Sino Travel

Sino Travel

Gas Explosion Kills Three in Changchun
An explosion ripped through a high-rise residential building in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin Province on Saturday afternoon, killing three people and injuring 11. Casualties, including passers-by were sent to the local hospital for emergency treatment. Most wounds were facial, said a newspaper, citing a doctor named Pan. Initial investigations have concluded that a gas leak was to blame for the tragedy, but local public security sources said they had not ruled out criminal inten

Modern Know-how Guards Relics
While heroes of the Warring States (475-221 BC) in Zhang Yimou's movie fascinate the public, the finding of a true hero of the period is filling the archaeological world with ecstasy. The excavation of the Jiuliandun Tombs in Zaoyang, Central China's Hubei Province, which began on December 20, has been widely hailed as the greatest archaeological find of the year. "The tomb's owner could be the greatest general of the Chu Kingdom at the end of Warring States Period," said Guo Dewei, researcher o

Copyright of Folk Song Under Protection
The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court ruled Saturday that the music of "Wusuli River Chantey", a popular folk song in China, is an adaptation from traditional melodies rather than a new composition. The case arose from the '99 Nanning International Folk Song Festival, at which Guo Song, a prestigious folk song performing artist, sang the chantey. Afterwards, an anchor from China Central Television (CCTV) interviewed veteran singer Guo and announced that Guo and his partners had composed

Thai's Spending Increases
Bangkok residents will spend about 11 billion baht (US$254 million) on travel and shopping in the New Year holiday, according to a survey. Residents of the Thai capital will spend about 3.5 billion baht on domestic travel during the holidays, said the survey by Thai Farmers Research Center, a unit of the nation's third-largest bank. They will spend another 2 billion baht on overseas trips to China, Singapore, Australia and other countries. The survey said the spending will increase from the same

Railway Sector to Open up Wider
China's railway industry will open wider to global investment, including private investment from Chinese enterprises, top railway officials said. The Ministry of Railways is drafting a series of investment policies to secure fair market conditions for healthy competition. Rail minister Fu Zhihuan told the industry's annual working conference in Beijing at the weekend: "All the fields that the Chinese Government promised to open to foreign investors in its commitments to the World Trade Organizat

Stories of Mao Zedong inspire China's movie, TV directors
The far-reaching influence of his charisma and great insights about Chinese people justify making films and TV plays about Mao Zedong, says a Chinese director on the 109th anniversary of the late leader's birth. Every year, China produces films and TV programs about its great men like Mao, founder of the People's Republic of China. Wang Xuexin, director of the film Mao Zedong and Edgar Snow, said such films were shot not to meet government demands but from the choice of producers and dire

Mao Zedong's birthday celebrated in hometown
While Westerners are immersed in the joys of the Christmas holidays, villagers at Shaoshan in Hunan Province are traditionally celebrating the birthday of Mao Zedong, the greatest man who ever emerged from their small village. Dec. 26 this year is the 109th anniversary of the birth of Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China. People in Shaoshan, Mao's hometown, placed various offerings including firecrackers and food, at the former house of the late leader and in t

Mountain areas in line for development
The economic and social development of China's mountain areas is to be accelerated with careful consideration for ecological conservation, said a Chinese lawmaker and a forestry official. The role of mountain areas, which made up almost 70 percent of China's land area, was very important because they were home to over half of the 1.3 billion population, said Jiang Chunyun, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. Most of the nation's forestry, wate

Guangzhou arboretum to be expanded
The suburb of Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province will soon be home to the southern hemisphere's largest arboretums. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Guangdong provincial government and the Guangzhou municipal government signed an agreement here recently to spend five to ten years and a total of 300 million yuan (36.1 million US dollars) to expand the existing South Arboretum, which attached to a local research institute of the CAS, into a first-class Asian ar

Sino Travel put birds at risk under protection
The Chinese government recently launched a week-long campaign against the illegal hunting, killing and trading of birds in China, the China Daily reported. Government officials said that the illegal hunting of birds was rampant in some areas of China, with many creatures ending up on the dinner plate. The problem was particularly bad in southern China, where people often eat birds. Officials warned that national ecosystems and biodiversity were under threat and the illegal behavior

Endangered black-capped gibbon population on rise in China
The number of endangered black-capped gibbons, found only in south China's Hainan Island province, has risen to 24. The growing population was resultant from China's intensified efforts to protect the species, said an official with the 64-sq km heavily forested Bawangling state nature reserve, where the primates live. In the 1950s, about 2,000 black-headed gibbons roamed the primitive tropical forests on Hainan island's central and western parts. But the figure had dropped to seven

Macao SAR issues 12 sets of stamps this year
The Postal Services of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) has issued 12 sets of stamps this year. On Friday (Dec.13), the agency began issuing the 12th series of stamps for 2003, called "I Ching, Pa Kua," which reflects the Chinese ways of good behavior since ancient times. The new set includes 8 stamps designed in hexagon and a total of 500,000 sets will be issued. Other postal products such as souvenir sheet, first-day cover and introduction paper will also be availabl

Website launched to mark massacre
A website to commemorate the massacre carried out by Japanese military forces 65 years ago in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu province, was set up recently. The Website (http://njdts.china1840-1949.net.cn), sponsored by the Central Committee of Chinese Communist Youth League and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, commemorates the over 300,000 Chinese civilians killed in the massacre, exposes the vicious crime committed by Japanese military forces and calls for awareness to maint

China Southern Airlines makes world's top 20
China Southern Airlines has grown to be one of the world's 20 biggest airline companies, according to sources with the company's Shanghai office. Just days ago, Southern Airlines flew its 20 millionth passenger this year. The Guangzhou-based carrier is China's first aviation company on the mainland to handle more than 20 million passengers annually. The milestone ranked Southern Airlines among Asia's top five airlines. The company recorded 5.69 million passengers in 1991, th

Sino Travel Jingdezhen ceramics exhibition opens in Myanmar
A 12-day exhibition of fine ceramic products of China's Jiangxi Jingdezhen opened at the Yangon Trade Center on Dec.23. Attending the inaugural ceremony were Myanmar Minister of Commerce Brigadier-General Pyi Sone, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Li Jinjun, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy Jin Honggen, Chairman of the Myanmar China Huanyu Thama (Group) (MCHTG) Co Ltd Zhao Jidong and Deputy General Manager of the China Jingdezhen International Economy and Technique Co

India becomes Chinese tourists' destination
India has recently gained the Authorized Destination Status (ADS) for Chinese tourists, according to the source from China National Tourism Administration. More details will be discussed by the two sides before organized Chinese tourist groups can finally go there. "Both India and China used to be ancient civilized nations. Currently we are two largest developing nations. I believe tourism will promote bilateral exchanges in different areas," said Dinesh K. Patnaik, head of commerc

Ancient imperial garden to undergo restoration
Restoration of Yuanmingyuan, or the ancient imperial garden ruins in northwest Beijing, is set to begin, the site's administration has announced. The restoration would start with Zhengjue Temple outside the Qichun Garden of Yuanmingyuan, also known as "Garden of 10,000 Gardens", and the work would be done by Beijing Ancient Architecture Restoration Company, said Wei Baoshan, director of Yuanmingyuan Administration, at a function recently to announce the winning tender. Located in n

Sino Travel to launch gigantic water diversion project
Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji announced on Dec.27 the start of a gigantic project to divert water from the Yangtze River to the country's thirsty northern areas. The premier made the announcement at a ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Involving an investment of 59 billion US dollars, the project could cost twice as much as the ongoing Three Gorges project. Major beneficiaries include Beijing and Tianjin cities, and Jiangsu and Shandong provinces in east China.<

US Condemns Killings of Missionaries in Yemen
The United States on Monday vowed to hunt down "any and all" of those responsible for the murder of three American missionaries in Yemen, which has been blamed on at least one suspected Islamic extremist. Washington also asked Yemeni authorities to provide more protection for Americans after a doctor and two other medical workers were shot and killed at Jibla Baptist hospital, 105 miles (170 km) south of the capital Sanaa. Yemeni officials said the gunman belonged to the Islamic opposition Islah

Ancient DNA Recovery in Progress
Scientists at a Chinese DNA laboratory are working hard to extract DNA from bones selected from the skeletal remains of a woman whom scientists believe was the wife of a duke during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD). The 2,000-plus-year-old remains were unearthed in August of the year 2000 by the Yongding river near Laoshan Hills in Beijing's western Shijingshan district and moved to Changchun, the capital city of Jilin Province on October 3 this year under the escort of several archeolog

Mecca for Big Spenders
To prepare for her wedding ceremony, Yvonne Pu went to Hong Kong with her husband and did some "crazy shopping". "I spent almost 20,000 yuan (US$2,420) there and purchased several pieces of namebrand clothes and cosmetics to make myself into a beautiful bride," she said. Though this cost a lot of money, Pu still thought it was worth of it. "The price of first-class brands in Hong Kong is about 15 to 20 per cent lower than in Shanghai, I think it was very worthwhile shopping there," she said. Act

