Taiwan fruits get popular
台湾水果受欢迎
Photo by Liang Wei



Pineapples imported from Taiwan are popular at the local markets.

 

 

Economics

EUPA to offer "Nighttime Special Sales"
灿坤推出"夜市特卖"
EUPA has recently announced its plan to offer "Nighttime Special Sales" by offering 30-70% discounts for a large quantity of household appliances at its Huashang and Changqing outlets every night until 10 PM. The closing hour may be extended if consumer demand proves to be strong.

Ingenuity: instant noodles plus soft can technology
新创意:泡面加软罐头
A brand-new kind of instant noodles featuring an ingenious combination of nutritional cans will soon hit the market. The new product incorporates the "soft can" technology developed by a local food processor after a four-year R&D process. As no other instant noodle makers in China have cans in their noodle packages, they have filed applications for patents with the relevant authorities.

Construction of East Gas Power Plant to kick off this year
东部燃气电厂年内动工
The National Development & Reform Commission has issued a circular to approve commencement of preparatory work of Xiamen East Gas Power Plant. Construction of this modern gas power plant, located on a coastal site in Xiang'an, is set to kick off before year's end. Phase I of the project will cost RMB 2.837 billion, and gas will be imported from Indonesia.

Embedded gas main pipes cross S. Hubin Road
预埋燃气主干管横穿湖滨南路
Six gas main pipes were successfully embedded across the main lane of South Hubin Road. Engineering personnel with the city's General Gas Company said that the pipes were embedded as part of preparations for the supply of natural gas to residents on the south side of South Hubin Road and would save the trouble of excavating the main lane for maintenance purposes in future.

Xiamen to build China's longest waterscape road
将建全国最长水景路
The blueprint for China's longest waterscape road has recently been displayed as part of the Shugang Road Renovation Project, a key municipal project, at the South Fujian Human Residence Show. According to the head of the project, the waterscape, with a length of 2000-plus meters, will start from north of the banyan tree at Haotou (starting point of elevated bridge) and extend all the way to north of the intersection near the Xiangyu Bonded Zone, making it China's longest waterscape belt-elevated highway. The waterscape will use recycled water from collected rainwater after purification.

 

 

Society

Employees of foreign-funded company paid back wages
外企员工讨回工钱
A Jimei-based foreign-funded household appliance company which had shut down due to mismanagement and huge debts owed its 1,600 workers more than RMB 4 million in three months' back wages. Jimei Court has recently successfully obtained the payment of the hard-earned money for the workers.

Destroyer of marathon group sculptures sentenced to jail
毁损马拉松群雕被判刑
A Jiangxi native surnamed Liu has been sentenced to one year in jail for wreaking havoc on nine marathon sculptures on the Island Ring Road. After his arrest, Liu said that he vented his frustration on the sculptures after failing to find a job. Liu didn't hire a lawyer and pleaded guilty to the charge.

Case of unauthorized use of photographers' works settled out of court
"摄影家集体被侵权案"庭外调解
On June 13, Xiamen Intermediate People's Court heard the case filed by several Xiamen-based photographers whose many works had been reprinted without authorization in the glossy picture album "Drumming Waves with Rhythmic Sounds-Xiamen." Through out-of-court mediation, the plaintiff and the defendant reached an agreement under which the defendant will pay a compensation of RMB 1,500 for each reprinted picture to the photographers.

Local marine environmental force acquires new vessel
海上环卫又添生力军
The"Xia Hai Huan 005" scavenger boat recently conducted a four-hour trial voyage, heralding the official commencement of its service in Xiamen waters. Earlier, two scavenger vessels, "Xia Hai Huan 002" and "Xia Hai Huan 003," had been put into operation. With "Xia Hai Huan 005" joining the scavenger fleet, the area covered in marine environmental cleanup operations will be extended to 30 square kilometers from the current 20 square kilometers.

