Thai National Day
泰领事办庆祝泰国庆日



December 5th was Royal Thai National Day. The Thai Consular Office in Xiamen held a special party at the Xiamen Mandarin Hotel. Seen in the picture is Consul Wisanu Berananda making a welcome speech at the party.

 

 

Economics

Interest-free loans offered to business startups
创业可申请无息贷款
The Fujian office for the Youth Business China Program has recently announced that business startups launched by young people may apply for interest-free unsecured loans of up to RMB 50,000.

Marco Polo, Xiamen
-Best Business Hotel in Xiamen
马哥孛罗入选最佳商务酒店
The Marco Polo, Xiamen has outshone its competitors by winning the Best Business Hotel in Xiamen award in the first Business Traveler China Travel Awards launched in 2005. Between July and October 2005, poll forms were distributed to readers of the Business Traveler China. The awards are presented based only on the choice and judgment of the magazine's readers, who travel frequently in China and around the Asia-Pacific region. The results of the 2005 Business Traveler China Travel Awards will be published in the January/February 2006 issue of the magazine.

Local people spend RMB 30 billion on shopping this year
今年购物花费近300亿
The retail value of consumer goods sold in Xiamen from January to November this year totaled RMB 28.7 billion, up 13.6% on last year, and is expected to break the RMB 30 billion mark for the whole year if the current growth continues.

Xiamen Port Development appears on list of top 100 logistics providers
厦门港务跻身物流百强
Six Xiamen-based companies have earned a place on the List of China's Top 100 Logistics Providers for 2005, which has recently been published by the China Communication & Transportation Association. Xiamen Port Development is in 40th place on the list.

Taiwan's AU Optronics to launch investment in Xiamen
台湾友达光电将投资厦门
AU Optronics, Taiwan's largest and the world's third largest manufacturer of thin film transistor liquid crystal display panels (TFT-LCD), has announced a plan to invest in Xiamen. The company will make an initial investment of USD 50 million, which will turn Xiamen into its second largest manufacturing base on the mainland after Suzhou.

 

 

Society

Migrant laborers in construction industry to be covered by insurance
建筑等行业农民工将保险
Effective January 1, 2006, all construction, mining and stone processing enterprises must purchase work injury insurance for migrant laborers they employ. Failure to provide such insurance will result in denial of construction permits for new projects.

Local bus routes to be fine-tuned
将对公交线路作微调
Local public transportation authorities will fine-tune bus routes in order to increase their energy efficiency. Bus routes will avoid residential estates as much as possible in order to keep disturbance of residents to a minimum.

Xiamen Int'l Marathon accepts entrants online
厦门国际马拉松接受网上报名
The 2006 Xiamen International Marathon Championships & National Marathon Tournament will take place on March 25 next year. Online registration for the events started on December 10 at www.xmim.org. People may also sign up in person from January 10 next year.

Overdue water bills pile up
水费欠缴问题严重
As of the end of October this year, the total amount of unpaid water bills owed to Xiamen Water Group has topped RMB 30 million. The water supplier is having a hard time securing the overdue payments.

Cataract operations televised live
白内障手术直播
Xiamen Ophthalmic Center will televise cataract operations live outside the operation room. The new service will be provided on a long-term basis, and local citizens may observe the operations in the conference room on the 16th floor.

Construction of sister island ring road to kick off next year
环岛路姐妹路明年动工
In a bid to alleviate mounting pressure on the existing island ring road, local authorities plan to build another trunk road inside the ring road. Phase I of the project, construction of a 20km stretch of four lane highway, is due to start in the first quarter of next year.

 

 

Education

ABB funds scholarships
企业给学生发奖金
ABB China has recently awarded scholarships to students at the Xiamen University of Technology, with eight students receiving RMB 6,000 first-class scholarships and 42 students receiving a RMB 3,000 second-class awards.

PE teachers given running and long jump tests
体育教师也考跑步跳远
Physical education at the city's primary and secondary schools will be subjected to a proficiency test in early January next year. The test will cover both theoretical knowledge and practical skills such as running and long jump.

 

 

City News
Edited by Lily

Beijing 北京

Largest wild animal center opened
开放最大野生动物救养中心
China's largest wild animal rescue and breeding center has opened in northeast Shunyi District. The center takes care of 340 species of birds and 40 other species. Some have been abandoned by their owners and most of the birds were taken from poultry markets by administrative departments to prevent the spread of bird flu. A special hospital will be used for quarantine and treating sick animals.

Soliciting Olympic sponsors
北京奥运征集赞助商
The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee is busy soliciting sponsors and suppliers for the 2008 games. The Australia-based BHP Billiton has been named the 7th sponsor of the 2008 Olympics. BOCOG officials say companies from the tourism and textile industries will soon join the list of sponsors. Marketing towards Olympic suppliers began on December 12, aimed at small-and medium- sized companies.

Foreign police officers vow to enhance co-operation
将与国际警官加强合作
Police liaison officers from foreign embassies will strengthen cooperation and maintain close contact and exchanges with their Beijing counterparts. Sixty-seven police liaison officers from 33 foreign embassies, including the United States, Greece, Belgium and Japan announced that strengthening cooperation with Beijing counterparts is both conducive to the security of their embassies in China and to international cooperation in the war on terror.

