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Solutions To Beijing's Traffic Problems
Ho Hau Zhao, a member of the Beijing Municipal Political Consultative Conference, suggests Beijing alleviate traffic problems by reducing the number of vehicles and encouraging car pooling. Ho Hau Zhao, who is the elder brother of Edmond Ho Hau Wah, the Chief Executive of Macau Special Administrative Region, recommends the capital model its traffic system after the system used in Hong Kong, which extends buses and subways in all directions. Since Beijing is going to host the 2008 O

Yuanmingyuan Garden to Unfold Its Western Wing
Yuanmingyuan, the most magnificent imperial garden in China, has long been one of Beijing's major tourist attractions. But the public has so far been unable to appreciate the garden's beauty in its entirety, due to the destruction wrought by Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860. A project is currently under way to bring back the original look of the western part of Yuangmingyuan, which for a long time has been buried under ruins. The first phase of the preservation program is taking place i

Travel upsurge
With the Spring Festival peak travel time to end Feb. 15, the number of people traveling has totaled 5.88 million by Sunday since Jan. 7. Some 31,000 people traveled by rail, 14,000 by air, 3,800 by ferry and 78,000 by bus Sunday, setting off another travel upsurge following the Chinese Lantern Festival Thursday, sources from the local transport bureau said. Many of those returning were school students as most schools are due to open Monday. As the Lantern Festival is consid

Beijing limits number of tourists to scenic spots following park accident
Beijing's tourism authorities have urged local hotels to make a thorough safety inspection and scenic spots in the city to control the number of tourists beginning Monday. The order was issued after a stampede that took place last week when over 30,000 tourists visited a lantern show in a park in Miyun County in the northern suburbs. The accident left 37 people dead and 24 others injured. A notice of the municipal tourism administration also requires working staff at scenic spots t

Mainland tourism official calls for more cross-straits cooperation
The Chinese mainland is ready to expand tourism cooperation with Taiwan, said Sun Gang, deputy director of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) here Monday. Sun said at the opening ceremony of a tourism amity meeting across the straits that the tourism operators across the Taiwan Straits had the responsibility to contribute to China's reunification. Since currently the Chinese mainland still cannot organize tourist groups to Taiwan, Sun expressed his hope that Taiwan to

China, Italy team up to protect cultural relics
Beijing saw the launch on Monday morning of a top-class training center dedicated to protecting and restoring cultural relics in China. With an investment of nearly 4 million US dollars, the Sino-Italian joint venture is the largest and most advanced institution of its kind in China. The training center will provide courses in the restoration of cultural and historical relics made of porcelain, stone and metal. Trainees will also be taught how to protect archaeological digs. The It

Special Zone for Mothers and Babies in Railway Station
Chinese railway station waiting rooms are becoming as cosy as a baby's cot. Take Xi'an, the capital of China's northwest province of Shannxi, as an example. A special waiting room has been set up in the railway station there, which provides mothers with excellent facilities for taking care of their babies. There are cradles and hot water so that the babies can wait for their train in comfort. What's more, waiting room attendants are on hand to help out if needed. Hund

Duty-free Shopping Malls Planned for Shenzhen City
Business from Shenzhen and Hong Kong are capitalizing on the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) with plans to build shopping centers in Shenzhen. The Futian district government and a local company are working on setting up a CEPA theme shopping mall in the Huaqiangbei business area.
"We plan to open the mall before June. One of the pressing tasks now is attracting businesses from Hong Kong, since all the stalls (in the mall) will be run by Hong Kongers selling zero-tariff g

Cathay Optimistic About Flight Talks
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Hong Kong's biggest airline, is "cautiously optimistic" it would be given more flights to Beijing as well as approval to start flights to Shanghai during talks between Hong Kong and mainland officials later this month, general manager Andrew Pyne said. "We are cautiously optimistic of making a breakthrough on flying to Shanghai and operating more services to Beijing," Pyne said in an interview with Cathay's in-house magazine CX World. "We have every con

China Southern shells out for new seats
China Southern Airlines has added cocoon-style shell flat bed seats in its new Airbus A330 aircraft. The aircraft will feature 24 minipod premium business class seats which can be turned into a flat 1.9m-long bed. The new seats also feature a telephone and video control unit, power plugs for laptops, CD and MP3 players and pull-out privacy divider.

Adding A Modern Touch to Chinese Ceramics
An ongoing exhibition of ceramics by more than 20 contemporary Chinese artists is changing the way local audiences view the traditional art. Ceramics made by these artists are different from, although not necessarily better than, those made by their Chinese ancestors, often only seen by Americans in museum collections. They are not bowls, plates and vases with elegant patterns and smooth surfaces. They are not from any "official kiln (guanyao)," or kilns from the Song, Ming or Qing

Cultural relics of west China to be exhibited in Japan
A number of precious cultural relics belonging to Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, will be exhibited in Japan later this year, sources with the Shaanxi Bureau of Cultural Heritage said Tuesday. The exhibition is co-sponsored by the Shaanxi Bureau of Cultural Heritage, Xi'an Bureau of Gardens and Cultural Heritage and the Japanese city Niigata, 300 km northwest to Tokyo. The display, to be held at the historical museum and art gallery of Niigata, will last 40 da

December 2003 - Asian hotels report fourth consecutive month of revPAR growth
Year-end 2003 results for the Asian hotel industry showed some signs of recovery following another challenging year of operations, according to the HotelBenchmark Survey by Deloitte. Despite revenue per available room (revPAR) declining by 10.5 percent across Asia in 2003, the region did see revPAR move back into positive territory during the last four months of the year. Latest figures for December show revPAR across the region increasing by 9.5 percent compared to the prior year - making this,

Mainland Simplifies Procedures for Commuters Across Taiwan Straits
China's mainland will take a couple of measures to simplify procedures on commuting across the Taiwan Straits for both Taiwanese and mainland people. Han Yusheng with the Ministry of Public Security made the announcement in Beijing Wednesday at a press conference held by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. According to the new measures, not only Taiwanese people investing, working or studying on the mainland but also mainland residents' spouses from Taiwan, people over

Chen's Scheme 'Cheats the Public'
With less than 40 days to go before Taiwan's "presidential" elections, Beijing yesterday rejected the island leader's latest peace overtures as "deceptive talk." On February 3, Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian proposed a so-called "peace and stability framework" across the Straits in a bid to ease mounting pressure over his referendum plan. Under the framework, he called on Beijing to set up a demilitarized zone, swap special envoys and establish liaison offices between the two sides.<

China Devoted to Developing Global National Park System
China has approved through repeated examinations 677 scenic spots, covering an area of over one percent of its territory, said sources with the Ministry of Construction (MOC) Wednesday in Beijing. The ministry named 26 new national key parks on Wednesday, increasing the country's state-level scenic spots to 177. Meanwhile, a national park administration system corresponding to the global national park system has been set up in China. Among these scenic spots, 16 famous sites have b

China Adds 26 National Scenic Spots
China added 26 scenic spots to its list of national parks Wednesday, increasing the country's state-level scenic spots to 177. The 26 national parks are in 14 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions on the Chinese mainland, such as the Three Mountains (Sanshan) scenic spot in Jiangsu Province, and Fangyan scenic spot in Zhejiang Province. Vice Minister of Construction Qiu Baoxing said at a nameplate awarding meeting the new group of national parks will bring forth more res