Literary Genius Acclaimed
History is welcoming the centennial celebrations of the birth of a generation of brilliant Chinese writers. Among them there are Ba Jin (real name Li Yaotang), who had his 99th birthday on November 25, and the late Shen Congwen. When Shen Congwen died on May 10, 1988, Ba Jin was saddened to think that his dear friend's passing went relatively unnoticed by the world. Over a decade on things have changed dramatically when it comes to recognizing worth, as it was when the 100th anniversary of Shen'

Backgrounder: China's previous three unmanned spaceships
China launched its fourth unmanned spacecraft, the "Shenzhou IV", early Monday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu Province. The first experimental spacecraft "Shenzhou" was launched by "Long March" carrier rocket on Nov. 20, 1999, at the same launch center, and touched down in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region the next day. Chinese engineers for the first time assembled and tested the rocket and spaceship in a vertical way. Meanwhile, they used a newly-

China launches fourth unmanned spacecraft
China launched its fourth unmanned spacecraft "Shenzhou IV" early Monday morning with a "Long March II F" carrier rocket, a move that could soon lead to its manned space voyage. Leading scientists in charge of China's manned space program said the successful launch of the "Shenzhou (divine vessel) IV" laid a solid foundation for the country's future task of sending Chinese astronauts to outer space. The "Long March II F" rocket blasted off at 00:40 a.m. (BeijingTime) from the Jiuqu

Impotence still a taboo subject for men
Just the mention of the word raises eyebrows or prompts crude jokes for despite the sexual revolution and Viagra, impotence is still a taboo subject. It affects about one in 10 men and the numbers increase with age. But because of the sensitivity and embarrassment surrounding it, nearly 50% of men do not seek advice about the problem and some suffer silently for decades. Yet 95% of cases can be successfully treated. "It has a huge effect on their feelings. It makes them feel

Chinese rural women speak up on sex
Chinese women who had traditionally kept their personal lives a secret are now much braver in speaking up as their knowledge of reproductive health keep growing. Liu Xiaohong, a 34-year-old woman farmer in Lujiang county of east China's Anhui province, feels at ease about confiding to a gynecologist and soliciting advices on women's diseases. In the past, she regarded such discussions as taboo and would hesitate to do so. "Would it be appropriate to go to gynecologists, and

China, Singapore sign 2nd plan on TCM cooperation
The second plan on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) cooperation between health ministries of China and Singapore was signed here recently. Chinese Vice Minister for Health and Director General of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SATCM) She Jing and Singaporean State Minister for Health and Environment Balaji Sadasivan signed the document, under which China will share with Singapore its expertise in developing and regulating practice,and Singapore will share with

Mobile phone users top 200 million in China
The number of mobile subscriptions in China passed 200 million by the end of November this year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Information Industry. By the end of last month, the total number of telephone users in China reached 412.99 million, among whom 212.68 million are fixed line subscribers. The number of fixed line subscribers and mobile users increased by 32.31 million and 55.09 million respectively from last year. The telephone has become a common part of eve

Beijing sees better air quality
China's capital city Beijing has had 201 days so far this year with fairly good or excellent air quality, 19 days more than last year. Vice-Mayor Liu Jingmin told a press conference on Dec.27 that the days with air quality of level II or better accounted for 55.1 percent of the whole year. The city had fulfilled the goal set at the beginning of this year to clean the air. China classifies air quality in urban areas in five levels: level I or excellent (pollution reading: not exceed

Beijing to hold three motor vehicle exhibitions next year
Beijing will hold three motor vehicle exhibitions next year. These include the 2003 Beijing International Commercial Vehicle Exhibition and the 2003 Beijing International Automotive Parts and Related Products Show (AMS 2003), both scheduled from September 25 to 28, and the Beijing International Motorcycle Exhibition (Motorcycle Expo 2003) which is scheduled from November 6 to 9. The Commercial Vehicle Exhibition will focus on developing transportation and protecting the environment

Sichuan begins construction of 1 billion US dollar expressway
Construction of a major expressway in China's western region got underway recently in Sichuan Province. Total investment for the project is 8.8 billion yuan (1.1 billion US dollars). The expressway is China's largest road-traffic project funded by loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which total 300 million US dollars. The expressway, which will connect Xichang and Panzhihua, both in the west of the province, in southwest China, is a major part of one of eight planned expre

Only "air bridge" linking west China with Europe to reopen
Chongqing-Germany Airlines, the only so far to connect western China with Europe, is set to reopenin the first quarter of 2003 after being shut down for two years. The airline, connecting Chongqing municipality in west China with Munich in Germany, was opened in May 2000. About 6,000 European passengers came to Chongqing on business or tourism on the airline. Many cities in west China set up offices in Chongqing to attract more Europeans. The line was closed only half a year later.

Taiwan airlines apply for Taipei-Shanghai charter flights
Three Taiwan airlines have applied to launch Taipei-Shanghai charter flights during the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays, Taipei media reported on Dec.29. Airlines filed the application with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) are China Airlines (CAL), Mandarin Airlines and Far East Air Transport Corp. According to CAL's plan, a Boeing 747-400 will be used to launch the charter flights. A representative from CAL said there are some 300,000 Taiwan businessmen in Shan

24-hour border crossing to be open between HK, mainland
Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang checkpoints between Hong Kong and Chinese mainland will be open for traffic 24 hours per day soon, Hong Kong media reported here on Dec.27. The round-the-clock arrangement is timed to start shortly before the Chinese Spring Festival, which falls on Feb. 1 next year when border-crossings are expected to boom. Analysts forecast that tourism and real estate both in Shenzhen and Hong Kong will benefit from the 24-hour border-crossing. "Without the time limi

China railways gear up for peak festival time
An estimated 130 million persons will travel by train in China between Jan. 17 and Feb. 25 next year, a Chinese railway official has predicted. The figure will be 1.66 million persons, or 1 percent, more than the number of passenger flow in the similar festival railway traffic this year, said Hu Yadong, director of the Transport Bureau of China's Ministry of Railways. The majority of passengers will be students, migrant workers and tourists, he said. The Spring Festival for

China to remote sense mysterious tomb of first emperor
Chinese scientists and archaeologists will survey the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang (259 BC-210 BC), the first emperor of China's feudal dynasties, using remote sensing and geophysical techniques in a bid to unravel the historical mystery, the China Daily reported recently. As a key project of the National High Technology Research and Development Program, the survey is by far the most comprehensive research ever on the mausoleum and set to end by Sept. 2003, the newspaper said.

Cross-border Tourism Prospers in 2002
While China's beautiful scenic attractions drew groups of foreign tourists in 2002, Chinese tourists also traveled to other countries in greater numbers. China's huge numbers of inbound and outbound tourists indicate it is becoming one of the world's big tourism nations. Its prosperous economy has not only attracted foreign travelers, but also propelled Chinese tourists to go overseas. Experts called it the cross-border prosperity generated by tourism. By the end of November, over 15 million Chi

High-speed Maglev Technology Passes the Test
The trial run of the Shanghai Transrapid Maglev Line has proven that the once-controversial high-speed maglev technology is applicable, chief engineer of the project Wu Xiangming said in Shanghai on Tuesday. The Shanghai Transrapid Maglev Line, the world's first high-speed commercial commuter system using state-of-the-art electromagnetic levitation technology, was put into trial operation on Tuesday. Wu, who has served as chief engineer for large construction projects like the third phase of the

Tourism Revival Rests on Qing Heritage
Shenyang, the capital city of northeast China's Liaoning Province should revitalize its tourism industry by tapping into its Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) heritage, according to local experts and insiders. "We should fully utilize the city's Qing heritage to attract more tourists," said Chen Tiexin, director of the local tourism administration. Shenyang, known as an old industry base in northeast China, is the birthplace of the Qing Dynasty culture. It was the economic and political center of north C

Case Settled on Intellectual Rights of Folk Song
The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court ruled Saturday that the music of Wusuli River Chantey, a popular folk song in China, is an adaptation from traditional melodies rather than a new composition. The case arose from the '99 Nanning International Folk Song Festival, at which Guo Song, a prestigious folk song performing artist, sang the chantey. Afterwards, an anchor from China Central Television (CCTV) interviewed veteran singer Guo and announced that Guo and his partners had composed th

Lamas Study English
English is becoming increasingly popular in China, and even lamas in north China are taking courses to learn the language. Lamas from Punin Temple of Tibetan Buddhism, in the rural areas of Chengde City in Hebei Province, practice English everyday to be able to communicate with the growing numbers of English-speaking overseas tourists to the temple, a number which exceeds 50,000 each year. Zhaxi, a lama at the Buddhist temple, said he still remembers embarrassing moments in the past when he coul

Holiday Tours Filling Up
Despite travel companies raising prices to gouge tourists during the upcoming Spring Festival, package tours are quickly selling out, according to a survey of several major travel agencies in the city. While the weeklong holiday is still a month away - it starts from February 1 this year - half of the seats to nearby tropical islands, such as Phuket in Thailand and Redang in Malaysia, have already been sold. Even Bali is proving to be a hot spot, a surprise since the Indonesian resort's tourism

