Chinese Hotels

Chinese Hotels

First Tourist Group to Hungary Sets out
Led by tourist guide Zhao Huairu, 17 Chinese tourists set out from Beijing Tuesday to Hungary. They will spend their last day of China's goat year on board and welcome the new monkey year in central Europe. This is the first tourist group after Hungary gained the authorized destination status (ADS) on November 1, 2003. Organized by the China Travel International (CTI), the group will arrive in Budapest via Amsterdam. Due to the lack of direct flights from Beijing to Budapest, the c

First Group of Chinese Tourists Arrive in Cuba
A Chinese tour group arrived Tuesday in Havana, capital of Cuba, the first approved travel destination in the Americas for Chinese tourists. The 20-member tour group from Beijing will spend four days at the tourist resort of Varadero in Havana, then continue their trip to Chile, Brazil and Peru on a 19-day Latin American tour. The Chinese tourists, the first arriving in Cuba in an individual way, chose to spend the Spring Festival, the lunar Chinese New Year, in the Caribbean count

Chinese on the Move for Spring Festival
It might be the busiest season in China as hundreds of millions of people are preparing to head home for traditional Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, that falls on Jan. 22 this year. The fresh report of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cases in the southern province of Guangdong did not scare local people, nor migrant workers in the province who are returning to their home provinces during the seven-day national holiday. Authorities stepped up temperature checks at G

First Tourist Group to Hungary Sets out
Led by tourist guide Zhao Huairu, 17 Chinese tourists set out from Beijing Tuesday to Hungary. They will spend their last day of China's goat year on board and welcome the new monkey year in central Europe. This is the first tourist group after Hungary gained the authorized destination status (ADS) on November 1, 2003. Organized by the China Travel International (CTI), the group will arrive in Budapest via Amsterdam. Due to the lack of direct flights from Beijing to Budapest, the c

First Group of Chinese Tourists Arrive in Cuba
A Chinese tour group arrived Tuesday in Havana, capital of Cuba, the first approved travel destination in the Americas for Chinese tourists. The 20-member tour group from Beijing will spend four days at the tourist resort of Varadero in Havana, then continue their trip to Chile, Brazil and Peru on a 19-day Latin American tour. The Chinese tourists, the first arriving in Cuba in an individual way, chose to spend the Spring Festival, the lunar Chinese New Year, in the Caribbean count

60,000 Sign for Group Tours
More than 60,000 Shenzhen residents have registered with travel agencies for packaged tours during the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays. A city tourism administration source said more people had applied for overseas trips this year while those taking domestic tours was almost the same as last year. A China International Travel Service spokesman said the Shenzhen agency had arranged more than 30 overseas tours and the number of applicants had exceeded expectations. The most po

Love for Monkeys Heats up as Chinese New Year Sets in
The monkey, a symbol of cleverness and vitality, has found favor with the Chinese more than ever before as its sheepish predecessor, the goat, prepares to cede its place on the Chinese Lunar New Year falling on Thursday.
The active and somewhat unruly

60,000 Sign for Group Tours
More than 60,000 Shenzhen residents have registered with travel agencies for packaged tours during the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays.
A city tourism administration source said more people had applied for overseas trips this year while those taking do

Tourists, Customers Clash at Xintiandi
Xintiandi, the city's toney restaurant and nightclub complex, has become too successful for its own good.
Managers of the complex are complaining that too many tourists are wandering through the complex every day, leaving little room for their expat cu

A General Introduction to Miaohui, Temple Fairs
The Miaohui, or temple fair, is a traditional celebration of the lunar New Year. It originated from Taoism, a Chinese religion. Nowadays the Miaohui has changed in form and different Miaohuis have assumed different themes.
The Miaohui, or temple fair,

Nation Alert Against SARS Comeback
Surveillance and monitoring systems against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has gone into full gear as an estimated 1.89 billion people in China's mainland are travel around during the Spring Festival holiday, which falls between January 22 to 28. Since south China's Guangdong Province reported three clinically confirmed SARS cases in December 2003 and January 2004. Beijing, one of the regions most seriously hit during last year's SARS outbreak, requires people whose body tempera

First Tourist Group to Hungary Sets out
Led by tourist guide Zhao Huairu, 17 Chinese tourists set out from Beijing Tuesday to Hungary. They will spend their last day of China's goat year on board and welcome the new monkey year in central Europe.
This is the first tourist group after Hungary

Nine Classics to Be Performed for Spring Festival
Yao An, deputy head of the gorgeous Temple of Heaven in southern Beijing, couldn't conceal her excitement while talking about the upcoming performance of ancient music.
During the Temple of Heaven Culture Week to be held January 22 to 27, nine ancient

Yuanmingyuan Park (Old Summer Palace)
Just northeast of Summer Palace is the Ruins of Yuanmingyuan (the Perfection and Brightness Garden). It was also called the Old Summer Palace by Western tourists, and is distinguished from the Summer Palace in this way. With an area of 346 hectares, it ha

Chinese Celebrate Year of Monkey with Fun, Travel, Confidence
People of different ethnic groups across China have been celebrating the traditional lunar New Year which fell on Thursday in different ways. Short message service (SMS) have replaced telephone calls and postcards to become the most popular way for Chinese to extend good wishes to their friends and relatives in greeting the arrival of the Year of the Monkey. The latest information from Beijing Unicom and Beijing Mobile shows that from Wednesday noon through to early Thursday mornin

China's Coal Base Opens Mine to Tourists
Datong City, a leading coal production base in north China's Shanxi Province, has opened one of its largest coal mines to tourists so that they can witness the entire mining process and experience the miners' life. The 48-year-old Jinhuagong mine, located 12 km west of the city, covers 41 sq km and has an annual output of 3.8 million tons. Next to the coal mine is the Yungang Buddhist Grottoes, a World Heritage site built in the Northern Wei Dynasty, more than 1,500 years ago. "We

Baimang Snow Mountain
The Baimang Snow Mountain lies in Deqin County of Yunnan Province, between the Jinsha River and Lancang River.
The highest peak of the mountain is 5,429.6 meters above sea level, covered with snow all year round. The area of 180,000 hectares that surro

Shanghai to Build Magnetic-levitation Rail
Shanghai municipal officials say construction will begin soon after the Spring Festival holidays, which end next Tuesday, on a 33-kilometer high-speed rail line from downtown to Pudong International Airport that will be the world's first commercial application of magnetic-levitation technology. The showcase rail line -- using electromagnetic energy to levitate and move trains along a guideway -- is expected to be completed in 2003. It will allow trains that can travel as fast as 430 kilometers a

China's Coal Base Opens Mine to Tourists
Datong city, a leading coal production base in north China's Shanxi Province province, has opened one of its largest coal mines to tourists so that they can witness the entire mining process and experience the miners' life. The 48-year-old Jinhuagong mine, located 12 km west of the city, covers 41 sq km and has an annual output of 3.8 million tons. Next to the coal mine is the Yungang Buddhist Grottoes, a World Heritage site built in the Northern Wei Dynasty, more than 1,500 years ago.

Egyptian Ambassador Hails Egypt-China Ties
Egypt attaches great importance to Chinese President Hu Jintao's imminent visit to Egypt and expects the visit will further widen and deepen its relations with China, said Egyptian Ambassador Ali El-Hefny on Saturday. Ambassador Hefny told Xinhua in an exclusive interview that President Hu's visit, his first official trip to Africa as the Chinese president, will continue the personal relations between the top leaders of both nations. "Egypt and China have been the two good partners

China's Coal Base Opens Mine to Tourists
A leading coal production base in north China's Shanxi Province, Datong city, has opened one of its largest coal mines to tourists so that they can witness the entire mining process and experience a miners' life. The Jinhuagong mine has been in operation for 48 years, covering more than 40 square kilometers. A mine official says they have opened up a platform 300 meters underground, where tourists can study the geological structure of the mine and see what coal was like back in the

Tibet Receives 930 Thousand Tourists in 2003
Tibet Autonomous Region in southwestern China hosted more than 928,600 tourists from home and overseas last year, a year-on-year rise of seven percent, local tourism sources said on Wednesday. The number of domestic tourists to the region surged 21 percent to top 877,500 last year, while the number of overseas visitors was about 51,120, a drop of 64 percent year on year. Due to the outbreak of SARS in some provinces and cities around China early last year, Tibet closed its door to

Brisk Tourism in China for New Year
Tourism has been brisk around China as the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday enters its third day. Ice lanterns and bright fireworks in northeast China have entertained tourists from the southern part of the country, where snow and ice are both rare. Various flowers are on display in the eastern city of Suzhou to welcome tourists. People visiting Yunnan Province in southwestern China are entertained by ethnic folk songs and dances. Information and guidance materials are also av

Brisk Tourism in China for New Year
Tourism has been brisk around China as the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday enters its third day.
Ice lanterns and bright fireworks in northeast China have entertained tourists from the southern part of the country, where snow and ice are both rare.
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Great Wall Suffers from Excessive Tourism and Neglect
Booming tourism and development and lack of funds for protection are nibbling away the Great Wall, a famous landmark of China.
A latest report on the Great Wall shows that only one third of the 6,350 kilometers of wall now exists and the length is stil