Beijing Aims to Reduce Traffic Flow
Beijing plans to build huge free or low cost parking lots beyond the Fourth and Fifth ring roads to encourage more car owners to take buses or subways to the downtown area, said a senior traffic official.
The plan is just one of the multiple measures t

Travel Peak Sees Declining Journeys
The 40-day annual travel peak around the bustling traditional Chinese Spring Festival period will come to an end this weekend, with declining numbers of passengers being handled by roads and railways. The Ministry of Communications said here Thursday that about 46million journeys were made by road on Wednesday, dropping three million from Tuesday. The ministry said the number of road passengers will continue to drop and the flow on Thursday is expected to be around 45 million, one

China, EC Sign Milestone Tourism Memo
The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and the European Community signed a milestone memorandum of understanding in Beijing Thursday which will facilitate Chinese group tourism to Europe. Chinese tourists going through selected travel agencies will benefit from facilitated procedures to apply for tourist visas from 12 member states of the European Community which have been granted "Approved Destination Status" (ADS) by China. The 12 nations are: Austria, Belgium, Finland,

Chinese Travelers Eye EU Destinations
Residents of most European Union countries will see more and more Chinese tour groups shopping or sightseeing at local landmarks in the next few months. Yesterday, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and the European Union signed a milestone memorandum of understanding, which will facilitate more Chinese group tours to European countries. Chinese people will be able to travel to 12 countries of the 15 EU members through selected travel agencies. Ireland, Denmark

Fair Offers Taste of the Wider World for Travel
Shanghai will host its first consumer-focused World Travel Fair from February 19 to 22 at the Pudong New International Expo Center. The first day is open to trade people and the other three days aim at general consumers. A two-year collaborative effort between the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission and VNU Exhibitions Asia has attracted more than 340 companies from 39 countries and regions, and 55 companies from China's mainland for the fair. "The rising number of Ch

Lifting the Veil of Mystic Libya
by Chen Liang I felt kind of lost in the Jamahiriya Musum. This was not because the national museum of Libya, housed in the Assai al-Hamra (the Red Castle) of Tripoli, is too big. It is because the museum, with an excellent and incredibly rich collection of classical antiquities, offers an overview of the country's nearly 3,000 years of history which is not easy for a visitor from East Asia to take in in a two-hour visit. Berber, Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek, Roman

China Opening-up Scenic Site Management
China's national scenic and historic sites will be probably soon be managed by private companies, rather than local authorities. The purpose is to improve the protection of these sites and promote local economic development. Vice Minister of Construction Qiu Baoxing explains that companies can bid for concessions in such areas as property management, scenic management and marketing. The new policy will first be tried out in ten per cent of China's some 700 scenic and historic spots

Animals in Xi'an Zoo move to new home
A tiger from Xi'an Zoo is discharged from a truck in Qinglin Wildlife Park in the suburbs of Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 10, 2004. The zoo was close to public on Tuesday, following the removal of the first batch of animals to the newly-constructed zoo in the southern suburbs of Xi'an, as part of the efforts to create a better living environment for annimals in face of the deteriorating surroundings in the rapidly developing city.

Desert Expedition Running out of Provisions
The Sino-Japanese desert expedition is now moving forward 30 km a day along the west bank of the Hotan River, to its next destination as they are rapidly running out of supplies. Provisions began running out when the team arrived at the intersection of Hotan County and the 39th parallel, north altitude, the first supply depot on the expedition. CYTS (China Youth Travel Service) Xinjiang International Tour Co Ltd, the organizer of the expedition, has sent rescuers to shoulder provisions to

Metrojet adds Gulfstream G200
Hong Kong-based Metrojet has bought another US$20 million 10-seat Gulfstream G200, expanding its fleet of specialised executive charter jets. The new aircraft will be based at Hong Kong International Airport's busy Business Aviation Center. Demand for charter jets has expanded swiftly since Metrojet was founded in 1995. The company now has four aircraft, three of them Gulfstreams. The main destinations are in China. Although Hong Kong is part of China, aircraft registered there hav

Digital Art Shows the Original Look of Chang'an
A Singaporean expert in East Asian cities has restored the original look of China's city of Chang'an onto a multimedia CD using computer technology. The expert has extensive knowledge of the ancient city, which was the capital of China during the Han and Tang dynasties. The CD offers a panoramic view of the old Chang'an and includes illustrations and details on every part.

Chinese flights reduction will deal blow to Thai tourism: TAT
Four major Chinese airlines' decision that they would slash flights to Thailand by 40 percent would deal an inevitable blow to Thailand's tourism industry, according to senior officials of The Tourism Authority of Thailand. Phornsiri Manoharn, Executive Director of the TAT's Marketing Service Department, was quoted by the Thai News Agency as saying Tuesday that any reduction in the number of Chinese visitors would adversely affect Thai tourism, but said that an estimate of the damage coul

China adds 26 national scenic spots
China added 26 scenic spots to its list of national parks Wednesday, increasing the country's state-level scenic spots to 177. The 26 national parks are in 14 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions on the Chinese mainland, such as the Three Mountains (Sanshan) scenic spot in Jiangsu Province, and Fangyan scenic spot in Zhejiang Province. Vice Minister of Construction Qiu Baoxing said at a nameplate awarding meeting the new group of national parks will bring forth more res

China Relocates Rare Birds to Protect From Flu
China says it has resettled as many as 250 rare ibis atop a remote mountain, seeking to protect the endangered birds from the avian flu. Forestry officials say the best protection is to maintain a suitable distance between them and villages and other poultry or animals. The ibis have been living in a wildlife care center in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province but they were moved after bird flu was detected in poultry in the region. There are only about 500 i

Travel peak sees declining journeys
The 40-day annual travel peak around the bustling traditional Chinese Spring Festival period will come to an end this weekend, with declining numbers of passengers being handled by roads and railways. The Ministry of Communications said here Thursday that about 46million journeys were made by road on Wednesday, dropping three million from Tuesday. The ministry said the number of road passengers will continue to drop and the flow on Thursday is expected to be around 45 million, one

National Theatre Plans Performance in Advance
China's Ministry of Culture is set to arrange the first batch of performances for the National Grand Theatre in downtown Beijing, two years before it is put into use. The first round of performances will include domestic classic and newly-produced plays, as well as shows brought by renowned overseas groups. The theatre, next to the Great Hall of the People and diagonally opposite from the Forbidden City, is expected to be in operation by the end of next year. Designed by Fre

Moscow¨CHong Kong air talks open new routes for Cathay
Aviation talks in Moscow between Hong Kong and Russia mean a huge boost in flights between the countries and possible non-stop flights over the North Pole could give Cathay Pacific access to the shortest route to New York. There will in future be up to 32 flights weekly between Hong Kong and Russia, an increase of 130 per cent. The agreement will also let Cathay sell seats on flights from Hong Kong through Russia heading towards other destinations. The liberalisation holds special

Glass Giant' Themed Park Ready for Construction
A press conference was held yesterday morning to announce that Qipan Shan "Glass giant"-themed park would start construction in September of 2004 and complete in 2006. The human life theme park which was invested and designed by the Germany Tree Entertainment AG, will feature human body structure and life science. The park will occupy a total area of 860,000 square meters and a floor space of 200,000 square meters.

