First wholly foreign-owned, third-grade general hospital licensed in China | Special English

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Here's the news. North China's Tianjin municipality has issued a license for medical services to a holy foreign -owned third -grade general hospital, the first of its kind in the country.

The perennial general hospital Tianjin, invested and built by Singapore's perennial holdings private limited, has a total investment of around one billion yuan, about a hundred and forty million U .S.

dollars. This move signifies China's commitment to further opening up its medical sector.

In late November, the country unveiled a plan to allow the establishment of wholly foreign -owned hospitals in major cities including Tianjin.

Leveraging its location in the Beijing -Tianjin -Hebei region, the hospital aims to expand its service scope.

China has a three -tier hospital grading system with the third grade representing the highest level.

According to Pua Sekguan, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Perennial Holdings Private Limited, The new hospital is expected to attract more foreign patients seeking private medical services in China.

The group plans to actively promote exchanges and cooperation between foreign and local hospitals, and to strengthen the introduction of overseas medical experts and technologies in order to better compliment the public medical services.

China has allowed the establishment of joint venture medical institutions with foreign investors since 2000 and currently has over 60 foreign invested joint venture medical institutions.

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A direct flight route has been launched, linking Guiyang, the capital of southwest China's Guizhou province with Jakarta of Indonesia.

The flight route is operated by Indonesian airline Transnusa and served by an Airbus A320 aircraft.

Initially, it will fly one return journey each week.

According to the Guizhou Civil Aviation Industry Group Company, inbound flights are scheduled to depart from Jakarta at 6 .35 p .m.

local time every Saturday, arriving in Guiyang at 1 a .m.

Beijing time the following day.

Outbound flights will depart from Guiyang at 2 a .m.

on Sunday, and land in Jakarta at 6 .25 a .m.

local time. The direct air route is set to build closer links between Guizhou and Indonesian destinations, including Bali, Surabaya, and Manado, boosting tourism and economic trade and cultural exchanges.

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China has announced the expansion of a private pension scheme from 36 pilot cities and regions to the entire country.

According to a notice jointly issued by five government departments, including the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security This scheme serves as supplementary pension insurance and is voluntary for individuals and operated in a market -oriented manner with support from national policies.

According to the notice, people who currently contribute to basic pension schemes for urban employees, non -working urban residents and rural residents can all participate in the private pension scheme.

The scheme allows participants to contribute up to 12 ,000 yuan, about 1 ,670 U .S.

dollars, annually to their private pension accounts, and offers them tax incentives.

The private pension mechanism is considered to complement the country's current pension system, consisting of the basic old age pension and enterprise annuities, as well as commercial insurance for the elderly, offering another layer of support for China's aging population.

China is taking measures to address the challenges brought about by the aging population.

By the end of last year, the number of Chinese people aged 60 or above had reached 296 million, accounting for 21 % of the country's total population.

The private pension scheme launched in November 2022 was piloted in 36 cities and regions including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

More than 70 million private pension accounts have been opened under this scheme so far, while the number of investment products has exceeded 800.

financial products, including wealth management products, saving deposits, commercial pension insurance, and public funds, have been offered under the scheme.

According to the notice, China will launch more investment products under the scheme, including Treasury bonds, index funds, and specific retirement savings.

Shortly after the issuing of this notice, the China Securities Regulatory Commission revealed that the first batch of 85 equity index funds had been included in the investment product catalog for the private pension scheme.

The Commission explained that the inclusion of equity index funds can help form a rich and differentiated product portfolio and enhance the attractiveness of the private pension scheme.

The notice also stipulates circumstances under which early withdrawal of funds from private pensions will be allowed.

Sun Bok, an expert with principal financial group, said that boosting the flexibility of the scheme when it comes to withdrawals can put participants' minds at ease about the future.

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Taking a hot bath during the current cold, snowy season is a great joy, isn't it?

As a matter -of -fact, in ancient China the earliest evidence of bathing culture was recorded on the oracle turtle script some 3 ,000 years ago.

According to the archaeological evidence discovered in the central province of Hunan, bathrooms and urban water supply systems began to appear in China as early as the Sheng Dynasty between the 17th century and the 11th century BC.

The bathtubs were usually made of bronze or timber in the skirts of Xi 'an in northwest China's Shanxi province.

Chinese archaeologists have discovered royal bathrooms from the Warring States period between the 5th and 3rd century BC.

These bathrooms were decorated with ceramic tiles, equipped with the drainage holes and sewage pipes.

