Best selling novelist hits Xiamen
Photo by Yao Fan



From November 23-27, Jin Yong(c), the best selling novelist on the Chinese martial arts world, visited Xiamen and Quanzhou at the invitation of Xiamen Daily and Quanzhou Evening News.

 

 

Economics

Jiutian Group acquires Continental Shopping Center
九天集团"吞下"大陆商厦

Progress has finally been achieved towards solving the issue of the ownership of the Continental Shopping Center, which has drawn intense attention from all segments of society. Following a half-year negotiation, Jiutian Group announced that it had entered into a formal agreement with C&D Group to purchase the Continental Shopping Center for RMB 138.8 million. The reopening date of the center has not been decided.

Counterfeit international credit card ring busted
用国际卡消费也要防诈骗
Huli police have recently busted a counterfeit international credit card ring which made RMB 1.2 million worth of purchases with fake cards in Xiamen. It's reported that similar cases took place in Hubei and Shanghai not long ago. Although these rings mostly use counterfeit international bank cards, local bank officials warn genuine card holders that they should guard against possible theft when using their cards for purchases abroad.

Xiamen Int'l Conference & Exhibition Center joins UIF
会展中心加盟国际展览联盟
Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center has recently passed the evaluation of the UIF (Union of International Fairs), to become the 6th conference & exhibition provider in the Union in the capacity of an exhibition hall. This new membership represents recognition of the facilities and services of Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center by an authoritative organization, and will open up new opportunities for international shows for the Center.

60 Kinglong buses on the way to Saudi Arabia
60部金龙车"抢渡"沙特
The Panama-registered, 154m-long, 15,499-tonnage roll-on / roll-off vessel "DUCKYSPLEN DID", after taking on a loading of 60 Kinglong buses at Dongdu Port, departed for its destination - Jeddah Port in Saudi Arabia of the Middle East. This is the first time that Xiamen has exported a large shipment of automobiles with a roll-on/roll-off vessel, signifying a great leap forward for Xiamen Port in terms of the variety of exports and the means of exportation and the growing strength of the port.

 

 

Society

Gulangyu admission ticket reform postponed until next April
鼓浪屿票改可能推至明年4月
The "comprehensive admission ticket scheme" for Gulangyu, originally scheduled for implementation on December 20, is likely to be put off until April next year. The government will soon provide local citizens with an explanation of the details by notice.

Xiamen to implement new minimum living standard next year
我市明年执行低保新标准
Local authorities have recently unveiled the new minimum living standard: RMB 315 per person per month for one-person households; RMB 290 per person per month for two-person households, and RMB 265 per person per month for households with three or more members. The new living standard will be implemented on January 1, 2005. The adjustment will also increase the number of people covered by the minimum living standard and the sum of the per person subsidies; total expenditures for assuring the minimum living standard will amount to RMB 34.37 million, rising RMB 5.57 million over previous year.

Xiamen put on list of top 10 cities for science & technology business environment
厦门位列科技创业十强城市
The Shanghai Science & Technology Business Startup Magazine, in conjunction with a number of national private media organizations and authoritative think tanks, recently unveiled the 2004 List of the Top 100 Chinese Cities with the Best Science & Technology Environment for Business Startups, with Xiamen occupying the 10th place on the list.

Farmer in Tong'an charged for power theft "services"
同安一农民提供窃电"服务"
A farmer in Tong'an was recently tried at Tong'an District Court for charges of providing electric power theft "services" to more than 50 households. Electric energy stolen by the farmer was worth over RMB 90,000.

"Compass" provided to facilitate search for parking space
找停车点将有"指南针"
Almost all drivers have experienced trouble in finding a parking space. Next year, the city traffic guiding system will be put in place to keep drivers informed of traffic conditions and to bring them to the nearest parking space available.

 

 

Education

Online family visit and homework to become reality soon
网上家访网上作业将实现
Siming District will implement new measures aimed at digitizing primary and secondary school education. Under the new measures, all classes will have information technology lessons. Brand-new teaching and family contact methods, such as online family visits, online homework and online paper grading, will be implemented in all primary and secondary schools in Siming District within five years.

