Nation Nation Life

High-rise Farmers flee Tang Wei

cleaner drought for back after
‘Spiderman’ knows
Shanghai’s skyscrapers factory jobs three-year
like the back of
his hand.
A Guizhou county mobilizes 10,000 to work in
eastern provinces. hiatus
PAGE 2 PAGE 4 > PAGE 22

THURSDAY, April 1, 2010

CHINADAILY chinadaily.com.cn RMB ¥ 1.5

EXCLUSIVE | JIA JINSHENG

Reservoirs not cause of drought

By XIN DINGDING a century ago; in the dry province into Southeast Asia term task for developing A GLANCE AT MEKONG
AND WANG QIAN season, they release water to where it is called the Mekong nations.
CHINA DAILY add to the supply, while in the River, three are operational. Jia said China does not Qinghai

BEIJING — The water res-
ervoirs and hydropower sta-
tions on the upper reaches of
the Mekong River should not
be blamed for the drought in
Southeast Asia, the president
of the International Commis-
sion of Large Dams said on
Wednesday.
In fact, the severe drought
has revealed the water infra-
structure along the Mekong
River is “inadequate” to
XIE ZHENGYI / FOR CHINA DAILY
effectively fight droughts and
floods, Jia Jinsheng told China
This picture taken in February shows a worker operating a
spinning machine at Qixin Textile Mill in Huaibei, Anhui. Daily.
Dams have been built since
rainy season, they hold back Without the reservoirs and channel water away from the MekongCHINA
Sichuan River
water to help other water conservancy proj- Lancang River, and that all Tibet
is the world’s
reduce the ects in Southwest China, this hydropower stations in Yun- 6th-longest and
the 3rd-longest in
damage, he year’s drought would have nan have undergone strict Asia, with length
said. been worse, he said. environmental and ecological of about 4,880
Guizhou
km. The sector
Dams Jia admitted there is nega- evaluations. inYunnan
China is called
built on the tive impact from building Liu Ning, vice-minister of Lancang River. Guangxi
Yangtze and dams, all of which — includ- water resources, expressed
MYANMAR
Yellow rivers, ing those built in developed similar sentiments at a press
LAOS
Jia Jinsheng two of China’s countries — harm biological conference on Wednesday:
says dams are longest, have diversity and the environment “It is not right to say reser-
not to blame. been proven to some degree. voirs have ‘hijacked’ water THAILAND
effective in “The key is to strictly follow resources.”
doing both, he added. globally-accepted standards Zhou Xuewen, head of the
CAMBODIA
Of the eight dams China and minimize that impact,” ministry’s planning depart- AM
TN
planned to build on the he said, adding that build- ment, said the water blocked VIE
4,880-km Lancang River, ing more water conservancy
which flows through Yunnan infrastructure will be a long- SEE “DROUGHT” PAGE 2 TIAN CHI / CHINA DAILY

Cutting the
cloth to fit
green needs
Textile mills are learning how to cut
costs and pollution. Daniel Chinoy
reports from Changshu, Jiangsu.

T
he 25 textile mill managers gath-
ered at the Shang Lake Garden
Hotel earlier this week buzzed
with energy, shooting off orders to
subordinates on their cell phones,
exchanging name cards and then
greeting each other like old friends.
Up clothes A set of mostly self-made entrepre-
neurs with little formal education but
and personal:
an excellent business sense, they had
Want to know
exactly what
come to learn new ways to improve
chemicals go into efficiency, cut costs and increase profit The final touches being made to the interior of the Australian pavilion on Tuesday. PHOTOS BY GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY
your clothes? Get at their mills.

Expo security tightened

a closer look on But the speaker they were waiting
page 7 for was not an expensive manage-
ment consultant or corporate lawyer.
COVERSTORY Instead, it was Linda Greer, a scientist
with frizzy hair and a PhD in envi-
ronmental toxicology.
An expert with the Natural
Resources Defense Council (NRDC),
a New York-based non-governmental
organization, Greer made the trip to
the conference in Changshu, a pic-
turesque city in Jiangsu province, to
introduce the Responsible Sourcing
Initiative — a best practice guide that
textile mills can use to reduce their
water, chemical and energy use.
If widely implemented, she argues
that these techniques can transform
the textile industry — and make it
more profitable at the same time.
“Our experience showed that
most mills did not even realize how
much money they were throw-
ing away. And when you waste
water, energy, and materials, you
are polluting the environment,”
she told the conference, which was
jointly organized by the Changshu
SEE “TEXTILES” PAGE 7
By WANG ZHENGHUA
CHINA DAILY
SHANGHAI — China is
confident of hosting a safe
and successful World Expo,
Shanghai’s top leader has
said in the aftermath of serial
suicide bombings in Russia
which have jolted the world.
With 30 days to go before
the grand opening of the
gala, Shanghai Party chief
Yu Zhengsheng said the city
can ensure the security of the
184-day event with the key
being mobilization of people
and careful implementation
of plans.
“All the infrastructure will
be completed in time; all
measures on security, traf-
fic and publicity have been
taken, and residents have
high expectations of the Expo
– all of which show that we are
ready,” he said.
“I am confident that with
the help of the public, we will
do an excellent job on secu-
rity,” he added.
Security has become a
paramount issue following
Monday’s double suicide
bombings in Moscow, which
killed 39. Another two suicide
bombings in Russia’s North
Caucasus region on Wednes-
day killed at least 12.
Major Chinese cities have
stepped up security checks at
subway stations while some
propose upgrading checks at
bus stations.
Beijing on Tuesday beefed
up security in the city’s metro
system.
Fu Zhenghua, director of the
Pan Guang, an expert
on anti-terror affairs at the
Shanghai Academy of Social
Sciences, said for any big
event, vigilance tends to wane
as it draws on.
Li Wei, director of the
anti-terrorism research cen-
ter at the China Institute of
Contemporary International
Relations, said security threats
could come from anywhere,
such as from “East Turkistan”
terrorist organizations seeking
Patrol units with sniffer dogs are deployed at entrances to the Xinjiang “independence”.
subway in Shanghai as part of enhanced security measures Shanghai has taken such
before and during the Expo. measures as extending the
X-ray scanning of passengers’
Beijing public securit bureau, tougher security challenges hand luggage to all metro sta-
said police patrols with sniffer compared to the 2008 Beijing tions.
dogs were increased at metro Olympic Games due to the City officials are also
stations, where they will make six-month duration and huge hoping to close a deal with
more frequent checks. number of visitors, estimated
Many believe the Expo faces at 70 million. SEE “EXPO” PAGE 2

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nation
PAGE 2 |THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

I can see your house from here Drought: Poor

Window cleaner
discovers beauty
of city in the sky
By GAO CHANGXIN
CHINA DAILY
SHANGHAI — Not many
people have the same per-
spective on the world as Hu
Jinsong.
Suspended by a lifeline
hundreds of meters above the
ground, Hu sees things the way
few others dare.
Known as “Spiderman”, Hu
is a high-
CHINAFACE rise window
cleaner who
knows Shanghai’s skyscrapers
like the back of his hand.
“Once you stop panicking,
you can appreciate the amaz-
ing view,” said Hu, who has
dangled from the outside of
nearly every major building in
the city, including the 101-story
World Financial Center and the
468-meter Oriental Pearl.
“Now when I’m working
up in the air, I’ll stop once in
a while and turn my head to
enjoy the view,” he said.
With Expo around the corner
and the government racing to
make the city sparkle, more and
more people like Hu can be seen
hanging mid-air, giving others a
clearer view of the world.
Hu’s company, the Shanghai
Tiantian cleaning service, has
seen its workload more than
Hu Jinsong has cleaned more than 250 high-rises in Shanghai during his six-year career.
nies as the third most danger-
ous job in the world.
On March 24, a 51-year-old
window cleaner in Shenzhen fell
15 floors to his death because of
inadequate safety measures.
But Hu said that while there
are deadly accidents almost
every year, he has never seen
anything fail that was not due
to user error.
made with added strength that
can hold 450 kg.
There is another safety fea-
ture called the Jumar, a device
also used in rock climbing. It
is locked onto the rope and
attached to the body har-
ness, and will hold him if he
accidentally slips from his
plywood chair.
“As long as you’re doing it
for high-rise window cleaning
which stipulate what methods
and equipment should be
used. Before anyone can take
the job, they must also take
government exams and get a
work certificate.
Despite these safety mea-
sures, the job is still reserved
for the brave. As a fireman, Hu
received training he could apply
GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY
doing it day in and day out and
trust the safety measures.
Now Hu, who has cleaned
more than 250 high-rises in
his six-year career, has mostly
dispelled his fear of being in the
sky and has picked up a love for
his job.
It does not pay well — about
4,000 yuan ($585) a month
— but Hu said the privilege
rain to blame
FROM PAGE 1
by China’s dams on the
Lancang River accounts for
only 3 percent of the total
flow in the river, which is
“too little to influence the
lower-reach countries in
Southeast Asia”.
“It is unlikely that our
dams are worsening the
drought in the Mekong River
basin,” Liu Ning said.
Pich Dun, secretary-
general of the Cambodian
National Mekong Com-
mission, told Xinhua on
Monday that a drop in the
Mekong water level was
caused by poor rainfall and
climate change rather than
dams on the Lancang River.
“The Mekong River Com-
mission (MRC) has found
no evidence that the dams
on the upper reaches have
an impact on the water flow
downstream,” he said.
Instead, the water flow in
lower parts of the Mekong
River in the dry season
was much higher after the
dams were built, thanks to
hydropower stations releas-
ing water to generate power,
he said.
“A study conducted by
the MRC in February found
that the drought in the lower
Mekong region or northern
Laos and Thailand was
caused by an early end to
the rainy season, while
the drought in Southwest
China including Yunnan
province was caused by
climate change, or climatic
cycles,” the secretary-gen-
eral said.
He said the MRC’s four
members — Cambodia,
Laos, Thailand and Vietnam,
and its dialogue partner
China enjoy close ties.
The Mekong River Sum-
mit starting on Friday in Hua
Hin, Thailand, will focus on
enhancing ties among coun-
tries along the Mekong Riv-
er, the Asian Development
Bank and ASEAN to ensure
sustainable development in
the region, he said.
An MRC Hua Hin Decla-
ration will be issued on cli-
mate change and challenges
to sustainable development.
Vice-Minister Liu said
China will cooperate with its
neighbors along the Mekong
River to explore and use
water resources scientifically
for common interest.
Xinhua contributed to this
story.

double since the beginning of
this year.
Unlike their fictional coun-
terparts, real-life Spidermen
“As long as you’ve taken all
the required safety measures,
it’s not much more dangerous
than other outdoor work,” said
correctly, you’re about as safe
on that rope as you are in an
elevator,” he said.
As the ropes are Hu’s lifeline,
to being suspended hundreds of
meters above the sidewalk, but it
still took him a whole month to
overcome his fear of heights.
Expo: Security
of discovering the beauty of
Shanghai from various angles
is the main reason he has kept
doing it for six years.

can’t shoot webs from their
wrists, but instead hang on
ropes that make their work
seem extremely dangerous to
non-professional eyes.
In fact, the job is dangerous:
High-rise window cleaning is
ranked by insurance compa-
the 30-year-old Hu, who pre-
viously worked as a fireman in
Jiangsu province.
Hu has two ropes support-
ing him. One is a safety line
usually shared by two cleaners,
the other is the main rope hold-
ing him up. Both are specially
he spends half an hour check-
ing them before each shift.
“Each person has his own
rope. We don’t share it. If there’s
any dirt, frays, anything of that
nature, we’ll just discard the rope
and buy a new one,” he said.
In fact, there are standards
Every year Hu sees co-work-
ers quit, saying they are men-
tally incapable of continuing.
“It’s really scary at the begin-
ning,” Hu said. “They let me
start with 6-story buildings to
ease me in.”
The key, he said, is to keep
situation stable
“Shanghai is a really beauti-
ful city, beautiful from every
angle,” Hu said.
“From different buildings
you see different faces of
Shanghai. The cityscape of FROM PAGE 1 the Expo daily between May
Shanghai is ever-changing, 1 and Oct 31.
you never get bored.” Swedish security services More than 15 million vis-
provider Securitas AB. ited the Aichi Expo in Japan
Taking a cue from Beijing’s five years ago, with each
preparations for the 2008 pavilion taking up to four

Public supports HIV entry ban, survey finds
By SHAN JUAN
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — As China
appears to be easing a ban on
HIV-positive foreigners enter-
ing the country — a policy that
experts denounce as obsolete
and discriminatory — a China
Daily survey has suggested the
public thinks otherwise.
Nearly 84 percent of respon-
dents opposed lifting the ban,
which has been in place for
more than 20 years, a joint
online survey by China Daily
and sohu.com, has found.
More than 4,000 netizens
answered the online poll.
Despite the huge amount
of knowledge gained among
people about how HIV is
transmitted, nearly 75 percent
of those who said “no” cited
the possibility that infected
foreigners would further
spread the incurable disease
during their stay in China and
thus worsen the situation here.
Professor Jing Jun of Tsinghua
University snubbed the survey
result, saying that “public opin-
ion is not necessarily correct.”
Some 20 years ago, many
in China even suggested
HIV/AIDS sufferers be iso-
lated and confined in certain
designated areas, according to
Jing, a veteran sociologist on
AIDS-related issues.
China, home to an HIV-pos-
itive population of 740,000, is
among 67 countries that deny
entry or residence permits to
sufferers because of their HIV
status.
Huang Jiefu, vice-health
minister, said in November
that the Ministry of Health
was working with legislative
departments to amend the
law barring HIV carriers from
entering the country.
“More advocacy is needed
for the law’s revision,” Jing
said.
Within the country, a law on
HIV/AIDS is in place to help
protect sufferers’ rights to free
treatment and drugs, employ-
ment, and education.
“The entry ban on foreign-
ers runs contrary to the spirit
of the law to protect sufferers
from HIV-related discrimi-
nation and stigma,” said He
Xiong, director of the Beijing
center for disease control.
Also, “the overwhelming
opposition stems from igno-
rance, ” he said.
Earlier this month, China
denied Australian writer Robert
Dessaix a visa merely because of
his HIV status, reports said.
“I think foreigners are more
open and casual about sex so
it’s right for our government to
keep the ban in place to protect
public health in the nation,” said
32-year-old Wang Liangfeng, a
Beijing-based office clerk.
“That’s totally wrong,” said
He Xiong. “The ban doesn’t
help ease the situation here at
all,” he noted.
Given that China now has
HIV/AIDS cases in all prov-
inces and the disease is spread-
ing domestically, though it is
under control, why bother to
deny the entry of HIV-positive
foreigners, he explained.
“As long as each of us takes
good care of our own behavior,
the virus won’t bother you,” He
suggested.
But foreign sufferers should
not be provided free treatment
like Chinese citizens given the
nation’s economic situation,
he said.
In fact, authorities carrying
out the entry ban have recon-
sidered the situation and eased
the ban during big internation-
al events like the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games, he said.
Likewise, for the Shanghai
Expo, which opens on May 1
and expects to see 4 million
overseas visitors, the govern-
ment will likely grant a special
waiver allowing sufferers to
enter the country for the event.
Games, Shanghai has called
on 1 million volunteers
— many of them retirees
— to patrol streets and detect
any security hazards.
The combination of
professional anti-terrorism
forces and the public “forms
an effective anti-terrorism
module”, Wu Heping, the
spokesman for the Ministry
of Public Security, told a
Tuesday news briefing.
“In general, China’s security
situation is stable,” he said.
Yu said the focus in the
coming month is the six trial
runs which will be staged in
and around the Expo site,
each involving 500,000
people.
He warned the public that
visiting the Expo will not
be a picnic because of the
expected huge influx of visi-
tors. An average of 400,000
people are expected to visit
hours to visit.
Shanghai has come up with
various measures to deal with
the crowds expected to flood
the Expo on weekends or
holidays, Yu said.
For instance, individual
visitors are encouraged to
join group tours. The Labor
Day holiday will also be
extended by two days, from
April 30 to May 4, Yu said.
The measure is designed to
help ease the travel crush
during the period.
The opening of the Expo
will include a 30-minute art
performance, Yu said, after
which the scene will shift
to the Huangpu River — to
highlight the identity and
location of the host city —
where fireworks, fountains,
lighting displays and music
shows will be staged. The
entire ceremony will last for
around one-and-half hours.

THU - FRI APRIL 1-2

weather
Ulaanbaatar CHINA CHINA C Cloudy
Urumqi -18 /- 7 Beijing 5 / 13 S 2 / 14 S Shenyang 1/ 6 C -3/ 6 S D Drizzle
-4/ 5 -17 / 0 Changchun -3/ 6 C -6/ 2 C Shenzhen 21 / 27 C 19 / 23 Sh Du Dust
Changsha 9 / 14 R 8 / 13 R Shijiazhuang 9 / 16 S 6 / 18 S F Fog
-1/ 7 Pyongyang O Overcast
Beijing Chongqing 11 / 13 D 10 / 13 D Suzhou 9 / 15 R 5 / 14 D
R Rain
5 / 13 Seoul Dalian 2/ 8 S 1 / 10 S Taipei 20 / 28 C 20 / 30 C Sh Shower
Xining Fuzhou 17 / 29 C 11 / 22 T Taiyuan 0 / 10 S - 3 / 12 S
2 / 14 7 / 11
Tokyo Guangzhou 20 / 28 C 17 / 22 C Tianjin 5 / 14 S 2 / 16 S
S Sunny THURSDAY TRAVELER’S FORECAST
Sn Snow FRIDAY LOW/HIGH TEMPERATURES, IN DEGREES CELSIUS,
2 / 10 Guilin 13 / 19 Err 11 / 14 R Urumqi -4/ 5 S -1/ 7 S
10 / 19 St Storm
Lhasa Shanghai Guiyang 9 / 20 O 4/ 7 D Wuhan 10 / 12 D 7 / 15 O AND EXPECTED CONDITIONS
New Kathmandu 10 / 15 12 / 17 T Thunderstorms
Delhi Chengdu 9 / 16 Haikou 23 / 33 C 20 / 28 Sh Xiamen 19 / 27 O 14 / 22 Sh
8 / 14 ASIA-PACIFIC-MIDDLE EAST AMERICAS
Thimphu 7 / 14 Hangzhou 12 / 16 Err 7 / 15 D Xi’an 5 / 14 C 4 / 16 C
23 / 38 Guangzhou Harbin -2/ 0 Sn -5/ 0 Sn Abu Dhabi 22 / 34 D 19 / 32 D BuenosAires 21 / 28 C 18 / 25 C
20 / 28 Xining -5/ 8 C - 5 / 11 C
23 / 38 20 / 28 Taipei Hefei 11 / 14 T 5 / 15 C Yantai 3/ 7 C 0/ 7 C Bangkok 28 / 36 C 28 / 36 C Chicago 10 / 23 C 11 / 22 C
20 / 30 Colombo 26 / 33 C 26 / 33 C Caracas 25 / 32 C 24 / 31 C
17 / 22 Hohhot -6/ 6 S -5/ 9 S Yinchuan - 5 / 9 S - 3 / 14 S
24 / 37 Hong 21 / 24 Jinan 7 / 13 S 5 / 17 S Zhengzhou 9 / 17 C 5 / 19 S Dubai 23 / 33 C 21 / 29 C Houston 17 / 25 C 20 / 25 C
Yangon Hanoi
23 / 39 Kong 20 / 24 Kunming 12 / 21 C 11 / 22 C Zhuhai 20 / 25 C 17 / 21 D Hanoi 23 / 30 O 21 / 25 C Las Vegas 7 / 16 C 7 / 19 C
Lanzhou - 1 / 12 S 2 / 17 S Islamabad 17 / 31 C 17 / 32 C Los Angeles 9 / 17 C 9 / 18 S
28 / 36 Macao Lhasa - 1 / 14 C 0 / 16 C Jakarta 25 / 32 Sh 25 / 33 C Mexico City 10 / 27 C 11 / 27 C
Manila Karachi 24 / 34 C 25 / 34 S New York 7 / 23 C 15 / 22 C
28 / 36 Bangkok Lijiang 8 / 15 Sh 8 / 16 C
Macao 20 / 25 F 17 / 22 F Kuala Lumpur 25 / 32 T 24 / 32 T Ottawa 1 / 19 C 6 / 24 C
24 / 33 25 / 34
21 / 32 Nanchang 11 / 17 R 8 / 12 D EUROPE Manila 25 / 34 C 26 / 35 C Rio De Janeiro 23 / 27 C 23 / 28 C
Vientiane 25 / 34 26 / 35 Mumbai 24 / 32 C 24 / 33 S San Francisco 6 / 14 C 8 / 14 C
22 / 31 Nanjing 8 / 13 Err 4 / 15 O Athens 13 / 21 C 12 / 22 C
Bandar Seri Nanning 21 / 25 D 16 / 19 D Berlin 2 / 10 D 0 / 12 C New Delhi 23 / 38 S 23 / 38 S Sao Paulo 19 / 24 C 18 / 25 C
Begawan Brussels 3/ 8 D 3 / 10 D Pyongyang 5/ 9 O -2/ 8 C Vancouver 3 / 11 D 4/ 9 O
Qingdao 4 / 11 C 2 / 12 S
24 / 32 Kuala Lumpur Sanya 24 / 31 C 24 / 31 C Geneva 2/ 9 C - 1 / 12 D Riyadh 19 / 32 C 16 / 32 S Washington 10 / 25 C 16 / 27 C
Shanghai 9 / 16 R 7 / 14 D Istanbul 11 / 18 Sh 11 / 19 C Seoul 7 / 11 R 2 / 10 C
26 / 31 London 3 / 11 D 4 / 10 O Singapore 26 / 31 T 26 / 33 C AFRICA
Singapore Cairo 15 / 32 S 19 / 35 S
26 / 33 Madrid 5 / 14 C 2 / 16 C Sydney 16 / 25 C 17 / 24 C
Moscow 3 / 12 O 2 / 10 C Teheran 12 / 20 C 11 / 19 C CapeTown 18 / 26 S 15 / 23 S
25 / 32 Paris 2 / 10 Sh 1 / 10 C Tokyo 10 / 19 O 12 / 17 Sh Johannesburg 15 / 20 R 13 / 24 C
Jakarta Lagos 27 / 35 C 27 / 35 C
25 / 33 Rome 5 / 17 C 8 / 17 C Wellington 15 / 20 S 15 / 20 S
Vienna 4 / 13 Sh 4 / 12 O Yangon 24 / 37 C 23 / 39 C Nairobi 16 / 25 T 15 / 24 C
C H I NA DA I LY
‘Green burial’ encouraged
People are reluctant to let go of
traditional ways of resting in peace
By LAN TIAN
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — As China
embraces the 21st century,
the country still faces hurdles
promoting more environmen-
tally-friendly types of funeral
and interment like cremation,
sea burial and tree burial.
“The government has been
promoting new types of
green burial for years, which
can help avoid the waste of
social and natural resources,”
Li Bo, deputy director of the
social affairs department of
the Ministry of Civil Affairs
(MCA), said at a meeting on
Wednesday where he issued
the country’s first green book
on funeral development.
“The traditional concept
that the deceased can rest in
peace only by inhumation is
the most difficult aspect in the
promotion of green burials,
which have already become a
trend globally,” he said.
The green book was released
just days before the Qingming
Festival, or Tomb Sweeping
Festival, a traditional occasion
for commemorating the dead
in China, which falls on April
5 this year.
Cremation, which has
been encouraged since the
1950s, currently accounts for
nearly half of the interments
in China, according to the
green book.
Last December, the MCA
released a guideline on the
further reform of domestic
funeral and interment ser-
vices, urging local civil affairs
departments to draft prefer-
ential policies for promoting
environmentally-friendly
types of burial.
In 2008, Beijing began to
offer a free service to local resi-
dents who wish to bury their
deceased family members at
sea in a bid to ease pressure
on cemeteries.
A total of 481 families in
the capital chose burials at sea
in 2009, more than doubling
the number in 2008, accord-
ing to the Beijing civil affairs
bureau.
Warnings ignored before mine disaster
XIANGNING, Shanxi — A
failure to heed warnings that
water was seeping into the coal
shaft and a slow evacuation led
to at least 153 miners being
trapped in a mine in North
China’s Shanxi province, offi-
cials said on Wednesday.
An evacuation should have
been ordered immediately
after managers received reports
of water leakage, said Luo Lin,
director of the State Adminis-
tration of Work Safety.
Managers should have
evacuated miners, cut power
and suspended work at once,
he said. “The response should
have been much faster.”
Workers building the
Wangjialing Coal Mine had
warned supervisors twice late
on Sunday morning, about
two hours before the flood
occurred, said Jiang Shijie, a
manager of the Wangjialing
Coal Mine project.
Jiang received an emergency
phone call at about 1:40 pm
that water was pouring into
the shaft. He tried to contact
miners underground to raise
the alert, but could not reach
them.
Workers said that they had
noticed water coming in even
earlier — several days before
the disaster occurred.
“We found water leaks on
March 25 (Thursday) and
reported it to management,
but there was no response,”
said a worker who declined to
be named.
Another worker surnamed
Chen said he refused to enter
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0
PERCENTAGE OF BODIES
CREMATED IN CHINA
More than 9 million people die in China
every year.
60%
49%
50
40
30
27%
20
’87 ’89 ’91 ’95 ’99 ’01 ’03 ’05 ’07 ’08
Source: Ministry of Civil Affairs
However, sea burials are still
not as popular as they should
be among Beijingers, said
Jiang Xiaogang, secretary-
general of the Beijing Funeral
Association.
According to Jiang, burials
at sea became an option in
the capital in 1994, but so far
only around 6,000 have taken
place.
“Although we don’t have
relevant figures reflecting the
overall situation on the new
types of burial in the country,
evidence shows they are not
very popular among resi-
dents,” Li said.
As of last September,
authorities had shut down
175 illegal cemeteries across
the country and rectified the
improper operations of more
than 1,400 cemeteries, which
involved illegal marketing
and building cemeteries that
occupied land resources, the
green book showed.
“In contrast to the situation
in China, the green concept of
interment prevails in countries
like Australia and New Zea-
land, where some gravestones
are only of name card size.
This type of funeral suits China
because of the country’s scarce
land and huge population,”
Zhu Yong, deputy director of
a research institute under the
MCA and chief editor of the
green book, told China Daily
on Wednesday.
He suggested more favorable
policies and technical standards
should be formulated to pro-
mote the new types of burial.
“Authorities should invest
more in scientific research of
Water is pumped out of the Wangjialing Coal Mine in Shanxi province on Wednesday.
the pit on Saturday after no
dust came from his digging.
“That was the sign the flood
was coming.”
Authorities said altogether
261 workers were in the pit of
Wangjialing Coal Mine when
underground water gushed in
about 1:40 pm on Sunday.
A total of 108 were brought
to the ground while another
153 were trapped, according to
the rescue headquarters.
The floodwater had
dropped, but there was still
no communication with the
trapped workers as of 1 pm on
Wednesday, although about
A sea burial is held in Dalian, Liaoning province, on Sunday.
the new types of burial, while
ensuring they are affordable,”
said Gong Sen, a public poli-
cies researcher at the Develop-
ment Research Center of the
State Council.
On Wednesday, the China
Funeral Association also
posted www.tsingming.com,
an information portal for the
country’s funeral and inter-
ment services.
1,000 rescuers have been rac-
ing the clock to pump out water
and reach them.
Rescue headquarters also
said it might drill holes from
the ground to accelerate the
pumping process.
The Supreme People’s Procu-
ratorate has said it would send
its staff to supervise ongoing
investigations, which are cur-
rently monitored by the pro-
vincial procuratorate.
An initial investigation
showed that the project’s man-
agement had failed in water
detection and information
release, resulting in workers
The site enables families
and friends of the deceased to
commemorate their departure
online by posting a portrait
and eulogy, which is an envi-
ronmentally-friendly option,
said Wang Yuan, a member of
the website’s staff.
Traditionally, on the annual
Qingming Festival Chinese
burn incense sticks and imita-
tion paper money, as well as
YAN YAN / XINHUA
breaking through to an adja-
cent abandoned shaft that was
full of water, said a statement
from State Administration of
Work Safety.
The statement said as many as
14 teams were working under-
ground at the time to accelerate
the project, so a large number of
workers were trapped.
A worker from Central
China’s Hubei province said
the speed of work seemed to
have been the only order from
management and safety was
barely mentioned.
The mine, affiliated to the
State-owned Huajin Coking
REN YONG / XINHUA
offer sacrifices to the deceased
along with sweeping their
tombs.
According to the MCA,
during last year’s festival
about 400 million Chinese
visited cemeteries to com-
memorate deceased family
members, 100 million more
than in 2008. Zhu estimated
this year’s figure would at least
equal that of last year.
Coal Co Ltd, is a major project
approved by the provincial
government. It is expected to
produce 6 million tons of coal
annually once in operation.
Xinjiang mine collapse
In Northwest China’s Xinji-
ang Uygur autonomous region,
10 people have been trapped
underground after a coal mine
under construction collapsed
on Tuesday.
Twenty-one workers were
in the shaft when the acci-
dent happened about 10 am
at the Shajihai Coal Mine in
the autonomous county of
Hoboksar and 11 were lifted
safely to the ground, a county
government spokesman said.
The local authorities have
launched a rescue operation, he
said, adding that the cause of the
collapse is being investigated.
More than 110 people have
been dispatched to rescue the
trapped workers, but their
efforts have been hampered by
various difficulties, a spokes-
man with the Xinjiang coal
mine work safety bureau said
late on Tuesday.
“The collapse site is as deep
as 700 meters underground,
and the collapsed part is
estimated to be 500 to 600
cubic meters. The geological
structure underground is very
loose. In addition, water has
begun gushing into the shaft,”
he said.
“We have not established
contact with the trapped work-
ers so far,” he added.
XINHUA  CHINA DAILY
Dumping of baby
bodies due to local
customs: Experts
JINAN — The dumping of
21 baby bodies and fetuses in a
river in East China’s Shandong
province was due to old local
customs and a lack of regula-
tion, experts said.
In some parts of China,
especially in poor rural areas,
parents are reluctant to take
babies’ bodies home for a
funeral. They would rather
dump the body in a corner of
the hospital or pay someone to
bury the baby, said Ma Guang-
hai, deputy dean of Shandong
University’s school of philoso-
phy and social development.
According to regulations,
if a body is recovered from
a hospital corner, hospital
officials should register the
identification of the dead
baby, report the case to the
public security bureau and
then arrange for the baby’s
body to be cremated.
Abandoning a dead body
is an outdated practice related
to the high death rate of babies
in the past. A modern society
that respects life cannot allow
this type of abandonment,
Ma said.
Residents and firemen on
Monday found 21 fetuses
and baby bodies dumped
under a bridge crossing the
Guangfu River on the out-
skirts of Jining.
Eight of the 21 bodies had
tabs with clinic code numbers
attached to their feet. The tabs
showed the bodies were from
the Affiliated Hospital of Jin-
ing Medical University.
Mortuary workers Zhu
Zhenyu and Wang Zhijun
have been sacked by the hos-
pital and detained by police
for allegedly reaching verbal
Drug smuggler to be
executed on Monday
By WANG JINGQIONG
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — Mitsunobu
Akano, a Japanese citizen who
was convicted of attempting to
smuggle drugs from China to
Japan in 2006, will be executed
on Monday, official sources
said.
The Consulate of Japan in
Shenyang, capital of Northeast
China’s Liaoning province, has
received a letter from the Chi-
nese government about Mon-
day’s execution, an official
from the Japanese Embassy
in China, who would not be
named, told China Daily on
Wednesday.
Embassy officials have also
been told that another Japa-
nese drug trafficker would be
executed after Akano, but no
further details are available.
If the convict is executed, it
will be the first execution by
China of a Japanese national
since the two countries nor-
malized diplomatic relations
in 1972, according to Japanese
government sources.
The 66-year-old Akano was
arrested in September 2006
when he was meeting some-
one at an airport in Dalian
of Liaoning, attempting to
smuggle 2.5 kg of stimulant
drugs to Japan.
In June 2008, the Dalian
Intermediate People’s Court
handed down a death sen-
tence on Akano. He appealed,
but the sentence was finalized
after the High People’s Court
of Liaoning upheld it in 2009.
The High People’s Court of
Liaoning declined to give any
comment on Wednesday.
Eiji Kato, deputy coun-
selor-general of the Consul-
ate of Japan in Shenyang, on
Wednesday confirmed with
China Daily that Akano’s
execution had been sched-
uled, which he regretted.
“However, we understand
that each country has the
right to decide how to pun-
nation 3
agreements with the relatives
of the dead babies to dispose
of the bodies for a fee, Gong
Zhenhua, a city government
spokesman, said on Tuesday.
“They subsequently secretly
transported the bodies to the
Guangfu River, but they failed
to bury the bodies completely,”
he said.
Two senior officials, Li
Luning and He Xin, director
and deputy director of the
hospital’s logistics depart-
ment, have been removed
from their posts in the wake
of the incident.
A vice-president of the
hospital, Niu Haifeng, has
also been suspended from
his post.
Meanwhile, Jining health
bureau officials have offered a
public apology for their inef-
fective supervision.
Experts said regulations
must be introduced as soon as
possible to determine the legal
status of infant bodies. A regu-
lation that clarifies the proce-
dures for dealing with infant
bodies in a respectful manner
is needed, they added.
No legal definition for dead
infants or fetuses exists in
China, but classifying them
as “medical waste,” as many
hospitals do, is not appropri-
ate, said Cao Yongfu, deputy
director of the medical ethics
institute at Shandong Uni-
versity.
“There should be regulations
for dealing with infants’ bodies
and dead fetuses that comply
with both the law and folk
customs,” he said. “Otherwise,
there will always be loopholes
for hospital management.”
XINHUA  CHINA DAILY
ish crimes according to their
own situation and policy, and
it is an internal issue of China,”
Kato said.
“Yet we have been commu-
nicating with China’s Ministry
of Foreign Affairs because we
are concerned that the execu-
tion might hurt the feelings of
our people,” he said.
“The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, in a letter replying to
our ambassador, emphasizes
that China is very strict with
drug smugglers,” Kato said.
China’s Criminal Law stip-
ulates that people trafficking
more than 50 grams of heroin
can be given death sentences.
Last year a British drug
smuggler was executed and
received wide public atten-
tion from both China and
Britain.
Akmal Shaikh, a 53-year-old
British national, was executed
by lethal injection last Decem-
ber in Urumqi, capital of the
Xinjiang Uygur autonomous
region, after he was convicted
of smuggling a large quantity
of drugs into China.
Shaihk was caught carrying
up to 4,030 grams of heroin at
the Urumqi airport after arriv-
ing from Dushanbe, capital of
Tajikistan, on Sept 12, 2007.
Crimes concerning drugs
are universally recognized as
serious criminal offenses and
have a severe negative social
impact, said a statement from
China’s Supreme People’s
Court, concerning the execu-
tion of Shaikh.
The statement said the gen-
eral public in China and other
countries demanded severe
punishment for such crimes.
China’s Criminal Law stip-
ulates that everyone is equal
before the law and no one is
permitted to break the law,
and that criminals should
all be punished according
to law regardless of their
nationality.
Liu Ce contributed to this story.
4 nation T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 C H I NA DA I LY