Spot checks for fashion doll Barbie
定点检查"芭比"娃娃生产原料
Beijing will begin to spot check fashion doll Barbie for the first time. The spot check is being launched after the release of a German report that some Barbie materials are harmful. Beijing has spot-checked plastic toys several times this year but Barbie has not been included as it is a well established brand. Experts say the harmful materials mentioned in the German reports can harm babies less than three years old.

Shanghai 上海

Interpretation school bounds into world top 15
翻译学校跃居世界顶尖15 校
A professional interpretation program launched by Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) has been certified by an international interpretation authority. The program, run by the Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation (GIIT) at the university, has just been certified by the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC). GIIT, founded in 2003, is now one of the world's top 15 professional interpretation institutes, and the only one in China.

Sea bridge opened
国内首个跨海大桥通车
Trucks and cars now can drive across the Shanghai Donghai Bridge near Shanghai. The 32.5 kilometer long bridge is China's first sea bridge and opened on December 10.



Guangzhou 广州

Satellite first-aid
推出新卫星定位急救系统
Guangzhou is to install ambulances with satellite navigation technology and set up a new state-of-the-art accident & emergency center in a bid to improve medical facilities and response times. Guangzhou's existing main emergency complex will be replaced, and the computer system and intranet facilities at smaller stations across the city upgraded. The project will be launched as soon as a location is fixed and will take about two years to complete.

Giant wheel to boost tourism
将建新的摩天轮吸引游客
A giant Ferris wheel is planned in Guangzhou to give the tourist industry a lift. The site for the Ferris wheel has not yet been chosen. Currently, the giant wheel in Changsha at 145 meters is the tallest in Asia, while a Shanghai project will be 108 meters high. The project has attracted many domestic and foreign investors.

Hospitals to adopt credit rating
医院将划分信誉等级
Guangzhou is planning to set up a credit rating system for hospitals covered by medical insurance, and hospitals compelling patients to use unnecessary medicines not covered by insurance will be punished. Hospitals and pharmacies under the medical insurance system will be classified into three grades, 3A, 2A and A. Organizations with higher credit can have priority in executing new projects, while those that fail in meeting the credit requirements will be punished.

Metro trains to be equipped with cameras
地铁将配闭路电视
Cameras and emergency communication systems will be installed on all trains on Guangzhou's Metro Line 4 to deal with terrorist threats. Each carriage on the new trains will be equipped with two cameras, which will be able to monitor the whole carriage. The trains are the first in China to have cameras. The trains are also the first in China with emergency communication systems between passengers and the driver. Two new trains will start operating next month in the University Town section of Metro Line 4, with trial runs set to begin on December 26.

Chongqing 重庆

Unique skill of 102-year-old lady
百岁老妇秀穿针绝招
Lan Shizhen, an old lady of 102 living in New Hongyi Village in Shapingba District, has a unique skill. She is able to pass a thread through the eye of a needle within 10 seconds. She is famous for it in her village.



Sewage to be sterilized with chlorine
氯化消毒处理垃圾
Sewage from the main districts of Chongqing is to be sterilized with chlorine from December 31 before it is drained into the Yangtze River. The 2nd phase of two new treatment plants will be completed soon. Both will treat the sewage from the main districts of the city using biochemical methods.

Biggest shopping mall in the southwest
将建西南最大商厦
Chongqing Golden Resources Shopping Mall, the biggest one in the south west of China and the second largest in the country, will open next June on Riverside Road in Jiangbei district. It will have a floor area of over 600,000 square meters, with over 7,000 parking spaces.

Hong Kong 香港

Language teaching boosted
加强语言教学
Hong Kong's education authorities unveiled a HK$1.1 billion (US$142m) scheme to boost language proficiency in secondary schools earlier this week. Central to the scheme is a six-year plan to boost the standard of English teaching, particularly at Chinese-medium schools. Another focus is the promotion of Mandarin, with a budget of HK$200 million, beginning from next academic year.

No cash transactions for yuan cards
人民币刷卡消费尚需时日
Mainland residents are not allowed to use yuan-denominated bank cards issued by mainland commercial banks for cash transactions in Hong Kong. Mainland residents can use their yuan bank cards in Hong Kong only for purchasing goods and services. Investments including stock and real estate cannot be bought using the cards, as well as illegal items such as lottery tickets. Last month, China removed the hundred thousand yuan spending limit on yuan credit cards issued in Hong Kong, leaving card companies to set their own limits.

Lien Chan receives degree
连战获中文大学荣誉博士学位
Honorary Chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) Lien Chan received an honorary doctorate from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in recognition of his important contributions towards the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, the promotion of understanding among the Chinese people, and the advancement of higher education and Chinese culture.

Taipei 台北

Exports slacken as mainland demand cools
大陆需求降低致出口锐减
Growth in Taiwanese exports slowed in November as sales to the mainland and Japan cooled. Taiwan ships goods such as computer chips and chemical fibers to the mainland, where they are used to make products like laptop computers, DVD players and garments that are sold to the United States. Despite the export slowdown, the central bank is unlikely to be deterred this month from increasing interest rates for a sixth successive quarter to curb inflation.


Vocabulary
consul 领事
denial 拒绝
overdue 过期
cataract 白内障
alleviate 减轻
ophthalmic 眼睛的
optronics 光电
panel 镶板
quarantine隔离
intranet局域网
chlorine氯
deter阻止
curb控制