Culture: Han Meilin’s works to feature on Year of the Rooster stamps
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Chinese have lowered their expectations on life after retirement for the first time since 2013, according to the 2016 Chinese Retirement Readiness Index. The index dropped from last year’s 6.51 to 6. Apart from the slowdown in global economic growth, factors at home have also dented confidence. Those aged between 25 to 44 years, though supposed to be saving for their retirement, are under extreme burden to provide for their children and parents.
ItemfromDec27,1995,in ChinaDaily:StartingJan1,a Beijingbusridewillcost5 jiao(6cents)andasubway ride,2yuan.Thenewfares areintendedtoeasethe heavyfinancialburdenofthe municipalgovernment....
The last fare adjustment at the Beijing transit system was in December 2014, when both subway and bus fares went up.
The subway fare had remained 2 yuan per trip since 2007 regardless of distance.
A single subway trip now costs a minimum of 3 yuan, and is capped at a maximum of 9 yuan. The starting price for a bus ticket is 2 yuan, with a 9 yuan maximum.
A passenger will get discounts based on how much he or she spends monthly on the subway. Bus passengers who use a prepaid card gets a 50 percent discount.
Under the current price structure, subway travel accounts for 5.4 percent of the average per capita disposable monthly income of Beijing residents, up from 2.6 percent in the past.
In 2013, more than half of Beijing subway passengers traveled between 4 and 17 kilometers for their average daily commute.
Beijing operates 18 subway lines, spread over 554 kilometers of track. It is the second-longest subway system in the world after the Shanghai Metro.