China Province Travel

China Province Travel

Teenager Writes Novel Based on Lei Feng
A 19-year-old girl has completed a biographical novel about Lei Feng, a soldier who devoted his life to serving the public and helping the needy. The Song of Lei Feng, written by Zhang Tiantian and published last week by the Liaoning People's Press in Shenyang, is the first novel based on the life of the exemplary soldier who died in 1962 at the age of 22, after being hit on the head by a wooden column accidentally knocked over by another soldier. In her novel, the teenage author gave a full acc

Scenic Island to Host International Tourism Festival
The scenic island of Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province is scheduled to host an international tourism festival in November this year, a meeting was told Monday. Addressing an annual tourism conference held by the Fujian provincial tourism bureau, Xiamen tourism officials said about 3,000 overseas travel agents and tourists would be invited for the event, but no specific date was given. During the festival, local customs would be showcased, and a contest featuring Fujian-style cuisine was pla

China's Inland Tourists Spend Most in Macao
Tourists from China's inland were again the most generous group with per capita spending in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) amounting to 2,560 patacas (320 US dollars) in the last quarter of 2002. This was much more than the average of 1,570 patacas (196.25 dollars) for all visitors to the city, which represents a year-on-year rise of 17 percent, the Statistics and Census Services posted Monday. Visitors from Hong Kong, the largest tourist provider for Macao, spent a mere 936 patac

Travel Firm Seeks Merger and Growth
The Shanghai China Travel Service (CTS) is seeking a merger with a Hong Kong or Beijing travel agency giant to expand its business scope, company sources said. "We are conducting simultaneous negotiations with Beijing and Hong Kong," said Chen Xinzhong, general manager with Shanghai CTS, who also revealed that the result would be revealed later this year. The two candidates likely to merge with Shanghai CTS are the Beijing-based China Travel Service (CTS) Group, one of the mainland's top three t

New Cautionary Student Conduct Code
Beijing Municipality has revised its 15-year-old student code and deleted outdated clauses which could encourage youngsters to pointlessly sacrifice their lives in emergencies.
The new code of conduct, approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education, was

Chinese single women enjoy colorful lives
A 37-year-old single woman surnamed Wei, from north China's coastal city Dalian, is satisfied with her unattached life. As the boss of a company, Wei spends most of her time working with her employees. "I don't worry about anything except my work," said Wei. "I enjoy spending my time with my employees." Every weekend, Wei buys a bunch of flowers to decorate her big house of 120 square meters. By the end of a year, she spends over 10,000 RMB yuan (1,209 US dollars) on new clo

HK women hold mix of traditional, modern values: survey
A survey conducted by a Hong Kong university has revealed that Hong Kong women hold a mix of traditional, modern and consumerist values. The survey was recently conducted by the Department of Marketing of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) on more than 400 women of different age groups and professions, and focused on their value systems, self-image, family, career, the status of the two sexes, their spending patterns and the perception of certain renowned brands. The survey

White cranes at China's largest lake surpass world estimate
A total of 4,004 white cranes, one of the world's rarest bird species, have been counted in a recent survey of migratory birds wintering over at Lake Poyang in east China's Jiangxi province. The news will spark a review of the International Crane Foundation (ICF)'s record that says only 3000 white cranes currently exist in the world. This is the second time that Lake Poyang has countered the ICF's authoritative conclusions. In 1983, the ICF after a survey declared there were only 3

China publishes book on Genghis Khan
A book about Genghis Khan, titled the "The No.1 Man of the Last 1,000 Years", has been published by the Beijing-based Ethnic Minorities Publishing House. The book on the Mongol ruler was edited by Chinese scholars including some from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Genghis Khan returned to the limelight in 1999/2000 when the Washington Post and Times selected him as the top man of the last millennium. The book is a collection of articles on the Mongolian emperor, writt

Top drama awards celebrate 20th anniversary in Beijing
China's top stage drama awards, the Plum Blossom Awards, will celebrate their 20th anniversary in Beijing in April, organizers announced at the Great Hall of the People recently. Two traditional Chinese dramas, "Legend of the White Snake" and "Thunderstorm," to be staged from April 3 to 8 in Beijing, will star Plum Blossom Award-winners. Meanwhile, a celebration will be held at the Great Hall of the People on April 12, where all the award-winners over the past 20 years will greet t

Ancient bronzeware unearthed in NW China
Chinese archaeologists have unearthed large quantities of inscribed bronzeware of the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century-771 B.C.) in Meixian County of Baoji City, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. This fifth discovery of bronzeware in Yangjia Village since the founding of New China in 1949 was first found by local farmers on Jan.19 and excavation was completed by early morning on Jan.20. The 27 bronze pieces include a ding, an ancient cooking vessel,a pan, a pot, a calyx, a y

Ruins of 4,300-year-old city discovered in SW China
Chinese archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a city dating back an estimated 4,300 years in Dayi County in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The ancient city of Yandian, measuring 700 meters from north to south, 500 meters from east to west and covering an area of more than 300,000 square meters, is the seventh prehistoric city to be excavated in the Chengdu Plain area, according to Chen Jian, an official with the relics and archaeological team of Chengdu City, capital of Sichuan

Macao police to safeguard healthy growth of gaming industry: police chief
The Macao police will take measures to ensure the healthy development of the gaming industry after liberalization of the sector, Director Wong Sio Chak of the Bureau of Judiciary Police said here recently. The Special Administrative Region (SAR) government has issued two more casino licenses to encourage market competition, but the new operators have not yet started business. "So, social influence from the move has not yet emerged," Wong told the press. But he said the police shoul

First eight-lane expressway for SW China province
The first eight-lane expressway was opened to traffic on Jan.27 in Yunnan Province, southwest China. The 8-km road, which cost 204 million yuan (25 million US dollars), is part of a 78-km expressway connecting the provincial capital of Kunming and Shilin, a world famous tourism resort known for its karst landscape. The 78-km expressway, scheduled for completion at the end of this year, will be an important traffic outlet for Kunming, and connect with other cities in the province an

Tourists experience "Hero" in person at filming location
The thrilling and fabulous sites of the Oscar nominated foreign language film "Hero" have attracted a number of tourists since opening to the public half a month ago. The site of the artificial grand palace of China's Qin Dynasty as seen in the film locates in a film shooting ground in Hengdian city of east China's Zhejiang province, where all takes of the palace in the movie were shot. The Qin palace recreation was built in 1998 for another movie about the Qin Dynasty directed by

Construction on the world's tallest building restarts
Things were looking up again in Shanghai Thursday (Feb.13) after construction on the world's tallest building restarted after a five-year hiatus, Friday's China Daily said. The Shanghai World Financial Centre will be 492 metres tall and 101 storeys above ground when completed. It will surpass the current highest building in the world - the 452-metre-tall Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia, according to a press conference held in Shanghai Thursday (Feb.13). The

Fossils of four-winged dinosaurs found in China
In what is regarded as a crucial break through in research into the origins of flight, Chinese scientists said recently that they had found a fossilized dinosaur species with four wings. The species, or Microraptor gui, was the earliest dinosaur able to fly among those studied so far, said a noted Chinese researcher Xu Xing, who had led the research project. The reptiles were completely covered with feathers and their limbs had evolved into wings. Scientists held that the four-wing

Shanghai expects tourist boom
Three million overseas visitors and 95 million domestic tourists are expected to visit Shanghai this year, pumping an estimated 121.3 billion yuan (US$14.5 billion) into the city's coffers, the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission announced recently. This is an increase of 10 percent from last year, the administration said in announcing a three-year plan to boost the local tourism sector. For 2003, the starting year of the blueprint, a series of programs will be put into plac

Greater Three Gorges tourism economic sphere being planned
China is contemplating the construction of a greater tourism-based economic sphere around the Three Gorges on the upper reaches of the Yangtze, the country's longest river. Gu Chaoxi, vice chairman of the China National Tourism Administration, said the planned sphere will cover the scenic sites in Hubei, Hunan and Guizhou provinces and Chongqing Municipality. The area will offer more tourism routes, he said. A task force has been put in place by organizations including the China Na

China's 'McDonald's Generation' Faces Job Market Bottleneck
With the number of college graduates climbing to a record high this year, many people are asking: Can China's first "McDonald's generation", born in the early 1980s, survive the intense competitions and find a niche in the job market Figures provided by the Ministry of Education show some 2.12 million college graduates are pouring into the job market this year, an increase of 670,000, or 46.2 percent, over 2002. Insiders cited this as a trial of China's job market and the carefree, bookish youn

Frozen Section of Yellow River Thaws
A 330-km frozen section of the lower reaches of the Yellow River, the second longest river in China, had thawed without any mishap by Tuesday. The river's lower reaches were subjected to a severe cold spell twice during the winter time. During the first spell, which began on December 9, parts of the river froze over, with the longest frozen section measuring 10.3 km. It melted on December 18. During the second cold spell, in a two-week period from December 24, 2002 to January 8, 2003, a 330-km s

Train Passes with Flying Colors
When China's first maglev (magnetic levitation) train went into trial operation in the suburbs of Shanghai on December 31 last year, its impact went beyond China's borders, evoking mixed reactions internationally. Some have criticized it for being too costly -- around US$1.2 billion for the 30-kilometer track -- and doubted it would ever break even. Many more hailed it as a technological marvel that symbolizes the ambition and the dynamic spirit of the city and China as a whole. The authoritativ

China's "McDonald's Generation" Faces Intense Competition
With the number of college graduates climbing to a record high this year, many people are asking: Can China's first "McDonald's generation", born in the early 1980s, survive the intense competitions and find a niche in the job market Figures provided by the Ministry of Education show some 2.12 million college graduates are pouring into the job market this year, an increase of 670,000, or 46.2 percent, over 2002. Insiders cited this as a trial of China's job market and the carefree, bookish youn

Train Passes with Flying Colors
When China's first maglev (magnetic levitation) train went into trial operation in the suburbs of Shanghai on December 31 last year, its impact went beyond China's borders, evoking mixed reactions internationally. Some have criticized it for being too costly - around US$1.2 billion for the 30-kilometre track - and doubted it would ever break even. Many more hailed it as a technological marvel that symbolizes the ambition and the dynamic spirit of the city and China as a whole. The authoritative

Shandong Province Reports Big Rise in Foreign Trade
Shandong Province, in east China, registered 2.99 billion US dollars in total foreign trade volume in January, 30 percent more than the same period last year. The province's total exports in the first month were valued at US$1.68 billion and imports were valued at US$1.31 billion, up 18 percent and 49 percent respectively over last year, according to statistics from the Customs of Qingdao, a port city of Shandong. The trade volume between Shandong and the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan, the Unit

Shaoguan -- One of China's Excellent Tourist Cities
Shaoguan City, in northern Guangdong Province, borders Hunan Province in the north and Jiangxi Province in the east. Shaoguan governs two county-level cities, three districts, and six counties and covers an area of 18,000 square kilometers inhabited by three million people. Shaoguan is a promising industrial, commercial, and tourist city. With an age-old history, a brilliant culture, wonderful scenery, and an excellent ecological environment, Shaoguan has great potential for developing the touri

Second Passenger Wave Hits Southeast China Railway
A second tidal wave of passengers has hit China's eastern railways, following the first huge surge a week after Spring Festival, Chinese Lunar New Year that fell on February 1. On Monday, the Shanghai Railway Bureau in charge of the region recorded nearly 660,000 passenger departures and arrivals, 7 percent up from the same period last year. The Bureau ran more than 600 trains Monday, including 214 additional temporary ones. The number of passengers Tuesday taking the bureau's trains was estimat

Shenyang -- Ancient Home of the Manchus
Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning Province in northeast China. It's not only an important industrial base, but also a famous historical city, home to the country's second largest imperial palace complex. Shenyang is the largest city in northeast China and one of the country's major industrial centers. But with a history of over 2,000 years, it is also a well-known historical and cultural city, renowned for its spectacular ancient architecture and abundant cultural relics. China has two remaini

Chinese, Thai Leaders Discuss Free Trade Zone
Premier Zhu Rongji pledged that China will abide by its commitments and take measures to foster a Sino-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) free trade zone to promote the economic development of ASEAN countries and prosperity in the region.
Z

China becomes Volkswagen's largest overseas market
Volkswagen Corporation sold 511,000 sedans last year in China, making it the Germany-based firm's second largest market only after Germany, according to information from Volkswagen (China) Investment Co., Ltd. recently. Meanwhile, the Changchun-based FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Company Ltd. in northeastern China reported record sales of 207,000 units in 2002, up 66.4 percent from the previous year, with revenue of 30 billion yuan (3.6 billion U.S. dollars). The German firm successful

China to become leading global auto producer
China is capable of producing about 3.9 million automobiles in 2003, a rapid growth from the 3 million in 2002, says a report by ING (International Nederlanden Group) of the Netherlands on the Asian auto market made recently. The nation's car output, stimulated by people's rising income, price cuts and foreign investment, will increase a further 47 percent in 2004, making China one of the five largest auto producers in the world, according to ING's investigation. Peter So, a market

Increasing foreigners show desire to learn Chinese
Growing numbers of foreigners are showing a desire to learn the Chinese language, latest statistics from the Ministry of Education have shown. By the end of last year, nearly 30 million people from 85 countries and regions were learning standard Chinese -- putonghua. China is also witnessing a growth in the number of foreign students who come to study Chinese and related courses, according to the China Daily. This English-language newspaper says an estimated 410,000 foreign student

Foreign luxury boat makers eye mainland market
The Chinese mainland market is of great potential for luxury boats makers, said some foreign makers attending a recent boat show held in Hong Kong. Alessandro Diomedi, managing director of Ferretti group Luxury Yachts Asia Pacific, a leading luxury boat maker in the world, said although relative infrastructures are still scarce in the mainland, more foreign companies are interested in tapping into the new market as pioneers. The company itself has entered into the market through ag

Statue of Soong Ching-ling erected in Shanghai
A white marble statue of Soong Ching-ling, the former honorary president of China, has been erected in Shanghai to mark the 110th anniversary of her birth. The 2.3-meter-high statue of a smiling Soong sitting in a cane chair at her former residence in Shanghai went on display on Jan.27, the anniversary day. Soong devoted her life to the liberation of China and worked for women and children, said Chen Tiedi, chairman of the Standing Committee of Shanghai Municipal People's Congress,

Air ambulance service launched in China
International SOS announced the launch of its first air ambulance operation in China on Jan.28. Based in Beijing, the rescue flight could cover Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, Mongolia and Singapore, according to the China Daily recently. Through a 24-hour hotline patients will be picked no more than a couple of hours from a major city. China's largest business jet charter company, Deer Jet, is providing a Hawker 800XP aeroplane fitted with advanced medical equipment which ena

Shanghai Harbor's administration modernized
China launched a reform package recently for Shanghai Harbor, the country's largest port, with the goal of increasing efficiency in port administration and management. The Shanghai Municipal Port Bureau and the Shanghai International Port Group have been established in order to separate the administrative and corporate functions, which were previously handled by the same port authority. The reform will be carried out in accordance with modern corporate systems, said Deputy Mayor Ha

Air China has 1.1 million frequent fliers
Air China has gained over 1.1 million frequent fliers since the merger of its three founding airline companies, said Zhang Chunzhi, an official with Air China. She said at an event to mark the airline's five years of cooperation with the Shangri-La hotel group that the two parties had established cooperative relations for the benefit of Chinese business passengers, especially Air China frequent fliers, who could gain free air tickets by accumulating flight mileage. Shangri-La was t

Second meeting of Bo'ao Forum for Asia to be held in May
The Bo'ao Forum for Asia (BFA), the first international conference organization to be based in China, will hold its second annual conference from May 18 to 19 in Bo'ao, a resort town in south China's Hainan province. The conference, with the theme "Asia searching for mutual development through cooperation", would focus on major economic issues such as establishing free trade areas and international cooperation in energy, agriculture, tourism and human resources, said Fidel Ramos, former p

China's first maglev railway to be named through bidding process
The right to name China's first maglev railway, located in Shanghai, will be put to tender on Mar.5 at a starting price of eight million yuan (about 963,855 US dollars). Song Xiaoyun, deputy general manager of the Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Co., Ltd., said the winners will enjoy the naming right for two years. They will also be entitled to advertise in the train over the same period. In addition, a specific number of seats on every train will be reserved for

E. China city to build country's tallest pagoda
Changzhou City, located in east China's Jiangsu Province, has announced plans to build a 153.79-meter pagoda in the Tianning (Heavenly Peace) Temple. It will be the tallest pagoda in the country. Tianning Temple, a local Buddhist temple, originally built during the Zhengguan and Yonghui periods (627-655) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), is known as the "No.1 temple in southeast China". The pagoda project, with an estimated cost of 150 million yuan (about 18 million US dollars)

Largest yacht wharf in China to be built in Xiamen
An international multi-functional wharf, to be built in Xiamen, a coastal city of southeast China's Fujian province, is expected to be the largest of its kind in China on completion. The dock basin, designed to cover a water area of about 800,000 square meters, can offer berths for 900 yachts with lengths between 10 and 30 meters. A five-star hotel and other supporting facilities will be built around the wharf. At its planned location in the Kaiyuan District of Xiamen, the wharf wi

Longest city light railway in China fully operational
China's longest light railway in the capital of Beijing, became fully operational on Jan.28. Stretching 40.85 kilometers in the north of the city, the U-shaped railway was built at a cost of 6.57 billion yuan (801 million US dollars). The route will be the No 13 line in Beijing's planned metropolitan rail system, and is the first track built on surface and overhead rails. The western section of the light railway, covering about 20.62 kilometers, went into operation on Sept.

China's first overseas-funded top hotel turns state-owned
The ownership of the White Swan, China's first modern hotel funded by overseas capital, has been taken over by south China's Guangdong Province, after the hotel celebrated its 20th anniversary. Its 20-year management contract with Hong Kong investor Henry Ying Tung Fok expired last week. Established in 1983 by Fok and Guangdong Province, the five-star hotel has received nearly eight million guests, including more than 180 foreign heads of state. It had recorded business turn

Inland Becomes Largest Tourist Source for Macao
The number of tourists from China's interior to Macao rocketed 72.9 percent year on year in January, making the inland area replace Hong Kong to be the largest tourist provider for the Special Administrative Region (SAR). The latest figures from the Statistics and Census Services show that Macao hosted a total of 987,200 tourists last month and thosefrom the inland made up nearly half -- 47.4 percent -- of the total. Hong Kong has long been Macao's largest tourist market and in January tourist a

Helping Hand for Changing China
Joint efforts between China and Britain are being stepped up to address the problems of unemployment and urban poverty that China is encountering during its economic transition, after Wednesday's launch of the Sino-British Unemployment Insurance Project. A collaboration project between the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the British Government's Department of International Development, it aims to promote an integrated, equitable and efficient unemployment insurance system by being fir

China Eastern Joins Air Travel Plan
China Eastern Airlines, one of the country's three major carriers, has joined the Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP) to give its passengers easy payment options and other air services. China Eastern is the first airline in the Chinese mainland to accept payment by UATP cards, which allow customers to pay for air services such as overweight luggage, telephone calls in the air, duty-free commodity purchasing and railway tickets in the United States. Established in 1936, UATP is a global air travel p

Underdeveloped Region Offers Free Primary Education
Primary and junior high school students in Lushan, in the southeastern Jiangxi Province, have registered for their new semester without having to pay tuition. Fu Jian, local education official, said that starting from this year, all students in the locality would enjoy free education in primary and junior high schools. It is the first time Jiangxi, an underdeveloped inland region, has offered such a program for the nine years of compulsory education. More than 1,100 students have benefited from

Land Survey to Guide Agri-growth
China's geological survey authorities have decided to make a special "genetic analysis" of the country's 1.55 million square kilometers of arable land over the next seven years to provide experts and planners with a scientific blueprint to guide the country's agricultural development, a senior official said Wednesday in Beijing. The project, the first of its kind in terms of scale in the world, will reveal the soil distribution of nearly 60 chemicals, especially metal pollutants and chemical fer

Projects Help Tibetans to Have Clean Water
Thanks to new drinking water projects, 188,000 farmers and herdsmen in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, were able to access clean drinking water by the end of last year.
According to the latest statistics from the Office of Drinking Water Pro

Evolution Cradle for Many Species: Chinese Jehol Biota
A series of volcanic eruptions some 130 million years ago produced the well-preserved fossils found in Jehol Biota, a Mesozoic site in northeast China which scientists believe is the evolutionary cradle of a number of today's species. The Feb. 20 issue of Nature featured a long article on Chinese Jehol Biota, evaluating its importance in helping to complete the evolutionary process. The authors of the article are Zhou Zhonghe of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of t

Environmental NGO Receives Donation
Non-governmental organization " Hand in Hand: Building an Earth Village ," which organizes participatory environmental protection programs for children around China, Thursday received its biggest donation to date from the Japanese Embassy in Beijing. The some US$200,000 donation is expected to finance environmental education at 300 schools in Beijing, Tianjin and Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province. Initiated in 1997, the program encourages children to consciously seek out and collect recy

Rare Ancient Stele Removed from Three Gorges Dam Area
A 1,900-year-old stone stele has been rescued from being submerged in the huge reservoir of the Three Gorges dam project in Zhongxian county, southwest China's Chongqing municipality. Archeologists completed securing the stele in a safe temple Thursday. Beside it are two other priceless ancient steles also removed from the designated reservoir area for China's gigantic water conservation project. The 5.65-meter-high stele, dating from the East Han Dynasty (25-220 AD), is a unique kind of ancient

Inland Becomes Largest Tourist Source for Macao
The number of tourists from China's interior to Macao rocketed 72.9 percent year on year in January, making the inland area replace Hong Kong to be the largest tourist provider for the Special Administrative Region (SAR). The latest figures from the Statistics and Census Services show that Macao hosted a total of 987,200 tourists last month and thosefrom the inland made up nearly half -- 47.4 percent -- of the total. Hong Kong has long been Macao's largest tourist market and in January tourist a

Israeli Army Tightens Clampdown in Gaza Strip
Israel tightened travel curbs in the Gaza Strip Thursday, a day after militants fired rockets on a town near Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's ranch in response to army raids that killed 11 Palestinians. In fresh violence, Israeli troops killed three Palestinians, raising the Palestinian death toll from army operations to at least 28 since Islamic militants blew up an Israeli tank on Saturday, killing its four crewmen. The flare-up threatened new efforts to arrange a cease-fire in a Palestinian upri

Lasting Glamour of Ancient Silk Road Kingdom
The site of the ancient Loulan Kingdom, now a legendary for its splendor, has enthralled the world since its discovery at the beginning of the 20th century until the present. They heyday of Loulan city, capital of the kingdom also known as Kroraina, has been heralded by scholars as the "dawn of civilization in the Middle Ages". Located at the eastern fringe of the vast, desolate Taklimakan Desert in southern Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region, in northwest China, it was one of the 36 Western Regio

The New Lifestyle of the One-child Generation
Those born into the late 1970s world of the one-child family have now grown up and taken their place in society. Compared with their parents they have a new focus on advancement through education, comfortable lifestyle and leisure clothing. Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, they were able to benefit from a good education, free from the resource limitations that had gone hand in hand with earlier larger families. Now grown up they look at education differently. To them it is an investment much l

Ibis Population Expands to 400
The population of the ibis in China, one of the most endangered bird species in the world, has increased to some 400 from only seven in the 1970s, according to latest statistics. Two hundred have been artificially hatched and raised in captivity, and another 200 are living in the wild, said Lei Yinghu, deputy director of the Shaanxi provincial nature reserve and wildlife protection station. Ibises are distinguished by a red crest, gray plumage and hooked beak. Their origin has been traced back o

Waterside Heaven on Yungui Plateau
When thinking about traveling in Yunnan Province, high mountains and beautiful valleys may be the first things that come into a tourist's mind. But there's more than spectacular mountain scenery in Yunnan - there's also a spot that is as pretty as any to be found in East China's Jiangsu or Zhejiang provinces. It's Puzhehei which is also known as Yunnan's Guilin. Puzhehei is located about 5 kilometers from the downtown area of Qiubei County. The scenery on the way to Puzhehei is charming and the

Jiangxi to Relocate Residents in Poor Mountainous Areas
East China's Jiangxi Province will relocate the people living in remote mountainous areas to better-off places in the next three to five years, according to a provincial conference on rural work. In Jiangxi, there are 80,000 to 90,000 people living in areas with harsh natural environment, most of whom are leading very poor lives and facing great difficulties in relieving poverty. As a pilot project, around 10,000 rural residents living in reservoir areas and remote mountains in the counties of X

Astronaut Safety Measures for Shenzhou V
There is a great deal of interest in China's space program at the moment as it delivers news of the special safety features it has planned for Shenzhou V. This is in light of the recent Columbia space shuttle tragedy and the successful return of China's unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou IV. Those in charge at China aerospace technology department have said that the craft will be launched this autumn with special safety features for its human cargo. Daytime Launch Set The Shenzhou V is set to be laun

Male Victims Seek Legal Aid
More and more husbands in urban China are seeking shelter from verbal and physical abuse inflicted on them by their wives. Some of them have called for the establishment of a men's federation similar to the All-China Women's Federation, a well-established organization that addresses women's interests and welfare. The male victims also want better access to legal aid so they can get justice in the courts. According to official statistics, about 400,000 married couples break up every year in China

China to Overhaul Its Donation System
China will work to overhaul its social donation system, says a high-ranking civil affairs official. Yang Yanyin, vice minister of civil affairs, said new centers for accepting donations would be widely distributed and open around the clock to make it much easier for donors. Meanwhile, it was also essential to inform the public via the media or other forms of publicity about the administration and use of donated money and materials, said Yang, who was in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Pr

Temples in Nanjing
: Maybe you remember me. Before the Chinese New Year, I asked for some information on the Stone and Bamboo Monastery in Fujian. Thanks to your precise information, I got there and had one of the most exalting experiences I have ever had in China. So, thanks a lot! By the way, I wanted also to ask whether you had any other ideas of extraordinary places, especially monasteries (Taoist or Buddhist) like this one, which are not well known, and those, especially not too far from Shanghai. I am lookin

Inner Mongolia Alert for Yellow River Ice Run
North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is on the alert for a disastrous ice run in the Yellow River as warm spring weather approaches. If the frozen water in the upper reaches of the Yellow River thaws too quickly, Inner Mongolia will be in danger of severe ice run, according to Jing Lishan, an official with the autonomous region's government. The ice in the river in Ningxia had thawed completely by yesterday, without damaging ice run. And the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River i

Research institute for light civil aircraft founded in NW China
China's first institute for the design and research of light aircraft for civil use has been founded in Xi'an, capital of the northwestern province of Shaanxi. Li Dajiong, head of the new institute which is affiliated to the Xi'an Aircraft Design and Research Institute, said he and his colleagues would focus on developing new models of China-made light civil aircraft to meet the growing domestic market demand. Light civil aircraft refers to small planes used for civil purposes outs

2,000-year-old wooden bridge discovered in SW China
A wooden bridge dating back 2000 years has been discovered in a cultural relic site in southwest China's Sichuan province. The 42-meter-long wooden bridge, long dubbed "The Wind & Rain Bridge" by local residents, was found in the Jinsha Cultural Relic site in the western suburbs of Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan. Measuring somewhere between approximately seven and 8.8 meters in width, the tile-roofed wooden bridge, while losing its original splendor, still provides very

Television tower to be removed to protect SW China world heritage site
A television tower built in 1970 will be removed from Mount Emei to rescue dying firs at the world cultural and natural heritage site. The 78-meter-high Jinding Television Tower, the tallest of its kind in southwest China's Sichuan Province, has been found to be amajor killer of the local fir forest covering about 10,000 hectares. According to forest worker Li Jieping, dramatic changes have occurred over the past 20 years in the fir forest that is several hundred years old.

Ancient Silk Road Loulan tombs robbed, desecrated
The tombs of Loulan, an ancient kingdom located along the famous Silk Road about 2,000 years ago, have been robbed, according to the Guangming Daily. A number of ancient tombs have been ruined, and a host of beautiful mural paintings within the tombs have been destroyed, noted the newspaper. Zong Tongchang, a noted archaeologist from the Palace Museum in Beijing, who visited the site at the beginning of this month, told the newspaper reporters that on Feb. 3, his team had happened

Reservoir helps prevent Yellow River's silt build up
The massive Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the upper reaches of the Yellow River, China's second longest waterway, has prevented some 900 million tons of silt flowing to the lower reaches since it started filling in Oct. 1999. According to a source from the Xiaolangdi reservoir construction administrative bureau, this has greatly relieved the long-time severe build up of silt in the river's lower reaches. Before 1949, an average 1.6 billion tons of silt flowed through the river every year

China builds "underwater palace" for world's oldest water survey device
The Chinese government launched an unprecedented "underwater palace" project recently in a bid to protect Baiheliang, the world's oldest water survey device which will be submerged once the Three Gorges reservoir is filled. Shan Jixiang, director of the State Bureau of Cultural Relics, said that Baiheliang, an 1.6 km-long massive reef important for observing water level changes, will be covered by an elliptical transparent shield so visitors in the future can still see it. The mass

Southwest China province leads western China in tourism
Southwest China's Sichuan Province continued to lead the western regions of the country in tourism last year. Sichuan province received approximately 73 million Chinese and overseas tourists last year, including 72.2 million from the Chinese mainland and 670,000 from overseas, according to statistics provided by the provincial tourism bureau. The province's tourism sector earned 38 billion yuan (4.58 billion US dollars) in revenue in 2002, and the respective growth rates for total

First Chinese package tour bound for Malta, Egypt
The first group of Chinese tourists to visit Malta and Egypt will leave China on March 28 on a ten-day package tour. They will fly with Egyptian Airlines from Beijing to Cairo, stay there for five days and then fly to Malta. The total cost will be around 16,000 yuan (2000 US dollars). The Mediterranean island of Malta attracts tourists worldwide with its clean sea, blue sky and mild climate. Egypt, one of the four ancient civilizations, is also popular with tourists. Malta b

Fujian province to boost tourism
East China's Fujian Province will expand tourism into one of its major revenue-generating industries in the years to come. According Song Defu, secretary of the provincial committee of the Communist Party of China, the province has drafted a ten-year plan for tourism development and the market will be allowed to play a bigger role in the endeavor. In accordance with the plan, the province will concentrate efforts on building three major tourism centers around Fuzhou, the provincial

Kilns for Tang Trio-color Ceramics Discovered
Archaeologists confirmed Monday that they have found the site of ancient kilns used to produce the famous Tang trio-color ceramics. The discovery was announced after days of work at Gongyi City, central China's Henan Province, where 12 ancient kilns have been unearthed. The Tang trio-color potteries, or "Tang San Cai" in Chinese, was a famous technique for glazing ceramics with three colors -- yellow, green and white or very occasionally blue. It came into being in the Han Dynasty (202 BC - AD 2

Backgrounder: China's state science and technology awards
China annually presents five state science and technology awards, namely the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, the State Natural Science Award, the State Technological Invention Award, the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award and the International Scientific and Technological Award. The five million-yuan State Preeminent Science and Technology Award was set up in 1999 and given to no more than two persons every year. So far, five Chinese scientists have won the a

Senior Scientist wins China's top award
Jin Yilian, a 74-year-old computer scientist from the Chinese Academy of Engineering won China's top science prize on Feb.28. At a award ceremony held in Beijing on Feb.28, Chinese President Jiang Zemin presented Jin with the five-million-yuan (604,500 US dollars) State Preeminent Science and Technology Award for 2002. The sum of the award equals to the value of the Nobel Prize in the 1980s. The winner himself receives 500,000 yuan. The remaining 4.5 million yuan will be used for f

Progresses made in education: official
China has made great achievements in the education sector over the past five years, and an educational system with Chinese characteristics is taking shape, Minister of Education Chen Zhili said here recently. Chen said at a national meeting on education work that the government's financial input in the education sector hit a record high in 2001, accounting for 3.19 percent of the year's gross domestic product. Since 1998, some 70 billion yuan (8.4 billion US dollars) of government

China strives for upgrading traditional Chinese medicine
China is boosting the innovation system of traditional Chinese medicine to enhance the market competitiveness of its pharmaceutical industry. According to guidelines on the modernized development of traditional Chinese medicine recently adopted by the State Council, the traditional medicine's material basis and functional properties in the treatment of disease will be further explored and refined by using modern scientific methods. Yao Xinsheng, a member of the Chinese Academy of E

Modern TCM research center established in Shanghai
Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Feb.15 established the Murad Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Modernization in a bid to push forward the country's TCM modernization. Established in honor of and in cooperation with American Nobel Laureate Ferid Murad, the center will focus on research and innovation on the application of TCM. Murad won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998 for his discovery of nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the car

HK, Philippines sign MOU on cultural cooperation
The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the government of the Philippines signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation on Feb.14. The MOU, with a view to promoting and strengthening cooperation in the fields of culture, the arts and education, was signed on the belief that such cooperation will contribute to the furtherance of mutual awareness, respect, understanding, harmony and friendship between their peoples. To encourage perfor

HK customs seizes smuggled goods at check points
A spokesman for the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department said here on Feb.26 that his department would continue to conduct vigorous checks at checkpoints to curb the smuggling of goods. The warning was given following the detaining of a woman and two men at Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau checkpoints respectively for attempting to smuggle goods across the checkpoints. At about 7:15 a.m. Feb.26, customs officers at Lo Wu checkpoint intercepted and searched an incoming 39-year-old woman.The

Ancient brick kiln discovered in E. China province
Archeologists have excavated an ancient brick kiln discovered in east China's Anhui Province by farmers planting trees. Finished bricks were unearthed from the B-shaped 30-sq m kiln in Shankou Village of Feixi County, which archeologists said was probably built after the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) and before the Tang Dynasty (618-907) Archeologists believed the bricks covered with decorative patterns and figures were specially used for building tombs. The possibility of fi

Overseas architects vie to design Tianjin's symbolic buildings
Five reputable overseas architectural design agencies are competing against each other to design a group of symbolic buildings for the central business district in the Tianjin Development Zone in the east China municipality. The bids are due to be opened in June this year. Construction of the project will start at the end of this year or early next year and be completed in three years at an estimated cost of 3 billion to 5 billion yuan. Tianjin's central business district covers 1.

China's largest pollution-free fruit production base emerges in NW
With the granting of certification of pollution-free fruit production to a company with an apple orchard of 400,000 mu (about 26,667 hectares) here recently, northwest China's Shaanxi Province has become the country's largest production base for pollution-free fruit. At Yan'an Fruit Industry Group's certification granting ceremony, Zhang Huarong, deputy director of China's Development Center for Pollution-free Food, said the production base with a total acreage of 800,000 mu (about 53,333

Malaysia Airlines to employ 100 Chinese air stewardesses
Malaysia Airlines has announced plans to employ 100 Chinese air stewardesses in 2003 as part of overall efforts to enhance cooperation with China in the area of aviation. China has become the focus of the Malaysian airlines sales market, with sales volume for 2003 predicted to be double that of 2002, said Wilson Xing, sales executive of Malaysian airlines in China. He attributed the bright forecast to the continuous promotion by the Malaysian tourism administration and to the trans

Shanghai to become world-class water metropolis
The municipal government of Shanghai plans to turn the city an "oriental water metropolis" with an investment of 50 billion yuan (six billion US dollars) over the next five years, according to Zhang Jiayi, director of the Shanghai Water Works Bureau. Shanghai's aim of becoming a world-class modern city in the new century means construction will focus on enhancing urban functions and optimizing business and living environments, among which a key project is the protection and development of

Shanghai to draw up action plan for 2010 World Expo: mayor
Shanghai Mayor Chen Liangyu said recently the city will draw up its action plan for the 2010 World Expo as soon as possible. Addressing the local legislature, the mayor said Shanghai will set up a small and efficient preparatory organization to coordinate the formulation and implementation of the plans, describing the coming five years as a key period in preparation. Shanghai welcomes the involvement of professionals and companies from home and abroad in the preparation process, sa

Tourism boosts economic growth in Liaoning province
In Liaoning Province, traditionally an industrial base in northeast China, the emerging tourism industry has started to play a vital role in boosting the local economy. In 2002, the province's tourism revenue climbed 14.9 percent year-on-year to 44.3 billion yuan (5.3 billion US dollars), contributing 8.1 percent to the local gross domestic product, show figures provided by the provincial tourism administration. The rapid growth in tourism revenue, which has topped the national ave

For Women's Literacy
Zhe Peixian, 41, grew up in a small mountainous village of the Sani people near the popular tourist resort of the Stone Forest in Shilin County, southwest China's Yunnan Province. The Sani people are a branch of the Yi ethnicity. The second of a family with five daughters, Zhe Peixian started to work in the fields in her early teens and learned wrestling with other boys in the village, as wrestling is a favorite pastime of Sani men. In middle school, she was selected to compete in the women's wr

Concern over Wholesale Markets
Zhou Xiaoguang, 40, president of Yiwu Xinguang Ornament Company in Yiwu city of East China's Zhejiang Province, has studied the problems of the many "wholesale markets" in her hometown following her election as a deputy to the 10th NPC in January. The results will form the basis of one of her main proposals during the NPC meeting. "Wholesale markets have already become a main part of the country's circulation industry, and are playing an important role in providing a variety of goods and develop

Spring Snowfall Blankets NW China Province
Heavy snow since early Tuesday morning blanketed most of northwest China's Gansu Province and is expected to greatly relieve the region's drought. The Gansu provincial weather bureau forecast that the snow would last a full day and would greatly lower the air temperature across the province. The snow would relieve the drought caused by drought and the drying up of major rivers in the province, experts say, adding it would help farmers with their spring sowing. The snow was also expected to reduc

Hainan Goes Fishing for Jobs
Local governments in South China's Hainan Province are committed to helping thousands of fishermen in Beibu Bay transfer to non-fishing sectors. The transfer is required under a fishing pact signed by China and Viet Nam, which borders Beibu Bay. Chen Zhonglin, an official with the provincial fisheries department, said: "We should take concrete action to honor the pact as soon as possible." While the agreement was signed in 2000, it has not taken effect because of differences over how many vessel

For Women's Literacy
Zhe Peixian, 41, grew up in a small mountainous village of the Sani people near the popular tourist resort of the Stone Forest in Shilin County, Southwest China's Yunnan Province. The Sani people are a branch of the Yi ethnicity. The second of a family with five daughters, Zhe Peixian started to work in the fields in her early teens and learned wrestling with other boys in the village, as wrestling is a favorite pastime of Sani men. In middle school, she was selected to compete in the women's wr

Preserving Achang Culture
Cao Mingqiang, 47, did not know how to read or write until he was 10. A native of the Achang ethnicity, one of the 56 ethnic groups in the country, Cao is now a writer focusing on the folklore of his 30,000 tribes people. Born into a farmer's family in 1956 in Mangzhan Village of Dehong Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Cao is one of six children. Life was hard; he used to graze the cattle when he was young. He was illiterate, speaking Achang dialect only when he reached the schoo

American Express eyes China's business travel market
American Express intends expanding its business travel services network into 40 more Chinese cities in the next 12 months, a senior company official said in Shanghai. By then, the company would be able to offer all-round services ranging from network aid, planning and consultancy, to analysis and booking services, said Charles Petruccelli, president of the Global Services of American Express. A survey by American Express, which already has a joint venture in Beijing, shows China sp

Creating memories, recording history: family archives debut in China
Looking over salary records kept by his family over the last half century is a pleasurable pastime for Zhang, a retiree of Shenyang's Beijing Opera Theater. Zhang noticed how his monthly salary increased significantly during the past decades, from 25 yuan (3 US dollars) in 1961 to 103 yuan (12 US dollars) in 1987 and finally to 1,000 yuan (121 USdollars) in 1998, the year he retired. The records are part of the financial archives of Zhang's family. Like Zhang, 11,136 familie

First Chinese tourist group to visit southern Asian island nations in April
The first Chinese tourist group will leave for Maldives and Sri Lanka on April 2, after the two nations formally gained Authorized Destination Status one day before. Chinese tourists can fly with Malaysia Airlines, transfer via Kuala Lumpur to Maldives and then to Sri Lanka. Maldives, with 1,190 small coral islands, has been a popular place for world holiday makers. Sri Lanka is famous for its Buddhism culture, sea and islands. The first tourist group was organized by China

CCTV English channel enters homes in Britain, France
The English-language international channel of China Central Television (CCTV), CCTV-9, began broadcasting Monday on Britain's BSkyB and France's TPS, sources with CCTV said. China International Television Corporation signed respective agreements with News Corporation and Asia Pacific Telecom Euro Sport News Distribution Corporation to provide subscribers of the two broadcasting satellite systems with access to CCTV English programs. BSkyB is the largest and only service provider fo

China to build large flower plantation
A large flower plantation compound covering a 5.5-square kilometer area will be built in the coastal city of Zhuhai in south China. The total investment for the project will reach 1.3 billion yuan (157 million US dollars), according to an agreement signed by Chinese and Dutch investors recently. The project will include a plantation, an auction center, a cold storage area, a pharmacy factory, a packing center, a hotel and a flower park. Upon completion in five and a half yea

China to produce more autos in 2003
China's auto industry is expected to continue its rapid growth in 2003, producing 3.6 million vehicles including 1.3 million cars, a Chinese official said at a press conference in Beijing recently. Ma Liqiang, director of the Economic Operations Bureau of the State Economic and Trade Commission, said mergers and regrouping of major Chinese auto corporations in 2002 would substantially increase the industry's capacity. As a result production this year would maintain its rapid growth, with

Shanghai to host first Int'l Children's Expo
The first Shanghai International Children's Expo will be held here from Jul. 19 to Aug. 25. It is claimed to be the largest international exhibition focusing on children held in China in the past 50 years. The sponsor of the exposition expects around 300,000 children and their parents to attend. A total area of 20,000 square meters will be divided into five sectors displaying plays, cartoons, books, games, clothes and stationery for children. Around 130 artistic group

Buddhist mountain offering free tours to senior citizens
Jiuhua Mountain, one of the four most prestigious Buddhist mountain resorts in China, is offering free tours this year to senior citizens over 60 years old. The decision was spurred by a letter from a veteran teacher in Hefei, capital of the eastern Anhui province, in which she suggested the Jiuhua Buddhist mountain, like most parks and buses in Hefei, should offer free tours to senior citizens in line with the centuries-old Chinese custom of respecting the elderly. Liang Mingqing,

Macao arts festival opens
The 14th Macao Arts Festival was inaugurated on Mar.1. There will be a total of 36 performances during the festival from March 1 to March 28. Programs from China's inland, Hong Kong, Macao and overseas, combined with an exciting week of film and video cycles and two major art exhibitions, will provide something to suit every taste, said authorities from the Cultural Institute. The audience will be presented with ballet, Kun opera, acrobatics, music, puppetry, contemporary dr

China ready for unmanned lunar mission
China can send its first unmanned probe to the moon within the next two and a half years if the government endorses an exploration program now, China Daily reported Monday. The scheme, named the Chang'e Program after a Chinese legendary fairy called Chang'e who flies to the moon, is awaiting government approval, according to Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of China's lunar exploration at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Ouyang said the country should not drag its feet in sending the

China to Intensify Integrated AIDS Monitoring
China will intensify comprehensive monitoring of AIDS and vigorously develop related data analysis technology in the coming few years. After 16 years of efforts, China has set up a preliminary AIDS monitoring system, which integrates case report with monitoring-station-based approaches, Lu Fan, an official with the China AIDS and VD Control Center, said at a national conference on AIDS monitoring held recently in this capital city of southwest China's Guizhou Province. The system has also incorp