Beijing: Paying Taxi Fares with Smart Cards
Taxi passengers in Beijing will soon be able to pay with a smart card, instead of cash.
10,000 city cabs are now accepting the cards on a trial basis to sort out any bugs. Once the new payment method is in full operation and covers the entire city, card-bearing passengers will no longer have to hear, "Sorry, I don't have enough change for a 100 yuan note!"
Beijing transportation authorities expect the new cards to prove very popular, and their use will eventually be extended to taxi

Sichuan to Held Sanxing Dui Mask Festival
Guanghan City of southwest China's Sichuan province will hold the annual Sanxingdui International Mask Festival. The lengthy festival will last 10 months from this May to the next March. Guanghan is the home city of Sanxingdui, a fantabulous ancient culture site. Among thousands of cultural relics from Sanxingsdui, the golden veil is one of the oldest in the world, while the bronze human-animal veil is the biggest with the width over one meter, and the height about 64 centim

Cross Straits Visiting Procedures Simplified
The Ministry of Public Security will simplify visiting procedures between both sides of the Taiwan Straits. The move aims to promote the economic, cultural exchanges and visits between the two sides. With the implementation of the new procedures, more people can freely travel to the mainland, including people whose spouses now live in Taiwan and residents of the island province whose native homes are on mainland. Meanwhile, people who are work in the tourism, aviation and sh

China, EU ratify agreement to allow more Chinese tourists into Europe
China and the European Union (EU) ratified an agreement that would open the eurozone to more Chinese tourists, the EU said in a statement. The memorandum, signed by officials in Beijing, will make it easier for Chinese tourist groups to visit Europe by simplifying visa procedures, the statement said. "I look forward to seeing more Chinese tourists here and I hope many will take up the new opportunity to travel," EU External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten said in the statement.

Voyage in the Three Gorges: Retrospect
While being claimed as a worldwide famous "golden channel, " the Three Gorges area actually was once a dangerous waterway. Its 311 shoals and reefs -- with a reef in every 3.3 kilometers on average -- threatened the ships and everyone traveling on the river . Among the many dangerous shoals in the area there are such ones named as Konglingtan, Xintan, Xietan and Xinglongtan. Before powerboat was introduced to China, all the boats sailing on the Yangtze River had to be dragged by boat trac

Family Ties Maintained in Alienating Modern Society
The first thing Yang Zaolun does after breakfast every day is to open e-mails from his sons -- it'sthe highlight of his day. E-mails and phone calls link Yang and his wife in east China's Anhui Province with their two sons, one in the United States and the other in Beijing. "We do not feel far from the children because we are in touch every day by e-mail," says Yang. Xia Yang, one of Yang's sons, haswritten over 2,000 e-mails to his parents in the past two and halfyears. "Ne

Yangtze's Distance Lures Slovenian Swimmer's Plunge
Martin Strel may not know much about the Yangtze River, but he thinks he knows how to beat it. The professional marathon swimmer from Slovenia is about to launch his latest bid to conquer another of the world's famous rivers. This time in China. Strel, who will turn 50 this summer, plans to spend about two months swimming the majority of the 4,600-kilometer river that in many ways is a symbol for China. He will swim during the day and break at night to sleep in a boat, only

No Easy Answer to Travel Woes
In the nation's crowded train carriages during Spring Festival, it was reported each square-metre of floor space was holding 13 passengers. So there must be at least someone, according to calculations, standing on a single foot.
Sounds unbelievable I

Terra-cotta Warriors Escape Fire
The fire struck the Museum of Terra-cotta Warriors near Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Thursday had caused no damage to the relics in the pit, the local cultural heritage department said Friday.
The accident occurred at 10 a.m

China, Land of Bicycles
There are currently more than 500 million cyclists in China, 10 million of them in Beijing. Despite efficient bus networks, legions of taxis and surging private car ownership, the bicycle remains a firm fixture in Chinese daily life. But to cyclists today, it is much more than just a means of transport, who demand a far greater choice of design and function than ever before. Cycling for health and recreation Each morning after cycling to the subway station Miss Wang folds he

Temple Chronicles Chongming History
For people who want to know more about Chongming-the country's third largest island-the Chongming Confucius Temple is an ideal destination. The temple, known to locals as "Xue Gong," or "Study Palace" in English, is an ancient architectural complex covering an area of about 1.55 hectares. It is the largest Confuciun temple in the city. Originally built in 1327 during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) it was rebuilt on the current site in 1622 in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). For

NASA's Spirit Rover Examines Unusual Rock
NASA's Spirit rover stopped to examine an unusual, flaky rock on the surface of Mars Sunday as scientists prepared to send it on a trek that would more than double its one-day distance record. The Mars Explorer team hopes the rover will travel about 82 feet Monday morning and make the same distance again during the afternoon. Spirit's longest previous trek was 70 feet in a day, the record for any robot on the Martian surface. Before setting out on Monday's trek, Spirit is examining

Airlines Refit Planes to Chase Lucrative First-class Revenues
Airlines around China, especially the big carriers, are trying to improve service and facilities in first-class and business-class cabins to lure more high-end customers in the booming air travel market. Air China, the country's flag carrier which operates the most international flights among mainland carriers, said it will spend about 600 million yuan (US$72.29 million) in the next three years to refit its first-class and business-class cabins. "The improvement will focus mainly o

Land of Bicycles
There are currently more than 500 million cyclists in China, 10 million of them in Beijing Despite efficient bus networks, legions of taxis and surging private car ownership, the bicycle remains a firm fixture in Chinese daily life. But to cyclists today, it is much more than just a means of transport, who demand a far greater choice of design and function than ever before. Cycling for health and recreation Each morning after cycling to the subway station Miss Wang folds her

Snow in Lhasa Ushers in Tibetan New Year
Snow blanketed this capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region Feb. 15 morning, an unusual sight for February that local people called an auspicious greeting for the upcoming Tibetan New Year.
"It snows a lot in Lhasa. It's a good sign for the coming

Eight Chinese Sites Honored "World Geological Park" Title
Eight Chinese scenic attractions have become the first group of UNESCO-designated world geological parks.
It announced its list of World Geological Parks Friday in Paris. Awaiting the UNESCO panel final decision were eight Chinese and twenty European e

Chinese Celebrate Valentine's Day in Varied Ways
People across China are celebrating Valentine's Day in their own ways, and many of them, including university students, do not hesitate to spend much more than usual on roses, chocolates, meals, entertainment and even a night at a hotel to express their feelings for their beloved. It is undoubted that businessmen capitalized on the festival. Supply of flowers, sold at prices several times higher than usual, even fell short of demand, a situation beyond expectation and better than t

Noted Architects Help Design Private Modern History Museums
Twenty noted architects have gathered in Chengdu, capital of the southwestern Sichuan Province,to help Fan Jianchuan, a private collector, design a cluster of private museums on modern Chinese history, which are set to be the country's largest on completion in 2005. Several top architects submitted proposals to a symposium on the designs of the Jianchuan Museums. Among them were academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, professors from the elite Beijing University, Qinghua Uni

Rebirth for old attraction
Ocean Park is to receive a new lease of life with extensive remodeling and a redesign planned and two on-site hotels, all helmed by a dynamic new CEO. The 870,000m2 is revving up to do battle with Disney when the American entertainment giant opens on Lantau Island in 23 months. The revitalisation of the attraction hinges on the Mass Transit Railway building a line to the southern side of the island with a station at Ocean Park. The line will effectively link the two parks together

Beijing: Enough Roses for Valentine's Day
The biggest rose growing base in Beijing has sold all the 100 thousand roses they prepared for Valentine's Day. The base has invested over 4 million yuan, or 480 thousand US dollars, to build greenhouses, develop seedbeds, and introduce advanced technology and varieties from Japan. They now market high quality roses that stay fresh longer than the older varieties, with colours ranging from red, yellow, white and pink to black and green.

