China Travel News

China Travel News

Yangtze Delta Faces 'Airport Overcrowding'
The recent fervor in airport construction in the Yangtze River Delta region has aroused concern among industry officials who warn such hasty construction might lead to an unnecessary waste of industrial resources. "On average, there are eight airports within every 100,000 square kilometers in the delta region. This outnumbers the United States where only six such facilities could be found within the same size of land," said Li Guoqiang, director of the planning department with the east br

Virus Variation Found in Suspected SARS Case
The results of a gene sequencing test show the coronavirus found in the suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) case in Guangzhou is a virus variation with new sequence, according to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control in southern China's Guangdong Province Friday evening. That's to say, it is possible that the man with the suspected case of SARS in the province have contracted SARS, according to the center. The center had carried out a series of tests on the c

Singapore Eases Visa Process for Independent Travelers from China
The visa application process for independent travelers from the People's Republic of China (PRC) who wish to visit Singapore has been made easier, a government release said on Friday. This follows a six-month trial program launched in July 2003, whereby visa applications for independent travelers could be submitted through three travel agents appointed by China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), said the press release of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). With "positive feedba

Virus Variation Found in Suspected SARS Case
The results of a gene sequencing test show the coronavirus found in the suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) case in Guangzhou is a virus variation with new sequence, according to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control in southern China's Guangdong Province Friday evening. That's to say, it is possible that the man with the suspected case of SARS in the province have contracted SARS, according to the center. The center had carried out a series of tests on the c

Singapore Eases Visa Process for Independent Travelers from China
The visa application process for independent travelers from the People's Republic of China (PRC) who wish to visit Singapore has been made easier, a government release said on Friday.
This follows a six-month trial program launched in July 2003, whereb

China Simplifies Passport Applications in 2003
China simplified passport application procedures in 101 major cities, about one third of the total, in 2003, says the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).
Residents of these cities can apply for passports by presenting just ID cards and permanent residen

HK Ready to Receive More Mainland Visitors
Hong Kong is ready to receive more mainland travelers in the coming holidays, said the Immigration Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government Friday.
With the expectation of more mainland travelers to come as the mainland

Guangzhou Denies Rumored New Suspected SARS Case
A health official denied here Monday the rumor that there was another suspected SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) case in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, calling such media reports "baseless". "We do have a fever patient due to pneumonia, but this has no direct connection with any suspected SARS case," Wang Ming, deputy director of Guangzhou City diseases prevention and control center, told a press conference here Monday morning. Some overseas media r

Guangzhou Denies Rumored New Suspected SARS Case
A health official denied the rumor that there was another suspected SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) case on Monday in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, calling such media reports "baseless". "We do have a fever patient due to pneumonia, but this has no direct connection with any suspected SARS case," Wang Ming, deputy director of Guangzhou City diseases prevention and control center, told a press conference in Guangzhou on Monday morning. Some oversea

Curing Capital's Congestion by 2008
Traffic in Beijing is expected to improve so much that by 2008, the year this city hosts the summer Olympic Games, it will take less than half an hour for athletes to travel from the Olympic Village to every venue in the city. Traffic in Beijing will not be a headache at all but rather will become an enjoyable experience by 2008, vowed Liu Xiaoming, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Communications Commission, in an interview with China Daily. That goal will be reached withou

Curing Capital's Congestion by 2008
Traffic in Beijing is expected to improve so much that by 2008, the year this city hosts the summer Olympic Games, it will take less than half an hour for athletes to travel from the Olympic Village to every venue in the city. Traffic in Beijing will not be a headache at all but rather will become an enjoyable experience by 2008, vowed Liu Xiaoming, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Communications Commission, in an interview with China Daily. That goal will be reached withou

Musharraf, Vajpayee to Meet in Historic Peace Bid
The leaders of India and Pakistan will meet on Monday seeking to cast aside enmity that took their nuclear-armed countries to the brink of war in 2002. Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will hold their first talks in over two years on the sidelines of a South Asian summit. Diplomats call it a step in the process of rebuilding relations and a chance for both men to advance a shaky peace process. But it is thought unlikely to yield any major

Curing Capital's Congestion by 2008
Traffic in Beijing is expected to improve so much that by 2008, the year this city hosts the summer Olympic Games, it will take less than half an hour for athletes to travel from the Olympic Village to every venue in the city.
Traffic in Beijing will n

Travel Rush Arrives Early
The Railway Ministry has decided to open additional ticket sales outlets and dispatch more trains ahead of schedule for holidaymakers after Guangdong and some other regions reported a travel rush earlier than previous years.
Since Thursday, railway sta

Precious Stones Bring Fortune to Yunnan
The jewelry industry in Yunnan Province in southwest China has developed into a key industrial sector with an annual output value of 5 billion yuan (US$602 million), an official said Sunday.
Yunnan, rich in precious stone resources, is one of the count

Port for Passenger Liners Under Way in Shanghai
Construction of a gigantic international passenger terminal, expected to compete with existing terminals in Hong Kong, began in Shanghai on Saturday.
The terminal, capable of docking international passenger liners, especially luxury cruises, is to be b

China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan Plan Joint Railway
China and Kyrgyzstan have signed an agreement for a feasibility study in the Kirghiz section of the railway they will build with Uzbekistan. The railway is expected to facilitate trade and personnel exchanges between the 3 countries. According to the agreement, China is to provide 20 million yuan, or the equivalent of 2.4 million US dollars' worth of financial aid to the feasibility study of the railway construction in Kyrgyzstan. The Sino-Kirghiz-Uzbek railway will be a link betwe

English cultural website to be launched
China's Ministry of Culture will launch its first official cultural website in English (www.chinaculture.org) on Jan. 1, 2004 to celebrate 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. The website will be sponsored by the ministry's Bureau for External Cultural Relations and constructed by chinadaily.com.cn. With its parallel Chinese website launched last year, the English website would aim to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English cultural website about China, said Ding Wei,di

Section of Kunming-Bangkok Highway Opens to Traffic
A Chinese section of the highway linking Kunming City in southwestern China with Bangkok of Thailand opened for traffic in Kunming Sunday. The Kunming-Bangkok highway is an important part of the Asian highway network, and with a total length of 1,850 km, the highway will start in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, run through Laos and end in the Thai capital of Bangkok. The Chinese section of the highway starts with Kunming and ends in Mohan, China's boundary city with Laos.
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High-speed Ferry Opens Between China and Vietnam
The first high-speed passenger shipping line between China and Vietnam has opened. The line, linking Fangchenggang city, in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Ha Long, Vinh, in Quang Ninh, Vietnam,is expected to promote tourism and economic cooperation between the two countries. It is the first time Vietnam has opened its inland sea to foreign vessels. The 80-mile route will be jointly run by the two countries and will take three hours on a high-speed ferry.<

Giant Panda Habitat Expands in NW China
The habitat of giant panda, an endangered species native to China, has increased by more than 20,000 hectares since 1989 to reach some 80,000 hectares in northwestern Gansu province, sources said on Monday. The finding was released in the outcome of a national survey on the habitat and number of giant pandas in August. Judging from the location of dung, prints, habitats and other traces left by giant pandas, the living space for the creatures in Gansu's Baishui River Nature Reserve

Shenzhen Airlines to offer special rates in Spring Festival
South China's Shenzhen Airlines is promoting its business by providing large scale discounts over the traditional Chinese holidays next month. Return tickets to Shenzhen for the celebrations are free for children and discounted by 40 percent for adults. The result is some tickets valued at over one thousand of yuan may be had for hundreds. An official with Shenzhen Airlines says the tickets would only be available for travel at certain times. Flights for infants under 2 years old w

Suspected SARS Case in China Not Confirmed Case so far: WHO
The suspected SARS case in southern China has not been upgraded to confirmed case so far and remains as a suspected case only, the World Health Organization (WHO) said here Tuesday night through its China office. WHO said in a press release late Tuesday that laboratory experts from the Chinese Ministry of Health (MOH), top scientific institutes in Beijing and WHO have reviewed the latest test results carried out on the patient in Guangzhou, and have determined that the results remain inco

China Seen Through Foreign Eyes
Since the middle of the 19th century, many foreigners have come and stayed in China. While elaborating their China experience into their personal lives, some have also written down what they heard and saw, recording the course of China's modern history from a unique international perspective. These works were once published across the world, but most of them are now out of print. Now, the cream of these historical works, biographies, diaries, and news reports, written in English be

Nevada Lieutenant Governor Touts China Tourism Potential By Chris Jones, Las
Nevada's tourism industry must continue to expand its offerings and reach out to diverse markets that range from outdoor enthusiasts to residents of the world's most populous nation, the state government's top two officials said Tuesday in Las Vegas. Speaking at the general session of the Governor's Conference on Tourism at Caesars Palace, Gov. Kenny Guinn and Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt each praised Nevada's continuing efforts to supplement its gaming-based core with nongaming amenities such

Surging tourism signifies China's economic vitality
China's domestic tourism thrived in the second half of 2003. Over the seven-day National Day vacation this year, domestic tourism revenue reached 34.6 billion yuan (4 billion US dollars), setting a record high for the past four years and demonstrating the rapid development of China's economy. China's economy is continuing its rapid development, as spending on tourism, real estate, private cars, and telecommunication products has steadily increased. Over the past 20 years, Asian tou

China Still a Safe Place to Travel: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) said in Beijing Monday that China is still a safe place to travel even though the suspected case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Guangdong was finally confirmed as diagnosed one. "It is perfectly safe for members of the public to travel to Guangdong Province," WHO representative in China Henk Bekedam said at a press conference Monday evening. "One SARS case in China is not an immediate public-health threat and there was no evidence

Transport Demand Rockets
Plans can hardly keep pace with actual changes.This saying has been proven correct by the soaring transportation demand during Spring Festival, which falls much earlier this year. As a result, the Ministry of Railways launched a special plan on Sunday to handle Spring Festival transport demand, three days earlier than expected. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou opened more temporary ticket offices on Sunday, selling railway tickets around the clock, and added hundreds of temporary tr

200-year-old Marriage Law Uncovered in Guizhou
Cultural heritage authorities in the southwest China province of Guizhou have uncovered two stone tablets inscribed with the "dos and don'ts" of marriage more than 200 years ago. The tablets, inscribed during the reigns of Qian Long (1736-1795) and Jia Qing (1796-1820), emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), outlawed marriage between close relations, elopement, blackmail or unilateral breach of engagement, and granted the widowed the right to remarry. "They can be called a syste

Foreigners Fingerprinted at US Airports
Foreigners arriving at US airports were photographed and had their fingerprints scanned Monday in the start of a government effort to use some of the latest surveillance technology to keep terrorists out of the country. The program allows Customs officials to check passengers instantly against terrorist watch lists and a national criminal database. The goal is to "make sure our borders are open to visitors but closed to terrorists," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said.

Shanghai Welcomes World Travel Agencies
Several new international and joint-venture travel agencies will be launched in Shanghai this year, highlighting the citya s new popularity as a tourist mecca. Last year nearly 3 million tourists from abroad came even with the threat of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) hanging over China. "The advent of the new agencies was delayed a year because of the SARS situation,'' said Dao Shuming, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative Commission. No

Photography Exhibition to Promote China Mainland Tourism in HK
With the aim to increase young people's interest in tourism of China's mainland, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Asia Tourism Exchange Center Ltd. launched here Monday the China Tourism Photography Exhibition. Officiating at the Exhibition opening ceremony, Director of School of Hotel and Tourism Management of CUHK Lee Kam-hon said that, the globalization of tourism fosters the tourism industry in the Chinese mainland, which in turn helps set the stage for talents in th

Shanghai Welcomes World Travel Agencies
Several new international and joint-venture travel agencies will be launched in Shanghai this year, highlighting the city¡¦s new popularity as a tourist mecca.
Last year nearly 3 million tourists from abroad came even with the threat of SARS (severe acu

Transport Demand Rockets
Plans can hardly keep pace with actual changes.This saying has been proven correct by the soaring transportation demand during Spring Festival, which falls much earlier this year.
As a result, the Ministry of Railways launched a special plan on Sunday

Photography Exhibition to Promote China Mainland Tourism in HK
With the aim to increase young people's interest in tourism of China's mainland, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Asia Tourism Exchange Center Ltd. launched here Monday the China Tourism Photography Exhibition.
Officiating at the Exhi

Snow Sculpture Contest Held in Qipan Mountain
From Jan. 2nd, 500 contestannts from Shenyang came to Qipan Mountain to participate in the 5th Shenyang Snow Sculpture Contest. The snow sculptures they made will add to the beautiful scenery of Shenyang.
The contest was held on the morning of Jan. 2nd

China Still a Safe Place to Travel: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) said in Beijing Monday that China is still a safe place to travel even though the suspected case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Guangdong was finally confirmed as diagnosed one.
"It is perfectly safe

Guizhou -- Wildy Wet and Wonderful!
Qiandongnan (Southeast Guizhou), is the largest autonomous prefecture in China. It's also where most of the Miao and Dong people live. This is a little-visited place, unfamiliar to many travelers and tourists. But that doesn't mean it is not an attractive destination. Despite its somewhat derogatory reputation as a place where "there are no three days without rain, no three coins in a pocket and no three kilometers without a mountain," for the more intrepid traveler, this is a really fasc

Sand Sculpture Festival to be held in Chongqing
Chongqing 2004 Sand Sculpture Festival is to be held at Ciqikou, a 1,000-year old town in Southwest China's Chongqing from January 1 to February 28, 2004. Over 100 examples of sand arts by experts from the United States, Japan, South Korea, India, and Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao will be on display on a 300,000 square metre area along the Jialing River, one of the main branches of the Yangtze River. All these sculptures are based on the special Bashu culture, with a strong flavour o

Ice Lanterns Make Changchun a Fairy Land
Visitors view colorful ice lanterns in the Shengli Park in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, Dec. 28, 2003. Streets and parks in Changchun are decorated with various shapes of ice lanterns as the New Year draws near. Over 20 scenic spots with more than one hundred ice sculptures are displaying in the Shengli Park. At the end every year, the park provide ice sculpture exhibition. Ticket: 5 yuan before 16:00; 10 yuan after 16:00

Luxurious buses between Shanghai airports
Commuters in Shanghai will be able to use the most luxurious buses in China starting later this month. Dazhong Transportation (Group) Company, the city's largest public transportation operator, will put 20 Mercedes Benz buses into service on a line linking the Pudong International Airport with the Galaxy Hotel in Hongqiao area starting January 18. The buses, cost 1.9 million yuan (US$228,915) each, will be able to serve passengers for more than 12 years, four years more than ordina

South China Island Reports Record Air Passenger Volume
The Meilan International Airport in southernmost China's Hainan Province handled a record 6 million passengers in 2003, hitting the target two years ahead of schedule. Passenger traffic volume at the airport has grown by 13 percent annually since it opened in May 1999 and hit five million in 2001. More than 24 million yuan (US$2.89 million) has been spent in reconstruction and environmental projects at the airport. Hainan is one of China's most popular tourist destinations b

Shenzhen airport to open second terminal
Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport's Terminal B will be back in operation on Jan. 15. A source at the Shenzhen Airport (Group) Company said the refurbishing of the terminal, which was closed Feb. 15, 2003, would soon be completed. "The opening (of the terminal) will help a lot the Chinese New Year traffic," the source said. There will be 46 ticket counters in Terminal B, while Terminal A has 44. All the international flights would depart from Terminal B, the source

New passenger terminal opens at Tibet airport
A new passenger terminal at Gongga airport in Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, went into operation Thursday after more than two yeas of contruction. The modern terminal, which cost 274 million yuan (33 million USdollars) is equipped with the state-of-the-art service facilities,and can handle 1,300 passengers an hour. The parking apron, power and water supply systems and underground piping at the airport have also been improved.

Shenzhen Airline boasts perfect safety record in 2003
Midnight Wednesday saw the executives of the Shenzhen subsidiary of China Southern Airlines (CSA) greet its crews who had finished work on the last day of 2003 at Shezhen Bao'ao International Airport. The gesture meant that the CSA sub-company's accident record for 2003 was zero. "The company has realized a perfect safety year," said a company source, who added that a total of 19,861 flights were flown by the company in 2003. The total flying time was 35,243 hours, the dista

HK Ready to Receive More Mainland Visitors
Hong Kong is ready to receive more mainland travelers in the coming holidays, said the Immigration Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government Friday. With the expectation of more mainland travelers to come as the mainland extended the Individual Visit Scheme to six more Guangdong cities from Jan. 1, the department has deployed 90 staff at the counters of different border checkpoints, the department told Xinhua. It has introduced "Expeditious Immigratio

Foreigners to Get Permanent Residence Permits
Many foreigners living or working in China will be relieved of having to apply for visas when leaving and entering the country, as the government will grant permanent residence permits to "qualified" foreigners. A senior official with the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) disclosed in Beijing Wednesday that regulations on granting permanent residence permits to foreigners have been mapped out and sent to the State Council for approval. The official, who did not want to be identifie

Singapore Eases Visa Process for Independent Travelers from China
The visa application process for independent travelers from the People's Republic of China (PRC) who wish to visit Singapore has been made easier, a government release said on Friday. This follows a six-month trial program launched in July 2003, whereby visa applications for independent travelers could be submitted through three travel agents appointed by China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), said the press release of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). With "positive feedba