around china
1 BEIJING
Ministry confirms disease in pigs
The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed an outbreak of
foot-and-mouth disease in pigs in northwestern Gansu
province on Tuesday, but claimed the epidemic was
under control.
The disease was first detected in 206 pigs in Yuzhong
county of Lanzhou, capital of the province, on March 14,
the ministry said in a statement on its website.
The area was sterilized and 1,089 infected pigs and
other livestock raised nearby were culled and disposed
of properly, it said.
This was the third outbreak of foot-and-mouth dis-
ease in pigs reported in China this month. The other
two outbreaks were in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, both
in southern Guangdong province.
Ministry makes budget transparent
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) made public its
annual budget of 2010 on Wednesday, becoming the
second ministry-level department to make its budget
transparent after the central government pledged to
publicize “where the money will come from and go to”
within three years.
1
2 The 40-meter-tall, saucer-shaped building covers an
4
3 rom the platform on the sixth floor.
($359 million). The fiscal revenue includes government
financial allocation and institutional funding. The
expenditures cover foreign affairs, earthquake relief
and social welfare.
The move comes after the Ministry of Land and
Resources posted its 2010 budget on its website on
Tuesday.
SHANGHAI
Expo cultural center complete
The Shanghai Expo Cultural Center was completed on
Wednesday after 27 months of construction.
rea of more than 67,000 square meters. Inside the build-
ng is an 18,000-seat theater. Visitors can get an excellent
iew of the Expo garden as well as the Huangpu River
The center is expected to stage two performances
ach day during the six-month Expo, which kicks off
n May 1.
GUANGXI
Police shootout victim’s family paid
The government of Fengshan county in Guangxi
Zhuang autonomous region has compensated the
family of a man who was accidentally shot dead by
the police, the local public security department said
on Tuesday.
The government paid 580,000 yuan ($84,954) in com-
pensation to the family of Luo Qimin on Sunday.
The incident occurred early on Saturday morning
when three Fengshan county policemen were trying
to control more than 10 vandals who were attempting
to destroy street lamps.
An officer fired a warning shot when he was besieged
by the knife-wielding men who refused to surrender.
Luo, 42, was watching the commotion from the fifth
floor of a nearby building. He was shot in his right eye
and died in hospital on Sunday morning.
An investigation by the local public security bureau
concluded the policeman fired the shot in an emergency
situation and he was in line with regulations.
4
SICHUAN
Girl killed in campus attack
A girl was killed and two others were injured in an
attack at a university campus in Southwest China’s Sich-
uan province, a teacher said on Wednesday.
The suspect, a male sophomore at Sichuan University’s
public management school, attacked a couple with a knife
at about 9:30 pm on Tuesday, killing the girl and severely
injuring the boy, the teacher said.
The suspect tried to attack another couple, but he was
subdued by a boy, who was slightly injured.
The identities of the victims have not been released.

Work dries up in rural areas Former official

Transfer of labor will address manpower shortages,
conserve water in drought areas, and provide livelihoods
By WANG HUAZHONG
CHINA DAILY
GUIDING, Guizhou — In
order to save water and offset
agricultural losses, Guiding
county in drought-hit Guizhou
province has started to mobilize
10,000 rural laborers to work in
eastern provinces facing man-
power shortages.
The most severe drought in
a century continues to wreak
havoc in Southwest China,
leaving 5.83 million Guizhou
residents struggling to find
drinking water.
Among them, more than
200,000 people are from Guid-
ing county. Official data from
the county government sug-
gests the drought has caused
direct agricultural losses total-
ing 95.19 million yuan ($13.9
shortage. We cannot estimate
when the rainy season will
come,” Yu told China Daily.
Neighboring Yunnan prov-
ince also intends to send more
migrants to work outside the
province as the drought wors-
ens.
Bai Enpei, Party chief of Yun-
nan, said this year the govern-
ment will try to increase the
number of migrant workers
from Yunnan by 500,000 to
800,000.
Bai said the authorities
will organize more migrants
to work in other parts of the
country, rather than let them
wait at home for water. This
will not only help tackle the
drinking water shortage, but
also increase their incomes,
he said.
The government will also
in-law and I will migrate to
work in Zhejiang province,”
she said.
“We lost most rape and wheat
due to be harvested by summer.
Working in other provinces can
utilize inactive labor forces and
subsidize agricultural losses,”
said Yu.
Currently, 17 companies
from Guangdong, Jiangsu and
Zhejiang provinces have said
they intend to hire 4,000 work-
ers from Guiding for the county
government.
The government requires
organizers to ensure each
migrant worker can achieve an
annual income of 8,000 yuan
and receive professional train-
ing for five days before they
leave home.
According to official statis-
tics, 4,093 rural laborers had
detained after
mistress killed
Previous district Party chief also
being investigated for corruption
By YU RAN
CHINA DAILY
WENZHOU, Zhejiang — A
former Party chief of Ouhai
district in Wenzhou has
been detained for allegedly
killing his mistress as well
as for corruption, media has
reported.
WANG ZHUO / XINHUA NEWS AGENCY On Wednesday, officials
A group of 500 migrant workers from the drought-hit Yunnan from the Zhejiang provin-
province arrive at a shoe-making factory in Yangzhou, Jiangsu cial department of public
province on March 28. Another 1,000 workers from Yunnan are security said that Xie Zaix-
expected to arrive soon. ing, former secretary of the
Ouhai district committee
Netizens found an online
memorial site for Shao, who
was in her 30s. More than
4,600 netizens had visited
the site by Wednesday, the
newspaper said.
Shao, who was previously
the deputy secretary of the
youth league of Sanmen
county, had an affair with
Xie for more than 10 years
since he worked as the mag-
istrate for the county, the
report said.
The Guangzhou-based
21st Century Business

million).
To fight the drought and
ensure the incomes of rural
households do not decrease,
offer free skills training and
organize job fairs, the official
said.
Lu Guangfu, a 41-year-old
Drought to get
left the county for work as of of the Communist Party of Herald reported on
March 26. China, was put into crimi- Wednesday that Xie was
However, officials estimate nal detention by the West also alleged to have been
the drought may have a limited Lake branch of Hangzhou involved in corruption

the county government issued
an order to lower governments,
calling on them to summon
10,000 laborers to be dispatched
to work in the Pearl River and
Yangtze River deltas from April
10.
“Having laborers work
outside of Guizhou will help
to ease the grim situation of
insufficient drinking water.
Nearly 91 percent of Guiding’s
rural population lacks water to
drink,” said Yu Ming, a local
government official.
“Moreover, it’s time for spring
cultivation, which is being seri-
ously hindered by the water
farmer from the Dexing town-
ship in Guiding, said he could
not plough his land because of
the drought.
“My land is as hard as stone.
Oxen refused to pull after a few
steps. Rain is needed to soften
and moisturize the land, so it is
soft enough to plough and plant
sprouts,” he said.
Ye Qinghong, 42, from the
county’s Dingdong village, said
tobacco seeds collectively sown
two months ago on 800 acres
had barely sprouted.
“We can’t plant without
sprouts. If the seeds do not grow
enough to sprout, my brother-
role in motivating farmers to
become migrant workers.
Xu Haitao, an employment
director for Guizhou labor
and social security bureau,
said numerous companies
recovering from the eco-
nomic downturn and facing
manpower shortages had
contacted his bureau, which
organized more than 100 job
fairs in March.
Alhough Guizhou’s labor
supply always exceeds demand,
employers from the deltas expe-
rience difficulty in hiring labor-
ers, partially because the wages
they offer are low, Xu said.
‘more serious’
BEIJING — The drought in
Southwest China will not only
continue but will get even more
serious, a senior water resources
official said on Wednesday.
A total of 116 million mu, or
7.73 million hectares, of arable
land has been affected in China
as of Tuesday, up from 114 mil-
lion mu last Friday, Liu Ning,
vice-minister of water resourc-
es, said at a press conference in
Beijing.
The drought, the worst in
a century, has had a serious
impact on the life of the locals
and on economic development,
leaving 24.25 million people
and 15.84 million farm animals
short of water, he said.
Liu attributed the drought in
Southwest China to inadequate
water storage facilities, ineffi-
cient use of water and declining
river flows, besides the more
obvious factors of less rainfall
and higher temperatures than
normal.
Recent rainfall, brought by
cloud seeding in the southwest-
ern regions, possibly provided
some relief to farm production,
but drinking water remains a
problem, he said.
“We should be fully prepared
for a longer and more serious
drought,” he said, adding the
rainy season does not usually
start in the southwestern region
until late May.
Cloud seeding was initiated
on Tuesday and Wednesday in
the drought-stricken Guangxi
Zhuang autonomous region,
but did little to ease the linger-
ing drought, local weather
department officials said.
The meteorological bureau of
Guangxi said it had carried out
29 cloud-seeding operations to
enhance rain amid drizzly and
overcast weather in the region.
A spokesman with the bureau
said most areas of Guangxi
received rain, with downpours
reported in 32 townships.
However, the northwestern
part of the region, worst hit
by the drought, received little
rainfall.
Liu also noted that the
drought may expand to north-
ern China, although conditions
are far less serious than those of
last year’s drought in the north.
China’s grain production
will not be badly affected, he
added, as the country’s major
grain production bases are in
the northern areas.
The arable land in the
drought-hit southwest stands
at 344 million mu (23 million
hectares), of which 260 mil-
lion mu (17 million hectares)
was used for grain production,
accounting for 16 percent of the
nation’s total, according to Liu.
As a damage control measure,
the central government had
issued 6.3 billion yuan ($922.4
million) to provide financial
support to drought-relief proj-
ects, alongside another 800
million yuan being allocated
for general financial support in
the affected areas, Liu said.
A total of 60 million cubic
meters of water has been sent
to drought-hit areas by con-
structing more than 20,000
km of pipelines and 4,307
new water projects, allocating
7,615 water tankers to help
with the relief and dig 180,000
wells, he said.
According to Yu Xinwen,
spokesman for the China
Meteorological Administra-
tion, the government would
prepare for more cloud seed-
ing, but it would mostly rely
on infrastructure building and
other engineering endeavors to
ease the situation.
XINHUA CHINA DAILY
public security bureau on
Sunday.
The Standing Committee
of Ouhai District People’s
Congress, or the legislature,
deprived Xie of his qualifi-
cation to serve as a deputy
to the Wenzhou People’s
Congress due to the allega-
tions.
A local police source told
China Daily that Xie was
arrested on Sunday after-
noon in a bathroom at a hotel
room in Wenzhou, where he
was temporarily staying. He
was taken to Hangzhou for
questioning and for further
investigation.
The 48-year-old Xie, who
is originally from Linhai in
Zhejiang, had held the posi-
tion as magistrate in Sanmen
county of Zhejiang.
While the police said the
investigation into Xie’s case
is ongoing, online forums in
Wenzhou have been specu-
lating that Xie is suspected
of murdering his mistress in
Hangzhou.
The Guangzhou-based
Yangcheng Evening News
said Xie is suspected of
choking his mistress, Shao
Huiling, with a quilt during
a quarrel at a hotel room in
Hangzhou.
Xie Zaixing (left), former Party chief of Ouhai district in
Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, is suspected of killing his
mistress, Shao Huiling (right).
during his previous term
in office as the magistrate
of Sanmen county.
The report said Xie had
illegally transferred 37 hect-
ares of farmland in a local
village in April 2003.
Xie’s case is not the first
time that officials at or
above county level have
been accused of illegal acts
in the past two years in
Wenzhou.
Yang Xianghong, the
former Party secretary of
Lucheng district in Wen-
zhou, who was suspected
of corruption, fled to France
during a business trip in Sep-
tember 2008.
Dai Guosen, the former
deputy Party secretary and
director of the Economic
and Technological Devel-
opment Zone of Wenzhou,
was sentenced to 13 years in
jail in November for taking
bribes of more than 1.5 mil-
lion yuan ($221,000).
Huang Anbo, a former top
official of Pinyang county in
Wenzhou, was given a jail
term of 11 years in December
for accepting bribes totaling
more than 740,000 yuan and
causing an economic loss of
more than 4 million yuan to
the State.
FILE PHOTO
C H I NA DA I LY T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 expo30-daycountdown 5

Wonders of the
World’s Fair
By WEI TIAN
CHINA DAILY
SHANGHAI — A robot
that cares for the elderly, a
car the size of a chair, a build-
ing made from soybeans and
a pill that gives you a full
medical examination are
just some of the experiences
awaiting visitors to Expo
2010 Shanghai.
“Everything begins with
Expo,” is the motto this
global event has carried for
more than 150 years. Previ-
ous innovations, including
the steam engine, electricity,
the telephone and the rocket
ship, are some of the epoch-
making inventions at Expos
throughout the years. And
the 2010 event will be no less
inspiring.
GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY
A bird’s-eye view of the Pudong section of Expo Park earlier this year. Inset: A picture of the same site in 2007.
“High-tech applications in
urban life will be highlighted
at Shanghai Expo,” said Hong
zero-carbon pavilion, a 2,500
sq m building in the UBPA
(Urban Best Practice Area).
The building sustains venti-
lation, heating and cooling
by using wind, solar and
thermo power.
Houses of the future will
be constructed faster and use
less materials and energy. An
example at Expo 2010 is the
Broad pavilion. The six-level
building was up and running
in just one day.
Meanwhile, the Japan
pavilion will feature a “life
wall” developed by Panason-
ic. This home entertainment
center combines a TV, com-
puter, DVD player and video
telephone. Multiple screens
can be displayed at the same
time on the wall.
With more control over
joint movement and walk-
ing technology, robots will
be able to provide house-

Pitch perfect:
Hao, Expo Bureau chief.
Technology will be put to
use from the moment visi-
tors enter Expo garden, with
RFID (Radio Frequency
Identification) embedded in
Expo tickets. This will reduce
keeping, care and nursing
services.
Another innovation by the
Japanese is the iReal, a chair-
sized car. A similar concept
is GM’s EN-V (Electric
Networked-Vehicle), which

Final touches
ticket checking time to less
than 20 seconds at entrances,
control crowds and root out
counterfeit tickets.
This technology will also
be used in the Expo busi-
ness card, a third method of
weighs less than 500 kg and
is only 1.5 m long.
Both models embody
the concept of future urban
transportation – a smaller
size and greater maneuver-
ability.

added to site
Testing time for security and crowd
control as pavilions race to the finish
By WANG ZHENGHUA
AND TANG ZHIHAO
CHINA DAILY
SHANGHAI — With only 30
days left, Shanghai is busy iron-
ing out kinks and making sure
it is ready for the most extrava-
gant Expo in 151 years.
The city is adding final
touches to infrastructure and
beautification projects and try-
ing to ensure all Expo pavilions
open on time.
At a press conference to
announce the 30-day count-
down to the start of Expo
2010, Shanghai’s vice-mayor
Yang Xiong denied earlier
reports that up to 20 percent
of pavilions will not be ready
by May 1.
Yang said delays are com-
mon for Expos and less than
10 percent of projects will have
a delayed start.
The delays are mostly caused
by problems transporting
pavilion exhibition materials
and the complicated design of
some structures.
While Expo organizers are
predicting that 70 million
people, mostly Chinese, will
visit the event, a number of
insiders told China Daily they
believe the number will top 100
million.
Because of this, security is
a huge concern, especially in
the wake of this week’s suicide
bombings at metro stations
in Moscow, which killed 39
people.
But organizers are confident
they can keep a lid on such
threats by imposing tight
checks on entrances to Expo
garden, Yang said. No liquids,
sharp items, matches or lighters
will be allowed into Expo.
X-ray scans of commut-
ers’ carry bags have been
expanded to all metro stations
in Shanghai.
Another concern for orga-
nizers is crowd control at Expo
entrances, where an average of
400,000 people will be passing
through daily.
From April 20, six trial runs
will be held at Expo garden,
involving between 50,000 and
500,000 people each time, to
try and solve any congestion
problems that may arise dur-
ing Expo.
According to the city’s tour-
ism authority, the testers will
be Expo construction workers
and volunteers from Shanghai,
and Jiangsu and Zhejiang prov-
inces. Among these are 30,000
travel agents.
On April 25, up to 500,000
people will take part in the last
trial run, with 350,000 of them
from Shanghai.
A total of 23 activities,
including a flag-hoisting cer-
emony at the China pavilion,
an Expo parade and other
cultural performances, will be
included in the trials, which
will run from 9 am to 11:30 pm
to mirror the opening hours of
Expo garden.
Organizers hope such trials
will help test Expo garden’s
capabilities of handling tick-
The ‘Oriental Crown’ as it looked on May 1, 2009 (bottom) and
pictured again in March 2010 (top).
eting, security checks, park-
ing, traffic flow, sightseeing,
dining and use of sanitary
facilities.
Operation and emergency
systems will also be put to the
test, feedback collected and
improvements made.
Meanwhile, Zhejiang and
Jiangsu are gearing up for the
spillover effect from Expo.
Neighboring Zhejiang,
which is expected to receive
around 20 million visitors
ASIANEWSPHOTO
between May 1 and Oct 31, is
working to ensure its tourists
will be well informed during
their visit.
Around 100 information
centers in the provincial capi-
tal of Hangzhou have been set
up to provide multilingual ser-
vices. The local government is
also planning to give away free
travel coupons to visitors to the
Zhejiang pavilion at Expo. The
coupons can be used to offset
some entrance fees.
payment other than cash and
credit cards.
Incandescent lights glowed
from the Eiffel Tower at the
1889 Paris Expo, but Thomas
Edison’s invention will be
eschewed for LED lighting,
accounting for more than 80
percent of lighting at Expo
garden.
Recycling is another inno-
vation that is being widely
adopted for the event — from
staff uniforms at the German
pavilion to the external cur-
tain of the Swiss pavilion,
which is made from natural
products, such has soybean
fiber.
The environmentally
friendly concept is pushed
to its limit at the London
GM’s EN-V was launched in Shanghai late last month.
“It provides an ideal solu-
tion for urban mobility that
enables future driving to be
free from petroleum and
emissions, free from con-
gestion and accidents, and
more fun and fashionable
than ever before,” said Kevin
Wale, president and manag-
ing director of GM China
Group.
Future medical examina-
tions will be made easier with
an ingenious tablet developed
in Israel and on display at that
country’s pavilion.
The capsule, which is
ingested, carries a micro
camera that can photograph
internal organs so medical
examiners can determine
any problems.
PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

bestwishes
EDITOR’S NOTE: With only one month to go before the opening of Shanghai Expo, China Daily
has invited ambassadors and foreign diplomats to express their warm wishes for the World’s Fair.

“We’re really approaching the final stage now.
Ninety-nine percent of the con-
struction has been completed.
The Chinese visitors will be
very welcome, and they will see
many things from our country.
There will be some special mod-
els showing the history of our
society. It’s a presentation of our
country in an untraditional way.”
LIBOR SEKA
CZECH REPUBLIC’S AMBASSADOR
“The economic crisis happened just when we
were about to invest in our Expo
project, so we’ve been facing
some funding shortages. But
with the strong support of the
government, we finally managed
to maintain our presence at the
event, at very much the same
scale as we originally planned...
we hope through Expo we can
have more companies invest in our country.”
RAFAL BANIAK
POLAND’S DEPUTY MINISTER OF ECONOMY
“The Italy pavilion will give visitors the best of
the best. Expo will not only
bring China closer to Italy,
but also to other European
countries. Our exhibition will
mainly present our culture,
economy and technology, all
of which has been accom-
plished within the frame of
our cooperation with China.”
RICCARDO SESSA
ITALIAN AMBASSADOR
“After 2007, the cultural year of China and Spain,
the two countries have been
intensifying their relationship.
Spain’s presence at Expo 2010
will be an exhibition of this
friendship. We’ve put a lot of
effort into our preparations,
and we hope the exhibition
of music, art and dancing
will give visitors a concept of
Spain’s local conditions and customs, and whet
their appetite to visit the country.”
CARLOS BLASCO
SPANISH AMBASSADOR
“This will be an historic Expo, the biggest ever. New
Zealand was one of the first coun-
tries to accept China’s invitation
to participate and we are making
a major commitment to it. For a
country of 4.3 million people, our
investment of around US$25 mil-
lion speaks for itself. We are very
grateful for the excellent site the Chinese authorities
have given us. The New Zealand pavilion is going to
be a distinctive one. We look forward to welcoming
our Chinese friends to our pavilion.”
MURRAY MCCULLY
NEW ZEALAND’S MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
“Sweden has excellent, longstanding and grow-
ing ties with China. The overall
theme of the Swedish pavilion
— Spirit of Innovation — con-
veys the message that Sweden
is consistently ranked as one of
the world’s most innovative na-
tions. Shanghai Expo will also
highlight and strengthen Sino-
Swedish cooperation in fields such as sustainable
urban planning and environmental technology.”
MIKAEL LINDSTROM
SWEDISH AMBASSADOR
“Please visit the Thai pavilion
to experience the Thai way of
life and exotic Thai food.”
KANDA VAJRABHAYA
THAILAND’S DEPUTY PERMANENT SECRE-
TARY AT THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL DEVELOP-
MENT AND HUMAN SECURITY
“I am pleased to announce that for the first time
ever, Denmark has decided to
let the world-famous sculp-
ture of The Little Mermaid
leave Danish territory to take
part in Expo 2010, where
she will become the center
of attention at the Danish
pavilion. Allowing The Little
Mermaid to travel to Shanghai
is a gesture of friendship and trust between our
two countries, as we in 2010 are also celebrat-
ing the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations
between Denmark and China. Just like China,
Denmark emphasizes sustainable, green cities
and our pavilion is a token of this. I have great
expectations for Expo 2010 and I am convinced
that it will be a unique and unforgettable experi-
ence for all of us.”
JEPPE TRANHOLM-MIKKELSEN
DANISH AMBASSADOR
6 expo30-daycountdown T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 C H I NA DA I LY

Memo from
Mexico signals
new literary
wave in China

‘‘
By MATT HODGES Smile and the world smiles with you. Grace under pressure.
CHINA DAILY

SHANGHAI — A new Chi-

nese-language book about a
Mexican journalist’s personal
experience of the past five
World Expos, up to Zaragoza
2008 in Spain, could mark
the start of the next literary
trend as millions of foreigners
clamor to study Mandarin.
Destination: Expo by Guill-
ermo Garcia Tirado does not
exhibit the literary prowess of
Lu Xun (1881-1936), consid-
ered the founder of modern
Chinese literature. It also
skims over the first 130 years
of World Expos, unlike the
detailed World of Exposition
Reader by the Shanghai Infor-
mation Office.
But what makes it unique
is Garcia’s infectious passion
for Expo, and China, and its
more contemporary focus,
while showing how foreign
writers are beginning to key
into the Chinese market. He
even divided the book into
eight chapters for Chinese-
style good luck.
Garcia, who goes by the
nickname Memo, and who
stylizes his signature to look
like a bicycle, claims it is the
first book ever published
directly in Chinese by a Mexi-
can — albeit with the aid of a
Shanghainese translator.
“It’s a tool for better appre-
ciating the Expo,” said the
27 year old, who has been
In my opinion, (Expo)
is even better than the
Olympic Games be-
cause it is accessible
to everyone. Expos
are also friendlier
because there is no
rivalry or competition
to win a gold medal.”
GUILLERMO GARCIA
TIRADO
AUTHOR
read. Garcia humanizes what
for many is a bewildering
event and stresses that Expo
“is by no means a trade fair
like the Canton Fair”, while
explaining its relevance and
how much fun it can be.
He also reminds readers of
the heritage and relevance of
Expo, which was born in the
1850s as a battle for brag-
ging rights between colonial
powers England and France,
before it went global the fol-
lowing century.
“I get the impression he’s
taken this (Shanghai) Expo as
a shift between the old world
and the new, but I can’t read
it so I don’t know,” said Pete
Ford, creative director of the
Australian pavilion. Candidates hoping to work as attendants in the Shandong pavilion receive etiquette training in the provincial capital of Jinan last month.
Shanghai Expo books are

Interns vie to see who’s

a fanatic of the World’s Fair
since attending Seville 1992,
at the age of nine.
“Many Chinese visitors
have no idea what to expect
(of Shanghai 2010), but this
gives them a background
hardly thin on the ground
these days — 73 English-lan-
guage books on the subject
were displayed at last year’s
Frankfurt International Book
Fair alone — but Garcia’s is
more personal. In this respect

the fairest of them all

and a personal narrative,”
he said.
With all its trivia and tid-
bits — visitors were able to
climb up the right arm of the
Statue of Liberty at Phila-
delphia 1876, for example
— pop-quiz lovers will
appreciate it, but will your
average Chinese?
“Chinese people tend to
pay attention to the techni-
cal side, such as how the
pavilions are built, because
the media leads them to
that, whereas Westerners are
interested in the event and
the party aspect,” said Jesse
Jia, who spent five months
translating the book. “I
wanted to combine both.”
At 22 yuan ($3.22) a copy,
it’s affordable and easy to
Guillermo Garcia Tirado flashes a copy of his newly published
book Destination: Expo at a launch event on Tuesday night.
it is closer to World Expo
and Me by former Chinese
Ambassador to France Wu
Jianmin.
As Ted Allan, honorary
president of the Bureau of
International Expositions,
once said: “World’s Fairs are
the intellectual equivalent of
the Olympics.” China flexed
its muscle in 2008 at the
Beijing Games. Now in 2010
it is using its brain and, said
Garcia, so should we.
“In my opinion, (Expo)
is even better than the
Olympic Games because it
is accessible to everyone,”
Garcia said.
“Expos are also friendlier
because there is no rivalry or
competition to win a gold
medal.”
PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
Customer care is
key at Expo Center
as job applicants
feel the pressure
By YU RAN
CHINA DAILY
SHANGHAI — Competition for
jobs at the Expo Center is so intense
that interns are holding competitions
in their down time to stay sharp and
gain an edge.
“We make up general knowledge
contests and dish out punishments
to losers, such as having them run
up and down the stairs carrying
other people’s lunch or water,” said
21-year-old Qin Yu, who is interning
as a meeting room attendant.
“We’re all afraid we won’t get the
chance to sign a contract with the
Expo Center, so we have to work
harder.”
Qin changed her major at uni-
versity from shipping to customer
service because the global financial
crisis had dented the number of new
hires among shipping companies.
Also, her parents insisted she find a
job more suited to a woman.
The Expo Center, one of four main
buildings at the Expo site that will not
be torn down in October when Expo
2010 ends, provides many opportuni-
ties for young people starting out on
their careers. It also houses the media
center, where most of the press con-
ferences will be held. This makes the
job of the meeting-room attendants
more high-profile.
Interns wanting to be signed up
have to attend training sessions one
day a month at the Shanghai Exhibi-
tion Center. The sessions can throw
anything at them, from VIP tea-pour-
ing to weight-lifting exercises using
household products.
“It was quite difficult to handle the
It’s a pleasure to meet you — applicants practice shaking hands as a form of
greeting for their prospective jobs as meeting-room attendants.
movements for tea pouring without
substantial practice,” said Qin, trying
not to spill any of the boiling water on
the table linen despite her trembling
hands.
Chen Su, a 23-year-old German
major, said she applied to the center’s
customer service department because
repetitive work drives her up the
wall.
“This job will allow me to meet dif-
ferent people every day, so it will be
fun,” she said. But the training course
was taking its toll. On several occa-
sions Chen was instructed to fill a tray
with bottled mineral water and hold it
in her left hand for five minutes.
“I’ve never done this kind of thing
before. If the bottles fall off, they make
us hold the tray for another five min-
utes.” She said it takes her half an hour
to recover when she finishes work.
Ren Xiaoxia, also 23, finds the work
GONG HUI / XINHUA
easier because she has spent the last
two years waiting on politicians at the
Shanghai People's Political Consulta-
tive Conference.
“The only change for me is the
makeup we’re told to apply, which
was quite heavy before, but now it’s
more natural-looking. The English is
also difficult,” she said. “We have to be
able to describe different tables and
stuff like that.”
This problem is compounded for
the center’s receptionists, who are
on the front line of foreign-language
communication and have to memo-
rize large amounts of information.
“I have to memorize all of the
tourist guidelines in both Chinese
and English,” said recent graduate
Xu Jiafei, who worked as an admin-
istrator for several months before
applying.
“We’re always role playing to
familiarize ourselves with various
situations. This is nerve wracking,”
she said.
Organizers are placing a strong
emphasis on appearance. The cen-
ter has arranged special sessions for
makeup and skin protection by invit-
ing speakers from the official Expo
cosmetics partner, Shiseido.
“Make-up helps build confidence,”
said training supervisor Yu Ye. “For
eye shadow, we recommend they use
a natural tone but for lips, it’s really
got to be bright red.”
The trainees are banned from wear-
ing accessories, polishing their nails
and dying their hair.
“They’re fairly strict,” said Ren of
the guidelines. “I was asked to dye
my hair back to black before report-
ing for work.”
Customer care is not just confined
to the people working inside the
center.
Outside, the 3,500 police officers
who will be on duty during Expo
have been asked to brush up on their
social skills by attending a week-long
course on dressing, etiquette, Expo
knowledge and how to deal with
accidents and emergencies.
A specially written guidebook
specifies that officers are not allowed
to eat pungent foods such as onions
or garlic before their shifts. Some have
to attend up to 20 training courses in
seven days.
Tens of thousands of staff will work
at the site during the 184-day Expo,
which is expecting at least 70 mil-
lion visitors. Training is ongoing. For
some, it never ends; for others, it’s the
best antidote for disaster.
“We don’t believe you can ever
prepare too much,” said Dai Jing, a
customer relations coordinator at
the center. “We want visitors to leave
here with a new idea of what service
really means.”
Tang Zhihao contributed
to this story.
C H I NA DA I LY T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 coverstory 7

What the labels C12H10-XBrxO

Brominated diphenyl ethers
JACKET

These chemicals are applied

to textiles to make them flame
resistant. They do not degrade
quickly and cause infertility,

don’t sa
a low sperm count and affect
the body’s hormones. They
also disrupt the female egg
cycle. In waters with a high
concentration of brominated
diphenyl ethers, male fish
have been found with female
eggs in them.

T
extile mills are one of the most environmentally harm-
ful kinds of factories in China, using vast quantities of
water and energy and often emitting what the Natu-
ral Resources Defense Council’s Linda Greer calls a
“noxious cocktail” of chemicals. Fierce competition to
offer lower prices, consumer demands and increased
government regulation has started to push some factories to be more
efficient by reducing their chemical, water, and energy consumption.
But many factory owners remain reluctant to pay for proper treatment
C27H48O20
of the chemicals they use, preferring to simply dump them into nearby Starch
rivers and lakes. Here’s a brief introduction to what goes into making JACKET

Starch is used to stiffen cotton

your clothes — and what it can do to you if it is allowed to leak into the fibers prior to weaving them
into cloth. Although non-toxic
environment without proper treatment. to humans, when discharged
DANIEL CHINOY into rivers or streams, starch
can kill fish in large numbers
because the process in which

Textiles: Factory bosses learn starch is broken down by

naturally occurring bacteria
sucks all the oxygen out of

how to cut costs, pollution the water.

FROM PAGE 1

government and the NRDC. “So that is the win-win we can get here: NaClO
improving resource efficiency in a way that you can reduce costs and Sodium hypochlorite
SHIRT
protect the environment at the same time.”
There are roughly 50,000 textile mills in China – more than 100 in Sodium hypochlorite is
commonly used to bleach
Changshu alone – producing everything from pillows and blankets fabric prior to dyeing.
to clothes, bags and even fabric used in car interiors. Despite a large If discharged into the
drop in demand as a result of the economic crisis, China exported environment, it can react with
organic compounds to create
nearly $160 billion in textiles last year. Changing the way the nation’s dioxins, a type of chemical
textile mills operate is clearly no easy task. which does not degrade easily
“Textile production is one of the most polluting industries in and can cause cancer.
China,” Greer told China Daily. “People don’t think of this as being a
heavy industry, but when you look at the energy and water consump-
tion, it really is.” In the process of making clothes, mills emit what she
calls a “noxious brew” of chemicals, and use enormous amounts of
energy and water – up to 200 tons just to make 1 ton of fabric. NaOh
Alkali (caustic soda)
Factory managers in China also still have many incentives to dis-
regard “green” concerns. Local government officials often do not
C8HF15O2 SHIRT

Perfluorooctanoic acid
This chemical is used to scour
enforce environmental regulations in order to boost production and JACKET and precondition fibers prior
GDP figures. Relentless demands for cheaper prices from multina- to dyeing. In concentrated
This chemical is used to doses, it can cause severe
tionals like Wal-Mart also leave factories reluctant to spend money make clothes stain and water irritation, chemical burns,
on sustainability. After all, “there are a lot of ways to be more efficient repellant. Perfluorooctanoic and pulmonary endema,
that are not necessarily more environment friendly”, said Meghla acid does not degrade easily. a condition where fluid
If ingested, it simply stays in accumulates in the lungs.
Bhardwaj, associate editor-in-chief at Global Sources, a consultancy the body, and can therefore be
that helps connect companies with potential suppliers. passed from prey to predator,
However, fierce competition and growing consumer pressure increasing concentration
are beginning to force suppliers to take environmental issues more
as it moves up the food
chain in a process called
NP9EO
Alkylphenol ethoxylate
seriously, said Bhardwaj. “More and more suppliers are realizing that bioaccumulation. UNDERWEAR
eco-friendly measures such as recycling and waste reduction can Alkylphenol ethoxylates
help lower their production costs and improve profitability.” are used in detergents and
“Factories in China are increasingly focused on efficiency,” added
C9H6Cl6O3S scouring agents to clean
fabric and remove any wax or
Wang Hua, director of the ecology department at the Jiangsu Envi- Endosulfan grease before dyeing. These
SHIRT
ronmental Protection Bureau. “The government’s environmental chemicals do not degrade
Endosulfan is a pesticide used easily in nature and are
regulations are increasingly strict but factories are also looking for on cotton. It can damage the thought to cause reproductive
ways to reduce their costs.” nervous system and cause and hormonal problems.
cancer. Twenty-five percent
of all pesticides worldwide
Waste not, want not are used in the production of
The Responsible Sourcing Initiative began at the RedBud Tex-
tile Mill, a collection of grimy buildings that house fabric dyeing
cotton, making it one of the
most chemical-intensive crops R-N=N-R
Azo dyes
grown today. SHIRT
machines and water treatment facilities in Changshu.
In 2007, the mill was flagged as an especially polluting mill in a Though there are many kinds
survey by the Jiangsu Academy of Sciences and the NRDC. The CH2O of dyes, azo dyes are the most
common. Some of them can
factory’s owner, Frank Liu, realized this was as much a business Formaldehyde degrade into substances that
problem as an environmental and regulatory challenge when he COLLARED SHIRT are potent carcinogens when
got a call from Wal-Mart, one of his major customers, suggesting Formaldehyde is used released into the environment.
he talk to the NRDC about ways to address the issue. as an anti-creasing and
anti-shrinking agent. It is
“We know that sustainable business practices in the long term a strong nasal irritant and
cost all of us less,” said Eleanor Wright, Wal-Mart’s raw materials causes cancer.
director, adding that suppliers who focus on efficiency and sustain-
ability are more likely to get the company’s business. Wal-Mart also
recently launched a program with its top 200 suppliers to find ways
MnO4-
to improve energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2012, the company Permanganate
said.
BLUE JEANS SiO2
In response to the NRDC’s recommendations, which included Permanganate is a harsh Silica
bleach used to lighten the color BLUE JEANS
ways to reuse hot water and water used to wash dye residue off newly of blue jeans and make them
colored cloth, Liu spent about 500,000 yuan ($73,000) on efficiency look worn. It is highly corrosive This chemical is released
and dangerous to the skin during a process called “sand
improvements that he said reduced water use by 23 percent and and eyes. Permanganate also blasting” that is used to
coal use by 11 percent. As a result, he now saves about 5.7 million causes lung irritation and can make blue jeans look white
yuan annually. damage the central nervous and faded. It causes lung
system. inflammation and sometimes
RedBud has also become more attractive to potential customers also can lead to a fatal lung
concerned that their suppliers are in compliance with environmen- disease called silicosis.
tal regulations, he said. “We’re a greener factory now, and we’re more Na2O4S2
competitive,” he declared proudly. Sodium dithionite
BLUE JEANS
Drawing on its success at RedBud, the NRDC extended its efforts
to several other factories, slowly developing the best practices pre- This chemical is used with
the blue indigo dye that is
sented at Monday’s conference. Eventually, Greer hopes to expand used to dye blue jeans. It can
the program to textile mills across China. cause irritations in the nose,
“We appreciate the fact that China has so many thousands of mouth and throat, as well
as nausea and headaches
Up clothes
factories but they do not have a regulatory system that is to scale,” in workers. If discharged
said Greer. “So the only way to make this work is to have something into lakes and rivers without and personal
that’s self-reinforcing. If you come up with ways to save money that treatment, it also very quickly
and severely depletes the Ever wonder what your
are good for production, that should be self-reinforcing.” oxygen in the water when
Major multinationals including Gap, Levi Strauss, H&M, Nike it degrades, killing fish and clothes look like, really
other aquatic animals. close up? Although we
and Hong Kong-based middleman Li and Fung, have also agreed
can’t see the chemical
to cooperate, and Greer hopes they will push their suppliers for
efficiency improvements the way Wal-Mart did with RedBud. C6HCl5O makeup of the clothes,
using a macro lens at five
“The biggest challenge is to go beyond the models and the pilots Pentachlorophenol times life size, the basic
SOCKS
and get at something that’s really at the scale of the problem,” she structure of our clothing is
said. “Bringing something to scale in a country like China is really Pentachlorophenol is used revealed.
a challenge.” as a preservative to keep
insects and mold out of GRAPHIC AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY
If the reaction of those attending the conference in Changshu is textile fabrics. But it does not JONAH M. KESSEL / CHINA DAILY
any guide, it may not be insurmountable. As the meeting drew to a degrade easily if discharged
into the environment, and can
close, seven of the factory managers had already signed up with the cause cancer if it accumulates
SOURCE: China Daily interviews
with Linda Greer, Natural
NRDC to explore possible improvements in their mills. in large quantities. Resources Defense Council
8 C H I N A D A I L Y. C O M . C N / O P I N I O N T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 C H I NA DA I LY

Comment editorials • opinion

CHINADAILY C H I N A F O R U M | WA N G S H A O J I E

US patching things up
EDITORIALS
Seek truths from numbers
CHINA’S WARM RESPONSE TO THE POSITIVE
Nation should improve compiling of statistics in fast-changing
remarks by United States President Barack Obama and other world and begin including a full range of individuals

N
US officials this week indicates that Beijing is willing to work
with Washington to bring bilateral ties out of troubled waters.
Obama said the US-China relationship is both comprehen- ational statistics Second, the statistical range is too tional financial crisis, the nation’s
sive and important after he met with China’s new ambassador have a crucial narrow when surveying the average registered urban unemployment
Zhang Yesui on Monday. Deputy Secretary of State James bearing on the salary of urban workers. According rate in 2009 was at 4.3 percent.
Steinberg told reporters in Washington that the US position government’s to NBS data in July 2009, the year- In fact, since 2003 the rate has
on the one-China policy remains unchanged. Steinberg also decision-mak- on-year growth rates of both the been ranging between 4.0 and 4.3
reaffirmed that Washington considers Tibet a part of China ing if policies average wage of on-duty staff and percent. The official figure of the
are imple- workers and per capita disposable registered urban unemployment
and does not support the “independence of Tibet”.
mented efficiently. They also greatly income of urban residents exceeded was 4.2 percent in 2008. However,
It’s been widely publicized that the crux of the tension between inform about people’s daily lives. 10 percent. Netizens quickly statistics by the Chinese Academy
the two countries was Washington’s multibillion-dollar arms sale Recently, China’s statistical work has swarmed on what they believed of Social Sciences said it was 9
to Taiwan and Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama. Recently, taken a hit for its capacity, quality was skewed data, mocking how percent, far exceeding the interna-
visits by high-ranking officials from both sides have helped and credibility in detailing the eco- “income has now increased”. tional warning line of 7 percent.
bridge the gap between the two nations and help renew efforts to nomic globalization and how the The huge gap between the data Due to a large number of unregis-
strengthen bilateral ties. The conciliatory remarks from Obama nation’s information technology is and what residents think the data tered, unemployed people and the During the nation’s cur-
and other US officials will hasten the healing process. advancing. really should be reflects the fault in exclusion of farmers, the officially rent accelerated process
The China-US relationship is undoubtedly the most impor- Though the National People’s the delimitation of statistical range. released registered unemployment of industrialization and
tant bilateral ties currently in the world. After so many ups and Congress (NPC) Standing Com- According to the existing statisti- rate is remarkably lower than the
downs, Washington should have learned by now that each step mittee passed the revised “Statistics cal system, the average wage of surveyed unemployment rate. urbanization, people
back in their relations has been triggered by its disrespect of Law of the People’s Republic of on-duty staff and workers in urban During the nation’s current are concerned with the
and interference into Beijing’s core interests. This is essentially China” in June 2009, raising the units only covers State-owned accelerated process of industrializa-
hopes of many at the time, the real- units, urban collective units, as tion and urbanization, people are
State affairs and have
why ties have gone through such a bumpy ride.
The stable growth in ties not only caters to the interests of the ity is that China’s statistical work is well as joint-stock and foreign- concerned with the State affairs shown enthusiasm for
far from satisfactory. funded units while excluding and have shown enthusiasm for participation.
two countries but also plays an important role in world peace First, the aggregate of provincial private enterprises, self-employed participation. It is imperative for
and its development. GDP figures often exceeds the individuals and migrant workers, the authorities to further improve
Without participation and cooperation between the two, it’s national figure, calculated by the which account for 70 percent of the credibility of statistics to meet Second, we should actively
no exaggeration that many international initiatives tackling a National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). the nation’s total workers. So the the needs of economic and social attempt to reform the nation’s sta-
number of major global crises would not have succeeded. For example, the national GDP current statistical methods do not development. To do this, there are tistical system and methods, and
Thus, a warmer Sino-US relationship is a result all in the growth in 2009 was 8.7 percent, reflect the actual income of urban four things the government could adopt the internationally accepted
international community wish to see. To our delight, Washing- while 28 provinces (or municipali- residents. accomplish. accounting methods to compile
ton and Beijing are working toward that direction now. ties) reported a year-on-year GDP Third, the registered urban First, the government should GDP statistics. Double counting of
growth higher than 8.7 percent. unemployment rate does not reflect strengthen law enforcement and data should be avoided to ensure
The disparity between the national the actual employment landscape. supervision. Those who violate the authenticity of the statistics.
and provincial data has tarnished Employment is the priority on the the rules and fabricate data for the Statisticians should be given
More inflation sparks the nation’s credibility in compiling
data, with negative effects felt both
Party agenda and the government
in improving people’s livelihood.
purpose of winning a promotion
should be penalized according to
enough time to do their duties to
obtain true numbers.
at home and abroad. Though subjected to the interna- the law. Third, adhere to the principles
THE WARNING FROM THE AUTHORITIES WAS of “put people first” and “seek the
loud and clear: Food producers, such as the factories located truth with facts”, and adjust the
in Liuzhou and Nanning of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous survey range and subjects as soon
region who collectively raised the wholesale prices of uncooked LI FENG as possible. We should immediately
rice noodle in January, will receive heavy penalties for ramping calculate the real unemployment
up their prices. rate in cities, which should include
As the worst drought in decades shows little sign of easing migrant workers. The number of
in Southwest China, it is a matter of urgency for policymakers rural people who do not have a job
to brace for a hard fight against inflation. must also be counted and made
But it’s not enough in dealing with inflation, nor is it effective public.
Fourth, increase public participa-
for authorities to simply intensify their enforcement against
tion in statistical work and timely
price hikes and crack down on price gouging. inform the public about the survey
Though the measures are attempts to keep a lid on domestic range, indicators, calculation meth-
prices, the initiatives can do little about the surge of interna- ods and sample selection. The NBS
tional prices for important commodities that will eventually should enhance coordination and
stoke domestic consumer inflation. labor division with different sectors
For instance, if international iron ore prices double this year, and local authorities. And more
it is more than likely that domestic steel prices will soar by a special poll organizations are wel-
large margin, pushing up the cost of household necessities such comed. The authority could encour-
as domestic appliances. age nongovernmental organizations
The measures to prevent the huge rises in domestic prices also and third-party institutions (includ-
can’t replenish the supply or check demands to tame inflation. ing academic institutions) to engage
The dry weather has been ravaging Southwest China for in statistical work to strengthen
months and has sparked fears of an inflation in food prices. If the supervision and form a statistical
work system.
country has an abundance of food reserves, it is the government’s
duty to mobilize these food reserves to drought-hit areas. The author is a standing member of
More importantly, if the rise in domestic prices is stronger than the National Committee of the Chi-
expected, policymakers should tighten the credit tap quickly. nese People’s Political Consultative
The government has anticipated a 3-percent consumer Conference and a professor at Wuhan
inflation for this year. But that inflation target was announced University.
before the drought became so serious. What this country needs
is preemptive monetary tightening to effectively check upward
trends on prices.
LI XING