In Pursuit of Lost Ancient Imperial Chinese Music
A group of infatuated classical musicians hold that they have found traces of a vanished form of imperial Chinese court music in folk songs popular in Shaoshan Village, in central-south China's Hunan Province. On Dec. 26 last year, local musicians played two distinct pieces in the "Shao music" style, adapted from the Chinese lyrics classics, the Book of Songs and Nine Songs. They used traditional Chinese musical instruments including the Zheng, a 21- or 25-string plucked instrument similar to a

Highway Construction Quickens in Sichuan Province
With the recent opening of a 130- km highway, expressways in southwest China's Sichuan province cover 1,500 km altogether, the highest in mid-western China region. The highway linking Mianyang and Guangyuan cities cost 4.4 billion yuan (about US$530 million), and driving by car from the provincial capital of Chengdu to neighboring Shaanxi province now takes only four hours. In the past, it took ancient Chinese months to travel from Shaanxi to Sichuan, stumbling along the only precipitous link be

Xingdou Mountains Become National Nature Reserve
Regarded as a natural botanical garden in central China, the Xingdou Mountains, located in Hubei Province's Enshi city, have recently been recognized as a national natural protection zone after passing an evaluation made by the China Environmental Protection Bureau. The Xingdou Mountains natural protection zone is located 57 kilometers southeast of Lichuan, extending over 68,339 hectares and covering Lichuan, Enshi and Xianfeng counties. The area includes two styles of landscape; one based on Mo

Ancient Tablet on Ecological Protection Discovered in Shaanxi
A stone tablet inscribed with a decree on ecological protection issued by Emperor Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) has been discovered near the imposing Great Wall in north China's Shaanxi Province. Found at the cross of Bachakou near Shuozhou city, the tablet, measuring 1.6 meters high and one meter wide, was erected in 1549 on a hillside several dozen kilometers from the Yanmen Pass on the ancient Great Wall, according to inscriptions on it. The decree of about 700-character banned tree

Shanghai Rises Railway Ticket Prices in Spring Festival
Passengers on Shanghai Railway Bureau trains will have to pay much higher prices on either side of the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year that falls on February 1. The bureau has announced that ticket prices one day before and one week after the New Year, or traditional Chinese Spring Festival week, would be up to 20 percent higher than usual. An estimated record 23.8 million passengers are expected to travel on Shanghai bureau trains from January 17 to February 25, ayear-on-year increase of 8.3 pe

Northerners overjoyed at launch of water diversion project
Leaning on a stick, 82-year-old Zhang Lisheng from Beiguiping village in east China's Shandong province, braved the chilly weather and waited patiently for the launching ceremony of the country's south-to-north water diversion project. "What a great thing it is and how could I miss this grand occasion," said Zhang. While China on Dec.27 formally started its ambitious and long-planned scheme to divert water from the country's longest river, the Yangtze, to its thirsty northern regio

China's water project creates huge business opportunity Sino Travel
China's north-to-south water diversion project, with its first phase beginning construction Friday (Dec.27), will greatly benefit the industries of construction materials, machine building and environmental protection. According to the overall plan of this gigantic water conservation project which will divert water from Yangtze River to the thirsty northern areas in three routes, a total of 154.8 billion yuan (18.7 billion US dollars) will be invested for the first phase of construction.<

Ancient canal to play major role in China's water diversion project
The 1,747-km Grand Canal from Beijing in north China to Hangzhou in east China, the longest and the oldest man-made canal in the world, will be the main channel serving the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in the country. The massive water diversion project, whose construction started Friday (Dec.27) and will last 50 years, aims at diverting water from the watery south to the thirsty north of China to ensure a water supply for agricultural and industrial production and people's dail

Water diversion project to relieve China's thirsty north
The long-awaited South-to-North water diversion project kicked off on Dec.27 to bring relief to China's drought-ridden north. It took 50 years of planning to get to this starting point, and the project is expected to take another 50 years to be completed. The massive project is expected to require investment of about 486 billion yuan (about 59 billion US dollars), twice as much as the cost of the Three Gorges Dam project. The cities suffering severe water shortage are mostly

Corporate culture: multinationals' key to success
Corporate culture is what attracts staff, senior officials from multinational companies said in Beijing recently at the three-day 2002 International Human Resources Forum. Francis Tam, vice-president of the People Division of Wal-Mart Asia, cited corporate culture as the soul of a company. It cemented employees with shared values, which influenced the lifestyle, behaviors and values of employees and inspired them to work hard, he said. Tam noted that Wal-Mart, with tens of millions

Construction of Pan-Asia railway to start in SW China in 2003
Construction of the Pan-Asia Railway is expected to start in southwest China's Yunnan Province next year, it was announced at the 2nd China-ASEAN Business Council Meeting, which ended on Dec.17 in Kunming, capital of Yunnan. The Ministry of Railways and the Yunnan provincial government have submitted a proposal on construction of a section of the railway in Yunnan to the State Development Planning Commission. Construction of the 212-km section, connecting Yuxi and Mengzi, will requ

Air China wins international quality recognition
Air China was presented with an ISO 9001:2000 quality system recognition certificate here recently by British Standard Institution (BSI) Pacific Limited and the Civil Aviation Heartfelt Quality Certification Company. The ISO certification is recognition that Air China has made significant progress in introducing advanced management skills and that it is closing the gap with regard to reaching international standards. Air China spent one and a half years establishing a quality manag

Macao, inland see huge flow of travelers in 2002
Gongbei Port, the only land gate between Macao and China's inland, has handled 50 million travelers this year, according to the latest customs sources. This was a new record after Macao returned to the motherland three years ago, since daily links between the Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the country's interior became more and more frequent. Macao residents flocked to the neighboring Guangdong Province for shopping, sightseeing or leisure-seeking purpose in the two-day Ch

Visitor arrivals to HK jump 37.5 percent in November
Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong in November this year exceeded 1.57 million, jumping 37.5 percent compared with the same period of last year, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) Monday. Arrivals from the Chinese mainland outperformed the October figures to set a further new record of nearly 698,000, a 71.8 year-on-year increase. This achievement came despite the fact that October figures were boosted by the "Golden Week" national holiday. November, however, is a pe

Home-made products boom in China's duty-free market
China's home-made products have seen a rapid growth since the 1990s, which have taken up 20 percent of the country's duty-free market by this year, sources with a national conference of duty-free business held on Dec. 24-26 in Bo'ao of south China's Hainan Province. According to the conference, a series of policies have been carried out by the government these years to encourage the home-made products in the duty-free market. In 1991, six kinds of home-made products were first offi

Market of duty-free products grows fast in China
Market of duty-free products in China has become a new attraction to international companies in the field. At China Duty-free Business Conference, opening on December 24th in Bo'ao in south China's Hainan Province, many world famous enterprises and companies showed great interest in China's duty-free products market. From 1995 till now, the average increasing rate of China's duty-free products market exceeds 8 percent, much higher than the world's average figure of 3 percent. In 20

First glimpse at the Shanghai Transrapid
The Shanghai Transrapid Magnetic Levitation (Maglev) Line, the first-ever commercial line of its kind to employ German technology, scheduled to be inaugurated here on Tuesday (Dec.31). Xinhua correspondent Wu Yu was fortunate enough to get a preview of the special train, including its cars, control center and the guideway currently under construction. The streamliner, with vivid green and yellow stripes set against a superb white background, consists of three cars. The first is a V

Chinese, German leaders cut ribbon for trial operation of maglev system
Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder cut the ribbon for the trial operation of Shanghai Transrapid Maglev Line, a high-speed transportation system. Premier Zhu and Chancellor Schroeder are to take a train to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the terminal of the 30-km-long maglev line. The Shanghai Transrapid Maglev Line is the world's first and only high-speed commercial commuting system using state-of-the-art electromagnetic levitati

East-West exchanges began 5,000 years ago: experts
Contact between the East and West probably began more than 5,000 years ago, 3,000 years earlier than previously thought, according to Chinese archaeologists. New research on relics unearthed along the famous Silk Road, an ancient commercial route linking China and Central Asia, has led to the conclusion. Li Shuicheng, a professor of archaeology at Beijing University, said that many people held that East-West exchanges started after the opening of the Silk Road over 2,000 years ago,

Number of Out-bound Chinese Tourists on the Rise
A growing number of Chinese are traveling overseas as their living standards keep improving. The latest statistics from the provincial tourism bureau in Guangdong province, south China, indicate that the number of Guangdong residents who traveled abroad in 2002 exceeded 1.4 million, accounting for half of the national total. For residents of Guangzhou, the provincial capital, travel has become one of life's necessities, along with clothing, food and transportation. The average annual spending on

Chinese Economy to Stay Bright Against Global Slowdown: Report
The Chinese economy will keep its growth rate amid predicted global slowdown in 2003, an expert said Friday in a report titled "Asian Economic Outlook." Dong Tao, chief regional economist of Credit Suisse First Boston, a leading global investment bank, said new economic hot spots, buoyant trade and consumption would boost the Chinese economy in the new year. "Consumption will keep robust, while the pattern will change," Dong said. "Two years ago, when you went to Shanghai or Shenyang, people tal