Singapore Eases Visa Process for Independent Travelers from China
The visa application process for independent travelers from the People's Republic of China (PRC) who wish to visit Singapore has been made easier, a government release said on Friday. This follows a six-month trial program launched in July 2003, whereby visa applications for independent travelers could be submitted through three travel agents appointed by China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), said the press release of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). With "positive feedba

Gardens in Yangzhou City
Chinese ancient gardens, enjoying great fame since ancient times, traditionally fall into two styles: northern and southern styles. Northern ancient gardens are represented by imperial gardens and southern, private gardens of merchants and the wealthy. However, gardens in Yangzhou City of Zhejiang Province are an exception, forming their unique style between the above-mentioned two schools. Yangzhou gardens not only feature the spectacularity of northern gardens, but also boast a large number of

Singapore woos China tourists with easier visa application through travel agents
SINGAPORE : Singapore has made it easier for visitors from China to enter the country.
Following a six-month trial which started in July last year, Chinese visitors can now submit their visa applications through authorised travel agents. There are now 43 authorised agents with 322 branches located in major cities across China. The Singapore Tourism Board hopes its efforts will make it more convenient for Chinese tourists to visit Singapore. It is also working with the tra

Malaysia to woo tourists with China friendship year
IN ITS latest move to woo big spenders from China, Malaysia will celebrate the travels of a Chinese navigator through the region and the life of a Chinese princess married to a Malay ruler in Malacca in the 15th century. The plans are part of a series of cultural events designed to highlight Malaysia's rich Chinese heritage throughout this year, which has been declared Malaysia-China Friendship Year, said Deputy Tourism Minister Fu Ah Kiow. He said yesterday that this was the first

China Simplifies Passport Applications in 2003
China simplified passport application procedures in 101 major cities, about one third of the total, in 2003, says the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). Residents of these cities can apply for passports by presenting just ID cards and permanent residence booklets, without preparing the required package of documents as before. The same policy will be extended to 80 percent of major cities across the country in 2004. It was previously limited only to 25 large and medium-sized

WHO Lauds China Over Suspected SARS Case
BEIJING - The World Health Organization (news - web sites) lauded medical officials in southern China for their efforts to determine whether a sickened man has SARS (news - web sites) praise that was welcomed Saturday by a government initially denounced for its sluggish response to the disease. Tests on the pneumonia patient, a 32-year-old television producer from Guangdong province, remained inconclusive Saturday as researchers in Hong Kong continued to examine his samples. If he is con

China's Anti-SARS System Much Stronger: WHO Official
A World Health Organization (WHO) official said in Beijing Wednesday that WHO believes China's anti-SARS system is now strong enough to prevent a big SARS outbreak. "The system is much stronger than it was and even if we were to see some sporadic cases, we believe the system is strong enough to prevent a big outbreak like we saw at the beginning of 2003," Julie Hall, SARS team leader of the WHO China Office, told Xinhua. She said WHO could see the government was committed and aware

Largest cultural square in Asia opens in Xi'an
Characterized by its distinct features of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and Buddhist culture, Xi'an Big Goose Pagoda North Square was opened to the public on December 31, 2003. The square, which has broken thirteen regional and world records, is said to be of the largest scale in Asia with the biggest fountain and water landscape. Built in 589, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of the symbolic constructions in Xi'an, and around the pagoda two small squares, three gardens, a pedestrian street

Project to Protect Revered Cultural Relics
The main building on the grounds of the Temple of Heaven Park, a famed World Heritage Site like the Great Wall and the Imperial Palace, will receive a thorough facelift starting from March. Visitors may be saddened because some parts of the building, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, or Qiniandian in Chinese, will be closed down for renovation. "But we have prepared a pleasant surprise for the tourists as a compensation,'' said Jiang Shibin, a staff member at the temple.

Photography exhibition to promote China mainland tourism in HK
With the aim to increase young people's interest in tourism of China's mainland, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Asia Tourism Exchange Center Ltd. launched here Monday the China Tourism Photography Exhibition. Officiating at the Exhibition opening ceremony, Director of School of Hotel and Tourism Management of CUHK Lee Kam-hon said that, the globalization of tourism fosters the tourism industry inthe Chinese mainland, which in turn helps set the stage for talents in the

VIP residences in revolutionary base receive visitors
Tourism authorities have opened up the former residences of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong and Madame Soong Mei-ling -- widow of the late Chiang Kai-shek -- to visitors in Lushan Mountain, a revolutionary base in the eastern Jiangxi Province. The two historic villas, with the addresses No. 1 Lulin and Meilu respectively, are among a complex of 636 VIP garden villas at the mountain that is known as a "museum of world architecture" and represents the architectural styles of 16 countries.

Precious Stones Bring Fortune to Yunnan
The jewelry industry in Yunnan Province in southwest China has developed into a key industrial sector with an annual output value of 5 billion yuan (US$602 million), an official said Sunday. Yunnan, rich in precious stone resources, is one of the country's five major jewelry producers. The province is home to more than 600 companies dealing in precious stones, more than 2,500 jewelry enterprises, and more than 3,000 gem-processing plants. A number of gem and jewelry trade centers h

Fast rail attracts more tourists for Scenic Spots
Dalian Golden Pebble Beach attracted 2.37 million tourists in 2003, among whom 580 thousand came by fast rail train, accounting to 24.5 percent of the total number of tourists in the whole year. The number of tourists in 2003 has increased by 31.7 percent of that of last year, mostly due to the opening of the fast rail train. Numbers of travelers are attracted by a series of activities entitled "Fast Rail Train Golden Pebble Tourism Year." It's been customs for some Dalian local citizens

Port for Passenger Liners Under Way in Shanghai
Construction of a gigantic international passenger terminal, expected to compete with existing terminals in Hong Kong, began in Shanghai on Saturday. The terminal, capable of docking international passenger liners, especially luxury cruises, is to be built alongside the Huangpu River in Shanghai. The 160,000-square-metre Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, in the downtown Gaoyang pier, will include an 850-metre international port that has three 80,000 ton berths for intern

Travel rush arrives early
THE Railway Ministry has decided to open additional ticket sales outlets and dispatch more trains ahead of schedule for holidaymakers after Guangdong and some other regions reported a travel rush earlier than previous years. Since Thursday, railway stations in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Dongguan have seen a surge in the number of passengers heading home for the Spring Festival holiday from Jan. 22 to 29. Beijing and Shanghai has also reported a surge of travelers. In Shenzhen,

WHO: Travel to all areas of China safe
The World Health Organization (WHO) said here Monday that the one case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in China is not an immediate public-health threat, and it is safe to travel to all areas of China. It is important to stress that although the suspected SARS casein southern China's Guangdong Province has been classified as a SARS case, this does not indicate there is an immediate public-health threat in southern China, the WHO China office said in a press release. Mea

Nationwide Inspection Launched to Secure Consumer's Rights
China Consumers' Association (CCA) will conduct a nationwide inspection on ten industries to ensure business credit and consumer rights and interests, its secretary general Teng Jiacai said Tuesday. The inspection will, according to Teng, focus on quality, sanitation, safety, prices, logos of the commodities or services provided by the ten industries and see whether there is any fraud incurred. The ten industries are all closely related with daily life, including food, commercial h

Charter Flight Plan Suffers Setbacks
The much-anticipated cross-Straits charter flight planned for the upcoming Spring Festival period is on the verge of failure as Taipei remains reluctant to take practical steps to facilitate the program. The China Civil Aviation Association Tuesday sent a public letter to presidents of Taiwanese-funded enterprise groups, blaming Taiwan authorities for hindering the scheme. Meanwhile, the non-governmental organization assured mainland-based Taiwan investors that transport authoritie

Canton to Paris Routes Take off
Chinese athletes perform a lion dance to celebrate the arrival of the first direct flight from Paris by Air France in Guangzhou on Tuesday.
An airliner carrying about 200 passengers from Paris arrived at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport on Tuesday morning, mar

Xinjiang to Build Large Safari Park
China's westernmost Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region plans to open a large-scale safari park for the preservation of wildlife and unique natural sites.
An official with the autonomous region's forestation bureau said the safari park would comprise a wi

Efforts Called for Salvaging Inscriptions on Great Wall Bricks
Inscriptions on bricks on the imperial Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Great Wall section are fading owing to wind and rain erosion for centuries and deterioration of the environment in recent years.
The inscribed bricks are mainly found on the sector of the

Ancient Magistrate's Office Museum Opens in Henan
The best preserved yamen, the magistrate's office in ancient China, and the oldest one in China's central plains, ancient China's political and cultural center, has been opened to the public as the first museum of its kind in China.
Located in the old

