China Festival Travel

China Festival Travel

Top 10 Chinese archeological discoveries in 2002
The top 10 archeological discoveries of 2002 were selected here on Apr.13 out of 23 candidate events by a group of well-known Chinese scholars. The 10 major discoveries are: The Gexinqiao relics of the Neolithic Age in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; The bamboo slips of official documents of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC) in Liye city in Hunan Province; The Haiqu ancient tomb of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) in Rizhao City of Shandong Province; The ancient to

China's Tourist Sector Steps up Measures to Prevent SARS
China's tourism and health departments jointly issued a notice in Beijing Wednesday outlining detailed measures about the prevention and treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). According to the notice, travel agencies will do more sterilization work and increase SARS-related education for employees. All tourist guides will be required to recognize the symptoms of SARS and take precautionary measures. They will remind tourists of health protection and decide whether or not masks sh

Travel Deal to Benefit Students
London-based STA Travel, which is the world's largest travel agency for students and young people, is tapping in on the city's backpacker travelers market through Shanghai China Youth Travel Service Co. That enables the local company to act as an exclusive agent for the London agency in East China. "It offers students cheaper airline tickets and hotel rooms, which will benefit a growing number of backpackers," said Wang Zhiwei, vice president of SCYTS. "We are also pleased to find such a busines

Visit for Folk's Sake in Beijing Suburb
A resort within striking distance of Beijing is stepping up efforts to attract more visitors. Yanqing, already known for its section of Badaling Great Wall and Longqingxia Gorges, is now throwing the spotlight on some of its lesser-known attractions. In recent years, the area has opened many more destinations to promote its folklore culture and breathtaking scenery. Xinzaizi Village There are 25 households in the village which has become something of a countryside "hotel" for visitors to nearby

Tourism Sector Steps up Measures to Prevent SARS
China's tourism and health departments jointly issued a notice here Wednesday outlining detailed measures about the prevention and treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). According to the notice, travel agencies will do more sterilization work and increase SARS-related education for employees. All tourist guides will be required to recognize the symptoms of SARS and take precautionary measures. They will remind tourists of health protection and decide whether or not masks should b

Tourism Blooms in Guizhou Province Thanks to New Highway
The "Huagan," a sedan chair, is becoming a profitable business in Chishui of southwest China's mountainous Guizhou Province. Made by placing a bamboo chair on two bamboo poles carried by two persons, the "huagan" has for generations helped people who are unable to climb the high mountains on foot. Increasing numbers of tourists come to Chishui, which is surrounded by steep mountains on the border of Guizhou and Sichuan provinces and decorated with bushy bamboo, beautiful waterfalls, clear stream

China's Tourist Sector Steps up Measures to Prevent SARS
China's tourism and health departments jointly issued a notice in Beijing on Wednesday outlining detailed measures about the prevention and treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). According to the notice, travel agencies will do more sterilization work and increase SARS-related education for employees. All tourist guides will be required to recognize the symptoms of SARS and take precautionary measures. They will remind tourists of health protection and decide whether or not masks

China's Tourist Sector Steps up Measures to Prevent SARS
China's tourism and health departments jointly issued a notice in Beijing on Wednesday outlining detailed measures about the prevention and treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). According to the notice, travel agencies will do more sterilization work and increase SARS-related education for employees. All tourist guides will be required to recognize the symptoms of SARS and take precautionary measures. They will remind tourists of health protection and decide whether or not masks

Reform to Meet Changing Demands for Medical Aid
Reforms and new ideas to promote overseas medical assistance work focusing on Africa will begin soon, a health official said yesterday. "Reform and improvements will be carried out in distribution, timing and service fields to ensure medical assistance meets changing demand," said Niu Zhongjun, deputy director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Center. He made the remarks in an exclusive interview with China Daily yesterday to mark the 40th anniversary of China sending its first medic

Environment protection activities launched in SW China
A program of large environmental protection activities touring 14 of China's provinces and regions was launched in the Caohai State-Level Nature Reserve of southwest China's Guizhou Province Tuesday.
The activities include tree-planting to prevent soil

China Sets Tourism Standards for SARS Prevention
China's National Tourism Administration and Ministry of Health have issued public information for all travel agencies and the industry's businesses on required emergency procedures for the prevention of the virus. The publication covers the preventive measures for travel agencies, star hotels, tourists spots, restaurants, and tourist buses and ships. All measures are to be implemented completely and quickly. Following are the major measures. 1. Set up SARS prevention and control groups. Heads of

Investigation into Teacher Drain in Rural Area
Qizhou in Qichun County of Hubei Province is an important economic and cultural town, famous for its high-quality education in particular. There is a street famed as "Doctors' Street" for having brought up more than 10 scholars who received doctorate degree. There are two middle schools and 32 elementary schools in the town. Eight teachers and 11 part-time teachers left the middle schools this spring, in addition to the 77 off-payroll teachers who left their elementary schools. The reason of the

'Think UK' Youth Promotion Campaign in China
Although Great Britain is already the largest European investor in China, and Chinese students studying in the UK account for the largest number of foreign students there, and the Chinese language has become a very popular foreign language to study in the UK, there is still much room for cooperation between the two countries, according to a British diplomat in China. He said recently that they are striving to give Chinese young people aged 16 - 35 greater access to contemporary Britain while als

HKSAR gov't to measure temperature of arrivals in HK next week
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Wednesday it would scan the body temperature of the arrivals at the airport and other checkpoints next week to prevent further spread of atypical pneumonia.
Speaking at a special Legis

Three looters of ancient tombs sentenced and executed
Three people in northeast China's Jilin Province were given the final ruling of death sentence Wednesday and the executions were carried out the same day. Jin Quanhong, Han Xiangguo and Han Changguo were found guilty of looting a number of tombs which dated back some 2000 years, according to the Higher People's Court of Jilin which made the final ruling. Between the fall of 1997 and July 2000, they and several other accomplices plundered and damaged a number of valuable frescos in

Looting Iraq National Museum: catastrophe to human civilization
Looting of the Iraq National Museum represents a catastrophe to human civilization and a heavy loss of historical memory, said Su Donghai, a cultural relics specialist in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Wednesday. After the US-led forces swept into Baghdad, Su said, the city was plunged into anarchy and turmoil and the world-famous Iraq National Museum was broken into by looters who seized many of the invaluable antiquities dating back thousands of years B.C., and 170,000 pieces of

Hero revives terra-cotta horses and warriors: experts
Though the Chinese-language martial arts movie "Hero" failed to win an Oscar at the recent Academy Awards ceremony, its director, Zhang Yimou, is still regarded as a hero, at least, by some experts on China's terra-cotta horses and warriors. "Hero" is set in ancient China more than 2,000 years ago, when Ying Zheng, or Qinshihuang, was fighting to unify the country. "Zhang Yimou demonstrated true artistic flair in the shooting of those battle scenes in ancient China. It was as if he

Shenzhen to host int'l expo of landscape architecture
South China city Shenzhen will host the Fifth China International Landscape Architecture and Flower Exposition next year, China Daily reported recently. Highlighting harmony between humans and nature, the expo will start in September and last for six month, the newspaper said. A Shenzhen official in charge of the expo said the local government wants to take the opportunity to improve the urban horticultural level and create better living conditions for its citizens. The even

Shenzhen to build international horticultural expo park
Shenzhen city, in south China's Guangdong Province, is to spend 235.8 million yuan (28.4 million US dollars) building a park to stage a half-year international horticultural exposition next year. The fifth China (Shenzhen) International Horticultural and Floral Exposition, due to open on Sept. 16, 2004, is expected to be the largest event of its kind with visitors estimated to reach three million. The park, covering 66 hectares, will be the largest garden ever built in Shenzhen, a

Hangzhou to host ninth world leisure conference
The Ninth World Leisure Conference and the World Leisure Exposition will be held in October 2006 in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. An official with the Hangzhou city government said that according to the memorandum signed with the World Leisure Organization, the theme of the conference would be "Leisure -- Changing Life styles". The World Leisure Organization, founded in 1952, is a global non-governmental association. Experts from the organization predi

HK, mainland keep tour channels normal
Tourism administrations at all levels in the Chinese mainland have made no decisions to suspend the tour between Hong Kong and the hinterland, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Tourism Commission said on Apr.15. In response to media inquiries, the spokesman said the Tourism Commission of Hong Kong has contacted the China National Tourism Administration and was informed that "neither the Administration nor local tourism authorities had issued any advice or instruction to stop processing of org

Shanghai sees growth in tourist arrivals in first quarter
Shanghai, the biggest city in China, registered one million tourist arrivals from overseas, including 730,000 who stayed for more than one night, in the first quarter of 2003, a year-on-year increase of 8 percent. Yao Mingbao, director of the Tourism Commission of the Shanghai municipal government, said the growth rate for the first two months of this year was 11.9 percent, involving 381,600 overseas tourists. The occupancy rate of hotels in the city was 68 percent, 1.3 percentage

