Common Talk Weeklyshuang yu zhou kan
issue date

Economics, society and finance
December 10, 2003

Economics

OBI establishes presence in Xiamen
欧倍德进军厦门
After negotiations that took more than one year, Germany's OBI, the world's leading vogue furniture chain stores operator, has recently concluded a contract with Xiamen Mingfa Business Plaza, which will allow OBI to open an outlet in Xiamen at the end of next year or early the year after next.

Society

Shopping malls to close for two days each week
大卖场一周轮休两天
In order to ensure adequate power supply for local residents, starting on December 8, except on Saturdays and Sundays, 17 major retailers and wholesalers in Xiamen will be closed for two days each week. The rotary closure schedule for these marts is as follows: Shimao Commercial Building, Printemps, Trust-Mart Hexiang Outlet, Trust-Mart Siming Outlet, Fenglianda Department Store and Tsannkuen 3C Fengyu Road Store will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, Tsannkuen 3C Guangming Building Store will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, SM Commercial City Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Wal-Mart Pearl River Co., Ltd. (SM), Xiamen First Department Store, Laiya Department Store on Zhongshan Road, Trust-Mart Fushan Outlet, Continent Shopping Mall and Tianhong Shopping Center will be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and Metro, Hualian Shopping Center and Laiya Department Store on Jiahe Road will be closed on Thursdays and Fridays.

Power shortage likely to continue
明年可能面临“电荒”
Power shortage in Xiamen may become more acute next year; the daily power consumption allocation for Xiamen has been reduced to 0.76 million kilowatts, far from adequate to meet the normal demand of 1.2 million kilowatts.

90% of worry-free stores located in Xiamen
“放心店”九成落户厦门
 A total of 70 chain stores selling vegetables and seafood in Xiamen have recently been awarded golden signboards declaring them a "Worry-free Model Store (Market)". Only 76 stores in Fujian Province have been granted this title, 92.1% of which are located in Xiamen.

Students sign up to donate marrow
学生登记捐献骨髓
Recently, 396 Xiamen University students signed up to donate haematopoietic stem cells in the city’s first school solicitation campaign for haematopoietic stem cell donation.

Migrant workers to move in residential zone
外口居住小区明年诞生
Migrant workers, who have contributed significantly to the city's development, will start moving into brand-new residential zones equipped with a full range of facilities next year. The city’s Construction & Management Bureau has worked out a preliminary plan for the construction of residential zones for migrant workers in Xiamen and has consulted with responsible persons of the related government departments.

Finance

Gold trade to open next year in Xiamen
厦门人有望明年炒金
The Bank of China recently launched an individual firm-quotation gold trade business in Shanghai on a trial basis. The same business will be made available in Xiamen during the first half of next year.