Tibet Receives 930 Thousand Tourists in 2003
Tibet Autonomous Region in southwestern China hosted more than 928,600 tourists from home and overseas last year, a year-on-year rise of seven percent, local tourism sources said on Wednesday.
The number of domestic tourists to the region surged 21 per

China's Coal Base Opens Mine to Tourists
A leading coal production base in north China's Shanxi Province, Datong city, has opened one of its largest coal mines to tourists so that they can witness the entire mining process and experience a miners' life.
The Jinhuagong mine has been in operati

More Mainland Visitors Enter HK
About 21,000 mainland visitors traveled to Hong Kong individually on Friday, and more are expected to come in the next couple of days, said a Hong Kong official Saturday.
Speaking on a radio talk show, Hong Kong's Director of Immigration Lai Tung-kwok

More Chinese Spending Traditional Holidays Overseas
Despite the outbreak of bird flu in some Asian nations, many Chinese are choosing to spend the Spring Festival holidays overseas. So far, 28,000 Beijing citizens went abroad for their holidays, up 8 percent from the last festival, the Beijing tourism administration said Monday. Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are the first option, winning 45 percent of the total. And 13 percent went to Australia and the Republic of Korea, while 12 percent went to Hong Kong and Macao. In Sha

More Chinese Spending Traditional Holidays Overseas
Despite the outbreak of bird flu in some Asian nations, many Chinese are choosing to spend the Spring Festival holidays overseas. So far, 28,000 Beijing citizens went abroad for their holidays, up 8 percent from the last festival, the Beijing tourism administration said Monday. Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are the first option, winning 45 percent of the total. And 13 percent went to Australia and the Republic of Korea, while 12 percent went to Hong Kong and Macao. In Sha

China Develops First 'Seasickness Free' Ship
New Century 1, the first round-the-clock "seasickness free" vessel developed by China, was delivered to its owner on Jan. 10, to provide accommodation for the offshore oilfield staff in China's Bohai Sea, according to the latest edition of China Ocean News. The vessel, measuring 39.78 meters in length and 15 meters in width, was jointly developed by the Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou city of south China's Guangdong Province, and the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute.

China Develops First 'Seasickness Free' Ship
New Century 1, the first round-the-clock "seasickness free" vessel developed by China, was delivered to its owner on Jan. 10, to provide accommodation for the offshore oilfield staff in China's Bohai Sea, according to the latest edition of China Ocean News. The vessel, measuring 39.78 meters in length and 15 meters in width, was jointly developed by the Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou city of south China's Guangdong Province, and the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute.

More Chinese Spending Traditional Holidays Overseas
Despite the outbreak of bird flu in some Asian nations, many Chinese are choosing to spend the Spring Festival holidays overseas.
So far, 28,000 Beijing citizens went abroad for their holidays, up 8 percent from the last festival, the Beijing tourism a

Yunnan Upgrades Road Transport to Boost Tourism
Southwest China's Yunnan Province, a famous tourism destination, recently reported significant achievements in road construction as an effort to attract more travelers.
According to the provincial transport administration, total investment in road cons

Does human infection with H5N1 happen often
No. Only very rarely. The first documented human infections with the H5N1 avian strain occurred in Hong Kong in 1997. In that first outbreak, 18 persons were hospitalized and 6 of them died. The source of infection in all cases was traced to contact with diseased birds on farms (1 case) and in live poultry markets (17 cases). The human cases coincided with outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in poultry. Very limited human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 strain was docume

Over 50 City Sites Discovered in Central China's City
Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, boasts over 50 city sites from the age of the Five Lords, legendary rulers of remote antiquity, to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), archaeologists h

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

Soundman Wu Lala
It's not every day that one meets a person as apparently untouched by life's ability to jade as Wu La La. Arguably China's leading sound engineer, Wu came to my attention when he took the lead in Xin Lee's incredible Shanghai movie Dazzling. It was only later that it emerged he was responsible for another all-time favorite recording, Zhang Yimou's The Road Home. From a musical family, both parents were teachers at the Central Academy of Music in Beijing. He himself started off on t

Over 50 City Sites Discovered in Henan
Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, boasts over 50 city sites from the age of the Five Lords, legendary rulers of remote antiquity, to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and the Warring States Period (475- 221 BC), archaeologists have discovered. "We have discovered many famous capitals recorded in historical documents in the city sites group in Zhengzhou region, including the city where Huangdi, legendary ruler and earliest ancestor of the Chinese in remote antiq

President Hu Meets with UN Chief in Paris
Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao met in Paris Wednesday with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the two exchanged views on issues of common concern. Annan, in a visit to Paris, briefed President Hu on his views on the current situations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa, praising the Chinese government for its help to African countries and for its active role in peacekeeping missions in the region. President Hu said China, delighted to see an improving situation in Afghanistan,

Shenzhen City Bustles with Holidaymakers
Cold weather during the Spring Festival period did not dampen the enthusiasm of tourists visiting public parks and tourist attractions in Shenzhen. Lotus Hill Park, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, Minsk World, Window of the World, Happy Valley and others, were visited by a total of 3.76 million people during the first six days, a jump of 9.94 percent over last year's figures, according to tourism authorities. The Happy Valley theme park had 168,000 tourists in the first six days, almost the

Record Dian's Past
More than 2,000 years ago, ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian trekked his way into the areas of what are known today as southwest China's Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces. After the fact-finding trip, Sima wrote in Records of the Historian that the largest community in what is Yunnan today was called "Dian." In the Kingdom of Dian, local residents wore their hair knotted on top of their heads, settled in villages and were engaged in agriculture, Sima wrote. In addition

Beijing Art Museum Reopens
A ceremony marking the reopening of the Beijing Art Museum was held Tuesday afternoon. After an almost two-year reconstruction costing more than 20 million yuan, visitors will again be admitted to the museum from tomorrow.
The museum occupies part of W

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. Ho

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 attract

5.8 Million People to Cross Mainland-HK Border During Holidays
The Immigration Department of Hong Kong said on Jan. 19 that about 5.8 million people will pass through the land boundary checkpoints on their way to and from the Chinese mainland during the Lunar New Year festive period, an increase of 14.3 percent over last year's holiday period. The peak period for cross-boundary traffic during the Lunar New Year festive period will be from Jan. 19 to Feb. 1, a spokesperson for the Immigration Department said. It is estimated that about 4.05 mil

Shanghai expects 2.4 million tourist arrivals, departures this Spring Festival
Shanghai will have 2.4 million tourist arrivals and departures during the forthcoming 7-day-long Spring Festival holiday season which will start on Thursday. The tourism peak will be reached on Jan. 24, or the third day of the Year of Monkey according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, said the official. The local meteorological department forecast that in the first three days of the Year of Monkey, the probability of rain is 20 percent, so the weather will be fine on the w

Price of Hainan Tours Soaring
It's time for the Chinese Spring Festival again, and most people are flocking back to their hometowns to spend the festive season with their families. But not all of them. Some people prefer to travel to holiday destinations to spend the Lunar New Year there. Some people who live in northern China prefer to ring in the New Year in the warm sunshine. So many Beijing citizens head for the southernmost island province of Hainan, in spite of the soaring prices. With many people wanting to go

Long-distance routes favored by tourists in holiday
During this Golden Week of the spring festival holiday, many people will spend the festival with their families by going on a sightseeing tour. It is learnt from Shenyang Travel Agency the long-distance tourist items are very popular among the tourists during the spring festival period. As the working personnel of Shenyang China Travel Agency introduced, besides the ice and snow tourist item pushed forward by some cities, the tourists mainly put the focus on the tourist in the sout

2.68m Plan Sightseeing Tours
About 2.68 million Shenzhen residents plan to take sightseeing tours in and outside the city during the Spring Festival, according to an official survey.About 70 percent would travel in Guangdong Province, said the city's holiday office, which co-sponsored the survey. About 1 million will visit parks and other tourist attractions in Shenzhen. The survey also shows a 4.7 percent increase in the number of drive-yourself tours over the Spring Festival last year. A majority of those who plan

Visitors on HK Shopping Spree
Some 2,000 mainland tour groups will visit Hong Kong during the Spring Festival holiday.
The figure does not include individual visitors, the Beijing Morning Post reported, quoting sources with the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong. The Beijing customs office said it had received almost 20,000 applications for Hong Kong visits last month. The figure is up 86 percent from last National Day holiday between Oct.1 and Oct.7. "We had to work overtime as we have to handle 800-1,000

Beijing to Attract 120 Million Tourists This Year
Beijing tourism authorities say the city has set a target of attracting nearly 120 million tourists this year. Meanwhille, the Chinese capital aims to earn up to 119 billion yuan or more than 14 billion US dollars revenue this year. In order to reinvigorate the city's tourism the government will exploit and enrich new tourist resources such as opening cultural sites and holding the city marathon. The government will also further promote tourism in the city's outskirts.

Cathay starts Singapore-Colombo flights
Cathay Pacific Airways today announced it will operate non-stop flights between Singapore and Colombo from March 1. The three-times weekly service will be a continuation of an existing Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Singapore. The new service operating on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, will make more intensive use of the Airbus 330-300 aircraft which currently sits overnight in Singapore. Cathay is offering a special fare of S$530 for travel between March 1 to July 31 th

Hong Kong: Full house as city prepares for influx of tourists
The Special Administrative Region (SAR) is bracing itself for the 900,000 mainland visitors expected over the Chinese New Year holiday. Numbers have been spurred by the relaxation of travel restrictions for mainlanders, many of whom can now come to Hong Kong as individual travellers. Travel Industry Council executive director, Mr Joseph Tung, said: We expect a 15-20 per cent increase (over last year`s figures). The numbers are expected despite rumours of a new SARS outbreak.

Spring Festival Goes Global
Chinese Spring Festival fun is catching on in cities around the world. Armies of performing groups in Toronto, Canada came together on Saturday night to celebrate the Spring Festival. Just the same, New York's world-famous Lincoln Center hosted a Spring Festival Gala lighting up the big apple for overseas Chinese. And France's southern city of Cannes hosted the colorful Chinese Culture Week. Sponsored by the numerous overseas Chinese organizations in the city, the Toronto Overseas Chinese

'City of Ice' Gives Warm Welcome to Holidaymakers
Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province and known as "city of ice", hosted 1.067 million tourists from home and abroad during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, which concluded on Wednesday. The figure is 18.25 percent higher that the same period last year, according to the city tourism bureau. The city earned 839 million yuan (US$101.45 million) in tourism income during the weeklong holiday from Jan. 22 to 28, up 21.06 percent over the corresponding period of

Weeklong Fest Attracts Fewer Foreign Tourists
Overseas travelers visiting Shanghai during the past week as the lunar New Year celebrations were underway saw a less crowded but more boisterous city than usual. The number of foreign visitors who came to the city for Spring Festival holiday was less than that of last year, according to top four local travel agencies, which provided services to a total of 5,300 inbound visitors in the weeklong holiday. Taking Shanghai Airlines Tours International Co Ltd as example, it received onl

More Traveling by Driving Private Car
A couple of tourists drove their private cars to visit the Simingshan Scenic Spot in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. "For so many years, this Spring Festival has been the one with the most booming travel market," that's the remarks of all travel agencies in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, on the past seven-day holiday. According to statistics released by Ningbo Statistical Bureau, the city received a total of 831,000 tourists during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday ending o

Rich Harvest in Tourism Rung in Year of Monkey
Jan 28, the last day of the Golden Week, saw the majority of tourist sites return to normal. It ushered in the peak of returning tourists in transportation industry. The latest news release by the National Holiday Office showed that it had handled 157 cases of complaints regarding tourist services, which dropped 10 percent as compared with that in last Spring Festival Days. Of the complaints, 27 have things to do with transportation; 88 in regard with travel agencies and 42 are related to other

About 390 People Die in Traffic Accidents During Spring Festival
Traffic accidents killed 390 people in China from Jan. 7 to Jan. 28, the country's Spring Festival travel season, sources from the Ministry of Public Security announced Thursday. The 390 victims were killed in a total of 46 traffic accidents during the Spring Festival peak tour season. The accidents also left 509 people injured. The sources from the Traffic Control Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security said the death toll increased by 205 people, or 111 percent from the same pe

China Receives 63.29 Million Travelers During Spring Festival
The Chinese mainland received 63.29 million travelers from Jan. 22 to Jan. 28, the golden week of the traditional Spring Festival, or the Chinese lunar New Year, according to the 2004 Spring Festival Travel Report released by the National Holiday Office on Thursday. The number of incoming travelers rose by 6.4 percent from the same period last year. And the total travel revenue during this Spring Festival golden week reached 28.96 billion yuan (some US$3.5 billion), up 12.4 percent from t

Beijing Receives 1.98 Million Visitors in Holiday Period
Parks and recreation centers in Beijing played host to 1.98 million visitors during the weeklong Spring Festival period, which ended Wednesday, up by 5 percent from the same period last year. Beijing residents accounted for 1.13 million of the visitors, roughly the same as that of last year, while visitors from other parts of China surged by 11.8 percent to 850,000, the municipal government said Thursday. Holiday activities in Beijing included temple fairs, celebrations in parks, p

City of Ice Gives Warm Welcome to Holidaymakers
Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province and known as "city of ice", hosted 1.067 million tourists from home and abroad during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, which concluded on Wednesday. The figure is 18.25 percent higher that the same period last year, according to the city tourism bureau. The city earned 839 million yuan (US$101.45 million) in tourism income during the weeklong holiday from Jan. 22 to 28, up 21.06 percent over the corresponding period of

China Receives 63.29 Million Travelers During Spring Festival
The Chinese mainland received 63.29 million travelers from Jan. 22 to Jan. 28, the golden week of the traditional Spring Festival, or the Chinese lunar New Year, according to the 2004 Spring Festival Travel Report released by the National Holiday Office o

Malaysia to Set up More Tourism Offices Abroad
Malaysia will open 30 more tourism marketing offices in major cities the world over as one of the strategies to draw more foreign tourists to Malaysia.
These cities would include Ottawa, Rome, Helsinki, Oslo, Dublinand Bangalore, Culture, Arts and Tour

City of Ice Gives Warm Welcome to Holidaymakers
Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province and known as "city of ice", hosted 1.067 million tourists from home and abroad during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, which concluded on Wednesday.
The figure is 18.25 percent higher that

Weeklong Fest Attracts Fewer Foreign Tourists
Overseas travelers visiting Shanghai during the past week as the lunar New Year celebrations were underway saw a less crowded but more boisterous city than usual.
The number of foreign visitors who came to the city for Spring Festival holiday was less

International Flights for Guangzhou
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport aims to have 40 international routes by 2005, the Yangcheng Evening News reported Thursday (Jan. 29).
With the opening of a new international airport, passengers and cargo would no longer have to use airports in H

China plans issue of intelligent ID cards
China is planning to issue new intelligent ID cards for its 1.3 billion people, and some citizens will be issued computer readable cards as early as March. According to officials with the Ministry of Public Security, the new ID card will hopefully prevent the rampant forging of current ID cards. The new card contains a module that integrates a special chip containing information about the card holder. The chip-module was jointly developed by the Institute of Microelectronics

A General Introduction to Miaohui, Temple Fairs
The Miaohui, or temple fair, is a traditional celebration of the lunar New Year. It originated from Taoism, a Chinese religion. Nowadays the Miaohui has changed in form and different Miaohuis have assumed different themes. The Miaohui, or temple fair, is a traditional celebration of the lunar New Year. It originated from Taoism, a Chinese religion. Some believe that it benefited from the opposition between Buddhism and Taoism, two major religions of China which were in full swing during t

China's coal base opens mine to tourists
Datong city, a leading coal production base in north China's Shanxi province, has opened one of its largest coal mines to tourists so that they can witness theentire mining process and experience the miners' life. The 48-year-old Jinhuagong mine, located 12 km west of the city, covers 41 sq km and has an annual output of 3.8 million tons. Next to the coal mine is the Yungang Buddhist Grottoes, a World Heritage site built in the Northern Wei Dynasty, more than 1,500 years ago. "We h

Yunnan upgrades road transport to boost tourism
Southwest China's Yunnan Province, a famous tourism destination, recently reported significant achievements in road construction as an effort to attract more travelers. According to the provincial transport administration, total investment in road construction hit 13.8 billion yuan (1.67 billion US dollars) in 2003, up 25 percent over the previous year. Priority was given to road links between Kunming, the capital city, and scenic resorts including Xishuangbanna, Dali, Lijiang and

City of ice gives warm welcome to holidaymakers
Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province and known as "city of ice", hosted 1.067 million tourists from home and abroad during the week-long Spring Festival holiday, which concluded on Wednesday. The figure is 18.25 percent higher that the same period last year, according to the city tourism bureau. The city earned 839 million yuan (101.45 million US dollars) in tourism income during the week-long holiday from Jan. 22 to 28, up 21.06 percent over the corresponding

Mainlanders enjoy holiday season in HK
Many of the Chinese mainlanders have chosen to visit Hong Kong to spend the Chinese Lunar New Yearholiday, and bestowed the city's tourism industry with another shot in the arm. According to the Hong Kong immigration department, a record 28,200 single-day individual visitors crossed the border into Hong Kong on Jan. 24, up by 7,200 on the previous record, set on National Day last year. A total of 273,000 mainlanders visited Hong Kong between Jan. 19 and 25, a rise of 84,630 or 31 p