Taiwan Artist Leaves Mark on Beijing
Don't mistake this artist for late Chinese master Zhang Daqian (also known as Chang Dai-chien) (1899-1983). Zhang was famous for his revolutionary style of "splash-ink landscape" which blends elements of traditional literati painting and Western abstract art. The paintings and calligraphy under the brushes of You Sanhui have much in common with the master. They do have some connections. You, 55, now living in Taiwan, studied Chinese painting under two of Zhang's students and is proud of being a

Sichuan invests heavily in river pollution control
Southwest China's Sichuan Province is targeting pollution in diverse rivers that flow through the landlocked western region. Zhu Tiankai, director of the Sichuan Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau, pledged enhanced efforts to control pollution in the Minjiang and Tuojiang, two tributaries of China's longest river, the Yangtze. The provincial capital Chengdu, which lies in the valley formed by the Minjiang and Tuojiang rivers, has earmarked 6 billion yuan (about 723 million

Shanghai invests heavily in environmental protection
Shanghai, a leading industrial and commercial city of China, will pour a total of 80 billion to 90 billion yuan (10.8 billion US dollars) into environmental protection during the Tenth Five Year Plan (2001-2005) period. Shanghai is aiming to create a sound environment for the World Expo to be held in the city in 2010 and to boost a new round of development, the Wen Hui Bao, a Shanghai-based daily newspaper, quoted local environmental protection department sources as saying. Accordi

Beijing inputs heavily in water pollution control
Beijing will input some 3.3 billion yuan (about 400 million US dollars) to purify its water system this year, Beijing Morning News reported. According to the newspaper, apart from dredging up the smelly silt in some rivers, four sewage processing plants and three sewage diversion projects will be built. Beijing has been making efforts to alleviate the pollution of its water system in recent years, lifting the water quality of the major part of its water section from its previous fo

Advanced business school aims to rank among world's top 10
The Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, sponsored by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, is recruiting world talents and resources to build itself into one of the best business schools in the world. The school held a consultation meeting recently at the school in Beijing's most popular shopping center, Wangfujing. The school itself is located within a huge compound of malls and office buildings developed by Li Ka-shing's company. Covering 6,000 square meters, the non-profit school b

Kilns for Tang trio-color ceramics discovered
Archaeologists confirmed recently that they have found the site of ancient kilns used to produce the famous Tang trio-color ceramics. The discovery was announced after days of work at Gongyi City, central China's Henan Province, where 12 ancient kilns have been unearthed. The Tang trio-color potteries, or "Tang San Cai" in Chinese, was a famous technique for glazing ceramics with three colors -- yellow, green and white or very occasionally blue. It came into being in the Han Dynast

Amateur artist reproduces ancient painting with electric iron
An amateur artist in north China's Hebei Province, south of Beijing, has completed a reproduction of a priceless Chinese painting that dates back nearly 1,000 years. Remarkably, rather than use paint brushes and ink, 57 year-old Wang Guodong, the farmer-turned-artist with a primary school education, used an electric iron to "paint" the entire picture on rice paper, a fine quality paper used for traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. Wang's reproduction of the "Riverside Scen

Remains of ancient carriages unearthed in central China
The remains of six carriages have been unearthed in the ancient tombs dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.) and the Warring States (475-221 B.C.) in Linzhou city, central China's Henan Province. The remains were found in the middle layer of a large pit, nine meters long by four meters wide, in the large tomb numbered 301 among the 400 in the group, said Zhang Zengwu, deputy researcher with the Linzhou Cultural Relics Administrative Station. The frames of the ca

China's first maritime rescue heliport goes into trial operation
China's first maritime rescue heliport went into trial operation recently in Gaodong Town of Shanghai to deal with accidents in waters off the country's coasts. Located near Wusongkou and covering an area of 136,700 square meters, the heliport has a 250-meter-long and 30-meter-wide runway,a parking apron, a storehouse and a command center. The facility has communications, navigation, weather-forecasting, fire-fighting and fueling equipment meeting international standards. It also b

Tourism helps increase income for Tibetans
As much as 18 million yuan (2.17 million US dollars) was added to the income of farmers and herdsmen in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region in 2002. The tourist industry last year provided jobs for an additional 5,267 people in the region, according to a recent conference on the tourism sector. Villagers of Sangmu, in the regional capital of Lhasa, reaped as much as 70,000 yuan (some 8,400 dollars) in income, in less than one year, by cooperating with a tourism agency to attr

Number of mobile phone users in China nearly equal to that of fixed phone users
The number of mobile phone subscribers on the Chinese mainland has reached 206 million, approaching the number of fixed phones, according to a report by the Beijing Times. Government statistics show that China has 214 million fixed phone users, of whom 135 million live in urban districts and 78 million live in rural areas. At present, the ratio of mobile phone subscribers to fixed phone subscribers is 96:100, compared with 27:100 in 1998. The number of mobile phone users surged 42

Final inspection tour of Three Gorges set to begin
A third inspection tour for the relocation of residents in the Three Gorges reservoir area got underway recently. The 20-day inspection tour will be carried out by 90 experts from the Office of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, the Land and Resources Ministry, the Health Ministry, the Communications Ministry, the State Environmental Protection Administration, the State Forestry Administration, the State Archives Administration and the Ministry of Railways. The inspec

China to admit foreign investment into entertainment venues
Foreigners will be allowed to invest in China's entertainment performance venues, China Youth Daily reported recently. Sources with the Ministry of Culture revealed that the ministry is conducting feasibility studies on the matter. Foreign capital may be permitted to invest in the construction or renovation of performance sites, which could include theaters or cinemas, an official with the ministry said, noting that some pilot projects might be introduced first. The official

Meet in Beijing to take on new look
The 4th "Meet in Beijing" Arts Festival will open on April 28. This annual artistic gala held by the Chinese government will take on a new look this spring, according to sources with the Chinese Ministry of Culture (MOC) here on Mar.27. Ding Wei, secretary-general of the organizing committee, and also director of the MOC International Department, said there will be a record number of cultural programs of unprecedented quality. A total of 37 foreign artistic troupes and over 20 domestic tr

China's National Grand Theater to be completed
The construction of China's National Theater is expected to be completed early April, and installation of stage and electromechanical equipment will be finished by August, reported the China Daily. While a Japanese company and a German company have already won the bid to provide the equipment for two of the three halls in the grand theater, another public bidding process will be held to find a group to outfit the concert hall, said Wang zhengming, spokesman for the theater's committee.

Booking System for Mogao Grottoes
Tourists who want to visit the Mogao Grottoes in northwest China's Gansu Province without a reservation will find them hard to enter since a booking system for the grottoes was launched Tuesday. Liu Huilin, deputy director of the China Dunhuang Studies Institute, said that the system aims to relieve the pressure of the peak tourism season. Researchers have found that besides sand, wind, rain and insects, touching and condensed breathing of visitors are also the causes for the deteriorating grott

Hungary Expects More Chinese Tourists
Hungary expects to host more Chinese tourists, said visiting Hungarian officials. Hungarian tourism circles have made full preparations for receiving Chinese tourists, including training more Chinese-speaking guides, and catering to Chinese needs in hotels and restaurants, said Gabor Galla, chief executive officer of the Hungarian Tourism Bureau. The Hungarian national airline company has discussed resuming direct flights with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (

600 Enterprises Lose Out on 2008 Olympic Market
On September 1, the Beijing Olympic Games marketing operation will be launched formally. Now, many enterprises, home and abroad, are busy contacting the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) in an effort to participate in the huge market. By August 26, more than 600 Chinese enterprises had been automatically disqualified from cooperating with the Beijing Organizing Committee for their infringement upon the intellectual property rights of the International

Late Chinese President's Personal Plane on Way to His Hometown
An Il 18-240 aircraft which once served as the late Chinese president Liu Shaoqi's personal airplane is on its way to his hometown, to be put on display there. The plane, dismantled and loaded on 11 trucks, left southwest China's Sichuan Province Thursday, destined for Ningxiang County, the location of Liu's birthplace, in Hunan Province. The 1,750-km journey will take about a week, according to Huang Ke, an official at Liu's memorial in his hometown. The plane was bought fr

Air China, United Airlines Establish Market Alliance
China's Air China and US-based United Airlines announced Thursday they had reached a marketing alliance, including cooperation on code-sharing flights, frequent flyer programs and shared airport lounges. The new cooperation will take effect on October 31, when United's 14 weekly flights including daily Beijing-Chicago and Shanghai-San Francisco service will carry both United's and Air China's codes. Code-sharing is a commercial agreement between two airlines that allows an airline

Air China, United Airlines Establish Market Alliance
China's Air China and US-based United Airlines announced Thursday they had reached a marketing alliance, including cooperation on code-sharing flights, frequent flyer programs and shared airport lounges.
The new cooperation will take effect on October

Better Protection for Mount Emei Vegetation
The television tower on the Golden Summit of Mount Emei in Sichuan Province is being dismantled to better protect the vegetation on the mountain famous for its Buddhist culture.
The electromagnetic radiation from the tower is believed to be detrimental