Elderly man invents numbering system for bus routes
老人自创公交线路编排规则
Few people can remember the orientation of many of the 100-plus bus routes in Xiamen. Ye Yongkai, a man in his sixties, has come up with a set of new rules for numbering the city's bus routes after two years' research. He said if the new rules were implemented, local residents and visitors would be able to remember the orientation of Xiamen's 100-plus bus routes by memorizing the codes of just a few orientations.

Xiamen Airport puts quarantine dogs into operation
厦门机场启用检疫犬
Two quarantine dogs which have received rigorous training by the local Inspection and Quarantine Authority have been officially put into service in the International Arrival Hall of Xiamen Airport; Xiamen Airport is the 6th airport in China to have quarantine dogs in service.

Use of environmentally-friendly mortar to be popularized
下月起推广环保砂浆
Local authorities will officially popularize the use of a brand-new environmentally-friendly commercial mortar as a replacement for spot-mixed mortar. The use of the new mortar will be made compulsory city-wide starting next year. If commercial mortar completely replaces existing mortar, the amount of sand, pebble and cement stocks needed to be maintained on a construction site will be reduced by more than 90% and dust pollution will be eliminated.

 

 

City News
Edited by Lily

Beijing 北京

Beijingers urged to behave appropriately at sports events
观看体育赛事要求举止得体
Beijing citizens are being told to improve their manners while watching sports events, as the city launched an etiquette-education campaign. It is the latest in a series of measures to teach appropriate behavior when watching sports competitions, aimed at creating a favorable social environment for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Simulated natural disaster educates museum visitors
自然灾害模拟馆教育参观者
The newly opened Haidian Public Safety Museum is the first of its kind in China. Its purpose is to show people how to respond properly to emergencies such as traffic accidents, fires, floods, workplace hazards, natural disasters and public health threats. Visitors will be taught basic first aid and survival skills at the museum. Training in shouting from beneath rubble as well as survival skills needed during a tsunami or earthquake are also available at the museum.

Hotel prices to rise 6% yearly before 2008
奥运前宾馆价格每年上涨6%
Guests at Beijing's top hotels will soon pay more for their rooms as the city's hotel prices catch up with their counterparts in New York, London, and Tokyo. Guest room prices in Beijing will continue to rise 6 percent each year until the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. According to the International Olympic Committee, the overnight hotel room rates will stand at 340 dollars (economy package), or 370 dollars (special offer), or 420 dollars (common price).

Depression cases go untreated
60万市民遭遇抑郁症
More than 600,000 people in Beijing have suffered from depression, and one in six of these were college students. Patients' lack of knowledge about depression and fear of being discriminated against has stopped 62 percent from seeking treatment. Medical experts say that most cases of depression are treatable and patients should always consult their doctor about it.

Shanghai 上海

City opens doors to world of film & television
世界影视精品大聚会
The 8th Shanghai International Film Festival has attracted some 3,700 global industry veterans. Since Warner Bros entered into a joint venture deal in China last year, other companies have been lining up at the gate. At the same time, there is a history of joint productions, particularly with neighboring countries such as South Korea and Singapore. Access to the huge Chinese market is part of the motivation for the scramble to get a foot in the door. Another is inexpensive production costs.

Outsiders happy with Shanghai husbands
外来妹满意上海丈夫
Nearly 115,000 women who have come to Shanghai from other parts of the country to start families with local men say they are satisfied with their marriages. The average age difference between husbands and wives is 7.68 years, with a maximum gap of 23 years. More than 87 per cent of the women said they were happy with their marriages.

To tackle food safety concerns
解决"光明牛奶"事件
The city government responded to a food quality scandal involving the city's dairy giant, Bright Dairy & Food Co, promising to safeguard food safety. The Bright Dairy & Food Co is a top dairy brand in China and is popular in the Shanghai market. The company has issued a statement denying it has ever recycled out-of-date products. In another matter, the city authorities also want new public landscaping projects to now use plants that change with the seasons.

Guangzhou & Shenzhen 广州 & 深圳

Pearl River stocks in peril after invasion by alien fish
珠江受外来鱼种侵害严重
An invasion of exotic fish is threatening the local aquatic system in the Pearl River. The fish, which looks like angelfish, have eaten many smaller fish and have started reproducing rapidly. Likely originating in Latin America, the fish became a popular pet because of its strange appearance. No effective methods have yet been found to eliminate it.