South China province lures overseas tourists with favorable visa policy
South China's Hainan province, a scenic tropical island, hosted a total of more than 380,000 overseas tourists in 2002, thanks to a highly favorable visa policy. Since the year 2000, tourists from 21 countries have been able to visit the island for less than 15 days without a visa. The 21 countries are Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Germany, Britain, France, Austria, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, the Unit

S. China trade fair attracts large number of businesses
The 93rd China Export Commodities Fair, which opened on Apr.15 in the southern China city,has attracted a high number of participants despite the shadow of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the war in Iraq. Hundreds of foreign business people swarmed into the exhibition hall right after the opening. Many of them managed to sign orders. Air-conditioners, refrigerators, sound equipment and other new electrical appliances featuring advanced technologies are proving to be th

Quarrying banned on central China's Hengshan Mountain
About 20 quarries in Hengshan Mountain, in Hunan Province of central China, were closed down this week in a bid to protect the ecological and scenic environment. Hengshan Mountain is one of the five most well-known scenic mountains in China. Under a regulation by the Nanyue district government of Hengyang City, mining of mineral resources will be banned in an area of 207.3 square kilometers around the mountain, starting on April 1. At the same time, all stone materials proce

China's tourist sector steps up measures to prevent SARS
China's tourism and health departments jointly issued a notice here Wednesday outlining detailed measures about the prevention and treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). According to the notice, travel agencies will do more sterilization work and increase SARS-related education for employees. All tourist guides will be required to recognize the symptoms of SARS and take precautionary measures. They will remind tourists of health protection and decide whether or not

100 tour guides flown in to help develop tourism in Tibet
The first batch of 100 tour guides from 23 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have arrived in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region to help boost the local tourism industry. The tour guides will stay in Tibet for six months, and 73 of them will work in English and nine in Japanese, while the remaining 18 will tutor in German, French, Italian, Korean, Russian and Cantonese. Before they left for Tibet, the tour guides attended a short training cour

Tourism festival set for hometown of classic ghost writer
Participants in the second International Liaozhai Cultural and Tourism Festival over the May 1 holiday might feel a chill upon their arrival in Pujiazhuang village, in Zibo city of east China's Shandong province. Pujiazhuang, a well-preserved village with intact ancient structures, is hometown of Pu Songling, the noted author of the classic ghost story collection "Strange Tales of Liaozhai", who is renowned as one of the world's best short story writers. Descendants of Pu Songling

China's First Museum for Bamboo Slips, Wooden Tablets to Open This Year
China's first museum for bamboo slips and wooden tablets is due to be opened at the end of this year in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province. This museum, covering an area of five hectares, will house more than 100,000 bamboo slips and wooden tablets dating back over 1,700 years, which have been unearthed in downtown Changsha since October 1996. The slips and tablets, which were inscribed with characters, recorded in detail the political, economic, military, cultural and geographi

Robust Growth Strains Rail Transport, Power Supply in Parts of China
Excessively high growth in some areas is putting a strain on railway transport and power supplies, driving up fuel prices and degrading industrial structures in the country, China's top economic management authority said Friday. The State Development and Reform Commission (SDRC), formerly known as the State Development Planning Commission (SDPC), announced at a press conference that the rapid growth of industrial production produced power shortages and put strain on railway freight transport cap

China's Tourist Companies Take Precautions Against SARS
Travel agencies, hotels, bus and ship companies in China have taken preventive measures against SARS in order to ensure the health of tourists from home and abroad. The Capital Taxi Company strengthened sanitary and ventilation measures and provided taxi drivers with disinfectant and gloves. The company has spent 800,000 yuan (96,600 US dollars) on sterilization to provide a comparatively safe environment for passengers and to ensure the health of employees. No cases have been found thus far amo

Xi n Invites Foreigners to Supervise Police Service
German national and resident of Xi'an Dieter Michell-Auli, along with 19 other foreign residents, has been invited to serve as a local police supervisor, sources with the Xi'an Exit-entry Administration said on Friday. Dieter is the general manager of a local venture belonging to Siemens, while the other foreign residents are all experts from local universities or businessmen working for Chinese or foreign companies. All of them travel frequently and are very familiar with the immigration entry

Tourism Standards Set for SARS Prevention
China's National Tourism Administration and Ministry of Health have issued public information for all travel agencies and the industry's businesses on required emergency procedures for the prevention of the virus. The publication covers the preventive measures for travel agencies, star hotels, tourist spots, restaurants, and tourist buses and ships. All measures are to be implemented completely and quickly. Following are the major measures. 1. Set up SARS prevention and control groups. Heads of

Large Travel Groups Banned
The government yesterday urged tour groups to keep away from rural and remote areas of China while banning large tour groups, cross-regional tours and tours to and from areas struck by severe acute respiratory syndrome.
Travel agencies should focus on

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The Shanghai municipal government Tuesday held a meeting to notify joint ventures, the headquarters of transnational companies and foreign business delegates in Shanghai of the latest situation of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The governmen

31 Trapped in Two Flooded Coal Mines
Rescue workers in central and northern China searched at the weekend for 31 miners trapped in two separate flooded coal mines. Seventeen miners in Lianyuan, a city in central Hunan Province, have been missing since Wednesday when a flood hit a State-run coal mine where 24 people were working underground, according to the State Administration of Work Safety. Li Zhongcai, an engineer at the mine, said the rescuers were attempting to pump water out of the pit and clear away silt. They were also rac

Record Number of Taiwanese Visit Xiamen by Sea
A record number of Taiwanese traveled by sea between a Taiwan-controlled island and the Chinese mainland during the first quarter of this year, local officials said on Monday. Sources released by Xiamen Customs indicated that approximately 36,000 Taiwanese traveled between the Taiwan-controlled Jinmen ( Quemoy) Island off southeast China's Fujian province and Fujian's Xiamen port, up 9.2 times over the same period last year. The figure represents the biggest passenger transport by sea since 2001

More Money Will Go into Fighting SARS
An additional 900 million yuan (US$108 million) will be given to spur the development of illness control institutions in central and western areas of China to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The State Development and Reform Commission said Sunday the total fund will reach 2.9 billion yuan (US$349 million). An illness prevention and control network will also be completed by the end of this year, it stated. The nation will also allocate 600 million yuan (US$72.3 mil

Syria, Egypt Leaders Discuss Iraq, US Pressure
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on Sunday for talks on postwar Iraq and tension between Damascus and Washington over Syria's alleged chemical weapons. "Syria expects Egypt to use its good offices with Washington to help defuse the tension," a diplomatic source said. Earlier, US Congressman Darrell Issa told Reuters after a two-hour meeting with Assad in Damascus that Syria wanted a positive dialogue with the United States. "We have many positive messages t

Syria, Egypt Leaders Discuss Iraq, US Pressure
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on Sunday for talks on postwar Iraq and tension between Damascus and Washington over Syria's alleged chemical weapons. "Syria expects Egypt to use its good offices with Washington to help defuse the tension," a diplomatic source said. Earlier, US Congressman Darrell Issa said after a two-hour meeting with Assad in Damascus that Syria wanted a positive dialogue with the United States. "We have many positive messages to Washin

Weeklong Holidays Are Canceled
China's State Council has decided to cancel the weeklong May Day holidays to prevent the possible spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, a senior official said in Beijing yesterday. Gao Qiang, executive vice minister of health, said that although the move may cause great losses to the country's tourism industry, the government is determined to place its people's health first. However, local travel is still encouraged, Gao said, adding the decision is aimed to discourage large-scal

More Money Will Go into Fighting SARS
An additional 900 million yuan (US$108 million) will be given to spur the development of illness control institutions in central and western areas of China to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The State Development and Reform Commission said Sunday the total fund will reach 2.9 billion yuan (US$349 million). An illness prevention and control network will also be completed by the end of this year, it stated. The nation will also allocate 600 million yuan (US$72.3 mil

Latest on SARS Situation in China
The State Council Information Office held a press conference Sunday afternoon updating SARS latest developments on the Chinese mainland. The Executive Vice Minister of Health Gao Qiang and Vice Minister Zhu Qingsheng answered questions from both Chinese and overseas journalists. f Foreign journalist: Officials told us at a press conference a fortnight ago that Beijing was safe for the Chinese people as well as for foreigners in China. But the present epidemic situation is becoming more and more

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Beijing opened a special information network Tuesday on a trial basis for gathering information on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Liu Zejun, director of the Beijing Disease Control Center, saidthe network enables the city to gather statistic