Before you cry for Wei Lei Choosing roots in earth, water or fire
F
WHEN THIEVES FATALLY STABBED WEI LEI, THE
vigilante leader of volunteers crusading against pickpockets in or many people, talk about
Guangdong province, public indignation rang out. True, the death and burial is taboo.
man deserves admiration and respect for his bravery, and thieves They’ll only consider it
must be brought to justice, but there is more to the story. when they must, when a
loved one passes away.
Wei Lei was once jailed for seven months for beating a pick-
That is why I was taken aback
pocket. Members of his team of volunteers admitted that they when my mother asked me what
would give thieves a good thrashing. There are other examples, kind of burial we arranged for my
but what they essentially did was taking the law into their parents-in-law.
hands and that’s illegal in any country. Until my mother brought it up,
The line is very thin between what is legal and illegal when it I had not given it a thought. They
comes to the way organizations catch and subdue pickpockets. are both in their “golden” 70s, each
They should not go beyond reporting and sending the thieves enjoying separate pursuits. My
to police. We should never justify the means with the ends, nor mother recently began to play the
allow any ordinary person with a sense of justice to enforce the piano, an “exercise for both the body
law. and the mind”, she said.
The existence of voluntary organizations should be well I shouldn’t have been surprised,
managed and closely monitored. If necessary, these individuals however. It’s that time of year. Tomb
should be trained to function only as an auxiliary to the police. Sweeping Day falls on Monday, and
A lack of public safety or order is usually caused by the der- millions of people have visited their
loved ones in cemeteries over the
eliction of duty or corruption on the part of the local police.
past two weekends.
It likely won’t be necessary for the existence of these voluntary Tomb sweeping is a hot topic in
teams had the local police done a better job in cracking down the media and on the Internet these
on thieves. There have been reports that some police officers days, with many discussions focus-
get booty from pickpockets in return for protection. ing on different types of burials.
Though it’s good for these volunteers to have a strong sense An overwhelming majority of
of justice, it’s worrisome that many of them are playing the roles Chinese now accepts cremation,
of police officers. but most still prefer to be buried in
the ground. Age-old tradition, both
here and elsewhere, dictates that
final rest is ensured when one is bur-
ied underground. In Chinese, the
expression is ru (enter) tu (the earth)
wei (is) an (rest).
My cousins regularly pay their
respects to my grandparents and
my aunt, whose graves are in their
village. Last year, my cousins had
to relocate my aunt’s remains when
work started on a railway that runs
through part of the old cemetery.
Many Chinese also subscribe to
the belief that one will have years
added to one’s life once a burial site
is secured. Of the 200 tombstones
erected in one cemetery in Wuxi, 15
are for people who are still alive and
kicking.
My mother told me the son of a
friend of hers secured a burial site at
the same cemetery where her friend
was laid to rest a few years ago. Now
the man, in his late 40s, lives a care-
free life, supported by a pension and
the rent he collects from his tenants.
Joining our discussion, my father
told how a neighbor of theirs paid
300,000 yuan ($43,988) for a plot in
suburban Miyun county, where two
generations of their family will be
buried.
However, as China’s population
grows and cities expand, space
for cemeteries is dwindling. Cit-
ies around the world face the same
problem.
In China, the price of a burial plot
has soared, along with everything
else. Local media in Changchun,
Jilin province, report that the aver-
age price for a square-meter plot
in one of the city’s six cemeteries is
more than 20,000 yuan ($2,932),
almost five times the price of a
square meter of housing. In Xia-
men, a 250-square-meter plot was
recently auctioned off for 8 million
yuan ($1.17 million).
Although tradition runs deep, dif-
ferent types of burials are becoming
popular these days. Some cemeteries
now allow people to bury their loved
ones under trees or flower beds, no
tombstone required.
In November 2003, three months
after my mother-in-law passed away,
my family buried her at sea off the
coast of Shanghai, the city where
she spent her youth. We gave her a
simple but solemn burial, spreading
her ashes on the water.
We joined some 200 other
mourners on a special cruise ship
that took us to the mouth of the
Yangtze River. Many families spread
flower petals on the sea to com-
memorate their loved ones.
Sea burial is not new in China.
The first, well-publicized sea burial
was that of the late Premier Zhou
Enlai, whose ashes were scattered
off the coast of Tianjin where he
embarked on the road to founding
New China. Other veteran Chinese
leaders, including Deng Xiaoping
and his wife Zhuo Lin, also chose
sea burial. The sea is where all life
originates. It is a good place to rest,
without competing with the living
for space on land.
As for my parents, I told them
about sea burial, but then we
dropped the subject.
lixing@chinadaily.com.cn
C H I NA DA I LY T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0
O U TS I D E T H E B OX | H E B O L I N
A unified rate can cure taxation woes
T
he widening income gap has to
be bridged. One way of doing
it is to substantially raise the
threshold of personal income
tax. That, say many experts, will ease
the economic burden of medium-
and low-income people, who earn
about 2,000 yuan ($293) a month. The
authorities, too, have discussed the
idea while drawing up the country’s
tax reform plan.
Theoretically, however, imposing
progressive tax rates would be a perfect
solution to the problem of unequal
wealth distribu-
tion, which has
given rise to many a
social problem. But
ask Mao Yushi, the
founder and chair-
man of the board of
Unirule Institute of
Economics, and he
will disagree.
Mao Yushi is There are two
the founder and types of taxes:
chairman of the
board of Unirule
direct and indirect,
says Mao, one
Institute of
Economics. of China’s most
famous economists,
known especially for his essay, Speak for
the Rich and Work for the Poor. Direct
tax means tax on actual income. Indi-
rect tax means paying tax on the goods
one buys and the services one avails of.
In China, indirect tax is included in the
prices for goods and service charges.
Indirect taxes are unfair because all
consumers — most of them without
knowing — are made to pay it. There
are numerous examples of manufac-
turers, retailers and service providers
transferring their tax liability on to
consumers by imposing indirect taxes.
On the other hand, a direct tax cannot
MEI XINYU
West must reflect on Rio aftermath
O
n Monday, Stern Hu, former
executive of Rio Tinto min-
ing group in Shanghai, and
his three colleagues were
convicted of taking bribes and stealing
trade secrets. They were sentenced to
imprisonment, ranging from seven to
14 years, fined 7.7 million yuan ($1.13
million), and their properties were
confiscated. The Western media and
a few Australian politicians have criti-
cized the verdict. Some foreign media
quoted Australian Minister for Foreign
Affairs Stephen Smith as having said
that the verdict was too harsh “by Aus-
tralian standards”.
Smith has to be reminded that Hu
and his colleagues committed the crimes
in China and were arrested here. So they
had to be dealt with by China’s courts
according to China’s laws. Judging the
case according to Australian standards
would have been a violation of China’s
sovereignty and an affront to its society.
Australia and other Western countries
should stop seeing things through blind-
ers. Instead, they should rethink their
legal orientations. Wouldn’t it have been
a travesty of justice and an infringement
on the rights of the victims if the crimi-
nals were granted leniency? Does any
country consider the rights of criminals
to be of greater importance than those of
its law-abiding citizens?
The iron and steel industry is a cor-
nerstone of China’s economy and is
highly dependent on iron ore imports.
In 2008, China imported iron ore
worth $60.5 billion, equal to 43 percent
of Australia’s total exports in 2007
($141.3 billion). Therefore, the iron
and steel industry’s data are regarded
as a national secret. This makes the
sentences handed down to Hu and his
colleagues very light.
Western countries have tried to
meddle with the judicial system of
developing countries, including China,
whenever they have passed a verdict
against Western nationals or com-
panies. They do so because of three
reasons. First, Western powers still
consider themselves as superior than
the rest of the world, and hence think
they occupy the moral high ground.
Second, Western political institu-
tions allow interest groups to hijack
the policies of non-Western countries
in order to distort the investments of
political, economic, diplomatic and
even military resources.
be transferred to others.
So, to narrow the income gap, the
authorities should reduce indirect tax-
es and increase direct taxes — prefera-
bly by applying a progressive rate. Pro-
gressive tax rates could force wealthier
people to pay more taxes and the poor
to pay less or no tax at all. And China
does have different personal income
tax rates, ranging from zero for people
earning less that 2,000 yuan a month
to 45 percent for those making more
than 100,000 yuan.
But the system is not foolproof. Tax-
es are seldom collected from people
in the highest income bracket, even
though salary earners never escape the
tax authority’s eyes, Mao says.
So, what is wrong with the system?
Tax authorities determine who pays
how much tax by checking potential
taxpayers’ income statements, Mao
says. They get the income details of
salary earners from their employers
but don’t have access to the records of
the highest-income group. Besides,
one income statement is not enough
to calculate the right amount of tax to
be levied on them because they have
many sources of income — invest-
ments in property and stocks, interest
on capital and income from companies
— which are beyond the reach of the
tax authorities. Therefore, the advan-
tage of a progressive tax rate remains
confined to theory.
No wonder, personal income tax
accounts for only 7 percent of China’s
total tax revenue, much lower than other
countries’ average of about 50 percent.
Ironically, the “progressive” tax rate
turns out to be regressive in practice. To
be frank, Mao says, there are big loop-
holes in the tax system, which allows
most of the high-income earners no tax
And third, since Western countries
still control the economic and the
political fields as well as the global
media, their interventions are usually
quite effective. But the fact is the tem-
porary “success” they achieve prevents
them from seeing the greater price
they have to pay in the future.
It is not surprising to see some politi-
cians and the media criticize the ver-
dict, because they have been pursuing
the issue with ulterior motives. It is time
Rio Tinto; other foreign enterprises in
China; the overseas media that once
disagreed with China’s handling of the
case; and the Australians, who allege
the four convicts have been treated
unfairly, sat back and reflected on the
case. They should feel embarrassed for
having lobbied for Hu only to realize
that they were trying to protect a thief
who had stolen from them, too.
The four defendants took worth
more than 92.3 million yuan ($13.5
million) in bribes. Hence, it is not dif-
ficult to understand why Rio Tinto
has reacted more moderately than the
politicians and the media. No com-
pany would like to spoil its relations
with a country that has contributed
immensely to its revenue.
In fact, the crimes of Hu and his
colleagues should not only embarrass,
but also set alarm bells ringing for Rio
Tinto and other foreign companies.
The employees of a company that
has a strong influence on the market
may take advantage of it to seek bribes
from suppliers as well as buyers. Three
big commercial bribery cases were
exposed in China in August 2007.
Eight Carrefour executives in Beijing
were arrested for taking bribes from
suppliers. Joseph Lau, then manag-
ing director of MacDonald Hong
Kong Limited, was detained by the
Hong Kong Independent Commis-
sion against Corruption (ICAC) for
taking bribes. And the ICAC arrested
27 employees and suppliers of Little
Sheep, a hotpot restaurant chain.
Compared with local enterprises
on their income beyond “salaries”.
China has to look to other countries
to fix the problems because its previ-
ous efforts to strengthen supervision
on taxation have failed to bring about
any significant change. And, Mao says,
Russia’s model is worth a look.
Russia abolished its progres-
sive income tax in 2001 and instead
imposed a flat rate of 12 percent. But if
China were to impose the same tax rate
on the rich and the poor, as Mao sug-
gests, it will raise another controversy.
Controversy, it seems, is made for
Mao. What else can we call his earlier
suggestions? Sample some of them:
indoor toilets should be replaced by
public ones when constructing low-rent
houses for the poor, while those “pre-
tend to be poor” won’t get the govern-
ment-funded & low-priced houses due
to the disinterest of shared lavatories;
university tuition fees should be raised
to collect more money in order to help
more poor students to get access to
higher education; and it is unnecessary
to have at least 1.8 billion mu (120 mil-
lion hectares) of arable land for agricul-
ture because there is no direct relation
between the total land under cultivation
and rice production. In fact, some of his
suggestions raise doubt about whether
he remains neutral between the rich
and the poor — though he still speaks
for the rich and works for the poor.
Mao says China’s situation is similar
to Russia’s because both changed from
planned economy to market economy.
One of the most important things in
this transformation is to make people
agree to pay taxes — for only after that
can advanced taxation systems such
as progressive personal income tax be
introduced. The problem is few people
in China are in the habit of paying taxes.
and employees, the headquarters and
senior executives of foreign companies
are usually not familiar with the social
and cultural ethos of China. This leaves
loopholes for the local employees to
manipulate situations to take bribes.
This should be a lesson both for for-
eign companies in China and Chinese
enterprises branching out overseas to
strengthen their internal regulation.
The business environment for foreign
investors in China has become a hot
topic of discussion. Some accuse China
of discriminating against foreign com-
panies and allege that its investment
environment is deteriorating. We don’t
deny that there are flaws in the business
environment. But it is ridiculous to say
that China, where foreign investors have
enjoyed policies more favorable than
their domestic counterparts for more
than 20 years and where foreign capital
is still pouring in, is discriminating
against foreign companies.
Hu’s case should make us change our
perspective. Should we stop treating all
foreign investors as a group with unified
concerns? In reality, foreign enterprises
are different from each other just like
their executives and employees.
That’s another reason why he
suggests a unified rate for personal
income tax. Once the tax rate is low-
ered, it could encourage tax-evading
high-income earners to pay their share
of taxes. Experience shows that the
higher the income tax rate, the more
the rich avoid paying it.
Tax evasion was rampant in Russia
before its tax reform in 2001, because
high-income earners were expected to
pay up to 30 percent of their income
in taxes. Since China’s highest personal
income tax can be double that of pre-
2001 Russia, more high-income earners
could be evading tax in the country.
To streamline tax payments and
make every taxpayer pay his share
of taxes it is necessary to strengthen
supervision, too. Mao, however, sug-
gests that initially a moderate fine be
imposed on tax evaders so that people
don’t risk their reputation on it.
Russia’s personal income tax rate
before 2001 ranged from 12 percent for
people earning between 3,168 to 50,000
rubles to 30 percent for those who made
more than 150,000. This arrangement
made a large percentage of the high-
income earners evade paying tax. But
after Russia imposed a unified tax rate of
12 percent on all taxpayers, its total tax
revenue rose by about 25 percent. And
since then, more than 20 countries have
emulated Russia’s example.
But Mao is uncertain whether
Chinese would accept such a rational
logic, and whether policymakers can
bear enough social pressure, that is
predictably to pose by the country’s
vast population of medium-and low-
income earners, to give the scheme
a green light. But he argues that even
though the scheme appears to favor
the rich, it is equal to all.
When a foreign company subjects
the host country to unreasonable
demands, it either is a problem of
understanding or reflects the com-
pany’s moral hazard. A few senior
executives or employees are capable of
sacrificing the long-term interests of
their company and shareholders for
personal short-term gains.
Do some companies complain that
China is discriminating against them
and its business environment is dete-
riorating because they cannot improve
their products and are losing their com-
petitiveness? Or, do they do so because
they can no longer cope up with the
better regulated business environment?
Foreign companies should think
over the questions with a cool mind.
Those who want to earn undue profits
and enjoy excessively favorable treat-
ment are out to hijack law-abiding for-
eign investors. And if the law-abiding
investors allow the crooked minority
to hijack them, it is their reputation
that would be ruined.
The author is associate research scholar
with the Chinese Academy of Interna-
tional and Trade Cooperation, affiliated
to the Ministry of Commerce.
LI MIN / CHINA DAILY
C H I N A D A I L Y. C O M . C N / O P I N I O N
9
views • letters
LET TERS
Reform education
Comment on “Open up education system for
reform” (March 25, China Daily).
I disagree with Zhang Ming that teachers should
change the single-track focus of education. After
all, teachers are stuck within the bureaucracy
because they are rated according to how well their
students perform in their tests. It is the parents
who feel the pressure of making their children
work to excel in the National College Entrance
Examination. It is the parents who see the effects of
a single-minded education system that emphasizes
rote learning instead of critical thinking, reading
outside the classroom curriculum, and learning to
debate the issues of the day.
Students become a number to themselves and
their family. Their character, creativity, enthusiasm
for ideas, interests outside of school, and views on
the future are not even mentioned when they pres-
ent themselves to an American college. Chinese
children are worth so much more than their test
scores. It’s time parents took the responsibility to
open up the education system for reform — for
freeing their children to think on their own.
JOYCE SLAY TON MITCHELL, via e-mail
Google, a mischievous boy
These days, discussions about Google’s pulling out
of China have reached boiling point. I, as a regular
user of Google, don’t agree with the extreme reac-
tion of Google.
I think Google is like a mischievous boy who
tries to find out excuses to cover its failure in tests.
Google’s business on the Chinese mainland has been
not as successful as Baidu’s. Google could not find
a lawful and effective way to expand its business,
and so it found another way to enhance its presence:
copying books without the consent of authors, and
revealing sensitive and harmful information. But we
have to remind Google that freedom has its limita-
tions both for an individual and a company.
LIU D ONGHAI, via e-mail
Readers’ comments are welcome. Please send e-mail to
opinion@chinadaily.com.cn or letters@chinadaily.com.cn or
to the individual columnists. China Daily reserves the right
to edit all letters. Thank you.
FROM THE CHINESE PRESS
Another accident, same cause
An initial investigation has found that the coal
mine accident in Wangjialing, Shanxi province, in
which 153 workers were trapped, was caused by an
accidental rush of water that tore through the mine.
But the public can no longer tolerate these accidents,
says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:
Reflecting on past coal mine accidents, we see
accidental factors were to blame for most of them.
Even the Wangjialing accident was caused by the
accidental digging through the aquifer.
The public is no longer surprised with such acci-
dental explanations. But there is something that
makes them wonder how such an accident could
occur in a mine, which with an investment of about
5.17 billion yuan is one of Shanxi’s key projects and
has the approval of the National Development and
Reform Commission and the State Council. Such
an important project should have been undertaken
only after a thorough geological surveyed and safety
checks. May we ask why the mine’s engineers and
supervisors didn’t even know where the aquifer was
located? And since the mine was set to start pro-
duction five months ahead of schedule, in October,
may we ask if the rush to complete the construction
was not partly responsible for the disaster? What is
indeed a surprise is that safety procedures and con-
struction plans didn’t match the importance of such
a major project.
Take steps to prevent attacks
The attack on Moscow subway shows terrorism still
poses a grave threat to our lives and social order, says
an article in Qilu Evening Post. Excerpts:
Moscow’s subway tragedy may be the result of
Russia’s internal contradictions. But similar contra-
dictions exist in many other countries, too, regard-
less of whether they are already a market economy
or are on way to becoming one. Countries in transi-
tion toward market economy, like Russia, are espe-
cially vulnerable to such attacks.
Experts say that solving the social problems in
Russia’s Caucasian region is crucial for eliminating
terrorism from its soil. If social problems are not
handled properly they may evoke extreme reaction
from the aggrieved parties, which could prove very
costly to society.
Since such attacks were rare in the erstwhile
Soviet Union, we must think how we can maintain
our society’s freedom and openness while avoiding
potential risks during the transition period.
In modern cities, advanced urban facilities have
made life and work easier and more efficient, but
they have also offered terrorists new targets. It’s a
challenge indeed to maintain a balance between
convenience and security.
10 world
Robot rules
at first kebab
trade show
By RICHARD CARTER
AGENCE FRANCEPRESSE
BERLIN — It goes by the uninspiring name “FFDR-
V1004”, but Ahmet Kalyoncu is convinced his meat-
cutting robot will transform the doner kebab industry,
which held its first conference in Berlin last weekend.
“It’s going to change the market,” said the 34-year-old
Cypriot, while crowds gathered around the machine as it
sliced the meat off a huge doner kebab spit, at tremendous
speed, and, as he put it, “without ever getting bored.”
The robot has a digital camera to sense the changing
thickness of the meat, producing a perfect, tasty, wafer-
thin slice every time. FFDR-V1004 is also phenomenally
efficient, creating as many as 120 portions of kebab in
an hour.
“I got the idea from my cousin who is an engineer,”
said Kalyoncu, the European sales manager for the
Doner-Robotu company, who now lives in Vienna and
spent his formative years slicing kebabs in south London
after school.
“It’s the first kebab robot anywhere in the world,” he
said, speaking English with a strong cockney accent.
Keeping it clean
As well as the speed, the main advantage of the robot
is hygiene, he said.
“Doner kebab slicers, when they are cutting the meat,
get very sweaty because they are close to the grill. We
take that problem out, so it’s better in the end for the
customer.”
But is Kalyoncu not worried his robot could put kebab
shop owners out of work?
“At the end of the day, you still need people to stay
there. What we’re saying is: it’s more hygienic and it’s
easier. Why not just let the machine do the work?”
Judging by the interest around his machine, many
of Germany’s army of kebab shop owners may soon be
doing exactly that.
Born in Berlin
Although many people assume the doner kebab is a
Turkish delicacy, in fact the world’s first doner was sliced
in Berlin in 1971.
Doner folklore has it that a Turkish immigrant in
Berlin, Mahmut Aygun, first put his wafer-thin strips of
meat in an open pita bread, added salad and lashings of
sauce and hey presto, the doner kebab was born.
And nearly 40 years later, Germany is the snack’s
undisputed home.
“There are more than 15,000 kebab shops in Germany,
employing some 74,000 people,” said Tarkan Tasyumruk,
president of the Association of Turkish Doner Producers
in Europe (ATDID), as he opened the fair.
“Annual sales in Germany amount to 2.5 billion euros
($3.3 billion). That shows we are one of the biggest
fast-foods in Germany,” he added to a packed audience
including Turkey’s vice-consul.
According to association figures, every day, more than
400 tons of doner kebab meat is produced in Germany by
around 350 firms. “There are more producers in Germany
than the rest of Europe put together,” said Tasyumruk.
The doner kebab has become at least as popular a fast-
food snack in Germany as the home-grown currywurst
(sausage sprinkled with curry powder) or frankfurters,
driven by the largest Turkish population outside Turkey.
Priced at between 2.50 and four euros, an estimated
400 million doners are gobbled up every year in Ger-
many, working out at five for every person.
“I would say we are the most successful fast food in the
country,” added Tasyumruk.
At the fair, firms making kebab shop clothes, grills,
meat refrigerators and the shrink wrap needed to
transport the enormous doners mingled with dozens of
journalists from all over the world.
No prizes for guessing what was served for lunch as
attendees shunned the far too healthy fruit salad and
yoghurt in the cafeteria in favor of a steaming hot doner,
fresh from the spit.
Sliced, of course, by FFDR-V1004.
CAROLINE PANKERT / AFP
The new doner kebab-cutting robot slices kebab meat
during the first-ever doner gastronomy trade fair in
Berlin last week.
MAKING THE NIGHT FANTASTIC
PHOTO BY LEONARDO SUAREZ / REUTERS
Dancers perform on a crane during the closing ceremony of the South American Games
in Medellin, Colombia, on Wednesday.
Michelangelo
vs. Leonardo?
Expert’s book chronicles story of 16th-century
art contest fought with dueling battle paintings
By MIKE COLLETT-WHITE
REUTERS
LONDON — A new book focuses on
a 16th-century competition that set out
to discover who was the better artist
— Michelangelo or Leonardo Da Vinci,
and says the outcome profoundly influ-
enced the Renaissance titans’ legacies.
Jonathan Jones, a British art critic who
has been a Turner Prize judge, said the
contest was familiar to art historians but
to his knowledge had not been treated
as the subject for a book.
The Lost Battles: Leonardo, Michelan-
gelo and the Artistic Duel that Defined
the Renaissance, published by Simon
& Schuster, hits stores on Thursday
and describes a dramatic and defining
moment in art history.
The decision by Florence officials
that Michelangelo was the victor helped
launch the younger artist’s career and set
him on a path to glory with key com-
missions in Rome.
Leonardo, meanwhile, was sidelined
despite having a more established
reputation, and ended up in the French
court, which would have been looked
down upon by Italy’s art patrons.
“You are not left in much doubt that
it was a competition,” Jones said in a
telephone interview. “The Florentine
Renaissance was obsessed with com-
petition.”
And so, at the turn of the 16th century,
the Florentine government commis-
sioned the artists to produce rival battle
frescos — Leonardo’s Battle of Anghiari
and Michelangelo’s Battle of Cascina
— for a hall in the civic palace.
Neither painting was completed and
both are lost, although they survive par-
tially through engravings and sketches.
But Jones is in little doubt Michelan-
gelo emerged from the contest with his
reputation enhanced while Leonardo
suffered a setback.
By presenting Michelangelo as a
genius who was working on a great battle
painting, the Florentine state helped him
secure an even more important commis-
sion, the Sistine Chapel, Jones said.
“It was a very important thing that he
had trashed Leonardo in this competi-
tion and was seen as the greatest artist in
history,” Jones added. “That was because
he had this competition and had won it.
“Yet Leonardo, who was arguably the
most famous of them all, doesn’t get
any of those commissions (to rebuild
Rome). He was seen as not delivering
in the contest.”
History kinder to Leonardo
Jones argues that the fiercely com-
petitive atmosphere of Renaissance art
helped spur it to ever greater heights,
even if it did damage some careers while
helping to launch others.
He also believes that had Leonardo’s
battle picture been championed in the
same way as that of his rival, the history
of Italian art may have taken a darker,
more disturbing turn.
“It (the lost battle picture) probably
was his masterpiece and was almost like
the antithesis of the Renaissance,” he said.
“If he (Leonardo) had been the model for
the artist, over the next 200-300 years a
lot of things might have been different.”
While the two-year contest that ended
in 1506 cast Leonardo as the loser, Jones
believes history has been kinder to him.
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0
‘‘
“It was a very
important thing
that he had trashed
Leonardo in this
competition and
was seen as the
greatest artist in
history.”
JONATHAN JONES
BRITISH ART CRITIC AND
AUTHOR SPEAKING ABOUT
MICHELANGELO (TOP)
“I’ve changed my mind so many
times in writing this book,” Jones said,
asked who he thought was the greater
of the two.
“These were both incomparable
genuises. There is no question that
Michelangelo did win, but Leonardo
has won historically, just about.
“Michelangelo has been consistently
revered, but since Leonardo’s notebooks
started to be edited and translated and
popularized in the 19th century, and we
get a sense of Leonardo as a scientist and
not just an artist, Leonardo has probably
pipped Michelangelo to the post.
“Leonardo, in my heart, ultimately
wins.”
C H I NA DA I LY
Internet
connects
deepest
Nepal to
‘telemedics’
Rural hospitals get
specialist help online
By CLAIRE COZENS
AGENCE FRANCEPRESSE
KATHMANDU — Patients in rural
Nepal will soon be able to consult
specialist doctors over the Internet as
part of an innovative scheme to improve
health care in remote areas of the
Himalayan country.
Over the next few weeks, the govern-
ment will begin connecting 25 district
hospitals, most of them located in the
rugged and inaccessible Himalayas,
to specialist consultants in the capital
Kathmandu using satellite technology.
The 30-million-rupee ($400,000) proj-
ect is the first of its kind in Nepal, where
millions of people live in small communi-
ties with no road connections and several
days’ walk from the nearest hospital.
The scheme is the brainchild of Dr
Mingmar Sherpa, who for 24 years ran
the main hospital in the Everest region in
eastern Nepal, where he experienced at
first hand the difficulties faced by health
practitioners in rural areas.
“Most people in Nepal live in remote
villages where harsh weather conditions
and geography make access to healthcare
difficult,” said Sherpa, 56, now director
of logistics at the health ministry in
Kathmandu.
“It’s very hard to get specialists into
those districts — mostly they want to
remain in the city, or even go abroad to
work. Even getting skilled birthing atten-
dants to work in such places has proved a
challenge,” he said.
“So the health ministry decided it
was worth trying telemedicine, which
is already quite advanced in other South
Asian countries such as India.”
Health care improving
Impoverished Nepal has made
significant progress in health care in
recent years, reducing maternal and
child mortality rates and increasing life
expectancy.
In 2007 the government endorsed
health care as a basic human right in
the constitution, introducing a policy of
free treatment for the poorest and most
vulnerable.
But development agencies say nearly
one in four people in Nepal still has no
access to even basic health care.
Sherpa came up with the idea of
introducing telemedicine five years ago,
but at that time, Internet connectivity in
Nepal was still too weak for the scheme
to work.
Now, under his supervision, the health
ministry has set up high-speed Internet
connections in 25 hospitals, using
satellite technology to provide sufficient
bandwidth for videoconferencing.
Local doctors will log their patients’
notes online along with any x-ray
or ultrasound images and lab tests,
ready to be examined by specialists in
Kathmandu — a system known as “store
and forward”.
Doctors at the Patan Hospital on the
outskirts of the capital will devote two
hours a day to patients in outlying areas
under the plan, which will also allow
rural health workers to receive training
using videoconferencing.
Sherpa says the system will allow
common diseases to be diagnosed much
more quickly than at present, and enable
post-operative patients to receive follow-
up treatment without having to travel to
the capital.
Under the scheme, doctors in
Kathmandu will in turn be linked up with
consultants know as “super-specialists”
working in 12 hospitals across India
to give them access to further medical
expertise when needed.
The government is also setting up a
toll-free telephone line offering health
advice to people living long distances
from the nearest doctor.
It is a major leap forward in a country
where as little as 20 years ago, most
people still relied on local shamans or
witch doctors if they fell ill.
“Telemedicine sounds very technical,
but it is really just using technology
to treat patients, whether it be mobile
phones or the Internet,” said Sherpa,
who hopes the scheme will eventually
extend nationwide.
“This is just the beginning,” he said.
C H I NA DA I LY
China under pressure on Iran nuke issue
JEWEL SAMAD / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
US President Barack Obama and his
French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy
leave after a joint press conference
in the East Room of the White
House in Washington on Tuesday.
briefly
AFGHANISTAN
Blast in restive
south kills 8
A bomb attached to a bicycle
exploded in a busy market in south-
ern Afghanistan on Wednesday,
killing at least eight people and
wounding 38, an Afghan official
said. Earlier reports from Helmand
province said a suicide bomber on
foot had caused the blast, close to
a group of local officials handing
out seeds to villagers as part of a
program to dissuade people from
growing opium poppy.
Country tops in
cannabis output
Long the world’s largest producer
of opium, the raw ingredient of
heroin, Afghanistan has now
become the top supplier of cannabis,
with large-scale cultivation in half
of its provinces, the United Nations
said on Wednesday.
Between 10,000 and 24,000
hectares of cannabis are grown every
year in Afghanistan, with major
cultivation in 17 out 34 provinces,
the UN drug agency said.
UNITED KINGDOM
Teen dies in crash
due to snowstorm
A teenage girl was killed and
11 other pupils injured when
their coach crashed in appalling
conditions on Wednesday as heavy
snow and strong winds battered
Scotland and northern England.
Elsewhere, motorists were
stranded in their cars and thousands
of homes were left without power
as severe weather swept northern
Britain.
UNITED NATIONS
Climate pledges
‘insufficient’
More than 110 countries have
signed up to the Copenhagen
Accord on fighting global warming
but the United Nations said on
Wednesday that their pledges for
cutting greenhouse gas emissions
were insufficient.
The first formal UN list of backers
of the deal, compiled since the
text was agreed at an acrimonious
194-nation summit in December,
showed support from all top
emitters led by China, the United
States, the European Union, Russia,
India and Japan.
The accord sets a goal of limiting
global warming to below 2 degrees
Celsius above pre-industrial times.
But it leaves each nation to set its
own targets for 2020.
DPRK
Kim’s China visit
may be soon
Democratic Republic of Korea’s
leader Kim Jong-il will likely visit
China soon, a trip that could lead to
the country’s return to international
nuclear disarmament talks, news
reports from Seoul said Wednesday.
Kim last visited China in 2006, but
President Hu Jintao has recently
invited him to visit again. Seoul’s
Yonhap news agency reported
Wednesday that Kim may leave for
China as early as this week, probably
traveling by train as he avoids flying.
China’s Foreign Ministry had no
immediate comment.
REUTERS
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0
Western powers
united on the need
for fresh sanctions
By AI YANG
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — China is facing
mounting pressure to go along with
Western powers on the Iran nuclear
issue, with the US and Europe join-
ing hands on the need for fresh sanc-
tions against the country.
On Tuesday, US President Barack
Obama said he wants a fourth round
of international sanctions against
Iran to be in place “within weeks”.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy
also echoed Obama during a news
conference in the White House,
saying, “the time has come to take
decisions”.
“(With Germany and the UK)
we will make all necessary efforts
to make sure that Europe as a whole
engages in the sanctions regime,”
Sarkozy said.
The same day, the world’s leading
industrialized nations too called for
stronger action against Iran.
Foreign ministers from the Group
Two explosions rocked Kizlyar in Russia’s Dagestan region on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people just two days after twin bombs hit Moscow.
Suicide bombers target Russia again
Chinese experts call
for cooperation in
anti-terror fight
By CAI XIAO
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — Two suicide bomb-
ers killed 12 people on Wednesday
in Dagestan province in southern
Russia, two days after deadly suicide
bombings blamed on the region’s
militants tore through the Moscow
subway system.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
said the blasts might have been
organized by the same militants
who attacked the Moscow subway.
Earlier, Putin had pledged to
“drag out of the sewer” those ter-
rorists who had carried out the
Moscow attacks, which killed 39
and injured scores more.
The Moscow subway bombings
NUCLEAR SCIENTIST DEFECTS TO US: REPORT
WASHINGTON — An Iranian
nuclear scientist who has been
missing since June has defected
to the United States and is
helping the CIA, ABC news
reported on Tuesday.
Citing unnamed sources
briefed on the defection, the
network said Shahram Amiri,
a nuclear physicist in his early
30s, defected as part of a long-
planned operation to get him
of Eight nations issued a communi-
que in Gatineau, Canada, saying
they had agreed to take “appropri-
ate and strong steps” to show their
resolve over Iran’s clandestine
nuclear program.
Russia, which had supported
China’s stance that sanctions against
Iran should be done only as a last
resort, also seems to have shifted its
position.
Russian President Dmitry Medve-
dev on Saturday said in a statement
to members of the League of Arab
States that the possibility of using
new sanctions “cannot be excluded”.
One day before the statement, Rus-
were the first suicide attacks in the
capital in six years and shocked a
country that had seen such vio-
lence as being confined to its res-
tive southern corner. Those attacks
followed a recent warning from
an Islamic militant leader that the
militants would take their struggle
to the heart of Russia.
There have been no claims of
responsibility for either set of
attacks.
A militant Islamist separatist
group led by a prominent Chechen
rebel denied responsibility on
Wednesday for the metro bomb-
ings.
“We did not carry out the attack
in Moscow, and we don’t know
who did it,” Shemsettin Batukaev, a
spokesman for the Caucasus Emir-
ate Organization, told Reuters by
telephone in Turkey.
The Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) said it would
help in the investigation of the ter-
rorist attacks in Moscow — a move
A PEEK INTO HISTORY
PHOTO BY ROMEO RANOCO / REUTERS
A boy looks at a Roman soldier’s mask displayed
during the Moriones (meaning mask, or visor)
Festival in Marinduque island, central Philippines
on Wednesday. Every year, during Holy Week
celebrations before Easter, residents dress up as
Roman soldiers and parade the streets in a colorful
religious festival.
to leave Iran and resettle in the
United States.
A CIA spokeswoman declined
to comment.
Amiri, a university researcher
working for Iran’s Atomic Energy
Organization, disappeared
during a pilgrimage to Mecca in
June, three months before Iran
disclosed the existence of its
second uranium enrichment site
near the city of Qom.
sia and the US, the world’s premier
nuclear superpowers struck a land-
mark agreement on cutting their
nuclear arsenals by a third.
“China is faced with mounting
pressure from other international
players now,” said Zhang Xiaodong,
deputy chief of the Chinese Associa-
tion for Middle East Studies.
Zhang said the US-led UN Security
Council would accelerate the process
toward fresh sanctions as Iran has
failed to provide a satisfactory solu-
tion. “China cannot single-handedly
stop this from happening.”
Beijing has repeatedly called for
negotiations and flexibility and said
that highlights the significance of a
concerted international effort to
fight terrorism.
The executive director of the
SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorism
wing, Cathy Bekov, had on Tues-
day called on the organization’s
member nations to assist Russia in
its probe, an SCO official told the
Russian news agency Rusnews.
Founded in 2001 in Shanghai,
the SCO is an intergovernmental
mutual-security organization
that groups China, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan.
“Terrorism doesn’t recognize
nationalities and borders. The
deliberate attacks target innocent
people so as to create mayhem,” the
official said, hoping that the perpe-
trators would be nabbed soon.
Successive terrorist attacks this
week serve as a warning for all gov-
ernments that the war against ter-
rorism should be active, long-term
and done in a spirit of cooperation,
In December, Teheran
accused Saudi Arabia of
handing Amiri over to the United
States.
The ABC report said Amiri
has been extensively debriefed
since his defection and said he
helped confirm US intelligence
assessments about the Iranian
nuclear program.
REUTERS
sanctions cannot solve the root prob-
lem. In the latest statement Tuesday,
the Foreign Ministry said China
would “make joint efforts with other
parties to peacefully resolve this issue
by diplomatic means”.
In the meantime, as well as saying
they have once again put their foot
down on the matter, all sides added
the door to peaceful talks is not com-
pletely shut yet.
Nevertheless, an unnamed French
official said Western players are ready
to consider unilateral sanctions if a
strong enough UN resolution cannot
be passed. Last week, before the G8
summit, Canadian Foreign Affairs
ZAUR HALIKOV / REUTERS
Chinese experts said.
Xing Guangcheng, director of the
Institute of Russian, East European
and Central Asian Studies at the
Chinese Academy of Social Sci-
ences, emphasized that China and
other countries should upgrade
terror alert levels and take stern
counter-terrorism measures.
“Russia may have relaxed in its
campaign against terrorism, and that
may be the reason why the attacks
took place. We should establish a
long-term and feasible mechanism
to counter terrorism,” he said.
Beijing-based military expert
Peng Guangqian said all countries
should maintain sharp vigilance
and cooperate with each other in
the war on terror.
“Terrorism is a global issue and
no nation can deal with it alone.
Therefore, we should build close
relations in this tough campaign.”
The Associated Press contributed to
the story.
world 11
Minister Lawrence Cannon also
indicated that additional sanctions
outside the UN framework might
take place.
Also on Tuesday, the head of the
International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), Yukiya Amano, expressed
frustration with Iran’s nuclear inten-
tions.
The country insists it is for energy
development but Western nations
believe it has an ambition to pro-
duce nuclear weapons. Amano told
DPA news agency that he hasn’t
got the response he had hoped for
so far.
But the diplomat also warned
new sanctions would mean nuclear
inspectors having a more difficult job
in the short term, saying Iran “doesn’t
want to act under pressure”.
Zhang told China Daily that
imposing unilateral sanctions would
only create more conflicts and wors-
en the current problem.
Meanwhile, Iran’s top nuclear
negotiator Saeed Jalili, who has been
invited by Chinese State Councilor
Dai Bingguo, is scheduled to meet
high-ranking officials in Beijing
on Thursday, with discussions on
the nuclear program top of the
agenda, Iran’s Press TV reported on
Wednesday.
Scholars
recast
fatwa
on jihad
By TOM HENEGHAN
REU TERS
PARIS — Prominent Muslim
scholars have recast a famous medi-
eval fatwa on jihad, arguing the
religious edict radical Islamists often
cite to justify killing cannot be used in
a globalized world that respects faith
and civil rights.
A conference in Mardin in south-
eastern Turkey declared the fatwa by
14th-century scholar Ibn Taymiyya
rules out militant violence and the
medieval Muslim division of the world
into a “house of Islam” and “house of
unbelief” no longer applies.
Osama bin Laden has quoted Ibn
Taymiyya’s “Mardin fatwa” repeatedly
in his calls for Muslims to overthrow
the Saudi monarchy and wage jihad
against the United States.
Referring to that historic document,
the weekend conference said: “Anyone
who seeks support from this fatwa for
killing Muslims or non-Muslims has
erred in his interpretation.
“It is not for a Muslim individual
or a Muslim group to announce and
declare war or engage in combative
jihad ... on their own,” said the decla-