Taiwan ranks first in Bali`s tourist arrivals in 2003
Taiwan ranked first in tourist arrivals in Bali with 165,416 of the total of 999,833 tourists visiting that resort island in 2003. The second rank went to Japan with around 165,088 tourists, followed by Australia with 123,317 tourists, data from the Bali Province`s Tourism Representative office said on Sunday. Australian tourists which in the past often ranked first in that island`s tourist arrivals appeared still to be traumatic with the bitter and unforgettable experience in 2002

Shenzhen Airport to Form Strategic Partnership
Shenzhen Airport Co.Ltd. said it had invited Hong Kong's Airport Authority to become its strategic investor as part of a restructuring effort spearheaded by the Shenzhen government. The city government in the southern boomtown said last week it wanted to reduce government holdings in 26 companies this year -- some of which would be declared bankrupt -- to boost competitiveness. "In line with the restructuring plans of Shenzhen's state-owned companies, our company plans to tap the H

Liaoning Works to Protect Historical Heritage
Northeast China's Liaoning Province is expected to launch a historical heritage protection project this year to effectively preserve its historical sites and cultural relics. The province will invest 20 million yuan (about US$2.4 million) on protecting a number of historical sites, which could be developed and opened for tourism, and renovating those which are dilapidating or damaged, said Peng Yiming, director of Liaoning cultural
department. Peng said Liaoning Province would e

CAAC Pondering Flight Route Fee
The Civil Aviation Administration of China is considering levying a new fee on air carriers following the cancellation of the previous civil aviation construction fund, industry insiders said. The new fee, imposed as payment for possessing flight routes, is believed to be much less than the aviation construction fee. The name of the fee and details regarding the charges have yet to be determined. "We haven't received any official document about it so far, and the officials in charg

Fair offers taste of the wider world for travel
Shanghai will host its first consumer-focused World Travel Fair from February 19 to 22 at the Pudong New International Expo Center. The first day is open to trade people and the other three days aim at general consumers. A two-year collaborative effort between the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission and VNU Exhibitions Asia has attracted more than 340 companies from 39 countries and regions, and 55 companies from China's mainland for the fair. "The rising number of Ch

Beijing to Renovate World Cultural Heritage Sites
Beijing will renovate six World Cultural Heritages Sites inside the city. The Peking Man site, the Great Wall and the Summer Palace have been chosen to undergo improvements. The Peking Man site, the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, the Palace Museum and the Ming Tombs have been chosen to undergo improvements. The renovation work will focus on restoring the sites to their original condition using traditional materials and construction methods.

Eight Chinese Geological Parks Honored World Geological Park Title
Eight popular Chinese tourist destinations have been granted the official title of "World Geological Park" by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Culture Organization. Yellow Mountain in Anhui, Lushan Mountain in Guangxi, Yuntai Mountain in Henan, and the Stone Forest in Yunan are among the seven selected parks. The establishment of the sites as World Geological Parks will encourage the study and protection of the areas and sustainable economic development.

Cemetery of Western Han Dynasty discovered at Three Gorges
A huge cemetery from China's Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 24 A.D.) has been discovered at the Three Gorges area's Tujing town of southwest China's Chongqing municipality. According to Fang Gang of the Chongqing archaeological squad, 62 burial pits with typical Western Han patterns were found within a scope of 2000 square meters at a large tableland alongside the Yangtze River. The pits were orderly arranged in several rows and each row contained five to seven tombs with almost

Gun Museum to Open in Shanghai
The world's largest gun museum is set to open in east China's city of Shanghai. The museum will open on Monday, with more than 260 guns from 17 different countries on display. The museum will be open from 9 am to 4 pm every Monday to Saturday.

Water Inflow to Keep Lake from Drying
After four decades of droughts, the largest fresh water lake in North China will get a much needed liquid boost. A new channel to the Baiyangdian Lake is expected to help raise the water level of the "bright pearl" of the Jizhong plain. The waterlock at the Yuecheng Reservoir was lifted yesterday morning to let water flow into a 450-kilometre canal connecting it with the lake. The Yuecheng Reservoir holds more than 600 million cubic of water. It can discharge 417 million cub

Tom.com Picks NASDAQ, HK to List Web Business
Hong Kong-based multimedia company Tom.com Ltd looks set to list its Chinese mainland Internet wing on the New York NASDAQ stock market and Hong Kong's Growth Enterprise Market (GEM). The company, controlled by Asia's richest man Li Ka-shing, will list its Internet business Tom Online Inc around March 11 after the move is expected to get the nod from a March 1 extraordinary general meeting. Tom.com Ltd said the flotation would raise HK$1-1.46 billion (US$128-187 million), according

China, Holland to Cooperate in Windmill Power
China and Holland will cooperate in windmill power generation, trademark protection and sustainable energy equipment, according to a Dutch minister Monday in Beijing. At a press conference, Sybilla Dekker, minister of Housing and Spatial Planning and Environment, said Holland will also set up an office in Shanghai to promote Chinese traveling in her country. She said she hoped more Chinese will travel in Holland. According to a memorandum of understanding signed by China and the Eu

China, Holland to Cooperate in Windmill Power
China and Holland will cooperate in windmill power generation, trademark protection and sustainable energy equipment, according to a Dutch minister in Beijing Monday. At a press conference, Sybilla Dekker, minister of Housing and Spatial Planning and Environment, said Holland will also set up an office in Shanghai to promote Chinese traveling in her country. She said she hoped more Chinese will travel in Holland. According to a memorandum of understanding signed by China and the Eu

Mt. Laoshan
With its highest peak rising 1,133 meters above sea level, Mt. Laoshan is situated on the southeastern Shangdong peninsula. Facing the Yellow Sea, it is one of China's major scenic resorts and has long held the reputation as the No. 1 Famous Mountain on the Sea. The entire mountain covers 446 square kilometers and has 218 places of interest, big and small. It is a famous Taoist mountain boasting both mountainous and coastal scenery. Among all the well-known mountains across China,

Travel Line to Open on Yangzi River
The world's longest travel-themed navigation line will open March 16 between Chongqing and Shanghai.
Linking more than 70 renowned tourist destinations scattered along the Yangzi River including the "Ghost City" of Fengdu, Shennongjia forest, the ancie

Huge Lake Shrank by A Third in 40 Years
The Baiyangdian Lake covers 366 square kilometres but has shrunk by 35 per cent since the 1960s due to persistent droughts, water pollution, silting and overfarming.
The lake is a major nature wetland reserve in North China and the natural habitat of 4

Monks to Jointly Perform Buddhist Music in World Tour
More than 60 monks from the Chinese mainland left Xiamen Sunday for Taiwan. They will perform Chinese Buddhist music together with their counterparts in the island province and embark on a tour to perform the seemingly mysterious but enchanting music to both a religious and secular audience in China and other countries. This will be the first time for Buddhist monks across the Taiwan Straits to jointly set up a troupe to perform the Chinese Buddhist music worldwide, indicating a cl

China Southern Airlines to increase flights between Australia ¨C China
China Southern Airlines is to introduce a fourth weekly flight between Sydney and Guangzhou, China, starting 29 March, 2004. The newest service, flight CZ 325, will operate every Saturday, departing Sydney at 9.50am and arriving in Guangzhou at 4.50pm. In the new schedule, China Southern flies from Melbourne to Sydney and Guangzhou every Thursday and Sunday morning, and from Sydney every Tuesday and Saturday. The airline operates Boeing 777 IGW twinjets configured to seat 29

