Search for Fuzhou stars
希望之星福州赛区举行复赛
iPhoto by TyphooStar


The second round of the Star of Outlook English Competition (Fuzhou region heats) was held in No. 8 Middle School, Fuzhou last Saturday. Over 200 contestants were successful in the written test, and they displayed their oral skills for the panel of expert teachers from Fuzhou’s top schools. From each age group 15 of the region’s best speakers were chosen to go through to the next round on May 7. They will be competing for a chance to go head to head with their Xiamen counterparts in the Fujian provincial finals at the end of next month.

 

 

Economics

Foreign insurer opens in Xiamen
首家外资保险入厦
Aviva-Cofco Life Insurance, an insurer with a history of more than 300 years, has obtained approval from the China Insurance Regulatory Commission to establish operations in Xiamen, becoming the first foreign provider in Xiamen’s life insurance market. The insurer will be offering a selection of its range of services to the Xiamen market, is expected to be receiving applications within a week.

North Fujian gets duty－free
闽北开设首条零关税商品街
All of the commercial space along Wuyishan’s duty-free street, located in the heart of the Wuyishan World Heritage Site, has rented or sold out. Shops are expected to open for business during the May 1 holiday. Tourists will be able to purchase products from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan at duty-free prices.

PR, marketing skills in great demand
公关营销类需求量最大
Xiamen saw a booming job market in the first quarter of the year, with job openings jumping about 14% year-on-year. The most sought-after skills in the job market were public relations, marketing, mechanical, machine operation, production management, and computer skills.

 

 

Society

Xiamen air quality best in Fujian
厦门空气质量居全省首位
Xiamen’s air quality was the best among Fujian’s eight cities and came 10th in nationwide listings last year. The rankings were unchanged from 2004.

Defendants to wear own clothes
刑事被告人可“自由着装”
The Xiamen People’s Court has announced that criminal suspects will be allowed to appear in court wearing clothes of their own choice. The move is line with the international judicial practices and respect for human dignity.

University student donates bone marrow
厦大学生捐髓救治白血病女孩
Hou Tao, a junior at Xiamen University, has departed for Fuzhou, accompanied by officers from the Xiamen Red Cross, to donate bone marrow stem cells for a girl in Beijing who has leukemia. Mr. Hou is Xiamen’s 4th and Fujian’s 10th donor of bone marrow stem cells.

Ex－drug addict teaches by example
昔日隐君子宣传毒品危害
Meng Jinsheng from Inner Mongolia wrecked his family and spent 10 years in prison for drug trafficking and consumption. Since May last year he has been making a bicycle tour around the country. He plans to spend three years traveling around the country, teaching people about the harm that drugs cause. On April 12, he visited the Compulsory Drug Rehabilitation Center of the Xiamen Public Security Bureau to speak about his personal experiences to drug users on rehabilitation programs.

Fujian art celebrated in Shanghai
福建名家书画将在沪开展
The Fujian Master Painters and Calligraphers Exhibition will open in Shanghai on April 18, showcasing the technique and creativity of Fujian’s arts communities. It is reported that the Shanghai Library will acquire some of the displayed works for their permanent collection.

 

 

Education

Disabled children receive free education
残疾儿童九年义务教育免费
Xiamen has become the first city in Fujian to provide nine years of free compulsory education for children with a disability and children with disabled parents. The enrollment rate for primary school education among children with disabilities is 93.2%, far higher than the national average.

Rural teachers get RMB 10,000
到欠发达地区任教奖励1万元
Starting this year, the Fujian Provincial Government will recruit about 400 graduates from teachers’ colleges to teach for five years in economically underdeveloped counties in Fujian. These graduates will each receive a RMB 10,000 bonus and will be given preference for admission to master's programs. The move is aimed at improving the quality of teaching in the province’s underdeveloped areas.

Students volunteer in Ningxia
120名大学生赴宁夏志愿服务
This year, Fujian provincial authorities will recruit 120 students for one or two years of voluntary work in Ningxia. The student volunteers will be involved in many different social projects, including: medical, educational, agricultural projects; construction and management of youth centers. The list of volunteers accepted for the program will be submitted to the National Project Office in early June, and they will receive training in Ningxia in late July before being sent to the relevant counties to start their placements. Students on the programs can receive academic credit for their work.

 

 

Big numbers

23,000 benefits
“慈善一日捐”救困2.3万人次
The Xiamen Charity Federation, the leading charity organization in the city, has raised RMB 25 million over the last five years, providing assistance for more than 23,000 needy citizens. The Federation plays a significant role in caring for the elderly, supporting orphans, tuition aid, poverty reduction and disaster relief. It officially opened the 2006 “Donate One Day’s Pay” Charity Campaign on April 13.

RMB 1m sailboat
国产首艘百万帆船在厦下水
China’s first large racing sailboat, the “Flying Tiger”, built at a cost of RMB 1 million, was launched in Xiamen at midday on April 13. The sailboat, built by Xiamen Hansheng Yacht Building, will take part in the “China Club” Cup Sailboat Challenge. Two more “Flying Tigers” are planned to compete in the event in the near future.

RMB 10m for innovation
晋江千万重奖名牌创新企业
At a rally in Jinjiang on April 11, city authorities presented nearly RMB 15 million in awards to local companies with outstanding records in innovation, R&&D and exports. The rewards aim to stimulate innovation and the development of new technology and patents by Jinjiang businesses.

Vocabulary
stimulate 激励[ji(1),li(4)]
leukemia 白血病[bai(2),xue(4),bing(4)]
marrow 骨髓 [gu(3),sui(3)]
rehabilitation 复原 [fu(4),yuan(2)]
judicial 司法的(si(1),fa(3),de(0))
stem cell 干细胞[gan(4),xi(4)bao(1)]