More Tibetans choose modern cremation to save forests
Despite strong preferences for traditional funerals, more and more Tibetans are choosing modern cremation as a new route to reincarnation. Cremation in a diesel-burning furnace has become especially popular in Gonghe County in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Hainan, northwest China's Qinghai Province. Several days ago, an aunt of Yang Xiujia, a Tibetan herdsman of Cihansu Village, died and her family members cremated her remains at the Gonghe County funeral home, using a diese

Sanitary drinking water for all Tibetan villages by 2005
All villages in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region are to have clean drinking water supplies by 2005 under an ambitious project to improve their lives of villagers. Since 2000, Tibet Autonomous Region has been undertaking a project to provide sanitary drinking water to local villages. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2005 and costs 480 million yuan (57.83 million US dollars), said an official from the regional government office in charge of the issue. Over

Tibetans enjoy more holidays than other ethnic groups
Tibetan people enjoy more holidays and entertainment opportunities than any other ethnic group in China because of their numerous ethnic festivals, said Losang Nyima, an official in charge of ethnic and religious affairs of the Tibet Autonomous Region. There are about 150 festivals in the traditional Tibetan calendar, which Losang said either originated from religion or are connected with Tibetan customs and cultures. Currently, the Tibetan Lunar New Year and the Xodoin Festival, w

Tibetans live with democracy for half a century
Gyai'ra Losang Dainzin, a Tibetan with no political party affiliation, was recently elected as vice-chairman of China's Tibet Autonomous Region. His father Lhalu Cewangdoje, a hereditary aristocrat in old Tibet, had been appointed by the Dalai Lama to be one of the four principal ministers in the old Tibetan government. "There was no election of any kind in old Tibet," Lhalu Cewangdoje said. Though the term "democracy" originated in ancient Greece some 2,000 years ago, it wa

World's longest epic keeps growing
The Life of King Gesar, a Tibetan heroic tale and the world's longest epic, is becoming longer, according to Gesarologists. The epic folk tale of the ethnic Tibetan group in China, was created between the 10th and 16th centuries, and tells the story of the ancient Tibetan King Gesar who conquered other Tibetan tribes and brought stability to Tibet. For a thousand years, the tale has been passed down through singing or recitation by ballad singers or lyricists among Tibetans, Mongol

Herbal medicine found effective in reducing blood loss
Yunnan baiyao, or homeostasis powder, one of China's most famous traditional herbal complex medicines, can effectively reduce the loss of blood if taken before surgery, researches have found. The medicine can not only reduce bleeding during surgery, but also remove the danger of blood stasis either before, during or after surgery. The result was attained after two-year studies of more than 800patients who took Yunnanbaiyao before surgery in 14 hospitals in cities like Beijing, Shan

Beijing to curb particle pollution
Beijing's environmental authorities have put the issue of suspended particles at the top of their agenda, China Daily reported recently. Shi Hanmin, director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection, said the bureau will work to reduce the density of suspended particles from the current 150 micrograms percubic meter to 100 micrograms by 2008. The director said that pollution caused by suspended particles has become a bottleneck in improving the capital's environm

China finds buffalo fossil dating back 20,000 years
A relatively complete skull fossil found last June in Qiqihar city in China's northeast Heilongjiang Province has been identified as that of a buffalo dating back 20,000 years, according to a local archeologist recently. Xin Jian, researcher of the city's cultural relics bureau, said he started studying the fossil recently and found that the northeast buffalo lived during the same era as the woolly mammoth. With two horns attached to its 30-kilogram skull and absence of jaws, the a

Catacomb with over 1,000 coffins discovered in SW China
A large catacomb containing more than 1,000 coffins has been discovered in Duyun City of Southwest China's Guizhou province, local experts said. The catacomb is believed to have belonged to the Miao nationality which dates back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), according to the initial estimates by the experts. Burial in a catacomb was a traditional rite of the Miao nationality, explained Wei Deyi, director of the city's relics administration. Wei said that according to the t

N. China province vows to protect ruins of Nihewan Culture
North China's Hebei Province will take a series of measures to strengthen preservation and study of the ruins of the Nihewan Culture, a state natural reserve, according to a source with the provincial department of culture. The ruins of the Nihewan Culture are located between Yangyuan and Weixian counties of the province, which is well-known in the world for the discovery of mammal fossils and traces of the Old Stone Age in the stratum of the Quaternary Period. Hebei Province has s

Safe transportation emphasized in Three Gorges Dam area
The Ministry of Communications on Apr.17 urged transport departments in the Three Gorges Dam area to take the necessary steps to ensure transportation safety. The ministry on Apr.17 issued a notice on a national safety check, which stressed the maritime transportation safety in the Three Gorges Dam area. The concern over safety is linked to the filling of the Three Gorges Dam. The daily rise in water level will have enormous impact on the safety of maritime transportation. The mini

Part of new Beijing-Zhuhai freeway opened to traffic
The northern part of the Guangdong Province section of the Beijing-Zhuhai freeway, a north-south trunk line, was opened to traffic on Apr.3. The section, extending 109.9 kilometers, has been completed after more than four years of construction. The section begins at Xiaotang, a juncture between central China's Hunan Province and Guangdong to the south, and ends at Gantang in Shaoguan City, in Guangdong Province. This part of the freeway has four lanes and was built at a cost of 5.6

Air ticket discounts endorsed
A new regulation on China's aviation ticket price is set for public release in June, giving domestic airlines more freedom to sell cut-price seats. The State Development and Reform Commission on Apr.16 unveiled the long-awaited draft version of the reform on air tickets ahead of a public hearing on April 24. The draft will be formally released as new industry regulation if the majority of representatives to the public hearing do not challenge the content. Documents with the

Trip Cancellations Pour in
Many businesses are likely to be affected by the cancellation of the weeklong May 1 Labor Day holiday, with travel agencies among the first to feel the pinch. In the aftermath of the central government's decision to cancel the weeklong holiday to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome, an avalanche of calls rained down on local travel agency offices yesterday, with most customers scrapping their travel plans. "We have been busy taking calls since we stepped into office," said Wa

Ministries Issue Emergency Notices
Three Chinese ministries yesterday issued emergency notices to urge local departments to take effective measures to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The State Development and Reform Commission, State Administration of Industry and Commerce, and State Food and Drug Administration yesterday ordered the relevant local departments to ensure an adequate supply of medicines and medical equipment for the prevention and cure of SARS. The three ministries also urged tighter supervision of

Tourist Industry Fights SARS
China's tourism enterprises have adopted various measures to prevent travelers from spreading severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Travel agencies were restricted to organizing tours in local regions and China would do its best to ensure the safety of inbound tourists, said He Guangwei, director of the China National Tourism Administration. The China International Travel Service (CITS) had set up a special disease prevention center to disinfect sales counters, halls and reception rooms and

Tourist Industry Fights SARS
China's tourism enterprises have adopted various measures to prevent travelers from spreading severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Travel agencies were restricted to organizing tours in local regions and China would do its best to ensure the safety of inbound tourists, said He Guangwei, director of the China National Tourism Administration. The China International Travel Service (CITS) had set up a special disease prevention center to disinfect sales counters, halls and reception rooms and

Stock: Indices Down as SARS Fears Infect Market
China's shares closed down yesterday as fears about the flu-like virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) percolated into the markets, brokers said. The government announced on Sunday it had fired two senior officials - the health minister and Beijing's mayor - from their posts of party secretaries in their departments for mishandling the SARS outbreak. It also revealed the number of cases in the Chinese mainland was far higher than previously reported. Shanghai's B-share index fe

Tourist Industry Fights SARS
China's tourism enterprises have adopted various measures to prevent travelers from spreading severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Travel agencies were restricted to organizing tours in local regions and China would do its best to ensure the safety of inbound tourists, said He Guangwei, director of the China National Tourism Administration. The China International Travel Service (CITS) had set up a special disease prevention center to disinfect sales counters, halls and reception rooms and

Panda reserves applauded by WWF
Efforts to protect pandas by environmentalists and officials in Shaanxi Province were yesterday honoured by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - the largest international conservation organization.
Shaanxi, an inland province in Northwest China, was

China to speed up development of branch-line planes
China should accelerate the development of new turbofan-powered branch-line passenger plane, Sun Laiyan, an official with the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, said recently. He said at an aviation forum that China's aviation enterprises had carried out a lot of project demonstration and feasibility certification work in the last two years on top of careful market investigation and product design. Two major projects, the ARJ21 branch-line plane de

Branch-line aviation to be booming in China
The restructuring of China's airlines last year will provide growth opportunities for branch-line aviation in the coming years, said Qiu Lianzhong, vice-president of networking, strategy and planning for Air Canada. Speaking at a forum marking the 100th anniversary of human aviation, Qiu said that hub building has become more significant since the restructuring. Considering the relatively short length and lack of frequency for most Chinese domestic routes, deployment of branch-line aircra

