12 Receive Top honour from Nation for YouthsThe nation's highest honour for youths, the May 4 medal, was awarded yesterday to 12 young people whose occupations include scientist, engineer, entrepreneur, police officer, athlete and farmer, People's Daily reported Thursday.So far, the Central Commission of the Communist Youth League of China and the All-China Youth Federation have presented the medal to a total of 39 young people. More intellectuals are receiving the award. Zhou Qiang, first secretary of the Youth League's central committee, said the spirit of devotion that is emblematic of the award winners should be a lesson for all young people. Meanwhile, many universities in the capital held symposiums and concerts to commemorate May 4, 1919, when 5,000 Beijing University students demonstrated in front of Tian'anmen Square, launching a patriotic campaign. After a one month of protests, struggles, patriotic young people won the struggle by making the then government realized that there was widespread public sentiment against the treaties, which government officials eventually refused to sign. Also that day, thousands of young people rushed out of colleges and middle schools in Beijing to protest unfair treaties imposed on China by Western powers in the wake of World War I. After the People's Republic of China was established in 1949,the central government designated May 4 as Youth Day. Beijing University gave its highest honour, May 4 medals, to 11 students and six classes. A total of 2,556 work units have been honoured for their contributions in1999 by 13 government departments. Youth League members in East China's Zhejiang Province attended a public lecture through the Internet on Youth Day, China Youth Daily reported yesterday. Four local entrepreneurs talked about their success stories. |
| Please visit People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |