China Star level Hotels

China Star level Hotels

China Begins Relocating Airport in Western China
China has launched a project to relocate an airport in southern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China, local aviation officials said on Monday.
Located in Sinir township, 17 km south of Korla city, the new Korla Airport project is estimated

Society Unearthes Loulan's Secrets
A new society for the study of Loulan, the city known as "China's Pompeii in the desert," has been formed in Korla of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Pompeii is the Italian town that was buried under volcanic ash nearly 2,000 years

Former 'Manchukuo' Palace Opens to Public
The palace of "Manchukuo" - a puppet regime (1932-45) installed in northeastern China by Japanese invaders - is being renovated in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, and part of it has opened to the public.
The palace housed Aisin-gioro Pu Yi (1906-

Typhoon Lands in Hainan
China's first tropical storm of the year hit South China's Hainan Province last night, triggering torrential rain and injuring several people. Typhoon Koni landed in the island province's city of Wanning at 6:40 pm on Monday. A strong gale of force 9 - traveling at 20 meters per second - swept the city in eastern Hainan on Monday with gusts of force 11 winds traveling at 28 meters per second that damaged or uprooted many trees, local meteorologists told China Daily. Typhoon

Typhoon Lands in Hainan
China's first tropical storm of the year hit South China's Hainan Province last night, triggering torrential rain and injuring several people. Typhoon Koni landed in the island province's city of Wanning at 6:40 pm yesterday. A strong gale of force 9 - traveling at 20 meters per second - swept the city in eastern Hainan yesterday with gusts of force 11 winds traveling at 28 meters per second that damaged or uprooted many trees, local meteorologists told China Daily. Typhoon Koni is moving in a n

Typhoon Lands in Hainan
China's first tropical storm of the year hit south China's Hainan Province last night, triggering torrential rain and injuring several people. Typhoon Koni landed in the island province's city of Wanning at 6:40 pm yesterday. A strong gale of force 9 -- traveling at 20 meters per second -- swept the city in eastern Hainan yesterday with gusts of force 11 winds traveling at 28 meters per second that damaged or uprooted many trees, local meteorologists told China Daily. Typhoo

Historic Trees Need Help in Changchun
Most of the historic trees in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin Province, are in urgent need of protection. The city has a total of 16 historic trees, 10 of which need "special treatment," according to Yang Yuanxin, a senior official from the Changchun afforestation committee. The trees' ages range from 70 years to over 500 years and most are willows, pines or elm. There were once four willows, ranging in age from 70 years to over 200 years, in Shuangyang Distric

China Reports 8,880 Star-level Hotels
The number of star-level hotels in China amounted to 8,880 by the end of 2002, according to statistics released by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).
There were 7,358 star-level hotels at the end of 2001. According to the CNTA sta

Beijing Inspects Summer Edibles
Beijing health authorities are kicking off a 10-day food inspection campaign today to ensure a safe market for consumers in the summertime, a period known for a high incidence of food poisoning.
Outdoor catering at night, which is very popular in Beiji

Guangzhou airport passes ICAO anti-SARS
assessment
Experts from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said Monday they are fully satisfied with the complete and sound implementation of all anti-SARS measures proposed by the organization in the Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, the

Domestic Tourism Market Opened to Foreign Investment
China just approved a regulation allowing foreign investment in travel agencies, much earlier than World Trade Organization (WTO) commitment. Less than one week after the issue of the regulation, Jalpak was allowed to set up a totally foreign funded travel agency. "Foreign enterprises will promote the brands formation of China's travel agencies," said Wu Bihu, an expert with Beijing University. Some people argued, the limitation in the new regulation such as not allowing to

Shenzhen Tourism Recovers from SARS Shock
Sixty-one-year-old Beijinger Zhang Qikun spent his weekend with his family in Shenzhen, a booming south China city about three hour's flight from Zhang's home in China's capital.
Enjoying himself in Shenzhen's thronged Happy Kingdom, a Disney-like them

Domestic Tourism Market Opened to Foreign Investment
China just approved a regulation allowing foreign investment in travel agencies, much earlier than World Trade Organization (WTO) commitment.
Less than one week after the issue of the regulation, Jalpak was allowed to set up a totally foreign funded tr

Tibet Simplifies Tourism Procedures for Taiwanese Tourists
The Tourism Bureau of the Tibet Autonomous Region has announced its decision to simplify procedures for Taiwanese tourists to enter Tibet.
Previously, compatriots from Taiwan who intended to travel in Tibet were required to first undergo a series of pr

Cuba Approved as Chinese Tourism Destination
China and Cuba signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Wednesday, allowing Chinese travel groups to visit the Caribbean country. Cuba is the first nation in the Western Hemisphere to gain Approved Destination Status (ADS) from the Chinese government. So far, China has signed 28 MOUs with different nations and regions. Chinese group travelers can go to 24 nations and regions altogether. Cuba has over 1,600 islands and tourism is an important industry. In recent years, the

Vice Premier: China Pushes Forward International Cooperation
China's speedy development in the past 20 years is closely associated with international cooperation, thus China likes to push forward economic cooperation with ASEM members and other countries, said Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi when addressing the opening ceremony of the fifth ASEM Economic Ministers' Meeting. The meeting officially convened in Dalian Thursday morning. More than 250 delegates from 26 ASEM members discussed six main issues like world economy, WTO talks, trade and investment

More Rural People in Guangxi Have Access to Quality Drinking Water
Construction of water projects in rural Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China, has provided access to quality drinking water over the past five years for a further 5.33 million people. Zhang Huode, deputy director of Guangxi regional water resources bureau, said the region had launched three projects to build quality drinking water projects for rural people since 1998. So far, 833 water supply stations have been constructed in the region's townships and major villages.
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HK to Invite Famous Stars to International Festival
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has decided to host an international festival starting as of mid-October to help rebuild Hong Kong's international image.
During the festival period, US, British and Australian top music stars

Cuba Approved as Chinese Tourism Destination
China and Cuba signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Wednesday, allowing Chinese travel groups to visit the Caribbean country.
Cuba is the first nation in the Western Hemisphere to gain Approved Destination Status (ADS) from the Chinese government

New Air Route Links Guangzhou and Lhasa, via Shangri-La
A new air route connecting Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, to Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region will be launched on Saturday.
The new air route will be operated by China Southern Airlines (CSA) and flig

Ministry of Health Press Release (July 25) on SARS
The Press Office under the Ministry of Health published Friday afternoon a press release on the latest SARS situation on the Chinese mainland.
From 10:00 am July 24 to 10:00 am July 25, the Chinese mainland reported no new diagnosed or suspected SARS c

China's Oldest Grotto Grave Unearthed in SW China
A Neolithic grotto grave was recently found in Nongshan Mountain of southwestern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, unveiling the burial secrets of the Luoyue People, ancestors of China's largest ethnic group, the Zhuang.
Situated in the Xianhu town in

Number of Road Transport Passengers Soars in July
The daily number of passengers using buses in China surged 80 percent this month compared with May, which saw the lowest passenger volume due to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The Ministry of Communications said Friday that daily passenger volume now stands at about 90 percent of that in the same day last year. Cargo transportation has also reached the volume in the same period last year. The outbreak of SARS in China had a strong impact on road transport

Number of Road Transport Passengers Soars in July
The daily number of passengers using buses in China surged 80 percent this month compared with May, which saw the lowest passenger volume due to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The Ministry of Communications said Friday that daily passenger volume now stands at about 90 percent of that in the same day last year. Cargo transportation has also reached the volume in the same period last year. The outbreak of SARS in China had a strong impact on road transport

Hong Kong Tipped as Offshore Renminbi Center
The city has been tipped to become China's center for offshore renminbi business, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa said on Friday. Hong Kong would be chosen if the mainland proceeds with the plan, Tung said, while revealing other free-trade measures being rolled out to help Hong Kong's economic recovery and restructuring. The mainland will consider allowing Hong Kong banks to conduct renminbi business for individuals on a trial basis, including deposits, remittances, exchange and cred

HK Tipped as Offshore RMB Centre
Hong Kong has been tipped to become China's centre for offshore Renminbi business, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa said Friday. The city would be chosen if the mainland proceeds with the plan, Tung said, while revealing other free-trade measures being rolled out to help Hong Kong's economic recovery and restructuring. The mainland will consider allowing Hong Kong banks to conduct Renminbi business for individuals on a trial basis, including deposits, remittances, exchange and credit

Park Life
Beijing Yanqing National Geological Park of Silica Woods remains one of the more unpopular destinations for travellers since its opening a year ago. The name of the park sounds academic and carries an insipid meaning to most people who would never expect it to possess all the necessary elements for an ideal travel destination in terms of natural history and beautiful scenery. Located 100km north of Beijing, the park is actually larger than its name indicates. It is situated on the