 

 

City News
Edited by Lily

Beijing 北京

"Bird's Nest" to open to public
"鸟巢"对外开放
A set of Olympic stadium facilities are under construction, including a "Bird's Nest," which will be listed as tourist attractions and open to the public in March next year.
It is estimated that the price of a ticket will be 20 yuan, with tourists being able to visit the model hall and lecture hall.
Many foreign tourism departments from countries such as Japan and Italy wish to cooperate with Beijing and have invited Beijing to promote these tourist attractions in their own countries.

Natural gas supply shortage
天然气短缺
It's estimated that Beijing will need 23 million cubic meters of natural gas per day next month, four million more than the maximum supply that the gas company can produce.
A gas usage peak is due to come in December as the weather gets colder, and more than 80 percent of the city's gas supply will be used for heating.
To ease the energy shortage, the Municipal Gas Corporation has started an emergency project to build more gas pipes in the city.

Evaluate government work online
市民网上点评政务
Administrative licensing requirements posted on official Beijing websites are not transparent enough, according to the latest online survey.
Over 62 per cent of people surveyed online, a total of 66 , said online publicity of local administrative licensing requirements is merely a formality in Beijing.
Together with the survey, a total of 43 municipal government departments began to solicit public opinions and complaints through making local administrative licensing in the capital available to the public.

Shanghai 上海

Robots to tackle air pollution
室内环保机器人帮忙
A robot will soon go on duty in the city, cleaning up indoor air pollution, which has become a major source of concern for many locals.
The robot will purify poisonous fumes, such as formaldehyde. It can also filter tiny particles from the air, such as those emitted through cigarette smoking. Working like a dust collector, it can emit negative ions to absorb toxic particles in the air while consuming very little electric power.
Many health experts blame toxic indoor fumes for the country's rising problems with lung cancer and leukemia.

Ban of alcohol sales to minors
严禁向未成年人售烟酒
According to a new policy, selling cigarettes or alcohol to minors will be completely banned from March 1, 2005. No one will be allowed to help minors buy these products and adults will not be permitted to smoke in classrooms, libraries or any other locations where minors are frequently present. Also, all stores selling cigarettes and alcohol are going to be required to post "No Cigarette or Alcohol Sales to Minors" warning signs.

Kidnapping insurance to be introduced
引入绑架险
AIU Insurance Company plans to introduce kidnapping and ransom insurance to Shanghai next year.
The kidnapping and ransom insurance targets Chinese employees working overseas with foreign companies and people with high incomes.
The policy payment ranges from tens of thousands of RMB to hundreds of thousands.
Early this year, kidnapping insurance was introduced to Shenzhen and Guangzhou, but so far few people have purchased it.

Chongqing 重庆

Land and house property certificates combined
国土房产两证合一
From December 1, Chongqing will officially implement ordinances to carry out the plan of combining land property and house property certificates. This means citizens will only need one certificate when handling proof of land and house properties.
"Two in one" is a symbolic name since it signifies not only the combination of the certificates of land property and house property, but also marks a large-scale unification of the proof of house property of the city and the countryside.

Oil: winter use steady, tight supply
油价高峰已过供应略紧
Wholesale diesel prices in western China are holding steady below October's peak, supported by rising winter heating demands and tight supplies.
Chongqing, as a key inland consumer city, uses more diesel and fuel oil to heat offices, hotels and restaurants during the November-February period.
Prices rose above the administered retail ceiling in late October to near 4,200 yuan.

Guangzhou & Shenzhen 广州深圳

Holiday overtime worth 4 times more
假日加班当4倍加薪
Employees will be paid four times their normal salary for overtime worked on public holidays, according to a new rule submitted to the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress.
The rule was previously applied only to companies but will be expanded to cover all employers soon.
It is against the law for an employer to deduct more than 20 percent of an employee's monthly pay for any excuse. Employers who delay paying employees in full should report it to labor departments in writing within five days of the payment date.

