The government in China plans to end its one-child policy and let families have two children instead.

    The plan was announced on Thursday after high –level political meetings in Beijing. A Chinese Communist Party statement gave a number of reasons for the change in policy. The statement said the change is meant to balance population development, stop a falling birth rate(出生率) and strengthen the country's labor force(劳动力).

    China, with the largest population in the world, started the one –child policy in 1980. But the government allowed only a small number of couples to have two children. For example, some families in the countryside could have two children, if the first-born child is a girl.

    In 2013, the Chinese government gave other couples a chance to have two children if one of them was an only child.

    Jiang Quanbao, a teacher and population expert, explained how Chinese families react to the newest policy. “Too many young people in the cities are no longer interested in having a second child,” he said. “People in the countryside are more interested. But some of them are already allowed to have two children. ”

    At the end of 2014, China had a population of 1.37 billion people. A total of 800 million of them have jobs. But the labor market population will drop in 35 years. That is to say, the country will be in great need of labor by the year 2050. With the two-child policy, an increase in births can solve this problem.

    Boys and girls, what do you think of the two-child policy? Do you want to have a new-born brother or a sister?

    A nationwide survey released earlier this year said an average Chinese adult read less than eight books in 2015, among which 4.58 were paper books and 3.26 e-books. With digital books becoming more popular, many people would find it hard to remember the last time they sat down in a bookstore and enjoyed a quiet moment.

    But this does not mean that bookstores are losing their customers. To lure more readers, bookstores are now bigger, more beautiful and grander. Here are some of them.

    Zhongshuge

    Walking into a Zhongshuge bookstore is like entering a sea of books, above the ceiling overhead, beneath the floor under your feet, on the walls, and under the steps of the staircases. Zhongshuge is known for its beautiful designs. The brand now has chains in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Yangzhou.

    The Bookworm

    The bookworm is a bookshop, bar and café all in one. Hidden in downtown Beijing's Sanlitun bar area, the place is among the most popular for foreigners looking for some international experiences in the Chinese capital.

    In addition to a larger variety of books, the European-style shop also holds lectures and cultural events. It's often possible for visitors to meet famous authors unexpectedly in the comfortable place.

    Paradise Time Travel Bookstore

    Tibet（西藏）is a must-visit on many people's travel lists. You can find the beauty of the ancient Tibetan style. Paradise Time Travel Bookstore is decorated in this way. But if you look closely, you will find it is a foreignlanguage bookshop. This kind of mixture is a great surprise, isn't it?

    The Paradise Time Travel Bookstore is located near the princess Wencheng Theater in Lhasa(拉萨).

    Poplar Kid's Republic

    The Poplar Kid's Republic, sitting in Beijing's CBD area, is a fairyland of picture books for children. Thebookshop was selected among one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world by Flavorwire, a popular US news website about art and culture, in 2012.

    The colorful designs inside are aimed at encouraging kids to explore books. Pushing the glass doors open, you will see children's drawings and craftworks(工艺)hanging on the pink walls, leading you into a world full of imagination.

    Do you have a special talent or skill but there is no one that enjoys it? If so, you might want to go to Christ church, New Zealand, for the World Buskers Festival.

    January is summer time in New Zealand, and the entertainment (娱乐活动 ) takes place outside. However, this is not the typical outdoor music concert or festival you have known. The buskers-people who perform on the streets and in other public places—bring the city to life with amazing entertainment.

    The event begins in late January and attracts (吸引) around 300,000 visitors every year with about 500 performances. The performances include the circus(马戏表演) and magic acts, street dancing and singing, and other crazy forms of entertainment.

    One of the best things about the festival is how well it attracts many people, from the youngest to the oldest .Laughs are everywhere, especially when unprepared visitors are asked to become a pan of the performance.

    The festival director says, "We have performers from all over the world. Most of the performances are free, so it means you can bring your family and spend a whole day here."

    There's something for everyone at the World Buskers Festival, one of the biggest and most popular street festivals in the world.

    The Silk Road is the name of different roads that long ago connected Europe, Africa and Asia. People reached these different places along these roads. Scientists believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3000 years ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world. The Silk Road covered almost 6500 kilometers. It went from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East.

    Merchants travelled along the Silk Road to carry silk, of course. They also carried and traded other things like spices (香料), cloth, jewels and gold.

    Along and around these ancient path(小路), have come many fascinating and mysterious stories.

    It is said that Roman soldiers who lost a war travelled through central Asia. They decided to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese villages. Some of these Romans married local Chinese women and the legend of the blond-haired, blue-eyed tribes of China was started.

    Some historians believe that the people of Kashmir were taken away from their country Israel. They were prisoners (俘虏) of war almost 2800 years ago. People say that these people travelled along the Silk Road. They kept their Jewish way of life for a long time.

    During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable things and new ideas. It included people and trading goods from different areas. All these peoples travelled the Silk Road. And they shared goods, stories, languages, and cultures.

    In modern times, the old Silk Road routes (路线) are still used, but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses. There is even silk route museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35, 000 objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries and peoples.