Airline Companies Increase Capacity in China
Airline companies from home and abroad are increasing capacity since China began to resume tourism activities with the diminishing of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) fears.
Air China's flights from Qingdao to Seoul will increase to twice weekl

Qiantang Tide-watching Festival to Be Held in September
This year's China international tide-watching festival on the Qiantang River will be staged in Haining City of east China's coastal province of Zhejiang Sept.12-16.
The festival, an annual event, will be jointly held by Zhejiang provincial bureau of to

Visa Fees to Change
Official charges for various types of Chinese visas are to be adjusted from August 1, with increases for visitors from non-reciprocal countries. However, the current charges for other certificates such as residence permits will remain unchanged. The adjustments, announced by the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau, were in accordance with a circular issued by the Ministry of Public Security. Visitors from non-reciprocal countries, which have not reached an agreement wi

Old Battlefields Become Commercial Fairs
On June 28, the third meeting of the Standing Committee of the 10th National Peoplea s Congress ratified the motion of Chinaa s joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) as well as two amended protocols. According to the treaty, all parties should settle disputes and conflicts through peaceful means instead of by a use of force or to threaten by force; any party should not attend any activities against the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrit

City in Southwest China Taps Tourism Around Three Gorges
Chongqing City on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River plans to build the Three Gorges Reservoir area into one of China's most popular tourist destinations.
The reservoir, which began to fill with water on June 1, is part of the Three Gorges Project,

Northeast China's City to Host Int'l Sculpture Conference
The capital of Northeast China's Jilin Province will host the country's largest ever urban sculpture conference between August 2 and September 8.
More than 500 artists from over 80 countries and regions - including Canada and Singapore - have already c

Airbus Plane Makes Successful Trial Flight over Tibet
An Airbus A319, powered by V2500 engines from International Aero Engines (IAE), has successfully completed high-attitude demonstration flights at two of world's highest airports in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The aircraft used for the demonstrations o

Premier Firm on Economic Policy Post SARS
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Monday recommitted the country to hold firm on the economic strategies adopted five years ago in a further sign that fears of a SARS induced economic crisis have abated. Speaking at a high-level conference to discuss the post-SARS environment in China, Wen pledged his support for the key pillars of the country's economic strategy - proactive fiscal policy and a strong and stable monetary policy. Such a reaffirmation is a slight step down from the initial

New-look Airline Takes Flight
Air China, the nation's flagship airline, announced on Monday the company had finished its business regrouping to join China Southwest Airlines and Zhejiang Airlines, and had been formally authorized to operate in domestic and international air routes by

Old Imperial Palace Gets Spruced up
Shenyang's old imperial palace, one of two in the nation, is getting spruced up for next month's United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inspection.
The Shenyang imperial palace, the only integrated royal architectural

Search On for Missing Reporters
More than 200 rescuers are searching a primeval forest in northeast China's Jilin Province in an effort to find three reporters who disappeared six days ago in a Bermuda Triangle-like jungle region. Five rescue teams, consisting of local lumberjacks, officials and forest police, have combed the "Ganfanpen" region in the Changbai Mountains, but failed to find any traces. Continuous rainfall in the region had hampered the rescue efforts. The rescue headquarters said the search

Buddhist Temple Stands the Test of Time
Retired worker Zhang Ande decided to make a pilgrimage, July 29, to Tanzhe Temple in western Beijing's Mentougou District, after reading a report that the ancient temple was celebrating its 1,696th anniversary. "An old saying goes that 'First there was the founding of Tanzhe Temple, then the city of Beijing,'" Zhang said. "I was told Beijing will celebrate its 850th anniversary as capital this year." Established in the first year of Yongjia (AD 307) during the Western Jin Dynasty (

Macao International Music Festival to Start on Oct. 10
The 17th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) will be staged from October 10 to November 2, the Macao Cultural Institute announced on Tuesday.
The annual musical event will draw famous artists and orchestral bands from around the world, who will p

National Nature Reserve Established in Xinjiang
Wild camels in a nature reserve in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will be better protected since the area has been upgraded by the State Council to a national nature reserve.
The Lop Nur Wild Camel Nature Reserve in Xinjiang was join

New Digging to Probe Mystery of Ancient Sanxingdui Ruins
Archeologists will launch a large-scale excavation at the Sanxingdui Ruins in southwest China's Sichuan Province this year to probe the mysteries of a lost civilization dating back more than 3,000 years.
Officials said work at the Sanxingdui ruins woul

Bids Ensure Equal Treatment for Land Developers
Shanghai government yesterday leveled the playing field for residential real estate developers by launching a public bidding system that allows overseas and domestic companies to compete for the same projects and on the same financial footing. Usage rights for five parcels will be set out for bids tomorrow - the first time mainland and overseas firms will receive equal treatment in the costs they pay for leasing government-owned land. While industry analysts aren't predicting any major changes i

Travel Agency Wins in Lawsuit on Abbreviated English Name
The China Youth Travel Service (CYTS) has won a lawsuit to allow it to use its abbreviated English name in an advertisement. The No.1 Intermediate People's Court in Beijing decided to overturn a resolution by the General Administration for Industry and Commerce (GAIC) Trademark Board which turned down an appeal by the CYTS on the dispute. In October 1988, the National Tourism Administration approved the use CYTS as the firm's English abbreviation. In May 2000, the travel agency, on

Mainland Tourist Open-up to Speed up Macao's Recovery
With the Mainland's ease of Macao-bound travel restrictions, the Special Administrative Region is now confident to see a strong upturn in the second half year to mend the losses inflicted by the aftermath of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the first half year. Four cities in south China's Guangdong Province, which neighbors Macao with a land border gate, were designated to pilot facilitated individual travel (FIT) services to Macao and Hong Kong starting on Monday. Beij

China Eastern's New Arrival
An A340-600 aircraft, the world's longest commercial airliner, landed at Pudong International Airport yesterday to join the fleet of China Eastern Airlines.
The arrival marks a first for the ultra-long haul and high-capacity aircraft to go into service

Mainland Tourist Open-up to Speed up Macao's Recovery
With the Mainland's ease of Macao-bound travel restrictions, the Special Administrative Region is now confident to see a strong upturn in the second half year to mend the losses inflicted by the aftermath of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the

Arrival Figures Show Sign of HK Tourism Recovery
A total of 725,236 visitor arrivals were recorded in Hong Kong in June 2003, according to figures issued Wednesday by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).
While this represents a drop of 38.2 percent compared with the same month of 2002, it is a conside

Tourists Banned from Wild Sections of Great Wall
Beginning in August, hikers and visitors will not be permitted to explore those unprotected sections of the Great Wall around Beijing. This was written in various Great Wall Protection Measures promulgated by the Beijing Municipality on Friday to retain the authentic flavor of the Great Wall. For those who have only been to the officially recommended sections of the Great Wall, it might take a while for them to link these not-so-gorgeous parts of the Wall to the symbol of Chinese civiliza

Singapore Simplifies Chinese Travelers Visa Procedure
Singapore is simplifying visa procedures for Chinese travelers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Travelers in these cities can apply for tourism visas via three authorized travel agencies, paying 600 yuan (US$75) as a visa application fee, a 5,000 to 10,000 yuan (US$625 to US$1,250) deposit to guarantee their return, an employer's certificate, and an asset certificate showing at least 10,000 yuan (US$1,250). Visas could be granted within five days, said an official with China You

More Cash Needed to Travel as Deals End
Travelers will begin paying more for both domestic and overseas tour packages beginning today. The increased charges are a result of airlines raising fares, said local travel agencies in Shanghai. Officials from Shanghai travel agencies estimate prices will rebound to the pre-SARS level, ending the preferential deals aimed at bolstering the tourism sector. To rejuvenate the tourism industry, stagnant for months due to SARS, local travel agencies cut prices for most travel packages

Air China, CMB Launch First International Airline Card
Air China and China Merchants Bank (CMB) have launched China's first international airline credit card, the Air China Frequent Flyer Credit Card.
The card combines the advantages of Air China's frequent flyer card and the CMB credit card. Holders can u

Great Wall: Heartbreaking Destruction in Shaanxi
Recently another incident of cultural relic destruction happened in Dingbian County, Shaanxi Province, not long after the Han Dynasty Tomb in Haotan was scrambled and demolished.
Without the permission from the local administration of cultural relics p

More Cash Needed to Travel as Deals End
Travelers will begin paying more for both domestic and overseas tour packages beginning today. The increased charges are a result of airlines raising fares, said local travel agencies in Shanghai.
Officials from Shanghai travel agencies estimate prices

Mainland Move Aids Macao Tourism
The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) is expecting to see a strong upturn in the second half of this year, which will mend the losses inflicted on the region by SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Four cities in South China's Guangdong Province, which shares a land border with Macao, have been designated to pilot facilitated individual travel (FIT) services to Macao and Hong Kong starting on Monday. The four cities are Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan and Jiangmen.

