Super cargo ship lands
Photo by Zheng Xiaodong



The largest cargo ship in the world "CSCL Asia" pulled into Xiamen harbor on July 11. The 334-meter-long ship, with a capacity of nearly 8,500 TEUs, passed under the Haicang Bridge with its top only 4 meters away from the bridge bottom.

 

 

Economics

8th CIFIT to launch "Agricultural Fair"
第八届投洽会首次推出"农洽会"
The Organizing Committee of the 8th China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT) recently announced that an Agricultural Fair will be jointly launched for the first time by the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture at the 8th CIFIT as a highlight branch. To date, investment agencies and interested businesses from many countries, including the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Canada and Australia, have submitted related documents to explore business opportunities.

Seven Xiamen companies among China's 500 Most Valuable Brands
厦企入选中国最有价值品牌
The List of China's 500 Most Valuable Brands in 2004 has recently been unveiled. Seven local brands, including Amoi, Kinglong, Xiagong, XOCECO, Malata, Xiamen Airlines and Yinlu, appeared on the list, with Amoi occupying the 74th slot (RMB 6.447 billion), making it the most valuable brand in Xiamen.

FIEs in Xiamen turn in good performance
厦门外企好样的
Financial statistics from Xiamen-based foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) for 2003 indicate that, in this particular year, FIEs in Xiamen posted a combined profit of RMB 8.984 billion and contributed a combined amount of taxes of RMB 5.609 billion, accounting for 37.57% of the city's total financial revenues. These statistics show that FIEs remain an important source of the city's financial revenues.

 

Society

Two more ecological sightseeing parks to be added
我市将添两个生态观光园
Xiamen will soon present two more tourist attractions as Xiamen Vegetable Company Plantation and Yinxiang Foodstuff Industrial Park will be transformed into scenic sights and opened to the public.

Talent Expo to debut early next month
"人博会"下月初登场
Fujian Strait West Side Human Resources & Social Security Expo (also known as the "Talent Expo") will take place at the Fuzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center on August 6-8. This will represent the latest move of Fujian Province in its efforts to attract talents after the unveiling of the program of building an economic zone on the western coast of the Taiwan Strait.

25 local projects added to Program 863
厦门25个项目入围863计划
A total of 25 science and technology projects have lately been added by the State Ministry of Science & Technology to Program 863 for 2003-2004. These projects will receive a combined grant of RMB 28.01 million, the largest ever amount for Xiamen under Program 863. Program 863 is China's national program for high-tech R&D which was initiated in March 1986; hence the name Program 863.

Fuzhou-Xiamen Railway likely to start at year-end
福厦铁路年底有望动工
The proposed Fuzhou-Xiamen Railway Project has been approved by the State Council and may start construction at the year-end. The railway, costing RMB 13.55 billion and stretching 276km, will start from Fuzhou and end in Xiamen, traversing Fuqing, Putian, Quanzhou and Jinjiang.

Dragonair is promoting travel
抽大奖免费乘坐港龙航空
(Xiamen) Dragonair is marking the extension of the Individual Travel Scheme to Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces on July 1 with its biggest travel promotion ever in the China's Mainland. The award-winning airline is giving away a total of 600 return tickets to Hong Kong in a series of lucky draws. The promotion is taking place in the cities of Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo and Xiamen.

 

Education

Learn English with Three Little Pigs on CCTV
"三只小猪"英语动画上央视
The famous English story "The Three Little Pigs" is familiar to all Chinese children, but today Xiamen University English professor, Ji Yuhua, has created in cooperation with Beijing Human Education Co. a cartoon series named "Learn English with the Three Little Pigs", in which the heroes are three little pigs from Beijing instead of England. The original story was rewritten into 61 stories. Starting from July 12, CCTV Children's Channel will broadcast The Three Little Pigs at 7:30 pm. Children all over China will enjoy the Professor's stories told in his own voice with the bonus of learning English.

Children from low-income families assured schooling
低保家庭子女上学无忧
In an effort to ensure that children from low-income families can attend school, Haicang District has decided that, from this year onwards, all children from low-income families in the district will be exempted from tuition fees, making Haicang the first area in Fujian Province to provide free education to such children. At present, there are a total of 266 primary and secondary school students who are eligible for the exemption.

 

Medicine

Huihao teams up with community clinic
惠好"牵手"社区门诊
Huihao Pharmaceutical Chain Xiamen Branch has entered into a formal agreement with Lijuan Clinic on Fengyu Road. Under the agreement, Huihao will operate the dispensary of the clinic on trusteeship, which will pave the way for Huihao's entry into the medical service industry.

91-year old man received skull-opening operation
九旬老人成功开颅
Mr. Li, a 91-year old overseas Chinese residing in the Philippines, has recently been discharged from the hospital and returned to the Philippines after a skull-opening operation, which was successfully conducted under the supervision of Dr. Wang Zhanxiang from the Neurological Surgery Department of the No. 1 Hospital. The operation sets a new record as a skull-operation on the oldest patient in South Fujian.