Shanghai Maglev Train Open to Public
Since Shanghai's maglev train has opened to public Thursday, Shanghai citizens have shown their great interest. It's said that train tickets before January 11 have been sold out. The Shanghai Transrapid Maglev Line, the world's first high-speed commercial commuter system using state-of-the-art electromagnetic levitation technology, was put into trial operation on Tuesday. Visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji took a test ride, paving the way for more Chinese

Shanghai's Railway Ticket Prices Up 20% for Spring Festival
Passengers on Shanghai Railway Bureau trains will have to pay much higher prices on either side of the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year that falls on February 1. The bureau has announced that ticket prices one day before and one week after the New Year, or traditional Chinese Spring Festival week, would be up to 20 percent higher than usual. An estimated record 23.8 million passengers are expected to travel on Shanghai bureau trains from January 17 to February 25, ayear-on-year increase of 8.3 pe

Private Airplane Market Takes Off
With a rising number of domestic entrepreneurs, demand for high-priced executive toys is growing, with several Chinese companies scheduled to debut small private aircraft in the near future. Shenyang Aircraft Industry Group of China, a major manufacturer of fighter planes for the military, recently announced it will roll out a super-light plane this year, with a price tag ranging between 500,000 and 600,000 yuan (US$60,241 and US$72,289), according to Agency Shenyang is not alone. Aircraft manuf

Private Airplane Market Takes off
With a growing number of domestic entrepreneurs hitting it rich, demand for high-priced executive toys is growing, with several Chinese companies scheduled to debut small private aircraft in the near future. Shenyang Aircraft Industry Group of China, a major manufacturer of fighter planes for the military, recently announced it will roll out a super-light plane this year, with a price tag ranging between 500,000 and 600,000 yuan (US$60,241 and US$72,289). Shenyang is not alone. Aircraft manufact

Ethnic Minority Cookbook Published in SW China
A book describing the diverse cuisine of 26 ethnic groups has been published in southwest China's Yunnan Province. The Collection of Dian Cuisine, in which Dian is the abbreviated name of Yunnan, includes 1,000 distinctive dishes from the province. The book provides cooking instructions, historical background and pictures of each dish and cultural and geographic information about the places of origin. The dishes from the Wa, Lisu, Nu and Dulong minorities are the first recorded in this book. Kno

200,000-year-old Tapir Fossil Found in SW China
A tapir fossil dating back some 200,000 years was recently dug up in southwest China's Guizhou Province. Cai Huiyang, an archeologist with the Guizhou Museum, said the oldest and most intact tapir fossil ever found in Guizhou Province provides valuable evidence for the study of the climate and geographic environment in ancient times. According to Cai, a farmer of the Xinba Village of Qingzhen City, stumbled upon the fossil while hoeing his own soil. He also unearthed fossils of deer and mice. A

Private Airplane Market Takes Off
With a growing number of domestic entrepreneurs hitting it rich, demand for high-priced executive toys is growing, with several Chinese companies scheduled to debut small private aircraft in the near future. Shenyang Aircraft Industry Group of China, a major manufacturer of fighter planes for the military, recently announced it will roll out a super-light plane this year, with a price tag ranging between 500,000 and 600,000 yuan (US$60,241 and US$72,289), according to agency. Shenyang is not alo

Old Lady Complains About Change of City
Li Mengqiu, a 78-year-old retired government employee, often feels a little nostalgic for her home city of Chengdu. The capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, known for its rich history and culture, has changed beyond recognition in the past 50 years. "The city is like a never-ending construction site," she complained to China Daily. "Almost all the buildings conform to the design dictates of modern steel-and-cement structures, as in any other Chinese city. Very often, I cannot help thin

Photos Remember Times Past
Li Mengqiu, a 78-year-old retired government employee, often feels a little nostalgic for her home city of Chengdu. The capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, known for its rich history and culture, has changed beyond recognition in the past 50 years. "The city is like a never-ending construction site," she complained to China Daily. "Almost all the buildings conform to the design dictates of modern steel-and-cement structures, as in any other Chinese city. Very often, I cannot help thin

New Year's flag raising ceremony held in HK
Over 3,000 residents and visitors attended a New Year's flag raising ceremony at the Bauhinia Square outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center Extension on Jan.1 in spite of the cold weather. Holding miniature versions of the Chinese national flag and the HKSAR flag in their hands, many people arrived ahead of time to get a good watching position. Liu jiayi and her husband took a taxi especially for the ceremony. She said the family's first program of the New Year was

Sports for New Year's Day by Chinese nationwide
While some Chinese visited their relatives or went shopping on Jan.1 as they had usually done for the New Year's Day, many others however chose to take sports on the day to usher in the year 2003.
2,000 climb Great Wall in northern Beijing suburb Watched by numerous heavily-clad tourists, more than 2,000 people from across the country took part in a two kilometers climb of the famed Great Wall at Badaling, some 160km northwest of downtown Beijing. Many just in such light dress a

Chinese celebrate New Year
People throughout China welcomed the New Year Jan.1 with activities as colorful and diverse as the country itself. At 9:00 a.m., hundreds of residents in Shanghai, China's largest metropolis, rushed to climb the "Pearl of the Orient" tower. Many visitors and residents of Harbin City in northeast China visited the "world of snow and ice", in which more than 100 ice sculptures are displayed. A grand folk song festival was held in Nanning, capital of southern Guangxi Zhuang Aut

Hainan on path to ecologically sound province
China's southern island province Hainan is working hard to make itself an ecologically sound province. It planted 126,667 hectares of trees in the past three years, boosting its forest coverage rate to 52.3 percent, said provincial vice-governor Li Lihui. Meanwhile, it closed 76 polluting industries. These ecological efforts, backed by nearly 3 billion yuan (about 361 million US dollars) of government funds, have pushed Hainan closer toward its goals of becoming a base for organic

Beneficial effects of traditional Chinese medicine proved
A university-industry collaborative research has provided scientific evidence confirming the beneficial effects of "Bak Foong Pills" (BFP), or White Phoenix Pills, the researchers announced here recently. Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) said the technology and methodology adapted by the research team may facilitate further researches in traditional Chinese medicine, benefiting the Hong Kong industry as a whole. With a better understanding of the pharmaco

Theme park honoring Lu Xun to be built in Zhongguancun
A theme park in honor of the late great Chinese revolutionary thinker and noted proletarian writer Lu Xun and his works is under construction in Beijing's Zhongguancun, China's most prosperous IT center. The design of the Lu Xun Cultural Park was displayed recently at a Chinese-Russian architecture exhibition. The park will feature sections for cultural attainments and for new and hi-tech growth, such as a Lu Xun arts school, a Lu Xun research center, halls for aviation and space and gene

Qinghai-Tibet railway project going forward in full swing
Next year will be of vital importance for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway project as some key and dangerous parts of the project get underway, Minister of Railways Fu Zhihuan said here recently. Fu said the Ministry of Railways plans to invest 5.6 billion yuan (about 676 million US dollars) in 2003 to add 190 kilometers of track and make breakthroughs in a permafrost soil project, along with progress in the construction of earthwork, bridges and tunnels in the whole line. Vice Minister o

Macao-Zhuhai passage adopts traffic control
Beginning Monday, some cargo wagons and big passenger vehicles between Zhuhai and Macao will have to pass through the Hengqin customs instead of the convenient Gongbei customs. The scheme is a temporary measure as a result of the construction of a new border-checkpoint building of the Macao, a special administration region of China. The measure will be carried out for one year to deal with burgeoning cargo and passenger flow through Gongbei. According to the scheme, some car

China's first maglev railway vital to high-speed lines
The world's first maglev railway for commercial operation in China's economic center Shanghai will be an important model for other planned high-speed railway lines in China. Chinese Minister of Railways Fu Zhihuan said here recently at a press conference that either traditional tracks or magnetic levitation methods can be chosen for a planned Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. The result of the Shanghai project will be very important for the decision. The Shanghai maglev railway,

Chinese-made electric locomotive hits record 321 k/h speed
The Chinese-made electric locomotive "China Star" was clocked at 321.5 kilometers per hour during a test run early this week. Made at the Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Plant, a major manufacturer of train engines in the country, the China Star locomotive features cutting-edge technology, said Liu Youmei, chief designer of the locomotive program. With the plant fully having the intellectual property right, China Star's technological specifications rival that of internationally-advance

China's massive water diversion project to make way for cultural relics
China's south-to-north river water diversion project will detour when it encounters key cultural relic sites along its central route, Niu Xinqiang, director of the designing institute of the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee said in a recent interview. Great importance will be attached to protecting cultural relics at national and provincial levels and those considered "very important" by the archaeological circles as the project breaks ground, Niu said. Niu noted that the co