Private Museums Elbowed out in Shanghai
China's largest private museum, Donghua Porcelain Museum, has moved out of the Jiali Building in the downtown district of Shanghai because of lack of funds.
Before Donghua, Er Dongqiang Folk Art Museum and Liu Dalin Sex Culture Museum, also private mus

I Garden Hotel Guangzhou joins SRS-WORLDHOTELS
SRS-WORLDHOTELS has welcomed the Garden Hotel Guangzhou as its latest addition to its Deluxe Collection starting this January. The 30-floor luxury hotel has 1,000 guest rooms and suites and a large convention hall able to host 1,800 people. This comes at a time when Lufthansa Airlines is about to launch a direct service to Guangzhou in February and Air France has started flights from Paris to Guangzhou. The new Baiyun International Airport Guangzhou has also been scheduled to open

Month-long Egyptian Treasures Exhibition Draws Crowds in China
The month-long Egyptian treasures exhibition just concluded in Beijing drew record crowds as Chinese people showed fascination with a culture as ancient and rich as their own. As many as 3,500 people flocked to the exhibitions on weekdays, and three times that number on weekends, said officials of China's National Museum, which hosted the exhibition. "National Treasures of Ancient Egypt," consisting of 143 cultural relics, came to Beijing Dec. 5, following its success in Shanghai.

Island to develop into a tourist haven
Chongming Island, China's third largest island in Shanghai, will focus its future development on tourism, resorts and exhibition centers, with no large-scale industrialization plans. The long-awaited general development plan for the island, which is regarded as "Shanghai's last piece of pristine land," has been completed and is waiting for a final approval from the local and central governments, according to the general office of Shanghai municipal government. "It (the plan) has be

Hangzhou Waives Museum Entrance Fees
Visitors to the Zhejiang Provincial Museum and the China Silk Museum in Hangzhou will be admitted free of charge starting from the beginning of 2004. This is the first time for any national or provincial museums in China to waive entrance fees. The provincial government has decided to compensate relevant museums with losses of ticket income.

City Carnivals to Be Held in 4 Cities
Carnivals will be held in four major Chinese cities including Beijing, Xi'an, Chongqing and Guangzhou later this year. Each carnival will last 45 days and the first will be staged in the Temple of Earth in Beijing this April. There'll be three more in summer, autumn and winter in other designated cities. Tickets for the carnivals will be priced reasonably say organisers and visitors can look forward to over a 100 large-scale park rides and performances at each carnival.

Direct air route links Guangzhou, Paris
Air France became the first European airline to fly into the south China city of Guangzhou on Tuesday, when it launched a link to Paris. Travelers from Guangzhou can take the AF107 flights every Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 11:30 Beijing time and arrive in Paris at 17:25 local time. The AF108 return flights take off on every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 13:40 Paris time and arrive at8:20 Beijing time. The Airbus 340 used in the servi

No monkeying around as Singapore ushers in New Year
THE Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will usher in the lunar new year with a month long marketing campaign to draw more visitors to Singapore from now until February 5. The Chun Jie (or spring festival) campaign is anchored by three Chinese New Year (CNY) events the Chinatown Light-Up, Chingay and the Singapore River Hong Bao, together with other fringe activities including The Esplanade Huayi Festival (the Chinese Festival of Arts 2004), the Rainbow Rhapsody at the Chinese Gardens and the

Civil aviation ready for peak travel season
China's civil aviation sector is fully prepared for the upcoming Spring Festival peak travel season from Jan. 7 to Feb. 25, sources from General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC), the industry's watchdog, said. The CAAC has approved 7,434 extra, chartered and possible flights by airlines to meet the expected big rise in demand as throngs of tourists from big cities like Beijing and Shanghai visit Hong Kong and Macao as they did last year, said a CAAC official. During the seve

Package Tours for HK Arts Festival
Every February and March the Hong Kong Arts Festival showcases some of the best international, regional and local performing arts over a four-week period. For the 2004 Hong Kong Arts Festival, which will run from February 3 to March 7, citizens of Beijing and Shanghai are being offered a special travel package to Hong Kong to encourage them to take in some of the events. Priced at 2,290 yuan (US$276), the three day/two night package includes round trip air fare between Beijing/Shan

70,000 Police to Guard Railways in Spring Festival Operation
China has mobilized over 70,000 police officers to ensure the safe operation of railways during the crowded Spring Festival period, which began Wednesday. Millions of students, transient workers and tourists are expected to travel by railway during the traditional Chinese LunarNew Year holidays. Spring Festival is also one of the best times for thieves and robbers as well illegal ticket venders. On Jan. 2, the Ministry of Railways' Public Security Bureau held a teleconferenc

Anti-SARS Measures Stepped up for Peak Travel
Restless efforts are being made in China to minimize the effect brought by the newly confirmed SARS case in Guangzhou for a safe and sound Spring Festival, which officially begins on January 22. The "flood tide'' of transportation which occurs during every Spring Festival, is earlier than normal this year after starting yesterday. More than 140 million people are expected to move around by train during the 40-day period. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced two days

Comoran President Reiterates Adherence to 'One China' Policy
The Indian Ocean island state of Comoros will continue to support China's "one China" policy and strengthen cooperation with China in international affairs, Comoran President Azali Assoumani said in Moroni Wednesday when meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. Speaking highly of the cooperative relations between Comoros and China on equal footing, Assoumani stressed that the bilateral ties are based on mutual respect. He also thanked China for its aid to Comoros

US Asks France to Hunt Airline Terror Suspect
France said it was hunting on Wednesday for a suspect sought by the United States over a security scare that forced a spate of airline cancellations and delays to US-bound flights in December. A judicial source said France's DST state security office was looking for an Afghan listed in the United States as a terrorist and suspected of preparing an attack against a canceled December 24 flight from Paris to Los Angeles. "I confirm that we are looking for someone. I cannot tell you an

Spring Festival Traffic Peak Starts
A woman from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, waits with her baby at the Railway Station of Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 7, 2004. China on Wednesday started its annual mass passenger transportation before its traditional Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan. 22 this year. During this year's peak travel season, Chinese people will make unprecedented 1.89 billion journeys by bus, train, air or ship.

Strong Police Force to Guard Spring Festival Rush
China has mobilized over 70,000 police officers to ensure the safe operation of railways during the crowded Spring Festival period, which began Wednesday. Millions of students, transient workers and tourists are expected to travel by railway during the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year holidays. Spring Festival is also one of the best times for thieves and robbers as well illegal ticket venders. On Jan. 2, the Ministry of Railways' Public Security Bureau held a teleconferen

Anti-SARS Measures Stepped Up for Peak Travel
Restless efforts are being made in China to minimize the effect brought by the newly confirmed SARS case in Guangzhou for a safe and sound Spring Festival, which officially begins on January 22. The "flood tide'' of transportation which occurs during every Spring Festival, is earlier than normal this year after starting yesterday. More than 140 million people are expected to move around by train during the 40-day period. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced two days

Package Tours for HK Arts Festival
Every February and March the Hong Kong Arts Festival showcases some of the best international, regional and local performing arts over a four-week period. For the 2004 Hong Kong Arts Festival, which will run from February 3 to March 7, citizens of Beijing and Shanghai are being offered a special travel package to Hong Kong to encourage them to take in some of the events. Priced at 2,290 yuan (US$276), the three-day/two-night package includes round trip airfare between Beijing/Shang

Package Tours for HK Arts Festival
Every February and March the Hong Kong Arts Festival showcases some of the best international, regional and local performing arts over a four-week period.
For the 2004 Hong Kong Arts Festival, which will run from February 3 to March 7, citizens of Beij

Museums Becoming Relics
China's largest private museum, the Donghua Porcelain Museum, has moved out of the Jiali Building in the downtown district of Shanghai because of lack of funds.
Before this, two other private museums in the city, the Er Dongqiang Folk Art Museum and th

Panda Saved on Snowy Mountain
An elderly giant panda, almost in a coma due to cold and hunger, was rescued on Tuesday afternoon at Xiling Snow Mountain in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Burying his face in the snow, the exhausted panda was found lying under a cableway near a s

Beijing Monitors Holiday Travelers
All of the others are said to be healthy, which indicates that there has only been a single official case and that any chance of spreading was effectively contained, experts said.
The provincial forestry administration has decided no new licenses for w

Outbound Tourism Market Faces Tighter Rein
China will further regulate the order of the outbound tourism market and crack down on fraudulence and human trafficking in the name of tourism, an official at a nation tourism meeting said Friday. Problems including price wars, cheating tourists and leading them to engage in unhealthy activities seriously harm the legal rights of tourists, and damage the image of China's tourism industry, said Zhu Qingrui, a senior official of the China National Tourism Administration. The adminis