Multinationals donate for tree planting at Yellow Emperor's mausoleum
A total of 24 multinationals donated over one million yuan recently for the afforestation of the mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor, a legendary ancestor of the Chinese nation. Located in Huangling County in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the mausoleum accommodates large numbers of Chinese each year to commemorate the Yellow Emperor. The donation is part of a project initiated by China's Ministry of Commerce to cover the tomb area with more trees. In 2002, seven companies

Fish in ancient Chinese grave found well preserved
A fish contained in a bronze cooking vessel dating back at least 2,200 years has been discovered in a tomb of an ancient senior official in Cili County in central China's Hunan Province. The fish was a sacrifice remained well preserved, making it a rare archaeological find. The tomb is located near Shiban village, in Lingxi Town, and has been identified as belonging to the Chu State of the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.). Experts have unearthed many kinds of relics such

Shanghai's island opens for full development
Shanghai's isolated Chongming island, China's third largest, will be opened to economic development through the construction of a tunnel beneath the Yangtze River linking the island with Shanghai's bustling downtown area. The Yangtze River, running between downtown Shanghai and the suburban county of Chongming, was once a traffic impediment which undermined the economic development of the island. However, with the building of the tunnel, Chongming is now seen as a unique source of

Chinese teenagers to mount arctic expedition
Six Chinese middle school students will mount an expedition to the North Pole in June this year with scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The activity aims to spread the knowledge of science subjects with less popularity among children, including atmospheric physics,geologic prospecting and archeology, said Mao Lihan, director of the Cultural Exchange Center for Teenagers in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. According to a plan, the six teenagers will

Photos of SW China's natural, cultural sites debut in Tokyo
An exhibition of photos on natural and cultural sites in southwestern Sichuan province debuted on Apr.17 in Tokyo, said sources with the provincial information office. At this show, visitors can enjoy nearly 100 photos on Sichuan's landscapes, history and nationalities, which were selected from approximately 10,000 photos from about 1,000 local photographers. "We hope that this exhibition can attract more foreign tourists by showing our unique natural and cultural sites," said Zhao

Donations made for protection of Royal Temple in Beijing
Donations adding up to 4.089 million yuan (about 492,600 US dollars) were made by enterprises, societies and individuals from home and abroad on Apr.16 for the protection of the Royal Temple in Beijing. Situated in the Western (Xicheng) District of Beijing, the temple first built in 1530 is the best preserved venue where emperors of the imperial Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911) offered sacrifices to their ancestors, and has been put under state protection. Ji Xiaoping, deputy he

Taoist ceremony to commemorate builder of ancient irrigation project
A traditional Taoist ritual was held on Apr.6 in Dujianyan City, southwest China, to commemorate Li Bing, the designer of the 2,250-year-old but still operating irrigation project at Dujianyan. Zou Lihui, master of the Erwang Taoist Temple, said that Li's project symbolized harmony between nature and human beings, which was in line with Taoist beliefs, and so Li was considered a model for Taoists. In 250 B.C., Li Bing, a local government official of ancient Sichuan, led his people

NW. China province steps up pace of road construction
Northwest China's Shaanxi Province has earmarked 12 billion yuan (about 1.45 billion US dollars) for local road construction. With 8.6 billion yuan (about 1.04 billion US dollars) to be channeled into highway construction, the province's expressways will be extended by 347 kilometers to reach 1,000 by year's end. Meanwhile, 3,400 kilometers of 2-lane roads will be built this year, bringing the total to 50,000 kilometers. With the Qinling and Bashan Mountains in the south and

China rescuing ancient leaning tower
An 800-year-old tower in the Dinglin Temple of Nanjing city, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, is facing a problem similar to that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. Due to a 10-day heavy rainfall from March 24 to April 3, the top of the tower moved four centimeters northward, bringing the tower's inclination to 7.45 degrees, a much sharper tilt than the 5.30 degrees of the Pisa tower. Architects are doing all they can to keep the tower from an impending collapse.

China builds customer service center to better protect Dunhuang grottoes
China has announced plans to build a customer service center to better protect the Dunhuang Grottoes, a world heritage site in northwest China's Gansu Province. Liu Huilin, deputy director of the Dunhuang Research Institute, said the center will provide visitors with a "virtual grotto cruise" during which they will be able to watch video tapes and showpieces, learn about the grotto's history and gain basic knowledge about its protection. "If tourists can gather the information they

China's tourist companies take precautions against SARS
Travel agencies, hotels, bus and ship companies in China have taken preventive measures against SARS in order to ensure the health of tourists from home and abroad. The Capital Taxi Company strengthened sanitary and ventilation measures and provided taxi drivers with disinfectant and gloves. The company has spent 800,000 yuan (96,600 US dollars) on sterilization to provide a comparatively safe environment for passengers and to ensure the health of employees. No cases have been foun

Chinese economy soaring soundly: NBS spokesman
China's gross domestic product (GDP) registered a 9.9-percent increase in the first quarter of this year, said Yao Jingyuan, a spokesman with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), here on Apr.17. Yao told a press conference that it was the growth rate that had been desired for years and the fastest since 1997. The GDP in this period hit 2,356.2 billion yuan (some 284.67 billion US dollars), according to him. China's fiscal revenue topped 520.5 billion yuan (62.94 billion

New Zealand Tourist Ill With SARS in China
A New Zealand man on a tour of China has been hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the northwest Shaanxi Province, the Shaanxi health authority reported Tuesday. The 39-year-old man was identified as a suspected SARS case when he was about to board flight HU7881 from Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi, to Beijing on Sunday. The man, who was discovered to have a high fever at the airport,was confirmed to have the pneumonia-like disease on Monday eveningby experts in Xi'an. He is n

Tour Groups Urged to Keep Away From China's Rural and Western Areas
Tour groups are urged to keep away from rural and remote areas in China, and large tour groups, cross-regional tours and tours to and from areas struck by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) are prohibited, a tourism official said on Tuesday. Travel agencies should focus on anti-SARS campaigns, instead ofpromoting tourism, from April 21 to May 31, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) deputy-director Sun Gang told a press conference. Sun said a national tourism and trade fair sch

Out of Africa
Recently Africa caught the attention of the world, despite the dominance of the Iraq war story. Following the release of the kidnapped Chinese Ambassador to Guinea Bissau, a massacre took place in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A Chinese medical team participating in the peacekeeping operation in Africa left for DRC raising questions and concerns for the Chinese in the area. Global Times talked to Cui Yongqian, Chinese ambassador to DRC about the troubled continent. Malaria Ch

Hard Labour for Tourism This Holiday
Travel agents are catching a chill this spring following the decision to cut the week-long Labour Day holiday to five days and the imposition of a ban on cross-region travel. The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) is discouraging trans-regional tourism to prevent the spread of the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Tour groups are urged to keep away from rural and remote areas in China, and large tour groups, cross-regional tours and tours to and from areas struck by SARS

Scientists Seeking Key Links in Evolution
With unique fossil resources, China's paleontologists have made new progress in tackling the riddles of life origin and evolution, according to scientists at the 22nd general meeting of the Paleontological Society of China. The four-day meeting, which is held every two years, has attracted over 150 paleontologists from around the country to display their latest research results on paleontology, involving new life forms, the evolution of life and stratum study. Scientists have found fossils of va

Large Travel Groups Banned
The government yesterday urged tour groups to keep away from rural and remote areas of China while banning large tour groups, cross-regional tours and tours to and from areas struck by severe acute respiratory syndrome. Travel agencies should focus on anti-SARS campaigns, instead of promoting tourism, from April 21 to May 31, the China National Tourism Administration Deputy Director Sun Gang said in Beijing yesterday, adding a national tourism and trade fair scheduled for early June in Hangzhou,

Beijing Prevents SARS from Spreading Overseas
Outbound passengers in Beijing are now obliged to fill in a health report declaring whether or not they are infected with SARS, quarantine officials said Tuesday. Quarantine authorities in Beijing said the move was designed to prevent SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) from spreading overseas. The passengers may go ahead with their exit procedures after confirming they are free of the symptoms of SARS, or they will be asked to cancel their travel plans for immediate medical treatment. Thre

Tourism Meets Challenge During Labor Day Holiday
Travel agents are catching a chill this spring following the decision to cut the week-long Labor Day holiday to five days and the imposition of a ban on cross-region travel. The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) is discouraging trans-regional tourism to prevent the spread of the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Tour groups are urged to keep away from rural and remote areas in China, and large tour groups, cross-regional tours and tours to and from areas struck by SARS

Folk Art Expo to be Held in Northeast China
The Second China (Changchun) Folk Art Exposition scheduled for August is expected to give impetus to the development of the country's folk art industry.
Trade fairs showcasing a range of artworks, including calligraphy works and paintings as well as fo