Chorography to record rise and fall of Beijing's Hutongs
Hutongs -- the famous ancient city alleys in Beijing - are disappear from Beijing's city map every year as ring roads, viaducts, skyscrapers and modern homes creep into China's fast-growing capital city. More than 60 hutongs vanished during 2002 alone, according to the Beijing Yearbook 2003. Historic places such as Biandan Hutong (Shoulder Pole Alley) and Kusi Hutong (Bursary Alley) have made a permanent home in the minds elders and literary works. In a bid to shelter the hutong cu

The travel and tourism market of the future
Rising Star Exhibitions Ltd is launching a new and exclusive travel and tourism exhibition and conference to take place in Beijing in April 2005. BITTM, the Beijing International Travel & Tourism Market, is the definitive trade event to target the Chinese travel and tourism market with its enormous growth potential. China is the world`s largest single consumer market and has the sixth largest share of global Gross National Income. Chinese expenditure on travel is currently growing at 27%

More Star-grade Toilets Planned in Shanghai
The Shanghai Public Sanitation Bureau said Sunday it will build more star-grade toilets in downtown areas to provide more convenience to locals and visitors. However, the move may not cover public toilets in office buildings and department stores. Toilets have been listed as one of the 10 major sanitation projects for 2004, said Liu Weiguang, a bureau spokesman. At least two-star toilets will be opened in each district this year, mostly located in downtown areas such as People's Sq

Fuss-free Travel for HNA Passengers
As of Feb. 1st, passenger needs only his ID card to report the loss of their tickets so as to repurchase one, said Hainan Airlines on Feb. 14. He can then get a refund for the lost ticket 30 days after the period of validity. Before the new policy, proof from a local public security department is also needed in order to report the loss. If the passenger get the ticket with less than 20% discount, he can then change the flight and time free of charge. He can even return the ticket after be

China Gets Breakthrough in Protecting Terra Cotta Warriors
China has adopted new techniques to protect the world famous terra cotta warriors made during the Qin Dynasty, some 2,200 years ago. The new techniques could effectively stop changes occurring when the cultural relics are uncovered. Over ten rare terra cotta warriors have been successfully protected under the new techniques. The Qin Dynasty was the first united feudal kingdom of China. When Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, died, a large number of terra cot

Half Airfare for Elderly
China Southern Airlines Shenzhen subsidiary will offer senior citizens departing Shenzhen half-price airfare beginning Monday. Eligible recipients are men aged 60 and above and women aged 55 and above. The company has more than 50 daily flights from Shenzhen to different parts of the country.
The source predicted that the new policy would help prompt more local senior citizens to go on sightseeing tours in other parts of China. He said that since the Chinese Lunar New Year holid

Russia Urged to Cooperate with China on Merchants Issue
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue urged Russia on Tuesday to cooperate with China to resolve the issue of the Chinese merchants whose goods were seized in police raids in Moscow. In the raids from Feb. 9 to 12, Russian Interior Ministry agents carted away large amounts of goods from more than 300 stalls rented by Chinese merchants in a city market, citing lack of legal entry papers for the items. The goods, however, entered the country through what is known as "grey

Heritages Gets Full Attention
China, which has the third highest number of world heritage relics, has drafted a number of laws to protect them. A total of 29 cultural and natural heritage sites in China have been listed in the World Heritage List since the country joined the World Heritage Committee in 1985. This year, the country will host the 28th Session of the committee, which is chaired by Zhang Xinsheng, China's vice-minister of education. During a press conference held by the State Council Informa

Traveling in Unchanged Aba
In my mind, the Aba Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province will always be a Shangri-la. I paid my first visit to Aba ten years ago, and its enchanting landscapes left me a great number of romantic memories. When I once again visited that place recently, I was astonished to see that in spite of the passage of ten years, no change had taken place here, and everything was as peaceful as before. Departing from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, our car traveled westward toward Aba. As

Ancient Penglai Port to Be Restored in East China
The city of Penglai, in east China's Shandong Province, would invest handsomely in the renovation of its ancient port, restoring it to its original look, according to sources with its cultural heritage bureau. One of China's four leading ancient ports, the port of Penglai guaranteed the shipping between northeast China's Liaodong Peninsula and east China's Jiaodong Peninsula and it also served as a vital port for the travel to Japan and Korean Peninsula during Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Measures Taken to Protect Snow Lotus in Xinjiang
China's westernmost Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has set limitations on the quantity of snow lotus (Saussurea involucrata) supplies, a rare medicinal herb, in a bid to rescue this precious species from extinction. The maximum annual snow lotus supplies will be set at no more than 500,000 packages, with each containing two snow lotus flowers, according to a provision recently released by the regional grassland supervision department on Thursday. The regional grassland supervisio

Design Maestros Help Build Historical Museums
Twenty noted architects have gathered in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, to help design a cluster of private museums on modern Chinese history. Fan Jianchuan, a private collector, is building the museums which will be the country's biggest on completion next year. Among the architects involved are academics from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, professors from Beijing University, Qinghua University and Nanjing University. Also in the group is Li Xinggang, chief desi

More Care for Welfare of Air Passengers
Focusing on the rights and interests of passengers, China's top civil aviation authority has made improvement of the nation's civil aviation services its top priority, a senior official from the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) said Wednesday. While pushing to formulate laws and regulations on safeguarding the rights and interests of passengers, the CAAC is urging domestic airlines, airports and other air-service enterprises to establish a commitment system to ensu

Sichuan to Make World Heritage Sites True to Name
Sichuan Province, a region with numerous world-renowned scenic sites in southwest China, pledged to upgrade the facilities of five scenic spots, including three on world heritage list, in an effort to beef up their reputation both at home and overseas. The five scenic spots comprise Jiuzhaigou Natural Scenic Reserve and Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) Temple scenic area, the sitting gigantic Buddha statue in Leshan City and Mount Emei, one of the four sacred mountains for Buddhism in China, the

'Atlantic Affairs' to Rock China's Musical Boat
Around this time last year, Chinese rock fans were eagerly awaiting the Rolling Stones' historic visit to Beijing; and Cui Jian, the father of rock'n'roll in China, was looking forward to singing with the world renowned band. However, to their great disappointment, the Stones cancelled their Beijing gig in the end, because of the outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Now, another big name in the rock'n'roll world, Udo Lindenberg, is set to perform in China. And the

Atlantic Affairs to Rock China's Musical Boat
Around this time last year, Chinese rock fans were eagerly awaiting the Rolling Stones' historic visit to Beijing; and Cui Jian, the father of rock'n'roll in China, was looking forward to singing with the world renowned band. However, to their great disappointment, the Stones cancelled their Beijing gig in the end, because of the outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Now, another big name in the rock'n'roll world, Udo Lindenberg, is set to perform in China. And the

New ideas stir HK corporate outbound business
While long haul inbound traffic to Hong Kong may be lagging, outbound travel is proving surprisingly resilient, particularly in the corporate sector, said Edmund Tsang of Swire Travel, Hong Kong. Tsang, who is attending AIME 2004 in Melbourne, said outbound business started picking up late last year. It's been very encouraging, there are a lot of enquiries. Of course, it is still very competitive but the opportunities are there. Tsang said new ideas and products were helping drive

Preparations underway for UNESCO World Heritage session
Preparations for the 28th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) have begun in east China's Suzhou city, said committee President Zhang Xinsheng here Tuesday.
The WHC session is scheduled for June 28 to July 7 in Suzhou, ahistoric city in Jiangsu Province. Zhang, who is also vice-minister of education and chairman of China National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said Chinese government departments had coordin

Huge lake shrank by a third in 40 years
The Baiyangdian Lake covers 366 square kilometres but has shrunk by 35 per cent since the 1960s due to persistent droughts, water pollution, silting and overfarming. The lake is a major nature wetland reserve in North China and the natural habitat of 47 varieties of water plants, 54 kinds of fish, 192 kinds of birds and 14 wild mammal species. But the number of the species of wild fauna and flora dropped drastically as the lake's ecosystem rapidly deteriorated during past years.