Macao Likely to Do RMB Trade
The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) is likely to become the second offshore region to conduct Renminbi business after Hong Kong, senior officials said Thursday. "Macao has also applied to conduct Renminbi business," said Liu Lianke, deputy director of the International Department under the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the nation's central bank. "We'll strive to ensure an early implementation,'' he told a seminar Thursday. Macao sent its application in last Decemb

Digging up the Past
Chinese archaeologists have reported a number of new finds in recent excavations, while relic researchers are looking for new technologies and calling for more work to be done to preserve ancient architectural structures. When archaeologists were repairing clay statues of Buddha in an ancient temple in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, they were surprised to find a number of Buddhist scriptures in various languages inside the statues. About 120 kilometers to the sout

Chinese FM Pays Official Visit to Djibouti
Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh on Thursday met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. Noting that his visit coincided with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Djibouti, Li stressed that the bilateral relations have developed substantially in the past 25 years with the efforts from both countries. He said the new Chinese leadership attaches great importance to the relations with Djibouti and other African countries, and

Plan Seeks 36 Million Overseas Tourists
China will step up efforts to revive a tourism industry hurt last year by the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
In a plan released yesterday, He Guangwei, general director of the National Tourism Administration, said the country exp

Odyssey Modeled on Ancient Oceanic Trip
If he still lived today, ancient Chinese mariner Zheng He (1371-1435) would have set sail on his eighth oceanic odyssey next year, 600 years after his first voyage.
As one of the world's greatest navigators, Zheng He traveled to the west seven times in

Ancient Jingdezhen Chinaware Bonanza
Chinaware un-earthed in China's porcelain capital of Jingdezhen went on public display last Thursday for the first time in Nanchang, the capital of East China's Jiangxi Province.
The pieces came from an excavation started in October 2002 by archaeologi

Books Give Travelers Feel of Old Towns of China
As this year's January 22 Spring Festival rolls closer, many urban Chinese are starting to wonder again how to get through the holiday without becoming a "couch potato,' locked in the flickering light of their television sets.
For the Hakka people in E

City with Dash of Salt
Located in the southern part of Sichuan Basin, about 200 kilometres southeast of Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Zigong is not yet a popular tour destination, even for the Chinese.
This may in part be the result of the city's re

Outbound Tourism Market to Be Further Regulated
China will further regulate the order of the outbound tourism market and crack down on fraudulence and human trafficking in the name of tourism, an official at a nation tourism meeting said here Friday. Problems including price wars, cheating tourists and leading them to engage in unhealthy activities seriously harm the legal rights of tourists, and damage the image of China's tourism industry, said Zhu Qingrui, a senior official of the China National Tourism Administration. The ad

Tickling the Tongue
Tanghulu, or crystalline sugar-coated haws on a stick, do not require much promotion among young sweet-lovers in Beijing, despite the increasing competition from new generation snack foods like potato chips, popcorn and chocolate.
About 20 centimeters

Outbound Tourism Market to Be Further Regulated
China will further regulate the order of the outbound tourism market and crack down on fraudulence and human trafficking in the name of tourism, an official at a nation tourism meeting said here Friday.
Problems including price wars, cheating tourists

Big SARS Outbreak Unlikely in Guangdong: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) China office said in Beijing Friday that the second suspected SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) case reported in south China's Guangdong Province should be taken seriously, and further laboratory tests should be

China Short of 5,000 Railway Cars
Railway passengers in China may have to travel on crowded trains in this holiday season, as Chinese railways need more cars to cope with the rush. China needs an additional 9,730 railway cars to carry all the passengers expected during this year's Spring Festival travel season. However, there are only 4,500 more cars than usual available, resulting in a shortfall of 5,000, according to a source at the Ministry of Railways Saturday. China has more than 70,000 kilometers of railway l

Beijing Guards Against SARS During Holiday Travel Peak
Beijing has adopted strict preventative measures against SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) to ensure the safety of travelers during the Spring Festival holiday season, which starts on Jan. 22. The Beijing West Railway Station has set up an emergency team of four full-time workers and 48 medical workers, and installed 22 temperature testing machines to monitor the temperatures of passengers leaving the city. Passengers with a temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius or above will

Classic Catering Conflict: Culture vs Caution
The Chinese love their food and the way they eat it: sitting around a table with common dishes in the center and everyone dipping their chopsticks in.
There's a sense of bonhomie, a feeling of togetherness engendered by this way of eating. And they wou

Mao's Home a Historical Trove
The former residence of Mao Zedong provides a pleasant discovery in an area dominated by car part shops.
Mao Zedong lived in the home at No. 5-9, Lane 120, Maoming Road N. of Shanghai in 1924. It was here that he lived with his first wife, Yang Kaihui,

Tourist Arrivals to HK Break Record in December
In December 2003, Hong Kong welcomed a record-breaking 1.79 million visitors, surpassing the record set only two months earlier in October and bringing the yearly total to a provisional 15.5 million, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).
HKT

Jiangxi to Launch First International Air Route
The first international air route linking Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, with overseas destinations, is to be launched in May, said the provincial airport group.
Changbei Airport will be raised to international status for overseas

Beijing Guards Against SARS During Holiday Travel Peak
Beijing has adopted strict preventative measures against SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) to ensure the safety of travelers during the Spring Festival holiday season, which starts on Jan. 22.
The Beijing West Railway Station has set up an emerg

Heilongjiang has 14 national nature reserves
Two more nature protection zones in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province have been promoted to state-level nature reserves by the State Council, bringing the total number of such reserves to 14 in the province. The Nanwong River Nature Reserve, in the Greater Hinggan Mountains area, is rich with forests, wetlands, meadows and lakes, and is home to more than 50 rare animal species and birds like sables and white ibises. Located in the northeast plain around Heilong, Songhua and N

Beijing Culture Festival Launch on Paris
Beijing Cultural Festival opens in Paris to celebrate the establishment of Sino-France diplomatic relations. A Beijing Cultural Festival opens in Paris on January 9th, as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. The festival's activities include a photography exhibition, a fashion parade, parties, a business fair, and even a car rally. It is an excellent opportunity for the Chinese capital to show its ne

Panda Saved on Snowy Mountain
An elderly giant panda, almost in a coma due to cold and hunger, was rescued on Tuesday afternoon at Xiling Snow Mountain in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. Burying his face in the snow, the exhausted panda was found lying under a cableway near a ski run on the snowy mountain. Qing Song, a ski coach at the resort, accompanied by three friends, was very excited to find the giant panda at around 2 pm on Tuesday. Tourists quickly gathered at the spot after hearing of the ne

Shanghai to restore refuge of 30,000 Jews during WWII
The Shanghai municipality government will restore and protect the residential district that housed nearly 30,000 Jews during World War II in Waitan, or the Bund, by the Huangpu River that cuts through the city, in the next five to eight years. According to historical records, from 1938 to 1941, nearly 20, 000 Jews fled from Germany and Austria where the Jews were persecuted and slaughtered by Nazis and went to exile in Shanghai. Friendly Shanghai citizens provided a peaceful refuge

Package tours for HK festival
Every February and March the Hong Kong Arts Festival showcases some of the best international, regional and local performing arts over a four-week period. For the 2004 Hong Kong Arts Festival, which will run from February 3 to March 7, citizens of Beijing and Shanghai are being offered a special travel package to Hong Kong to encourage them to take in some of the events. Priced at 2,290 yuan (US$276), the three-day/two-night package includes round trip airfare between Beijing/Shang

Moulin Rouge Comes to Guangzhou
Moulin Rouge, a famous French dancing troupe has arrived in the southern China city of Guangzhou. The group was invited by Air France to mark the airline's operation of direct flights between Guangzhou and Paris. Its colourful "can can" dancers have made the "Moulin Rouge" nightclub in famous worldwide. Last year, a film of the same name won several Oscar awards.