Tibet Receives 930 Thousand Tourists in 2003
Tibet Autonomous Region in southwestern China hosted more than 928,600 tourists from home and overseas last year, a year-on-year rise of seven percent, local tourism sources said on Wednesday. The number of domestic tourists to the region surged 21 percent to top 877,500 last year, while the number of overseas visitors was about 51,120, a drop of 64 percent year on year. Due to the outbreak of SARS in some provinces and cities around China early last year, Tibet closed its door to

Two million passengers travel by air in China for Spring Festival
Chinese airlines reported 2.02 million journeys on Chinese airlines over the Spring Festival period, said an official with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China here Thursday. During the week-long holiday from Jan. 22 to 28, passengers on Chinese airlines increased by 13.5 percent year on year, with a 66-percent average occupancy rate. Tourism cities, such as Sanya, a beach city on the southernmostisland province of Hainan, and Harbin, the "city of ice" in northeast

185 million Chinese people travel by train, bus for Spring Festival
Some 185 million Chinese people traveled by train and bus for the Spring Festival holiday from Jan.22 to 28, up 4 percent from the same period of last year, according to the Ministry of Railways. The Spring Festival holiday has long been the busiest season inChina as hundreds of millions of people return home for family reunion. The festival had exerted strong pressure on China's transportation system, particularly on the 72,000 kilometers of railways. The train was the first choic

China receives 63.29 million travelers during Spring Festival
The Chinese mainland received 63.29 million travelers from Jan. 22 to Jan. 28, the golden week of the traditional Spring Festival, or the Chinese lunar new year, according to the 2004 Spring Festival Travel Report released by the National Holiday Office on Thursday. The number of incoming travelers rose by 6.4 percent from the same period last year.And the total travel revenue during this Spring Festival golden week reached 28.96 billion yuan (approximately 3.5 billion US dollars), up 12.

Jet firm aims to tap China bound travel
ShareJet, an aircraft charter company based in Guam, is targeting multinationals with plants and investments in China and the Asia-Pacific region after taking delivery of an 18-seat business jet. The firm, a joint venture between Japan's Nissho Iwai Corporation and ACI Pacific, has leased the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), a derivative of the Boeing 737-700 airliner, from the US aircraft manufacturer. Boeing 737-700 normally carries up to 149 passengers. The ShareJet plane has a

Scandinavia Tourism Board sets up Beijing office
Scandinavia Tourism Board (STB) set up its representative office in Beijing on January 1, the organization's Regional Director for Asia Soren Leerskov announced on January 13 in Beijing. Scandinavia Tourism Board was founded in 1993 by the tourism authorities of the three countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The STB plans to spend 2 million yuan (US$241,000) annually on promotion activities to lure China travelers. The fund used in China occupies 17 to 20 percent of the three c

China's first tourist group to Hungary sets out
Led by tourist guide Zhao Huairu, 17 Chinese tourists set out from Beijing Tuesday to Hungary. They will spend their last day of China's goat year on board and welcome the new monkey year in central Europe. This is the first tourist group after Hungary gained the authorized destination status (ADS) on November 1, 2003. Organized by the China Travel International (CTI), the group will arrive in Budapest via Amsterdam. Due to the lack of direct flights from Beijing to Budapest, the c

First group of Chinese tourists arrive in Cuba
A Chinese tour group arrived Tuesday in Havana, capital of Cuba, the first approved travel destination in the Americas for Chinese tourists. The 20-member tour group from Beijing will spend four days at the tourist resort of Varadero in Havana, then continue their trip to Chile, Brazil and Peru on a 19-day Latin American tour. The Chinese tourists, the first arriving in Cuba in an individual way, chose to spend the Spring Festival, the lunar Chinese New Year, in the Caribbean count

More Chinese spending traditional holidays overseas
Despite the outbreak of bird flu in some Asian nations, many Chinese are choosing to spend the Spring Festival holidays overseas. So far, 28,000 Beijing citizens went abroad for their holidays,up 8 percent from the last festival, the Beijing tourism administration said Monday. Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are the first option, winning 45 percent of the total. And 13 percent went to Australia and the Republic of Korea, while 12 percent went to Hong Kong and Macao. In Shan

Famous Temple to Undergo Extensive Repairs
A group of 22 specialists on Friday gathered in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, to discuss plans to repair the Shaolin Temple, the cradle of the famous Shaolin Boxing with a history of over 1,500 years.
The specialists were led by

New Year Sees Revival of Old Customs
They are at least 30 kilometers apart, but the Temple of Earth in downtown Beijing and a newly opened holiday resort on the city's outskirts have both drawn large crowds of visitors over the week-long Chinese Lunar New Year holiday.
The imperial temple

Director Keeps it Simple, Sincere
As a popular Chinese saying goes, "Great minds mature slowly." Huo Jianqi showed his talent for directing movies very late. The amateur burst onto the international scene in 1998, at the age of 40, with the release of the impressive, heart-warming, small-budget production Postman in the Mountains (Nashan, Naren, Nagou). It is perhaps for that reason that Huo is frequently addressed by many as a "young director," despite the fact that he is actually the peer of the country's famous

Holiday Sales Witness Big Rise
It is spending time. Chinese demand and purchasing power are always amazing, and have proven to be enough to support the country's robust economic growth. According to statistics from the China Commercial Information Centre, 100 key retailers across the country realized combined sales of 2.1 billion yuan (US$254 million) during the week-long Spring Festival holidays. Data from the monitoring network under the Ministry of Commerce showed that sales rose by 16.9 percent year-o

Bird Flu Awakens World
Animals and birds have long been our friends, foes or food. They became ill and the viruses and bacteria they carry can also infect human beings and endanger our lives. According to scientists, as many as 75 per cent of all emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic. That is, they can be transmitted from animals and birds to humans. Since last year, we have had encounters with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), West Nile encephalitis, Legionnaires' disease, monkeypox,

Man Faces Death After Killing 67
A man whose trail of death left more than sixty people dead in four provinces was sentenced to death Sunday. Yang Xinhai, 38, killed 67 people and raped 23 women in a spree that spanned four provinces in four years. He was convicted yesterday in Luohe, in Central China's Henan Province. The Luohe Intermediate People's Court sentenced Yang to death for crimes of intentional homicide, willful and malicious injury, pillage and rape. Yang said he would not appeal to a higher cou

Holiday Sales See Big Rise
It is spending time. Chinese demand and purchasing power are always amazing, and have proven to be enough to support the country's robust economic growth. According to statistics from the China Commercial Information Centre, 100 key retailers across the country realized combined sales of 2.1 billion yuan (US$254 million) during the week-long Spring Festival holidays. Data from the monitoring network under the Ministry of Commerce showed that sales rose by 16.9 percent year-o

Serial Murderer Sentenced to Death
A man whose trail of death left more than sixty people dead in four provinces was sentenced to death Sunday. Yang Xinhai, 38, killed 67 people and raped 23 women in a spree that spanned four provinces in four years. He was convicted Sunday in Luohe, in central China's Henan Province. The Luohe Intermediate People's Court sentenced Yang to death for crimes of intentional homicide, willful and malicious injury, pillage and rape. Yang said he would not appeal to a higher court.

China Southern Approves Buying Airbus, Embraer Planes
China Southern Airlines Co Ltd, the country's largest carrier, said on Monday its board had approved in principle the planned acquisition of 21 new planes from European plane maker Airbus SAS.
The company has yet to sign an agreement with Airbus and de

US Continental Airlines Cancels Flights from Scotland to LA
Saturday's Continental Airlines Flight 17 from Glasgow, Scotland, to Los Angeles International Airport, was canceled because of continuing fears of terrorism, authorities said.
The flight from Glasgow, with a stop in Newark, was canceled Saturday night

Computer Viruses Running Rampant
Two computer viruses may launch attacks later this week, once again pointing to the lack of awareness of viruses among Chinese users. The new virus warnings sound a loud alarm of the dangers faced by millions of Chinese computer and Internet users, anti-virus watchdogs predicted Monday. Sending and receiving e-mails and surfing the Internet accelerates the spread of computer viruses, Meng Bin, a researcher with the Tianjin-based National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, sa

Computer Viruses Running Rampant
Two computer viruses may launch attacks later this week, once again pointing to the lack of awareness of viruses among Chinese users. The new virus warnings sound a loud alarm of the dangers faced by millions of Chinese computer and Internet users, anti-virus watchdogs predicted Monday. Sending and receiving e-mails and surfing the Internet accelerates the spread of computer viruses, Meng Bin, a researcher with the Tianjin-based National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, sa

Wetlands Play a Vital Role
Wetland protection is not merely an environmental issue. The escalating battle against bird flu indicates that it might also be a matter concerning public health. The State Forestry Administration announced on Sunday China will establish 225 new wetland reserves from 2004 to 2010. The effort adds much needed substance to World Wetland Day which fell yesterday, an opportunity for countries around the world to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness about the values and b

Beijing Renovating Tianning Temple
For the first time in more than half a century, two Christian churches will be built in the capital city.
At the same time, plans to renovate two ancient temples for Buddhist and Taoist religious rites are in the works. It is the first time chur