BOCOG launches project to seek theme song for 2008 Olympics
Beijing Olympic organizers will launch a worldwide five-year project to seek the theme song for the 2008 Olympic Games, an official with the Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG) said here recently. "From April, 2003 till 2007, 10 songs will be selected each year as 'Olympic songs'," said Sun Weijia, deputy director of BOCOG's Media & Communications Department. "By 2008, the theme song for the Beijing Games will be picked out from these 50 Olympic songs." The theme song shoul

China to search for 2008 Olympic song
China began on Apr.15 to search for the song that would officially open the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the China Daily reported recently. The search for the right tune will last until 2007, with ten songs selected each year, until the organizing committee makes a final decision from the list of 50. And it's not just open to professionals, with amateur musicians also invited to join the race, the paper reported. "We want something extraordinary, emotional, popular and brimming wi

Couples drift into married life
Marriage is often compared to navigating a river, with periods of idyllic calm broken by raging rapids, but 100 Chinese couples will literally start their married lives this way next month. The newly-weds from around China will celebrate their wedding ceremony by drifting down the Wanquanhe River near Qionghai City, south China's Hainan Province, over the national May Day holiday week from May 1 to 5. "There will be a grand collective wedding ceremony near the Wanquanhe River first

China unearths oracle bones outside historic site
Chinese archaeologists discovered oracle bones outside Anyang, central China's Henan province, the site of similar finds, said Li Xueqin, China's chief professor of Sang Dynasty research. Archaeologists had found eight oracle bones in Daxinzhuang of Shandong province, about 200 kilometers from Anyang. Four of them carried about 25 of the earliest-known Chinese characters, which belonged to the same system as those unearthed in Anyang, said Fang Hui, professor of Shandong University.

China studies harmonious development of cities
China's Ministry of Construction, in cooperation with the southern Guangdong Province, are conducting a study into the effective and harmonious development of cities on the Pearl River Delta. Wang Guangtao, Minister of Construction, and Huang Huahua, Governor of Guangdong, have been leading the investigation which began on Mar. 28 and will last for six months. A special advisory group, consisting of Chinese academicians Wu Liangyong and Zhou Ganzhi, and other urban planning and des

Central China metropolis sees itself as next economic hub
Though renowned for its yearly heat wave and routine flood-combating efforts in the summer, the central metropolis of Wuhan, with a population of more than eight million, is working hard to build itself into China's next economic hub. "We'll make Wuhan the headquarters for multinationals and tycoons," Mayor Li Xiansheng told Xinhua in a recent interview. "I'm confident of Wuhan's future." Such confidence might come from several trump cards to be shown to the world by Wuhan, one of

Second Bo'ao Forum for Asia to be held on schedule
The Bo'ao Forum for Asia (BFA) will hold its second annual conference as scheduled on May 18 and 19 in Bo'ao, a resort town in south China's Hainan Province. Long Yongtu, the newly-elected BFA secretary-general, said here on Apr.9 that many Asian state leaders were scheduled to attended the annual meeting, including Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed, Nepalese King Gyanendra, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Tajikistan President Emomali Rakh

Shanghai starts relocation of 73-year-old music hall
Shanghai Music Hall was lifted upwards by two millimeters with 59 hoist jacks early morning on Apr.8, an overture to a cumulative 3.38-meter high and 66.4-meter long relocation journey. The music hall has been put onto a 1,800-ton armored concrete tray, which will help the 5,650-ton building move along tracks. Both the outside and inside of the building have been bound with steel structures. In the coming ten days, the music hall will first be raised to a height of 1.5 meters and t

China to invest 130 billion yuan in its western region in 2003
China will invest 130 billion yuan (15.7 billion US dollars) in 14 new key projects in its western region in 2003, according to the western development office of the State Council. The new projects will include the construction of water control facilities, railways, highways, hydropower stations and projects related to energy and urban planning, reported the People's Daily recently. Infrastructure construction and ecological development programs in rural areas will also be included.

Ancient pagoda in E. China to be rebuilt
A glazed pagoda ravaged by war flames is to be rebuilt on its original site in the Bao'en Temple of the city of Nanjing in east China's Jiangsu province. A municipal source said recently that the reconstruction on a land area of 9.4 hectares will be completed within three to four years at a cost of some 440 million yuan (about 53 million US dollars). First built in the imperial Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the nine-story pagoda which was 80 meters tall, took 20 years and cost 2.485 mi

Xi'an protects oldest Muslim residential area
The historic city of Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has launched a program to protect its oldest Muslim residential area. The cultural relics left by traders, scholars and diplomatic envoys of China's West Regions in the Han (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) and Tang (618-907 A.D.) Dynasties are the major focus of protection. "The shabby houses will be pulled down, but the mosques and ancient constructions of cultural value will be kept in better conditions," said Ma Pingyi, a busin

China's tourist industry fights SARS
China's tourism enterprises have adopted various measures to prevent travelers from spreading severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Travel agencies were restricted to organizing tours in local regions and China would do its best to ensure the safety of inbound tourists, said He Guangwei, chairman of the China National Tourism Administration. The China International Travel Service (CITS) had set up a special disease prevention center to disinfect sales counters, halls and recept

China calls off week-long May Day holiday
China has decided to suspend the week-long May Day holiday this year, however, people can enjoy a consecutive vacation from May 1 to 5. The purpose is to reduce the flow of people across large areas so as to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), said the General Office of the State Council in a notice. The week-long Labor Day holiday has run from May 1 to May 7 since 1999.

World Bank Report on Impact of SARS on East Asia Economy
External shocks such as the Iraq crisis and the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) have put East Asia in a troubled and uncertain environment, despite strong growth of nearly 6 percent over the last year. Given the range of uncertainties, the World Bank's new update on East Asia projects that growth will fall by almost a percentage point in 2003, to 5 percent, before rebounding in 2004. "Although this growth projection is less than what was initially hoped for, the East Asia re

World Bank Report on Impact of SARS on East Asia Economy
External shocks such as the Iraq crisis and the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) have put East Asia in a troubled and uncertain environment, despite strong growth of nearly 6 percent over the last year. Given the range of uncertainties, the World Bank's new update on East Asia projects that growth will fall by almost a percentage point in 2003, to 5 percent, before rebounding in 2004. "Although this growth projection is less than what was initially hoped for, the East Asia re

Travel Firms Take Beating from SARS
Local travel agencies are among those businesses being first hammered by SARS, as foreigners cancel planned trips to China and local residents postpone their travel plans. Last weekend, the State Council announced it would shorten the May Day holiday to discourage travel and prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome. "It seriously hurt our business," said Scott Smiley, general manager of Destination Travel, a well-known agency among expatriates in the city. "Since the first SARS ca

Bronze culture-themed park to be built at ancient tomb site
The first park highlighting China's ancient, glorious bronze culture dating back to the Shang Dynasty (16th century B.C.-11th century B.C.) is expected to open this June in Xin'gan county of east China's Jiangxi province.
Insiders close to a related pr

Nominations for Directors of Year Awards 2003 open in HK
The Hong Kong Institute of Directors (HKIOD) announced Thursday the opening of nominations for Directors of the Year Awards 2003 - an award that encourages Hong Kong's enterprises to exercise good corporate governance.
Speaking at a news conference Thu

Fight Against SARS Gathers Momentum
Government departments are mobilizing their forces across the nation to fight against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which has badly affected the lives and work of many people. The All-China Federation of Trade Unions announced yesterday it will award three hospitals and six medical staff the "May 1 Labour Medal" to commend their dedication in the war against SARS. It also allocated 3.7 million yuan (US$449,000) to award medical staff treating SARS patients. Fears about the deadly

New Zealand Health Ministry Updates Travel Advice over SARS
The New Zealand Health Ministry has urged people in New Zealand to reconsider non-essential travel to Toronto in Canada, because of the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The Health Ministry said in a statement Friday that the request was in line with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations issued on Wednesday. SARS has killed 16 people in the Toronto area, the only country outside Asia where people have died from the highly contagious sickness. Globally, more than 260 peo

College students told to remain in Beijing for holidays
College students and teachers in Beijing have been urged to remain in Beijing for the upcoming five-day holiday in early May in a bid to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), according to an official circular issued Thursday.