Ceremony Held to Mark Ming Tombs Listed in World Heritage
A grand ceremony was held at the Grand Red Gate leading to emperors' tombs of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) on Thursday to mark their listings as a world heritage site on July 3.
A 2.4-meter-tall statue, commemorating the listing and made of a whole hug

Lang's Keyboard Brilliance
Profundity is unattainable by the young, an old cliche in music goes. The inner sanctum of mature compositions only reveals its secrets to the aged and experienced. But Lang Lang, 21, has challenged the dictum with his sensitivity and virtuosity. What he nurtured at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and honed at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia has developed into an immaculate, fearless technique. Two years ago, the then teenage pianist showed skills - a full

Shanghai, Beijing Residents Allowed to Make Individual Trips to HK, Macao
The majority of residents in Beijing and Shanghai will be allowed to make individual trips to Hong Kong and Macao from September 1. Next year marks the 20th anniversary of mainlanders being allowed to visit relatives in Hong Kong and Macao, both China's special administrative regions (SAR). At the time, only three travel agencies were authorized to provide travel, but now the number has grown to 528. From August 20, Beijing and Shanghai residents will be able to travel to SA

'Black Boxes' to Have New Standard
Beginning on Monday, China will launch a national technical standard for the manufacture of vehicle travel data recorders which will help companies keep track of vehicular movements. Industry insiders estimated the market for such recorders will be huge and worth several billion yuan annually. These devices, acting like black boxes that are common in aircraft, record speed, distance and hours of driving. From next week, these data can be used as evidence in the courts and will prov

Residents Can Take out More Forex
China raised the amount of foreign currency that can be carried across its borders on Friday, which analysts said was a step towards a more flexible, market-based mechanism in determining the exchange rate of the local currency, the renminbi.
The State

Shanghai, Beijing Residents Allowed to
Make Individual Trips to HK, Macao
The majority of residents in Beijing and Shanghai will be allowed to make individual trips to Hong Kong and Macao from September 1.
Next year marks the 20th anniversary of mainlanders being allowed to visit relatives in Hong Kong and Macao, both China'

New Airport in Guangzhou Due for Completion in October
The new Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, one of the major gateways to the outside world in south China, will be completed by October this year. So far, much of the infrastructure for the new airport has been finished and survived assessment. Test flights at the new airport will be conducted late this year, and will begin regular service next June, said an engineer in charge of the construction. The new airport, designed by Parsons Corp. and URS Greiner Corp, both o

Beijing, Shanghai Simplify Exit-entry Procedures
Beijing and Shanghai are taking further steps to simplify the application procedure for exit and entry permits, including passport and travel permits to Hong Kong and Macao SARs. The two cities' relevant departments are ready for the new regulations to go into effect beginning Monday. Under the new "On Demand" policy, starting from September 1st, most Beijing and Shanghai citizens can apply for exit and entry permits by just presenting their IDs and permanent residency cards. Only a few c

German Wins Senior Post at Leading Chinese University
German Professor Ulrich Stein Miller has become one of very few foreigners appointed to senior posts at leading Chinese universities after becoming president of the Foreign Languages College at the prestigious Zhejiang University, east China. Prof. Miller was former vice-president of the University of Technology of Berlin and will serve in his new position for two years at the university, in Hangzhou, capital of the eastern Zhejiang Province, said Pan Yunhe, president of the university.

Regulations Protect Trees on World Heritage Mountain
Anyone caught illegally felling or damaging ancient or rare trees on Mount Huangshan, a Chinese world heritage site, will face harsher penalty, or prosecution, under new regulations that come into effect on Sep 1. Those involved in the sale of ancient or rare trees will be fined up to five times their illegal earnings, according to the regulations. Mount Huangshan, listed as both a natural and cultural world heritage site, is a world-famous tourist attraction for its fairyland scen

Pottery Pooches a Lasting Legacy of Han Dynasty
Nanyang, a historical city in central China's Henan Province, is renowned for its wealth of relics dating back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). Of the large number of figurines unearthed in burial sites in the city, pottery dogs are among the most unique. These marvelous animated tomb figurines display the dynamic qualities of Han funeral objects and provide a wonderful portrait of everyday life in the Han Dynasty. Nanyang, the "southern capital" where Emperor Guangwu rose to po

Folk Expo to Link Art with Market
Li Baofeng was apprehensive when she started her Phoenix paper-cut art center two years ago. She was 33 and had a big family to take care -- her husband, son, parents-in-law and her own parents. She wondered if she could handle the challenge, and if her family would accept the new situation. Now, two years later, her company has grown into one of the well-known producers of paper cuts in China, and some countries in Southeast Asia have begun placing orders for her products.

China Prevents US West Nile Virus Entry
China has asked tourists from the United States to immediately inform inspection and quarantine authorities of symptoms of fever, headaches, rashes and swollen glands on entry to the country.
The State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection

New Airport in Guangzhou Due for Completion in October
The new Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, one of the major gateways to the outside world in south China, will be completed by October this year.
So far, much of the infrastructure for the new airport has been finished and survived assessment.<

Needy Chinese Students Helped Back to School
Governments across China, especially those in the disaster-affected areas, have taken prompt measures to help students back to school as the new school year started Monday. In Beijing, the national capital, about 1.7 million middle school students returned to school after a five-week summer vacation. Owing to the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Beijing's primary and middle schools had all been shut since April 24 and students had to study at home through t

Sex Museum to Move Out of Shanghai
A museum featuring the erotic art in ancient China, the first of its kind in the country with the largest varieties of exhibits, will move from Shanghai to a small town 80 kilometers away from the city. The museum was founded by Liu Dalin, one of the pioneering sexologists in modern China. He and his colleagues collected the expensive exhibits for many years. The museum stands out above all the entities of its kind in China. It has even earned acclaim from the world, with 70 percent of it

HK, Macao Embrace Mainlanders
A first group of 60 Shanghainese got their passports for personal tours to Hong Kong and Macao on Monday, according to the Shanghai Tourism Administration. "Shanghai people are especially enthusiastic about Hong Kong and it has been a long tradition," Wang Guangrong, market administration director with the commission, told China Daily yesterday. Local exit-entry authorities began to accept individual applications for tours to Hong Kong and Macao on August 18 and more than 100 appli

HK, Macao Embrace Mainlanders
A first group of 60 Shanghainese got their passports for personal tours to Hong Kong and Macao yesterday, according to the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission. "Shanghai people are especially enthusiastic about Hong Kong and it has been a long tradition," Wang Guangrong, market administration director with the commission, told China Daily yesterday. Local exit-entry authorities began to accept individual applications for tours to Hong Kong and Macao on August 18 and more tha

HK, Macao Embrace Mainlanders
A first group of 60 Shanghainese got their passports for personal tours to Hong Kong and Macao yesterday, according to the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission.
"Shanghai people are especially enthusiastic about Hong Kong and it has been a long t

Free Entry to Observatory
Since September is an ideal time for stargazers to look into the sky, the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory atop the Sheshan Mountain will be open free of charge from 8 pm to 10 pm on weekends throughout the month.
In addition to Mars, many other celes

West Nile Virus Alert at Local Ports
The local quarantine department has strengthened inspection on flights from the United States, and so far no travelers have been found to carry the West Nile virus, the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said Monday.
With the West Nil

Vienna Boys Tour Beijing
In a flourishing show season filled with symphonies, ballet, opera, pop gigs and modern drama, a concert might be a good choice. It is even better if the concert will be given by the magical and globally renowned Vienna Boys Choir. For nearly five centuries, the choir -- made up of boys whose voices have yet to break -- has enchanted millions with its exceptionally beautiful singing. Continuing to make regular appearances at Sunday services in the imperial chapel in Vienna, the 100

Vienna Boys Tour Beijing
In a flourishing show season filled with symphonies, ballet, opera, pop gigs and modern drama, a concert might be a good choice. It is even better if the concert will be given by the magical and globally renowned Vienna Boys Choir. For nearly five centuries, the choir -- made up of boys whose voices have yet to break -- has enchanted millions with its exceptionally beautiful singing. Continuing to make regular appearances at Sunday services in the imperial chapel in Vienna, the 100

Ancient Tree Root Art Features Natural Wonders
Root sculpture, which has been popular in China for centuries, is a joint work of man and nature. Artists are required to make as few adaptions as possible to their plant root art works so as to preserve their natural beauty and form, yet create striking works of art. Traditionally, root sculptures are fashioned from the dark-coloured roots of the azalea from north China's Jilin Province; with the knotted roots of shrubs from southwest China's Guizhou Province; and, from the relatively so