New Air Route to Link East China City with Singapore
Travelers between Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, and Singapore will have more choice when Singapore Airlines begins regular flights between the two cities from March 28.
The airline will operate Boeing 777-200 or Boeing 777-300 airc

Gold Shops in Macao Experience "Golden Month"
Gold shops in the Macao Special Administrative Region have experienced a "golden month" since the last Christmas holidays, with some famous shop's sale growing by 30 percent.
According to Lai Zi Fong, director of the Association of Gold Shops of Macao,

Beijing to Repair World Heritage Sites
Not only are new buildings cropping up everyday in the capital, but historical sites are getting a face-lift as well. Authorities in Beijing are planning to carry out renovations on its six world cultural heritage sites this year. The Beijing Bureau of Cu

Tropical Bird Park Opens in Hainan
Travelers to Hainan, an island province in south China, will have the chance to view tropical birds close up with the opening of a new park.
Located in Ding'an county, the bird park, said to be the largest of its kind in China, is home to 20,000 birds

International Flights for Guangzhou
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport aims to have 40 international routes by 2005, the Yangcheng Evening News reported Thursday (Jan. 29). With the opening of a new international airport, passengers and cargo would no longer have to use airports in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai, the report said, quoting airport officials. The airport now operates 22 international routes to 21 foreign cities and 107 domestic routes to 77 cities. One of the three busiest airports in Chin

Boeing makes China delivery
China Southern Airlines has taken delivery of its first-ever Boeing 737-700 series aircraft. It arrived at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou on January 20. The delivery of this new aircraft is part of China Southern's original order of 20 Boeing 737-800 aircraft. It elected to accept the initial 12 aircraft in the 737-800. Next Generation series ¨C with the balance of the delivery order to be taken in the 737-700 Next Generation series. This new aircraft will be a welcome ad

"City of Ice" Gives Warm Welcome to Holidaymakers
Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province and known as "city of ice", hosted 1.067 million tourists from home and abroad during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, which concluded on Wednesday. The figure is 18.25 percent higher that the same period last year, according to the city tourism bureau. The city earned 839 million yuan (US$101.45 million) in tourism income during the weeklong holiday from Jan. 22 to 28, up 21.06 percent over the corresponding period of

Spring Festival tourists boost for S. China city
Spring Festival arrivals in Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province, hit 4.04 million, a rise of 10.73 percent over the same period last year, according to the Shenzhen City Office for Spring Festival Holiday Affairs. The city raked in 3.47 billion yuan (419 million US dollars) in tourism revenue during the week-long holiday, which ended Wednesday. Shenzhen, which adjoins Hong Kong, is one of China's busiest ports for exit and reentry.

Beijing Receives 1.98 Million Visitors in Holiday Period
Parks and recreation centers in Beijing played host to 1.98 million visitors during the weeklong Spring Festival period, which ended Wednesday, up by 5 percent from the same period last year. Beijing residents accounted for 1.13 million of the visitors, roughly the same as that of last year, while visitors from other parts of China surged by 11.8 percent to 850,000, the municipal government said Thursday. Holiday activities in Beijing included temple fairs, celebrations in parks, p

Liaoning Reports 0.97 billion Yuan Income in Holiday Period
Parks and recreation centers in Liaoning province played host to 2.023 million visitors (person/time) during the week-long Spring Festival period, which ended Wednesday, up by 7.8 percent from the same period last year. It is learned from Liaoning provincial bureau of tourism, skiing and hot springs are the major attractions of Liaoning province. Liaoning has earned 0.97 billion yuan from tourism during seven-day holiday, an increase of 0.1 billion yuan over the same period of the previou

China visitors boost Singapore's tourism numbers
Shen Sui Qing and her husband are among the growing number of Chinese tourists heading to Singapore for pleasure and business. This is Ms Shen's second visit to Singapore. The 25-year-old Shanghainese was here about three years ago for a business trip, but she says that visit was just too short. This time she is here for 12 days with her husband and the couple is staying at Raffles The Plaza. "I like the tropical climate, so I come to Singapore -- and shopping and eat

Rich harvest in tourism rung in Year of Monkey
Jan 28, the last day of the Golden Week, saw the majority of tourist sites return to normal. It ushered in the peak of returning tourists in transportation industry. The latest news release by the National Holiday Office showed that it had handled 157 cases of complaints regarding tourist services, which dropped 10 percent as compared with that in last Spring Festival Days. Of the complaints, 27 have things to do with transportation; 88 in regard with travel agencies and 42 are related to other

National Geographic Marco Polo Photo Exhibition
By popular request, the Revisit the Road of Marco Polo photography exhibition will stay open until 9th February in Beijing. The exhibition is sponsored by the U.S. magazine National Geographic. The theme is human culture in different environments. The photos on display are by Michael Yamashita, who spent three years traveling across 10 countries to China in the footsteps of the Venetian explorer, taking thousands of photos en route. In 1271, 17-year-old Marco Polo came to Ch

More people in Guangdong budget big in new year: survey
As the income index hit a record high in the past five years, local residents in south China's Guangdong Province are more willing to buy commodities and make investment schemes, according to a recent survey conducted by an official investigation office. The average disposable income of urban population hit 12,380 (1,490 US dollars) in 2003, rising 11.2 percent from the previous year. As many as 52.9 percent of the surveyed expect more earnings in future and intend to have more consumptio

Beijing to Renovate Six World Heritages
The city of Beijing will renovate six world heritages to welcome the 2008 Olympic Games. The six world heritages include Qinian Dian, or Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the Temple of Heaven, the Imperial Palace, and the Thirteen Ming Tombs. This year, the Imperial Palace will be further renovated, continuing a project that started in 2002.

Famous Temple to Undergo Extensive Repairs
A group of 22 specialists on Friday gathered in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, to discuss plans to repair the Shaolin Temple, the cradle of the famous Shaolin Boxing with a history of over 1,500 years. The specialists were led by Luo Zhewen, president of China Society of Cultural Heritage and head of the ancient building architects with the State Cultural Relics Administration. Chang Jianchuan, director of the Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, said the

Beijing Customs registers 170,000 entries and exits during Spring Festival
Beijing Customs registered a total of 170,000 entries and exits during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday from Jan. 22 to Jan. 28, according to sources with Beijing Customs. The customs' statistics show that the number was up 13.4 percent from the corresponding period last year. Travelers leaving the country during the period reached 87,252, up 20.3 percent fromthe corresponding period of 2003. The number of international flights arriving in or departing Beijing stood at 1,389 a

World Tourism 'Suffers Biggest Fall in Visitor Numbers'
Terrorism and health fears resulted in world tourism suffering its biggest-ever annual fall in visitor numbers last year, it was disclosed today. International tourism arrivals fell 1.2% to 694 million in 2003, the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) said. But numbers were expected to climb again in 2004, the WTO's secretary-general Francesco Frangialli added. The Iraqi war, the Sars outbreak and the persistently weak economy had all combined to drive down numbers last year, he

Public Complaints over Airline Companies Publicized for First Time
During the ongoing Spring Festival travel season in China, the General Administration of Civil Aviation for the first time publicized a list of airline companies that received complaints from passengers in 2003. China Southern Airlines Group received 102 complaints, Air China 95 complaints, China Eastern Air Group 92 complaints, Hainan Air Group 41 complaints, Xiamen Airlines 7 complaints, Shenzhen Airlines 8 complaints, Shanghai Airlines 7 complaints, Sichuan Airlines 11 complaints and S

Foreign Investors Eye Tourism Industry in Dalian
Construction of a US$100 million indoor ice and snow sports park, the largest of its kind in China, will start soon in Dalian, a coastal city of northeast China's Liaoning Province, sources with the local tourism industry said Tuesday. A joint investment project between Tree Ag. of Germany and the Huanhai International Trade Co., Ltd. of the Dalian Bonded Zone, the 21-hectare park features facilities for indoor skiing, skating, ice hockey and other ice and snow sports. The whole pr

Bird Flu Affects Travel Industry
Local travel agencies were not pleased by news that a suspected case of bird flu was found in Nanhui District last Friday. Flu fears are scaring away foreign guests. "Since the announcement, we have had two huge groups from Japan, 1,500 and 800 people each, canceled their reservations," said Wang Zhiwei, vice president of the Shanghai CYTS Tour Corporation, saying it was a big loss to the company. According to Wang, Japanese tour groups make up the biggest portion of local travel a

Wild Wet World Awaits Museum Visitors
The Yellow River estuary wetland museum in Dongying City in Shandong -- the largest of its kind in China -- will open to visitors in April, a local official said yesterday. The museum, with a show space of more than 7,800 square meters, is expected to draw attention to China's largest wetlands, which cover 153,000 hectares -- equal to the area of half the city of Jinan, capital of Shandong Province. Liu Jing, an official from the Yellow River Delta Protective Office, said the museu

