英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable - 北京，让人爱恨交织的城市

Topic1 Beijing Occupies Too Many ResourcesBeijing is a black hole that absorbs numerous resources from other cities in the country, according to a report from the magazine Vistastory.

As a result, everyday more than 1,000 non-local dream seekers come and settle down in the city, despite knowing how small their chances are. Beijing Beijing, a song by the famous musician Wang Feng, vents their feelings. (clip)The lyric goes "if I have to leave the city one day, I hope at least I can be buried here when I die. I can feel my existence here. I have too many reasons to love the city."Why Beijing is so attractive that make people want to be buried in it? How centralized its social resources are?

Topic2 Huge government stimulating investment continues in citiesBBC News recently published an article Will China Shake the World Again?

In the article, editor Petson Robert says he interviewed Wuhan mayor Tang Liangzhi who is spending ?200bn, about 2 trillion yuan, over five years on a redevelopment plan. The rate ofinfrastructure spending in Wuhan alone is comparable to the UK's entire expenditure on renewing and improving the fabric of the country.

How huge is the plan?

Topic3 Lake Filling Project Halted in Manmade LakeProperty developments on land reclaimed from a man-made lake in East China are making a secret comeback after a government ban last June.

Land reclamation has resumed allowing the construction and sales of holiday resorts andvillas built within the Qiandao Lake Scenic Area which also is a water source.

The local government has again put an immediate halt over these projects, vowing that lake fill should never happen again.

Is lake filling a good idea?

Topic4 Raising boys more expensive in ChinaDifferent Chinese regions are implementing changes in family planning policies that allow couples in which one spouse is an only child to have two children.

But the cost of raising a child in today's China is keeping many eligible parents from having a second child.

The economic challenge for raising a boy in particular is also reportedly transforming a traditional Chinese preference over boys.

Are boys more expensive?

Topic5 Romantic City RankingWhich cities in China are the most romantic? A recent ranking is out of many people's ranking since it put Foshan the first 3. All the major cities fail to make the top 10.

Is the ranking reasonable?