Vienna Boys Tour Beijing
In a flourishing show season filled with symphonies, ballet, opera, pop gigs and modern drama, a concert might be a good choice. It is even better if the concert will be given by the magical and globally renowned Vienna Boys Choir. For nearly five centuries, the choir - made up of boys whose voices have yet to break - has enchanted millions with its exceptionally beautiful singing. Continuing to make regular appearances at Sunday services in the imperial chapel in Vienna, the 100 b

Air China, InterContinental Sign Frequent Flyer Agreement
Air China and InterContinental Hotels Group signed a cooperation agreement Tuesday in Beijing that allows frequent flyers of Air China to earn 800 kilometers in bonus mileage if they stay in InterContinental hotels.
The agreement would benefit Air Chin

China Establishes Center to Save Folk Culture
A paper-cut salvation center was announced to be established Thursday afternoon in Weixian County in northern China's Hebei Province to preserve the endangered folk art.
"The center is designated to guide and promote the development of this folk art ac

Ancient Tree Root Art Features Natural Wonders
Root sculpture, which has been popular in China for centuries, is a joint work of man and nature. Artists are required to make as few adaptions as possible to their plant root art works so as to preserve their natural beauty and form, yet create striking

Business Travel Market Booms in China
China is likely to replace the United States as the world's largest business tour destination by 2020, according to a message from the ongoing Asia Business Travel Market (ABTM) held in Shanghai Wednesday. "Compared with the world average level of 4 percent, China's business travel market is expected to grow at 10 percent plus in the next 10 years," said chairman of Reed Travel Exhibitions Tom Nutley, whose company is the major organizer of the three-day event which is due to end tomorrow

Business Travel Market Booms in China
China is likely to replace the United States as the world's largest business tour destination by 2020, according to a message from the ongoing Asia Business Travel Market (ABTM) held in Shanghai Wednesday. "Compared with the world average level of 4 percent, China's business travel market is expected to grow at 10 percent plus in the next 10 years," said chairman of Reed Travel Exhibitions Tom Nutley, whose company is the major organizer of the three-day event which is due to end tomorrow

Citizens Given More Freedom in Forex Purchase
China will ease its control over the foreign exchange purchases of individuals beginning Oct. 1, according to sources with the China State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE). The new regulation noted that each Chinese resident may purchase foreign exchange worth US$3,000 for each trip abroad, much higher than the original limit of US$2,000, or US$1,000 for those heading for Hong Kong and Macao. The amount for those who will stay abroad for half a year or even longer is US$5,000.

Retired Aircraft Carrier Fire Kills Two
Two workers were killed in a fire on a retired Russian aircraft carrier in Qinhuangdao city, north China's Hebei Province, Wednesday morning. The fire took place around 10:45 am toward the bow of the carrier, which was anchored at a dockyard while receiving maintenance work before an exhibition on Sept. 16 at a tourism resort in Tianjin, a major port in north China. One of the workers died in the fire and other in hospital, said Yan Aidong, a dockyard official. The fire was

Major Travel Firms Form JV
Business travel International announced yesterday that it has formed a joint venture firm with Jin Jiang International in Shanghai, which targets China's business travel market. Uk-based BTI will take a controlling 51 percent ownership in BTI Jin Jiang, the city's first joint venture travel company, while Jin Jiang International has the balance. The British company said it chose Jin Jiang International because "the company has strong support from the local government." There are mo

Business Travel Market Booms in China
China is likely to replace the United States as the world's largest business tour destination by 2020, according to a message from the ongoing Asia Business Travel Market (ABTM) held in Shanghai Wednesday. "Compared with the world average level of 4 percent, China's business travel market is expected to grow at 10 percent plus in the next 10 years," said chairman of Reed Travel Exhibitions Tom Nutley, whose company is the major organizer of the three-day event which is due to end tomorrow

More Freedom for Individuals to Purchase Forex
China will ease its control over the foreign exchange purchases of individuals beginning Oct. 1, according to sources with the China State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE). The new regulation noted that each Chinese resident may purchase foreign exchange worth US$3,000 for each trip abroad, much higher than the original limit of US$2,000, or US$1,000 for those heading for Hong Kong and Macao. The amount for those who will stay abroad for half a year or even longer is US$5,000.

Business Travel Market Booms in China
China is likely to replace the United States as the world's largest business tour destination by 2020, according to a message from the ongoing Asia Business Travel Market (ABTM) held in Shanghai Wednesday.
"Compared with the world average level of 4 pe

Major Travel Firms Form JV
Business Travel International announced Wednesday that it has formed a joint venture firm with Jin Jiang International in Shanghai, which targets China's business travel market.
Uk-based BTI will take a controlling 51 percent ownership in BTI Jin Jiang

Finn Jets Serve Shanghai
Finnair launched its thrice-weekly services in Shanghai Wednesday on its air route to and from Helsinki, becoming the first Northern European airline offering the service for Shanghai passengers.
With the flights, passengers can easily transfer to othe

The New Lifestyle of the One-child Generation
Those born into the late 1970s world of the one-child family have now grown up and taken their place in society. Compared with their parents they have a new focus on advancement through education, comfortable lifestyle and leisure clothing. Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, they were able to benefit from a good education, free from the resource limitations that had gone hand in hand with earlier larger families. Now grown up they look at education differently. To them it is an investment much l

Intellectuals, or Bosses
A unique landscape in the Chinese literary world of 2002 is the young writer Zhang Zhe's controversial campus novel Tao li (Peach and Plum). Published by People's Literature Publishing House in June 2002, the book ranks second in its publisher's bestseller list of last year, only next to Harry Potter. Compared with some other campus novels that occasionally emerged during recent years, Peach and Plum is original in some marked ways. Its narrative language is plain but measured, without the touch

Astronaut Safety Measures for Shenzhou V
There is a great deal of interest in China's space program at the moment as it delivers news of the special safety features it has planned for Shenzhou V. This is in light of the recent Columbia space shuttle tragedy and the successful return of China's unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou IV. Those in charge at China aerospace technology department have said that the craft will be launched this autumn with special safety features for its human cargo. Daytime Launch Set The Shenzhou V is set to be laun

Iraq Withholds Banned Missiles Decision
Iraq has withheld a decision on a UN order to start destroying its Al Samoud 2 missile program by the end of the week, but said Sunday it is "serious about solving this." Iraq's chief liaison to UN weapons inspectors insisted Baghdad is "clean" of weapons of mass destruction and that there should be no new UN resolution on disarming Saddam Hussein, as the United States is demanding. At a packed news conference in Baghdad's Information Ministry on Sunday night, Lt. Gen. Hossam Mohamed Amin gave I

Glimmer of Hope for Dying Kailee
US woman Linda Wells returned to Beijing yesterday after a visit to central China's Hunan Province, which could offer a glimmer of hope for her dying daughter Kailee. Wells, whose critically ill adopted daughter will die unless she receives a bone marrow transplant -- hopefully from a member of her biological family -- said she is waiting anxiously to see if a man, that many believed to be Kailee's biological father, could really be the little girl's savior. Wells, who arrived in Beijing in mid-

Official Clarifies Misreported Criminal Cases
Using pictures and fact sheets, a top Chinese official on religious affairs on Tuesday clarified for the US media two recent criminal cases in China which had been misreported. "The Constitution of China guarantees the religious freedom and protects normal and legal religious activities," said Ye Xiaowen, director of China's State Administration for Religious Affairs. "However, no one in the country is allowed to use religious affairs as an excuse to undermine the public order or damage the phys

More Taiwanese Visit Mainland in 2002
Over 3.66 million Taiwanese people visited the Chinese mainland last year, an increase of 6.35 percent over the previous year, according to the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). In recent years, tourism exchanges across the Taiwan Straits have grown and Taiwanese visitors to the mainland have continued to rise. The total number of Taiwanese going to the mainland in the last15 years was 27.46 million and the reasons for their travel have turned from family visits to tourism and busine

China's Largest Container Ship Commences Operations
China's largest 5668-TEU container vessel, the "New Dalian" commenced operations Monday in Dalian, a port city in northeast China's Liaoning Province. The 279.6-meter-long ship, built by Dalian New Ship Heavy Industries Co. Ltd, was especially designed for the China Marine (Group) Corp. The "New Dalian", which can achieve a maximum speed of 26 knots, is the fastest and most advanced container ship in China. The manufacturer has produced two other container ships of the same quality, an indicator

More Foreign Trading Rights to Private Sector
The country's foreign trade industry, which used to be monopolized by the state, may be opening up further to the non-state sector, but trade experts warn that domestic private businesses have yet to learn how to export. Since China started to relax controls on domestic private businesses' entrance to the foreign trade sector in 1999, about 20,000 enterprises have gained trading rights, according to official statistics. Private companies have become an important force in foreign trade, notching

Revived Nuo Street Spectacle in Lanzhou
The mysterious folk traditions and mythic arts of the east have long held a fascination for the west. Indeed, many such traditions are thought marvelous by the Chinese too. In the Spring Festival, this year of the sheep, Lanzhou, the capital city of Gansu Province, held a street performance of junnuo that astonished the audience with its spec