Ancient officer's tomb uncovered in Shaanxi
Archeologists have unearthed an ancient tomb in the northwestern China province of Shaanxi that is believed to have belonged to a military officer about 1,700 years ago in the Western Jin Dynasty. The tomb, with well-preserved gates and aisles leading to two chambers in the front and at the back, was found in a high school attached to Xianyang Normal College in Xianyang city, which is in proximity of the provincial capital Xi'an. The wooden coffin in the front chamber is partly dec

Anti-SARS measures step up for peak travel
Restless efforts are being made in China to minimize the effect brought by the newly confirmed SARS case in Guangzhou for a safe and sound Spring Festival, which officially begins on January 22. The "flood tide'' of transportation which occurs during every Spring Festival, is earlier than normal this year after starting yesterday. More than 140 million people are expected to move around by train during the 40-day period. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced two days

China's tourism crowned with success despite SARS
China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) director He Guangwei said Thursday that tourism industry performed well in China in 2003, despite the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic. Gross international and domestic tourism earnings reached 487.4billion yuan (some 60 billion US dollars), down 12.4 percent compared with the previous year but were still better than expected. Some 91 million inbound travelers visited China in 2003, 11.3 million of whom wer

Why So Few Tickets, So Many Passengers
Every year, millions of migrant workers and other passengers will start to travel in China around the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival. This year, there are reportedly around 2 billion people ready to take their Spring Festival tours. They make a herculean workload for China's transport industry and its related services. It can be seen in all mass transport hubs that swarms of young men and women are lining up in long queues in the cold winter waiting for their turns to get the home-bou

Ancient County of the Song Dynasty at Badong
All that remains now of the Badong County site of the Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127) are some stones, bricks and tiles. But its better protected overall arrangement and buildings were considered more valuable since there are fewer unearthed large Song Dynasty ruins. Kou Zhun, prime minister and famous judge of the Northern Song Dynasty, began his official career in this small county as its county head and made the county well known. This historic cultural county hit the top ten greatest arch

Woes of China's Literary Magazines
Bosses of some 60 literary magazines, including The Peoplea s Literature, The Contemporary Era, Shiyue (October), Zhongshan, Skyline, Buds, met at the end of 2003 in Zhengzhou, the capital city of central Chinaa s Henan Province, brainstorming reform of their products. China publishes nearly 900 literary magazines out of a total of over 9,000 periodicals. But as is now reported, only 1/10th of them are still doing well. Challenges Many participants criticized the management

Flights Between Jakarta, Beijing Resume
Indonesia's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia announced on Monday that it would re-open its Jakarta-Beijing route on Jan. 18 after the airline stopped serving the route in October 1997 due to the severe economic crisis in the country.
Previously on Jan. 9,

Inland City Authorized to Issue Visas on Arrival in Central China
China's State Council has authorized Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, to issue visas on arrival from Monday on.
Under this system, eligible foreign passengers can obtain visas directly at their destination airports, which play a role s

Giant Panda Home Aims High in Tourism
Southwest China's Sichuan Province, best known for being the home of the endangered giant panda, is determined to become a tourism giant by 2010.
Liu Jie, director of Sichuan Provincial Tourism Bureau, said tourism revenue contributed just 7.8 percent

Jade Becoming Hot Investment Item
A growing number of people around the country are investing in jade as prices of the precious stone rise while China's natural reserves shrink, according to industry sources.
"The country's high-end jade market is growing rapidly as more people are wil

Why So Few Tickets, So Many Passengers
Every year, millions of migrant workers and other passengers will start to travel in China around the Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival. This year, there are reportedly around 2 billion people ready to take their Spring Festival tours. They make a herculean workload for China's transport industry and its related services. It can be seen in all mass transport hubs that swarms of young men and women are lining up in long queues in the cold winter waiting for their turns to get the home

Bush Bars Corrupt Officials from Entering US
US President George W. Bush ordered that public officials guilty of corruption be barred entry to the United States. The president announced the move, with immediate effect, in a proclamation released by the White House on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas. Bush said he was suspending "entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of certain persons who have committed, participated in, or are beneficiaries of corruption in the performance of public functio

Food Safety Scrutinized
Food such as candied fruit and nuts sold in bulk are being scrutinized by health supervisors to prevent secondary pollution. Beijing municipal food inspectors Tuesday checked one of the city's Carrefour supermarkets over the questionable hygienic conditions involving loose, unpackaged food. They said that every container of loose food must have a cover added, and consumers cannot directly touch the food but must ask special attendants to handle the goods they want. Cai Chang

Railway Passengers Soaring in Run-up to Chinese New Year
A total 3.37 million railway journeys were made in China Monday, a year-on-year rise of 9.4 percent, nine days before the traditional Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan. 22. The Ministry of Railways said Tuesday that 2,038 additional passenger trains were operating nationwide from Jan. 7 to 12. The peak travel season of the Spring Festival started on Jan. 7. The majority of passengers by Monday were students, a ministry spokesman said, adding that 4.8 million tickets had b

More Aerial Taxis to Fly in China
Affected by the SARS plague, the number of air passengers declined sharply in 2003, but those traveling in business jet carters increased rapidly. Recently, a business jet charter company was established by Air China after yearlong preparation. Moreover,

Palace Temple Fair to See in Chinese New Year
Suzhou Street in Beijing's Summer Palace is gearing up for a Temple Fair that is to be staged during the Chinese Lunar New Year. The one time imperial residence is trying to bring back its Qing Dynasty festive look and present a special temple fair with a

Traditional Paper-cutting Links Small County with World
Guangling, a small county in the northern China province of Shanxi, has found worldwide fame as a cradle of paper-cutting, a popular folk art in China.
The county -- located in Datong City, a major coal production base -- sells one million paper-cuttin

Railway Passengers Soaring in Run-up to Chinese New Year
A total 3.37 million railway journeys were made in China Monday, a year-on-year rise of 9.4 percent, nine days before the traditional Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan. 22.
The Ministry of Railways said Tuesday that 2,038 additional passenger trains

Title China travel
Since the World Heritage Committee counted the area of the confluence of three major rivers in southwest China's Yunnan Province on the list of natural heritages last year, China now boasts 29 sites on the world heritage list.
Minister of Construction

Bricks with molded designs unearthed in Chongqing
Archaeologists in southwest China's Chongqing municipality have unearthed more than 20 pieces of brick reliefs from a tomb of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 A.D.-220 A.D.). Lin Bizhong, a noted archaeologist with the Chongqing Municipal Archaeological Team, said this was the first time that bricks with molded designs had been unearthed in Chongqing. Previously, such tomb bricks had been excavated from Sichuan province, southwest China, and have been included as relics under state key

Malaysia Hopes to Enhance Ties with China
Malaysia hopes to work closely with China so that the bilateral relationship is always on the best of terms, feelings and solidarity, its Minister of Culture, Art and Tourism Abdul Kadir said on Saturday. "We want to always have very, very special relationship with China," Abdul Kadir said at the launching ceremony of Malaysia-China Friendship Year (2004) in the ancient town of Melaka, central Malaysia. The cooperation between the two countries in the culture and tourism sectors wi

Record number of ancient bronze characters confirmed
Chinese epigraphy experts have identified a record 4,048 characters on a collection of 27 ancient bronzes unearthed in northwest China's Shaanxi Province after a year of study and research. Zhang Runtang, deputy director of Baoji bureau of cultural relics in Shaanxi, said at a meeting to mark the anniversary of the discovery that the bronzes, including vessels used for rituals, drinking and food, were all large and elegantly shaped. The bronze site was unearthed on Jan. 19 last yea

Giant panda home aims high in tourism
Southwest China's Sichuan Province, best known for being the home of the endangered giant panda, is determined to become a tourism giant by 2010. Liu Jie, director of Sichuan Provincial Tourism Bureau, said tourism revenue contributed just 7.8 percent to the province's gross domestic product at present. "The rate will go up to 10 percent by 2005 and beyond 15 percent by 2010," said Liu. The province hoped to host 86.67 million tourist arrivals this year and to rake in 48 bil

SEZ to grant easier entry
Inlanders are expected to be able to enter the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (SEZ) with their identification cards instead of special passes later this year. Checkpoint authorities say they are waiting for the local people's approval on the proposal, Chinese-language newspapers reported. Shenzhen lowered threshold for entry into the SEZ last year by allowing women above the age of 55 and men 60 to get through without passes, a move widely acclaimed by inlanders. Checkpoint

Corpse Show Opens in Beijing
Featuring everything from complete human corpses to nerves, organs and fingers, the controversial Body Worlds exhibition has opened in Beijing. The display, put together by German anatomist Guenther von Hagens, features 10 plasticised human bodies displayed alongside nearly 200 chemically treated body parts. It will run for the next three months at the Beijing Natural History Museum. The exhibition of human corpses has been touring the world for several years. Wherever it ap

Palace Temple Fair to See in Chinese New Year
Suzhou Street in Beijing's Summer Palace is gearing up for a Temple Fair that is to be staged during the Chinese Lunar New Year. The one time imperial residence is trying to bring back its Qing Dynasty festive look and present a special temple fair with an "imperial" aura. The whole street is decorated in the spirit of the Spring Festival. Colored lanterns and business signs become especially striking against the white snow. Staff members are dressed up like people who lived during the Qi

City to Add Taxi Stations
Shanghai will build 350 more Taxi ranks this year, with plans to increase the number to around 1,000 by 2005. A senior city official was quoted as saying, that by then, no taxi in Shanghai will be seen stopping at undesignated places on the roadside as is the existing practice. Instead, the cabs will line up at local taxi ranks where passengers will get on. So far, Shanghai has completed seven such stations citywide, all of which are in active use.

