Hello, and welcome back to another episode of 后视镜, Rear View Mirror, a retrospective look back over a week of programmes here on China Radio International.

Programme 1 - http://english.cri.cn/4026/2007/09/11/167@272483.htm

To start the show, I'll play a news report from Tuesday. It's a little ambitious to say that publication of a pamphlet can "solve" any problem. And we've heard about once-a-month proposals before. But this campaign, and therefore this report, does offer meaningful and sensible examples of things ordinary, imperfect people can do to make an environmental difference.

Believe it or not, being green-conscious is already a cause embraced by quite a number of urban dwellers in China.

"At the office, I print on both sides to save paper. I don't turn on the air-conditioner if it's not that hot. Whenever I leave the office, I always switch off the computer and its screen."

"I try to avoid using disposable things. For example I use rechargeable batteries instead of the ordinary ones. And before I leave home, I unplug the electronic appliances."

But Yuan Jingfeng, an office worker from Beijing, says if he knows about how to save energy and protect the environment, he'll do even better.

"Though many people are aware of the issue, due to a lack of knowledge they are still doing little to contribute."

The Energy-saving and Environment Protection Brochure newly-released by the Ministry of Science and Technology will solve this problem.

The pamphlet suggests 36 habits, include using baskets or knitted bags instead of using plastic bags when shopping; using public transport instead of private vehicles once a month and hand-washing your clothes once a month.

Simple as these, according to the ministry, the adoption of them can help save energy equivalent to 77 million tons of standard coal a year, which can be used to generate 640-billion-yuan or US$84.8 billion worth of gross domestic product, accounting for three percent of China's annual GDP.

In addition to knowing these, to save energy requires every one of us to sacrifice a little bit of comfort.

"I think I'm not a green person at all. For example I know it's better not to use plastic bags. But I always forget to take a bag with me when I go to the supermarket. And I enjoy living a comfortable life. So, as long as I feel good, I don't care how much electricity the air-conditioner consumes."

And according to another resident, some incentives are also needed in forming the good habits.

"Even for someone who is not green conscious, if the prices for water and electricity are raised, I believe he or she will become more thrifty."

For China Drive, I'm Zhou Jing.”

Programme 2 - http://english.cri.cn/4026/2007/09/13/167@273440.htm

In Voices from Other Lands this week, Su Xiaowei introduces us to an ancient district, and the hosting of a popular event. Here's her introduction, and the beginning of an interview with Dominic Johnson-Hill, a voice listeners may recognise from Yang Yang's webcast a few weeks ago.

"Nanluoguxiang is a narrow 'hutong' or alley just east of the Drum and Bell Towers in Beijing. This 800 meter long hutong was first built during the Yuan Dynasty around the 13th to 14th century. But within the last few years, Nanluoguxiang has transformed itself into a busy hotspot of trendy shops, bars and restaurants. A favorite among tourists, locals, expats, and aspiring actors from the adjacent China Central Drama Academy."
 
This weekend, September 15th and 16th, the alley will be especially packed for the Nanluoguxiang Performance Festival. There will be activities all day long including traditional Chinese dancing, storytelling, art exhibitions, and live music. 
 
"A group of local restaurant and shop owners have been working for months with the local Chinese government to put on the festival. But one person in particular has been very busy. Dominic Johnson-Hill is the owner of Plastered T-shirts. His store and home are both located on Nanluoguxiang. I caught up with Dominic this week to get an early scoop on this weekend's festival."

"It seems like Nanluoguxiang is of the younger crowd, just because of the kind of restaurants and bars and shops on the street – and the Drama Academy – it just seems like they're college students. But the area's actually quite old."

"I think it's impossible to forget here. I mean Nanluoguxiang has 750 years, I believe, now, of history. A great example is when they decided to beautify the hutong, back in August last year – right opposite my shop. They tore down the concrete. And there were these beautiful slogans from the 1950s, from the Cultural Revolution. And just beneath those slogans were these bricked-up doors. And then the government decided to take down the bricks from the doors. And behind the bricks were the original doors from these pawn shops and trading shops – from 1908 – that hadn't been touched! And they were still bright red. And the golden-lion knockers were still golden. And it was absolutely beautiful. For some reason – I don't know why – they bricked them up again two weeks later, but I've got pictures of them. And even when they dug up the road, I was picking out pieces of pottery that people were telling me were 200, 300 years old – broken pottery. It's impossible to forget the history here, I think."

Programme 3 - http://english.cri.cn/4026/2007/09/08/1361@271625.htm

Again, our final excerpt comes from China Beat, and a duo called "E"/ "译". This track mixes electronica and Peking Opera. Somehow, they've named it "Challenge".

Well, again, that's all we have time for from a rainy Beijing. So, from me, Matthew Stedman, and Rear View Mirror, it's goodbye.