Erinome: Hello dear friends, and welcome back to our daily news brief! I'm Erinome.
Enceladus: And I'm Enceladus. We're here to share some of the interesting things that happened today. Let's get started.
Erinome: First up, the 2025 Hurun Rich List is out. The list includes 1,434 entrepreneurs, which is 340 more than last year.
Enceladus: Wow, that's a big increase! Who is at the top of the list?
Erinome: 71-year-old Zhong Shanshan is the richest person in China for the fourth time. Also, Lei Jun has returned to the top five after ten years.
Enceladus: Interesting. Next, we have some suggestions for the "Shi Wu Wu" plan. That's the 15th Five-Year Plan, right?
Erinome: That's right. The suggestions include improving systems to encourage people to spend money. They are also talking about carefully implementing a gradual delay of the legal retirement age.
Enceladus: Um, delaying retirement is a big topic. What else?
Erinome: The plan also suggests steadily expanding the scope of free education.
Enceladus: More free education sounds like great news for families.
Erinome: Next, some news from the central bank. They announced a new policy about personal credit reports.
Enceladus: Oh? What is it?
Erinome: For people who had a loan default since the COVID-19 pandemic, if the amount was below a certain level and they have already paid it back, this information will not be shown in their credit report.
Enceladus: That’s really good news for some people. You know, a small mistake in a difficult time shouldn't follow you forever.
Enceladus: Let's talk about the market. I heard there was some big movement.
Erinome: Yes! After ten years, the Shanghai Composite Index went above 4000 points during the day. Some experts say this could be the start of a longer, healthy "bull market".
Enceladus: 4000 points! A lot of investors must be very happy. What about gold?
Erinome: On the other hand, the price of gold has dropped. Spot gold fell below $3,900, and the price of gold jewelry in China fell below 1,200 yuan per gram.
Enceladus: Haha, so stocks go up, and gold goes down. The market is always changing.
Erinome: Now for some education news. In Sichuan, the youngest person to take the self-study exam, or *zikao*, is only 9 years old!
Enceladus: Nine years old? That's incredible! What did the examination authority say?
Erinome: They responded that for the junior college level exams, there are no age or previous education requirements.
Enceladus: Wow. And you know that? There's more good news about education from Guangzhou.
Erinome: Oh, tell me!
Enceladus: Starting in the autumn of 2025, the education fee for the last year of public kindergarten will be free.
Erinome: Okay, our next story is a bit worrying. In Luoding, Guangdong, a large number of dead pigs were found piled up at the entrance of a meat company.
Enceladus: Oh no! That's terrible. Did any of the meat get sold to people?
Erinome: The official report says that none of it entered the market. They also said that seven suspects involved in the case have been controlled by the police.
Enceladus: That's a relief to hear.
Enceladus: Here's a story that reminds us to be careful. A barbershop in Ningbo is being investigated for tricking a customer.
Erinome: Tricking a customer? How?
Enceladus: The shop allegedly told the customer they had "bug eggs", or *chong luan*, on their scalp and persuaded them to spend 60,000 yuan on treatments.
Erinome: 60,000 yuan! That's so much money. I'm glad the market supervision department is looking into it.
Enceladus: And there's another story about schools charging strange fees. Some parents reported that a vocational school in Shaoyang, Hunan, collected 240 yuan from every student for phone fees.
Erinome: Phone fees? That doesn't sound right.
Enceladus: Exactly. An official investigation was started, and now the school's principal and several other people are being investigated.
Erinome: Let's switch to something more exciting. We have news about the 15th National Games.
Enceladus: Oh, sports news! What's happening?
Erinome: The torch relay for the games will be held on the morning of November 2nd. It will take place in four cities: Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. There will be a total of 200 torchbearers.
Enceladus: That sounds like a really big event!
Erinome: Now for some big tech news. Apple's market value has broken 4 trillion US dollars for the first time.
Enceladus: Four trillion! That number is hard to even imagine. The report says there are now three companies in the US stock market with a market value of 4 trillion dollars.
Erinome: But on the other hand, there is some sad news from Amazon. The company has started its biggest layoffs in history.
Enceladus: Oh no. How many people are affected?
Erinome: 30,000 employees are facing unemployment.
Enceladus: That's a huge number. Sad. It must be a very difficult time for them and their families.
