Reading the Shanghai Daily, dated Wednesday 19 July 2006,beside the 37.4° C it is said that "China's economy surged 10.9 percent in the first half of this year".
"The National Bureau of Statistics reported yesterday that the nation's gross domestic product jumped to US$1.14 trillion between January and June."
Further to this Yan Zhen has written a very interesting article entitled "Innovation the Next Challange" where he is reporting that the top challenge for Chinese universities over the next 10 years is teaching students to be innovative and think critically as it has been said by University Presidents from both home and abroad at the University Presidents Forum weeklong session in Shanghai.
It is also mentioned that "Owing traditional Asian education models, the vast majority of Chinese students are accustomed to passively accepting what teachers preach in class and memorizing textbook knowledge for exams."
Richard Leving, president of Yale University, pointed out the example of Japan ability to train outstanding engineers and make precise equipment but it suffered an economic slow down in the 1990s partly due to its lack of innovation.
It is also mentioned that "Several domestic university presidents noted that innovation and critical thinking need to be taught at an early age, not just at college."