short of money, when winter comes, they will either find a hole to drill down like frogs or fly away like migratory birds. The subprime mortgage crisis in the United States and China’s tight monetary policy are the signs of winter. At this time, we should adopt a strategy, transfer the land we have in hand, and exchange the projects in our hands for money to save our lives.

　　China Times: In this drastic change, will SOHO China use its 15 billion yuan to make a series of acquisitions?

　　Pan Shiyi: We still focus on acquiring land, not real estate companies. Because the management style and business model of other real estate companies are different from ours, it is difficult to integrate.

　　China Times: Where will your 15 billion cash be spent? Qianmen project?

　　Pan Shiyi: With the coming of winter, our cash of 15 billion yuan is not abundant, so we should do some projects with high profit rate, high return rate and good market foundation.

　　In November and December last year and January this year, we talked about some land projects in seven or eight cities across the country. In February, when winter came, we all withdrew to Beijing.

　　With 15 billion cash and 500 employees, according to our strategy, we should spend our limited resources on ideas. Where is the point? Just within the Third Ring Road in Beijing, Qianmen Project is one of them.

　　

Editor: Zhang Toya