ration issued on Sunday in Arabic and
later provided in English.
The declaration is the latest bid by
mainstream scholars to use age-old
Muslim texts to refute current-day
religious arguments by Islamist
groups. A leading Pakistani scholar
issued a 600-page fatwa against ter-
rorism in London early this month.
Another declaration in Dubai this
month concerned peace in Somalia.
Such fatwas may not convince mili-
tants, but could help keep undecided
Muslims from supporting them, the
scholars say.
The Mardin conference gathered
15 leading scholars from countries
including Saudi Arabia, Turkey,
India, Senegal, Kuwait, Iran,
Morocco and Indonesia. Among
them were Bosnian Grand Mufti
Mustafa Ceric, Sheikh Abdullah bin
Bayyah of Mauritania and Yemeni
Sheikh Habib Ali al-Jifri.
Ibn Taymiyya’s Mardin fatwa is
a classic text for militants who say
it allows Muslims to declare other
Muslims infidels and wage war on
them. The scholars said this view
had to be seen in its historic context
of medieval Mongol raids on Mus-
lim lands.
But the scholars said it was actually
about overcoming the old view of a
world divided into Muslim and non-
Muslim spheres and reinterpreting
Islam in changing political situations.
world
PAGE 12 | THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010
Colombian hostage
freed after 12 years
Rebels release
2nd captive as
elections near
By HERBERT VILLARRAGA
REUTERS
FLORENCIA, Colombia —
Colombian rebels on Tuesday
freed a government soldier who
was held hostage in the jungle
for more than 12 years and
symbolized those left behind
in a war against Latin America’s
oldest insurgency.
A Brazilian military heli-
copter ferried Sergeant Pablo
Emilio Moncayo to a civilian
airport in Florencia, 370 km
(230 miles) south of the capital
Bogota, after rebels handed
him over to a Red Cross team
in Colombia’s remote southern
jungle.
His release was the second
handover this week and raised
hopes for a broader hostage
deal with the FARC, once a
powerful rebel force that has
been battered by President
Alvaro Uribe’s US-backed war
against guerrillas and cocaine
traffickers.
Moncayo smiled and looked
well as he stepped off a helicop-
ter in uniform to greet family
on the airport tarmac.
“I thank God and my father,”
Colombian soldier Pablo Emilio Moncayo is hugged by relatives upon his arrival in Florencia.
Moncayo, 32, was a teenager when he was captured.
Moncayo told reporters. “You
have no idea how staggering it
is to return to civilization.”
Now 32, Moncayo was a
teenager when he was captured
by guerrillas who overran his
army communications base in
1997 and marched him into the
jungle. He was seen only occa-
sionally in rebel videos during
his captivity.
Guerrillas on Sunday freed
Josue Daniel Calvo, kidnapped
a year ago after he was wound-
ed in combat. But they still hold
22 police and soldiers in secret
camps, where they are often
chained, starving and forced
to run from army patrols.
Moncayo’s father lobbied for
his release with from Venezu-
ela to France, often wearing
chains to symbolize his son’s
captivity.
JOHN VIZCAINO / REUTERS
The handovers came before
Colombians go to the polls in
May to pick a successor for the
conservative Uribe. He steps
down after two terms domi-
nated by his hard-line against
the FARC, or Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia.
But any candidate to replace
him will likely maintain his
popular tough security and
pro-business policies.
CHINADAILY.COM.CN/WORLD
Obama to permit oil
exploration off Virginia
First offshore lease sale in 20 years
By STEVE HOLLAND
REUTERS
WASHINGTON — Presi-
dent Barack Obama is to
announce on Wednesday a
plan to permit exploration
for oil and natural gas off the
coast of Virginia as a way to
create jobs and reduce US
dependence on foreign oil.
Obama, who wants Con-
gress to move a stalled cli-
mate change bill, has sought
to reach out to Republicans
by signaling he is open to
allowing offshore drilling,
providing coastlines are pro-
tected.
Obama was expected to
detail an updated plan for off-
shore oil and natural gas drill-
ing in remarks at a military
base in nearby Maryland.
For more than 20 years,
drilling was banned in most
offshore areas of the United
States outside the Gulf of
Mexico because of concerns
that spills could harm the
environment.
The administration has
been weighing the pros and
cons of offshore drilling
since it took office and put
the brakes on a Bush-era pro-
posal which called for drilling
along the East Coast and off
the coast of California.
An administration official
said, as part of the new plan,
the Department of Interior
will conduct the first new off-
shore oil and gas sale in the
Atlantic Ocean in over two
decades as part of a lease
sale 50 miles off the coast of
Virginia.
Seismic exploration in
the south Atlantic and mid-
Atlantic Outer Continental
Shelf of the United States
will determine the quantity
and location of potential oil
and gas resources to support
energy planning.
The Bush plan had called
for leases to be offered in
November 2011 but it was not
immediately clear whether the
Obama administration would
stick to that schedule.
The proposed Virginia
lease area, located about 50
miles from shore, may hold
130 million barrels of oil
and 1.14 trillion cubic feet of
natural gas, based on Interior
Department estimates.
In addition, the Interior
Department will continue
lease sales in the Central
and Western Gulf of Mexico,
which have proved to have
sizable reserves.
Much of the Eastern Gulf
is currently under a con-
gressional moratorium on
oil and gas operations. The
Interior Department’s plan
would open up about two-
thirds of the available oil and
gas resources in this region in
the event that the moratorium
is lifted, the official said.
Military training in the
Eastern Gulf will be protected
and drilling activities will
CHINA DAILY
50 miles
Distance from shore of
proposed East Coast leases
130
million
Barrels of oil estimated in the
lease area
2
billion
Barrels of oil US imports
annually from OPEC nations
occur more than 125 miles
from the Florida coast.
Proposed oil and gas leasing
in Alaska’s Bristol Bay will be
canceled out of concern for
protecting sensitive areas of
the Outer Continental Shelf
from environmental dangers.
This could affect companies
like Royal Dutch Shell which
has expressed interest in the
region, as well as ConocoPhil-
lips, BP and Statoil.
Four other leases were alos
canceled, but another lease
near Anchorage will proceed
as planned.
Obama is also scheduled
to announce that 5,603 new
hybrid cars and trucks have
been ordered to convert the
federal fleet to one of greater
fuel efficiency.
Tough times for
rubber growers
Drought in Yunnan may lead to drastic
shortfall in production.
> Page 15
business
CHINA DAILY
ONEU$DEQUALS
SOURCE: REUTERS, 9PM WEDNESDAY
Trade winds blowing strong
Full-year figures
set to remain in
surplus, despite
March deficit
By DING QINGFEN
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — China’s full-
year trade balance will still be
in surplus and there is nothing
to be alarmed about the figures
turning into a deficit in March,
economists said
ECONOMY on Wednesday.
The nation
in 2009 surpassed Germany
as the second largest importer
in the world after the United
States, according to a recent
report from the World Trade
Organization.
That in turn also explains the
reason for the March deficit to
some extent.
The surging imports may
helped China to register a trade
deficit in March, Premier Wen
Jiabao and Minister of Com-
merce Chen Deming said last
week. It would also mark the
first monthly deficit in the past
six years.
The March deficit will also
to some extent reduce the
heat that China faces from
other nations, led by the United
States, to revalue the yuan.
But the nation will still face
pressures on this front, as the
deficit is albeit only a tempo-
rary phenomenon, said the
economists.
Many US politicians have of
late been pressuring the Barack
Obama administration to label
China as a currency manipula-
tor and have also threatened
the use of punitive measures
on China’s exports.
China has been a major
victim of these trade measures,
such as anti-dumping duties, in
the past 15 years, and incurred
losses of $30-$40 billion so far,
said a report by the Ministry of
Commerce.
Reduce reliance on US T-bills, says Cheng
By ZHOU YAN
CHINA DAILY
SHANGHAI — China should
be cautious in buying or selling
huge amounts of US Treasury
bonds due to the inherent risks
they pose, Cheng Siwei, an
influential economist, said on
Wednesday, suggesting that the
suitable ceiling
FINANCE for the nation’s
foreign exchange
reserves is $800 billion.
“The country should diver-
sify its currency portfolio for
foreign exchange reserves and
reduce the share of US dollar-
dominated assets for risk con-
trol purposes,” said Cheng, the
former vice-chairman of the
Standing Committee of the
National People’s Congress, in
a speech at Fudan University.
The nation’s foreign exchange
reserves, the world’s largest,
climbed $453 billion in 2009
to $2.4 trillion. China is also
the largest owner of US Trea-
sury securities and held $889
billion of the securities by the
end of January this year after
scaling it down from $894.8
CHINADAILY.COM.CN/BUSINESS
RMB
6.8258
HKD
An employee checking containers for shipment at Yangluo Port in Wuhan, Hubei province.
LEADING EXPORTERS AND IMPORTERS, 2009
Merchandise trade
Exporters Value ($b) Share (%) Importers
China 1,202 9.6
Germany 1,121 9.0
US 1,057 8.5
Japan 581 4.7
Netherlands 499 4.0
Services trade
Exporters Value ($b) Share (%) Importers
US 470 14.2
UK 240 7.2
Germany 215 6.5
France 140 4.2
China
129 3.9
(Estimate)
Source: World Trade Organization
China is scheduled to release
its trade figures for March on
April 10. The nation’s trade
surplus has plummeted by
over 50 percent in the first
two months of the year.
“Considering the price hikes
on many categories of imports
and the still weak exports,
there are high chances that the
nation imported more goods
than it exported in March.
But the trade deficit cannot
billion in December 2009.
Yi Gang, head of the State
Administration of Foreign
Exchange, said in March that
the country’s diversified allo-
cation for foreign exchange
reserves mainly include the
US dollar, the euro, and the
Japanese yen, without provid-
ing the currency composition
of the holdings. However,
analysts maintain that over 70
percent of the forex reserves
are in US dollar-denominated
securities.
“We could maintain the scale
of forex reserves by increasing
the overseas purchasing vol-
umes to slash the trade surplus,
and also spur more direct invest-
ment abroad,” Cheng said.
Talking about the mount-
ing pressure from countries
like the United States on yuan
appreciation, Cheng said
China should keep the yuan
exchange rate “basically stable
at reasonable levels” but with
more flexibility.
“Don’t make the valuation
of the Chinese currency too
political ... the rate fluctuation
will directly impact the global
Big role
for Asia
China’s importance growing
in global economic arena.
> Page 14
7.7640
JPY
93.09
EUR
0.7407
GBP
0.6595
AUD
China’s monthly trade sur-
plus dropped to $7.6 billion
in February from $24 billion
Value ($b) Share (%) in October 2009. Moreover, in
US 1,604 12.7 terms of services trade, China
China 1,006 8.0 suffered a deficit of $29 billion
Germany 931 7.4 last year.
France 551 4.4 “While the continued fall in
Japan 551 4.4 the trade balance is a positive
sign in terms of correcting
global imbalances, we are
Value ($b) Share (%)
not sure whether a deficit can
US 331 10.6 be sustained in the coming
Germany 255 8.2 months,” said Barclays Capital
UK 160 5.1 China in a report.
China 158 5.1 “For 2010, our forecast calls
Japan 146 4.7
for the trade balance to fall
to $186 billion, but the latest
SHEN WEI / CHINA DAILY development suggests some
downside risks.”
be that big and it will not From January to February,
last long,” said Dong Xian’an, China imported record high
chief macroeconomic analyst volume of resource-related
of Shanghai-based Industrial commodities, such as copper,
Securities. iron ore and crude oil. “Actu-
“There would be a trade sur- ally, the commodity import
plus for the whole year. It may boom had waned since late
be a tad lower at around $137.5 last year, but there are signs
billion this year,” Dong said. of revival now as imports are
Last year, China reported a needed to feed stimulus proj-
trade surplus of $196.1 billion, ects in the first quarter,” said
down 33.7 percent from $295.5 Jinny Yan, an economist with
billion in 2008. Standard Chartered Shanghai.
make Chinese yuan a fully
convertible currency,” Cheng
said, without providing any
time frame, but adding that
the final goal will be achieved
“sometime soon”.
China ended its currency
peg to the US dollar by link-
ing the value of the yuan to a
basket of currencies since July
2005, but re-pegged it to the US
currency from July 2008 after
the global financial crisis.
Cheng Siwei feels that China With regard to China’s
must diversify its forex basket. mounting inflation concerns,
Cheng said it would be difficult
trade framework and impede for the government to achieve
the progress of the global eco- the consumer price index (CPI)
nomic recovery,” he said. target of 3 percent this year, as
Cheng said China should more liquidity would enter the
tune its foreign exchange real economy. “5 percent CPI
policy to market demand growth in 2010 looks more
without interference from achievable,” he said.
the central bank if the float- The country posted a high-
ing exchange rate fluctuates er-than-expected 2.7 percent
within 3 percent. CPI in February.
“The 3 percent fluctua- China should discuss with
tion is acceptable at current the US and Europe about exit
stage… We can expand the strategies, and act in accor-
movement range and types of dance with these nations to
currency gradually when the avoid the excessive hot money
government’s management inflows that may fuel domestic
level improves, and finally inflation, he said.
1.0923
INR
44.84
CAD
1.0163
NAN FEI / FOR CHINA DAILY
The strong demand is likely
to continue into the second
quarter of this year also. That
in turn, could lead to a decline
in the trade surplus, but it is
not something that would be
sustainable in the medium
term, they said.
In March, crude prices rose
nearly 50 percent from a year
earlier, while iron ore soared
by over 10 percent in the
same period.
Developed nations repre-
sented by the US recently saw
a rebound in domestic con-
sumption and job creation.
With China’s import growth
likely to falter later this year,
there is no doubt that it will
still end up with a trade sur-
plus in 2010.
Another factor that could
aid the trend is the fact that
Chinese manufacturers still
have a strong competitive edge
globally. “China can record
rapid growth in exports and
maintain its leading edge for a
long time,” said Ma Yu, senior
researcher from the Trade
Research Institute of the Min-
istry of Commerce.
Huawei rings in
better numbers
Telecom equipment maker reports
robust domestic, overseas sales.
> Page 16
THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010 | PAGE 13
KRW
1131.20
THB
32.33
Zosco planning
Shanghai float
By ZHANG QI
AND WANG XIAOTIAN
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — Zhejiang
Ocean Shipping Co is plan-
ning an initial public offering
(IPO) of its shares on the
Shanghai Stock Exchange
this year to bolster capital
and strengthen its competi-
tiveness in the
SHIPPING ocean ship-
ping industry,
a source familiar with the
matter said on Wednesday.
The company, also known
as Zosco, is the largest ocean
shipping company in Zhe-
jiang province. It plans to
issue up to 100 million shares
and raise up to 2 billion yuan
through the public float, the
source said.
The China Securities
Regulatory Commission is
currently reviewing the IPO
proposal, he said.
The float is expected to pro-
vide funds for the company’s
new fleet of 10 Capesize bulk
carriers scheduled for deliv-
ery in 2012, said the source.
Incorporated in 1980 in
Hangzhou, the company is a
holding unit of State-owned
Zhejiang Communications
Investment Group. Zosco
reported revenues of 800
million yuan last year.
Iron ore and coal ocean
shipping are the company’s
main businesses, it said in
the IPO proposal.
Iron ore and coal shipping
account for nearly 50 percent
of the company’s bulk cargo
volumes. Both the businesses
are revenue earners for the
company, said Zhang Hui,
an analyst with Donghai
Securities.
Zhang said the global bulk
cargo sector is largely depen-
dant on market conditions.
China’s iron ore ocean ship-
ments accounted for nearly
52 percent of total global iron
BRL
1.7860
630
million tons
The quantity of iron ore
imported by China in 2009
ore ocean shipments.
China imported 630 mil-
lion tons of iron ore in 2009,
up 41.6 percent from 2008,
according to official data.
The nation’s $586 billion
stimulus package has signifi-
cantly boosted steel demand
especially from automobile
makers, home-appliance
manufacturers and builders.
The economic downturn
pushed global trade down
12 percent last year, the
worst since 1945, according
to a World Trade Organiza-
tion report. Bulk cargo will
lead the shipping sector out
of the global recession, ana-
lysts said.
The Baltic Dry Index (BDI),
a measure of commod-
ity-shipping costs, averaged
2,617 last year after plunging
as low as 663 in December
2008. It reached a record high
of 11,793 in May 2008.
Zhang said the BDI might
hover between 3,000 and
4,000 this year.
Industry analysts said the
number of new ship deliver-
ies would increase consider-
ably in the next three years
as result of the strong order-
book before the economic
slowdown.
“But for now, the industry
may continue to record only
small profit margins as the
current capacity far exceeds
freight demand, thereby
keeping freight charges at
low levels,” Zhang said.
“It might take two years
to digest the overcapacity,
and I expect the industry to
improve in 2012,” Zhang said,
adding he has a neutral stance
on Zosco.
14 businessinternational
briefly
Testing times
ahead for Italy
Italy’s ability to tackle its
high debt amid low eco-
nomic growth “will be tested,”
Moody’s Investors Service
said.
Italy is struggling to shake
off a recession that saw the
economy contract 5.1 percent
last year, the most in at least
three decades. Debt will rise
this year to 117 percent of
gross domestic product, the
second-highest in the EU,
after Greece, according to
European Union forecasts.
“The government faces
some challenges in growing
out of its high public-debt
levels given the current con-
text of low economic growth,”
Alexander Kockerbeck, a
Moody’s analyst, said in a
report released on Wednes-
day. “Italy has a proven track
record in managing.”
PBOC’s loose
stance to stay
The People’s Bank of China
(PBOC) on Wednesday reaf-
firmed its loose monetary
stance but said it would
implement the policy flexibly.
In a statement released a day
after the quarterly meeting of
its monetary policy commit-
tee, the central bank vowed to
prevent financial risks.
Cnooc misses
profit estimate
Cnooc Ltd, China’s big-
gest offshore energy explorer,
reported full-year profit that
missed analysts’ estimates
as oil prices slumped from a
record.
Net income fell 34 percent
to 29.5 billion yuan ($4.3 bil-
lion), or 0.66 yuan a share,
from a record 44.4 billion
yuan, or 0.99 yuan a share, a
year earlier, the Beijing-based
company said on Wednesday.
That’s worse than a median
estimate of 30.55 billion yuan
in a survey of 15 analysts
compiled by Bloomberg
News.
Longyuan eyes
solar projects
Wind power producer
China Longyuan Power
Group Corp is developing
solar projects to meet rising
demand for clean energy.
The projects in seven
provinces, regions and cities
including Beijing and Tibet
may increase the company’s
capacity by 1,740 megawatts,
or 26 percent, Longyuan said
on Wednesday.
Guangzhou to
host SME fair
The 7th China Interna-
tional Small and Medium
Enterprise Fair will be held
from Sept 15 to 18 in Guang-
zhou, involving more than
4,000 exhibitors from across
the world.
As the co-host of this year’s
event, Australia will bring
companies from sectors
including food and beverage,
wine, financial and business
services, education and cor-
porate training, clean energy,
green building, sports and
leisure and consumer goods.
Bharti buys Zain
African assets
Billionaire Sunil Mittal’s
Bharti Airtel Ltd agreed to
buy the African assets of
Zain, Kuwait’s largest phone
operator, for $9 billion in cash
in the second-biggest over-
seas acquisition by an Indian
company.
In its third attempt to
expand in Africa through an
acquisition, New Delhi-based
Bharti, India’s biggest wireless
company, said it entered into
a legally binding agreement
to buy Zain’s African mobile
assets. Bharti will assume $1.7
billion of Zain’s debt as part of
the deal.
Greece plans to
sell dollar bond
Greece plans to sell a glob-
al bond in dollars in the next
two months to help raise 11.6
billion euros ($15.6 billion)
in funding requirements by
the end of May after inves-
tors lost money on its most
recent sale.
Greece needs to borrow a
total of 32 billion euros this
year, Petros Christodoulou,
director general of the Public
Debt Management Agency,
said on Wednesday in a
Bloomberg Television inter-
view. He declined to say how
big the dollar issue might be.
BLO OMBERG NEWS
CHINA DAILY
Downturn accelerates shift in influence to Asia
Sunil Chopra, interim dean of
Kellogg School of Management
at Northwestern University,
said that China’s exports
had actually helped to bring
down inflation in a number of
countries.
A Volkswagen Phaeton at the company’s factory in Dresden, Germany. Named after the son of the Greek god Helios, the
Phaeton went on sale in 2002, with development costs exceeding 1 billion euros.
VW hopes Phaeton
can lure China’s rich
After sales flop in the United States, Volkswagen to unveil model named
after Greek god at Beijing show with new designs, spruced-up interiors
By ANDREAS CREMER
BLO OMBERG NEWS
BERLIN — Volkswagen
AG is speeding up a facelift of
the $88,000 Phaeton sedan in
time to unveil the model at the
Beijing auto show next month
and target China’s million-
aires, said two people familiar
with the matter.
AUTO VW, which with-
drew the Phaeton
from the United States in
2006 after a sales flop, is
designing new front and rear
sections, an interior upgrade
and a wider selection of
engines for the car, said the
people, who declined to be
identified because the revi-
sions aren’t public.
The model will be presented
on April 23, before the start of
the Beijing event, instead of in
the second half as previously
planned, they said.
The Phaeton, named after
the son of the Greek god
Helios, went on sale in 2002,
with development costs
exceeding 1 billion euros
($1.3 billion). The model was
part of then-Chief Executive
Officer Ferdinand Piech’s
effort to take the VW brand
into the luxury market
against Bayerische Motoren
Werke AG and Daimler AG’s
Mercedes-Benz. The car
never met an annual target
of 20,000 deliveries, and sales
By GEORGE NG
CHINA DAILY
HONG KONG: The shift in
the center of global economic
gravity to Asia has been
accelerated by the global eco-
nomic downturn, with China
playing a more and more sig-
nificant role,
ECONOMY Sunil Chopra,
interim dean
of Kellogg School of Manage-
ment at Northwestern Uni-
versity, told China Daily in an
exclusive interview.
“I think the shift has been in
place, if you think about it, for
10 plus years. And in my opin-
ion, it has been accelerated in
the downturn,” he said.
The acceleration is a direct
result of the deepening con-
trast between the vigorous-
ness of economies in the East
37
percent
rise in Volkswagen’s group
sales in China in 2009
4b
euros
VW’s planned investment in
new models and plants in China
by 2011
2m
units
VW’s target for deliveries in
China by 2018
last year fell 27 percent.
“The VW brand simply
doesn’t appeal to rich buy-
ers,” said Willi Diez, head of
the Institute for Automobile
Industry in Nuertingen, Ger-
many. “Technologically speak-
ing, the Phaeton is a great car,
but it doesn’t undercut rivals’
prices enough to attract
sophisticated shoppers.”
Peter Thul, a spokesman for
the VW brand at the compa-
ny’s headquarters in Wolfs-
burg, Germany, declined to
comment on the Phaeton’s
revamp.
The Phaeton’s least expen-
and the weakness of Western
economies.
“This tends to happen dur-
ing the downturn. If you look
at business at large, during the
boom time, the relative posi-
tion doesn’t change much.
But during the downturn, it
changes a lot,” Chopra said.
Most of the developed
world including the United
States and Western Europe
has taken a big hit during
the past recession and is still
struggling. Whereas in Asia,
fears about overheating and
asset bubbles have prevailed
in many economies including
China, India and Singapore.
Chopra said that right now
Asia is the only region that cre-
ates new jobs.
The huge unmet internal
demand in the region is playing
a key role in the shift of the cen-
sive version, costing 65,800
euros, is a six-cylinder car
with a 240-horsepower diesel
engine, according to Volk-
swagen’s website. The price
rises to 125,600 euros for
the 12-cylinder model with
a 450-horsepower gasoline
engine and longer-wheelbase
option.
Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class
starts at 73,720 euros, BMW’s
7- Series at 73,300 euros and
VW’s Audi luxury brand’s A8
at 89,300 euros, according to
the manufacturers’ websites.
“The outlook for the Phaeton
is excellent and, since we’re
freshening it up a lot, we may
have our best year on record,”
said Frank Loeschmann, direc-
tor of VW’s plant in Dresden,
Germany, where the model is
assembled. A full revision of
the car will take several more
years, he said.
Volkswagen’s group sales
in China, which surpassed
the US as the world’s largest
auto market last year, surged
37 percent in 2009 to 1.4 mil-
lion cars, sport-utility vehicles
and vans. VW plans to invest
4 billion euros on new models
and plants in China by 2011
to achieve 2 million deliver-
ies in the world’s third-larg-
est economy by 2018, part of
an effort to overtake Toyota
Motor Corp as the largest
carmaker globally.
Chinese deliveries of the
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0
ter of global economic gravity to
Asia from the West, he said.
“I think there are many
factors behind the shift. But
the most important one is the
huge unmet internal demand,”
he said.
For example, China has been
relying heavily on exports for
growth and is now increasingly
shifting to internal demand for
new growth.
Being the most populous
country in the world and hav-
ing the reputation as the world’s
factory, China has been playing
a very significant role in the pro-
cess that sees the shift of global
economic gravity to the East.
“China has been significant
in this process in many different
ways,” the Kellogg dean said.
“First of all, China was very
significant through its exports.
Through its exports, China has
JOCHEN ECKEL / BLOOMBERG
Phaeton rose 40 percent to a
record 1,400 cars. Volkswagen
aims to increase that figure to
at least 2,000 vehicles this year,
a 43 percent gain, to make
China the model’s biggest
market, the people said. Volk-
swagen sold 4,500 Phaetons
worldwide last year.
About 825,000 Chinese
citizens had a net worth of 10
million yuan ($1.5 million)
or more last year, and many
weren’t affected by the finan-
cial crisis, the Hurun Report,
which compiles an annual
rich list, said in April 2009.
The country’s millionaires
are on average 39 years old,
the report showed. Their
combined wealth ranked
fourth worldwide in 2008,
overtaking the assets of their
UK counterparts, according
to a Merrill Lynch study.
“Success in China is abso-
lutely crucial for Volkswagen’s
expansion goals,” said Stefan
Bratzel, director of the Center
of Automotive at the Univer-
sity of Applied Sciences in
Bergisch Gladbach, Germany.
“Selecting China as the venue
for the launch of the new Pha-
eton proves VW’s commit-
ment to this vast market.”
Four years after the
Phaeton’s US exit, there’s still
no decision about a reintro-
duction of the model there,
according to Jill Bratina, a
VW spokeswoman.
actually helped bring down
inflation in a variety of coun-
tries,” he said.
Consumer products ranging
from apparel to appliances pro-
duced by China at relatively low
cost have flooded the shelves of
superstores around the world in
the past decade.
“Now, China is significant
in terms of its internal market.
It is the largest car market in the
world. That is very significant
for every auto manufacturer in
the world. You have to partici-
pate in the largest market.”
Helped by government mea-
sures to boost domestic con-
sumption, particularly demand
from rural areas, China has
become the largest car market
in the world, overtaking the
US with a total sales volume
of some 13 million vehicles
last year.
Why fly to Paris
when you can
enjoy Omaha?
By JAMIE MCGEE
AND JOEL SCHECTMAN
BLO OMBERG NEWS
NEW YORK — A nonstop
airline ticket from New York
to Paris on the first weekend
in May costs $1,142. A Con-
tinental Airlines Inc flight to
attend Berkshire Hathaway
Inc’s annual shareholder meet-
ing in Omaha, Nebraska the
same weekend:
LEISURE $1,433.
As investors
have been making plans
to attend the event that
Berkshire’s chairman, Warren
Buffett, calls the “Woodstock
for capitalists”, airlines includ-
ing Continental and Delta Air
Lines Inc have been raising
prices for the weekend of
the meeting. They’re asking
four times the normal rate
for round trip tickets, which
means New Yorkers will pay
more to visit Omaha for the
May 1 meeting than London,
Rome or Barcelona.
Continental has added one
flight from the New York
area on April 29 and three on
April 30, said Mary Clark, a
spokeswoman for the airline.
Attendees who bought tickets
earlier paid less for their seats,
she said. Now, the Houston,
Texas-based company is
demanding a premium for the
spots that remain.
“There does appear to have
been high demand,” Clark said.
“Since many of those fares have
already been sold and there are
very few seats left, the seats that
are left are at the higher fares.”
Last year, even as the threat
of H1N1 flu kept some share-
holders away, a record 35,000
people flooded Omaha’s Eppley
Airfield, packed the hotels and
swarmed the city of 439,000.
Three days of events this year
start with a reception at the
Berkshire-owned Borsheims
jewelry store on April 30 and
conclude with waves of din-
ers heaving steaks at Gorat’s
and Piccolo Pete’s, two eater-
ies where Buffett pledged to
appear on May 2.
Visitors to Paris that week-
end could watch the May
Day parade from the Place de
la Bastille, see Leonardo da
Vinci’s Mona Lisa at the Musee
du Louvre or take a boat ride
on the Seine past Notre Dame
Cathedral. The horse-chestnut
trees bordering the Champs
Elysees typically bloom in May,
while classical musicians stage
twilight concerts at the Jardin
du Luxembourg.
The Berkshire investors who
pick Nebraska instead will fill
the Qwest Center arena to
listen to Buffett, the “Oracle of
Omaha”, as he takes questions
from the audience on invest-
ing, politics and the economy
for more than six hours.
C H I NA DA I LY
What is more significant
is that so many people in the
country have yet to buy their
first car, Chopra said, noting
the huge potential in the home
appliances market as well.
Meanwhile, in terms of
international cooperation amid
growing globalization, China
also plays an increasingly sig-
nificant role.
“China is becoming more
and more significant just in
terms of the international
cooperation that it is creat-
ing. If you look at merger and
acquisition (M&A) activities
over the past 18 months,
most M&As have come out of
China,” Chopra said.
Chinese companies are mak-
ing acquisitions overseas rather
than multinational corpora-
tions acquiring Chinese firms,
he emphasized.
‘‘
Paris and London,
all those cities are
so boring. Omaha is
where all the action is.
Why would you ever
want to be in Paris on
May 1? Nothing com-
pares to Omaha.”
MOHNISH PABRAI
FOUNDER, PABRAI
INVESTMENT FUNDS
Extracurricular activities
may include visits to former
President Gerald Ford’s birth
site, the Freedom Park Navy
Museum, and the world’s
largest indoor desert, accord-
ing to the city’s Convention &
Visitors Bureau.
“Paris and London, all those
cities are so boring,” said Moh-
nish Pabrai, the founder of
Irvine, California-based Pab-
rai Investment Funds, who has
attended every annual meeting
since 1998. “Omaha is where
all the action is. Why would
you ever want to be in Paris
on May 1?” he said. “Nothing
compares to Omaha.”
Investors hoping to fly
nonstop from New York to
attend all the events Buffett has
scheduled would need to buy
a ticket from Continental that
leaves New Jersey’s Newark
Liberty International Airport
on April 30 and returns on
May 3. The economy-class fare
is $1,433, including taxes and
fees, according to Continental’s
website.
Two weeks later, the same
round trip to Omaha costs
$309 in coach, according to
the website. Nonstop flights
from New York’s LaGuardia
on Delta are sold out on April
30. The remaining coach
seats on an April 29 nonstop
Delta flight from LaGuardia
cost $1,188, according to the
airline’s website.
“Any event that draws addi-
tional demand from our cus-
tomers is good for business,”
said Kent Landers, a spokes-
man for Delta. “Whenever pos-
sible, we will add seats to make
sure we can accommodate as
many customers who choose
to fly Delta as possible.”
Delta has not added flights
for the annual meeting
because passengers can book
trips that include stopovers
in other cities, Landers said.
The airline is offering a flight
from LaGuardia to Omaha on
April 30 with single stops each
way for $443. The return flight
includes a 30-minute layover
at Detroit Metropolitan
Wayne County Airport.
C H I NA DA I LY
CNPC hastens new energy development
Oil producer’s plan in line with China’s
efforts to utilize other fuel alternatives
By XIAO WAN
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — China National
Petroleum Corp (CNPC), the
country’s largest oil and gas
producer, will
ENERGY speed up devel-
opment of new
energies including coalbed
methane, fuel ethanol and oil
sands, aiming to set its annual
oil-equivalent production
A farmer taps a rubber tree for its latex sap on a farm in Mundur, Palakkad, India. In addition to China, most other major rubber producers in Southeast Asia could
face an output crunch due to unfavorable weather conditions this year.
Drought takes bounce off rubber growers
By GUO ANFEI
AND LIU YIYU
CHINA DAILY
XISHUANGBANNA, Yun-
nan — Last weekend’s artificial
rain has bought little cheer for
Bulu and other rubber plant-
ers in Jino town of Xishuang-
banna, southern Yunnan, as
output continues to be severe-
ly affected by the prolonged
drought in the
ANALYSIS region.
With dark
despair in his face Bulu said
that his 3.5-hectare rubber
plantation has been ravaged
by powdery mildew, a disease
wherein rubber trees shed
leaves and latex production
slows. So much so that Bulu
fears that output this year
could plunge nearly 30 per-
cent.
Xishuangbanna, the sec-
ond-largest rubber growing
area after Hainan province in
China, has 246,000 hectares of
Tire makers see thin margins as costs soar
By LI FANGFANG
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — As rubber prices
continued to rise and Chinese
tire exports are hit by high US
tariffs, tire makers in China
have started to hike prices to
offset increasing costs.
This week, natural raw rub-
ber prices
MATERIALS reached
24,800 yuan
($3,633) per ton, more than
double the price of per ton at
the beginning of last year.
Adding insult to injury, the
serious drought in Yunnan
province, which slashed in
half output from China’s major
rubber production base, is also
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0
capacity at 1.25 million tons
this year.
The company will further
increase capacity to 6 million
tons of oil equivalent in 2015,
Shanghai Securities News
reported, citing an official with
the company.
The company has just
formulated its development
plan for new energy this
year, under which it will
develop fuel ethanol capacity
rubber trees and the cash crop
provides much of the income
for local farmers.
Local government officials
maintain that the shortfall in
output has resulted in losses of
over 180 million yuan ($26.37
million) for the region as of
March.
There are around 30 pri-
vate rubber manufacturers
here and most of them have
ceased production, as the
crop requires huge quantities
of water.
“The average price of rub-
ber has soared to 24 yuan per
kg from 14.6 yuan per kg last
year,” said Gong Sixiao, man-
ager of Xing Hong Rubber
Factory.
With trends indicating a
shortfall of rubber worldwide,
prices have increased sharply
in most of the international
market.
Rubber advanced to its
highest level on March 29
since September 2008 as sup-
worsening rubber industry
headaches.
During the past two weeks
alone, Yunnan’s natural rub-
ber prices were inflated from
23,000 yuan to 25,000 yuan
per ton.
The reduction in supply
combined with rising rub-
ber prices translates into raw
material cost pressures for the
downstream tire industry.
Retail tire prices across Chi-
na have recently jumped by up
to 10 percent per unit.
Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber
Co, the largest rubber maker
in China, recently raised its
tire prices by 5 percent due
to rising rubber and oil costs,
according to the company.
of 500,000 tons per year and
coalbed methane capacity of
600 million cubic meters per
year, said the report, citing
Zhou Mingchun, chief finan-
cial officer of PetroChina Co,
the listed arm of CNPC.
After increasing the capacity
to 6 million tons, CNPC will
have 4 billion cubic meters
per year of coalbed methane
capacity, 1 billion cubic meters
per year of shale gas, 2 million
tons per year of fuel ethanol
and 60,000 tons per year of
biodiesel, said Zhou.
At present, the company
ply in Thailand, the world’s
largest exporter, is expected
to decline.
Futures in Tokyo rose as high
as 312.3 yen per kg ($3,373
a metric ton). The price has
advanced nearly 13 percent
this year.
But with drought playing
havoc in the growing regions,
China, the largest natural
rubber importer, will have no
other choice but to import the
commodity from abroad, say
analysts.
China’s imports of natural
rubber surged 63 percent in
the first two months of this
year, according to Bloomberg
data.
China consumed 2.7 million
tons of rubber last year, while
domestic output was 0.6 mil-
lion tons.
Most of the other major
rubber producers in Southeast
Asia could also face an output
crunch due to unfavorable
weather conditions.
Its competitors South China
Tire & Rubber Co Ltd and
Qingdao Double Star Tire Co
Ltd followed suit, as the two
manufacturers raised prices
by 5 percent and 10 percent
respectively.
For the second time this year,
Shandong Linglong Group
marked up prices by 6 percent
after its first appreciation of
5 percent before the Spring
Festival.
International brands like
Bridgestone and Yokohama
also introduced surcharges of
around 10 percent on retail tire
prices recently in China.
French tire maker Michelin
told China Daily on Wednes-
day that it was they are also
has started production on
a 500,000-ton-per-year fuel
ethanol plant in Jilin province,
and is also developing coalbed
methane in coal-rich Shanxi
province.
Analysts said that the
accelerated development pace
in new energies by CNPC is
in line with China’s efforts to
use more new energy for coal
and oil alternatives. The high-
potential new energy business
will be another growth engine
for CNPC’s business.
“Development of new ener-
gies is an indispensable part of
PRASHANTH VISHWANATHAN / BLOOMBERG NEWS
2.7
million tons
Rubber consumption in China
last year
0.6
million tons
Domestic output of rubber in
China during 2009
Output in Indonesia, the
second-largest rubber pro-
ducer, may drop to 2 million
tons this year from 2.4 mil-
lion in 2009 if unfavorable
weather persists, the Rubber
Association of Indonesia
said.
India’s biggest growing area
is also facing a drought-like
situation. The world’s fourth-
largest producer expects
output to drop 4 percent this
year.
considering a price hike within
a reasonable margin.
Zheng Wenrong, secretary
-general of China Natural
Rubber Association, agreed
that industry demand coupled
with a drop in natural rubber
production led to the price
hikes.
However, according to
Chen Aihua, an analyst with
Guosen Securities, the mod-
est price increases will not
cover manufacturers’ huge
expenditures for skyrocketing
rubber.
“They are facing a hard time
this year.”
With 40 percent of sales
coming from overseas and
one third of exports going to
the company’s goal to become
an integrated energy company
that can compete on a global
scale,” CNPC said in a state-
ment on its website.
By now CNPC has invested
over 1 billion yuan ($146 mil-
lion) on fuel ethanol. The com-
pany has also formed a coalbed
methane demonstration zone,
which has reserves of around
100 billion cubic meters of gas,
it said on the website.
On March 22 PetroChina
said it had agreed on a joint
bid with Shell to pay for
A$3.5 billion ($3.15 billion)
Against such a backdrop, it
looks highly unlikely that sup-
plies will grow.
The target of 6 percent
growth in global supplies
for this year may not be met
due to the drought in major
producing nations, the Asso-
ciation of Natural Rubber
Producing Countries said.
Expansion in output would
be limited by “the severity of
drought” in major produc-
ing countries, the association
said.
“April and May are tradi-
tionally the best months to
tap latex. But with rains not
expected till the latter half of
May, rubber trees would need
water to sustain themselves,”
said Guo Shunyun, director
of the cash crops department
at the bureau of agriculture in
Xishuangbanna.
Guo said these factors will
lead to a 30 percent reduction
in rubber output from the
region.
the United States, China’s tire
makers found themselves in
hot water as some countries
— led by the US — imposed
higher tariffs on Chinese tire
imports since last year.
The move was considered
trade protectionism by the
Chinese government as well
some industry and trade
experts.
Recent Customs statistics
show that January-Febru-
ary 2010 import volume for
natural rubber in Tianjin Port
was 9,800 tons, down 13.2
percent from the same period
last year.
Analysts said that the decline
of rubber imports was led by a
drop in tire exports.
businesscompanies 15
to acquire Arrow Energy Ltd,
an Australian coal-seam gas
developer.
The move will boost Petro-
China’s gas portfolio and also
help speed up its initiatives for
new energy, said analysts.
Coal-seam gas, commonly
known as coalbed methane, is
methane found in coal seams.
It is produced by non-tradi-
tional means and but used in
the same way as traditional
natural gas.
China plans to increase
its annual coal-bed methane
output to 10 billion cubic
Sharp coal price
hike may shock
power producers
By XIAO WAN
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — China’s power
industry may incur losses this
year as rising coal prices may
take the sheen off the 9 per-
cent growth in consumption,
said an industry association.
Coal prices have risen
sharply since
POWER the fourth quar-
ter of last year,
and are eating into the profits
of power plants, China Elec-
tricity Council (CEC) said in
a report.
Coal-fired power plants
and even the whole power
industry will go into red if
coal and electricity price
hikes are not controlled, it
said.
The country should also
look at adopting the coal
electricity pricing linkage
mechanism, according to
CEC.
The Chinese govern-
ment decided to approve
a mechanism linking coal
and power prices at the end
of 2004. Under the linkage,
electricity prices will move
in tandem with coal price
hikes.
If coal prices rise by more
than 5 percent over a six-
month period, the govern-
ment will adjust electricity
prices.
However, the government
has utilized this mechanism
only twice utill now.
The power industry has
already incurred losses in
February, said Liu Nan-
chang, an official with State-
owned Assets Supervision
and Administration Com-
mission of the State Council
(SASAC).
Central government
owned power companies
have a debt-to-asset ratio of
more than 80 percent, which
exposes them to severe risks
in the event of a credit tight-
ening, he said.
“This year will be tough
for coal-fired power plants,
although it is still hard to
estimate by how much coal
prices will go up this year,”
meters in 2010.
China, which relies on
imports for over half of its oil
consumption, is expected to
import 210 million tons of oil
this year, as domestic produc-
tion cannot keep pace with
demand, Huang Li, an official
with the National Energy
Administration, said at the 10th
China International Petroleum
& Petrochemical Technology
and Equipment Exhibition held
in Beijing recently.
The country is expected to
add 20 million tons of oil refin-
ing capacity this year, she said.
said Xue Jing, director of
the statistics and informa-
tion department under the
CEC.
“Despite making profits
in 2009, domestic power
companies are likely to incur
losses this year,” she added.
Coal-fired power accounts
for around 70 percent of Chi-
na’s total power generation,
and rising fuel prices have
always been a headache for
power generators.
In 2008, due to the sharp
rise in coal prices, domestic
power companies incurred
huge losses in their gen-
eration business. But last year
because of the relatively softer
coal prices, many power
companies saw rapid growth
in their profits.
Supply imbalance
China may see an overall
balance between power
demand and supply this year,
but some regions will still suf-
fer temporary blackouts, the
CEC said.
The regions include
Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan,
Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Sich-
uan provinces, as well as
Chongqing and Shanghai
municipalities.
Installed power capacity is
expected to reach 950 giga-
watts by the end of this year.
The nation will spend 330
billion yuan ($48.35 billion)
to set up power plants and
a similar amount for power
grids, the CEC said.
As part of the efforts to
build a green economy,
China will continue to keep
the investment proportion
of coal-fired power to the
total electricity output below
50 percent and increase the
proportion of hydroelectric-
ity and nuclear power invest-
ments.
China is expected to
import around 100 million
tons of coal this year. The
country’s coal consumption
is expected to be around 4
billion tons of coal this year,
Huang Li, an official with the
National Energy Administra-
tion, has said.
16 businesscompanies T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 C H I NA DA I LY