According to the rights of Joe, one of three ancient ritual texts listed among the classics of Confucianism.

Bathing was more than just a personal hygiene issue.

It was also a social ritual.

Ancient Chinese social norms expected a good citizen to boil water for his parents to bathe in every five days.

Meanwhile, he should also help his parents wash their hair every three days.

Moreover, when visiting a friend, it was customary to take a bath provided by the host before enjoying other festivities.

At that time a decent bath practice had a whole set of rituals associated with it.

It included using two towels, one for the upper body and one for the lower body.

People were supposed to shower with clean warm water after stepping out of the bathtub before drying themselves.

The bath ritual was concluded with a drink and a light meal.

In ancient China, regular holidays for government officials originated from bathing, starting from the Han Dynasty between the third century B .C.

and the third century.

The government allowed officials to take one day off every five days to take a bath, or shiomu, in Chinese.

For ancient Chinese, taking a bath was also an art and a lifestyle.

Body wash gel was essential for a good bathing experience.

In the 3rd century, Chinese people developed a kind of bath bean, or zou dou, which was a specially made powder in the shape of a bean.

It was made from dried plants and flowers, herbs, egg whites, and so on.

It was said that the bath bean could not only clean the body, but also nourish the skin.

The formula for the making of the bath being was explained in detail in Qianjin Fang, a medical book published in the mid -seventh century.

This tells us that bathing was seen as a key element in enhancing healing and health maintenance in ancient China.

To start with, only the ruling class had access to the items required for a decent bathing ritual.

The emperor would sometimes reward his officials with bath beans and other necessary items.

During the northern and southern dynasties, some 14 hundred years ago, it began to be possible for people outside the ruling class to purchase bath beans, making the start of a broader popularization of bathing culture.

Starting from the 10th century in the Song dynasty, commercial bath houses appeared, making bathing a popular way.

commercial bath houses for both male and female became so popular that they could be found everywhere.

Such venues provided customers with a back massage, nail refreshment after a bath.

In a prosperous mid 11th century, there were over 40 hot spring bath houses in the southeastern city of Fujou alone.

When Marco Polo visited China during the Yuan dynasty, he could still witness the Song -style bath culture where people got up early and took a bath before their breakfast.

If you visit China you will find that commercial bathing houses are still an an essential part of life and recreation.

In the more luxurious venues, you can even find libraries, art salons, meditation rooms, and gaming centers.

For many Chinese, bathing in hot springs is one of their favorite ways to relax and keep healthy in winter.

This is especially the case in Northern China.

No matter how cold the weather is, bathing in hot spring water creates an illusion that you were surrounded by warm sunshine.

You can take a deep breath and enjoy the tranquility.

At the moment, all the troubles and worries you might have seem to be gone.

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That's the end of this edition of Special English.

To recap, I'm going to read one of the news items again at normal speed.

Listen carefully. North China's Tianjin municipality has issued a license for medical services to a wholly foreign -owned third -grade general hospital, the first of its kind in the country.

The perennial general hospital Tianjin, invested and built by Singapore's Perennial Holdings Private Limited, has a total investment of around 1 billion yuan, about US $140 million.

U .S. dollars. This move signifies China's commitment to further opening up its medical sector.

In late November, the country unveiled a plan to allow the establishment of wholly foreign -owned hospitals in major cities, including Tianjin.

Leveraging its location in the Beijing -Tianjin -Hebei region, the hospital aims to expand its service scope.

China has a three -tier hospital grading system with a third grade representing the highest level.

According to Pua Se Wilkinson, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Perennial Holdings Private Limited, the new hospital is expected to attract more foreign patients seeking private medical services in China.

The group plans to actively promote exchanges and cooperation between foreign and local hospitals, and to strengthen the introduction of overseas medical experts and technologies studies in order to better complement the public medical services.

China has allowed the establishment of joint venture medical institutions with foreign investors since 2000 and currently has over 60 foreign invested joint venture medical institutions.

This is the end of today's program.

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[China's Medical Sector Expansion, Pension Reform, and the Historical Evolution of Bathing Culture]-[First wholly foreign-owned, third-grade general hospital licensed in China]

📋 Summary

China's Latest Developments: Healthcare, Pensions, and Cultural Traditions

1. Opening Up the Medical Sector

2. Nationwide Expansion of Private Pension Schemes

3. The Historical Evolution of Bathing Culture

🎯Key Sentences

📝Key Phrases

📖 Transcript