Mainland Move Aids Macao Tourism
The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) is expecting to see a strong upturn in the second half of this year, which will mend the losses inflicted on the region by SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Four cities in South China's Guangdong Province, which shares a land border with Macao, have been designated to pilot facilitated individual travel (FIT) services to Macao and Hong Kong starting on Monday. The four cities are Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan and Jiangmen.

Mainland Move Aids Macao Tourism
The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) is expecting to see a strong upturn in the second half of this year, which will mend the losses inflicted on the region by SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).
Four cities in South China's Guangdong Pr

Chinese Art Festival to Take on African Theme
China will stage the fourth "Meet in Beijing" Arts Festival in 2004 with an African theme and atmosphere, as Africa will be the guest continent, Vice-Minister of Culture Meng Xiaosi announced Friday.
Meng told a gathering of envoys and cultural officia

New Event on Cultural Calendar for Lu Xun
Shaoxing in East China's Zhejiang Province, where literary great Lu Xun lived for one-third of his life, will hold the first Lu Xun Culture and Arts Festival on October 16 as a preface to next year's Seventh Chinese Arts Festival.
The Seventh Chinese A

China-Vietnam Maritime Travel Route Resumes Operation
A maritime travel route linking south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Ha Long Vinh of Vietnam has resumed operation after a suspension of more than three months. Travel services on the route were suspended due to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), according to tourism sources in Guangxi. More than 400 tourists from across China took the "Minghui Princess" passenger liner from Beihai of Guangxi to Ha Long Vinh late Friday, according to the Beihai

Airline Companies Quicken Pace of Replacing Aircraft
China's airline companies are speeding up the addition of new aircraft in order to meet growing market demand. The first Airbus A319 ordered by Air China recently arrived in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. By 2005, the airline company will have another seven such aircraft. The first Airbus A340-600 joined China Eastern Airlines recently and will be operated on the Shanghai-Los Angeles route. Two more A340-600s and seven A320-214s will be introduced to Ch

Airline Companies Quicken Pace of Replacing Aircraft
China's airline companies are speeding up the addition of new aircraft in order to meet growing market demand.
The first Airbus A319 ordered by Air China recently arrived in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. By 2005, the airline comp

Ancient Techniques Alive and Well in Yangzhou
I first saw some thread-bound ancient Chinese books sold at a small bookstore this spring in Yangzhou, a beautiful and historic city in East China's Jiangsu Province, I didn't want to let them out of my sight.
Bound with thread, the reader turns the pa

Traffic Resumes on Blocked Lanzhou-Lianyungang Railway
Traffic resumed on the Lanzhou-Lianyungang railway after the national trunk line was blocked for more than nine hours by a derailed cargo train, railway officials said Monday.
The train ran out of rails at 00:30 am Monday in the Xinfengzhen section of

Wind-borne Locusts Dwindle in Hohhot
The plague of locusts that hit Hohhot last week had trickled down to only a handful yesterday, said agricultural officials in the capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The brown insects, whose scientific name is Oedaleus asiaticus, have been puzzling technicians, as many experts had previously believed that this type of locust could not migrate a long distance. Chen Jing, director of the city's plant protection station, said: "The number of locusts peaked on We

Tourism Resumes Along Sino-Vietnamese Border
Tourism along the Sino-Vietnamese border which had been interrupted because of the SARS outbreak in parts of China was fully resumed Tuesday. A ceremony was held Tuesday morning at a bridge linking a Vietnamese border town and Dongxing City in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to mark the full resumption of tourism activities. Tourism officials in Dongxing said border tourism between the two countries was interrupted on April 20 when the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

Qualified Education Reaches NW. China's Border Area Via Internet
An on-line education program produced by a prestigious Beijing-based middle school has reached the Altay Uygur prefecture of northwest China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region via the Internet and satellite. Kang Jian, head of the Middle School Attached to Peking University, one of Beijing's leading middle schools, said the on-line education program includes films which will help students in the country's educationally backward areas share resources with their city counterparts. The Midd

US Visa Halt Inconvenient
The suspension of two US visa programmes that allow some classes of international air passengers to transit through the United States without first obtaining a visa does not seem to be bothering Chinese companies as they predict that the impact will be limited. Most Beijing-based import & export companies told China Daily that their business in Latin America is not likely to be seriously affected by the suspension because they usually transit via European airports. Business in Lati

Wind-borne Locusts Dwindle in Hohhot
The plague of locusts that hit Hohhot last week had trickled down to only a handful yesterday, said agricultural officials in the capital of North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The brown insects, whose scientific name is Oedaleus asiaticus, have been puzzling technicians, as many experts had previously believed that this type of locust could not migrate a long distance. Chen Jing, director of the city's plant protection station, said: "The number of locusts peaked on We

Hangzhou out to Woo Urban Tourists
Hangzhou, a popular tour destination in Zhejiang Province, is in for a flood of visitors from Shanghai during the upcoming weeklong National Day holiday if a report carried by a newspaper yesterday is true. According to the Shanghai-based Youth Daily, Hangzhou's vice mayor revealed that during the holidays, Shanghai tourists who go to hotels and restaurants around the scenic West Lake can avail a 40 percent discount. In addition, parks and scenic spots will be open to public for fr

Tourism Resumes Along Sino-Vietnamese Border
Tourism along the Sino-Vietnamese border which had been interrupted because of the SARS outbreak in parts of China was fully resumed Tuesday. A ceremony was held Tuesday morning at a bridge linking a Vietnamese border town and Dongxing City in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to mark the full resumption of tourism activities. Tourism officials in Dongxing said border tourism between the two countries was interrupted on April 20 when the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

China Vows to Revitalize SARS-hit Restaurants, Hotels
The Ministry of Commerce yesterday announced a plan to help revive the SARS-hit catering and hotel industries through a series of promotions and by offering them support.
The plan aims to help the catering industry maintain revenue growth of 12 percent

Hangzhou out to Woo Urban Tourists
Hangzhou, a popular tour destination in Zhejiang Province, is in for a flood of visitors from Shanghai during the upcoming weeklong National Day holiday if a report carried by a newspaper yesterday is true.
According to the Shanghai-based Youth Daily,

Beijingers Go Mad over Souvenirs
Products featuring the new logo of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games sold like hot cakes in Beijing yesterday, the first full day after the logo was officially launched.
A shop assistant surnamed Li at the Beijing Wangfujing Department Store said: "We hav

Japanese to Visit China Visa-free on Short-stay
Japanese could be able to travel to China visa-free on short-stay visits under a proposal to be discussed early next week. China's Foreign Ministry confirmed Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing would discuss the issue on his four-day visit to Japan that starts on Sunday. "We are willing to work with the Japanese to further facilitate exchange sand to promote people-to-people contact between our two countries," said a Foreign Ministry official. For years, Japanese have been the single bigg

Experts Gather to Discuss Methods Promoting Tourism Recovery
Experts gathered here Tuesday to discuss methods of promoting tourism recovery after the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The catering and tourism industries began to rebound, but the influence of SARS will last longer. Inbound tourism is a typical example, which not only hurt the short-term interests of tourism enterprises, but also the desire of international tourists, said Bo Baohua, vice general manager of China Travel Service. He appealed for the government to provide furthe

Japanese to Visit China Visa-free
Japanese could be able to travel to China visa-free on short-stay visits under a proposal to be discussed early next week. China's Foreign Ministry Tuesday confirmed Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing would discuss the issue on his four-day visit to Japan that starts on Sunday. "We are willing to work with the Japanese to further facilitate exchange sand to promote people-to-people contact between our two countries," said a Foreign Ministry official For years, Japanese have been t

Yan'an Issues Appeal for Pagoda
The city of Yan'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province is calling for donations to save the pagoda on Pagoda Mountain, a symbol of the city. Landslides and other geological factors have meant that the pagoda has already slid northwest by 28 to 30.5 centimeters. The city's relics protection department has approved a remedial plan to protect the pagoda, but the cost is estimated at 80 million yuan (US$9.6 million), which local government cannot afford, local officials said.

