The Chinese may have every reason to feel excited and proud as their country has basically walked out of the shadow of a snow havoc that swept half of its territory earlier this year. Some thoughtful people, however, believe that the disaster has revealed hidden dangers that may dampen the country's future despite years of dazzling double-digit economic growth.

While spring breeze and rising temperature bring back the normal cozy life, Party newspapers in Beijing frontpaged articles calling for the people, officials and commoners alike, to "cool down" and get ready for more "hard tests".

With soaring prices triggering widespread worries about a possible inflation, how to "cool down" the economy through macroeconomic regulation has also become a hot topic of the media. The key to a successful regulation, some media say, is to cool off the persistent "GDP fever" of some over-optimistic officials.

President Hu Jintao underscored the importance of "keeping a sober mind" on the very first day of the annual full session of the National People's Congress (NPC), or parliament, which started in Beijing on Wednesday.

"The recent snow havoc has taught us that the more progress we have made in economic and social development and modernization, the more we should be on the alert for possible risks," Hu said during a group discussion of the NPC deputies.

The ancient wisdom of "being prepared for danger in times of peace" would help China withstand challenges, overcome hardships and achieve constant progress in building a moderately prosperous society, said Hu.

Not coincidentally, Premier Wen Jiabao dedicated four paragraphs of his annual government work report to problems, challenges and risks the government faces when he addressed the NPC session on Wednesday morning.

It was rare in recent years that the premier spent so much time elaborating on problems and difficulties when reporting the work of his cabinet to the people.

The leaders' remarks may serve as a timely reminder that China is still far from being what some international media called -- a "new superpower" or "the rising center of the global village", as well as a stern warning to some light-headed officials, who tend to be complacent over the past success and indulge themselves in an extravagant or even corrupt lifestyle.

Premier Wen said in his report that the problems of formalism and bureaucratic behavior are still "fairly common," while fraud, extravagance and waste, and corruption are "quite serious."

Observers say the Chinese leaders are preaching to their countrymen that what the country currently needs most is not celebration or the embrace of hedonism, but continued hard work and strenuous efforts.

Despite the triumphant outcome of the battle against the snow havoc, the Chinese public were also upset to see some local officials' lack of competence -- poor preparations and slow response in particular -- in the face of a major, unexpected disaster.

Lessons must be drawn and retrospection should not end with the melting snow. This assumes special significance in the "Year of the Olympics" for China, as the government will undergo an even greater test to make the Beijing Games a success.

There are a host of challenges to the Games' organizers, who will need an all-out support from the government to overcome them. One of these challenges was certain hostile forces' attempts to sabotage the sports gala.

The hijacking of 10 foreign tourists last week in Xi'an by a man with profound personal frustrations heightened international concerns about travel safety to China, and sounded alarm for this highly populous nation where "maintaining social stability" has always topped government agenda along with economic growth.

The incident also let the Chinese know that as home to one fifth of the world population and the fourth largest economy in the globe, China now has to be very cautious about its "international image" -- what happens at home not only has a domestic impact, but also causes international resonance easily.

"Don't be fooled by the rosy economic picture. Look behind the beautiful statistical figures and you will find hidden dangers," Hu Jiankang, a deputy to the current NPC session, has warned. No doubt it is still too early to celebrate for anything, and never too cautious to be prepared for everything.

(Xinhua News Agency, March 10, 2008)