Xinjiang Airlines maintains China's longest safe flight record
The night's safe landing on Dec.31of flight XO9508 marked a safe flight record of 48 years for Xinjiang Airlines, making it China's safest airline. Headquartered in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the company owns 23 large and medium-sized passenger planes and has 86 domestic air routes and eight international routes with a total mileage of 170,000 kilometers. In 2002 alone, the company flew safely for 58,700 hours, handled 26,800 tons of carg

Beijing works to protect and restore its imperial city
Beijing is working to protect and restore its world-famous imperial city, with the goal of having the Forbidden City listed among the World Cultural Heritage sites. The protection plan was displayed recently during the 9th capital architectural designs exhibition. According to the plan, a downtown area covering 6.8 square kilometers with the splendid Forbidden City at its core, will be placed under protection. With its unique layout, ingenious architecture and advanced construction

China's cross-border tourism prospers in 2002
While China's beautiful scenic attractions drew groups of foreign tourists in 2002, Chinese tourists also traveled to other countries in greater numbers. China's huge numbers of inbound and outbound tourists indicate it is becoming one of the world's big tourism nations. Its prosperous economy has not only attracted foreign travelers, but also propelled Chinese tourists to go overseas. Experts called it the cross-border prosperity generated by tourism. By the end of November, over

Hangzhou Personalizes IC Bus Cards
Passengers have since Monday been able to choose personalized IC ticket cards to use on buses in scenic Hangzhou city, in east China's Zhejiang province. In the first batch of personalized IC (interchange) cards, the Hangzhou public transport system is offering watches and key rings cards in different styles for passengers to choose from. The new IC cards, jointly designed by a Shenzhen firm and the Hangzhou public transport company, combine the technology of an intelligent CMOS chip and design

China, Slovakia Sign Joint Statement
Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his Slovak counterpart, President Rudolf Schuster, signed in Beijing Monday a joint statement to boost bilateral relations. Following is the full text of the joint statement: The People's Republic of China and the Slovak Republic (hereinafter referred to as the two sides) appreciate fruitful relations and friendly cooperation between the two countries and express satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations in recent years. With a view of further enh

Chinese Schoolchildren to Learn More About Law
The government has launched a campaign to teach primary and middle school students more about legal affairs. The campaign was initiated in Shenyang, capital of the northeastern Liaoning Province, and has been followed by many other cities. In these cities, each primary or middle school has invited a law expert from local judicial departments to work as deputy headmaster in charge of legal affairs. Law education has been included in the school curricula, and the special deputy headmaster is respo

Bamboo slips found in bulk in ancient tomb
Chinese archeologists on Dec.25 unearthed more than 1,000 bamboo slips bearing official records over 2,000 years old, in the No. 2 tomb at Jiuliandun Tombs in Zaoyang City, Hubei Province, in central China. This was the largest number of bamboo slips ever found in the ancient tombs belonging to the Chu State which dates back to the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC), said Wang Hongxing, director of the provincial archeological institute. The bamboo slips are in a sound condition

Ancient musical instruments excavated in central China
Chinese archaeologists on Dec.24 unearthed an elevated drum supported by two legendary phoenixes standing atop two tigers in central China's Hubei Province. The find was made in a tomb dating back more than 2,000 years which has been under intense excavation at Jiuliandun in Zaoyang City. Called the "No. 2" tomb, it is just one of nine considered to be from the Chu State during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC), and the "No. 1" tomb is the only other one currently under excavation

Coffin opened in ancient tomb, ownership unclear
Chinese archeologists on Dec.23 opened the coffin in the No. 1 tomb of Jiuliandun Tombs, which can be dated back to the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC) in Zaoyang City of Hubei Province, central China. Scientists found bones of the ownership and a small quantity of relics. They can only judge the dead to be a senior official about 1.75 meters tall, but the concrete identity and gender is still not clear. By now the tomb has yielded 696 pieces of cultural relics. The op

Valuable cultural relics unearthed in Central China
Nearly 500 valuable cultural relics were unearthed on Dec.22 from a tomb dating back to the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC) in Zaoyang City of Hubei Province. Ritual vessels such as chimes, tripods, cauldrons and carriages which were buried with the dead in the Chu State, which was located in the province more than 2,000 years ago, were among the items found in the Jiuliandun Tomb. Archaeologists say the newly-unearthed bronze ritual vessels are in sound condition, which is u

Hainan has new national forestry park
The Limushan Forestry Park in south China's Hainan province, a tropical area that abounds in wildlife resources, has just been granted the "national" status by the State Forestry Administration. As a result, the island province now has six national forestry parks on its 34,000 square meters of land area. The newly appointed park, with an area of 12,667 hectares, is located in Limushan Mountain, in the center of Hainan. Limushan park has a well-preserved ecosystem. More than

Rare stalagmites found in north China
Stalagmites, icicle-like deposits of calcium carbonate formed by dripping water, are usually found inside caves, but in the Mount Kongshan area in north China, many can be seen not only inside, but on the outside of the Baiyun (White Cloud) Cave. This rare scene in the Taihang Mountains in Lincheng County, north China's Hebei Province, has drawn the interest of local and overseas experts, some of whom have suggested there might have been a larger cave covering the existing one in the past

1,000-year-old Buddha figures found in E. China
Eight Buddha figures dating back to the 12th century have been found at Linhai city in east China's Zhejiang province. The delicate figures, two made of bronze and six of silver, rested in a bronze box inside a 61-cm-long, 46-cm-wide and 34.5-cm-deep stone container buried beneath a local primary school. Beside the bronze box were 435 bronze coins and a piece of silver bearing an inscription, from which archeologists deduced the Buddha figures might have been buried there in the No

China's Z11 helicopters get green light for civilian use
The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China recently issued the country's first permit for helicopter production for civilian use. The Z11 helicopter is solely Chinese made, designed in China and manufactured by the Changhe Aircraft Industries Group Ltd. Z11 was the only helicopter in China to gain such a permit after passing all necessary flight tests, said Wang Zhong, director of the Aircraft Test Flight Department of the administration. This indicated such helic

Unique musical instruments reproduce ancient Dunhuang music
After years of studying mural paintings and document descriptions, a Chinese expert has managed to reproduce musical instruments that can bring ancient Dunhuang music to today's audience. After determining typical instrumental forms by referring to mural paintings, document descriptions and unearthed relics, Zheng Ruzhong, music educator and Dunhuang expert, sorted his unique instruments into four kinds and 44 categories on the basis of playing methods. The instruments, created aft

China's space program on course: official
A senior Chinese official said on Jan.4 that China is going ahead with its manned space mission and another project to explore the moon is under serious consideration. The Lunar Exploration Program is in the study phase and is awaiting government approval, Guo Baozhu, vice administrator of the Chinese National Space Academy, told the Space Summit, which opened Saturday (Jan.4) at the Indian Science Congress in the southern Indian city of Bangalore. He said China has 12 different la

China's unmanned spaceship lands
China's unmanned spaceship "Shenzhou IV" returned to earth on schedule Sunday evening (Jan.5) from its six-day flight, officials in charge of the space program said. The spaceship landed successfully at 7:16 p.m. in the designated area in the middle part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China, said the officials. Experts in charge of China's manned space program said the return of the spaceship represents a complete success of the fourth test flight of the program,

Shanghai airports among world's busiest
Hongqiao and Pudong, the two airports of this oriental metropolis of Shanghai, have been listed the world's busiest airports. In 2002, the two airports handled 24.68 million passengers with 225,167 sorties. They also handled 1.31 million tons of cargo and mail. There were remarkable increases in both passenger and cargo transport, according to local aviation sources. Direct air flights from Shanghai to 100 domestic and overseas cities are now available and 51 domestic and overseas

Gas Explosion Kills 16 Miners in Heilongjiang
Sixteen miners were killed in a gas explosion Monday morning at Lishu mine in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Ninety-seven miners were working underground when the explosion occurred. All others were reported in safe condition. Rescue work ended Tuesday morning, but the cause for the explosion is still under investigation, said Yu Jiahua, board chairman of the Jixi Mine Group, owner of the mine.