Japanese to Visit China Visa-free on Short-stay
Japanese could be able to travel to China visa-free on short-stay visits under a proposal to be discussed early next week. China's Foreign Ministry confirmed Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing would discuss the issue on his four-day visit to Japan that starts on Sunday. "We are willing to work with the Japanese to further facilitate exchange sand to promote people-to-people contact between our two countries," said a Foreign Ministry official For years, Japanese have been the single bigge

CAAC to Open Post to Hear Complaints
A new service center is expected to be in place this week to deal with complaints from civil aviation passengers. As the first full-time service center under the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), the nation's civil aviation regulator, the department will also ensure domestic airlines fulfill their commitments to passengers. "Though the service supervision function had existed inside CAAC's transport department for a long time, it's the first time a center co

China's Tourism Expected to Contribute 11 Percent
of GDP by 2020
China's tourism now occupies 5.4 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), and by 2020, the proportion will reach 11 percent, He Guangwei, director of China's National Tourism Administration, said at a tourism seminar in Beijing Tuesday.
He said tha

Experts Gather to Discuss Methods Promoting Tourism
Recovery
Experts gathered here Tuesday to discuss methods of promoting tourism recovery after the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The catering and tourism industries began to rebound, but the influence of SARS will last longer. Inbound tourism is a ty

CAAC to Open Post to Hear Complaints
A new service center is expected to be in place this week to deal with complaints from civil aviation passengers.
As the first full-time service center under the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), the nation's civil aviation regu

Beijing-Shanghai Rail Project Bidding War
With a 20-billion-dollar project as the prize, bidding on the Beijing-Shanghai express railway project has become a major battle. Japan's Transport Minister Chikage Ogi has left Beijing after meeting with China's Railway Ministry officials on Tuesday. No one can say which of the three bidders -- Japan, Germany and France -- will take the prize. The only thing certain is that the war goes on. Things are getting hotter than ever in the battle for China's Beijing-Shanghai express railway. Te

Nation's Air Travel Recovers from SARS
Passenger flow in most domestic airports has recovered or is close to full recovery from the effects of the SARS epidemic, sources with the civil aviation regulator said.
Most airlines have resumed operation of major air routes interrupted by the outbr

Ttravel Limitations to Hong Kong, Macao Eased
Residents of five more Chinese cities may travel to Hong Kong and Macao on an individual basis beginning in September, according to a new policy released here Thursday by the Ministry of Public Security. According to the ministry, residents of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai can apply for the travel permissionto Hong Kong and Macao as of Sept.1. Beginning July 28, residents of Zhongshan, Dongguan, Jiangmen and Foshan of south China's Guangdong Province could apply

30 New Measures Cover Household Registration, Passports and Licences
Chinese people will soon find it easier to live and travel where they choose under changes to take effect within months. The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced yesterday it will introduce 30 reforms involving household registration, travel, traffic management and fire control. China will ease household registration rules in its vast western areas to encourage university graduates and investors to migrate and invest there, said Vice-Public Security Minister Bai Jingfu at ye

Reports on Forced Move of Old Archway Spark Row
Xiama Archway at the 14th century Xiaoling Tomb may be moved north to make way for a widened highway connecting Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, and Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. Authorities at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park, which is in charge of the Xiaoling Tomb, refused to comment on the reported move, as did the Nanjing city government. However, Yang Weiguo -- head of the Xuanwu District construction bureau under the Nanjing Cons

Police: No Mainland Criminals Permitted for Hong Kong
Vice Minister of Public Security Bai Jingfu declared on August 7 at a press conference that no mainland offenders would be allowed to visit or move to Hong Kong. With the implementation of the new regulation that people in the mainland may apply for the pass to travel in Hong Kong as individuals, more mainland residents will visit Hong Kong. "It is therefore unavoidable that among them there will be a few criminal offenders," said Bai. "But the Ministry of Public Security will closely coo

Reforms Make Life and Travel Much Easier
Chinese people will soon find it easier to live and travel where they choose under changes to take effect within months. The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced yesterday it will introduce 30 reforms involving household registration, travel, traffic management and fire control. China will ease household registration rules in its vast western areas to encourage university graduates and investors to migrate and invest there, said Vice-Public Security Minister Bai Jingfu at ye

Jackie Chan's Biggest Fans Get Their Channce to Meet Idol
Jackie Chan fans from the world came to meet their idol in Hong Kong on special "Meet Jackie" travel packages. The special packages are among a number of activities to which the Hong Kong-born superstar has agreed to lend his name in support of the Global Tourism Revival Campaign launched by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Jackie, who has been Hong Kong's official Tourism Ambassador since 1995, met fans from the US and Europe who had gathered after arriving on various different flight

Travel Limitations to HK, Macao to Loosen
Residents of five more Chinese cities may travel to Hong Kong and Macao on an individual basis beginning in September, according to a new policy released Thursday by the Ministry of Public Security. According to the ministry, residents of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai can apply for the travel permission to Hong Kong and Macao as of Sept.1. Beginning July 28, residents of Zhongshan, Dongguan, Jiangmen and Foshan of south China's Guangdong Province could apply for

Airport in Hainan Island to Open to Foreign Planes
Haikou Meilan Airport in Haikou, capital of the tropical island province of Hainan in south China, has been approved by the Chinese government as an international airport open to foreign-owned airplanes. The airport, which can accommodate large planes such as the Boeing 747-400, has been renamed Haikou Meilan International Airport. The airport is upgrading its infrastructure facilities, including terminals and lighting systems, in accordance with international standards, said an ai

Travel Limitations to HK, Macao to Loosen
Residents of five more Chinese cities may travel to Hong Kong and Macao on an individual basis beginning in September, according to a new policy released Thursday by the Ministry of Public Security.
According to the ministry, residents of Beijing, Shan

Reports on Forced Move of Old Archway Spark Row
Xiama Archway at the 14th century Xiaoling Tomb may be moved north to make way for a widened highway connecting Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, and Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province.
Authorities at the Sun Y

Airport in China's Hainan Island to open to foreign planes
Haikou Meilan Airport in Haikou, capital of the tropical island province of Hainan in south China, has been approved by the Chinese government as an international airport open to foreign-owned airplanes.
The airport, which can accommodate large planes

Passenger Flow at South China's Busiest Airport Recovering
Passenger transport service at Baiyun Airport, one of China's busiest airports based in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, has been recovering rapidly from SARS as a growing number of people travel to the southern Chinese province for business or tourism purposes. Airport authorities said that the daily flow of passengers at the airport has remained over 50,000 in the past days. A total of 5,377 domestic air flights with 586,000 passengers were handled in July, almost the sa

High on Mountain Life in China
A trip to the Siguniang Mountains in July can be truly unpredictable.
You look forward to an azure sky, scorching sunshine and spectacular snow-capped mountains before the trip -- only to find drizzle, chilly thin air and peaks obscured by clouds.
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Passenger flow at south China's busiest airport recovering
Passenger transport service at Baiyun Airport, one of China's busiest airports based in Guangzhou,capital of Guangdong province, has been recovering rapidly from SARS as a growing number of people travel to the southern Chinese province for business or to

Regulation Enacted to Protect Imperial Summer Resort
North China's Hebei Province has enacted a regulation to protect the Imperial Summer Resort (Summer Mountain Villa), one of China's best-known imperial resorts, in Chengde City. Listed on the UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1994, the summer resort and surrounding temples make up the largest surviving imperial garden and temples, dating back to the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). They represent the high architectural art of Chinese classical buildings and gardens. Zhang Shiru, vice chairma

Beijing Declaration on Revitalizing Tourism for ASEAN, China, Japan and ROK
The Special Meeting of Tourism Ministers of ASEAN and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK)issued a declaration in Beijing on August 9. The full text follows: Beijing Declaration on Revitalizing Tourism for ASEAN, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea We, the Tourism Ministers of Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapo

Tourism Heads Map out Future
Tourism ministers from ASEAN nations and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) gathered in Beijing at the weekend to thrash out issues to try and revitalize the tourism industry in the region. During Saturday's meeting, the 13 tourism ministers issued a Beijing declaration on revitalizing tourism for ASEAN, China, Japan and the ROK, in the wake of the potentially fatal SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) disease. The ministers agreed that SARS, which broke out early thi

Sluice Gate Opens to Clean up Shanghai's River
In an effort to prevent a large oil spill from polluting a main source of Shanghai's tap water, a sluice gate in Jiangsu Province was opened Sunday afternoon to release water from the Taihu Lake at the upper reaches of the Huangpu River. The oil spill is downstream from the tap-water source, but due to low water levels in the river officials were worried the oil would travel upstream. To stop that from happening, they opened the Taipu River Sluice Gate to raise water levels and push the s

Yan'an Pagoda Develops Lean
Yan'an Pagoda, the sacred symbol of the Chinese revolution, has developed a lean that has tilted it between 280-305 millimeters, said the local administrative office. Standing on Mount Pagoda in the city of Yan'an City in Shaanxi Province, Yan'an Pagoda has a dangerous lean caused by frequent landslides in recent years, said Zhao Suijin, director of the administrative office. The 44-meter-high pagoda, an eight-square and nine-story pavilion-like turret built in the Tang Dynasty (61

