The ten-car subway train was adorned at the end of June in a tunnel in Queens. The artists appeared to use paint rollers to cover it along one side, from top to bottom, in an awful shade of pink with a brown line.

Tagging (涂鸦) a train is often less about the art and more about the prize of marking something that involves risk and echoes the original graffiti writers, who blanketed subway trains, including the windows and scats inside, in the 1970s and 1980s.

”Modern graffiti began in Philadelphia in the 1960s. But it became an art form in New York City, says Eric Felisbret, author of “Graffiti New York”. “Graffiti benefited from the popularity of hip-hop globally,” says Mr Felisbret. “Out of all the elements of hip-hop, graffiti is by far the most rebellious. . . Back then, all graffiti was illegal.”

In 2020 the Metropolitan Transportation Authority(MTA), which runs the subway, spent 1. 2m on cleaning. By the end of May 2022 it had already spent 1. 1m. In all of 2021, 681 subway cars were “ruined”. This year more than 700 cars have been. More than one in ten subway cars had to be taken out of service for cleaning.

The recent spike in subway graffiti activity parallels the lifting of travel restrictions. The graffiti on trains usually gets cleaned or hidden quickly, so artists post images of their work on social media. Sharif Profit, who organizes the annual Graffiti Hall of Fame in Harlem, says he can always tell when the work is by someone from another country: “It is not on the same level.

Tagging on the subway is dangerous. The live third rail is lethal (致命的) and the tunnels are dark. Trains can appear with little warning, so trespassers (不法进入者) may have no way of avoiding them. Two French graffiti artists were killed by a train in Brooklyn in April.”As soon as I heard where the bodies were found, I knew they were taggers, says Mr Felisbret.

The MTA removes any tagged train so as to avoid encouraging other people.   Passengers then have to wait longer. That was the case recently, says Richard Davey, head of the MTA’s New York City Transit system, when eight trains were ruined. The resulting delays affected thousands of commuters. “It’s our goal to make sure we don’t return to the 1970s,” he says, “whether it’s in our stations or on our cars.”

Graffiti on the subway began to die out in the late 1980s. One former graffiti writer said it is almost shocking to see tagging there now.

Who do you look up to? No matter what stage of life you're at, it's good to have someone who inspires you to be the best version of yourself.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), President Xi Jinping signed a presidential decree(主席令) to award 42 individuals the Medal of the Republic, the Friendship Medal and national honorary titles. The people who received the awards have all made outstanding contributions to the nation's construction and development.

Shen Jilan is one of the eight people who were awarded the Medal of the Republic. She is the only deputy in China to serve at all 13 National People's Congresses(全国人民代表大会) since 1954. She witnessed the development of the People's Congress system. She has been engaged in making and revising national laws for most of her life. It was she who proposed the clause on "equal pay for equal work" between men and women, which was written into the first Constitution of PRC in 1954.

China's development can't continue without lawmakers, nor can it move forward without scientists.

Ye Peijian, who received the honorary title "the people's scientist", has been devoted to China's lunar program for two decades. Known as "the Father of Chang'e Probes", he as well as his team of aerospace engineers put lunar landers on the moon. On Jan 3 of 2019, the Chang'e 4 probe touched down on the moon's far side, marking the program's latest achievement.

Receiving the Friendship Medal are six foreign friends who have lent their hands to assist with China's prosperity. Raul Castro Ruz, former Cuban president, is among them.

Almost every country in the world has official honors for distinguished people. For example, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor given in the United States. The late scientist Stephen Hawking was once given this award.

It's thanks to the great efforts made by these outstanding figures that we can live in a prosperous and peaceful country. Hopefully these role models can light the way for nation building.

Students aiming to enter Tsinghua University this year had better be able to swim or be prepared to learn swimming and pass a swim test since the prestigious university will not grant bachelor’s degrees if they cannot swim.

This September, would-be freshmen at Tsinghua University will have to take swimming courses if they fail a swimming test at the beginning of their university life, and they won’t receive their degrees if they cannot swim before their graduation,   in accordance with a message at a university staff meeting days ago, the Beijing Daily reported on Monday.

Potential freshmen with chronic diseases, skin disease or hydrophobia,once examined and affirmed by medical staff, don’t need to take the required test or course. Plans are for freshmen to take the test during their military training. In the test, students will pass the test if they can swim 50 meters,   no matter whether they choose the breaststroke, butterfly stroke,freestyle or backstroke. Those failing the test have to take a compulsory swimming course.

“Now Tsinghua University will test students in long-distance running and swimming,so students with poor sports performance will have to overcome a lot of difficulties once they enter the university,” said a student surnamed Zhang from the Second High School Attached to Beijing Normal University. However, students don’t need to worry much,since Liu Bo, head of the Division of Sports Science and Physical Education,said relevant statistics showed that 90 percent of students can swim after taking the compulsory swimming course in their second year of university, and the remaining 10 percent will receive instruction after class provided by teachers, without paying extra tuition.

And viewing the ability to swim as a must for students to earn their degrees is not something new in Tsinghua University,as this ability was listed on its school regulations in the early 20th century. “As early as 90 years ago,Tsinghua University required that students cannot graduate from the university or study overseas if they cannot swim, though the requirement didn’t work later on since the swimming pools at the campus could not accommodate increasingly more students,” said Liu.

As to why the university is linking swimming ability with degrees, “as a requisite survival skill,swimming is beneficial for students in the long run, since swimming is helpful in improving students’ endurance and doing less harm to joints and muscles as a water sport,” said Liu.