Society

Wang Nana in CCTV interview

If Wang Nana had not applied for a bank loan, she never would have learned that she had been admitted to college. She would have continued to think she had failed, that all of her studying was for nought, that her hopes for a better future were misplaced.

However, the loan application and a follow-up inquiry revealed that a well-placed bribe, an intercepted acceptance letter and lax procedures had changed the future for two high school graduates: Wang and the woman who assumed her identity in 2003.

Students prepare to sit entrance exams at the Beijing Film Academy in Beijing, Feb 15, 2016. The prestigious acting school, regarded by many as the road to fame, plans to offer 10 bachelor's degree programs and enroll 437 students this year, a decrease of 52 students than last year, but the number of applicants has increased dramatically.

Photo taken in Nanjing city on Dec 22nd 2015

Smog may be harmful and annoying, but it can also give rise to extraordinary scenes.

The reading of the Air Quality Index of East China's Nanjing city reached 221 Tuesday afternoon, indicating severe pollution. At dusk, some Nanjing residents posted photos of the sky taking on a rare rosy color.

Frequent spells of smog, which has hit Beijing four times since last month, may make it difficult for the capital to achieve its annual air quality improvement goal, a municipal official said on Sunday.

Beijing has set a target of cutting the concentration of PM2.5－particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns that can penetrate the lungs and harm health－by 5 percent year-on-year.

Readings of the pollutants averaged 86 last year, and the figure was 74 for the first 11 months of this year.