The student foreign exchange program does more than just foster intercultural education – it also forges lasting friendships.

Reported  by Xinhua on March 30 –An American living in Beijing was awarded the title of “top ten volunteer of 2006″ on Wednesday, becoming the first foreigner to claim the honor.

David Tool, better known by his Chinese name Du Dawei, has been voluntarily correcting misleading English signs throughout the Chinese capital during his six-year life in the city.

Upon accepting the award, Du Dawei said he wanted to act as a bridge between the Chinese and English culture and smoothen communication difficulties brought by language barriers.

The “top ten Beijing volunteers” awards were initiated in 2004, aiming to recognize outstanding social volunteers from all walks of life.

330,000 people have voted through the internet this year.

Other honored volunteers include Tsinghua University student Liang Suhui, who is a long-time volunteer teacher for migrant children, and ophthalmologist Han Song, who works to provide free treatment to rural patients.

According to an news article by Xinhua, recent official report reveals that woman will outnumber male in the world of Chinese journalism in the near future.

In journalism schools female students have outnumbered male students in recent years, and there are more than 70,000 women journalists registered at the State Press and Publication Administration, nearly 40 per cent of the total 180,000.

And, the average age of journalists is also getting younger.

At present, journalists under the age of 40 account for 61 per cent of the total. Among them, more than 40,000 are between 20 and 30 years old, and about 73,000 are between 30 and 40.

It was also reported that a decade ago the gender ratio between female and male journalist was 1/3. One of the reasons provided by the report is that “more and more men are now choosing business over journalism”.