Tourism Heads Map out Future
Tourism ministers from ASEAN nations and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) gathered in Beijing on August 9 to thrash out issues to try and revitalize the tourism industry in the region. During Saturday's meeting, the 13 tourism ministers issued a Beijing declaration on revitalizing tourism for ASEAN, China, Japan and the ROK, in the wake of the potentially fatal SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) disease. The ministers agreed that SARS, which broke out early this y

Tourism Heads Map out Future
Tourism ministers from ASEAN nations and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) gathered in Beijing on August 9 to thrash out issues to try and revitalize the tourism industry in the region.
During Saturday's meeting, the 13 tourism ministers iss

Masterpieces of Over 300 Chinese Artists on Show
More than 650 works by over 300 contemporary Chinese artists are being exhibited in Beijing at the "Today's China Arts" exhibition at the China Centenary Monument.
The one-month exhibition is divided into six sections: traditional Chinese painting, oil

Regulation Enacted to Protect Imperial Summer Resort
North China's Hebei Province has enacted a regulation to protect the Imperial Summer Resort (Summer Mountain Villa), one of China's best-known imperial resorts, in Chengde City.
Listed on the UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1994, the summer resort and

Yan'an Pagoda Develops Lean
Yan'an Pagoda, the sacred symbol of the Chinese revolution, has developed a lean that has tilted it between 280-305 millimeters, said the local administrative office.
Standing on Mount Pagoda in the city of Yan'an City in Shaanxi Province, Yan'an Pagod

Tourists Alarmed by Poisoning
At least 30 members of a Beijing tour group have fallen ill because of food poisoning in Dalian, a famous tourist site in Northeast China's Liaoning Province over the weekend, but no deaths were reported. The tourists showed symptoms of vomiting, diarrhoea and fever and were sent to hospitals for treatment early Sunday morning, according to sources with Dalian's Railway and Friendship Hospitals. Jiang Bing, a doctor with the Railway Hospital, said in a phone interview that 29 membe

Top Anhui Distiller Invests in City Hotel
A well-known Anhui Province distiller opened a four-star hotel in Shanghai yesterday to cash in on the city's growing hospitality industry. The 290-room Holiday Inn Vista Shanghai was built at a cost of more than 250 million yuan (US$30.12 million) by the Gujing Group. Producing one of China's top-five liquor brands, Gujing is a leading Anhui taxpayer. Distilled in the small town of Bozhou, Gujing Spirit has a history of 1,800 years and was known as an imperial tribute to Ch

Beijing-Colombo Flights Soon
China and Sri Lanka plan to open direct flights in November next year, aiming to boost tourism between an emerging outbound tourist market and "a land like no other." Paddy Withana, chairman of Sri Lanka's Board of Tourism, told a Beijing seminar yesterday that Colombo and Beijing would be linked by a direct flight each week after the two countries finalized the paperwork. He described Sri Lanka as a special place that attracted Chinese people with its modern facilities, cultural s

First Taxi Emblem Debuts in Hangzhou
Hangzhou became the first city in the country to have its own taxi emblem as a red zigzag-shaped logo was chosen after votes by both citizens and a panel of experts on Sunday. The emblem, designed by Zhou Weiguo, vice managing director of Shengzhou Taxi Co.Ltd, was singled out from five candidate emblems and will appear as badges in caps of the cabbies. The taxi emblem, written in Chinese calligraphy, looks like the "three ponds reflecting the moon," a scenic spot at the West Lake,

Accor Announces Biggest Expansion Plan in China's Mainland Hotel Market
Accor, one of the world's largest groups in travel, tourism and corporate services, announced Monday that it will continue to expand its China's mainland network by opening nine new hotels by the year 2004, including two economy hotels. This is Accor's biggest expansion plan on the Chinese mainland since its entry into the hotel market there in 1985. In the next two years, Accor will manage five new Sofitels and two Novotels there and will also revolutionize its economy hotel secto

Accor Plans to Open 9 New Hotels for Further Expansion
Accor, one of the world's largest groups in travel, tourism and corporate services, announced Monday that it will continue to expand its China's mainland network by opening nine new hotels by the year 2004, including two economy hotels. This is Accor's biggest expansion plan on the Chinese mainland since its entry into the hotel market there in 1985. In the next two years, Accor will manage five new Sofitels and two Novotels there and will also revolutionize its economy hotel secto

Accor Announces Biggest Expansion Plan in
China's Mainland Hotel Market
Accor, one of the world's largest groups in travel, tourism and corporate services, announced Monday that it will continue to expand its China's mainland network by opening nine new hotels by the year 2004, including two economy hotels.
This is Accor's

Top Anhui Distiller Invests in City Hotel
A well-known Anhui Province distiller opened a four-star hotel in Shanghai yesterday to cash in on the city's growing hospitality industry.
The 290-room Holiday Inn Vista Shanghai was built at a cost of more than 250 million yuan (US$30.12 million) by

Beijing-Colombo Flights Soon
China and Sri Lanka plan to open direct flights in November next year, aiming to boost tourism between an emerging outbound tourist market and "a land like no other."
Paddy Withana, chairman of Sri Lanka's Board of Tourism, told a Beijing seminar yeste

Huangyan Applies for 'Capital of Crafts'
The Huangyan District in Taizhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, has passed assessment by a panel of domestic experts on the district's application for the title of "China's capital of arts and crafts." The expert panel, who have conducted a fact-finding investigation in the district recently, said that they have decided to recommend that the China Arts and Crafts Association award the title of "China's capital of arts and crafts" to Huangyan.

Capital Flight: Capture of Corrupt Officials A Long Drive
Some of China's corrupt officials flee overseas with tons of money before the law can catch up with them. China Daily Hong Kong Edition senior writer Raymond Zhou investigates the murky world of family hideouts and money laundering. Nestled against a hillside in Rowland Heights out in the Los Angeles suburbs is a cluster of single-family houses that the locals jokingly call the "Shenyang Compound". Residents here behave with an odd combination of profligate abandon and guarded discretion.

Overseas Airlines Given Fifth Freedom Rights in Hainan
China has given overseas airlines the right to pick up and drop off passengers and freight during stopovers on Hainan island, giving carriers more freedom in one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets. The government is giving airlines the so-called fifth freedom rights "on a trial basis" following talks with Australia and Japan, said Ding Chunyu, an official from the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China.

Overseas Airlines Given Fifth Freedom Rights in Hainan
China has given overseas airlines the right to pick up and drop off passengers and freight during stopovers on Hainan island, giving carriers more freedom in one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets.
The government is giving airlines the so-

First Phase of Subway Network in Shenzhen Nears Completion
First phase of a subway network in Shenzhen, a boom city in south China and neighboring Hong Kong, is expected to be completed soon as the tunnel connecting the eastern section of Line One and the southern section of Line Four has been built recently.

Bulldozers Raze Old Beijing
Work to preserve Beijing's historic streets and houses has begun, but the old imperial capital is still under threat, according to leading preservation experts.
The plate of No 1 siheyuan now hangs by the gate of the courtyard home at No 39, Dongsi 12t

Judiciary and Legal Experts Meet to Discuss Curbing Corruption
The Chinese judiciary and legal experts have joined forces to crack down on official corruption and eliminate the "corruption culture". A seminar on prevention of corruption-related crimes was held by the Supreme People's Procuratorate Wednesday. Ma Haibin, deputy director of the Anti-bribery Bureau under the procuratorate, said such crimes were well entrenched, and serious indication of wide scale corruption. He said corruption generally showed four characteristics, includi

What Did the Real Madrid Leave behind for Asia
At Sunday night the Real Madrid ended its half-month Asia tour in Thailand, which can be called a travel, a performance and a business show. But for the Real Madrid players and coach perhaps the most precise term of description should be a pre-season training and a not easy one. At Sunday night the Real Madrid ended its half-month Asia tour in Thailand, which can be called a travel, a performance and a business show. But for the Real Madrid players and coach perhaps the most precise term

Security Warnings Target Saudi Arabia, Indonesia
The United States and Britain, citing credible intelligence reports, warned their nationals of terror threats to aviation and other interests in Saudi Arabia, and British Airways suspended all flights to the kingdom. The warnings followed two clashes in three days in the Saudi capital Riyadh between police and Islamic militants that began with a shootout on Sunday and continued with a full-blown gun battle on Tuesday. In Indonesia, where a car bomb killed 12 people at a luxury hote

Fewer Visitors Admitted to Residence of Dalai Lamas
The Potala Palace, a tourist destination in the capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, is enjoying a quieter busy season thanks to a restriction on the number of its visitors.
According to an official from the Potala Palace Administratio