Inspectors seize 12 civets
捕获12只果子狸
Twelve civets had been seized during an inspection of catering businesses by the end of November, Guangdong provincial public health authorities said.
At the beginning of the month, China banned the slaughter and eating of civets - believed to be the source of the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak - in an effort to prevent a winter resurgence of the deadly disease.
The civet is a small carnivorous mammal found in Asia and Africa. The brown, furry creature with a cat-like body, long tail and weasel-like face has long been coveted by people who believe its tender flesh will improve their health and complexion.

Parking indicators get the nod
闹市区增设泊车指示器
A new parking indicator is expected to be introduced citywide in Shenzhen's busy areas to let drivers know which parking spaces are available before they arrive.
The electronic indicator has been requested by drivers who had been complaining that it was hard to find a parking space in the busy area.
The indicator is connected to a sensor at the parking lot entrance and provides up-to-date information on which parking spaces are available.

Families use kids to avoid tax
用孩子避税
Wealthy families are reported to be buying property in the names of their children to avoid paying tax in Guangdong.
By making home purchases in the names of their children, they avoid inheritance taxes in the future.
An increasing number of child property owners also shows the belief that the State will soon introduce inheritance taxes. To avoid the duty, some individuals buy properties in their children's names.
The increase in disputes over property in divorces is another reason for an increase in the practice.

Hongkong 香港

Seek plan for bird flu threats
严防禽流感
Hong Kong will review the bird flu situation and recommend ways to collaborate in the prevention and control of the disease.
To prevent avian flu outbreaks, Hong Kong hopes to cap the number of live chickens in the market at a level that can be handled.
The numbers are based on population size, with a target of testing eight samples for every 1,000 people in Hong Kong a year. This target has been consistently achieved.

WinterFest to give extra spur to visitor arrivals
旅游暖冬
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) officially launched its Hong Kong WinterFest in a bid to help turn the winter into another peak travel season.
Hong Kong WinterFest, which will run until Jan. 2, 2005, features a diversity of world-class performances and activities, and promises to offer visitors with memorable Christmas experiences.
This October's visitor arrivals were the best for that month, exceeding two million for the second time in three months.

First choice for SSF investment
大陆社保基金海外首选地
Hong Kong will become the first choice for overseas investment of the Chinese mainland's national social security fund.
The reason Hong Kong was chosen is due to its status as the most open financial center in the world and the capital management center of the Asia-Pacific region.
The fund investment will benefit from its mature market, healthy legal system, abundant amount of professionals and close relationship with the Chinese mainland.

Likely to achieve 7.5 percent economic growth
经济增长率有望实现
Hong Kong's Financial Secretary said the third quarter economic growth figures will confirm that Hong Kong is on track to reach a 7.5 percent full-year growth rate.
Hong Kong's economy has finally turned the corner and is now on the road to a broad-based recovery.
More than 100,000 jobs were created in the past year, and businesses are now complaining about shortages and higher turnover rates of some professionals, such as accountants.

Taipei 台北

Penalized after exceeding fishing quota
超配捕鱼受罚
After being penalized for exceeding its Atlantic big-eye tuna-fishing quota, Taiwan will strictly adhere to international regulations and will cancel licenses issued to boats involved in illegal fishing. That means that beginning next year, Taiwan's annual quota will be reduced to 14,900 tonnes.
If Taiwan fails to meet the new regulations next year, it might never be allowed to fish in the Atlantic Ocean again.

Ally to issue credit card
银行联发信用卡
Taiwan's fourth-largest credit card issuer, Union Bank of Taiwan, announced a strategic alliance with Taipei First Credit Cooperative to issue its smaller partner's co-branded credit cards. Their cooperation marks the first time two of Taiwan's financial institutions have worked together to launch co-branded cards, as such products are generally issued by banks and a non-bank partner, including department stores, bookstore chains or airline companies.