[Repost] The CCP’s First Time Writing “Ecological Civilization” into a Party Congress Political Report

http://news.qq.com/a/20071016/001869.htm
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 15 (Reporters Cheng Zhiliang, Gu Ruizhen, Wang Pan) — In the process of comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, China has proposed building an “ecological civilization,” and for the first time has written this concept into a political report of the Party Congress.
When Hu Jintao delivered his report to the Seventeenth Party Congress on behalf of the Sixteenth Central Committee on the 15th, he put forward new requirements for realizing the goal of comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society; among them was to “build an ecological civilization and basically form an industrial structure, growth pattern, and consumption model that conserve energy and resources and protect the ecological environment.”
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The Seventeenth Party Congress has convened, and the blog is still usable; looks like things are still pretty good. This polis still has hope.

I didn’t listen to the report of the Seventeenth Party Congress, but it looks like the class-day activity the department is about to arrange is unavoidable. Today, on a whim, I took a look at the related coverage, and it seems there really are some things worth being glad about.

For example, this: writing “ecological civilization” into an official report is no small matter; scholars will have something to do. Before, when they tossed out “the Scientific Outlook on Development,” it pushed countless research projects along, but the argumentation and elaboration of a proposition that was already problematic to begin with really had not much point. Still, this “ecological civilization” is different; it gives even more to talk about than a “harmonious society.” This political orientation is certainly a boon to fields already under way, like ecological ethics. This makes me feel that the future may still be full of hope. Ah, ah.

By the way, seeing Premier Wen write poetry a few days ago also genuinely excited me, to the point that I even felt the impulse to write a letter to the Premier—I wanted to say: please, Premier, look up in Beijing or Shanghai. Where has the vast, deep, solemn, pure, free, tranquil, magnificent, and radiant starry sky praised in that poem gone? The starry sky has long since been stolen by the lights on the ground! Give that starry sky back—that is, give the nation’s future back—to the children! Sigh… maybe one day I really will write that letter, though of course I won’t send it…

http://news.qq.com/a/20070904/000986.htm
Gazing at the Stars

Wen Jiabao

On May 14, 2007, I gave an impromptu speech to teachers and students in Zhong Hall of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University, where I said: a nation that has some people who care about the sky has hope; a nation that only cares about what is under its feet has no future. Our nation is a nation full of hope! I hope that students will often gaze up at the sky, learn how to be a person, learn how to think, learn knowledge and skills, and become people who care about the fate of the world and the country.

I gaze up at the stars; they are so vast and deep;

its endless truth drives me to search and follow, tirelessly.

I gaze up at the stars; they are so solemn and pure;

its awe-inspiring justice fills me with love and with reverence.

I gaze up at the stars; they are so free and tranquil;

its broad and generous heart lets my soul find rest and nestle there.

I gaze up at the stars; they are so magnificent and radiant;

its everlasting fervor ignites in my heart the flame of hope and sounds the spring thunder.