Tourists Recovering from Thai Bus Crash
Two injured Chinese tourists are now in stable condition in a Bangkok hospital after a bus collision which left three other Chinese citizens dead on Monday. The three deceased Chinese victims were identified as Jiao Jianmin, Yang Wenkuan and Li Yali. "The two seriously-wounded Chinese tourists are out of critical condition and are stable now," Xie Fugen, a counselor with the Chinese embassy, told China Daily yesterday. The bus with 26 passengers aboard crashed into a train c

Rising Stars Impact Net Industry
The year 2003 was a time of revival for the Chinese Internet industry since the burst of the dotcom bubble in 2000. During this period, the netizen population grew steadily, revenues from online advertising, mobile message and online games maintained strong growth, and stock prices for the four Chinese Internet companies listed on the NASDAQ stock market in New York -- Ctrip.com, Netease.com Inc, Sina Corp and Sohu.com Inc -- continued to rise. William Ding, who owns more than half the st

Tourists Recovering from Thai Bus Crash
Two injured Chinese tourists are now in stable condition in a Bangkok hospital after a bus collision which left three other Chinese citizens dead on Monday. The three deceased Chinese victims were identified as Jiao Jianmin, Yang Wenkuan and Li Yali. "The two seriously-wounded Chinese tourists are out of critical condition and are stable now," Xie Fugen, a counselor with the Chinese embassy, told China Daily Tuesday. The bus with 26 passengers aboard crashed into a train car

Tibet Sees Rise in Spring Festival Tourists
Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region had almost 28,000 tourist arrivals during the Spring Festival holiday week. The region raked in 22 million yuan, or nearly US$3 million, in tourism revenue, up 9 percent from last year. Domestic tourists accounted for the majority of tourists this Spring Festival holiday season. Experts attribute the rise to promotions in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and the introduction of air ticket discounts and major

Wild Wet World Awaits Museum Visitors
The Yellow River estuary wetland museum in Dongying city in Shandong - the largest of its kind in China - will open to visitors in April, a local official said yesterday.
The museum, with a show space of more than 7,800 square meters, is expected to dr

Railway Gives Sea Outlet to Northeast Border Areas
A massive border railway along the border of China, Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will be built in Northeast China, officials have announced.
The 1,380-kilometre-long track will provide a "golden" transportation passage fr

Beijing Zoo Closes Bird Exhibition Hall
Beijing Zoo closed one of the three exhibition halls at its bird garden Tuesday to prevent the spread of bird flu.
Meanwhile, the zoo has removed all turkeys from display to a non-exhibition area. "This is because air circulation in the exhibiti

Foreign Investors Eye Tourism Industry in Dalian
Construction of a US$100 million indoor ice and snow sports park, the largest of its kind in China, will start soon in Dalian, a coastal city of northeast China's Liaoning Province, sources with the local tourism industry said Tuesday.
A joint investme

Old Shanghai Revisited
The Xuhui District government invited public bidding on Monday for the construction of what will be the city's biggest historical scenery protection area.
Six well-known construction firms from the United States, England, France and Japan took part in

Asian Travel Stocks Drop on Bird-Flu Concern
Asian travel stocks declined, paced by Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and Taiwan's Eva Airways Corp., after new cases of bird flu in China added to concern that the disease will reduce demand for travel. The Hang Seng lost 2 percent to 13,021.22 as of 3.32 p.m. in Hong Kong. Taiwan's TWSE Index shed 0.9 percent to 6319.96. The Bloomberg Asia-Pacific Travel Index, which tracks 27 travel- related stocks, fell for a sixth day, the longest losing streak since April last year when an

Construction of Beijing No.5 Subway line in full swing
On January 31, construction of No. 5 Subway line was begun in nearly 50 worksites, which indicated the kick-off of the overall construction of No. 5 subway line. This subway line involves huge engineering work, in which China Railway 16th Bureau, responsible for construction of three sections, has 500 workers involved in the construction. To avoid influence to the city center, all 8 stations in old city areas where No. 5 line runs through will employ covert tunneling technology, which set

China Southern Airlines Board gives principal approval for 21 new Airbus'
The Board of China Southern Airlines has given its in-principle approval for the acquisition of 15 A320-200 aircraft and six A319-100 aircraft from Airbus. The agreement with Airbus for the acquisition of the aircraft is still in the course of being finalized and no definitive agreement has been signed between the two parties. China Southern Airlines Board has also announced its approval of the EMB Aircraft Acquisition Agreement for the purpose of acquiring six EMB-145LR aircraft.<

New air route to link east China city with Singapore
Travelers between Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu province, and Singapore will have more choice when Singapore Airlines begins regular flights between the two cities from March 28. The airline will operate Boeing 777-200 or Boeing 777-300 aircraft on the route on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, said sources with Nanjing's Lukou International Airport. Flights will depart Singapore airport at 1:20 a.m. and land at Nanjing airport at 6:25 a.m.. They will depart Nanjing at 8:40

Visit Monkey Island in Year of the Monkey
2004 is the Year of the Monkey according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Lingshui Monkey Island in eastern Hainan became a popular choice with a total of 55,431 tourists seen in the 7-day Spring Festival Holiday, 97% increase compared with the corresponding period in 2003. Even more, 20 thousand visitors were recorded in 3 days after the festival.

Nation's largest wetland museum opens
China's largest wetland museum, Huanghekou Wetland Museum, in Dongying City, east China's Shandong Province, has opened to visitors. Covering 7,856 square meters and with an investment of six million yuan (722,892 US dollars), the museum lies in the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, which boasts one of the 13 most important wetlands in the world under the protection of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). "The museum will collect and exhibit rare wetland resourc

Dramatic fall in travel fares
Prices for travel have dropped substantially with the end of the Spring Festival peak travel time. Several major travel agencies said business was normally at the year's lowest ebb from the Chinese Lantern Festival to the end of March, when prices fall by 30 to 50 percent and even 5 to 10 percent lower than normal times. Price falls in airfares and service charges for tourist destinations after the festival were the reasons for the lower prices. Group tours to Hainan Provinc

Rules draw lines for heritage protection
What may look on the surface like colourful lines on a city map, may be the ultimate victory of culture over money. Although there is still room for improvement, new Ministry of Construction regulations put a definite emphasis on preserving historical and cultural streets, blocks and buildings. "The protection of urban cultural heritages mainly lies in the preservation of historical streets," said Wang Jinghui, a senior engineer of the Chinese Academy of Planning and Design.

BTG Nikko International hotel management formed to provide hotel management services in China
JAL Hotels Company, operating company of Nikko Hotels International, announced in Tokyo that it will form a 50:50 joint venture corporation with Beijing Capital Tourism Co., Ltd., a Chinese company, to provide hotel management services. The joint corporation, BTG Nikko International Hotel Management Co., Ltd. will be based in Beijing, China. JAL Hotels and Beijing Capital Tourism are each leading companies in the tourism and hospitality industry in their headquarter countries, and have a

Tropical Bird Park Opens in Hainan
Travelers to Hainan, an island province in south China, will have the chance to view tropical birds close up with the opening of a new park. Located in Ding'an county, the bird park, said to be the largest of its kind in China, is home to 20,000 birds of over 250 species. Visitors to the park can also enjoy a 32-meter-long and 3.8-meter-high wall with relief sculptures of nine phoenixes, a rain forest for birds, a desert bird park and a parrot square. The designs of phoenixe

HK coach operators in price war over Chinese tourists
The continuing flood of tourists over the border from China has sparked a price war among tourism coach companies, according to local press reports confirmed by tour operators. Cross-border bus operators are earning between them US$3 million a day. And that is just operating from close to the Hong Kong border; it does not count long distance services back into the interior of Guangdong. There were 12.1 million arrivals and 12.3 million departures just through the Lok Ma Chau checkp

Foreign investors eye tourism industry in NW China city
Construction of a 100-million-US-dollar indoor ice and snow sports park, the largest of its kind in China, will start soon in this coastal city of northeast China's Liaoning Province, sources with the tourism industry said here Tuesday. A joint investment project between Tree Ag. of Germany and the Huanhai International Trade Co., Ltd. of the Dalian Bonded Zone, the 21-hectare park features facilities for indoor skiing, skating, ice hockey and other ice and snow sports. The whole p

Beijing Renovating Tianning Temple
For the first time in more than half a century, two Christian churches will be built in the capital city. At the same time, plans to renovate two ancient temples for Buddhist and Taoist religious rites are in the works. It is the first time churches are going up in the city since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949. One of them will be located in Chaoyang District, the other in Fengtai District in southwestern Beijing, said Hou Xiaoming, an official with the B

Thousand-year-old stone tablet recovered in Liaoning
A stone tablet that is nearly 1,000 years old and inscribed in different periods of history, 200 years apart from each other, has come to light in the northeastern China province of Liaoning. The mammoth tablet, bearing some 5,000 Chinese characters, was first inscribed in the Liao Dynasty (916 - 1125) in commemoration of disastrous floods in Yizhou town, today's Tayingzi Town in Fuxin Mongolian Autonomous County, and the local residents' building of bridges and embankments to fight the f