Beijing plans to protect ancient imperial city
The Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning has officially released the city's Imperial City Protection Plan, the China Daily reported Friday.
The plan, just released on Thursday, is aimed to protect the former imperial city as a whole, while th

China to take International student assessment ranking
Students aged 15 from China's mainland, Macao and Hong Kong will have their basic skill assessed and ranked with their peers from 40 countries and regions through the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
Yu Wei, an official with the Edu

China, France cooperate to cultivate high-level international talent
At the end of June, nine renowned professors from l'Ecole Normale Superieure de France (ENSF) will arrive at East China Teachers' University (ECTU) for a cooperative project. Professor Marc Rosso, of the ENSF, arrived at the Shanghai-based ECTU on Mar.26, marking the start of China-France doctoral-level educational cooperation. This is the first cooperative project aimed at cultivating high-level international talents. The academic concentrations designated by the two sides

China-France Culture Year to promote two rich cultures
The China Culture Year and the France Culture Year, to be held respectively in France and China beginning this October, as the largest Sino-foreign event since the founding of New China, are expected to spark a new round of exchanges between the two peoples. Chinese Vice-minister of Culture Meng Xiaosi announced here recently that the concept of Culture Year was created by the leaders of the two countries during their exchange of visits in 1999 and 2000. China will host its cultural activ

Chinese would-be mothers prefer girls: survey
Chinese parents' traditional preference for sons, rather than daughters, has been turned around, according to a new survey. The survey by the Zhejiang Provincial Commission for Population and Family Planning and the local statistics bureau showed that 18.6 percent of women would prefer a daughter, while 17.09 percent women still want a son. The survey picked 11,954 would-be mothers of whom urban women made up 47.02 percent and rural women 52.98 percent. Yao Qiwei, a gynecolo

Late leader Mao's birthday to be remembered
A series of activities will be organized to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong in his birthplace -- Shaoshan, in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, according to local officials. Activities will include a grand commemoration convention, a performance show, nationwide calligraphy and article competitions with the theme "Mao lives on in people's hearts". The improvement of the local tourist environment, especially the maintenance of Mao's former resi

Museum opens to mark Qing Dynasty scholar
A museum in memory of Dai Zhen, a famous scholar of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), has been opened to the public in the old Tunxi Street in Huangshan Mountain, east China's Anhui Province. Dai was a famous textual researcher, natural scientist, thinker and philosopher of the Qing Dynasty. The Dai Zhen Museum, an Anhui-style building, covers an area of 427 square meters holding 9,167 books originally collected by Dai and a series of books about Dai Zhen. The collection of book

China, Iran jointly issue stamps of Bell Tower, Mosque
The postal administrations of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran have jointly issued a set of two special stamps in Xi'an, west China's Shaanxi Province. Titled Bell Tower and Mosque, the two stamps depict an ancient bell tower in China and a mosque in Iran. The stamps were jointly designed by two Chinese stamp designers and an Iranian stamp designer. The Bell Tower in Xi'an built in 1384 and the Mosque in Iran built in 1621 are masterpieces of ancient Chinese and Iranian archi

World's largest youth travel agency comes to Shanghai
STA Travel, the world's largest travel agency for students and young people, has granted the Shanghai China Youth Travel Service Co., Ltd. (SCYTS) a franchise for the market in eastern China. Dick Potter, chief executive officer of STA Travel, said that Shanghai was an important city in China and also a market of great promise. Potter said the SCYTS would be their sole agent in eastern China, responsible for the promotion of their flagship products which are summer and winter camps

China marks 34th Earth Day with focus on resources protection
China marked the 34th World Earth Day with activities held in downtown Beijing on Tuesday, under a theme of "treat the earth better, better protect resources". An official from the Ministry of Land and Resources said at an Earth Day ceremony that China's variety of resources are being used extensively with a low utilizing rate and the ecological environment has deteriorated due to the short-sightedness of some people who have only attached importance to economic development to the neglect

First 12 Chinese flight inspectors meet European standards
Twelve Chinese flight inspectors received certificates of European standards and practices here on Apr.15 as part of the civil aviation cooperation project between the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) and Airbus. The training began in October 2001 and is being carried out at a cost of millions of euros, and the cooperative project is the largest EU-China cooperative program in the civil aviation sector. The purpose of the training is to provide experienced C

Joint efforts to boost growth in Yangtze River valley
Shanghai and southwest China's Sichuan Province have agreed to promote full-scale cooperation in a bid to stimulate economic development in the Yangtze River valley. Sichuan has promoted some 146 cooperation projects at an investment fair held in Shanghai, with investment totaling over 30 billion yuan (3.61 billion US dollars). Shanghai and Sichuan, which are at the head and mouth of the Yangtze River respectively, had huge potential to tap by exploiting each other's strong points,

Interview: Use of Chinese medicine for SARS treatment urged in HK
The Hong Kong Baptist University has again urged the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government to consider combining traditional Chinese medicine with western medicine to treat Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) patients here. In a letter to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa over the weekend, Li Zhizhong, a visiting scholar of the university and member of Institute of China's National Traditional Chinese Medicine said that Vice Chancellor

Historic site well protected in Three Gorges reservoir area
The construction of a 45-m-high concrete wall belt is underway around the historic Baidicheng, an islet at the mid reaches of the Yangtze and the starting point of the Three Gorges, China's most noted scenic and cultural site. Wu Kangjun, who is in charge of the wall construction, said that after the Three Gorges Reservoir was filled, Baidicheng with a height of just 230-meter water level would be threatened by the rising water. Therefore, the Chinese government had earmarked a special fu

Finnair to launch Shanghai-Helsinki flight
Finnair plans to launch regular flights between Shanghai and Helsinki in September this year, sources close to the Finnish airline company disclosed here Tuesday. Finnair, amid its stepped-up preparations for the operation of the new air route is expected to open a representative office in Shanghai in early June this year, said the sources. Finnair will arrange three flights weekly from Shanghai to Helsinki in September, which will be the first direct flight linking Shanghai with n

Tour Groups urged to keep away from China's rural and western areas
Tour groups are urged to keep away from rural and remote areas in China, and large tour groups, cross-regional tours and tours to and from areas struck by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) are prohibited, a tourism official said on Tuesday. Travel agencies should focus on anti-SARS campaigns, instead of promoting tourism, from April 21 to May 31, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) vice chairman Sun Gang told a press conference. Sun said a national tourism and t

Chinese Middle-Aged Confusion
The middle-aged generation, those of the age 40 to 55, is special in China. Born in the 1950s and early 1960s, they grew up in the most difficult and chaotic periods of recent Chinese history, having experienced and suffered the Great Leap Forward at the end of the fifties and the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976). The Chinese economy stagnated in those years, and universities and colleges stopped enrolling students for about a decade. The youth were thus deprived of their right to an education

Road Transportation Sectors to Stem Spread of SARS Through Travel
The Chinese Ministry of Communications said Friday that the national road transportation sectors are taking sound measures to stem the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) through travel. The expressway construction headquarters in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region have required all staff members most of whom are migrant workers from rural areas, to register their personal data and to ensure that their construction sites and residences are sterilized every day. In Bei

Int'l Experts Share Experience of SARS Prevention
Doctors and researchers from Canada, Singapore, the United States, the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong shared their experience in preventing and containing SARS at a Hong Kong symposium Friday evening. They all stressed the importance of early detection, early isolation and strict infection protection measures for medical staff. Singapore Minister of Health Arthur Chern said via a televised conference system that Singapore has managed to contain the fast speed of the disease by closing schools on

Original appearance of two 1000-plus-year-old mummies simulated
This photo taken on April 3 shows Wei Dong, a researcher at Jilin University in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, measures the thickness of parenchyma of a 1000-plus-year-old mummy unearthed in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autono

Tourism of World No. One Beach booms
Tourists stroll at the Beihai Silvery Beach, 11 kilometers south of Beihai in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region April 22. The beach has a reputation of the World's No. One Beach.
Two tourists debark from a boat at the Beihai Silvery Be

South China airport to open to foreign airlines
Meilan Airport, in the capital of south China's Hainan Province, has prepared to formally open to flights by foreign airlines.
The airport, with state-of-the-art telecommunications navigation equipment, ground safety system and services, had been found

Zhangjiajie: a Celebration of Nature
Zhangjiajie is a rising tourist city in northwestern Hunan Province, site of China's first national forest park, whose core scenic area, Wulingyuan, the State Council named a key area of national scenic and historic interest in October 1988. In December 1

Warlord Who Loved Power, Music
Among the places of historical interests in Chengdu, the capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, the Du Fu Thatched Cottage and the Temple of Marquis Wu are the most acclaimed. However, in the western part of Chengdu there is a less well-known but

Big Bell Temple (Dazhongsi)
The Big Bell Temple is situated in Beisanhuan Xilu (western section of the North 3rd Ring Road), approximately two kilometers east of Haidian Road. When the temple was first built in 1733, it was called the Temple of Righteous Awakening. In 1743, during t

Polygamous Families Fading Gradually in Tibet
Dara, who led a polygamous lifestyle in Tibet with two brothers for 14 straight years, is finally living out her life with her "Mr. Right" following the departure of one of her husbands, Laqiong. Xiaguo, her remaining husband, Laqiong's elder brother, was

