|
  China
Promoting Ocean Consciousness
in China
by the China Ocean News (21 July 1998)
Ocean Public Awareness Day/Blue Waves
Surge in Beijing, 18 July 1998
The Ocean Public Awareness Day was held in Beijing and all coastal provinces and cities
on 18 July with the motto ""Welcoming the Century of Ocean, Building Blue
Brilliance". It was organized by the 1998 International Year of the Ocean Propaganda
Organization Committee and sponsored by the Oceanographic Administration State. 13
organizations including the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources and 12 coastal
provinces and cities took part in this event. The Ocean Public Awareness Day, the biggest
publicity campaign on oceans in China, pushed China's 1998 IYO activities towards a
climax.
Mr. Zhou Yongkang, Minister of Land and Natural Resources, remarked in his speech that
the aim of the Ocean Public Awareness Day was to promote the whole nation's consciousness
on ocean, to increase Chinese people's awareness of our "Blue Territory" and to
initiate a new movement to publicize, protect and develop resources of the ocean.
In order to promote the awareness and responsibilities on oceans among the Chinese
people, Mr. Zhang Dengyi, the Administrator of the Oceanographic Administration State,
signed the Ocean Charter on behalf of the Chinese Government. The signing of the Ocean
Charter is initiated by the Canadian government and sponsored by UNESCO. 20 decision
makers and individuals who attended the public awareness activity signed My Ocean Charter.
Love Our Blue Territory
It was held in front of the gate of the Oceanographic Administration State in Beijing.
On this occasion a 100 picture composed of a variety of posters related to ocean such as
"Colorful Ocean World", "Love Ships, Islands and Oceans", rate
specimens of living marine resources, model ships and all kinds of books, promotional
materials and souvenirs have been displayed ad attracted thousands of passers-by.
Many citizens who participated in this activity signed My Ocean Charter. Mr. Liang, an
official from the Ministry of Transportation, was quoted as saying: "In my personal
view, the signing of My Ocean Charter is an obligation for us. Everyone of us has the
responsibility to protect the ocean. It is an obligation which we have to shoulder".
Chronical of Events in Celebration of the 1998 International Year of the
Ocean
| 1. March 1 The educational
activities for the national youth entitled "Going Towards the Oceans"
co-sponsored by the National Education Commission and SOA were initiated formally. After
the activity on "Exploring Mysteries at Sea", three representatives of the youth
were selected to visit Lisbon. 2. May 16 "Garden Party of Capital Youth for Ocean
Science Popularization" cosponsored by SOA and the S.&T. Association of China was
organized in the Longtanhu Park of Beijing.
3. May 29 The White Paper entitled "The Development of China's Marine
Programs" was issued by the Information Office of the State Council of the People's
Republic of China. It provided the guidance and fundamental policies on the development of
China’s marine affairs.
4. May "Nationwide Activities for Collection and Excellence Choice of Ocean
Songs" co-organized by SOA and the Ministry of Culture concluded. "Return to the
Ocean" – the first special version of ocean songs was issued in the forms of CDs
and tape cassettes.
5. June 5 The Journalist Troupe of "Construction of Civilized Coastal
Frontier", an activity of 1998 Century Travel of Environmental Protection in China,
started its tour from Beijing. It was organized by 14 ministries, commissions and bureaus
such as the Environment and Resource Protection Commission of the National People’s
Congress of China. Publicity and reporting activities were conducted on 16 local areas.
6. June 9 The Initial Issue Ceremony of "Zheng He's Navigation Chart"
supervised by SOA and designed and produced by Jiangsu Taiye Advertisement and
Dissemination Co. Ltd. was held in SOA. The Chart was a treasure dedicates to the 1998
International Year of the Ocean.
7. June 19 The publicity and interviewing activities of "Flying over
Coastline-Travel on the Blue Territory" sponsored by SOA were initiated at the Beilun
River Mouth in Dongxing city of Guangxi, the southernmost end of the 18000km coastline of
China.
8. June 26 The 3rd Session of the Ninth Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress of China discussed and approved the Law of the People's Republic of China
concerning the Executive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf. It is an important law
on the marine rights and interests of China and an significant step for the marine legal
system of China to keep in consistency with the UNCLOS.
