Ping-pong fever
Photo by Yao Fan

On April 1, the second SM Cup Xiamen Amateur Ping-pong Competition kicked off at SM with 1,692 players participating, an increase of 600 over the last. The contest, which is being held every evening 18:30-22:00 on the first and third floor of SM City, will finish on April 25. The photo shows a player in a game of the senior aged group.

Economics

Amoi makes inroads into automobile electronics
厦新涉足汽车电子
Amoi Electronics announced in its March 27 press release that the company plans to contribute RMB 175 million to form a joint venture with Nanjing Automotive Group (NAG) for the production of vehicle bodies and other products. Amoi executives said this move is aimed at gaining a foothold in the rapidly growing automotive sector through NAG.

Airport construction tax to be included in air fare
机场建设费将并入机票
Officers with China Civil Aviation Information Network Co., Ltd., the only IT service provider for the domestic aviation sector, have recently confirmed the media report that effective on July 1, the airport construction tax will be included in the air fare and no longer levied separately, and that preliminary technical work has been completed. If this news can eventually become a reality, passengers will enjoy simplified boarding procedures and air fares may drop even further.

Automobile group purchase to debut at Automobile Expo
汽车团购将现汽博会
The 1st China (Xiamen) International Automobile Expo, scheduled for April 28, will have a fresh highlight: automobile group purchase. A special group purchase area will be set up at the exhibition hall. Interested entities and individuals may take part in this group purchase activity by signing up with the Organizing Committee at 5188928 or 5188900.

Xiamen cargo flies non-stop to LA
厦门货物可直达洛杉矶
Xiamen Airport has recently launched its second transpacific route:Singapore-Xiamen-Nanjing-Los Angeles, allowing cargos departing from Xiamen areas to fly directly to not only Chicago, but now also America's western city of Los Angeles.

Jilian scales new heights in Xiamen
吉联在厦创新高
In the first three months of this year, exports of software products by Jilian Technology Co., Ltd., which is based in Xiamen Business Startup Park for Returned Overseas Chinese, amounted to USD 300,000, making the company the largest software exporter in Xiamen.

Top-class children's apparel makes appearance
顶级童装现身厦门
In a newly opened Italian Boutique on Xiaoxue Road, Italy-made clothes of Mirtillino and Loredana brands, which are the world's top class brands of children's apparel, are put on sale for the first time in Xiamen, each carrying a price tag ranging from a few thousand yuan to 10 thousand yuan. The store owner was optimistic about the marketing prospects of these clothes, saying that some international brands have recognized the spending power and consumption level of the people in Xiamen, a city that ranks 6th in China in terms of per capita annual income.

Society

Xiamen to build large-scale water sports center
厦门要建大型水上运动中心
Groundwork has started at the city's Sports Center for the Olympic Club Water Sports Center, the city's first commercial sports project, which will cost RMB 80 million and take 1.5 years to complete. This new water sports center will become China's largest-scale, best equipped club themed on water sports and incorporating fitness, sports, swimming and leisure activities.

Xianyue Hill to have 10 sight-viewing pavilions
仙岳山将建10个观景亭
Isn't it wonderful to be able to feast your eyes on the beautiful sights around you, from a pavilion on the east-west tourist route across the ridge of Xianyue Hill? The Xianyue Hill Park has drawn up plans to build 10 sight-viewing pavilions along the route, and is currently seeking naming-right sponsorship by entities or individuals.

Contamination-free pork to be supplied in June
岛内6月起推行无公害肉品
The city's Trade Development Bureau has recently unveiled the Implementation Scheme for the Promotion of the Marketing of Contamination-free Pork Products, under which contamination-free pork products will be supplied island-wide (including Gulangyu). The scheme also sets forth stringent procedures governing the distribution of contamination-free pork products, with eight checkpoints to monitor the entire process from the entry of live pigs to the eventual sale of pork.

Education

Harbin Industrial Univ. to establish presence in Jimei
哈工大将落户集美
Fujian provincial and Xiamen municipal governments have recently signed an agreement with Harbin Engineering University, under which the three parties will join hands to build an internationalized, open and leading engineering university — Harbin Industrial University (Xiamen). In the first phase, a total of 20,000 students will be enrolled, including 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 master's and doctoral candidates. The new school will implement a presidential accountability system under the leadership of its Board of Directors. Entities and individuals can have a stake in the school by contributing funds. The project is scheduled for completion and operation in June 2006.

280 Philippine students arrive at Jimei Univ.
280名菲律宾学生到集大学习
On March 31, the 2004 Philippine-Chinese Student's Chinese Language Study Group, which had 280 members, arrived in Xiamen for a 50-day language-focused Chinese culture education and training course at Jimei University.