Bronze Culture-themed Park to Be Built at Ancient Tomb Site
The first park highlighting China's ancient, glorious bronze culture dating back to the Shang Dynasty (16th century B.C.-11th century B.C.) is expected to open this June in Xin'gan county of east China's Jiangxi province.
Insiders close to a related pr

China Finishes Dredging Scenic West Lake
China has finished dredging its scenic tourist attraction West Lake in Hangzhou City, capital of eastern Zhejiang Province, local officials said Wednesday. Officials responsible for the project said that the water is now much clearer in the picture

Hebei University Begins New Double ¨º -Tutor System
A new system of double ¨º -tutor education, the first in China, has been adopted by Hebei University. A host tutor instructs the postgraduates' theoretical work and the guest tutor is responsible for offering them more practice opportunities and up ¨º -to ¨º -date related information. Hebei University is one of the top universities within Hebei Province, It is located in Baoding, a city with a long history and rich cultural heritage. It is within easy access of Beijing. The postgraduate enrollment

China to Build Giant Panda Park
The city government of Chengdu, capital of southwestern Sichuan Province, announced here Monday that it would build a giant panda theme park in its northern suburbs.
The projected giant panda theme park, the first of its kind in China, will be built by

First Film Studio Park to Emerge in Jilin Province
Construction of China's first film studio park, which will provide a venue for filming and for entertainment, has got underway in Changchun City of northeast China's Jilin Province.
Financed by the Changchun Film Studio and covering one million square

Hotels 'Likely' to Be Merged
Shanghai government is likely to merge Jin Jiang (Group) Holding Company and Shanghai New Asia Group, its two biggest hotel chains, to combat competition, Bloomberg News reported, citing South China Morning Post.
The report, quoting an unidentified New

Shanghai opens festival on tea culture
The Shanghai International Tea Culture Festival 2003 opened here on Apr.11, attracting large numbers of tourists from home and abroad, including European and American countries, Japan and the Republic of Korea. For the festival, the traditional tea art of China has been condensed and is presented at Songyuan, a renowned house on tea ceremony. Various traditional and Western delicacies are prepared for the tea ceremony, which is also accompanied by the tea fragrance and music played

Tea festival scheduled in E. China
The Bo'ao Forum for Asia (BFA) will hold a tea festival in May in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang province, said Long Yongtu, BFA secretary-general, on Apr.10. The 2003 BFA's annual meeting will be held on May 18 and 19 in south China's Hainan Province and the tea festival will fall on May 21 and 22 as part of the meeting, said Long. The festival will provide a chance for related nations to strengthen ties as tea has become a popular beverage throughout the world, said L

Hundreds of swans settle in Bayanbulak Grasslands
The swan population in the Bayanbulak grasslands, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is rising thanks to local awareness of the need to protect this rare bird. The number of swans wintering over on the grasslands has continued to rise in recent years, and it exceeded 1,000 last winter, said Abdul Rahmanan, an official with the forestry bureau of the region's Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Bayinggolin. However, every year, more than 10,000 swans spend just ha

Chinese woman challenges Olympic Park designing
The winning design for the Olympic Park for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games has been selected, but a Chinese woman designer says she can do better. "The Olympic Games is a big event. The Olympic Park is not only a construction, but also a reflection of culture," said the 34-year-old designer, whose pen name is Maomaoyu. Maomaoyu has been devoted to designing her own park since she saw the notice asking for designs for the Olympic Park on April 1 last year. Although she was re

Qinghai-Tibet Railway construction enters crucial period
Construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, known as the highest railway in the world, has entered a crucial period, a senior official with the Ministry of Railways said here recently. Vice-Minister Sun Yongfu said a total of 5.6 billion yuan (674.7 million US dollars) had been arranged this year, the highest annual investment in this project which is to be completed within six years. This year, 194 kilometers of railway track will be laid, about 83 kilometers more than that laid in

Mainland Taoist relics shown in Hong Kong
An exhibition entitled "Ancient Taoist Art from Shanxi Province" is presented in the Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong (UHK). The exhibition, the first in Hong Kong to show Taoist relics found in Shanxi Province, displays over 60 works of Taoist art illustrating many facets of Taoist religion dating from the Tang (618-907) to the Qing (1644-1911) dynasty. The relics include paintings, porcelain, lacquerware as well as carvings in stone, wood, jade and bronze, wh

Macao places 5th among 200 Chinese cities in competitiveness
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) has given out a report ranking the comprehensive competitiveness of 200 Chinese cities, which places Macao on the 5th slot, according to the Special Administrative Region's (SAR) Statistics and Census Services recently. Based on the statistics of 2001, CASS analyzed economic indicators including market share, economic growth rate, GDP, per-capita income, and listed the rankings. The top 10 cities in regard of the overall city competitiv

Beijing to build more convenience stores
The Chinese capital of Beijing will build 400 convenience stores in its urban neighborhoods this year. Gong Li, a senior official with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce, said there are good prospects for the development of convenience stores as the capital continues to expand urban reconstruction and redouble efforts to improve the market environment. "Beijing's plan to expand convenience stores will attract more domestic and overseas retailers, especially medium-sized a

Redundant buildings removed from famous temple
Central China's Henan Province has started to remove buildings believed to affect the natural landscape around the famous Shaolin Temple, known as the birthplace of Chinese Kung Fu. Some 10 schools, 300 stores and 10 companies would be removed in the coming month, said a government official from Dengfeng city, where the temple is located, adding the project would affect 23,000 residents around the temple. More efforts would be made to retain the natural environment around the templ

College students told to remain in Beijing for holidays
College students and teachers in Beijing have been urged to remain in Beijing for the upcoming five-day holiday in early May in a bid to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), according to an official circular issued Thursday. According to the circular issued by the education authorities of Beijing Municipal Government, college teachers and students, including overseas students, are prohibited from leaving the capital for the holiday. But education authorit

Site of lost ancient kingdom gains new life in SW China
The Chinese idiom "Yelang zi da," referring to the conceit of the king of Yelang, is widely used by Chinese to comment on someone's ridiculous arrogance, but much about its origin is not so well known. The only thing really known about Yelang is that it was an ethnic minority kingdom in southwestern China in modern-day Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The kingdom, which originated in as early as the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 B

China's jungle prefecture observes 50th anniversary
China's tropical resort, the Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna in the southwest province of Yunnan, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding on Apr.13. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and the State Council, the Chinese top governing body, sent telegrams of congratulation to the people of the 13 ethnic groups living there, of which the majority Dai people account for 34 percent of the 990,000 population of the region.

China's transportation sectors step up anti-SARS efforts
The national railway, road and maritime transportation sectors are stepping up efforts in the fight against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). At one of Beijing's two major passenger railway stations, the Beijing West Railway Station, posters and photos on SARS prevention can be seen everywhere, notifying passengers about how to protect themselves from the threat of SARS. Guo Qifu, deputy director of the station, on Apr.23 said a special office for epidemic prevention ha

Hard labour for tourism this holiday
Travel agents are catching a chill this spring following the decision to cut the week-long Labour Day holiday to five days and the imposition of a ban on cross-region travel. The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) is discouraging trans-regional tourism to prevent the spread of the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Tour groups are urged to keep away from rural and remote areas in China, and large tour groups, cross-regional tours and tours to and from areas

SARS Epidemic Calls for Global Efforts
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao took a short break today from his tight-knit domestic schedule, dominated of late by the nation's efforts to combat the potentially lethal SARS virus (severe acute respiratory syndrome). His presence in Bangkok at the special China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit on SARS attests to China's commitment to the region's security and solidarity. SARS, the first epidemic of the century, is sowing fear worldwide, with a rising toll of infections each pas

Beijing Issues 10 Control Measures
Authorities Monday released details of 10 epidemic control measures now in place in Beijing to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Following are the measures, jointly announced by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Beijing committee and Beijing municipal government: Enhance prevention and fully implement control measures. Good prevention and accurate information is crucial in the fight against SARS. Districts, government agencies and organizations must identify, report, segre

Residents Make Way for Reservoir
Officials are racing against the clock to prepare the Three Gorges Dam area of more than 600 square kilometers, resettling the last of the residents and working to prevent geological disasters. The dam will be the world's largest hydroelectric power project and is set to start filling up on June 1. Water levels in the reservoir will rise to 135 meters on June 15, which will enable the project to begin to generate power in August. When the gigantic project is eventually finished in 2009, the wate

Asian Economy to Survive SARS: ADB Forecast
Despite the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Asia's 41 developing economies will still outperform the rest of the world with 5.3 percent growth this year, down from 5.7 percent in 2002, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its annual forecast yesterday. China will be the strongest performer with estimated growth of 7.3 percent, compared with 8 percent last year, the Manila-based bank said. Overall, SARS is likely to depress Asia's growth by 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points in