9. June "China Ocean", a large picture album, co-edited by SOA and the China
Pictorial Journal Press was published in Beijing.
10. The Environment and Resource Protection Commission of the National People's
Congress examined the enforcement of the Law of Marine Environmental Protection in the
provinces of Hainan, Shandong and Liaoning respectively between May 21 and the end of
June.
11. July 18 With the theme of "Greeting the Ocean Century and Jointly Building up
the Blue Glory", the activities of Ocean Publicity Day sponsored by the Organizing
Committee of Large-scale Publicity Activities for the 1998 International Year of the Ocean
and organized by SOA were conducted in Beijing and many coastal cities on the same day of
July 18. Mammoth Publicity activities were organized in various forms in all parts of the
country and have obtained excellent social results
12. July 18 The opening ceremony of popular science exhibition tour of "Ocean
& Man" co-sponsored by China's Science Association, SOA and the Chinese Society
of Oceanography was held in Beijing. The exhibition has been held in a lot of cities
throughout China.
13. July 18 The special marine
program on "the Call of the Blue" was shown in the program of "Oriental
Horizon" of CCTV. It was the first time in this program to take the "Son of
Oriental Horizon", "Living Space" and "Space-time Report" as one
program since the first show of this program.
14. July 18 The special page entitled "Ushering in the Marine Century", was
issued jointly by the International Department of People Daily and SOA.
15. The Training Program on Deep Sea-Bed Mining for Management, Policy and Project
Planners held by the International Ocean Institute (IOI) lasted from Jun. 22 to Jul. 24 in
the China Operational Center of IOI, Tianjin.
16. August 5 "Summer Camp of National Excellent Student Representatives"
jointly conducted by SOA and the People’s Government of Guangxi Autonomous Region
began in Nanning City, Guangxi. 120 students from over 60 universities and middle schools
nationwide stayed in Nanning City, Beihai City and Qinzhou City of Guangxi for 7 days to
take part in the activities such as visiting naval ports and marine natural reserves,
holding ocean knowledge lectures and competitions, and sightseeing.
17. August 5 One of the activities of the International Year of the Ocean, the
educational activity on "I love my motherland’s coastal areas and territorial
seas" began on the "Shichang" training ship in Tianjin Port. This activity
was co-sponsored by the State Sport General Administration, the Ministry of Education,
China's Science and Technology Association, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth
League and the National Women's Federation.
18. The program on "Extensive View of Science" of CCTV produced, jointly with
SOA, a series of reports on marine science and technology (10 volumes), which were shown
in September.
19. A series of reports "Going Towards the Ocean" (10-12volumes) jointly
produced by CCTV and SOA were shown in the program of "China News" at the end of
August and the beginning of September.
20. "98' Ocean Cup-China Excellent Enterprises Yacht Racing Dual Meet"
cosponsored by SOA and the People's Government of Xiamen City was held in August.
21. "The National Youth TV Final Contest on Marine Knowledge" co-sponsored by
SOA and CCTV was conducted during the first ten days of September.
22. South China Sea Summer Camp of the International Year of the Ocean cosponsored by
SOA, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and the National Students'
Federation began in the middle of September.
23. Three delegations were sent by SOA to Portugal to attend the Expo '98 during August
and September, 1998.
24. "China Diving Photograph Competition in the South China Sea" co-sponsored
by SOA and the State Sport General Administration began in October.
25. The activity of "Flying over the Coast of Our Motherland by Balloons"
cosponsored by SOA and the Center for Navigation Management of the State Sport General
Administration was conducted in September.
26. "Flying over the Blue Land-Singing Concert by Stars" co-sponsored by SOA
and the Ministry of Culture was held in October.
27. To celebrate the International Year of the Ocean and discuss the strategy for the
management and development of China's seas, the first China Alumni Meeting was held in the
China Operational Center between Oct. 23-24, 1998, "My Ocean Charter" was signed
by those who attended the meeting.
28. "International Conference on Marine Disasters: Forecast and Reduction"
was held in Beijing by the National Marine Environment Forecasting Center during Nov. 2-5 .
|
|