Adolescent nearsightedness reaches 73%
青少年近视达73%
Nearsightedness in China has the highest prevalence in the world. Sixty percent of Chinese people are nearsighted. In Guangzhou, 73 percent of children aged 10 to 15 are suffering from nearsightedness. Increased reading time, inappropriate classroom lighting, improper diet and environmental pollution may be among the main causes of the disease. Environmental changes have seriously affected individuals.

New scheme helps homeless
实施帮助流浪者新办法
Homeless people in Guangzhou are now being given help on the streets instead of having to go to government agencies in person. New measures that took effect earlier this year enable outreach workers to find homeless people on the streets and take them to a shelter. Under the new scheme, workers at the shelters frequently go onto the streets to identify homeless people and persuade them to receive help.

Chongqing 重庆

Passenger liner caught fire
豪华客轮发生火灾
A luxury passenger liner carrying more than 460 sightseers, including 16 foreigners and 50 sailors, caught fire on June 14 at a wharf in Wushan, a city in southwestern Chongqing. No casualties occurred in the fire. An investigation into the cause and an estimate of losses is underway.

Elevated railway starts operation
轻轨车试运行
The elevated railway line #2 in the city started formal operation June 18. The ticket price will vary according to the distance a passenger travels on the line, but the maximum price is 5 yuan. An automatic checking system is used. The interval between every two trains has been shortened to 7 to 8 minutes, and the operation times are from 7 am to 10 pm every day.



Hong Kong 香港

To provide greater protection for printed works
加大保护版权力度
Hong Kong's copyright protection enforcement may be bolstered to foster an environment conducive to the development of a knowledge-based economy. To promote better corporate governance and accountability in preventing copyright infringements in business, the HKSAR government proposes to introduce a new criminal offence against directors or partners if their company commits an act that attracts business end-user criminal liability.

Hand, foot, mouth disease on rise
口蹄疫呈上升趋势
The Hong Kong Center for Health Protection said five out of the 46 children care centers under the sentinel surveillance system have reported infected children. This is a seasonal trend with most cases occurring between May to July. Staffs of child care centers and kindergartens have been reminded to exercise precautionary measures. Meanwhile, the center is monitoring the situation.

E-channels make entry, exit more convenient
电子通关便捷旅客
The first six "e-channels," three for entry and three for exit, went into trial operation for Hong Kong and Macao residents with home return permits at Luohu customs. The new system can automatically confirm passengers' identities, since it has a database with passengers' fingerprints, images and basic personal information. Passengers only need to leave a finger print and electronically register an ID card to exit or enter the checkpoint, allowing them to pass through customs in 10 seconds.

Taipei 台北

Taiwan is lagging in English proficiency
台英文水平落后
Taiwanese students' average score of 203 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) ranked 21st among Asian nations and regions- sixth from the bottom in Asia for the third consecutive year. At the other end of the scale, Singapore students ranked highest among the four "Asian Tigers", topping the rankings with an average score of 252, while those from Hong Kong ranked 13th (216), and those from South Korea ranked 17th (213). Students from mainland also ranked 17th along with the South Koreans.

Heavy rain kills 2 more people
暴雨又致两人丧命
Continuous heavy rains in parts of Taiwan caused landslides and floods, killing two more people and raising the death toll to four. The vegetable and fruit producing counties of Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan and some others suffered great economic losses as a result of the continuous, heavy rains.

Vocabulary
embed 固定于
havoc 大毁坏
plaintiff 原告
mortar 砂浆
etiquette 礼节
bolster 支持
infringement 侵犯
adolescent 青少年的
sentinel 看守

 

 

Filipino dance
菲律宾舞蹈
Photo by Yao Fan



Bayanihan National Dance Company of the Philippines gave a pleasant performance on the evening of June 18 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sino-Filipino diplomatic ties.