HK Airline Urges Taiwan to Reconsider Quarantine Measures
Cathay Pacific Airways, the biggest airline in Hong Kong, on Monday expressed its grave concern over Taiwan's decision to quarantine Hong Kong residents and other travelers transiting Hong Kong. Taiwan authorities announced Sunday it will stop issuing visas to citizens from the mainland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and Canada for the next two weeks, unless absolutely essential. Stern quarantine measures were also taken for travelers arriving in Taiwan. Hong Kong's Airport Authority said Hong K

Macao's Chief Executive Boosts Morale to Fight SARS
The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government will spare no cost in containing viral pneumonia, despite the pinch of the economic slump," Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of the SAR, has said. The Press Office said Tuesday that the chief executive made the remarks to the experts and officials at the meeting on the disease control and funding assistance to small businesses Monday. Ho said that although Macao's economy has been bitterly hit by the spread of the disease in neighboring

Ten-Point Safety Measures Against SARS
According to the regulations and requirements of the Law on Prevention and Control of Contagious Diseases and relevant government documents, the authorities of Beijing Municipality have released 10 epidemic control measures to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). 1. Prevention first All city districts, departments and units must remain on high alert for detection, reporting, quarantine and treatment of SARS patients, and fulfill this work as early as possible; carry out investigation

Beijing Issues 10 Control Measures
Authorities Monday released details of 10 epidemic control measures now in place in Beijing to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Following are the measures, jointly announced by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Beijing committee and Beijing municipal government: * Enhance prevention and fully implement control measures. Good prevention and accurate information is crucial in the fight against SARS. Districts, government agencies and organizations must identify, report, segregate

Hainan Suspends Tourist Arrivals from Other Provinces
An emergent notice was issued Monday by the Tourism Association of south China's Hainan Province to ask all tourism-related enterprises in the province to stop receiving tourists from elsewhere of the country for fear of SARS spread. The notice urged the province's all travel agencies, hotels as well as other tourism-related units to refuse all tourism groups and room reservations from other provinces in an attempt to ensure Hainan Province a SARS free area. A supervision hotline has been opened

Macao's Chief Executive Boosts Morale to Fight SARS
The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government will spare no cost in containing viral pneumonia, despite the pinch of the economic slump, Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of the SAR, has said. The Press Office said Tuesday that the chief executive made the remarks to the experts and officials at the meeting on the disease control and funding assistance to small businesses Monday. Ho said that although Macao's economy has been bitterly hit by the spread of the disease in neighboring r

Hainan Suspends Tourist Arrivals from Other Provinces
An emergent notice was issued Monday by the Tourism Association of south China's Hainan Province to ask all tourism-related enterprises in the province to stop receiving tourists from elsewhere of the country for fear of SARS spread.
The notice urged t

Epidemic to Hit Service Sector
Tourism, catering and transport will be the industries hardest hit by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, experts warned.
SARS will have a significant negative effect on domestic spending, warned Qi Jinmei, a senior economist at the

Bo'ao Forum for Asia Annual Conference to Be Postponed
The Bo'ao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual conference will be postponed in view of uncertainty of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), sources with the BFA said in Beijing Monday.
The BFA board of directors, in the interest of ensuring the health a

Ancient nautilus fossils discovered in N. China province
Fossils of the nautilus, a cephalopod mollusc, dating back 400 million years have been discovered in Xinglong County, in north China's Hebei province.
According to experts, the nautilus fossils discovered in the Yanshan mountain range in north China we

Religious shrines in Tibet satisfy Buddhists' needs
Tibet's religious shrines are fully adequate to satisfy the needs of Tibetan Buddhists, said Ceba, an official with the Tibet Regional Religious Affairs Committee. The central government has allocated 400 million yuan (48 million US dollars) for the construction of new and for the renovation of old temples for the past 25 years. A recent survey in the region's seven cities and 719 townships show there are 1,780 temples and lamaseries and 130 nunneries. "Tibet, with two milli

Tibetan Lamas using tourism to bring increased income
Lamas in China's Tibet Autonomous Region are earning more money as they are playing an increasingly active role in the local tourist economy. Last year, the income for each Lama in the Gadan Temple, one of the most famous temples in Tibet, reached 3,000 yuan (about 361 US dollars), more than twice the average income for a herdsman in Tibet. The majority of the money is earned through selling visitors tickets and providing vehicles, as well as other services for tourists. Due

Traditional opera flavored by modern music
A traditional opera unique to east China's Fujian Province, Min Opera, for the first time was accompanied by modern instruments at a concert and won much applause from the audience. Many Chinese musicians have been trying to add modern musical elements into traditional local operas, said Cao Cheng, conductor of the concert. For example, wind instruments create vivid effects in the opera "Zhi Qu Wei Hu Shan", and "Liang Zhu", an opera based on a traditional Chinese love story, is re

Shanghai to build "expressway on water"
Shanghai Municipal Government plans to upgrade the water courses on the Huangpu River to secure "fast and safe water traffic" for the 2010 World Exposition. Xu Guoyi, deputy director of the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration, said recently that the river's navigable waters would be widened from the present 200 to 250 meters to further 400 meters. A total of four water courses would be built to allow vessels of different tonnage to navigate at varying speeds. The average naviga

Tianjin makes a quarter of world's bicycles
The city of Tianjin in north China produced 25 million bicycles in 2002, accounting for 41 percent of the country's total and one quarter of the world's bikes. Tianjin earned 90 million US dollars from exporting 2.46 million bicycles in 2002, a big leap from 230,000 in 1999. In 2002, the local bicycle industry paid as much as 150 million yuan (18 million dollars) in taxation. By the end of 2002, the municipality had 403 bicycle-making enterprises and 418 spare parts producer

British travelers walk on Great Wall for breast cancer patients
A group of 71 travelers from Britain walked recently along some 25 kilometers of a Beijing section of the Great Wall to raise funds for breast cancer patients. The walking program was organized by Breast Cancer & Care (BCC),a British foundation established in 2000 to provide support for breast cancer patients. Each year BCC arranges a traveling program for British people and walking in China is one of the most popular trips, said Jo Rossiter, the foundation's representative.

NE China city revives European-style architecture
A group of European-style buildings dating from the early 1900s in Harbin City, northeast China, will be refurbished this year in a major facelift of the city's busiest commercial district. The European-style architecture built by foreigners from Russia,Germany, France, Britain and Italy sit in an area of 10,000 square meters around the Central Avenue of the city. Meng Xiangxi, an official with the administration of the street,said these antique structures were "living fossils" rec

China places order for 30 Airbus aircraft
China signed a general terms agreement with French Airbus in Beijing on Apr.25 for an order of 30 Airbus aircraft, which will be delivered during the period from 2004 to 2006. Under the agreement, the 30 aircraft, including four A330s, 16 A319s and 10 A320s, will be operated by major Chinese airlines including China Southern Airlines, Air China, China Eastern Airlines Co. Ltd, Hainan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines. Notably, the A330, the most efficient aircraft in its class with the

Hainan suspends flights to HK, Macao and SE Asia
Southern China's Hainan Province has suspended all flights and charter flights to Hong Kong, Macao and southeast Asian countries since the beginning of April in an effort to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on the island. Flights departing from Meilan Airport in Haikou, capital of the rovince, and Fenghuang Airport in Sanya to the above-mentioned destinations and to the Republic of Korea have been canceled, said Lu Jiushun, director of the Hainan Ports Office

South China airport to open to foreign airlines
Meilan Airport, in the capital of south China's Hainan Province, has prepared to formally open to flights by foreign airlines. The airport, with state-of-the-art telecommunications navigation equipment, ground safety system and services, had been found to meet the conditions for accepting foreign airlines, said Ma Yong, director of the port authority which operates under the supervision of the General Administration of Customs. The formal opening will be announced with approval fro

Shanghai Music Hall moving to new home
With the intention of escaping the growing noise level from passing traffic, the 73-year-old Shanghai Music Hall began its move, consisting of a distance of 66.4 meters, into its new home at 10:00 on Apr.15. According to the plan, the hall will first be lifted and placed on a concrete platform, then carried to its new location where it will be set down on a newly-built site. The entire move will take about 15 days. Due to the hall's fragility and unique hollow structure, the moving

College students, migrant workers urged to stay put: State Council
The General Office of the State Council, China's cabinet, has issued an urgent circular urging college students and migrant workers in Beijing and other severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-infected areas to stay put in an effort to prevent the spread of SARS. The number of SARS cases in parts of Beijing, Shanxi Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is increasing. According to "The Law of the People's Republic of China on Epidemic Prevention", university students and migra

Chinese media urged to boost morale of the nation
Senior Chinese leader Li Changchun on Apr.25 called on the country's state-run mass media to help unite the people and boost public morale in the fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Addressing a meeting of leading officials of state-run national media organizations, Li said China needed to promote the national spirit more than ever in the fight against SARS to deal with the disease. Li, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Comm

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