Open day on Ocean No 1
"大洋一号"科考船 厦门举行"开放日"
Photo: Xinhua News Agency



One of the national scientific research ships, the Ocean No 1, which just finished its 10-month voyage across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, arrived in Xiamen on August 4. Two days later, the ship was opened to the public. More than 500 people went aboard to be amazed by the creatures they had collected.

 

 

Big numbers

0.2% price rise
闽居民消费价格涨0.2%
According to the Fujian Provincial Statistics Bureau, growth in Fujian has been high since the beginning of this year, while inflation has remained lower than recent years. In the first half of this year, consumer price inflation province-wide averaged 0.2%, which was the lowest rate nationwide.

521 mines closed
闽关闭非法矿点521个
Fujian stepped up its fight against illegal mining operations this year, using closures and enforced improvements to end bad practice in the province's mines. In the first half of the year, 946 mines were found to be operating without license, and 521 of these were closed immediately.

USD 2.34bn in Taiwanese investment
闽农业利用台资23.4亿美元
It was announced at the Working Conference on the Cross-Straits Agricultural Cooperation Pilot Zone, which opened on August 4 in Fuzhou, that Fujian is attracting a high level of Taiwanese agricultural investment. It receives more Taiwanese capital than any other mainland province, with USD 2.34 billion invested so far.

 

 

Society

Hospitals to give free AIDS tests
县市以上医院免费测艾滋
Under the auspices of Fujian provincial authorities, all but the smallest hospitals in the province are to offer voluntary free AIDS consultancy and testing services. There will also be an array of new services in Xiamen, Fuqing and Gutian, including: outpatient methadone programs for drug addicts; health education and consultancy.

Parent-powered matching event returns
"父母相亲会"13日再相会
In light of the overwhelming response by readers, Xiamen Daily plans to hold another "Dating via parents" event in Lianhua Park on the afternoon of August 13. The event, organized with the matchmaking website marryday.net, allows parents to sift through profiles and collect information for their shy or busy offspring.

Fujian's first IVM baby born
首位体外"取卵受精"宝宝诞生
On August 2, the Fujian Women and Children's Hospital performed a physical checkup on Fujian's first baby boy conceived using IVM (in vitro maturation, a method of increasing the number of eggs for IVF) technology. Results show that the baby is in good heath. Only 400 children have been conceived using IVM technology.

University travel partners online
海峡网助闽学子结伴上学
With the strong support of Xiamen Daily's csnn.com.cn, college-bound middle school graduates in 2006 will be able to find traveling companions not only in Xiamen, but in neighboring cities or anywhere in Fujian. The partners will be able to travel together to the cities where their universities are located.

 

 

Economics

Digital TV fees likely to rise sharply
数字电视收费可能翻倍
The Commodity Price Bureau has revealed that digital TV fees will be adjusted, and that provincial authorities will hold a public hearing on this issue later this month. The current cable TV rates were set in 1996. With the gradual spread of digital TV, the costs of cable TV have also been rising steadily. At the existing rates, TV network companies have complained of heavy losses.

Cab drivers encouraged to complain
的哥的姐遇乱收费, 请投诉12358
The Xiamen Commodity Price Bureau has announced a campaign to check charging in the city's taxi industry from today until August 20. Drivers who have been subject to unfair charges by industry or administrative bodies may file complaints by dialing 12358.

10% of richest Chinese come from Fujian
全球华人500强富豪闽籍占一成
The World Eminence Chinese Business Association has published the first list of the richest ethnic Chinese worldwide. More of the top 500 (78) lived in or traced their ancestry back to Guangdong than to any other province. Zhejiang was second with 75, and Fujian came third with 56.

 

 

Education

Fujian to offer government scholarships to students
闽设立政府奖学金资助大学生
From this fall, Fujian provincial authorities will provide annual "Fujian Provincial Government Scholarships" to needy university students. The scholarships, worth RMB 3,000 per person, will be awarded to 1,000 full-time university students in higher-education institutions (including private universities and adult education institutions, but excluding ministry-affiliated institutions) in Fujian who are from low-income families and have outstanding academic disciplinary records. The awards will not be available to first year students.

Education authorities end repeating S3
省教育厅紧急叫停"高三复读班"
From this fall semester, all public senior middle schools in Fujian will be prohibited from offering repeat classes to graduates and from admitting graduates into normal classes for repeated lessons. The Fujian Provincial Education Department believes that repeated education has contributed to a shortage of resources at senior middle schools and is adversely affecting the province's senior middle school education.

Student sculpture tour reaches Xiamen
去同安看高校优秀雕塑
The 2006 Exhibition of Outstanding Works by Sculpture Graduates from universities nationwide is currently touring the country, and has reached Xiamen. The works are on show in the Yunxi Residential Park in Tong'an. The exhibition, which will be open until August 30, includes about 100 sculptures by graduates from 18 schools from across China. The 49 of the sculptures have been brought to Xiamen, and 31 photos represent the works that were impossible to move. 7

 

Vocabulary
matchmaking 婚介
ancestry 祖先
IVM: in vitro maturation 未成熟卵细胞体外成熟技术