Three Gorges Archaeology: Mysteries of the Ancient Ba People

The Ba people, an ethnic group living in eastern Sichuan and western Hubei provinces in ancient China, were well known for their boldness and gallantry. Records about them can be found in historical documents from the Shang (c.1600¡V c.1100 BC) and Zhou (c

Tung Links Tourism to Swelling Coffers
Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa visited shops in Causeway Bay and talked to mainland tourists in Golden Bauhinia Square yesterday. Tourists, passers-by and shopkeepers all praised Tung for his gentle, affable and sincere manner. Subsequently, he met with representatives from the tourism sector to discuss the future development of the industry. Tung said that the post-SARS upward swing of the local economy and the surge of mainland visitors are bringing a lot of business opportunities to hot

Tourism Festival Adds New Events
The 2003 Shanghai Tourism Festival will be held from September 13 through October 6, organizers announced yesterday. Along with noted traditional activities such as the parade of floats, the Rose Wedding Ceremony and the Shanghai International Music Fireworks Festival, several new programs including the Parachute Jumping Show and the Tea Ceremony Exhibition will be launched during the festival. About 10 percent of the 80 events are new. Over 30 countries and regions will participat

Exhibition on Mongolian Culture to Debut in Beijing
The first Inner Mongolian culture week will be held in Beijing from Sept.10 to 16, organizers said Wednesday.
The culture week will have 14 major exhibitions on natural resources, ethnic culture and economic development in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous

Tung Links Tourism to Swelling Coffers
Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa visited shops in Causeway Bay and talked to mainland tourists in Golden Bauhinia Square yesterday. Tourists, passers-by and shopkeepers all praised Tung for his gentle, affable and sincere manner. Subsequently, he met with re

Tourism Festival Adds New Events
The 2003 Shanghai Tourism Festival will be held from September 13 through October 6, organizers announced yesterday.
Along with noted traditional activities such as the parade of floats, the Rose Wedding Ceremony and the Shanghai International Music Fi

China Mobilizes to Tackle Gender Imbalance
China's population department launched an action Friday in an effort to tackle the gender ratio imbalance that is especially serious in its some rural and underdeveloped regions. Gender discrimination against females is quite common in many rural and underdeveloped areas, which has led to artificial choice of new-born babies' gender by ultrasonic wave. This has reduced the number of female new-born babies. The imbalance of the ratio between new-born male and female babies has affec

China Mobilizes to Tackle Gender Imbalance
China's population department launched an action Friday in an effort to tackle the gender ratio imbalance that is especially serious in its some rural and underdeveloped regions. Gender discrimination against females is quite common in many rural and underdeveloped areas, which has led to artificial choice of new-born babies' gender by ultrasonic wave. This has reduced the number of female new-born babies. The imbalance of the ratio between new-born male and female babies has affec

Escaping Summer Heat
Although Heilongjiang, China's most northern province, is best known for its ski mountains, ice sculptures and extensive pastures, it is also a wonderful summer resort area to enjoy sightseeing and all sorts of recreational activities.
In scorching Aug

Beijing to stage international drama season in September
The first Beijing International Drama Season will be held from Sept. 27 to Oct. 14, according to a press conference held here Friday.
Foreign dramas, including Aida, Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth and River Dance, as well as some traditional Chinese dramas

Campaign Launched to Tackle Gender Imbalance
China's population department has begun a campaign called "Care for Girls" to tackle the country's gender ratio imbalance. The situation is especially serious in some rural and underdeveloped regions. The campaign began on Friday. It aims to promote the idea of gender equality, as well as to improve the living environment for girls, through the country's widespread family planning network. The commission sent a team of about 50 people, including family planning workers and medical

HK, Macao Travel Gets Easier from Guangdong
Starting this Wednesday, residents from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai will be able to visit the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions individually instead of joining tourism groups. And Luo Juan, deputy director-general of Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Public Security, yesterday promised that the Guangdong police would expand cooperation and exchange with their Hong Kong and Macao counterparts and immigration departments to help fight the possible cross-border illegal event

Historic Hotel Gives up Its Stars
One of the city's most historic hotels has decided it would rather have no star rating than be underrated by city officials who care more about the lack of a swimming poll than they do about history or cultural significance. The Astor House Hotel, which was known as Richard's Hotel back in the 1920s and 30s when celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin and Albert Einstein were guests, recently finished a 7 million yuan (US$843,300) renovation of its 35 VIP guest rooms. "Given the limite

HK, Macao Travel Gets Easier from Guangdong
Starting this Wednesday, residents from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai will be able to visit the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions individually instead of joining tourism groups.
And Luo Juan, deputy director-general of Guangdong Provi

Broad-brush Oil Show Best Since 1994
Art lovers are in for a treat from this weekend in Beijing, as the grandest oil painting exhibition in the country's history will be held in the National Art Museum of China.
Featuring about 2,000 works by artists across the country, the third China Na

Civil Flights to Be Policed from October
China's airlines will deploy aviation police on their flights starting from October 1, said sources with civil aviation regulators.
The move is considered one of the most important measures to secure aviation safety, especially at a time when terrorist

Maglev Due to Reopen on October 1
Despite equipment problems that popped up earlier this summer, the city's maglev train -- the world's first commercial magnetic levitation line -- will restart operations on October 1, operators announced August 17.
"Beginning in October, three maglev

First Loss Posted
China Travel International Investment Hong Kong Ltd, the first overseas travel agent allowed to serve mainland Chinese, reported its first loss in almost five years. The company also scrapped its dividend for the first time since 1999. China Travel had a first-half net loss of HK$291 million (US$37 million), compared with a net income of HK$318 million a year ago, it said in a statement to Hong Kong's stock exchange.

Cultural Relics Under Threat
Archaeologists are criticizing a hydropower plant construction company of being too slow to protect a 1,700-year-old town that might face submersion in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.
The archaeologists said a great number of cultural relics

First Beijing Art Biennial Slated for September-October
The First Beijing International Art Biennial, China 2003, will be held here from Sept. 10 to Oct. 20, and 270 artists from more than 40 countries will showcase their works, the organizing committee said Monday.
The art biennial, jointly sponsored by th

Beijing to stage international drama season in September
The first Beijing International Drama Season will be held from Sept. 27 to Oct. 14, according to a press conference held here Friday.
Foreign dramas, including Aida, Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth and River Dance, as well as some traditional Chinese dramas

China to Mark 1,250th Anniversary of Chinese Monk's Journey to Japan
Yangzhou, a scenic city in east China's Jiangsu Province, will hold commemoration activities this November to honor Jianzhen, a prestigious ancient Chinese monk who made the landmark journey to Japan to spread Buddhism 1,250 years ago. At the sponsorship of the Yangzhou municipal government and the Chinese and Japanese Buddhism associations, the event is intended to promote the Spirit of Jianzhen, a knowledgeable and devoted Buddhist in the imperial Tang Dynasty (618-907), according to a

Airline Acquires Special Number
A special phone number, "8888-8888," was auctioned Tuesday in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, for 2.33 million yuan (US$280,723). The digit eight is a lucky number in China as it has a similar pronunciation to the Chinese character which means "rich." At the auction, the phone number was eventually bought by a bidder representing Sichuan Airlines after several rounds of bidding. Yu Xiudao, deputy general manager of the company, said that the phone number would be used for the com

Western Xia Mausoleum Yields New Artifacts
The largest excavation project to date in the Western Xia Mausoleums, which kicked off in 2000, has done some initial work in the uncovering of architectural structures referred to as the "pyramids of the East," in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Seven kinds of architectural components, made of gray, red and glazed pottery, were unearthed in the excavation of the No 3 Mausoleum. They were in the shape of Kalaviuka in Sanskrit (a half-man, half-bird image in Buddhis

Brushing Dust off Old Script
The National Peking Opera Theater of China will take you back to the country's oldest local opera in its latest production, "No 1 Scholar Zhang Xie" at the N Theater in Beijing from Thursday to Sunday.
About 800 years ago, scholars in Yongjia (today's

Seeking Proper Way to Protect Old City
The pilot renovation project at Beijing's Nanchizi, a centuries-old residential community just outside the red walls of the Forbidden City, has been getting extensive media coverage over the past week.
After nearly two years of work involving the reloc

Airline Acquires Special Number
A special phone number, "8888-8888," was auctioned Tuesday in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, for 2.33 million yuan (US$280,723).
The digit eight is a lucky number in China as it has a similar pronunciation to the Chinese character which means "rich."