Huawei posts 18.3b yuan profit in 2009 Starwood

Telecom firm’s
robust results
attributed to
booming sales in
China and India
By WANG XING
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — Chinese telecom
equipment maker Huawei
Technologies said on Wednes-
day that its profit nearly
doubled last year on boom-
ing sales, operating efficiency
improvements
TELECOM and exchange
rate gains.
The Shenzhen-based firm
said in a statement that net
profit for the year rose to 18.27
billion yuan from 7.85 billion
yuan in 2008. Revenue rose 19
percent to 149.06 billion yuan
from 125.22 billion yuan.
“The 2009 year was tumul-
tuous for the global economy
and for the entire telecom-
munications industry,” said
Ren Zhengfei, chief executive
officer of Huawei Technolo-
gies, which is a privately owned
firm. “We are proud to have
weathered the storm, despite
the challenging economic
environment.”
Ren attributed the compa-
ny’s robust performance to fast
growth in countries like China
and India as well as successful
business expansion in devel-
oped markets like Europe, the
United States and Japan.
He said Huawei Technolo-
gies is expected to see a 20
percent uptick in business
growth due to advancements
in mobile broadband across
the world.
A worker examines a circuit board at Huawei Technologies Company Ltd factory in Shenzhen.
During the past few years,
Huawei has become one of
the world’s biggest telecom
equipment makers by charg-
ing lower prices for similar
quality gear compared with its
foreign rivals.
Last year, Huawei’s global
market share rose to 14.2 per-
cent from 11.5 percent a year
earlier, putting it in second
place behind Sweden’s Erics-
son Telephone Co, according
to a report by research firm
Gartner.
The share growth was partly
due to deals it made last year
with several key European
operators, such as Norway’s
Telenor ASA and Belgian
telecommunications provider
Belgacom SA, who tradition-
ally are customers of Huawei’s
foreign rivals.
Huawei said the surge in
net profit was due to a boost
in sales, effective cost-con-
trol measures and exchange
rate gains. If exchange gains
were excluded, its net profit
increased 26.5 percent, accord-
ing to the firm.
Fang Meiqin, associate
director of BDA China Ltd,
a research consultancy, said
even excluding the effects of
the exchange rate, Huawei’s
profit growth was “surprising”,
as most foreign telecom equip-
ment makers have seen their
profits declining in the past
few years due to fiercer market
competition and the global
economic slowdown.
She attributed Huawei’s prof-
it surge to the company’s rapid
growth in China, where profit
margins were relatively higher
for the company than that in
other foreign counties.
According to government
opens its
1,000th
hotel
By CHEN WEIHUA
CHINA DAILY
WHITE PLAINS, New
York — Starwood Hotels
and Resorts Worldwide Inc
opened its 1,000th hotel in
the world on Wednesday
along East China’s Qian-
dao Lake, also known as
the Lake of
TOURISM a Thousand
Isles.
The selection of the
milestone hotel, Sheraton
Qiandao Lake Resort, rep-
resents Starwood’s ambi-
tious expansion plan in
the Chinese market. While
Starwood currently has 54
hotels up and operating in
China, it has another 70
hotels under development
or construction in the coun-
try, according to a company
executive.
“We will have 100 hotels
GRISCHA RUESCHENDORF / BLOOMBERG NEWS in China by the end of 2012
and double our footprint in
China from the end of 2009
CONTRACT SALES SOAR to the end of 2012,” Mat-
30 $billion
thew Avril, president of the
30.2 hotel group for Starwood
: 39%
CAGR
25
20 23.3 Hotels and Resorts, told
15 China Daily in an exclu-
16
10
11
sively interview on Tuesday
5 8.2 in the Starwood headquar-
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
ters in White Plains, outside
Source: Huawei Technologies SHEN WEI / CHINA DAILY New York City.
Avril said China is not
figures, Chinese telecom oper- ZTE Corp a serious shot in only the fastest developing
ators had spent 160.9 billion the arm. But she warned that market for Starwood in
yuan to set up a third genera- once 3G network construc- terms of growth, but also a
tion (3G) telecom network by tion by telecom operator’s very important market glob-
the end of last year. was completed in a few years ally due to outbound travel
That, Fang said, has given time, Huawei’s profit growth excursions made by China’s
companies like Huawei and might slow. growing middle class.
Starwood CEO Frits van
Paasschen described China
as one of the world’s largest

Copper demand weakens on lackluster consumption outbound tourism markets

with more than 100 million
trips abroad a year — 10
times the number of trips
HONG KONG — Jiangxi at a press conference in Hong percent in the stimulus pack- income of 623 million yuan Copper said. The company are expected to start opera- by Japanese tourists, who
Copper Co, China’s biggest Kong. age,” Li said. “As the power ($91 million), compared with plans to boost copper mine tions in 2014, will increase had a profound impact on
producer of the metal, said Chinese copper demand industry accounts for roughly a loss of 1.4 billion yuan a output to 240,000 metric tons ore supplies by 400,000 tons, the industry in the 1980s.
demand growth would slow is “weak” now because of 45 percent of total demand in year ago, according to figures in 2011, from 172,000 tons Li said. “When Chinese do travel,
this year as the government lackluster consumption from China, I don’t expect copper derived from the full-year this year, said Tang Delong, The company plans to boost they are going to stay in the
cuts spending on the power industry, Tongling demand to grow substantially statement. The profit trailed the president’s assistant, at the refined copper production by brands that they know
METALS the power indus- Nonferrous Metals Group Co this year.” the 840 million yuan mean conference. 13 percent this year to 900,000 from home, which will
try by a quarter. said on March 5. Stockpiles in Jiangxi Copper fell 1.1 per- estimate compiled by Bloom- The smelter and copper tons, from 800,000 tons last have a meaningful effect on
Prices of the metal may drop the country reached the high- cent to HK$17.36 at 12:29 pm berg from 11 analysts. miner needs about 464,000 year, he said. It is still in talks our business globally and
in the second half as some est level since at least 2003 this on Wednesday in Hong Kong tons of copper ore a year, and to buy Yantai Penghui Copper underscores why we are
countries may start to end their month. trading. Capital expenditure its own production accounts Industry, Li said. investing so heavily in this
stimulus policies, Chairman Li “This year, China will cut The company on Tuesday Capital expenditure will for about 35 percent of its Yantai produces 120,000 tons critical market now,” Van
Yihuang said on Wednesday power investment by 25.5 posted a fourth-quarter net increase by 13 percent to 3.4 needs. of refined copper a year. Paasschen said.
billion yuan this year, from 3 Jiangxi Copper’s projects in Avril, who travels to Asia
billion yuan in 2009, Jiangxi Peru and Afghanistan, which BLO OMBERG NEWS several times a year, said
Starwood’s top manage-
᢯ᷛ݀ਞ ment works on their China
᢯ᷛᴵӊ strategy every day.
ᴀ᢯ᷛ乍Ⳃㅔ䰇Ꮦᮑᆊ䬛䰆⋾෸ᓎ䆒乍ⳂᏆ⬅ㅔ䰇Ꮦথሩ੠ᬍ䴽ሔҹㅔথᬍথ>@োᡍ By 2012, China will
‫ޚ‬ᓎ䆒ˈ乍ⳂϮЏЎㅔ䰇Ꮦ∈ࡵሔˈᓎ䆒䌘䞥ᴹ⑤˖㸹ࡽ䌘䞥ˈ乍Ⳃߎ䌘↨߫Ў˖ˈ᢯ᷛ become the second largest
ҎЎㅔ䰇Ꮦ∈ࡵሔDŽ乍ⳂᏆ‫݋‬໛᢯ᷛᴵӊˈ⦄ᇍ䆹乍ⳂⱘᮑᎹǃⲥ⧚䖯㸠݀ᓔ᢯ᷛDŽ market for Starwood out-
ᴀ᢯ᷛ乍ⳂЎಯᎱⳕ㸠ᬓऎඳ‫ⱘݙ‬೑ᆊᡩ䌘Ꮉ⿟ᓎ䆒乍Ⳃˈㅔ䰇Ꮦথሩ੠ᬍ䴽ሔḌ‫˄ޚ‬᢯ᷛџ side the United States.
乍Ḍ‫ޚ‬᭛োЎㅔথᬍথ>@ো˅ⱘ᢯ᷛ㒘㒛ᔶᓣЎྨᠬ᢯ᷛDŽ᢯ᷛҎ䗝ᢽ˄ᴀ᢯ᷛ乍Ⳃ “And there is no reason
೼ⳕথሩᬍ䴽ྨᣛᅮ↨䗝㔥キϞⱘ乍Ⳃ㓪োЎ˅ⱘ᢯ᷛҷ⧚ᴎᵘᰃಯᎱ㡃টᓎ䆒੼
䆶᳝䰤݀ৌDŽ
why China should not be
our largest market,” said
乍Ⳃὖ‫މ‬Ϣ᢯ᷛ㣗ೈ
Avril, but when, he did not
Ꮉ⿟ৡ⿄˖ᮑᆊ䬛䰆⋾෸ᓎ䆒乍ⳂDŽ know.
᢯ᷛ㣗ೈ˖䆹乍ⳂⱘᮑᎹǃⲥ⧚DŽ Starwood now has 500
ᷛ↉ߦߚ˖ᮑᎹߦߚЎϸϾᷛ↉ˈⲥ⧚ߦߚЎϔϾᷛ↉DŽ hotels in North America,
ᡩᷛҎ䌘Ḑ㽕∖ including the United
ᴀ⃵᢯ᷛ㽕∖ᡩᷛҎ乏‫݋‬໛˖ᮑᎹᷛ↉˖∈߽∈⬉ᮑᎹᘏᡓࣙѠ㑻ঞҹϞ䌘䋼˗ⲥ⧚ᷛ↉˖∈߽ States, Canada and the
∈⬉ⲥ⧚Э㑻ঞҹϞ䌘䋼ˈᮑᎹǃⲥ⧚ഛᑨ‫݋‬᳝ᑈҹᴹᡓᢙঞᅠ៤ϝϾⱘ㉏Ԑ乍ⳂϮ㒽ˈᑊ Caribbean.
೼Ҏਬǃ݊ᅗ䆒໛ǃ䌘䞥ㄝᮍ䴶‫݋‬᳝Ⳍᑨⱘ㛑࡯DŽ He believes that with
ᴀ⃵᢯ᷛϡ᥹ফ㘨ড়ԧᡩᷛDŽ 170 cities in China with a
৘ᡩᷛҎഛৃህϞ䗄ᷛ↉ЁⱘϾᷛ↉ᡩᷛDŽ population of 1 million or
᢯ᷛ᭛ӊⱘ㦋প
more, compared with some
35 markets in the US with
޵᳝ᛣখࡴⱘড়Ḑᡩᷛ㗙ˈ䇋Ѣᑈ᳜᮹㟇ᑈ᳜᮹˄⊩ᅮ݀ӥ᮹ǃ⊩ᅮ㡖‫؛‬᮹䰸
໪˅ˈ↣᮹Ϟजᯊ㟇ᯊˈϟजᯊ㟇ᯊ˄࣫Ҁᯊ䯈ˈϟৠ˅ˈ೼៤䛑Ꮦϔ
1 million residents, there
⦃䏃㽓ϔ↉ো㳔݄໻䜦ᑫѨὐ&ᅸᣕϟ߫䆕ӊ˄䆕ᯢǃ䆕к˅䌁ф᢯ᷛ᭛ӊDŽ are enormous opportuni-
˄˅䌁фҎ᳝ᬜ䑿ӑ䆕ঞऩԡҟ㒡ֵ˗
ties and a bright future
for all Starwood brands
˄˅⊼‫ݠ‬ѢЁढҎ⇥݅੠೑ⱘӕϮ⊩Ҏ㧹Ϯᠻ✻ࡃᴀ˗
in China.
˄˅䌘䋼䆕кࡃᴀ˗ Starwood expects to
˄˅ᅝܼ⫳ѻ䆌ৃ䆕ࡃᴀ˄ⲥ⧚ᷛ↉䰸໪˅DŽ open 80-100 additional
᢯ᷛ᭛ӊ↣༫ଂӋ‫ܗ‬༫ˈଂৢϡ䗔DŽ೒㒌ᢐ䞥‫ˈܗ‬೼䗔䖬೒㒌ᯊ䗔䖬˄ϡ䅵߽ᙃ˅DŽ hotels in 2010, 20 of which
ᴀᎹ⿟ϡᦤկ䚂䌁᢯ᷛ᭛ӊ᳡ࡵDŽ will be in China.
ᡩᷛ᭛ӊⱘ䗦Ѹ According to data from
ᡩᷛ᭛ӊ䗦Ѹⱘ៾ℶᯊ䯈˄ᡩᷛ៾ℶᯊ䯈ˈϟৠ˅Ўᑈ᳜᮹ᯊߚˈഄ⚍Ўㅔ䰇Ꮦ
STR Global, a hotel indus-
ᬓࡵ᳡ࡵЁᖗDŽ try watcher, there are 360
䘒ᳳ䗕䖒ⱘ៪㗙᳾䗕䖒ᣛᅮഄ⚍ⱘᡩᷛ᭛ӊˈ᢯ᷛҎϡќফ⧚DŽ
hotel projects compris-
ing 124,109 rooms either
থᏗ݀ਞⱘၦҟ
planned or under construc-
ᴀ⃵᢯ᷛ݀ਞ೼Ё೑᮹᡹ϞথᏗDŽ tion in China.
㘨㋏ᮍᓣ The hotel group includes
᢯ᷛҎ˖ㅔ䰇Ꮦ∈ࡵሔ Sheraton, Four Points by
ഄഔ˖ㅔ䰇Ꮦ Sheraton, Westin, Le Meri-
㘨㋏Ҏ˖㩟‫⫳ܜ‬ dien and St Regis-branded
⬉䆱˖
hotels.
᢯ᷛҷ⧚ᴎᵘ˖ಯᎱ㡃টᓎ䆒੼䆶᳝䰤݀ৌ Starwood is going to
ഄഔ˖៤䛑Ꮦ䴦㕞ऎ䫺䞠㽓䏃ো䫺∳ᯊҷ㢅ುफὐᅸ open its first W hotel on the
㘨㋏Ҏ˖偀‫⫳ܜ‬ Chinese mainland later this
⬉䆱˖
year in Guangzhou, Guang-
ᑈ᳜᮹ dong province.
C H I NA DA I LY T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 businessmarkets 17