No Ban on Wooden Chopsticks on the Table in Wuhan
The forestry administration of Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, has decided not to ban the use of throwaway wooden chopsticks. The decision follows extensive consultation and evaluation as reported at the first session of the 11th Municipal People's Congress of Wuhan, which ended a few days ago. Last year, deputy to the Wuhan People's Congress, Chen Wenfeng appealed for a ban on the use of the disposable chopsticks. The forestry administration of the city then carried out detail

Chinese Students Enjoy Caring, Relaxing School Life
Earlier this month, first-graders at a primary school in the southern island province of Hainan noticed with delight their final exam papers were printed in different colors instead of the traditional black and white. "Vivid colors can help cultivate the students' love for beauty, and can ease their stress during the exam," said Wu Aibao, an official with the local education authority. In a nationwide move to arouse children's interest and creativity in their school work, most schools in the isl

Sanya Emerging as a Tourist Magnet
Sanya is located in the southern section of the Hainan islands, the southern most province of China, which was called the "end of the earth" in ancient times when political dissidents and delegated officials were exiled there. Though its administrative history dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), Sanya was a deserted coastal place in the minds of many Chinese inlanders for the following thousands of years. This negative image has dramatically changed today, particularly over the past f

Rare Spirit Bottles Spotted in Ancient Tomb
Archeologists have found two rare celadon porcelain bottles in an ancient tomb dating from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), at Liuzhou City in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The "spirit bottles" were once popular funerary objects in which to "keep" the spirit of the dead person in southern China during the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Song Dynasty, according to archeologists. The single cell brick tomb is 2.8 meters long, 1.4 meters wide and 1.9 meters high. It is the lon

No Ban on Wooden Chopsticks on the Table in Wuhan
The forestry administration of Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, has decided not to ban the use of throwaway wooden chopsticks. The decision follows extensive consultation and evaluation as reported at the first session of the 11th Municipal People's Congress of Wuhan, which ended a few days ago. Last year, deputy to the Wuhan People's Congress, Chen Wenfeng appealed for a ban on the use of the disposable chopsticks. The forestry administration of the city then carried out detail

Scientist warns of introduced species turning invasive
The introduction of biological species doesn't always benefit biodiversity but may threaten the natural survival of indigenous species, says Cao Wenxuan, an academician with the Aquatic Biology Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Maintaining a balanced ecosystem was more important, Cao said. An example of an introduced species becoming invasive occurred at Xingyun Lake in southwestern China's Yunnan province when bullheads, a large-headed North American freshwater catfish

Beijing moves to destroy flesh-eating fish
Owners of the deadly flesh-eating piranha fish in Beijing has begun to follow government's order to destroy the dangerous species, Beijing Youth Daily reported recently. According to the paper, 12 aquariums, or ocean amusement parks, and pet fish dealers with the species in the city have destroyed, or prepared to follow the order. China issued the ban and the killing order for fear of disastrous consequence once the fish, also known as man-eating fish, escaped to the country's wate

Life on back of dragon
Unexpected cold weather has turned Mount Longji, a popular terraced landscape in northern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region known as "the back of the dragon", into a world of snowy splendor. Many visitors, such as Andrew Lockwood from New Zealand, were excited by the snow. "Terraced fields, white snow and huts spread in the mountains have formed a picture of sheer beauty," said Lockwood, who added it was all sunshine now at the pastures back in his home country. Pan Lianfeng,

Museum of folk opera under construction
Construction of a museum of Lu opera in China has started in its hometown of Guangrao County of Dongying City in the eastern province of Shandong. One of the eight major local operas in China, Lu Opera is characterized by melodious singing and stories reflecting family life and ethics. The play "Press for Marriage" was made into a film in 1979. The history of Lu opera is said to begin more than 100 years ago in Guangrao County, when many local farmers were forced to leave their hom

Infrastructure construction progresses smoothly in Xinjiang
Benefiting from the Chinese government's strategy of developing the vast western region, infrastructure construction in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China is going smoothly. The Chinese government has, over the past three years, invested more than 70 billion yuan (8.36 billion US dollars) in building highways, power plants, dams and telecommunications facilities in this largest region inhabited by ethnic minority groups in China. Xinjiang takes up 1.66 million

Yangtze water pollution alleviated
About 22 billion tons of industrial waste and daily sewage was discharged into the Yangtze in 2001, 1.4 billion tons less than the previous year, according to the latest communique from the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee. Water pollution along China's longest river has been somewhat alleviated as major metropolises along the river, such as Shanghai and Wuhan, have enhanced their capability to process sewage and industrial waste. Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province in central

Xiamen Customs hands over huge haul of confiscated relics
Xiamen City Customs gave thousands of smuggled relics to the Provincial Cultural Relics Administration Committee on Jan.14, the largest such haul in this coastal city in Fujian province and one of east China's Special Economic Zones. The handover took place at the Xiamen Museum located on the scenic island of Gulangyu. Among a total of 13,297 precious items were 8,088 ancient coins, and 5,286 cultural articles including paintings, books, jade articles and bronze pieces. It was the

Beijing to renovate 1,000-year-old mosque
Beijing municipal government plans to renovate a more than 1,000-year-old mosque in downtown Niujie Street with an investment of 10 million yuan (1.2 million US dollars) in the next two to three years. The Niujie mosque, the largest among the 68 mosques in the Chinese capital, was built in 996 AD during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125). It is now one of the major mosques in north China. According to the renovation plan, besides the renovation of the existing major building inside the mo

Train for Beijing's light rail makes debut
The first passenger train especially designed for Beijing's light railway rolled off production line in Changchun, capital of northeastern Jilin province on Jan.16. The train will make its first run in the Chinese capital on January 28, according to sources with the Changchun Rail Passenger Train Share-holding Co., Ltd. The train can reach a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour, according to technicians with the Changchun company. Air-conditioning and heating systems have been insta

Ancient N. China city to be protected with loans
Pingyao, a well-known ancient city in north China's Shanxi province, has received loans of 1 billion yuan (121.2 million US dollars) from the China Agricultural Bank for protection and for the building of new communities. The city with a history of over 2,000 years has well-preserved ancient city walls, dwellings, government offices, and stores of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Since it was put on the World Cultural Heritage list in 1997, Pingyao has become a

Entry, exit documents handled on Internet
In a first for China, south China's Guangdong province began handling entry and exit documents on the Internet as of Jan.16. Sources from the exit-entry administrative section under the provincial public security bureau said local residents could submit their applications for exit-entry documents at www.gdcrj.com., an official website attached to the section. The website can help with five operations, including issuing new passports, issuing special permits for shuttling between Gu

Eastern city removes limits on passport application
By presenting their IDs and permanent residency cards, any citizen in the capital of Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province can now apply for a passport. This renowned scenic city is one of the first in the country to simplify procedures for issuing passports, according to local public security authority. "A permanent resident of Hangzhou city can apply for a passport by presenting his original ID, permanent residency card and recent photos," an official said at a recent press

China's spring travel season kicks off
China's annual peak travel season kicked off on Jan.17, with the number of travelers during the 40-day period to reach 1.82 billion, up 3.7 percent over last year. Known as the Spring Travel Season, it concludes on February 25, with the peak travel times occurring immediately before and after the Spring Festival. The 2003 Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year, falls on Feb. 1,the most important traditional day for the reunion of the Chinese family. Spring season travelers co

China guards against cholera from Ivory Coast
China has announced it is taking prompt measures against the possible arrival of cholera from Ivory Coast. The State Administration of Quality Supervision and Quarantine has issued a circular to protect the safety of Chinese traveling to Ivory Coast. It asks passengers arriving in China from Ivory Coast to report to exit-entry quarantine authorities provided they have symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. Passengers traveling to the African country may get relevant informati

Gas Explosion Kills 16 in Heilongjiang
Sixteen miners were killed in a gas explosion Monday morning at Lishu mine in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Ninety-seven miners were working underground when the explosion occured. All others were reported in safe condition. Rescue work ended Tuesday morning, but the cause for the explosion is still under investigation, said Yu Jiahua, board chairman of the Jixi Mine Group, owner of the mine.

Air Ticket Prices Likely to Drop After Spring Festival
Air ticket prices are set to drop on the back of a policy change expected after this year's Spring Festival peak season, sources close to the aviation administrator revealed. Discounts offered to consumers are likely to double, with the former 20 percent limit being raised to 40 percent. These price reductions will be determined by seasonal factors and the dates when the tickets were booked. For example, an air ticket from Shanghai to Shenzhen with a face value of 1,240 yuan (US$149) could be so

Air Ticket Prices Likely to Drop After the Festival
Air ticket prices are set to drop on the back of a policy change expected after this year's Spring Festival peak season, sources close to the aviation administrator revealed. Discounts offered to consumers are likely to double, with the former 20 percent limit being raised to 40 percent. These price reductions will be determined by seasonal factors and the dates when the tickets were booked. For example, an air ticket from Shanghai to Shenzhen with a face value of 1,240 yuan (US$149) could be so

Air Ticket Prices Likely to Drop
Air ticket prices are set to drop on the back of a policy change expected after this year's Spring Festival peak season, sources close to the aviation administrator revealed. Discounts offered to consumers are likely to double, with the former 20 percent limit being raised to 40 percent. These price reductions will be determined by seasonal factors and the dates when the tickets were booked. For example, an air ticket from Shanghai to Shenzhen with a face value of 1,240 yuan (US$149) could be so

Air Ticket Prices Likely to Drop
Air ticket prices are set to drop on the back of a policy change expected after this year's Spring Festival peak season, sources close to the aviation administrator revealed. Discounts offered to consumers are likely to double, with the former 20 percent limit being raised to 40 percent. These price reductions will be determined by seasonal factors and the dates when the tickets were booked. For example, an air ticket from Shanghai to Shenzhen with a face value of 1,240 yuan (US$149) could be so