UN Halts Iraq Operations After Bombing
United Nations workers were told to stay at home Wednesday after a cement truck packed with explosives blew up outside the offices of the top UN envoy in Iraq, killing him and 19 other people. The FBI was leading the search through the rubble for clues. At least 100 people were injured in the unprecedented attack against the world body. After an all-night effort to find survivors, the rescue operation appeared to have turned into a grim search for the bodies of the many people unac

Passport Application Simplified in Beijing
International travel will soon become more convenient for Beijing residents -- at least in terms of getting a passport. As of next month, the passport process at the municipal public security administration will become more hassle free. After presenting their identification and residency cards and filling in a form, Beijing residents can receive a passport in only 10 days, according to sources with the Beijing Public Security Bureau. In the past, people had to provide approv

Macao Prepares for Tourist Boom
The special administrative region is now examining its own preparations to deal with an anticipated tourist boom after conducting a large tourism promotion campaign on the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan Province. More than 3,500 individual travelers from Guangdong Province made free tours to the Macao Special Administrative Region over the past two weeks after the mainland piloted a facilitated individual travel (FIT) policy on Macao/Hong Kong-bound travels, according to the Macao Tourist

Passport Application To Be Simplified
International travel will soon become more convenient for Beijing residents -- at least in terms of getting a passport. As of next month, the passport process at the municipal public security administration will become more hassle free. After presenting their identification and residency cards and filling in a form, Beijing residents can receive a passport in only 10 days, according to sources with the Beijing Public Security Bureau. In the past, people had to provide approv

Nature Taking a Toll on Tourism
Even though August is the most favored month for travel in China, heavy rains and geological disasters have dampened tourist interest in a number of regions. Li Mumei, an official with the Sichuan Youth Travel Service Co, Ltd in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, told China Daily Wednesday that the company's business has suffered because of geological disasters such as mud-rock flows and landslides. On Tuesday the Ministry of Land and Resources and the National

Chinese Tourists to Surpass Japanese in Germany
At the current growth rate, Chinese tourists visiting Germany will surpass those from Japan, making China Germany's second-biggest overseas and biggest Asian tourism source nation, President Hanns P. Nerger of the Berlin Tourism Marketing Company (BTM) said Wednesday. He said that after Germany was granted Approved Destination Status (ADS) by the Chinese government one year ago, the number of Chinese tourists had increased, as exit procedures had been simplified for them. The momen

Concerted Efforts on Security Bill
The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) as a whole should be responsible for promoting the national security legislation, the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance suggested yesterday. In the spirit of the accountability system, as initiated by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, "the 14 principal officials should work together to consult all quarters of the community," party Chairman Ambrose Lau said after a meeting with Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee. He reite

Passport Application Simplified in Beijing
International travel will soon become more convenient for Beijing residents - at least in terms of getting a passport. As of next month, the passport process at the municipal public security administration will become more hassle free. After presenting their identification and residency cards and filling in a form, Beijing residents can receive a passport in only 10 days, according to sources with the Beijing Public Security Bureau. In the past, people had to provide approva

China Fuels Enthusiasm for Auto Racing Events
Enthusiasm for motor racing in China was further fuelled here on Tuesday as two Chinese cities pledged to jointly promote the image of two high-profile Grand Prix races. With 50 years of experience of hosting the Macao Grand Prix Races (MGPR), the special administrative region is willing to share its organizational experience and provide technical support and personnel training to assist Shanghai to host the 2004 Formula One Grand Prix, said Chui Sai On, secretary for Social and Cultural

'DIY Tourists' Swarm to HK, Macao
The anticipated crowd did not materialize at the Entry and Departure Management Bureau of the Guangzhou Public Security Building on Jiefang Road. Yet the air was filled with excitement as the first applicants got their permits Wednesday morning to tour Hong Kong and Macao as individuals. He Yanchang, a middle-aged insurance agent, was the first Guangzhou citizen to be granted the permit. She would visit Hong Kong together with her husband and daughter, and planned to stay there for two or

Beijing, Berlin to Strengthen Tourism Cooperation
Officials from the Beijing Tourism Bureau and the Berlin Tourism Marketing Company signed an agreement here Wednesday to strengthen tourism cooperation between the two capital cities.
Beijing and Berlin will introduce the tourism items of the other par

Nature Taking a Toll on Tourism
Even though August is the most favored month for travel in China, heavy rains and geological disasters have dampened tourist interest in a number of regions.
Li Mumei, an official with the Sichuan Youth Travel Service Co, Ltd in Chengdu, capital of sou

HK to Study Hastening Hotel Approvals
A Hong Kong official pledged Wednesday to study the hotel developers' request for the expedition of planning application approvals, as Hong Kong is facing a shortage of hotel rooms because of the influx of Chinese mainland tourists.
Secretary for Econo

Rapid Railway on Track
The construction of a rapid transit railway connecting Nanjing and Shanghai will start before the beginning of next year, according to Jiang Hongkun, acting mayor of the capital city of east China's Jiangsu Province. Statistics show that when the railway is finished, the train will run at about 350 miles (563 kilometers) per hour and the original traveling time of three hours between the two cities will be reduced to only one hour. "The Shanghai-Nanjing rapid transit railway will g

Nature Wonders in Jinping
Jinping, a county known as "The Hometown of Firs" in southwest China's Guizhou Province, is a place of mountains, forests and streams. The county's well-preserved natural beauty, unique traditional ethnic culture and passionate Miao and Dong people, fully lives up to its name "Jinping" -- "as beautiful as a peacock in full display." Early in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the county was already famous for the high-quality firs it produced. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the timber was spec

Sand Sculpture Festival Revives Tourism
The fifth international sand sculpture festival, held from September 19 through May 15, 2004 in Zhoushan city of east China's Zhejiang Province, will mark the revival of China's tourism industry after SARS, say tourism officials on Wednesday. "The sand sculpture festival, the first of its kind introduced to China five Sand sculpture festival marks revival of China's tourism industry years ago, has become a major tourist attraction and led to similar festivals in other parts of China," sai

Searching for Stars
A new business has recently come into being in China, which involves searching for the stars of the future. Thanks to the rise of a new business-the talent agency-- it's no longer difficult in China for those who dream of becoming stars. As you walk along the street or chat in a bar, don't be surprised if a stranger approaches you with a business card and says, "Hi, I work for Trans Continental Talent, the world's largest talent agency. I think you have the potential to be a gifted

Nature Wonders in Jinping
Jinping, a county known as "The Hometown of Firs" in southwest China's Guizhou Province, is a place of mountains, forests and streams. The county's well-preserved natural beauty, unique traditional ethnic culture and passionate Miao and Dong people, fully

Sand Sculpture Festival Revives Tourism
The fifth international sand sculpture festival, held from September 19 through May 15, 2004 in Zhoushan city of east China's Zhejiang Province, will mark the revival of China's tourism industry after SARS, say tourism officials on Wednesday.
"The sand

Beijing Int'l Aviation Exhibition to Be Held Next Month
The 10th Beijing International Aviation Exhibition will be held from Sept17 - 20.
Some 160 companies from 21 countries and regions will exhibit in a 10,000-square-meter area. The United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy have organized thei

Fujian Plans Closer Economic Ties with Hong Kong
The Fujian provincial government in East China is considering allowing residents in some cities to visit Hong Kong on an individual basis as part of its efforts to strengthen economic ties with the special administrative region. Vice-Governor Ye Shuang-yu told reporters yesterday: "I believe the people of Fujian will have this opportunity very soon." He added that the move would benefit both Fujian and Hong Kong. Speaking in Fuzhou, Stephen Ip - the Hong Kong regional government's

Shanghai Plans to Develop Yachting
Yachting is going to be developed as part of a three-year blueprint for tourism announced on Friday by the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative Commission. The city also plans to work with the neighboring provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to attract more tourists, making full use of their resources and co-operating in promotional work. The city has not yet worked out detailed regulations on yachting management, such as sites for dropping anchor and the issuing of yachting lice

Big Plans for City Tourism
Investment in Shanghai's Universal Studios Theme Park has been set at 7.2 billion yuan (US$867 million). The park, which will be completed in 2006, will cover 2.5 million square meters in Pudong.
The big-ticket project, targeting some 8 million visitor

Camping Fun in Yudu
Camping in the forest-covered mountains allows one to enjoy nature and adventure. Yudu is a suggested camping destination thanks to its tranquil surroundings, fantastic scenery, clean lake water and relatively convenient transportation options.
Yudu Mo

Back to Nature in Chongming
Beginning on September 13, the one-month Chongming Forest Tourism Festival will kick off providing city and rural people alike with a chance to get close to nature.
The festival, into its sixth year, will highlight the beauty of the forests, wetlands a

Typhoon Krovanh Reaches Guangdong Province
South China's Guangdong Province has issued sea warnings as Typhoon Krovanh arrived at Qianshan Town of Xuwen County, Zhanjiang City, around 6:15 am on Monday after passing by Wenchang of the Hainan Island to the south. The Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Observatory said that when the typhoon landed, the maximum wind force was monitored at 33 meters per second, and the lowest air pressure was 965 per 100 pascal. By 7 am, it was centered at 20.4 degrees north altitude and 110.3 degree

