Common Talk Weeklyshuang yu zhou kan
issue date

Economics, society, education
December 24, 2003

Economics

Xiamen enterprises establish presence in Dubai
厦企尝试淘金迪拜
Chinese Commodities (Dubai) Distribution Center, costing a total investment of USD 1.3 billion, will officially start operation next September. The center recently conducted a promotion campaign to lure Xiamen enterprises to establish a presence in the center with the Dubai government promising favorable treatment to those who do so.

Project review and approval process shortened
项目审批时间缩短
The review and approval process of construction projects by the city's urban planning authority has been shortened to 25 business days from its previous 140 business days. Since the successful switchover to the Xiamen Urban Planning & Administration Information System on April 17 this year, the standardization, networking expertise and efficiency of the urban planning bureau have improved dramatically.

Arts & Crafts (Import & Export) Association established
市工艺品（进出口）协会成立
Executives from the city's first group of 52 enterprises engaged in the manufacture and trade of arts and crafts recently gathered together at Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center to announce the official establishment of Xiamen Arts & Crafts (Import & Export) Association. To date, the number of enterprises engaged in the manufacture and trade of arts and crafts in Xiamen has exceeded 300.

Society

Next-day delivery for US-bound mail
到美快件次日送达
Datian-Federal Express Xiamen Branch has been officially established, which will allow express mail bound for the US to reach their addresses on the following day, one day earlier than the current service.

Liver transplant enters the stage of maturity
肝移植进入成熟期
Xiamen No. 1 Hospital recently conducted its 9th successful liver transplant this year. The nine liver transplants were performed on patients ranging from 42 to 61 years in age. Currently, all of the nine patients are well and free of complications, signifying that the hospital’s liver transplant technology is up to advanced international standards.

Guava, honey pomelo listed as ″famous Chinese fruits″
芭乐蜜柚荣登“中华名果”
The 2003 Eighth National Famous and Premium Fruits Fair, organized by China Association of Fruit Distributors, recently took place in Jiujiang, Jiangxi. Xiamen’s Jiasen-brand guavas and Xianlingqi-brand honey pomelos were put on the List of Famous Chinese Fruits at the fair.

Lethal injection first used for execution
首次采用注射执行死刑
On December 19, Huang Zurong and Li Luyan, sentenced to death for drugs smuggling and homicide, respectively, were executed by lethal injection. This was the first time that lethal injection execution had ever been practiced by a local court in Fujian Province.

1500 plus farmers land jobs
逾1500名农民找到工作
A job placement fair for surplus labor in Tong'an District was recently organized in Tong'an District. A total of 6,388 job vacancies were offered by 52 enterprises. So far, at least 1,517 farmers have landed a job.

The world’s longest cake comes out soon
世界最长蛋糕将出炉
A mammoth cake, measuring 8.8 by 0.66 meters, big enough to feed nearly 600 people, is currently in intense preparation and will be displayed on December 27 at the Shuyou Spring Temple Fair at the SM City Plaza.

Over RMB 15 million donated to charity
慈善捐款逾1500万元
The Civil Aviation Administration of China recently presented the Loving Heart Donation Award to Xiamen Airlines. Incomplete statistics show that Xiamen Airlines has donated more than RMB 15 million to public causes in recent years. The airlines' generosity has been widely recognized by all segments of society.

Education

Jimei District pays tuition fees for disabled children
集美区帮残疾孩子交学费
On the morning of December 17, Jimei District Government held a ceremony at Guankou Middle School to grant subsidies totaling RMB 88,314 to 341 rural children with disability and children of parents with disability to help them pay their tuition and miscellaneous fees and as books.

Disabled children in Siming District exempt from tuition fees
思明区残疾孩子免费上学
The Siming District Education Bureau has announced that starting from next semester, all children attending the district’s special education school will be exempt from tuition fees.

Model of total poverty relief and student assistance
全程式帮困助学模式
At the 10th anniversary of its founding, Xiamen Communications Bank unveiled the brand-new mode of relief and student assistance, under which its 18 business outlets and 18 internal management departments will join hands in sponsoring 18 disadvantaged students from the neighborhood around the Zhongshan Park.