Top 10 new expressions of the year

1. New normal

The phrase "new normal" was highlighted at a recent meeting of the Political bureau of the CPC Central Committee to convey the idea that China needs to focus on the quality of its economic development and adapt to a new situation. The new normal will be the hit phrase in the next five years, reflecting the direction of our economic development. Reform and innovation will be the two pillars.

- Chen Fengying, director of the Institute of World Economic Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

China is becoming the leader of global bilateral and multilateral free trade. In the next three to five years, the new normal of China's opening-up will be China having a greater voice in mapping out international rules. China will be a participant and one of the leaders in international governance.

- Chi Fulin, president of the China Institute of Reform and Development and an adviser to the central government.

2. Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect

The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect is related to the internationalization of the RMB. It allows offshore RMB funds to officially invest in the mainland stock market. It is expected to bring lots of opportunities to mainland and Hong Kong investors. It is a pioneering program where investors from a free market can invest in a closed market, or nearly closed market.

- Simon Lee, senior lecturer of the School of Accountancy and Co-Director of Integrated BBA Program at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

3. Occupy Central

The Occupy Central movement is about democracy in Hong Kong, the most modern city in China. It is a testing point for others to know the view of mainland leaders on democracy and the adoption of the Western, or so-called "universal", system. China wants to exercise more influence in the world with its economic, military and political power. The way they handle the movement will give insights to people inside and outside China on how the leaders treat economic and political development. At least we see people in Taiwan are concerned about the outcome of the movement.

- Simon Lee, senior lecturer of the School of Accountancy and Co-Director of Integrated BBA Program at The Chinese University of Hong Kong

4. Silk Road (Economic Belt)

This year is an important year for the Silk Road proposal. It is not simply about bridging Asian and European countries. The connectivity will bring enormous opportunities to all countries on the road. And some of China's development experiences can be shared. I expect more movement in the coming year. The platform is already set up.

- Chen Fengying, director of the Institute of World Economic Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations

5. APEC Blue

The expression took off with the public after the APEC meetings, referring to the amazing, albeit temporary, blue skies over Beijing. It reflected the longing of people for clean air instead of smog. With the joint efforts conducted during the first days of November proving effective, we can insist on continued efforts to make the blue sky stay longer.

- Xie Shaodong, professor at Peking University's School of Environmental Sciences

6. Deepen Reform

2014 is the first year of deepening reform in China. It is also a new starting point for the reform process. China has achieved a lot in terms of delegation and limits on administrative power and governance under the rule of law. Besides strategic deployment from the top level, it is also important to solve issues related to people's livelihoods, which can forge a new consensus on reform.

- Chi Fulin, president of the China Institute of Reform and Development and an adviser to the central government.

7. Ice Bucket Challenges

This has significantly changed the way we raise money for charity work. Before the popularity of the Ice Bucket Challenge, normally we would raise money from enterprises in a more traditional way. Now we have a successful case of raising money from ordinary people through a social media platform. Charity is no longer limited to rich people and enterprises.

- Deng Guosheng, director of Tsinghua University's NGO Research Center

8. Corruption by low-level officials

This not only reflects the determination of the central authorities to clean up the government but also reflects the desire of the public to bring the anti-corruption campaign down to local level. We must admit that the corruption of local governments and officials is as serious as higher levels. The behavior of local officials can directly affect the public's trust and faith in the ruling party.

- Zhu Lijia, professor of public administration at the Chinese Academy of Governance

9. E-hongbao (cash-stuffed red envelope)

E-hongbao became popular during Spring Festival when users of WeChat started sending money to their friends. It is a very successful example of marketing, and also a mobile payment innovation. Before E-hongbao, mobile payments just transplanted offline payments to mobile devices. But E-hongbao is a new and unique way to pay using mobile devices. More and more people began to know about mobile payments after this.

- Li Ye, a mobile payment analyst with Analysys International

10. Anti-Ebola

Ebola virus was discovered in the 1970s, but it didn't become a hot topic for ordinary people until the outbreak in western Africa early this year. It not only affects the health of people there but also the public health of the whole world. It has attracted the world's attention. It is not a big surprise that "Anti-Ebola" has been chosen among Words of the Year. This reflects that Chinese are getting more and more concerned with public health.

- Li Xin, an expert in infectious diseases at Beijing Ditan Hospital, who was among the first group of doctors sent to Guinea by the Chinese government in August to help fight the disease

(China Daily USA 12/23/2014 page4)