Inland City Authorized to Issue Visas on Arrival in Central China
China's State Council has authorized Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, to issue visas on arrival from Monday on. Under this system, eligible foreign passengers can obtain visas directly at their destination airports, which play a role similar to overseas Chinese consulates in terms of visa issuing. It is a supplementary measure to provide visas for foreigners in emergency need. Wuhan Tianhe Airport becomes the first port authorized to issue visas on arrival in centr

Flights between Jakarta, Beijing resume
Indonesia's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia announced on Monday that it would re-open its Jakarta-Beijing route on Jan. 18 after the airline stopped serving the route in October 1997 due to the severe economic crisis in the country. Previously on Jan. 9, China's airline Air China resumed its Beijing-Jakarta route after dropping it in April 1998 due to a financial problem in the company and the security problems in Indonesia. Air China plans to fly twice a week from Jakarta and twice

Rich Cultural Events in Beijing's Spring Festival
Beijing will hold a series of cultural activities during the upcoming spring festival -- the traditional Chinese New Year. A Beijing culture official says all the major theaters, cinemas and parks will used for cultural events including art exhibitions, traditional temple fairs, flower shows and lantern fairs as well as movies. The official hopes these activities can fulfill the needs of the capital's citizens during the holiday. Beijing will also welcome famous art troupes

China to give nod to budget carriers soon
China may soon give permission for budget airlines to take off and serve its huge domestic market. News reports in Hong Kong said mainland authorities had studied no-frills flying and believed such services could boost tourism and economic growth in lagging inland provinces. It would also give the millions of Chinese travellers a wider choice of both destinations and carriers. The major aim is to help prop up growth in the arid and remote western provinces, which have largely misse

World Travel & Tourism Council to Hold Meeting of Industry CEO's to Establish China Initiative Today, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announced its plans to hold a meeting of Travel & Tourism industry CEO's in China to discuss the formulation of Business Leaders Forum aimed at working closely with the government to fulfill the potential of Travel & Tourism in China. The meeting to be held in Shanghai in early February will review and debate a high level proposal by WTTC to establish a WTTC China Initiative, using its recent experience in Latin America and India as a p

HK exhibition shows Pu'er tea and teaware
Featuring some 120 exhibits of aged Pu'er tea "cakes," classic covered teabowls and tea-making utensils, the exhibition "Let's Drink to Our Pleasure -- Pu'er Tea and Teaware" opened here Saturday. The exhibition, which runs until July 31 at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, examines Hong Kong people's attachment to the tradition of "yum cha" (drinking tea while enjoying "dim sum" in Chinese restaurants) and their affection for Pu'er tea and covered teabowls. Speaking at the opening ce

Glazed terra-cotta objects unearthed in central China
Archeologists in central China's Henan Province has unearthed more than 500 objects including brownish yellow and green terra-cotta figurines and utensils that date back some 2,000 years to the Han Dynasty. The antique items were found in a group of 20 ancient tombs in Wulongkou town of Jiyuan City, said Li Huaiwang, associate researcher with the Henan provincial institute of cultural heritage and archeology. The rarest of these antique items depicts a group of hunters carrying the

First Securities Museum Opens in Shanghai
The Lidao Securities Museum, the first of its kind in the country, opened to visitors in Shanghai Saturday. On display are thousands of exhibits, ranging from securities certificates to newspapers and photos reflecting the history of China's securities industry. Among the exhibits, is the first Chinese stock certificate. It was issued by the Kaiping Mining Bureau in 1881. Also on display is a Chinese Cooperative stock certificate signed by the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

Tourist arrivals to HK break record in December
In December 2003, Hong Kong welcomed a record-breaking 1.79 million visitors, surpassing the record set only two months earlier in October and bringing the yearly total to a provisional 15.5 million, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). HKTB Executive Director Clara Chong said Saturday that as one of the major measures to sustain the momentum of tourism revival, the coming year of Monkey will be celebrated in a spectacular style with Hong Kong's first-ever Chinese Lunar New Ye

Xiamen-Jinmen line opens to Taiwanese for Spring Festival
The sound of a ship's siren on Friday morning announced the start of a homeward journey by over 120 Taiwanese people who have businesses or work on the mainland. The ship left the dock at this port city in Fujian Province for Jinmen of Taiwan. The passengers were to take planes in Jinmen Island to return to Taiwan to celebrate the coming traditional lunar New Year, which falls Jan. 22. Six ships took more than 1,200 Taiwanese to Jinmen and Xiamen Friday, said Wang Mingshui, deputy

Jiangxi to launch first international air route
The first international air route linking Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, with overseas destinations, is to be launched in May, said the provincial airport group. Changbei Airport will be raised to international status for overseas airlines following the state assessment, said the group. Local passengers have to transfer in Shanghai and Beijing for journeys abroad.
The first international route will first link Nanchang and Osaka in Japan, said the group.
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Yuanmingyuan Curio Show in Hong Kong
Four precious bronze animal heads from Yuanmingyuan Park, will be on display at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum from January 10th to the 25th. Four precious bronze animal heads from Yuanmingyuan Park, will be on display at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum from January 10th to the 25th. Yuanmingyuan is a royal Museum and Garden of the Qing Dynasty, built over 300 years' ago. The exhibit will feature a bronze tiger, monkey, ox and pig head that were originally situated in the water

100 Years of Beijing Photos on Show in Paris
A photo exhibition recording 100 years of Beijing scenes has opened in Paris. The show is a prelude to the Beijing Week, part of the Year of Chinese Culture in France. There are so many activities planned that Beijing Week is being stretched out to almost a whole month. Some of the highlights include a Spring Festival parade along the Champs-elysees, a live TV broadcast by France 3 and Beijing TV to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations, and a book fair. There are also trade a

15 Million Chinese Traveled Abroad Last Year
Nearly 15 million Chinese mainland residents traveled overseas in 2003, an almost 50 percent jump from the year before. Hong Kong, Macao and Japan were the most popular places. China's Ministry of Public Security says the major reasons behind the travel surge are the simplification in procedures for obtaining private passports and the opening of more overseas travel destinations. Statistics indicate Chinese residents travelled to some 236 countries and regions last year, of which H

Beijing Takes Action to Check SARS
Beijing is now facing a crucial time for prevention of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), vice-director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Health Liang Wannian said yesterday. He also noted, however, that no suspected or confirmed cases of SARS have been found in the capital. "Heavy transportation before the Spring Festival, especially between Beijing and South China's Guangdong Province, has put great pressure upon us on the possibility of SARS case emerging in the capital

Beijing Takes Action to Check SARS
Beijing is now facing a crucial time for prevention of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), vice-director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Health Liang Wannian said yesterday. He also noted, however, that no suspected or confirmed cases of SARS have been found in the capital. "Heavy transportation before the Spring Festival, especially between Beijing and South China's Guangdong Province, has put great pressure upon us on the possibility of SARS case emerging in the capital

Reunification Move Gets Push Abroad
More and more overseas Chinese are showing their support for Beijing's push for reunification with Taiwan, which has become tougher since the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came into power on the island in May 2000. The DPP administration led by Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian has gone all out to promote creeping independence moves through a "de-Sinofication" policy in the ideology, culture, history and education sectors. Clinging to his party's pro-independence s

Air China Flies to Profit on Strong Air Travel Rebound
Air China, the country's flag carrier, flew to a net profit of 93 million yuan (US$11.27 million) last year, becoming the first airline among the three largest carriers on the Chinese mainland to report its annual financial results. The carrier, which is planning to list shares on the Hong Kong stock market, targets to earn 1 billion yuan in profit this year, said company spokesman Wang Yongsheng. Wang said in an e-mail yesterday that Air China lost 1.92 billion yuan during the fir

Bush Outlines Plan for 2015 Moon Landing
US President George W. Bush, envisioning "new journeys to the worlds beyond our own," unveiled a plan Wednesday to send astronauts to the moon, Mars and beyond on missions sure to cost hundreds of billions of dollars and stretch the bounds of technology. He called for a manned lunar landing as early as 2015. Bush's election-year initiative represents the boldest space goals since John F. Kennedy laid the groundwork for the Apollo program that landed Americans on the moon in 1969. I

16 Cities Honored Garden City Status
A bird's eye view of the Taipingqiao Greenland area near Xintiandi complex is pictured. Shanghai was granted the honor of "National Garden City" by the central government on Tuesday along with 16 other cities.
The city's green coverage and per capita g