Ancient City Wall in Need of Repair
Various local government departments are arguing about who should take the lead in protecting what is left of a 450-year-old wall that once surrounded all of downtown Shanghai. Situated on the corner of a busy street, Dajingge -- the only 50-meter-long stretch of the wall that remains -- is in disrepair and was last renovated in 1995. "The northern section of the ancient wall fell apart last summer during a big storm. After that, we piled up bricks to reinforce it, but it's still i

City to Get Super Clean Trolley
Ten to 20 environmentally friendly trolleys without electric conductors will run along the city's downtown streets by the end of this year, the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission said yesterday. A prototype has been built, and will undergo trials next month. The new trolley will help reduce air pollution, and will be aesthetically pleasing because it will not have the same ugly network of electrical wires on which current trolleys depend. "Soon after the trial, we wi

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Dragonair has signed a codeshare agreement with Air China covering flights to Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian and Tianjin. The Hong Kong carrier already serves Chengdu, Chongqing and Dalian. But now Air China flights from Hong Kong to the four big cities will be carrying the KA code, boosting the number of frequencies. It is the second codeshare Dragonair has on the mainland. Two months ago, it announced arrangements with China Southern Airlines.

Travel line to open on Yangzi River
The world's longest travel-themed navigation line will open March 16 between Chongqing and Shanghai. Linking more than 70 renowned tourist destinations scattered along the Yangzi River including the Ghost City of Fengdu, Shennongjia forest, the ancient war fields of the Three Kingdoms period and Zigui City, Hubei Province the hometown of patriotic poet Qu Yuan, the travel line begins at Chongqing and ends at Shanghai via Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces. The rout

Non-stop Flight to Saipan Set
The non-stop flight route from Dalian to Saipan has been "basically set," said vice mayor of Dalian, Xing Liangzhong in an interview with the reporter in February at the meeting of the thirteenth NPC, Dalian. Problems of the charter flight's price and the technology are being discussed at present, said Xing.
It'll be the third non-stop flight to Saipan domestically in addition to Guangzhou and Shanghai, said Xing. Passengers from northern China and northeast China intending to S

Airline Spreads Wings to Dallas
China Cargo Airlines Ltd will launch three weekly cargo flights between Shanghai and Dallas in the United States starting tomorrow, in a bid to cover more central and southern US destinations. "The new flights will bank on the increasing air freight traffic on the route as many electronic product makers like Motorola Inc and Dell Inc are producing and exporting products in the Dallas area," said Feng Jin, marketing manager of China Cargo Airlines. The airline will use MD-11 all-car

Zhejiang reports rise in tourism turnover in 2003
East China's Zhejiang Province with renowned scenic spots like the West Lake earned 76.7 billion yuan in (9.24 billion dollars) tourism revenue in 2003, up 8.1 percent year-on-year, according to the local tourism administration. Tourism contributed 8.34 percent of the local gross domestic product in 2003, said Ji Genli, director of the administration, ata local tourism work conference held Tuesday. The province reported 1.8 million overseas arrivals in 2003, down 11.5 percent year-

HK Passport Holders Granted Visa-free Access to British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands had agreed to grant visa-free access to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passport holders for a stay of up to one month with immediate effect, said a HKSAR government spokesman Tuesday. This has brought the total number of countries and territories agreeing to grant visa-free access to HKSAR passport holders to 130, the spokesman said. Nationals of the British Virgin Islands can visit Hong Kong visa-free for a stay up to 90 days.

Wuxi Base for Shenzhen Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines will Wednesday open a new base at Shuofang Airport in Wuxi, in eastern China. An opening ceremony will culminate in the departure of a Boeing 737 bound for Beijing at 11 am.Shenzhen Airlines is a shareholder and manager of the airport. Dong Lijia, general manager of Shenzhen Airlines, said the establishment of the base meant that his company has realized its strategy of breaking into the Yangtze River Delta market. Wuxi is the company's second base outside

Qantas adds Mumbai, eyes Shanghai
The Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) has welcomed the new Qantas thrice weekly service linking Sydney and Mumbai, starting in September, and the airline's plans to return to China and fly to Shanghai by the end of the year. ATC managing director, Mr Ken Boundy, said the new flights would help to stimulate growth from the two emerging markets. Qantas executive general manager, Mr John Borghetti, said the new services were a reflection of the recovery of the airline's internationa

Alluring Cat to Jump in Great Hall of the People
The famous musical Cats is ready to set Beijingers purring this spring. The China Performing Arts Agency has inked an agreement with the British Really Useful Group for nine performances in Beijing from April 27 to May 3 at the Great Hall of the People. The Great Hall of the People will be the largest arena Cats has ever played. The 53-show run of Cats in Shanghai last year was a huge success, but the Beijing tour was postponed due to SARS. Cats, a masterpiece of Brit

Yancheng City to Open Air Route to Seoul
East China's Yancheng City in Jiangsu Province is expected to open an air route to Seoul, capital of the Republic of Korea (ROK), on March 28, which will be the city's first international air route. The flights are primarily scheduled twice a week, mostly to serve business people from ROK working in the city, according to local aviation sources on Wednesday. Yancheng has witnessed soaring cooperation with ROK in the economic, cultural and technological fields over recent years. Eig

China's Air Industry on the Rebound
After a year of slow-downs, China's air transport will see a strong rebound in 2004, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted on February 17. The number of passengers and amount of cargo carried by China's airlines this year will increase by 20 percent and 18 percent respectively compared with last year, said IATA Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani. According to Zhang Baojian, chief representative of IATA in China, the yearly increase of passengers and

More Subways to Be Built in Guangzhou
Guangzhou, one of the major gates to the outside world in south China and also capital of economically prospering Guangdong Province, will build six new subways in the years to come. The length of subways in Guangzhou is expected to be extended to 200 km by 2010, said Mayor Zhang Guangning. "The city's function as a central city will be further improved," added Zhang, "if its subways are connected by track transport networks with other cities in the Pearl River Delta." Curre

EU Prepares for Chinese Tourists
With local travel agencies and tourism officials predicting China will allow domestic tour groups to visit 12 European Union countries as of May 1, European booths were crowded when the 2004 Shanghai World Travel Fair opened Thursday. The 12 EU countries signed a memo with the Chinese government last Thursday. Many in the industry saw it as a sign the government is preparing to grant them Approved Destination Status, a step that generally takes a few months to finalize. The 12 coun

Tianjin's First Aquarium to Open
Residents in north China's Tianjin will be able to enjoy the mystery of the ocean world without having to make a special trip to Beijing as the city's first aquarium is expected to open in April. The "ocean world" covering over 3,000 square meters is costing 60 million yuan, or about US$7 million to build. The aquarium has adopted world class technology, introducing some 10,000 specimens of over 300 species, some of which are endangered. A 35-meter-long submarine tunnel make