Margin trading, short selling Sugar not so sweet

as global output
trial fails to brighten market climbs, analysts say

Benchmark index
falls despite launch
of new business
By LI XIANG
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — The Chinese equity
market fell on Wednesday despite
the launch of the widely antici-
pated trial program for margin
trading and short selling.
The benchmark Shanghai
Composite Index declined 0.62
percent to 3109.1
MARKETS points with the
brokerage sec-
tor retreating 0.77 percent. GF
Securities declined 1.35 percent
to close at 55.55 yuan, the biggest
loss among the listed brokerage
houses approved by the regulator
to engage in the pilot program for
margin trading and short selling.
The new business, which allows
investors to borrow money to buy
securities or borrow securities to
sell, made its debut on Wednesday
but the first day trading was slug-
gish with most investors taking a
wait-and-see stance. So far only
four investors have engaged in the
new business at Guotai Jun’an Secu-
rities, one of the six brokerages that
received regulatory approval.
The securities regulator last
month approved the first batch
of securities firms, including
CITIC Securities and Everbright
Securities, to take part in the pilot
An investor monitors share movement at a brokerage in Huaian, Jiangsu province.
program for the new business.
Brokerages were required to have
a net capital of at least five billion
yuan in order to be qualified for
the business.
Analysts said the mooted mar-
ket response reflected the limited
initial impact of the new finan-
cial instrument given the high
threshold set by the regulator in
an attempt to control risks.
The minimum trading margin
was set at 60 percent and 70 percent
for margin trading and short selling
respectively. The regulator also set
the interest rate for margin trading
at 7.86 percent and the rate of stock
borrowing fee at 9.86 percent.
“The market did not see a sig-
nificant increase in trading volume
which indicated that the amount of
capital involved in the new busi-
ness is too little to influence the
overall market,” said Liao Qing, an
analyst at Haitong Securities.
Liao said the limited effect might
also be due to the lack of motiva-
tion among institutional and retail
investors to do short selling given
the current low valuations of blue-
chip companies.
Analysts estimated that the launch
of margin trading and short selling
was likely to inject a total of 90 bil-
lion yuan into the A-share market
in its initial stage. The first batch of
YI QIAN / FOR CHINA DAILY
six brokerages’ total funding in the
business will likely reach between 40
billion and 60 billion yuan.
“I think the impact is more of
a psychological one than a real
one,” Liao said. “The market’s
calm response was in fact within
expectations as the positive impact
was already factored into previous
trading.”
But he noted that the new busi-
ness would, in the long run, help
improve the profitability of big
securities firms backed by a strong
capital base as the brokerage busi-
ness for margin trading and short
selling will account for a large
chunk of their revenues.
By YI TIAN AND DEBARATI ROY
BLO OMBERG NEWS
NEW YORK — Sugar prices, head-
ing for the biggest quarterly drop since
1985, will extend a slump as Brazil and
India, the world’s largest producers,
harvest bumper crops next season,
analysts and traders said.
Raw sugar will fall 16 percent to 15
cents a pound by early July
AGRO as the bulk of Brazilian sup-
plies reach the market, said
Marcelo Dorea, a partner at Round
Earth Capital in New York. The price
will tumble to 13 cents at the end of
the year, posting a 52 percent annual
loss, said Mark Hansen at CPM
Group. Last year, the sweetener more
than doubled.
“Sugar has transitioned from a
bullish scenario to a bearish scenar-
io,” said Dorea, who began trading
agricultural commodities in 1981.
“Investors should sell into rallies.
The market may correct itself a little
bit more, but there isn’t anything that
would bring sugar up to the levels of
the mid-20s.”
Raw sugar tumbled as much as 47
percent from a 29-year high of 30.4
cents on Feb 1, as importers includ-
ing India, Pakistan and Egypt with-
drew from the market. On Tuesday
on ICE Futures US, the contract for
May delivery rose 0.37 cent, or 2.1
percent, to 17.88 cents. The com-
modity has tumbled 34 percent in the
first quarter.
“It has basically been a price
crash,” said Hansen at CPM, a New
York-based research and asset-man-
agement company that structures
hedges and trades for producers and
consumers. “It’s not unreasonable to
‘‘
Sugar has tran-
sitioned from a
bullish scenario
to a bearish
scenario.”
MARCELO DOREA
PARTNER,
ROUND EARTH CAPITAL
a New York-based consultant. She
forecast “single-digit” prices in 12
months, assuming favorable weather
conditions.
The global supply shortfall will be
12.8 million tons this year, down from
14.8 million projected in February,
Czarnikow Group Ltd said on March
24, citing higher-than-expected out-
put in India. The market will return to
a surplus next year, according to Lon-
don-based Czarnikow and Ratzeburg,
Germany-based F.O. Licht.
“The unknown issue is the weather,”
Round Earth’s Dorea said. “Last year,
we were under this El Nino regime
which is beginning to go away now.
We’re moving to La Nina, which is
typically better for crops in terms of
rainfall distribution. In most cases,
crops are going to be better and yields
are going to be higher.”
The cyclical heating of the Pacific
Ocean known as El Nino will con-
tinue to fade, US forecasters said this
month. The weather event, which
occurs every four to seven years,
brings more rain to South America
and less precipitation to Asia.
In 2009, sugar soared partly because
two straight years of drought damaged
the Indian crop.
El Nino weakens

Cross-Straits agreement to boost ties expect some kind of a bounce, but

By GEORGE NG
CHINA DAILY
HONG KONG — An economic
cooperation framework agreement
(ECFA) between Taiwan and the
mainland will mean much more
than lower tariffs, Taiwan Stock
Exchange Corp (TWSE) Chairman
Schive Chi told China
TRADE Daily in an exclusive
interview.
“Market attention has been
focusing on the features of a tra-
ditional trade pact, which places
emphasis on removing tax barri-
ers on merchandise trading and
hindrances to capital movement,”
Chi said of the ongoing efforts by
both sides of the Taiwan Straits to
reach an ECFA.
Chi’s comments came as the Tai-
wan Stock Exchange and Master-
link Securities Corporation jointly
hosted the Taiwan Tech Leader-
ship Forum 2010 in Shanghai on
Wednesday and Thursday.
This is the first cross-Straits
investment conference since the
implementation of the cross-Straits
financial memorandum of under-
standing.
Meanwhile, the Taipei-based
Straits Exchange Foundation of
Taiwan and the Beijing-based
Association for Relations Across
the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) started
their second round of negotiations
on the ECFA on Wednesday in
Taiwan, with the aim of reaching
a final agreement by the end of the
first half.
With an ECFA, Taiwan and the
mainland could develop a very
special relationship that goes far
beyond that of traditional trading
partners, he suggested.
An ECFA will benefit both sides
in terms of lower tariffs which will
boost trade and investment, the
TWSE chairman said.
Take Taiwan automaker China
Motor Corporation for example.
Once the high tariffs slapped on
imported cars are removed, it can
sell cars made by its mainland joint
venture, South East Motor Corpo-
ration, in Fujian province back to
the Taiwan market.
With the absence of high tariffs,
China Motor and South East Motor
could divide their production
activities: China Motor manufac-
turing high-end cars and shipping
them to the mainland and South
East producing low-end vehicles
and exporting them to Taiwan,
Chi said.
An ECFA will boost the trade
and economic ties between the
two sides, with Taiwan’s economy
particularly gaining significantly,
said Michael Lin, executive vice-
president of TWSE.
According to estimates by
Schive Chi, chairman of Taiwan
Stock Exchange Corp, said an
economic cooperation framework
agreement between Taiwan and the
mainland will benefit both sides.
Chung-Hua Institution for Eco-
nomic Research, the ECFA will
add 1.6-1.72 percentage points to
the island’s annual gross domestic
product growth.
it’s unlikely to see sugar return to
anywhere near” 27 cents, the level at
the end of the year, he said.
Brazilian yields are beating fore-
casts as a waning El Nino brings dry
weather, boosting prospects for a
record harvest. Mills began crushing
cane early after two years of heavy
rains pared output, said Maurilio
Biagi Filho, the world’s second-larg-
est grower.
“I had never seen a single mill
operating in January before,” Biagi
said in an interview on March 24.
“This January, we had 90 of them
working at full capacity.”
The Indian Sugar Mills Association
on March 25 estimated production
in the year ending Sept 30 will be
17 million tons, up 1.5 million from
a February projection. Output next
season may be as much as 24 million
tons, the group said.
‘Overestimated deficit’
“The market had basically over-
estimated the extent of the deficit,”
said Judith Ganes-Chase, a Katonah,
A weakening El Nino is a “posi-
tive sign” for the monsoon, India’s
main source of irrigation, Ajit Tyagi,
a director general at the India Meteo-
rological Department, said on March
18. “A repeat of last year is positively
not going to happen.”
The sweetener will rebound in the
second half as prices become “appeal-
ing enough to ramp up demand,” said
Claudio Oliveira, a trader at New
York-based Castlestone Management
LLC. The commodity may fall to 15
cents in three months, he said.
Hedge-fund managers and other
large speculators reduced their net-
long position in New York futures by
9.3 percent in the week ended March
23, according to US Commodity
Futures Trading Commission data.
Speculative long positions, or bets
prices will rise, outnumbered short
positions by 155,463 contracts, down
15,890 contracts from a week earlier.
Net-longs have dropped 23 percent
since Feb 2, the day after sugar reached
the highest level since January 1981.
The bullish wagers were up 19 percent
from a year ago.

Stocks dip
marketroundup
for first time COMMODITIES ASIA INDEXES
Shanghai Futures Exchange Nikkei 225 KOSPI Straits Times BSE Sensex
in 4 days Commodity Contracts Price Change% Japan 11089.94
-0.06%
South Korea 1692.85
-0.43%
Singapore 2887.46
-1.57%
India 17527.77
-0.35%
Aluminum JUN0 16575 -0.45
SHANGHAI — Main- 11135 1702 2922 17670
Copper JUL0 61630 -0.82
land stocks fell for the first
Rubber SEP0 24515 -1.76 11115 1697 2910 17610
time in four days, capping
the worst quarterly drop Fuel Oil JUN0 4650 -0.39
11095 1692 17550
2898
since entering a bear mar- Zinc JUL0 18975 -0.6
ket in August last year, on 9:00 13:00 15:00 9:00 13:00 15:00 9:00 13:00 17:00 9:00 13:00 15:30
Gold JUN0 245.28 -0.35
concern faster inflation
will curb corporate earn- Wire Rod MAY0 4272 -0.56 CHINA INDEXES
ings growth. Rebar OCT0 4755 -0.73 Shanghai Composite Shanghai B Shares Shenzhen Composite Shenzhen B Shares
Baoshan Iron & Steel 3109.1 -0.62% 258.58 +0.26% 12494.35 -0.78% 629.25 -0.2%
Co widened its loss for Dalian Commodities Exchange
the last three months Commodity Contracts Price Change% 3126
258.3 12565 630.6
to 18 percent. Bank of Soybean#1 SEP0 3888 0.13 629.4
3116 12530
China Ltd slid 1.6 per- 257.8
Soybean#2 SEP0 3980 0.53
cent, rounding out a 6.5 3108 257.4 12495 628.2
percent quarterly loss for Soybean Meal SEP0 2849 0
9:30 13:00 15:00 9:30 13:00 15:00 9:30 13:00 15:00 9:30 13:00 15:00
the financials index. Corn SEP0 1928 -0.36
“The market is worried Soybean Oil SEP0 7574 0.19 CSI 300
that corporate earnings 3345.61 -0.63%
MARKET DIGEST TOP 10 BY VOLUME IN SHANGHAI
LLDPE SEP0 11380 -1.43
growth might peak in the
Shanghai Shenzhen Hong Kong Name Last Change% Vol(m)
first quarter due to the low Palm Oil SEP0 6850 -0.26 3364
base last year and rising PVC SEP0 7790 -1.45 Gainers 360 459 359 GD Power 8.27 6.85 291
3354
costs,” said Wang Zheng,
a manager at Jingxi Invest- Zhengzhou Commodities Exchange 3344
Losers 512 363 577 Changjiang Electric 12.14 3.94 154
Commodity Contracts Price Change% Unchanged 15 21 226 China State Construction 4.34 0.23 142
ment Management Co.
9:30 13:00 15:00
The Shanghai Compos- Wheat MAY0 1880 0
Hang Seng Tengda Construction 10.11 10.01 132
ite Index fell 19.36, or 0.6 SG Wheat SEP0 2280 -0.65 SUBINDEX Chongqing Water 11.53 -6.26 108
percent, to 3109.11. The 21239.35 -0.63%
Cotton#1 SEP0 16870 -0.32 Name Last Change% Metallurgical CN 5.1 -0.78 97
CSI 300 Index declined 21410
0.6 percent for a 6.4 per- White Sugar JAN1 5077 -0.51 Hang Seng A+H 2207.81 -0.3 Minsheng Bank 7.69 -1.41 92
cent quarterly decline. 21340
PTA SEP0 8556 -0.72 SME Composite 6189.33 0.85 CITIC 28.42 0.53 88
Rape Seed Oil SEP0 8162 -0.1 21270 ICBC 4.98 -0.8 86
SSE Fund 4700.26 -0.6
BLO OMBERG NEWS
Early Rice SEP0 2146 -0.6 10:00 13:00 16:00 SZSE Fund 4842.16 -0.49 United Network 6.28 -0.95 82
18 sino-indian60anniversaryspecial
Convergence of interests between India and China
On April 1, 2010, India
and China commemorate
the 60th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic
relations between their gov-
ernments.
This occasion has acquired
considerable symbolism,
signifying as it does a new
phase in our relationship.
Historical moments are
re-visited and the commit-
ment to expand ties in the
future reaffirmed. As may
be expected, the anniver-
sary provides a context for
commemorative events of a
very wide variety to be held
in both countries. In both
tangible and intangible ways,
cooperation emerges greatly
strengthened as a result.
Ties between India and
China have been moving in
a steadily positive direction
for more than two decades.
The engagement between
the two polities has broad-
ened significantly and a
growing number of dialogs
and bilateral forums testify
to a mutual appreciation of
their converging interests.
Visits by high-level leaders
provide occasions to set out
directions for the develop-
ment of the relationship.
They also send strong public
signals of the priority that
the two countries attach to
their bilateral ties.
The visits of Chinese
President Hu Jintao and
Premier Wen Jiabao to India
in 2006 and 2005 respec-
tively and that by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh
to China in 2008 are recent
landmarks.
In January 2008, during
Prime Minister Manmo-
han Singh’s visit, the two
Governments agreed on “A
Shared Vision for the 21st
Century”.
They looked to the future
in building a relationship of
friendship and trust, based
on equality, in which each is
sensitive to the concerns and
aspirations of the other.
They were confident that
India-China friendship will
have a positive influence on
the future of the interna-
tional system.
They were also convinced
that the continuous democ-
ratization of international
relations and multilateral-
ism are an important objec-
tive. This vision continues to
guide the further develop-
ment of India-China ties.
A defining characteristic
of the new phase of the
relationship is the central-
ity of economic coopera-
tion. China is India’s largest
partner in trade in goods,
while India is China’s tenth
largest.
In 2008, bilateral trade was
estimated at $52 billion and
in 2009, despite the global
economic slowdown, at $44
billion.
The first two months of
2010 have shown 55 percent
increase as compared to
the previous year. The two
countries have set for them-
selves a turnover target of
$60 billion for 2010. India’s
infrastructure and consumer
demands offer opportunities
for Chinese companies.
At the same time, India
is focused on exporting
information technology,
pharmaceuticals, engineer-
ing goods and services and
agro-exports. A balanced
and equitable trade is nec-
essary for its long-term
sustainability.
India and China have
greatly expanded their
functional cooperation in
areas as diverse as science
and technology, space, coal,
renewable energy, water
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 C H I NA DA I LY
resources, forestry, agricul-
ture, railways, culture, tour-
ism, youth affairs, media
and information, traditional
medicine, labor, human Chairman Mao Zedong
and Indian Prime
resource development,
Minister Jawaharlal
auditing, anti-corruption Nehru meet in October
and policing. 1954 in Beijing.
The two nations are also
committed to resolving
outstanding differences,
including on the boundary
question, through peaceful
negotiations. Such differenc-
es are not allowed to affect
the positive development of
the bilateral relationship.
The convergence of
interests between India
and China is evident on a
broad range of global issues.
The two countries work
closely together on climate
change and multilateral
trade development. They
share membership amongst
others of the G20, BRICs,
BASIC, East Asia Summit
and ARF.
India was among the
earliest nations to accord
recognition to the People’s
Republic of China and was
the first non-socialist state Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru
to establish diplomatic rela-
with Premier Zhou
tions with it. Enlai and Madame
It was among the first Soong Ching Ling
countries to recognize that in October 1954 in
there is one China and Beijing.
its one-China policy has
remained unaltered. In the
early years of their relation-
ship, the two countries had
a record of cooperating
closely on the key inter-
national issues of the day.
Today, as rising powers,
they have the opportu-
nity once again of doing
so, drawing encouragement
from their shared history
and past traditions.
Dr S Jaishankar
Indian ambassador to
China
LI MIN
C H I NA DA I LY
Milestones in India-China relations
Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru with Chinese crowd in October
1954 in Beijing.
Indian President K.R. Narayanan with President Jiang Zemin in May 2000
in Beijing.
December 1949: Govern-
ment of India extends recog-
nition to the People’s Republic
of China.
April 1950: India
becomes the first non-
socialist country to estab-
lish diplomatic relations
with the People’s Republic
of China. KM Panikker
is appointed India’s first
ambassador to China.
April 1954: Agreement
on trade between the Tibet
autonomous region and India
signed in Beijing.
June 1954: Premier Zhou
Enlai visits India and the
“Panchsheel” — or Five Prin-
ciples of Peaceful Coexistence
— is first proposed in an India-
China joint declaration.
October 1954: Trade agree-
ment between the People’s
Republic of China and the
Republic of India signed in
New Delhi.
October 1954: Prime Min-
ister Jawaharlal Nehru visits
China.
April 1955: Indian PM
Jawaharlal Nehru and Chi-
nese Premier Zhou Enlai
meet during the Afro-Asian
Conference in Bandung,
Indonesia.
January 1957: Premier
Zhou Enlai visits India and
receives an honorary doctor-
ate from Calcutta University.
September 1957: Indian
Vice-President Dr S Rad-
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0
hakrishnan visits China.
April 1960: Chinese Pre-
mier Zhou Enlai visits India.
August 1976: India and
China restore relations to
ambassadorial level after a
fifteen-year gap.
February 1979: Indian
External Affairs Minister AB
Vajpayee visits China.
June 1981: Chinese For-
eign Minister Huang Hua
visits India.
December 1988: Indian
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
pays an official visit to China,
the first high-level bilateral
visit in 34 years. A joint work-
ing group on the boundary
question and a joint economic
group are established.
December 1991: Chinese
Premier Li Peng pays an offi-
cial visit to India.
May 1992: Indian President
R Venkatraman visits China,
the first head of state visit
from India to China.
September 1993: Indian
PM Narasimha Rao visits
China. An agreement on
the maintenance of peace
and tranquility along the
line of actual control in the
India-China border area is
signed.
July 1994: Double taxation
avoidance agreement signed.
November-December
1996: President Jiang Zemin
Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping receives Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
in December 1988 in Beijing.
Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh with Premier Wen Jiabao in April
2005 in New Delhi.
visits India, the first head
of state visit from China to
India. An agreement on con-
fidence building measures in
the military field along the
line of actual control in the
India-China border area is
signed.
May-June 2000: Indian
President K R Narayanan
visits China.
January 2002: Premier Zhu
Rongji visits India.
June 2003: Indian PM
AB Vajpayee visits China.
Declaration on principles for
relations and comprehensive
cooperation is signed and a
special representative mecha-
nism established to explore
the framework of a boundary
settlement from the political
perspective.
April 2005: Chinese Pre-
mier Wen Jiabao pays an offi-
cial visit to India. An agree-
ment on political parameters
and guiding principles for the
settlement of the China-India
boundary question is signed.
A strategic and cooperative
partnership for peace and
prosperity is also established.
May-June 2006: Indian
Defense Minister Pranab
Mukherjee visits China.
Memorandum of understand-
ing on defense exchanges and
cooperation signed.
November 2006: Chi-
nese President Hu Jintao
visits India. A 10-pronged
strategy for comprehensive
development of the strategic
and cooperative partnership
is agreed upon.
December 2007: First joint
military exercise on counter
terrorism held in Kunming,
Yunnan province, China.
January 2008: Indian PM
Dr Manmohan Singh pays
an official visit to China. “A
Shared Vision for the 21st
Century” is agreed upon by
the two governments.
August 2008: Mrs Sonia
Gandhi, UPA chairperson,
attends the opening ceremony
of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
October 2008: Indian PM
Dr Manmohan Singh visits
China to participate in the
7th ASEM Summit.
2008: Bilateral trade breaks
$50 billion mark and China
becomes India’s largest trad-
ing partner in goods.
April 2009: Indian ships
participate in an interna-
tional fleet review at Qingdao
to commemorate the 60th
anniversary of founding of
the PLA Navy.
December 2009: Dr Dwara-
knath Kotnis honored as one
of the “10 best international
friends of China” by CPAFFC.
2010: 60th anniversary of
bilateral relations commem-
orated through “Festival of
India in China” and “Festival
of China in India”.
Courtesy of the Indian
Embassy in China
sino-indian60anniversaryspecial 19
Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi with Premier Li
Peng in December 1988 in Beijing.
Sincere thanks
to the Indian
Embassy in China
for their support to
the Sino-Indian 60
Anniversary
Special.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with
President Hu Jintao in June 2003 in Beijing.
CELEBRATING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF
SINO-INDIAN DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
STATE BANK OF INDIA , SHANGHAI
PROUDLY ANNOUNCES COMMENCEMENT OF
RMB BUSINESS
WITH EFFECT FROM 15TH MARCH, 2010
SBI IS THE FIRST INDIAN BANK IN CHINA
TO COMMENCE OPERATIONS IN LOCAL CURRENCY
WE WILL NOW OFFER PRODUCTS & SERVICES BOTH
IN FX & RMB TO INDIAN AND CHINESE
CORPORATES, AND RETAIL PRODUCTS / SERVICES
IN FX AND RMB TO NRIs
WE THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED
SUPPORT & PATRONAGE
With Best Wishes:
State Bank of India, Shanghai Branch
4201, 405, 4206 K.Wah Center, Huaihai Zhonglu
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20 lifepulse
Music is a
window to
the soul
By GAN TIAN
CHINA DAILY
As Wang Feng moves to the
center of the stage, the lights go
dim. He plays a soft melody on
the piano, and asks his audience
to write down what they see and
how they feel.
The second piece that he plays
is mostly low-pitched and when
he plays the third one, dominated
by bass sounds, sobs can be heard
in the hall. The last piece is once
again a soft melody.
Later, he collects the sheets on
which his audience has recorded
their observations and feelings,
and reads them out.
Wang is demonstrating his
Music Therapy at the China Con-
servatory. As a doctor with the
Institute of Acoustics, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, he believes
music can help psychologists
delve into a person’s inner world
and provide vital clues about
mental illnesses.
A 35-year woman records that
she is “standing with father in
the rain”, who leaves when Wang
starts the second piece. During
the third piece, she sees “the fam-
ily struggling”, and finally feels
“life is not that bad”.
“It is a typical case of family
problems. We see keywords such
as ‘father’, ‘family’ and ‘rain’. This
woman may have been hurt by
one of her relatives when she was
very young,” Wang says.
Giving another example, he
says a 25-year-old man records
seeing “ghosts” when the third
piece plays. Unlike most people
who feel a sense of tranquility in
the finale, this man says he feels
“exhausted”. Wang’s interpreta-
tion is that he has experienced
some minor hurt that he himself
may not be aware of.
“Music therapy can bring out
the cause of people’s behavior.
But it remains only one part of
the examination,’’ Wang says.
It can benefit young people by
easing their pressures, but Wang
also quickly adds that this applies
not just to quiet and soft melo-
dies. Heavy-metal, rock, and
pop can also help people release
negative emotions.
“It teaches people how to
handle the pressure, not reduce
it,” he says.
As a music therapy researcher,
Wang says he has to be familiar
with a number of genres. “I also
have to listen to Jay Chou, whose
songs can help me build a good
relationship with my patients.”
China has at most 10 people who
work as music therapists, as the job
demands not only music, but also
psychological skills. Although the
Central Conservatory of Music
and China Conservatory have set
up a music therapy department,
there are no more than 100 people
majoring in the discipline around
the country.
In contrast, the United States
has about 4,000 registered music
therapists working in various
organizations.
Last September, the country’s
first music therapy company,
Anice, started up in Beijing. It
provides mainly online consulta-
tions.
what’snew
Taste of Chinese tea
culture for diplomats
More than 200 embassy officials from
over 90 countries gathered at the opening
of the 2010 Friendship Communication
of Ambassadors and Madams on Know-
ing Chinese Culture, on Monday, to get a
taste of Chinese tea culture.
Xing Jun, secretary general of its spon-
The Suzhou Museum is a graceful and lyrical essay illustrating Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei’s ideas.
Poetry set in stone
Renowned architect I.M. Pei may have made world headlines with his
controversial glass pyramid at the Louvre, but that is not the project that
means the most to him. Chen Weihua reports
C
hinese-American archi-
tect I.M. Pei has left the
world many landmarks,
but the one that means the
most to him is probably the Suzhou
Museum in his ancestral hometown
of Suzhou, Jiangsu province.
“The project is a biography for
myself,” Pei says in the trailer of the
documentary I.M. Pei: Building
China Modern, which airs nation-
wide in the United States from
Wednesday night.
The documentary is part of the
24th season of the American Masters
series on the US Public Broadcasting
Service (PBS). It traces Pei’s involve-
ment with the Suzhou project over a
period of eight years.
Pei was born in China in 1917, but
left in1935 to study at the University
of Pennsylvania, MIT, and the Har-
vard Graduate School of Design.
He is perhaps best known for the
glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris,
the East Wing of the National Gallery
in Washington DC, and the Bank of
China tower in Hong Kong, In 1983
he won the prestigious Pritzker
Prize, considered the Nobel Prize of
architecture.
Now 92, Pei and his wife Eileen
were present at the premiere of the
documentary at the Paley Center in
New York, a few days ago,
Pei was already well into his 80s
when he returned to Suzhou to
undertake his most personal proj-
ect to date. He was asked to build a
modern museum in the city’s oldest
neighborhood.
“At this age I don’t have to do more.
I have already proved myself. But this
thing (the Suzhou Museum) I feel I
have to do,” Pei says in the docu-
mentary.
The master of modern architec-
ture found the project challenging
because he had lived in the US for
sor, the Chinese People’s Association
for Friendship with Foreign Countries
(CPAFFC), said the activity was being
held for the 8th successive year.
The focus this year is China’s tea cul-
ture, and a Chinese Tea Art Learning and
Competition is being held in April for the
diplomats.
In May, more than 100 envoys will
travel to Yongchuan, Chongqing, to take
Pei was already well in his 80s when he returned to his hometown,
Suzhou, to undertake the museum project.
70 years and felt like a foreigner in
Suzhou. He felt he had “to find the
spirit of the city and the history of the
place”, Pei says.
The documentary starts with
scenes of the glass pyramid of the
Louvre and Pei recalling the criti-
cism he received from the French
public. “I could not walk in Paris’
streets because people would ask,
‘what are you doing to our Louvre?’”
he says.
However, Pei felt the Louvre
needed a change; he felt the same
way about Suzhou.
“It’s a very poetic place. Water is
everywhere. The most important
thing is that you have to look at it as
a city of 2,500 years built on wood,
tiles and bricks. It is a city of life.
“A museum has to reflect this tra-
dition; at the same time it has to think
of change. Suzhou cannot remain
like this forever. It has to renew itself,
to become modern,” he says.
Eventually, Pei was able to con-
vince local government officials not
part in the “Yongchuan International Tea
Cultural Festival”.
Elma Campbell, Bahamas Ambas-
sador to China, recalled the giant Chi-
nese character for “tea” displayed at the
opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic
Games, adding she was amazed to see
the tea varieties, complex tea rituals, and
exquisite tea sets on display.
CPAFFC is planning many other
themed activities showcasing such
aspects as China’s ethnic culture, photog-
raphy and folk songs, as this year is also
“Chinese Expo Tourism Year”.
Rare footage of wild
panda in documentary
To mark 30 years of efforts aimed at
protecting China’s wild giant panda, the
Travel Channel, Shan Shui Conservation
Center and NetEase.com, have jointly
produced a TV documentary series, The
Real Panda.
The 10-episode series is based on rare
footage collected by the country’s foremost
wild panda researchers Pan Wenshi and
Lu Zhi, over 19 years.
to use a tile roof, which Pei thought
was too heavy for the structure.
Pei retained Suzhou’s traditional
palette of white and gray, yet, when
people walk into the building, they
feel they are seeing something new.
Pei is not immune to criticism in
China.
Lu Zhou, vice-dean of the School
of Architecture at Tsinghua Univer-
sity, was a sharp critic of Pei’s designs,
including the Suzhou project and the
Louvre.
According to Lu, Pei’s design
has destroyed the environment
surrounding the Humble Adminis-
trator’s Garden, one of UNESCO’s
heritage sites located next to the
Suzhou Museum.
As with some of his earlier proj-
ects that received harsh criticism, Pei
persisted. “It’s a matter of principle to
me how to go to the next century,”
he says.
Pei’s colleagues were aware of his
strong involvement with the Suzhou
project. “We see him a lot more fre-
The series started airing on the Travel
Channel’s The Walker program on Mon-
day and will run till next Wednesday.
Book project opens up
nation to the world
Since its launch in 2006, the China
Book International (CBI) program
has subsidized the publication of 1,910
books about China in 26 languages,
involving 246 publishers from 46 coun-
tries.
CBI was launched by the State Coun-
cil Information Office and the General
Administration of Press and Publication
to facilitate a better understanding of
China by the outside world. CBI aims
to do this by providing information and
funding for Chinese book exports, copy-
right trades, cooperative publishing and
direct publishing abroad.
A namesake English magazine and
multilingual website, chinabookinternat
ional.cn, were started in 2007 to support
member publishers, whose numbers
have grown from 20 to 34.
The initiative is also aimed at encour-
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0
CHINA PHOTO PRESS
quently. This project really touches
his heart,” says Richard Lee of Pei
Partnership Architects.
Pei has been very critical of some
buildings in Chinese cities. “China’s
architecture doesn’t have a sense of
direction,” he says. In his work, he
says he intends to show people the
combination of a modernist and a
traditionalist.
Architectural historian Charles
Jencks and John Cobb, a philosopher
at the Claremont Graduate School,
narrate the documentary. Both have
heaped praise on Pei.
“The Suzhou Museum is in many
ways a graceful and lyrical essay
of his ideas, a combination of his
dreams he had at Harvard,” says
Jencks, referring to Pei’s design the-
sis about a new museum in Shanghai
while he was a student at Harvard.
Eugene Shirley, executive pro-
ducer of the documentary, says the
project goes back 10 years to when
a company he co-owned wanted to
do a film or series on China’s modern
development.
“The issue we were interested in
exploring was the tension between
modernity and traditional Chinese
culture,” he says in a panel discussion
after the premiere at the Paley Center.
With the help of Pei’s eldest son,
Shirley and his team joined I.M. Pei
on his first site visit to Suzhou in the
spring of 2002. From there, “we fol-
low the story as it unfolded over the
next eight years”, he says.
Shirley, who made 17 trips to
China for the documentary, was
surprised at first by Pei’s popularity
in China. “I remember the first time
we were in Suzhou in 2002. Follow-
ing Mr Pei was like following an
American rock star. There was the
police escort, tons of photographers
and journalists and big crowds,”
Shirley recalls.
aging foreign authors to pen books about
China, such as John Naisbitt’s China’s
Megatrends: The 8 Pillars of a New Society.
A “Translation and Publication of
Chinese Cultural Works” project has seen
10 book series announced by the end of
2009.
Conference mulls
quake readiness
The first Sino-Italian Conference on
Advanced Methodologies and Technolo-
gies in Geophysics, Geodynamics and
Seismic Hazard Assessment was held in
Beijing on Tuesday.
Organized by the Embassy of Italy,
the China Earthquake Administration,
the Institute of Geology and Geophysics
with China Academy of Sciences and the
University of Trieste, the conference dis-
cussed how counties could best prepare
for earthquakes.
It was also part of the wider celebra-
tions to mark the 40th anniversary of
diplomatic relations between China and
Italy this year.
CHINA DAILY
C H I NA DA I LY
Memories of home
strung together
by Chinese songs
By YING CHANG
FOR CHINA DAILY
At a traditional Chinese festival,
my students at the Stony Brook Uni-
versity Chinese School sang Chinese
songs beautifully, without making a
single mistake. Their parents, many
of whom were born and grew up in
China before coming to the United
States, soon joined the singing.
I could never have dreamed of
such a scene some 20 years ago,
when I was to take an elementary
school music test, but couldn’t sing
a thing.
I was born in Luoyang, Henan
province, in a family of music lovers.
My mother loved
movie songs while
my father’s favor-
ites were military
songs. My brother
was into pop music
and learned many
HOTPOT songs from videos.
Mother insisted
she could teach me to sing and
began: “Birds fly in the sky, flowers
smile at me, we are like spring. From
meadows to gardens, dear friends
and mothers, we dance and sing, live
happily forever and ever.”
I remained silent. The silence
was deafening. My brother made
a face and shook his head, father
stood up from beside the radio
with a blank expression.
When I confessed that I was “tone
deaf”, everyone laughed and told
me anyone could sing.
Mother helped me with a hands-
on approach. She put my hands on
her belly to feel the air filling her
lungs when she sang. My brother
worked hard on improving my
posture — back straight, shoulders
down, neck long and finally — smile.
I passed the music test, scoring
94 out of 100. That marked the start
of my fascination with singing; I
joined the school choir. At Tsinghua
University, I became a soprano in
the choir and performed on a TV
program.
From Tsinghua Law School, I
went on to New York to continue
studying law with my husband.
What has remained unchanged
though, is the tender feelings
aroused by songs describing a
starry night, when children in their
mothers’ arms doze off, listening to
gentle melodies.
Singing is my recreation when
I do housework and look after my
children. Children’s songs always
describe a beautiful and bright
world, of friends and a million
small delights. When my daughter
was 3, she began to sing along with
me, changing words and melodies
according to how she felt.
Singing has also come in handy
in conducting my weekend classes
with students of Chinese descent.
Like my mother, I too try to help
my students to take up a hobby that
will enrich their personalities. Good
songs can be a stress buster when
study pressures intensify. During
holidays and family reunions, sing-
ing Chinese songs help pass our
culture and values to our children.
Standing in front of my students,
songs that I had delighted in so
many years ago, came rushing back
to me. But the students sang like
pasta boiling in the pot, with differ-
ent pronunciations, and different
rhythms. I taught them the pronun-
ciations in Chinese and the music.
Parents were attracted by our
singing and entered our class: Some
listened and smiled; others helped
the students to keep a good posture.
We practiced every weekend and
my husband sent the song’s lyrics
and music to every student’s home.
Although I was “tone deaf” in my
childhood, over the years, I’ve come
to discover that songs embody our
nation’s culture, patience and love.
LI MIN / CHINA DAILY
To comment or contribute,
e-mail hotpot@chinadaily.com.cn
C H I NA DA I LY T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 lifefun 21