Rich Cultural Events in Beijing's Spring Festival
Beijing will hold a series of cultural activities during the upcoming spring festival -- the traditional Chinese New Year.
A Beijing culture official says all the major theaters, cinemas and parks will used for cultural events including art exhibitions

Air China Flies to Profit on Strong Air Travel Rebound
Air China, the country's flag carrier, flew to a net profit of 93 million yuan (US$11.27 million) last year, becoming the first airline among the three largest carriers on the Chinese mainland to report its annual financial results.
The carrier, which

China's Civil Aviation Industry Recovers Rapidly in 2003
China's civil aviation industry gained rapid recovering momentum in 2003, said Yang Yuanyuan, director of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, in Beijing on Thursday.
He said China's aggregate air traffic mileage in 2003 reached 17.07

Budget Air Carriers Considered
The central government says it will consider allowing budget air carriers to be set up in China for the first time in order to bring cheaper air fares to the country. Two private companies and a large travel agency have already applied to set up budget carriers, Yang Yuanyuan, director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, told a press conference in Beijing Thursday. "They've already filed applications with our administration, but we haven't approved any so far," said Yang

Police Seize 16,000 Fake Railway Tickets in Single Operation
Police said Thursday they seized 16,000 fake railway tickets in a single operation earlier this month, as railway tickets are in short supply due to an upsurge in travelers going home for Spring Festival family reunions. Police across the country also confiscated 13,254 tickets from unauthorized ticket dealers during the two-week long nationwide operation beginning Jan. 2. The tickets are valued at 1.5 million yuan (18,000 US dollars), according to statistics released by the country's Rai

Police Seize 16,000 Fake Railway Tickets in Single Operation
Police said Thursday they seized 16,000 fake railway tickets in a single operation earlier this month, as railway tickets are in short supply due to an upsurge in travelers going home for Spring Festival family reunions. Police across the country also confiscated 13,254 tickets from unauthorized ticket dealers during the two-week long nationwide operation beginning Jan. 2. The tickets are valued at 1.5 million yuan (US$18,000), according to statistics released by the country's Railway Pol

Tibet Expects More Tourists This Year
Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region expects to host 1.21 million tourists this year, up 30 percent from last year. The plateau region is also hoping to score a rise of 30 percent in tourism revenue, said Zhang Wansheng, director of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Tourism Bureau, who set this year's tourism earnings at 1.3 billion yuan (about US$157 million). Zhang promised to work out more tourism programs with special features and step up promotions to meet the targets set for

Hong Kong Top Choice of Chinese Tourists
More than half the residents surveyed in three major Chinese cities chose Hong Kong as their favorite tourist destination this year, especially for the upcoming Spring Festival. Their average budget for the trip was about 8,000 yuan (US$965) per person, according to CANielsen. The research company surveyed more than 3,000 people in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in November by telephone. Hong Kong, Macao and Thailand were listed as the top choices among their travel intentions for

Cheap Flights on CAAC's Sights
China's top civil aviation authority vowed yesterday to further step up flight security management and create a better air safety record.
Air safety control has become the top priority for the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) in

Tibet Expects More Tourists This Year
Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region expects to host 1.21 million tourists this year, up 30 percent from last year.
The plateau region is also hoping to score a rise of 30 percent in tourism revenue, said Zhang Wansheng, director of the Tibet Auto

Hong Kong Top Choice of Chinese Tourists
More than half the residents surveyed in three major Chinese cities chose Hong Kong as their favorite tourist destination this year, especially for the upcoming Spring Festival. Their average budget for the trip was about 8,000 yuan (US$965) per person, a

Sand Sculpture Show Held in China
Over 60 sculptors from home and abroad completed on Thursday a total of 100 sand sculptures within an area of 300,000 square meters in an ancient town of southwest China's Chongqing municipality.
The sand sculpture show, featuring the history and cultu

Lack of Direct Flights Complicates Travel
Hundreds of thousands of mainland-based Taiwan businesspeople are having to take a long journey again this Chinese Lunar New Year. Due to Taiwan authorities' decades-long obstruction on direct links, they have to return home via Hong Kong and Macao. Their other choice is to take advantage of shipping links between East China's Fujian Province and Taiwan. Time is running out for Taiwan residents to arrange their trips home. Many are opting to take one of two sea routes between the mainland

Holiday Travelers Take Record Number
China's railway tracks are creaking, buses crawling ahead and planes burning jet fuel like there's no tomorrow. Millions of Chinese are heading home for Spring Festival, the biggest family holiday occasion of the year, which falls on January 22. But some are still racking their brains to find a way to get a ticket. A group of seven migrant workers from Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in Northwest China, has been struggling to buy home-bound tickets in

Ditan Aims to Dazzle
During the Spring Festival, a temple fair following the traditions of the Ming and Qing dynasties, will be held in Ditan, in which the God of Earth was worshipped and folk performances staged. This is one of the city's busiest temple fairs. The park is the site of the altar where sacrifices were formerly offered to the earth, and this year's fair will open with a performance imitating the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) sacrificial ceremony. Activities and events during the fair includes folk pe

Dalian Modern Museum Honored AAAA National Resorts
Dalian Modern Museum was awarded as the "AAAA National Resort" on the State Tourism Working Conference 2004 and honored the golden brand by State Tourism Administration as well. To cope with the title, Dalian Modern Museum consummated the related tourist service facilities such as the standard directional signings, a visitor service center, a clinic and a visitor lounge, and a craftworks manufacture etc. By report, Dalian Modern Museum has accepted over 800,000 visitors from home a

Festival Travelers Take Record Number of Journeys Home
China's railway tracks are creaking, buses crawling ahead and planes burning jet fuel like there's no tomorrow. Millions of Chinese are heading home for Spring Festival, the biggest family holiday occasion of the year, which falls on January 22. But some are still racking their brains to find a way to get a ticket. A group of seven migrant workers from Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in Northwest China, has been struggling to buy home-bound tickets in

Airbus to Sell over 30 Planes to China
France-based aircraft manufacturer, Airbus will deliver more than 30 civilian aircraft to China in 2004, Airbus China president Laurence Barron announced in Beijing Friday.
The aircraft will be operated by major Chinese airlines, including China Southe

Restive Festive Palates
What to eat and where to go for Spring Festival Eve dinner is occupying the minds of many urban Chinese families, with the Lunar New Year only several days away.
Although it is the most important dinner of the year, celebrating, above all else, the fam

Holiday Travelers Take Record Number
China's railway tracks are creaking, buses crawling ahead and planes burning jet fuel like there's no tomorrow.
Millions of Chinese are heading home for Spring Festival, the biggest family holiday occasion of the year, which falls on January 22.

Holiday Trips Turn Sweet and Sour
Parents with busy schedules have discovered that "mailing" children to relatives during the Spring Festival may be the best option.
Li Ying, an employee at a Beijing IT firm, just "mailed" her 11-year-old son to Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Gu

Direct Air Route Links Hangzhou, Singapore
China Airlines' Zhejiang branch Friday launched a flight service connecting Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, with Singapore.
This is the city's second international air route after the first was set up between Hangzhou and Seoul, ca

Macao Unveils Festival Playbill
The upcoming 15th Macao Arts Festival will showcase Chinese and international cultures and show off the development of local arts. The annual arts event will run from March 6 to 28 this year and features 21 shows and four exhibitions staged by local and international artists. Dance, opera, puppetry and acrobatics are all on the bill, along with orchestral music. The fortnight festival will open with a special show of China's traditional guqin music. The guqin has been listed

Picture Book on Beijing Mosques Published
A picture album on mosques in China's capital and a book on Islam and mosques in Beijing have come off the press with an inaugural ceremony for the publication held Tuesday at the Beijing Institute of Islamic Theology. The album contains 297 pictures with captions in Chinese and English, including a 700-year-old hand-written copy of the Koran kept at the Grand Mosque in downtown Beijing's Niujie Street, a Muslim community. It tells the history to the present of Islam in Beijing. Th

Border City Develops Local Ecological Tourism
The burgeoning growth of ecological tourism around the world in recent years has encouraged more and more cities in China to jump in to go with the flow, one of which is Jixi, a city in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. "Jixi's traditional economy was based on coal, but now we are determined to develop Jixi into a comprehensive ecological tourism city,'' Wu Wei, mayor of Jixi municipal government, said recently. Adjacent to Russia on its eastern side, Jixi is located in the

Macao issues coins to mark "Year of Monkey"
The Macao Monetary Authority (MMA) began on Thursday to issue gold and silver coins to mark the coming Year of Monkey, which will fall on January 22 upon China's lunar calendar. The Monkey coins are the last of a series of coins of 12 zodiac symbols that MMA has entrusted the British Royal Banknote Printingand Minting Corp to mint. The highest n