Tibet sees rise in Spring Festival tourists
Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, known as the "Roof of the World", had 27,590 tourist arrivals during the Spring Festival holiday week that ended last Thursday. That was a rise 6.8 percent from the figure last year, said Cering Toinzhub, an official from the Regional Office for Spring Festival Holiday Tourism Affairs. The region raked in 22.26 million yuan (2.68 million US dollars)in tourism revenue, up 9.4 percent. Domestic tourists accounted for the majority of t

Aerolineas to fly Shanghai-Buenos Aires
Direct flights between Shanghai and Buenos Aires will begin in mid-2004. The twice-weekly Aerolineas' Argentinas flight via Madrid and Beijing will take almost 24 hours. But it will still slice about 12 hours off the current travel time between the two big cities in Asia and South America. The first flight will carry Argentine President Nestor Kirchner and his party on his official visit to China. Travel agents in Argentina expect the direct link to bolster tourism, especially among Chine

Road transport peak in travel season passes
China's road transport peak during the Spring Festival travel season has passed with Monday's decrease in number of passengers traveling on roads, according to latest statistics from the Ministry of Communications. On Monday, 47 million passengers went back to their destination by bus, one million less than Sunday, official sources said. Over 2.5 million passengers took public road vehicles on Monday in central China's Henan Province, one of the main origins of migrant workers work

Toy Dolls For Valentine's Day
Novel toy dolls designed for the upcoming Valentine's Day have been on display in a gift store in Hangzhou of east China's Jiangsu Province. The dolls include the cartoon characters and classical Chinese figurines. As the Valentine's draws near, such smart gifts or roses are expected to sell like hot cakes.

Transportation Sector Preparing for Flood of Student Travelers
China's transportation sector, especially the railways and roads, is facing a challenge from the surging number of student traveling, a new test added to that of transporting migrant workers. As the new semester of most Chinese colleges and universities will begin on Feb. 9, the country's national railways sold 246,000 student tickets on Feb. 2 alone, surging 64.9 percent over the same day last year. The Ministry of Railways forecast that more students will take trains after Feb. 5

Capital's Circles Cause Traffic Troubles
The construction of the Sixth Ring Road in Beijing is buzzing, but such an urban layout featuring "concentric circles" is now under attack from critics. Beijing's traffic authorities have recently admitted for the first time that the city layout is the root cause for endless traffic jams, though such complaints have been on the lips of the city's residents for years. Being a capital city for 800 years has left Beijing with a layout centred around the Forbidden City, a legacy of the

Public Complaints over Airline Companies Publicized for First Time
During the ongoing Spring Festival travel season in China, the General Administration of Civil Aviation for the first time publicized a list of airline companies that received complaints from passengers in 2003. China Southern Airlines Group received 102 complaints, Air China 95 complaints, China Eastern Air Group 92 complaints, Hainan Air Group 41 complaints, Xiamen Airlines 7 complaints, Shenzhen Airlines 8 complaints, Shanghai Airlines 7 complaints, Sichuan Airlines 11 complaints and S

Ancient Shenyang Palace to Open to Visitors
In China in the northeast province of Liaoning, some buildings of the Shenyang Palace Museum are soon to be opened to the visiting public. This move is aimed at gaining a place for the ancient building complex on the World Heritage List. This first group of buildings to be opened to tourists once served as study and archive rooms for the Qing dynasty imperial family. The Shenyang Palace Museum was built in 1625 by the Manchurian leaders as their royal palace before they took over other pa

'Vegetable Panda' Golden Camellia Show in Beijing
A golden yellow camellia blossom is being exhibited at the Beijing Vivarium. The rare plant symbolizes fortune and has inherited the nick-name "vegetable panda." Yellow camellia blossoms are extremely rare and have been placed high on the list of plants protected by the state. The golden camellia can only be grown in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Scientists have long made efforts to grow the flower in northern regions of China, which has now been realized thanks t

Time for Lanterns and More Changes, Possibly
Today, the 15th day of the Chinese lunar calendar, is the traditional Lantern Festival.
For many modern Chinese, however, lanterns and sweet dumplings made of glutinous rice flour are still their favorites for the traditional festival. Xu Man, a

Public Complaints over Airline Companies Publicized for First Time
During the ongoing Spring Festival travel season in China, the General Administration of Civil Aviation for the first time publicized a list of airline companies that received complaints from passengers in 2003.
China Southern Airlines Group received 1

Volcanic Island Listed as National Geological Park
China's biggest volcanic island and a group of ancient sink holes, both located in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, have been listed as national geological parks.
The Ministry of Land and Resources announced on Tuesday 41 new geological

World Tourism Expected to Jump in 2004
Director of the 24th International Tourism Fair, Ana Larralaga, said Wednesday in Madrid that businessmen forecast a worldwide revival of tourism this year.
Larralaga told the press that the participants of the fair that ended Sunday said the results o

Ancient Shenyang Palace to Open to Visitors
In China in the northeast province of Liaoning, some buildings of the Shenyang Palace Museum are soon to be opened to the visiting public. This move is aimed at gaining a place for the ancient building complex on the World Heritage List.
This first gro

Volcanic island listed as national geological park
China's biggest volcanic island and a group of ancient sink holes, both located in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, have been listed as national geological parks. The Ministry of Land and Resources announced on Tuesday 41 new geological parks, bringing the total number to 85. Weizhou island, a 25-square-kilometer volcanic island, is 26 nautical miles off Beihai, a scenic port city facing Beibu Gulf. The island is known as a "Museum of Volcanoes" and is thought

Ancient pottery art revived in south China
For centuries, Qinzhou city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has been renowned for its Minxing Pottery. With the support of the local government, the ancient art has seen a revival in recent years. Minxing Pottery was first made in Guangxi in the mid-Tang Dynasty some 1,300 years ago. Its raw material is clay from the banks of the Qinjiang river. The clay contains various minerals, gray particulars which change to purple, scarlet or white after passing through the kiln. C

Marco Polo adds to Shenzhen
The Marco Polo Hotel Group has announced the signing of a long-term management contract to operate a five-star deluxe hotel in the Futian Central Business District of Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Scheduled to open in the summer of 2005, the 375-room hotel has 41 storeys, an executive floor and meetings facilities able to accommodate groups of up to 1200 people. The hotel is in close proximity to the new Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Centre, the upcoming Shenzhen R

Ancient Shenyang palace to open to visitors
In China in the northeast province of Liaoning, some buildings of the Shenyang Palace Museum are soon to be opened to the visiting public. This move is aimed at gaining a place for the ancient building complex on the World Heritage List. This first group of buildings to be opened to tourists once served as study and archive rooms for the Qing dynasty imperial family. The Shenyang Palace Museum was built in 1625 by the Manchurian leaders as their royal palace before they took over other pa

Part of Beijing-Zhuhai freeway closed due to cold weather
A section of the Beijing-Zhuhai freeway, a major north-south trunk road in China, in northern Guangdong Province has been closed to traffic due to cold weather since 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Therefore, all motor vehicles passing by will have to circumvent this section of the road to ensure safety, said traffic police with the Public Security Bureau of Shaoguan City, Guangdong. Under the impact of the strong cold air front from the north, the average daily temperature in northern Guangdon

Beijing Zoo Closes Bird Exhibition Hall
Beijing Zoo closed one of the three exhibition halls at its bird garden Tuesday to prevent the spread of bird flu. Meanwhile, the zoo has removed all turkeys from display to a non-exhibition area. "This is because air circulation in the exhibition hall is poor and visitors had direct contact with the birds. The aim of the move is to reduce the source of infection," said a zoo official. The zoo has suspended movements of all poultry and stopped purchasing live chickens and eg

Railway Gives Sea Outlet to Northeast Border Areas
A massive border railway along the border of China, Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will be built in Northeast China, officials have announced. The 1,380-kilometre-long track will provide a "golden" transportation passage from the remote inland areas of Northeast China - the nation's old industrial heartland - to the outside world. It will range from the Suifenhe River in the north of Heilongjiang Province, passing Tumen and Tonghua of Jilin Province, to

Old Shanghai revisited
The Xuhui District government invited public bidding on Monday for the construction of what will be the city's biggest historical scenery protection area. Six well-known construction firms from the United States, England, France and Japan took part in the bidding, the district government said. The design of the area, which will stretch from Hengshan Road to Fuxing Road and cover 4.3 square kilometers, must reflect the original style of Shanghai as it appeared in the 1920s and 1930s

Shenyang Lantern Show Unveiled Last Night
Shenyang Spring Festival Lantern show opened last night in front of Beiling Park, attracting thousands of residents. Thousands of differently shaped lanterns were lit, forming a fantastic contrast with the bright moonlight. Leaders from sister cities including Changchun, Harbin, Anshan, Fushun, Yingkou, Liaoyang, Panjin, Huludao as well as diplomatic officials from Japanese Consulate, North Korean Consulate, Russian Consulate, South Korean Liaison Office , US Consulate attended the openin