Police Crack Smuggled Ivory and Crocodile Skin Case
More than 2 million yuan's (US$242,000) worth of ivory and crocodile products have been seized in East China's Zhejiang Province, putting a dent in the aspirations of smugglers and boosting China's fight against the illegal trade of valuable and rare wild animals According to a report from Wenzhou customs earlier this week, all of the goods - 92 ivory products like statues, chopsticks, pipes, bracelets and necklaces and a piece of crocodile skin - were smuggled from Cameroon. The illegal items w

Three Gorges' first airport under construction
Construction has been completed on the main buildings of the Wuqiao Airport, the first airport at Three Gorges, the site of a massive on-going hydroelectric project. The airport, which includes a passenger terminal, telecommunications facilities and navigation and other related facilities, is expected to begin trial operations later in the year, according to Li Yutang, an official in charge of airport construction. Covering more than 120 hectares, the Wuqiao Airport, located in the

Short message to notify Hangzhou passport applicants
The Hangzhou public security bureau and the local branch of China Mobile launched a new service on Mar.1 by which passport application results will be transmitted by phone short message. According to the entry-exit administration of Hangzhou, starting from March 1, local residents applying for passports or for travel authorization for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, will be notified of the results through short messages from the phone number "13588889696". The local exit-entry adminis

Pandas enjoy life with Austrian nurses
Two of China's giant pandas seem to be enjoying the care of two Austrian nurses before their departure for Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna for 10 years. Petting a panda gently, Austrian woman Dungl Eveline has started routine feeding seven times a day: first milk, then specially-made grain foods and lastly their staple food, bamboo. Her colleague, Ulzer Helmut, did more work during their two weeks training in China, chopping bamboo for the bears. The two artificially-bred pandas a

China trains pandas for return to wild
Giant pandas in captivity are to be released from their cages as Chinese experts train them to live in "semi-wild" conditions to prepare for a return to their natural habitat. Zhang Guiquan, deputy director of the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center, said such training courses would be central to panda protection in the near future. Two fields providing semi-wild conditions have been established at the Wolong Nature Reserve in the southwestern Sichuan Province, home to

Zoologist calls for efforts to save endangered antelope species
A Chinese zoologist has called for greater efforts to save the Procapra Przewalskii, a rare antelope species unique to China, from extinction. Jiang Zhigang, chief research fellow with the zoology institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the most effective method to save the rare animal is to build a protection zone for them. Jiang pointed out that the less than 150 remaining of the species are quickly depopulating due to increasing human activities, including the

Guangdong to build China's largest marine inspection vessel
A contract to build China's largest marine inspection vessel with 3,000 tons displacement been signed in the country's southern province of Guangdong, the Guangdong Maritime Bureau says. The Guangdong Shipbuilding International Co. Ltd has won the bid to build the vessel, which will be mainly used for inspection, safety supervision and administration, search and rescue work, and pollution checks in the South China Sea. The vessel was expected to further boost inspection work in the

Expressway management rights sold in east China
Management rights to an expressway linking three major cities in east China's Anhui province have been sold for 1.9 billion yuan (229 million US dollars), blazing a new trail for collecting funds for provincial expressway development. A transfer contract for the expressway management rights was signed in Hefei, capital of Anhui, between the Anhui Provincial Expressway Corporation and the Shanghai-based Orient Holdings Co. Ltd. The 100-km expressway linking the three cities of Hefei

China will stage a new interpretation of "Swan Lake"
The National Ballet of China will stage a re-choreographed version of the much-loved Swan Lake, reported the China Daily. "Everybody knows the story, so what counts is how to tell it," said stage designer Yi Liming, explaining what was on the mind of all of those working on a totally new Swan Lake production. It is true to be a challenge for ambitious company, after it successfully produced several new shows like "Raise the Red Lanterns," "Coppelia" and "Fountain of Tears" over the

Large group of ancient tombs unearthed in central China
Chinese archaeologists have excavated 41 ancient tombs built from the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.) to the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-24 A.D.) in central China's Hunan Province. The archaeologists unearthed a total of 303 relics including bronze swords, daggers, spears, clusters of arrows, bronze mirrors, pottery jars and pots, as well as jade rings and agate pipes from these ancient tombs located in the downtown area of Yiyang City. Fu Futian, a relics expert wit

Three architecture designs picked for 2008 Olympic main stadium
Three architecture schemes have been picked for a final design of the National Stadium -- the main stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games, the Beijing Urban Planning Commission (BUPC) announced here on Tuesday. A consortium of Swiss company Herzog & De Meuron and China Architecture Design Institute, Beijing Architecture Design Institute, and a consortium of Japanese AXS Company and Tsinghua University Architecture Design Institute, won the design competition for their "unique" and "advanced"

Business travel industry confident of market in face of war
In spite of the war in Iraq and economic uncertainties, the business travel industry which joined in the Business Travel Expo Hong Kong 2003 showed confidence in the market in the long run. James Barrington, Director Sales & Marketing of Cathay Pacific Airways, the largest airline in Hong Kong, noted that in the next two or three weeks, air-ticket bookings by business travelers are "soft" in the aftermath of the military actions against Iraq. However, unlike other kinds of traveler

Mainland approves Taiwan flights on "emergency routes"
Taiwan-based China Airlines has been authorized to fly emergency air routes over the Chinese mainland during the war in Iraq, officials sources said Wednesday. The safer air routes were made available for Taiwan flights to central Asia and Europe in the second day of the Iraq war, according to a senior official with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China. The administration announced Friday that it welcomed applications from Taiwanese airlines to fly the emergency ai

China to overhaul scenic spots
China will soon overhaul 151 major resorts in the country to better protect the scenic spots, an official from the Ministry of Construction said recently. Li Dongxu, director of the ministry's Urban Construction Department, said at a working conference held in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing bad management at some national resorts had led to serious damage to natural resources. The illegal construction of economic development zones or holiday villas were not rare in majo

Folk Arts Protection in Jiangsu Province
Jiangsu Province has as many as 4,000 different folk art products that come in 23 categories -- the very best of their kind anywhere in the country. These exquisite products have taken ancient art as their theme and hope to rekindle an industry in decline. The products include embroidery and woodcut work. New Year pictures from Suzhou; lacquer and jade carvings from Yangzhou; boccaro pottery from Yixing; silk Jacquard and gold foil from Nanjing; thick and fine-tooth comb and bamboo carving from

Folk Arts Protection in Jiangsu Province
Jiangsu Province has as many as 4,000 different folk art products that come in 23 categories -- the very best of their kind anywhere in the country. These exquisite products have taken ancient art as their theme and hope to rekindle an industry in decline. The products include embroidery and woodcut work. New Year pictures from Suzhou; lacquer and jade carvings from Yangzhou; boccaro pottery from Yixing; silk Jacquard and gold foil from Nanjing; thick and fine-tooth comb and bamboo carving from

South Pole Rock Finds New Home in NE China
A piece of South Pole gneiss, believed to be over 500 million years old, has arrived at the Laohutan Polar Marine Aquarium in Dalian, a port city of northeast China's Liaoning Province. The multi-colored rock is 2.2 meters in height, 1.5 meters in both width and length and weighs seven tons. It was shipped in from Shanghai on Monday, said an official with the aquarium. The rare stone was collected near the Zhongshan Station, one of China's two Antarctic research stations at the South Pole, and b

Fires Erupt in Northeast China Forest
Some 10,000 people are fighting fires in the Greater Hinggan Mountain Forest in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. A dozen fires have erupted along a belt where trees and grass are regularly burned to prevent forest fires. Given this year's scant rainfall, exceptionally dry air and rising temperatures, the forest was dry and prone to fires, said the local forestry administration. The fire is thought to have been ignited by an underground spark remaining from the previous fire-prevention ac

Chinese Renminbi: Strong Currency in Asia
Millions of Chinese traveling in neighboring Asian regions are taking the Chinese Renminbi (RMB) with them, using the currency as a means of payment, as it enjoys a status never credited it before -- a strong currency. Last year, nearly three million well-off Chinese packed up to travel to places outside China, some as far as western Europe, Australia, Egypt, and the Maldives in South Asia. Prior to this year's seven-day Spring Festival holiday, when many Chinese chose to travel overseas, stores

Sri Lanka Eyes Chinese Travel Market
Sri Lankan tourism sector is looking at the large Chinese travel market following the recently approved official destination status of travel by the Chinese government, the official Daily News said on Monday. Tourism Minister Gamini Lokuge said his ministry has already sought cabinet approval to initiate consumer driven public relations exercises in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in China while tapping the potential of the Buddhistpilgrims market. In addition, there are j

Humanitarian Aid for Iraqi Refugees Ready for Shipping: Chinese Official
The first cargo of humanitarian aid from the Chinese government destined for Iraqi refugees in Jordan is ready for shipping and is expected to arrive in the Jordanian capital Amman on April 2, an official with China's Ministry of Commerce said Saturday. The first batch of 100 of a total of 500 tents, will be flown to Jordan on Sunday from Urumqi, the capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to commercial ministry official Xia Yungui. China, one of the first nation