Tourism Booms Again in China
This summer is as hot as ever. But people's state of mind has changed. After the SARS plague they retrieved their awareness of the importance of environment, health and life quality. As a link close to people's social and economic life, tourism has again caught the public attention. By the middle of last July China entered its period of tourism recovery and rebound, and the Chinese soil has been vibrating with higher and higher travel waves in the last month. Proper governmental me

Typhoon Krovanh to Hit Southern Provinces
China's southern provinces of Hainan and Guangdong issued warnings on Sunday about possible floods and mud-rock flows as typhoon Krovanh, the 12th to hit China this year, moves closer to the provinces. By 7:30 pm, the eye of typhoon Krovanh was located some 320 kilometers south of Zhanjiang City, Guangdong, heading west toward the island province of Hainan and west Guangdong at 22 to 25 kilometers per hour, local meteorological observatories said. The typhoon, with force 12 winds n

Analysts Doubt US Claim on Iraqi Drones
Huddled over a fleet of abandoned Iraqi drones, US weapons experts in Baghdad came to one conclusion: Despite the Bush administration's public assertions, these unmanned aerial vehicles weren't designed to dispense biological or chemical weapons. The evidence gathered this summer matched the dissenting views of Air Force intelligence analysts who argued in a national intelligence assessment of Iraq before the war that the remotely piloted planes were unarmed reconnaissance drones.

Ore Slag Threatens Calligraphic Mecca
The Orchid Pavilion in east China, the Mecca for Chinese calligraphers, is under threat from a huge reserve of iron ore slag nearby that is on the brink of spilling over. Located in Shaoxing, a scenic city in the eastern province of Zhejiang, the Orchid Pavilion, or the Lanting in Chinese, has been a revered place for calligraphers for dozens of centuries. It was here that Wang Xizhi, honored as the "king of Chinese calligraphy" in the eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), wrote his maste

Dragonair to Add Flights to Shanghai
Dragonair, one of the two carriers that offer service between Hong Kong and Shanghai, said it's going to add more flights on the route, betting on rising demand triggered by the central government's recent approval for easier access for Chinese mainland residents to visit the territory. The carrier, which is Hong Kong's second-largest airline, will offer 77 weekly flights linking the two business hubs starting on October 26, a rise from the current 60 weekly flights. "We will incre

Tourism Booms Again in China
This summer is as hot as ever. But people's state of mind has changed. After the SARS plague they retrieved their awareness of the importance of environment, health and life quality. As a link close to people's social and economic life, tourism has again

Hotel Chain Plans Expansion in China
US-based Howard Johnson, a hotel chain owned by Cendant Group, said it plans to open 33 hotels in China by 2006 as the country is the top priority in the chain's expansion.
"China has the top priority in our expansion because of its prosperous economy,

Dragonair to Add Flights to Shanghai
Dragonair, one of the two carriers that offer service between Hong Kong and Shanghai, said it's going to add more flights on the route, betting on rising demand triggered by the central government's recent approval for easier access for Chinese mainland r

Eco-cities to Appear in China
Ecological cities will begin to appear in China in some 20-30 years. Shanghai is expected to be one of the earliest eco-cities by 2010. The municipality is now drawing relative goals and criteria. Shanghai has just started up a "healthy city" program which needs 70 billion yuan (US$8.5 billion) spent on over 300 projects. All the main environmental indexes will reach standards laid out by the World Health Organization (WHO) by 2010 when the World Expo takes place in this city.
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Two Die in Typhoon Krovanh Rampage
Typhoon Krovanh has so far claimed at least two lives in Zhanjiang city, in southern China's Guangdong Province, and injured another eight people in Guangdong and Hainan Province, local officials said Monday. Some 10,860 houses were toppled by Krovanh in Zhanjiang, where the lives and livelihoods of more than three million people and 143,300 ha of crops were affected. Supplies of power and water were also cut off by the typhoon in Xuwen County and Leizhou City, both in Zhanjiang.

Airlines Remove Ticket Discounts
Passengers recently found it much more expensive to fly from Beijing to Shanghai, China's two major cities, as airlines operating flights on the route discontinued fare discounts due to growing air traffic after the SARS outbreak. As airlines are now offering nearly full-price tickets on the route, passengers have to pay around 1,000 yuan (US$120) for a single trip from Beijing to Shanghai. Passengers used to buy similar tickets with a 40-to-50 percent discount before the SARS epidemic.

Macao's Hotel Rooms Fall Short of Supply
With around 9,000 hotel rooms, Macao's capacity to accommodate travelers has fallen behind the soaring demand. Mainland travelers have been flocking to the 25-square kilometer special administrative region in south China under a facilitated individual travel policy on Hong Kong and Macao-bound travel. All of the 23 star-ranked hotels in Macao were fully booked last weekend, during which over 7,000 individual travelers visited from seven cities in Guangdong Province that are pilot c

Biggest Solar Power Controlling System Built in Xinjiang
China's biggest solar power controlling system has been successfully developed and manufactured in northwest China's Urumqi City, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The system has been approved for trial operation with the Ministry of Railways. The solar power plant will be used in the Bei Ta Mountain area in Xinjiang in September. The controlling system will be put into operation for Xinjiang's biggest solar energy power plant. Its main function will be to con

Green Legacy of a Tibetan Village
Jeffery Soel had not expected that the 75-kilometer journey from Jiegu Town, a seat in the Yushu Tibet Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, would take more than two hours. When he finally reached the little Tibetan village hidden deep in the mountains by the Tongtian River, on the upper reaches of the Yangtze, the policy director of the American Planning Association (APA) opened his eyes wide. At the sight of the village, Soel says the exhausting journey along the rough road

Airlines Remove Ticket Discounts
Passengers recently found it much more expensive to fly from Beijing to Shanghai, China's two major cities, as airlines operating flights on the route discontinued fare discounts due to growing air traffic after the SARS outbreak.
As airlines are now o

Green Legacy of a Tibetan Village
Jeffery Soel had not expected that the 75-kilometer journey from Jiegu Town, a seat in the Yushu Tibet Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, would take more than two hours.
When he finally reached the little Tibetan village hidden deep in the moun

Shanghai Coins New Museum Plan
By October 2004, the first mint museum will open in Shanghai, giving visitors a chance to view hundreds of ancient Chinese coins and how those coins were manufactured.
"Although the manufacture of coins and bank notes is an indispensable part of the co

Beijing-Kowloon Railway Resumes Operation
The Heze section of the Beijing-Kowloon railway linking the capital and Hong Kong resumed low-speed operations early yesterday morning after being suspended for around 27 hours because of damage to the roadbed caused by heavy rain. Heavy rain on Monday night led to more than 400 landslides, cave-ins and holes in the roadbed of the Heze section in East China's Shandong Province. This damaged 99 sleepers, seriously threatening the safety of trains running on that section. The Shandon

Krovanh Kills 5 in Guangdong
At least five people have been killed and four others went missing when typhoon Krovanh slammed into Guangdong Province starting early on Monday morning. The port cities of Zhanjiang, Maoming and Yangjiang in western part of Guangdong Province were the hardest hit by Krovanh in the previous two days. More than 2.7 million residents were affected by Krovanh, which was accompanied by raging storms. The direct economic losses caused by Krovanh, the 12th to hit the Chinese mainl

Fujian and Hong Kong Discuss Closer Ties
Representatives from the Fujian provincial government met officials from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) about allowing its residents to travel to the island on an individual basis, as the two places agreed yesterday on a series of measures to strengthen economic ties. Welcoming the extension of the opening-up of the tourism market on the Chinese mainland, the government of the HKSAR pledged to improve various facilities and promote individual tours from Fujian.

Trains Resume Travel on Rain-damaged Roadbed
The Heze section of the Beijing-Kowloon railway linking the capital and Hong Kong resumed low-speed operations early yesterday morning after being suspended for around 27 hours because of damage to the roadbed caused by heavy rain. Heavy rain on Monday night led to more than 400 landslides, cave-ins and holes in the roadbed of the Heze section in east China's Shandong Province. This damaged 99 sleepers, seriously threatening the safety of trains running on that section. The Shandon

Bronze Sculpture Museum to Open
Zhejiang Zhubingren Bronze Sculpture Art Museum, the first one of its kind in China and a privately-run museum, will open to public in October this year. The museum was named after Zhu Bingren, a famous Chinese sculptor who was born into a bronze sculpture family and widely considered by experts and the media as "China's maestro of bronze sculpture". The three most famous sculpture works by Zhu are bronze sculpture in Linying Temple in Hangzhou, the bronze tower in Guilin and Leife