Editor's note:

The start of the new semester in early September became a somewhat bittersweet scene for me one year ago, when I realized I probably said goodbye forever to my school days. I envy those fresh faces coming off the trains; I admire their new batches of books, I remember my mother's tears when she saw me off at the station; I miss the nights my roommates and I spent watching the World Cup…

As Stephen Zhou, one of China's top comedians, once said in his popular film A Chinese Odyssey, "I didn't realize it until it was gone. There is nothing more miserable in this world." So my friend, please cherish your school days, if that idea hasn't occurred to you yet.

However, life goes on in spite of my negative feelings. And this year we give extra care to students in disaster-plagued regions like Zhouqu, Wenchuan, just to name a few. We are definitely happy to see things get going again there, and kids are gradually coming out of their grief brought on by these terrible events.

At the same time, a spike in school attacks since last year has elevated people's awareness of school safety, as we see that most schools ranging from kindergarten to college have intensified their protection measures against future attacks.

So, good luck in the new school year!

 

New Faces

Among heads of freshmen of universities and colleges on the campuses across the country are their parents, even other family members who cannot trust the young men and women to do the job of preparing themselves for campus life on their own. They carry luggage, lay the beds and even wash clothes for the "kids" in their families.

A Confucian ceremony for young learners	Ethnic Yao girls get boost in education	Tsinghua welcomes new batch of freshmen

Snapshots

Quadruplets ready for school	Pupils in Shandong greet new semester	Taipei primary school invites grandparents
	Military training for fresh students	Schools brought up to grade

Disaster Zone Special

School in Zhouqu begins 10 days late	Mudslide-hit students leave home for new semester	Orphans blessed with a new home in Sichuan

Security Concerns

Security guards train to protect schools	Charged to protect	Fujian beefs up school security measures