Norway Funds Ecological Museums in Southwest China
The Norwegian ambassador to China said in Guiyang recently he was satisfied with the development of the ongoing Norway-funded programs to protect cultural and ecological treasures in Guizhou Province, southwest China. Haakon Baardson Hjelde, the ambassador, and his entourage traveled 1,600 kilometers in the province last week and were impressed with the "colorful cultural heritage". The ambassador met with Vice-Governor of Guizhou Wang Zhengfu upon the end of his tour. He expected more cooperati

Airlines Eye China Market
Facing declining traffic elsewhere, foreign airlines are increasing services to China, which offers them a promising and growing air-travel market. Lufthansa German Airlines, Europe's No 1 carrier, launched three new weekly non-stop services between Shanghai and Munich from today, making a total of seven weekly flights. With the new flights, passengers are offered double daily services between the two countries. "With the introduction of the new flights, we will strengthen our position as the No

Vast Lands Hide Musical Treasures
The family of the old herdsman Yerdsi has lived in the expansive and sparsely populated area around Kanas Lake in the northern part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for about 300 years. In their lonely herding life, the music of the "chaur" -- a special kind of flute made of reed stalks -- faithfully keeps them company. Having heard that he and his son Tohyh are the only living people in the whole of Xinjiang who can play the "chaur," Yerdsi was somewhat worried that its dear melody would

Rolling Stones Cancels China Shows
The Rolling Stones have canceled what would have been their first ever shows in China next week because of the atypical pneumonia fear in Southeast Asia, the group said. Earlier this week the veteran rockers canceled two concerts scheduled for this weekend in Hong Kong, also as a result of the highly contagious pneumonia virus that has killed 54 people worldwide and infected around 1,500. The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which scientists say is caused by a new virus strain, has forc

School Explosion Injures 12 Pupils in Zhejiang
Twelve pupils were injured in an explosion Monday afternoon in a primary school of scenic Hangzhou City in east China's Zhejiang Province. One pupil had undergone an emergency operation and none of them was in critical condition. The explosion occurred at about 1 pm on the fourth floor of a teaching building of Daxuelu Primary School, and all 12 injured pupils were immediately sent to the hospital. The explosion was caused by a pupil surnamed Feng, 13, who brought the detonating fuse of an old c

Foreign Airlines Eye China Market
Facing declining traffic elsewhere, foreign airlines are increasing services to China, which offers them a promising and growing air-travel market. Lufthansa German Airlines, Europe's No 1 carrier, launched three new weekly non-stop services between Shanghai and Munich from today, making a total of seven weekly flights. With the new flights, passengers are offered double daily services between the two countries. "With the introduction of the new flights, we will strengthen our position as the No

Zhejiang active in exchanges with Taiwan
East China's coastal Zhejiang Province has conducted active cross-strait exchanges with Taiwan over the past years, with personnel exchanges reaching a record high in 2002. Statistics showed that last year more than 3,200 Zhejiang locals from sectors including entertainment, publishing, media and education visited Taiwan. Meanwhile, a record more than 500,000 Taiwan residents visited Zhejiang. The figure is expected to further increase this year, according to predictions by local a

Construction of 2008 main stadium kicks off in December
The construction of the National Stadium, the main stadium of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, will begin on December 24, the stadium's operator announced on Mar.14. The Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co. Ltd., the official operator of the National Stadium, told a press conference on Mar.14 that they have made concrete plans and timetable to guarantee "the construction work to start as scheduled". An international design contest was held last December and 14 design enterprise

Car Rental Giant Woos Chinese Clients
Hertz Rent A Car Corp, the world's largest car rental company, has announced that its member clients who hold Chinese driving licenses will now be able to rent and drive cars in some foreign countries. Hertz said that its branches in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand now accept Chinese driving licenses, if the holder can show a government-notarized certificate. Hertz hopes such innovative moves and its global network will lure Chinese clients, said Wong Soon Hwa, manag

Public Concern over Consequences of Iraq Conflict
Chinese people expressed intense concern yesterday over the US-led war against Iraq as local media carried live broadcast and continuous coverage of the event. "What I am concerned most about now are the conditions of the innocent Iraqi people, especially children and women," said Tie Yingbin, a computer engineer in Beijing. She said she kept a close eye on the latest news reports on the Internet about the war and she still hoped there would be opportunity for a peaceful settlement of the Iraqi

The Ancient City of Dali
The ancient city of Dali is in southwestern China's Yunnan Province. It borders Lake Erhai in the east and Mount Cangshan in the west. Early in the second century B.C., Dali was established as a county and served as a bridge linking China with southeastern Asia in economy, trade, and cultural exchanges, and it is thus known by sociologists as "an ancient city at the intersection of Asian cultures." Dali saw great prosperity in the 700 years from the 7th through the 13th centuries. Different from

China's Travel Agencies Suspend Mid-east Routes
As clouds of war are looming large over the Middle East, tourism industry in this region is affected to some extent. So far, some major travel agencies have suspended the Mid East routes, while others that are still operating trips to Egypt and Turkey have raised the quotation by 500 to 600 yuan. As learned, majority of Beijing-based travel services including China International Travel Service (CITS), China Travel Service (CTS) and China Youth Travel Service (CYTS) has temporarily cancelled Egyp

World Bank Supports China's Reform Efforts in Energy Sector
The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved yesterday a US$145 million loan for the China Yixing Pumped Storage Project. The project will increase the overall efficiency of the power sector in Jiangsu Province through the design and implementation of a far-reaching restructuring of the sector to further competition at the generation level and provide large consumers access to generators. It will also ease acute peaking problems by constructing a pumped storage plant (4 x 250 MW) in Yi

War Has Little Influence on Shanghai
Life in Shanghai has been little affected by the war in Iraq. But as is happening in many parts of the world, the city's tourism industry is suffering a setback. However, the "impression of high security" Shanghai gives will help it cover the setback as soon as the fear of travel subsides, tourism officials said. "Shanghai is a place assuring safety and is likely to win over tourists who change their destinations," said Chen Xueyu, senior official with Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative C

The Ancient Town of Wuzhen
On both sides of a slabstone-paved street stand pubs, restaurants, pawnshops, weaving and dyeing establishments, and other businesses, all housed in wooden structures of brown. Rivers and creeks spanned with stone bridges in various designs flow through the town, and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal passes by. Old waterside houses and outside corridors can be found here and there. This is the ancient town of Wuzhen. Wuzhen Town, in Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province, has a history of more than 1,

China's Travel Agencies Suspend Mid-east Routes
As clouds of war are looming large over the Middle East, tourism industry in this region is affected to some extent. So far, some major travel agencies have suspended the Mid East routes, while others that are still operating trips to Egypt and Turkey have raised the quotation by 500 to 600 yuan. As learned, majority of Beijing-based travel services including China International Travel Service (CITS), China Travel Service (CTS) and China Youth Travel Service (CYTS) has temporarily cancelled Egyp

Loulan, Mysterious City in Desert
Loulan, capital of the Loulan (Kroraina) Kingdom, was a small, prosperous commercial city on the famous Silk Road about 2,000 years ago. The city was located on the west bank of Lop Nur Lake, now an expanse of vast sand dunes and dubbed a "forbidden zone to life", to the northeast of Ruoqiang County in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in northwest China. Loulan city suddenly disappeared from the area in the third century, leaving a wealth of enigmas for later generations. No traces of Loulan ha

Five farmers rewarded for protecting cultural relics
Five farmers in northwest China's Shaanxi Province have each received a cash prize of 20,000 yuan (about 2,410 US dollars) for having protected an archeologically important cellar. Archeologists later excavated 27 bronze articles dating from the late Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 to 771 B.C.) from the cellar the farmers stumbled upon on Jan. 19 this year while getting earth for a nearby brick kiln. As the well-preserved bronzes feature lengthy inscriptions and outclass previous simila

Farmers awarded for relics protection in NW China province
Five farmers from northwest China's Shaanxi province have been commended and awarded 20,000 yuan (2,409 US dollars) each for relics protection by the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the local authorities. The five farmers from Yangjia Village in Mei county dug up a cave containing numerous bronze wares while digging for earth in the village-run brickyard nearly two months ago. The five, who have a strong sense of relics protection, immediately reported their find to t

Farmers open exhibition of royal treasures
Five farmers from western China cut the ribbon for the opening of an exhibition of ancient bronzeware from the imperial past on Mar.9 in Beijing. The show, Auspicious Bronzeware in the Prosperous Era, is the debut of the inscribed bronze pieces, which provide new clues that might revise the conclusions of the massive archaeological investigation into the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties (2070-256 B.C.). In late January, 27 bronze pieces -- now lauded as national treasures -- were unea

Two rare south China tiger cubs born
A rare South China tigress at a nature reserve for the endangered species at Longyan City, in east China's Fujian Province, gave birth to two cubs on March 2 morning. So far, the mother and cubs are doing well. Both cubs weighed 1.2 kg at birth and were able to suckle from their mother 43 minutes and 64 minutes after birth respectively, local sources said. The tigress is the only female among three young south China tigers bought in September 1998 by the Mt Meihua South China Tiger

China'