Common Talk Weeklyshuang yu zhou kan


Marine Marathon held
海上马拉松成功举办
Photo by Yao Fan

Eighteen canoes set out from Sun Bay on March 21, kicking off the first Bay Cup Around-the-Island Canoeing Marathon Challenge Tournament. As a result, the team from Xiamen Water Police Station won first place in 5 hours, 39 minutes and 59 seconds.

 

Economics

Dell sets sight on RMB 30 bln. output value
戴尔今年"冲刺"三百亿元
Dell Computer (China) Co., Ltd. has consistently scaled new heights in terms of output value for the past few years. After becoming the first company in Fujian Province to record an output value in excess of RMB 20 billion last year, the computer giant is setting its sight on an output value of RMB 30 billion for this year.

Migrant workers to have dedicated wage accounts
农民工将有工资专户
In a bid to stem the delayed payment of salaries and wages for migrant workers in the construction sector, local authorities have decided to establish and implement a labor compensation safeguard mechanism this year, under which all construction enterprises must set up dedicated accounts for the payment of wages to migrant workers. Such accounts will be tied to the project progress payments that contractors receive from time to time.

Fujian's first joint-venture travel agency goes into operation in Xiamen
闽首家合资旅行社在厦揭牌
Gangzhonglu (Xiamen) International Trade Travel Agency Ltd., the first joint venture travel agency in Fujian Province, has recently commenced operations, bringing the number of travel agencies authorized to organize outbound tours from five to six.

 

Society

Use of antibiotic to receive approval
医生用抗生素将逐级审批
Fujian provincial authorities are currently creating an administrative system for the use of antibiotics by medical institutions. Under the new system, doctors who intend to prescribe antibiotics for use on patients must go through a review and approval process step by step. This new system will increase the safety of consumption of medicines by patients.

One versus 50
1人对弈50人
On the afternoon of March 18, on the playground of Zengying Elementary School in Jimei District, Chen Hongsheng, a 12-year-old boy, simultaneously played chess against 50 schoolchildren from all grades at Zengying Elementary School, and defeated all these challengers. Chen started learning Chinese chess at the tender age of 8, captured the championship in the youth category at Fujian Provincial Chess Contest when he was 9, and held the title for three consecutive years.

Healthcare Expo held on March 22-24
医健博览会22日举行
The 2nd China Xiamen International Medicinal Healthcare Expo took place in Xiamen on March 22-24. Organizers of the expo said they are aspiring to build the best platform for the exchanges of healthcare products in South China.

Farmers covered for major diseases
农民大病不用愁
Effective this year, Haicang farmers will enjoy district-sponsored medical insurance for major diseases, with a subsidy of up to RMB 50,000 per person per year. Media reports indicate that this is the first time that farmers have had such a generous insurance.

232 village officials sanctioned in Fujian last year
去年查处腐败村官232名
An audit of the 2003 financial revenues of 14,270 villages, which account for 95% of the total number of villages in Fujian Province, has uncovered misused funds totaling RMB 133 million. So far, 232 corrupt village officials have received disciplinary actions and 45 of them will be prosecuted by the public procurator.

Piano Island upgrades nightscape
琴岛夜景有了"升级版"
The 1st phase of Gulangyu Nightscape Semi-conductor Lighting Showcase Project has lately been approved under the National Science and Technology Program, and received the first payment of startup funds. The new project is aimed at accentuating the shoreline and skyline of Gulangyu Islet at night with semi-conductor lighting technology. The project will kick off this year, with completion scheduled for 2007.

100, 000 people donate in 4 months
4个月10万人献爱心
The 2003 Donating One Day's Wage to Charity Campaign has received RMB 4.1007 million in cash and 8,500 articles in kind from more than 100,000 donors over a 4-month period; altogether, the donations are worth RMB 4.5686 million. The figures were announced at the recent sum-up and commendation conference for the campaign.

Wu Jingjing wins Plum Blossom Award
吴晶晶获梅花奖
Wu Jingjing, an actress with the city's Jinliansheng Gaojia Opera Troupe, recently received the 21st China Opera Plum Blossom Award from China's Dramatists Association. Wu is the first Gaojia Opera performer in Xiamen and even Fujian to win this prestigious award.

Education

Xiamen University teachers teach chemistry in English
厦大老师用英语教化学
At Xiamen University, faculty members teach specialty courses in English, students to do their assignments in English, and the faculty and students to exchange thoughts and ideas in English. All these are becoming increasingly commonplace as another 54 undergraduate courses including chemistry are instructed bilingually this semester.

8 HK universities recruit Fujian students
香港八高校来闽招生
This year eight Hong Kong-based universities will recruit students from Fujian Province. These universities have decided to increase their percentages of enrolled non-local students from 4% to 8%, with the extra 4% going exclusively to mainland students.