Members of a voluntary rescue team in Shanghai's Zhujiajiao town patrol its waterways on charge boats. [CHINA DAILY] Pedestrians and cyclists in a busy riverside town outside of Shanghai can move about with more peace of mind thanks to the efforts of a highly trained rescue team. For over a decade, the team's patrols have helped prevent accidents, especially along the Dianpu River in Zhujiajiao - a town with a history of more than 1,700 years in suburban Qingpu district. Members perform various tasks, including fighting fires, emergency water rescues, and flood prevention and typhoon preparedness, according to Chen Chunhao, director of the Zhujiajiao's conscription office, which oversees the team. The team has several dozen members, he said. Half are ex-military and the rest are college graduates under 25. All are unpaid but receive free training, and were selected through exams and stamina tests. The group is officially classed as a militia, which still operate nationwide under guidance from local authorities. They play a part in protecting national security and respond to emergencies that threaten social stability. However, such groups are only armed during training with the military. We undertake more diversified duties - mainly covering the propagation of national defense knowledge and performing daily guard duty along the river - in addition to our basic security work, said Li Linjie, the team leader. For example, we rescued a 22-year-old woman who attempted to drown herself in the river in September. In January, the team also cleared heavy snow from the streets and laid skid-resistant straw mats to protect vehicles and pedestrians. On an average day, Zhujiajiao receives more than 40,000 tourists keen to take in the town's history and watery vistas, and accidents sometimes occur with children and the elderly trying to negotiate the river's slippery banks. We're ready for every mission, Li said. Every member also speaks a second language, to help foreign tourists in town. According to its members, the team's track record of success is due to its disciplined military-style management. A full set of equipment is available to us, including rescue and patrol boats, inflatable rafts, motorcycles and firefighting tools, said Yuan Heqiang, another team leader. Members undergo regular military training and physical conditioning, as well as study water-rescue and firefighting techniques. We even began using drones last year to quicken our emergency response time, Yuan said. Experts from the Qingpu Lifesaving Association and the Qingpu Red Cross Association are regularly invited to teach the team the latest techniques in water rescue and first aid. The emergency response team has become a key guardian of peace and security in Zhujiajiao, said Colonel Li Huilin of the Qingpu district's conscription office. Over the past 11 years, the unit has coped with more than 30 major disasters and 500 crises, helping prevent property losses of more than 8 million yuan ($1.21 million), especially before and during weather emergencies. [email protected]tyvek wristbandsdebossed wristbandpersonalized rubber braceletscustom rubber wristbandsthe wristband factorywristband keychain
HONG KONG - The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) announced on Friday that it has already commenced work on the local legislation to implement the National Anthem Law of the People's Republic of China and are preparing to draft the National Anthem Bill.HKSAR government's Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau on Friday submitted the documents of Local Legislation of the National Anthem Law to HKSAR's Legislative Council (LegCo), which introduced the principle and purpose of the local legislative work.The documents clarified that the legislative principle is to maintain the purpose and intent of the National Anthem Law to fully reflect its spirit and to preserve the dignity of the national anthem, so that Hong Kong residents would respect the national anthem, whilst taking into account Hong Kong's common law system and the actual circumstances.The government also published the outline of the proposed content of the National Anthem Bill to summarize its proposed drafting direction.According to the Bill, the Chief Executive shall prescribe the occasions where the national anthem must be performed and sung. Every person who takes part in, or is present at, the occasion where the national anthem is performed or sung, must stand and deport themselves respectfully, and must not display any behaviour that is disrespectful to the national anthem.The National Anthem Law of the People's Republic of China was adopted at the 29th session of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress (NPCSC) on Sept 1, 2017, and has come into force nationwide since Oct 1, 2017. On Nov 4, 2017, the NPCSC adopted the decision to add the National Anthem Law to Annex III of the Basic Law of Hong Kong.