HK travel industry shocked by Indonesia's visa rule
The outbound travel industry sending visitors to Indonesia has been thrown into confusion by a new Jakarta policy that demands British National (Overseas) passport holders get visas before entering Indonesia. The sudden new move came to light last weekend when three Hong Kong BNO passport holders were denied entry. Until then, people with BNO passports could enter visa-free. The British government has not been informed of the move. The decision has stirred outrage among about three

China's First Private Airline to Make Debut This Year
China's first private airline is to make its debut in 2004, based in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, aiming to offer low-cost air travel. "The new carrier is in the process of being established," confirmed a spokeswoman with the Guangzhou-based E & Net Communications Co Ltd. The private company is now engaged in the information technology business and plans to expand into the airline sector, the spokeswoman said. Other media reports said the private c

Hainan Island, All Year Round
Hainan Island is China's second largest after Taiwan. Covering an area of 33,900 square kilometers, which accounts for 99 percent of the land area of Hainan Province in the southernmost part of China, the island is the main part of the province. On the same latitude as Hawaii, it has a tropical climate with a mean annual temperature between 20a nbsp; to 25a As winter has come to most parts of China, Hainan Island presents a distinct scene: comfortable sunshine, warm seawater, white beaches and

Dream of Flying Comes True
Wearing a red flying suit, Tian Weixin starts the engine of his Bee 3C super light plane. After taxiing a short distance on the makeshift runway, the plane takes off. Tian's long-cherished dream came true in Gaoming Section of Xijiang Dam in the city of Foshan in South China's Guangdong Province on October 24. "I really feel like a bird when the plane takes off," says Tian, an editor at a local radio station. Tian became the first in his province, and one of the handful of C

Railways Carry 101 Million People in Spring Travel Season
China's railways carried 101.37 million people in the 29 days ending Feb. 4 during the Spring Festival travel season, up 4.4 percent year on year, sources with the Ministry of Railways said Thursday. This spring travel season has witnessed eleven successive days when Chinese medium- and long-distance railways' daily passenger numbers exceeded 1.4 million, a rare figure. On Wednesday, the medium- and long-distance railways carried 1.44 million passengers, up 9.3 percent year on year

Nanjing Builds World's Largest City Park
Nanjing is building the world's largest urban park. The fifth-phrase of construction is now underway. When finished, it will integrate five scenic spots into one landscape zone. The ancient city of Nanjing in east China's Jiangsu Province is building the world's largest urban park. The fifth-phrase of construction is now underway. When finished, it will integrate five scenic spots into one landscape zone. In addition, the project also includes building boulevards and clearin

Dream of Flying Comes True
Wearing a red flying suit, Tian Weixin starts the engine of his Bee 3C super light plane. After taxiing a short distance on the makeshift runway, the plane takes off.
Tian's long-cherished dream came true in Gaoming Section of Xijiang Dam in the city o

Beijing Expects Peak Railway Passenger Flows
China's capital received over 250,000 railway passengers per day since Jan. 29, with the maximum flows exceeding 270,000 on Feb. 3 and 4, according to statistics from the Beijing Railway Department.
Officials with the department said the railway passen

Railways Carry 101 Million People in Spring Travel Season
China's railways carried 101.37 million people in the 29 days ending Feb. 4 during the Spring Festival travel season, up 4.4 percent year on year, sources with the Ministry of Railways said Thursday.
This spring travel season has witnessed eleven succe

Air Service Links Guangzhou, Munich
Germany's air carrier Lufthansa has launched a five-flights a week service between Germany's Munich and Guangzhou in south China.
Guangzhou becomes Lufthansa's fourth destination in China, after Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The flight servic

Nanjing Builds World's Largest City Park
Nanjing is building the world's largest urban park. The fifth-phrase of construction is now underway. When finished, it will integrate five scenic spots into one landscape zone.
The ancient city of Nanjing in east China's Jiangsu Province is building t

Nepal's arrival figures on higher trek
Nepal Tourism Board has announced that international arrivals by flight to the country in January this year has climbed to as much as 40 per cent from January 2003. Arrivals from India formed the highest volume at 6,612 visitors while arrivals from China led the way for the biggest growth rate, an increase of 147 per cent from last year. Significantly, arrivals from Taiwan saw an increase of 83 per cent. Released by the Immigration Office, Department of Immigration, Tribhuvan Inter

China to discuss more flights from HK
China will allow more flights between Hong Kong and mainland destinations, a General Administration for Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) official says, according to local news reports. CAAC air transport division executive, Mr Li Jiangmin, said meetings to discuss the issue would be held this month. Carriers will then state what routes they wish to fly. That is likely to be a lengthy wish-list. Whatever happens, the industry expects significant liberalisation, sources say. Mr

Public Complaints over Airline Companies Publicized for First Time
During the ongoing Spring Festival travel season in China, the General Administration of Civil Aviation for the first time publicized a list of airline companies that received complaints from passengers in 2003. China Southern Airlines Group received 102 complaints, Air China 95 complaints, China Eastern Air Group 92 complaints, Hainan Air Group 41 complaints, Xiamen Airlines 7 complaints, Shenzhen Airlines 8 complaints, Shanghai Airlines 7 complaints, Sichuan Airlines 11 complaints and S

Air service links Guangzhou, Munich
Lufthansa German Airlines has launched a service of five weekly flights this month between Munich of southern Germany and Guangzhou of south China, said UweMuller, Lufthansa's vice-president for Asia and the Pacific, Thursday. Guangzhou has thus become the group's fourth destination in China, after Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The flights will shuttle between Guangzhou and Munich each week,with a stopover in Shanghai. From April 1, Lufthansa will add two more flights, so

Vegetable Panda Golden Camellia Show in Beijing
A golden yellow camellia blossom is being exhibited at the Beijing Vivarium. The rare plant symbolizes fortune and has inherited the nick-name "vegetable panda". Yellow camellia blossoms are extremely rare and have been placed high on the list of plants protected by the state. The golden camellia can only be grown in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Scientists have long made efforts to grow the flower in northern regions of China, which has now been realized thanks t

Restaurants take emergency steps against bird flu
The top management of Kentucky Fried Chicken's Qianmen restaurant here held a news briefing Thursday to assure customers that the food served at his restaurant, the first KFC restaurant to open on China's mainland 17 years ago, was safe from bird flu. Similar news briefings were also held Thursday in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, and north China's Tianjin Municipality. Colin Tan, general manager of KFC Beijing, told Xinhua Thursday here that chicken meat s

HK Residents to Have Visa-free Access to Japan
Hong Kong's Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang announced Wednesday that the Japanese government will grant visa-free access for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) passport holders wishing to visit Japan. Under the new arrangement, effective April 1, 2004, Hong Kong citizens holding HKSAR passports may visit Japan for up to 90 days without a visa. Tsang made the announcement after meetings in Tokyo with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi, Minist

World Tourism Expected to Jump in 2004
Director of the 24th International Tourism Fair, Ana Larralaga, said Wednesday in Madrid that businessmen forecast a worldwide revival of tourism this year. Larralaga told the press that the participants of the fair that ended Sunday said the results of this tourism event would be very positive. She said most exhibitors thought that their accords or pre-accords "will improve the prospect of the world tourist market, especially the European and Spanish ones." Larralaga also s

Panda Hua Mei to Leave San Diego Zoo for China
It's farewell for Hua Mei, finally. After more than a year of delays, the first U.S.-born panda to survive is about to become the first U.S.-born panda to be returned to its ancestral homeland, China. The 4-year-old giant panda, one of the most popular animals at the San Diego Zoo, soon will be sent to the renowned Wolong Giant Panda Protection Research Center in Sichuan province, where she will enter into a breeding program. Panda fans had lined up to see the playful black-and-whi

Panda Hua Mei to leave San Diego Zoo for China
It's farewell for Hua Mei, finally. After more than a year of delays, the first US-born panda to survive is about to become the first US-born panda to be returned to its ancestral homeland, China. The 4-year-old giant panda, one of the most popular animals at the San Diego Zoo, soon will be sent to the renowned Wolong Giant Panda Protection Research Center in Sichuan province, where she will enter into a breeding program. Panda fans had lined up to see the playful black-and-white b

Renovation of Ancient Temple Calls for Help
Jietai Temple, or temple of the ordination altar, is located 35 km (22 miles) west of Beijing. It takes its name from the famous Ming marble ordination altar. Built some 1,300 years ago, this altar is nearly 5 meters (16 feet) high and decorated with deli

Panda Hua Mei Back to Motherland
The giant panda, Hua Mei, or literally China USA in Chinese, is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Thursday and join some 70 pandas at the Wolong Giant Panda Protection Research Centre in Southwest China's Sichuan Province the next day. The 12-year loan agreement that brought her parents to San Diego in 1996 mandates that any of Hua Mei's offspring be sent to China after the panda bears turn 3 years old. Poor weather and the SARS outbreak have delayed the black-and-white panda's ret

State Inspections Tighten Flu Stranglehold
Inspection teams were sent by the central government to areas hit by major bird flu outbreaks yesterday, to oversee local leaders work in c