A number of online accounts have been shut down this week for posting vulgar content, according to the Beijing cyberspace administration.

The administration on Wednesday urged major online platforms to enforce the shutdowns to contribute to a healthier online environment. The platforms with closed accounts include the Twitter-like social media service Weibo, and WeChat, an instant messaging app.

Most of the banned accounts posted entertainment industry gossip, while some were owned by famous paparazzi. The administration accused them of vulgarity and invading the piracy of celebrities among other issues.

The shutdowns were enabled by the country’s new cyber security law that was passed in November 2016 at the bimonthly session of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee after a third reading, and went into effect on June 1.

The administration released another statement Thursday, calling on the public to report vulgar content on the Internet to provide a safer online environment for teenagers, with summer vacation approaching.

According to the statement, as of Thursday, a total of 11,798 pieces of vulgar content have been removed by the center for illegal and harmful online content in Beijing in 2017.

The shutdown has aroused mixed reactions from the Internet users, with some applauding the action.

“I cannot stand the constant invasion of celebrities’ privacy, and some of the gossip is completely made up,” said “Weierxiaojie” on Weibo. “It’s so good to know that it has finally been taken down.”

Others were concerned about the potential concealment of misconduct in the entertainment industry. “Now it is ‘safer’ for celebrities to misbehave,” said Weibo user “jilongfei”.

Users also pointed out many more accounts posting vulgar content have not yet been shut down, asking for further action to clean up the online environment.

China has explored numerous means, including information disclosure and lawmaking, to tackle the increasing commercialization in places of worship across the country.

New forms of infringement of religious rights and interests have sprung up, making it more urgent to protect and promote these rights, said Jiang Jianyong, deputy head of the State Administration for Religious Affairs.

Jiang made the remarks at a meeting of the Buddhist Association of China (BAC) held in the city of Changsha in central China’s Hunan Province this week, with delegates from 14 provinces and municipalities in attendance.

According to some delegates, companies and individuals in some regions are increasingly exploiting Buddhism for commercial interests under the guise of Buddhist cultural parks or theme parks, and even eliciting donations to support false applications for world heritage status.

Some religious figures have illegally accumulated wealth using Buddhism as a cover to rent out temples for commercial use.

A prominent monk in the Hunan city of Hengyang arbitrarily approved a 5-million-yuan (730,000 U.S. dollars) procurement of 18 pine trees from Japan, said Huai Hui, secretary-general of the provincial Buddhist association

Another monk in the city of Loudi, also in Hunan, raised over 8 million yuan in the name of temple construction, which was actually for personal use, he added.

“Some ancient temples have been encompassed by so-called ‘cultural parks’, with non-religious buildings constructed around them for commercial use,” said Sheng Hui, deputy director of the BAC.

A number of “fake Buddhists” have been carrying out illegal religious activities, extorting money and luring followers, harming the reputation of the religion.

A living-Buddha authentication database was launched last year to confirm the identity of living Buddhas. With roots traceable to the 13th century AD, the reincarnation of Buddhas is a unique inheritance system within Tibetan Buddhism. The BAC has issued certificates to living Buddhas since 2010.

“To protect religious rights and uphold dignity, Buddhist associations across China have been asked to tighten their management of personnel and strictly prohibit any commercial activities,” Sheng said.

The State Council announced the appointment and removal of several senior officials Friday.

Zheng Fuzhi and Liu Dawei were named Assistant Ministers of Education.

Tang Dengjie was appointed vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, director of the China National Space Administration, chairman of the China Atomic Energy Authority, and the director of State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.

Shi Jun was named vice minister of the Ministry of Public Security, with Chen Zhimin removed from the post.

Cai Qi was appointed president of the Organizing Committee for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, with Guo Jinlong removed from the post.

Chen Jining was appointed as the executive president of the committee.

Bao Xinhe will become president of the University of Science and Technology of China, replacing Wan Lijun.

Tian Hongqi is no longer vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and was appointed president of Central South University, replacing Zhang Yaoxue.

Guo Wenqi was removed as deputy head of the China Food and Drug Administration.

Fossils of a complete crocodile and bones belonging to at least six different dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period, 145 to 66 million years ago, have been excavated in northeast China’s Jilin Province.

After a year of preparation, paleontologists from Chinese Academy of Sciences and a local fossil center began the excavation in late May, following the discovery of dinosaur fossils at Longshan Mountain in the city of Yanji in May 2016.

A 1.5-meter-long crocodile fossil was unearthed on June 1. The fossil was well preserved from head to tail, with clear skin, which is quite rare among Cretaceous strata findings in China.

“Crocodiles and dinosaurs lived together, which means there are probably more fossils buried underneath,” said Jin Changzhu, a research fellow at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.

In addition, archeologists also discovered a large amount of teeth, arm, pelvis and rib bones that belonged to at least six different dinosaurs including camosaurs, iguanodons and ceratopsians, most of which were in good condition. Cretaceous turtle fossils and petrified wood were also unearthed.

According to Sun Ge, curator of Paleontological Museum of Liaoning, Yanji has been identified as the easternmost site of Cretaceous dinosaur fossils in China, and the recent findings have enriched the understanding and research of its fossil resources.

The deep blue sea still remains an abyss of mystery after years of exploration by scientists worldwide. But adventurers never pause before the great unknowns, and the Chinese are no exception.

China is making progress in becoming a maritime global power, pushing forward technology and research on all fronts.

Deep-sea observation

China is setting up a submarine observation network, the first national science and technology infrastructure project in the maritime field.

The network will be completed within five years at a cost of more than 2.1 billion yuan (about 310 million U.S. dollars).

The cable-based network will study the bed of the East China Sea and the South China Sea to collect data to be analyzed in Shanghai.

The network will emphasize on observation of the environment and marine disasters.

Deep-sea diving

The Chinese have long dreamed of going up to the sky and down into the ocean on the backs of dragons.

On Friday China’s manned submersible Jiaolong will have its 150th dive, in the Yap Trench.

Named after a mythical water dragon, Jiaolong completed its first dive in 2009 and reached a maximum depth of 7,062 meters in the Mariana Trench in June 2012.

“Hailong 2” and “Qianlong 1,” both unmanned submersibles, were deployed at the National Deep Sea Center in Qingdao in February.

The three types of subs are all domestically-made and each has its own specialty.

“Hailong 2”, which needs a wire to link to the support ship, can work at a maximum depth of 3,500 meters. Wireless “Qianlong 1” can operate at a depth of 6,000 meters.

Deep-sea drilling

A four-month drilling expedition in the South China Sea as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is drawing to an end.

Among the 66 scientists from 13 countries on the drilling ship JOIDES Resolution, 26 are from Chinese universities and research institutions.

Since joining the IODP in 1998, China has played a major role in two previous expeditions to the South China Sea in 1999 and 2014. Scientists collected samples for the study of climate change and basin formation.

China will organize an international expedition and set up a new research center for deep-sea sediment core research between 2018 and 2020, then build a new-generation ocean drilling vessel.