Electric Cars: China's Hope to Catch up with Advanced Auto Makers
Electrically-operated cars are China's hope to catch up with the world's advanced economies, according to Chen Qingquan, a leading electrodynamics expert and also a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). "Independent development, possession of intellectual property and mass production will be crucial for Chinese automobile makers to materialize that hope," said Chen, in this capital of southern Hainan island province to attend a five-day ongoing international environmentally-

US to Send Military Team to Assess Haiti Security
A small team of military experts from the US Southern Command will head to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to assess the country's security situation amid continuing violence, Defense Department officials said Thursday. The small team of about four people from Southern Command personnel based in Miami, Florida, will travel to Port-au-Prince in the next few days, officials said. Officials strongly emphasize the team will focus on the ambassador's request that the team look at security for th

2004 Shanghai World Tourism Resources Expo Opens
A visitor chats with representatives from Kassel in Germany wearing traditional costumes at the 2004 Shanghai World Tourism Resources Expo, which opened February 19, 2004 in Shanghai.
More than 100 companies from 39 countries and regions participated i

Tibetans Make New Year Pilgrimage to Noted Monastery
More than 30,000 Tibetan Buddhists formed a 1,000-meter line outside the Sera Monastery Tuesday to take part in a Buddhist pilgrimage ritual three days before the Tibetan New Year's Day.
The annual religious event held before the dawning of the Tibetan

Dragonair, Air China Sign Code-sharing Pact
Dragonair says it has signed a code-sharing agreement with Air China for flight services between Hong Kong and four Chinese cities, increasing its mainland destinations to 21.
The four cities covered in the pact, which took effect from this week, are C

Museum Seeks New Exhibits
Managers of an urban construction museum set to open next year are visiting construction sites and retired workers to find suitable exhibits. The Shanghai Engineering Administrative Bureau began collecting items for the museum two years ago, but to date has only collected 100 pieces, including old photos, construction materials and documents. "We hope to gather at least 400 pieces before we make them public," said Wang Jian, one of three bureau employees working on the project. He

Sichuan to make world heritage sites true to name
Sichuan province, a region with numerous world-renowned scenic sites in southwest China, pledged to upgrade the facilities of five scenic spots, including three on world heritage list, in an effort to beef up their reputation both at home and overseas. The five scenic spots comprise Jiuzhaigou Natural Scenic Reserve and Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) Temple scenic area, the sitting gigantic Buddha statue in Leshan City and Mount Emei, one of the four sacred mountains for Buddhism in China, the

Second hotel for Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong will have a second five-star hotel at the Hong Kong International Airport, a competitor to the slick 1,100-room Regal Hotel that was built as an integral part of the terminal complex. The airport authority has asked developers and investors to put in expressions of interest. The need for a new hotel will be fuelled by construction of the huge new international exhibition centre, golf course and a sprawling commercial and retail complex. These all mean more people will wan

Benxi Boosts Tourism Featuring Natural Resources
Benxi City used to be famous for its iron and steel. But it now brings its advantage of tourism into full play. A great development of tourism has been seen in the city, which not only promotes the economic progress, but also makes the city more beautiful. Since this Spring Festival, 38 scenic regions in Benxi City have accepted visitors for 97.8 thousand person times. The tour income increases by 35.39 percent with 44 million yuan, a historic high record. With the principle of pro

Andalucia seeks Chinese tourists
Want to sunbathe on a sun-kissed beach right after skiing down a snow-covered mountain Or how about taking in the thrill of a bullfight or the artistic vision of Picasso's paintings Look no further than Andalucia. That's what our reporter Yang Ran did. Officials from the popular Spanish region are in Beijing, hoping to entice more Chinese tourists back to their homeland. The swirling skirts, the melodious music and the captivating rhythms... You could be forgiven for thinking you were i

Call Center Set to Help with US Visa Information
Chinese who want to visit the United States temporarily will soon have easier access to visa information. The US embassy in Beijing announced yesterday it will set up a China-wide Visa Information Call Center. The center will provide visa-related information to applicants and schedule non-immigrant interview appointments at the embassy or four US consulate generals in the country. Currently, non-immigrant visa appointments are made by calling a consulate or the embassy direc

China eyes greater access to European V4
A new policy allowing travel into all of the European V4 countries: the Czech Republic; Hungary; Slovak Republic and Poland with a Schengen visa may be unveiled in May.
Talks are now underway between the four regions and the China National Tourism Administration to push for easier access into these countries. Currently, mainland Chinese leisure tourists wanting to travel to Hungary, one of the four European V4 countries, can apply for a visa in four or five days. However, they are not

UN: Libya Secretly Made Bomb-grade Plutonium
Over two decades, Libya secretly produced weapons grade nuclear material in a program to make an atomic bomb that was more extensive than previously believed, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said in a report on Friday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report outlines how Libya relied on an intricate network of illicit atomic suppliers who skirted international sanctions to sell sensitive technology to states like Libya, Iran and North Korea. The report, authored by IAEA chie

Monkey Year the Time to Visit Holy Mt Zari in Tibet
This year is the Year of the Wooden Monkey in Tibet. For those who are deeply interested in the spiritual life of the Tibetans, braving the hardships to visit holy mount Zari could be a rewarding excursion.
Tibetans believe that walking around a holy m

New Sea Route Links Northern China Port, Europe
A Cyprus-flagged ship laden with 2,500 containers left Tianjin Port late Thursday night for Britain via some other Chinese ports and European countries, marking the opening of a new route between China and Europe.
Vessels running on the new route, whic

China Opens New Cargo Air Route to USA
China Cargo Airlines Ltd. (CC-Air) has opened a new cargo airline to Dallas, Texas, the first through cargo route from this East China metropolis to the southern United States.
There will be three round-trip flights every week, according to a source at

Pipa Master Finds His Key in Folk Forms
After over half a century's involvement in playing and teaching the pipa (four-stringed Chinese lute), renowned musician and professor Wang Fandi still calls himself a folk performer. It is probably an appropriate title for 70-year-old Wang, since with all his refinement of technique and academic teaching, Wang has never forsaken the variety and vitality of traditional Chinese folk music. Different from most of today's young pipa players, Wang has not only mastered the pipa, but al

Railway Transport Returns to Normal in NE China
Railway traffic that had been blocked due to sleet since Friday on the Harbin-Dalian Electrified Railway returned to normal Sunday evening. Since Friday, rain has hit northeast China's Liaoning Province, followed by moderate snow and strong gales. Low temperatures and freezing caused malfunctions of the railway line in several sections. By 6:00 a.m. Sunday, 62 passenger trains and 37 freight trains had been delayed, and 65 freight trains had been canceled. Following the repo

Largest Freshwater Lake Bans Bird Watching
The local administration of Poyang Lake, China's biggest freshwater lake located in east China's Jiangxi Province, has banned bird watching and photography at the lake to prevent the spread of bird flu. Tourists and vehicles from bird flu-affected areas are banned from visiting the lake, and those from other areas are only allowed to watch and photograph birds at a distance, according to the Administration of the Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve. Covering an area of 5,000 sq km

Bird Flu Has Mild Effect on Cambodia's Tourism
More than 99,400 tourists arrived in Cambodia last month, up 30.38 percent compared to the same month last year, according to the figures obtained from the Ministry of Tourism on Monday.
Almost half of the visitors were from Asia and Oceania, followed

