The always-stylish Lisa has brought her enormous talents to our newposter for Meals that Matter.

If you still haven’t picked up your copy of the Meals that MatterVoucher Booklet, don’t miss this terrific opportunity to support CAI andexplore the city’s best restaurants at discounts up to 50% off. Each booklet isonly RMB299 – pick up several for your friends or your company. Call us at +8610 8454 9633 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

We have just moved our office location to the Henderson Center 恒基中心, directly opposite the Beijing Railway Station. 

CAI
Unit 604, Office Tower 3, Henderson Center
18 Jianguomennei Avenue
Dongcheng District, Beijing 100005
China

北京市东城区建国门内大街18号恒基中心3座604
100005

Reprinted from New York Times 

BEIJING, July 24 (Reuters) - Shanghai is urging eligible couples to have two children as worries about the looming liability of an ageing population outweighs concerns about over-stretched resources, a city official said on Friday.

The policy marks the first time in decades Chinese officials have actively encouraged procreation.

China's famous "one child" policy is actually less rigorous than its name suggests, and allows urban parents to have two offspring if they are both only children. Rural couples are allowed a second child if their first is a girl.

This is still the official line in most of China, but the financial hub of Shanghai is now rich enough to focus on a new concern -- the burden of an ageing population of native-born Shanghainese.

More children would help relieve the heavy pressure from ageing people, said Zhang Meixin, a spokesman for the Shanghai Municipal Population and Family Planning Commission, adding that the basic population policy had not changed.

"Shanghai's over-60 population already exceeds 3 million, or 21.6 percent of registered residents," he told Reuters by telephone. "That is already near the average figure of developed countries and is still rising quickly."

Most newly-married couples registered in Shanghai are both only children and so may have two children, Zhang said.

The number of couples eligible to have two children rose from 4,600 in 2005 to 7,300 in 2008, he added.

"The current average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime is lower than one," Zhang said. "If all couples have children according to the policy, it would definitely help relieve pressure in the long term."

The U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies warned in April that by 2050 China would have more than 438 million people over 60 years of age, with more than 100 million aged 80 and above.

The country will have just 1.6 working-age adults to support every person aged 60 and above, compared with 7.7 in 1975.

But if Beijing changes tack on policy, it may not be difficult to shift the population balance.

Over two-thirds of women would like to have two or more children to prevent their children becoming spoilt or lonely, a senior official at the National Family Planning Commission said earlier this year.

While the population of those born in Shanghai is ageing fast, China's urban workforce is continuously replenished by migrants from the countryside, who are not registered residents.

China's underfunded state pension system and shrinking family size has removed a traditional layer of support for elders, leaving society ill-prepared to cope with an ageing population.

China aims to keep its overall population, the world's largest, below 1.36 billion by the end of next year.

The dodgeball fundraising event conducted on Saturday, June 11th was a big success. It was organized by a friend of CAI, John Tracy, who has moved to Shanghai and decided to use an opportunity to gather his friends from Beijing and combine it with a fundraising event. The event lasted for five hours, during which teams enjoyed nice weather, an opportunity to meet a lot of people, music and, of course, the game itself. Over 15 teams competed on one of the fields in Chaoyang park. CAI had a team represented in the tournament as well. Although, it didn't win, the thrill and excitement of the games made the event really fun. The competition attracted a lot of observers and fans who were cheering for their team. The tournament was concluded by one big game with all of the teams participating. All  the money raised from competition, as well as dodgeball equipment, such as balls, whistles and stopwatches, were donated to CAI.

You can check out the pictures on Flickr at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cai-china/sets/72157621581701686/

Thank you, John!