Recently I returned to my hometown near Luoyang for the very first time in 20 years. Do you know how I felt when I set eyes on the place that I had always remembered as a wonderful land with rivers, trees and hills? The image that I had so carefully cherished was broken to pieces by the first sight.

The beautiful hills that used to be covered with bushes and trees are now bald. All the woods must have been chopped down for lumber that was either sold or used for building splendid houses. The crystal-clear river where I enjoyed fishing and swimming with my friends when I was a kid has become a filthy ditch into which chemical factories dump their waste. On the sandy beach which used to be the playground for the village kids lie abandoned food cans, waste paper and plastic bags. Local people told me they had suffered from drought year after year. On the Yellow River, I could see the dry and sandy riverbed, on which ferryboats sat sadly and quietly. I felt great pain in my heart upon seeing the sharp contrast between the same river in the past and the present.

I am struck by the sharp realization that modern civilization and industry are destroying our world. On the one hand we are enjoying a highly civilized modern life; on the other hand, we are suffering from serious and threatening pollution caused by cars, nice-looking fast-food packages and soft drink cans. The picturesque landscape has been spoiled by short-sighted people for their immediate benefits.

The world we live in is becoming more and more intolerable because of environmental destruction. Humans, as the conquerors of nature, are to blame.

It's often argued that the destruction of the environment is the result of human civilization. Is damage to the environment bound to follow rapid economic development? Does our environment have to be sacrificed in order to speed up economic growth? How to achieve sustainable economic development without damaging our environment is an issue worth thinking about.

The time has come for the introduction of strict measures to fight against pollution. To rescue our environment and preserve our planet is of crucial importance to mankind today. Conquering nature should no longer be our goal; instead, we should look upon nature as our closest friend. Furthermore, people's environmental awareness must be enhanced. Preserving the environment is not only preserving our home but the civilization of the human community as well.

Zhang Yueqing

A matter of licence

Recently China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) issued a notice asking all domestic radio and TV stations to postpone "China's first late night TV programme - Mask" made by Beijing Shixi Media Corp. It asked the Beijing Radio, Film and TV Bureau to severely punish Shixi Media. The reason, the notice said, was that Shixi Media had no licence to make and run radio and TV programmes. SARFT also emphasized that the subjects of talk-show programmes should be selected according to our political, ethical and content standards.

"Mask" was the first programme on the Chinese mainland relating to the topic of sex. For this reason, it was really historically meaningful. On each episode, a person was to be invited to describe his or her feelings and perhaps problems related to sexual experience - while wearing a mask.

The reason the programme's debut has been postponed seems double-sided: firstly, Shixi Media does not have a licence; secondly, the programme itself appears controversial.

As information flows more freely and people become increasingly open-minded, sex is no longer a taboo subject. However, there is still reluctance to discuss sex fully and openly in China's mainstream media (especially on TV) just as sex education is still underdeveloped and even lacking in China.

After all, sex is part of life, it is something that almost everybody has to confront and experience, and it is also one of our physiological needs. A hundred years ago Freud claimed that sex was the primary source of human motivation. And Maslow placed it at the base of his hierarchical pyramid (along with hunger, thirst and bodily comfort).

As we are social beings, everything we do in this society is connected with social norms. This is true of sex. To some extent, views on sex can reflect people's ethics. But how can we cultivate and form a healthy outlook on sex without getting enough accurate knowledge through formal and open channels? The mainstream media should not hesitate to broadcast positive and healthy programmes about sex with a responsible attitude and our educators really need to pay attention to the promotion of sex education.

I hope this is just a matter of licensing.

Gao Zibo