US-born Giant Panda Gains One Kilogram
US-born giant panda Hua Mei has maintained her good health in China, gaining about one kilogram in the past dozen days since she arrived at her new home at the Wolong Nature Reserve, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Feb.13. She has fully acclimatized to the local climate and the well-balanced diet zoologists have tailored for her, according to workers at the Wolong reserve, a major research base for the endangered species. "Our vets are carrying out routine checks on her ever

Qinghai Lake Splits into Several Lakes
Qinghai Lake, the largest saltwater lake in China, has changed from a boundless lake into one bigger lake and several smaller ones due to eco-environmental deterioration.
Looking at a picture taken from a satellite, three larger water areas and several

HK Jewelry Show to Attract 15 Pct More Exhibitors
This Year
This year's Hong Kong International Jewelry Show which opens next week is expected to attract 1,360 exhibitors, 15 percent more than last year, said the organizer, Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC), on Monday.
Over a dozen countries and regions

Ming Dynasty Ceramics Auction to Be Held in March
Christie's Hong Kong announced on Monday that an auction of 17,000 Ming Dynasty Chinese ceramics is to be held in Australia on March 1-2.
According to Christie's Hong Kong, the ceramics were found from a ship wreckage excavated off the coast of Vietnam

Beijing Hosts Record Number of Tourists During Spring
Festival Holiday
The Chinese national capital of Beijing had a record number of 1.98 million tourist arrivals during the Spring Festival holiday season this year, up 5 percent from a year ago.
Information from the municipal bureau of statistics said the number was the

Large-scale Railway Construction to Be Launched
Railway constructors in China are faced with the best opportunity as the State Council, or cabinet, has approved in principle an ambitious goal of building 28,000 kilometers of railways by the year 2020, a top railway official said here Monday.
Ministe

New Shangri-La Property Joins China Southern Airlines' Sky Pearl Club
China Southern Airlines has announce that the new Shangri-La Hotel, Zhongshan, has joined the airline's Sky Pearl Club frequent flyer program. With more than 2 Million members, The Sky Pearl Club is the largest frequent flyer program in China. China Southern Airlines has FFP code share agreements with numerous International airlines such as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Sky Pearl Club members can also earn miles, special discount rates and room upgrades with its hotel partners th

Works of Female Sculptors Shown in Beijing
An exhibition held in Beijing on Feb.18 demonstrates the style and technique of modern Chinese female sculptors. The 60 pieces were turned out by the first-class female sculptors since the founding of new China. All were educated at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in the 1950's and 60's. A unique perception of artistic aesthetics are expressed in their sculptures. Noteworthy works include the white marble sculpture "A Child's Heart". The copper works "Mother and Son", and "The Bac

China's First Navy Family Museum
China's first navy family museum has recently been established at number 48 Zhuzifang Street, in the southeastern Chinese city of Fuzhou. This is also the former residence of Fang Boqian, one of the men whose life the museum celebrates. Fang Boqian was one of China's first domestically trained generals. He was the captain of the Jiyuan Fleet of the Qing Dynasty's Imperial Chinese Navy, which was founded in 1888. After Fang Boqian, nine outstanding navy men came from his family. Six fought

New Terminal Planned in Shanghai
Shanghai City officials hope a new long-haul bus terminal, which is currently under construction, will make it easier for travelers to find the bus they are looking for. Currently, the city is home to more than 40 long-haul terminals, many of which are very small and dingy. In the future, officials would like to see only three large stations and seven smaller ones in the city. The new terminal is scheduled to open by May next year near the Shanghai Railway Station, the major

Call Shanghai Cabs by SMS
People in Shanghai might soon be able to call a cab just by sending short mobile phone messages. 200 taxis in the city are currently registered with the taxi dispatch system. The system provides information about the taxis, such as location and whether they are occupied or empty. At present, customers have to phone to book taxis through the dispatchers. But the technology and dispatching system will be improved, making it possible for customers to call a taxi simply by sendi

Coastal City Tianjin's First Aquarium to Open
Residents in north China's Tianjin will be able to enjoy the mystery of the ocean world without having to make a special trip to Beijing as the city's first aquarium is expected to open in April. The "ocean world" covering over 3,000 square meters is costing 60 million yuan, or about 7 million US dollars to build. The aquarium has adopted world class technology, introducing some 10,000 specimens of over 300 species, some of which are endangered. A 35-meter-long submarine tun

PG expands network in China
Bangkok Airways (PG) is planning to fly to two new destinations ¨C Nangjing and Hangzhou ¨C from Bangkok, bringing to five the total number of cities that it serves in China. Speaking at PG's 36th anniversary celebration in Bangkok last night, president and CEO, Dr Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, said the new services were part of a bigger plan to develop an extensive network in China.
We would like to be serving all the major tourist destinations in China, but for the time being we are happy

Tianjin to resume subway operation in 2006
Subway operation will be resumed in Tianjin, the largest port city in north China, in 2006, said an executive with Tianjin Subways Corporation. According to the executive, the No.1 subway now being constructed is built on the basis of a 7.4-km-long metro section which was suspended from operation in March 2002. Building of civil works for the subway is expected to be finished by August this year and the subway will be ready for service by late 2005. By then the subway system will b

HK government to preserve Kom Tong Hall as Sun Yat-sen museum
The Hong Kong government will acquire Kom Tong Hall at a consideration of 53 million HK dollars (6.8 million US dollars) for converting the building into Dr Sun Yat-sen museum. The Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping officiated a signing ceremony Saturday where the director of Lands Patrick Lau Lai-chiu signed on behalf of the government a letter of intent with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the owner ofKom Tong Hall, on the preservation of this historical bui

China to Establish National Botanical Garden
A world-class national botanical garden will be built in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing over the next five years. The garden will merge two existing botanical gardens at the foot of the Fragrant Hills, a scenic spot in the suburbs of Beijing. The amalgamated gardens will be divided into three main sections for scientific research, a display area for new plants bred by resident botanists, and an area for displaying vegetation from different climates along side historical and cu

Statue Heads at World Heritage Site in Chongqing Stolen
Two statues of the Dazu rock carvings, a World Heritage Site in southwest China's Chongqing municipality, were beheaded by robbers, local cultural heritage authorities and police revealed. The two statue heads, one of a Guanyin, or goddess of mercy, of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), and one of a one-leg Buddhist god, were found stolen on Feb. 11, police authorities said. The latter one was a clay statue carved in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) as a replacement to its predecessor whi

Beijing to Hold 2nd Olympic Cultural Festival in Summer
Beijing will hold the second Olympic Cultural Festival from June 23 to July 13, a senior official of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) said in Beijing on Sunday. "The theme of this year's Olympic Cultural Festival is 'Sports -- Bridge of Culture and Friendship Linking East and West'," BOCOG vice-president Jiang Xiaoyu told Xinhua. According to Jiang, the festival will feature exhibitions and forums on the Olympic Movement and a series of mass activ

China's Largest Tourism Group Jinjiang Has Plans To List
China's largest tourism group, Jinjiang International Holdings Co., eventually plans to raise funds through a stock market listing, a company official confirmed Friday. In an interview with the Shanghai Securities News published Friday, Jinjiang International Chairman Yu Minliang said the group could "grow big and strong" through using international capital. A company official in the president's office contacted Friday confirmed that all the information in the report was correct.

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