horoscope language tips

crossword Capricorn (DEC. 22-JAN. 19)
Do not be reluctant to mingle among your peers, in both work
BETTER CHINESE
and social settings. You could learn things today that will turn
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 抢眼 TL̤QJ\̤Q
out to be of great value to you in each venue.
Eye-catching, conspicuous
15 16 Aquarius (JAN. 20-FEB. 19) 例：这款新车在车展上最为抢眼。
You’re in one of those special, albeit brief, cycles in which you are ]K̩NX̤Q[̪QFK̦]̥LFK̦]K̤QVK̥QJ]X̭Z̧LTL̤QJ\̤Q
17 18 capable of handling two separate important objectives simultane-
ously, and will do a splendid job with each. Make today count. That new car is the most eye-catching in the car exhibition.

19 20 21 22 Pisces (FEB. 20-MARCH 20) 亲和力 T̪QĶO̭

This might be one of those rare days when you seem to find yourself Affinity
23 24 25 26 27 in the right spot at the right time to take advantage of something
big that is going on. Don’t pass up this heaven-sent chance. 例：一个人的亲和力往往取决于他的性格。
\̫J̩U̧QGHT̪QĶO̭Z̤QJZ̤QJT̴MX̧\̳W̢GH[̭QJJ̧
28 29 30 31 Aries (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) One’s affinities usually depend on one’s personality.
This is likely to be one of those days in which you will be in the right
32 33 34 spot at the right time through nothing you’ll perceive or do, but just
by chance. Be sure to take advantage of something really good.
情商 T̫QJVK̢QJ
EQ (emotional quotient)
35 36 37 38 39
Taurus (APRIL 20-MAY 20) 例：情商决定一个人的成败。
Make an effort to mix and mingle today, if you can. New social T̫QJVK̢QJMX̧G̭QJ\̫J̩U̧QGHFĶQJE̥L
40 41 42 contacts you establish at this time could be of enormous EQ decides the success and failure of a person.
importance in bringing something really good into your life.
43 44 45 46 47 48
Gemini (MAY 21-JUNE 20) 拳头产品 (qujn tóu ch~n pn)
Finally, after laboring for some time to achieve an objective of Competitive products, knock-out product, superior goods
49 50 51 52
great significance, you could make a breakthrough today. For 例：这款手机是这家公司的拳头产品。
unknown reasons, events will suddenly break in your favor.
]K̩NX̤QVK̰XM̪VK̭]K̩ML̢J̮QJV̪GHTX̣QWóXFK̤QS̬Q
53 54 55 56 57
Cancer (JUNE 21-JULY 22) This mobile phone is the company’s knock-out product.
58 59 60 61 Once again you will find yourself quite fortunate with a situ-
ation or development in which you previously struck gold. — China Daily with contributions from Popular Chinese Expressions, Sinolingua Press
Whatever it is, keep enjoying the good things it brings.
62 63
Leo (JULY 23-AUG. 22) BETTER ENGLISH
64 65 Forced changes or adjustments are likely to work out in your
favor, so don’t be resistant to going along with surprise hap- 分别时常说的八句话
penings. What occurs will work to your ultimate benefit.
跟朋友分别时不知道该说些什么？看看下面这些常用句型，总
ACROSS machine? 52 “House of Drac- 13 Guardians of Virgo (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22)
有一款适合你。
1 Sailing ship 31 Homer Simp- ula” director ___ Eden, in Genesis What you are hoping to accomplish today is doable, provided
son’s dad C. Kenton 14 Some blackjack you are teamed up with the right allies. Once you are, every-
11 Early education thing will fall into place without too much effort on your part. I’ll miss you. 我会想你的。
32 Indiana and oth- 53 Mocking fun action
15 Edward James I wish I could go with you. 我真希望能和你在一起。
Olmos’s directo- ers 55 Siege of ___ 22 Defendant in a Libra (SEPT. 23-OCT. 23)
(opening of the 1970s antitrust Give me a call sometime. 有空给我打电话。
rial debut, 1992 34 Schmo When it comes to your material affairs, it looks like you are riding
Third Crusade) suit: Abbr. a very fortunate wave at this point in time. The very least of what Call me sometime. 有空打电话DŽ
16 Split fish? 35 Pretend you can expect is to make more money than you anticipated. Let’s get together again sometime. 我们什么时候再聚吧。
57 Operatic prin- 24 Schools where
17 Frames that take 38 Acupuncturist’s cess students wear Let’s keep in touch. 保持联系。
shape? energy Scorpio (OCT. 24-NOV. 22)
58 Confines white Don’t forget to write. 别忘了写信。
18 Scrooge’s 39 Sunburn rem- 26 Letters after Your uplifting attitude, along with your natural charisma, make Please give my regards to your family. 请代我向你的家人
nephew edies 59 Holy line you a very appealing person to be around today. Socially speaking,
many animal you shouldn’t be too surprised by your popularity. 问好。
19 Media ___ 40 “Universe 62 Moves errati- names
Symphony” cally
20 “Gotcha!” 29 Friend of Hermi- Sagittarius (NOV. 23-DEC. 21) — To learn more expressions, please log on to http://language.chinadaily.com.cn
composer 63 Tearing one at Hogwarts
21 Vocal quality Focus on your most meaningful objective today because with Dame
41 Sequoias, e.g. 64 Sorbet ingredi- 33 Cut-rate, com- Fortune making sure everything goes right, you shouldn’t have too
23 Cleared
43 Something to ent mercially much trouble wrapping it up to your complete satisfaction.
25 Like some noisy move with
cats 65 Bartles & 34 Old cigarette ad
44 Homer Simp- Jaymes product buzzword
27 Hitch son’s mom
28 One who’s
hitched, in
Hidalgo
45 Chinese cuisine
style
DOWN
1 Flakes
35 Some lounge
entertainment
36 Saint in “Exo-
bridge
49 Stretcher dus”
30 Cause of rage fetcher, briefly 2 Start of many When the opponents
against the a comment in 37 They’re driven
50 Social instability Valspeak miss the mark in the bid-
around camp-
3 Pick up around sites ding, it is time to cash in.
Yestersday’s solution 39 Vietnam’s ___
Look at only the North
4 Drink request
Dai and East hands. You are
5 First name at
V A I
O S A A R
Woodstock 41 He played Bea-
East, defending against
B O B C
R A T C H I T ver’s big brother five diamonds. West leads
6 Evangeline, e.g.
S O C I A
L C L I M B E R
42 Onetime snake
a fourth-highest club two.
7 Après-midi
S A V A N N
A H D E C R E E
preceder venom antidote After winning with your
S C A L D N R A T U R I N
44 Nick, e.g.
ace, what would you do
G R R S O D I N G T I N Y 8 1999 Oscar
nominee for next?
T O Y G H O S T O F F A A 46 Like some fears
both direction Playing two-over-one
D U I T E E U P 47 Senectitude game-forcing, South would
and screenwrit-
J A C O B M A R L E Y ing 48 Viewer drawer probably upgrade his hand
T H I N K O A T L A U G H 9 Alternative to 51 Words of empa- to a game-force, and could
I O N A D O S E D K L E E grunge thy rebid three diamonds. Then to return a club to his part-
M E G P I T C R E W E L F 10 Some DVDs 54 Near ___ North would probably ner’s king for a heart shift
L A L A L A S O I L 11 Satellite precur- 56 Must-have toy of shoot out three no-trump. through dummy’s ace. Then
E B E N E Z E R S C R O O G E sor 1996 Playing Standard, perhaps East realized that, with this
K O R D A G O O E N G E L 12 Shots after 60 Gracklelike bird South should settle for a defense, South probably
E A S Y S L Y S S T S shots? 61 V-mail handler game-invitational three dia- wouldn’t lose a major-suit
monds. True, North might trick. If South had seven
pass, but he might continue diamonds and two clubs,
comics with three no-trump — a
contract that would not tax
as seemed likely, he had
only four major-suit cards.
Dilbert many players! After a club return, South
Against five diamonds, would have four winners in
East could anticipate two the dummy for those cards:
club tricks. A trump trick two top spades, the heart
wouldn’t run away. But if ace and the club queen.
South’s trumps were solid, Taking a slight risk that
the third defensive trick their second club trick
couldn’t come from spades; would disappear, East
South would have raised switched to the heart two.
that suit with three-card Partner came through,
support. The setting trick playing his queen. The
would have to come from third defensive trick had
hearts. been established before the
East’s first thought was club king was driven out.
F-minus

kakuro
17 20 6 26 14 7 18
16 12
26 35
45

21 8 11
20 9
10 20
4 34 11
Peanuts 23 23
13
11 11
21 7 6
9 6 14
4 4
45

7 10

A Kakuro consists of a playing

Drabble area of filled and empty cells simi- 3 8 9 5
lar to a crossword puzzle. Some 3 5 6 9 2 7 1 4
black cells contain a diagonal 1 2 4 5 6 3 2 8
slash from top left to bottom right 1 5 2 1 4 6
with numbers in them, called 7 2 5 6
“the clues”. A number in the top 7 9 8 5 8 5
right corner relates to an “across” 8 4 6 2 5 3 1 4
clue and one in the bottom left 4 2 5 9 9 7 4 8
a “down” clue. The object of a 1 3 9 6
Kakuro is to insert digits from 1-9 Yesterday’s solution
into the white cells to total the clue
associated with it. However no digit can be duplicated in an entry.
life
CHINA DAILY
In Crossing Hennessy, Tang Wei plays a mainland girl living in Hong Kong with her relatives, who dresses simply and has no great expectation of life.
Back better than ever
After a hiatus of three years from acting in films, Tang Wei is
appearing in the comedy Crossing Hennessy. Liu Wei reports
T
ang Wei has returned to
the silver screen in her
first role since she played a
student-turned spy in Ang
Lee’s Lust, Caution.
This time, however, she is in a
more light-hearted role, playing
the “girl next door” in Crossing
Hennessy, a romantic comedy that
premieres on Friday.
“I liked the script from the very
beginning,” Tang says in an e-mail
interview. “It is a comedy … Oi-lin
(her role) is comic in some ways, too,
but at the same time, she experiences
hardships and frustrations. She is a
girl who does not have a smooth life.”
Few, if any, actresses embody
such tragicomic elements as Tang,
whose career path has been far from
smooth.
Three years ago she was chosen by
Ang Lee from thousands of aspiring
candidates to play Wang Jiazhi, the
lead role in Lust, Caution, an adap-
tation of the novella by the writer
Eileen Chang.
The film’s subject matter — the
complicated relationship between
a young spy and a traitor — and the
graphic nude scenes brought Tang
fame but also controversy.
Behind the scenes with the Empress Dowager Cixi
By YI LING
CHINA FEATURES
The Sino-Japanese TV drama
The Pleiades, a tale about one of
the darkest chapters in China’s
feudal history, is being shown in
both countries.
Set in the late Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911), the 28-episode serial
explores the power struggle in the
imperial court between Emperor
Guangxu and his mother, the
Empress Dowager Cixi.
The epic struggle is seen
through the eyes of two brothers
Chun’er and Wenxiu. Chun’er was
the favorite eunuch of Cixi, the de
facto ruler for 48 years, from 1861
to her death in 1908.
Based on the novel of the same
name by Japanese author Jiro
Asada, The Pleiades is the first
China-made TV drama ever
CHINADAILY.COM.CN/LIFE
Then she vanished from the big
screen for three years, supposedly
because of political sensitivities,
though it would seem all she had
done was appear in a movie that
was passed by censors.
In her new role as Oi-lin, a main-
land girl living in Hong Kong with
her relatives, Tang appears dressed
in plain clothes and with a simple
hairstyle. She likes reading novels,
during breaks working in her uncle’s
sanitary ware store.
“She is an ordinary girl, who has
no great expectations of life,” Tang
says. “But she is down to earth,
working hard to build a life. She
loves reading and lives in her own
little world. In busy Hong Kong, she
is kind of an outsider.”
The seemingly mild-mannered
girl has a stubborn streak, however,
and insists on waiting for her boy-
friend to be released from prison
and hires a lawyer to help him out.
Although her uncle is against the
relationship she sticks with her man,
until she later discovers the two are
not suited to each other. Then she
leaves him, without hesitation.
“Oi-lin and Tang have something
in common,” says Yuan Hong, a
imported by NHK.
Directed by Chinese director
Ma Jun, it was firstly showing on
Japan’s public television network,
NHK. It has been running every
Saturday night from Jan 2. It
started shown on China’s Beijing
TV on March 14.
Both showings received excel-
lent ratings. The broadcast pulled
in a 4.3 percent share in China,
while the number was 1 percent
in Japan, where audience ratings
for this time slot are usually about
0.3 percent, according to NHK.
Asada’s book was a sensation
in Japan and was on the country’s
bestseller list for 10 years.
Liu Dehong, general manger
of the Beijing Hualu Baina Film
and TV Company, and the pro-
ducer on the Chinese side, says:
“It was a challenge for us to make
a ‘China from a Japanese point of
producer of dramas and long-time
friend of Tang. “Tang is a lovely,
considerate girl who has her own
beliefs and adheres to them. She
knows clearly what the right thing
to do is.”
Tang has been busy over the past
three years. She attended theater
courses in London, learned ancient
Chinese at home and perfected her
Cantonese and English.
“I enjoy acting on the stage, in
English, it is awesome!” she says. “At
the summer courses and workshops
in London, I learned Shakespear-
ean tragicomedy, tragedies from
Jacobean times and the Alexander
Technique, which helps me relax.”
She also worked as a volunteer
in Beijing and Hangzhou for the
national tour of The Peach Blossom
Land, a popular stage drama.
Her friend Yuan is the show’s pro-
ducer. He recalls Tang took around
the donation box to help out victims
of the Sichuan earthquake, in Bei-
jing, in plain clothes and without
any makeup. Many people did not
recognize her. She also volunteered
to help clean the rehearsal room and
stage, he says.
In Yuan’s eyes, Tang is the same
Japanese actress Yuko Tanaka plays Cixi in the Sino-Japanese TV drama
The Pleiades.
view’ acceptable to domestic audi-
ences because the Chinese are so
familiar with the history the book
depicts.”
Tomorrow
Worth of a sentence
Writer Liu Zhenyun, widely known for Cell
Phone, which was adapted to the big screen,
explores companionship in his latest novel.
Tang Wei with Hong Kong actor Jacky Cheung in the new film.
girl he met at the Central Academy
of Drama campus 10 years ago.
Tang later performed in a drama
Yuan produced and they became
good friends.
“In the breaks in-between
rehearsals, she was always the one
who helped clean, collect props or
clear up the stage. She is famous
now, but she still does these things,”
Yuan says.
“Blossom has been staged more
than 200 times … and over all these
years it is Tang Wei who cleaned the
floor best. She always tries her best.
I believe with her earnestness and
hard work she would do great in
Ma Jun insists the play is a
fictional story rather than a docu-
mentary fully in line with the
historical facts.
THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010 | PAGE 22
PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
any career, not only acting.”
In Hennessy Tang speaks Canton-
ese and appears with a Hong Kong
cast that includes Jacky Cheung and
Danny Lee.
To hone her Cantonese for the
film she took language courses
before the film started and insisted
her Hong Kong colleagues talked to
her in the dialect.
“I like bargaining in markets
the most,” she says. “Also I went to
sanitary ware shops to learn the real
jargon.”
Her next film is Late Autumn, in
which she plays a parolee. She and
South Korean actor Hyeon Bin will
“We try to explore the human
part of the history, which is sel-
dom seen on the Chinese screen,”
he says. “A bad guy is bad for a
reason. Let’s first treat him as a
human being.”
Yuko Tanaka was selected to
play Cixi. The 55-year-old actress
became a household name in Chi-
na after the Japanese-made auto-
biographical TV series Oshin was
released in China in the 1980s.
In the series, Tanaka played
Oshin, who started as a maid
and went on to create Yaohan,
Japan’s most successful depart-
ment store.
Tanaka was originally reluctant
to play the part of Cixi. One rea-
son, she said, was that the Chinese
empress has been repeatedly por-
trayed in China. But after reading
the novel, she changed her mind.
“Cixi was a powerful ruler, and
ANYTHING BUT
‘BLACKLISTED’
Crossing Hennessy is Tang
Wei’s second film, the only
other being Lust, Caution
in 2007. For most actresses
three years out of the lime-
light would be enough to
signify the end of her career,
but Tang has some powerful
friends.
Ang Lee asked his friend,
Hong Kong film mogul Bill
Kong to take care of her and
the investor in Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon and
Lust, Caution has done so.
He made sure Tang kept a
low profile and was seen at
just a few charity campaign
events, working as volunteer
without any makeup, or in
bookstores, and at several
top brands’ fashion shows
overseas.
Additionally, she attended
drama courses in London
and hired a teacher to learn
ancient Chinese at home.
As such she has won favor
for being a woman who has
maintained her dignity and
self-restraint.
Her second movie has been
carefully chosen. The role
is quite different from Lust,
Caution, a plain girl with good
manners and a smile that
melts hearts.
The lead actor, Jacky
Cheung, has a flawless public
image among Hong Kong
entertainers because of his
professionalism and loyalty
to family.
The supporting cast mem-
bers are all senior Hong Kong
actors who have avoided
tabloid gossip, such as Paw
Hee-Ching and Danny Lee.
Promotion for the film was
also cautiously arranged. Few
media institutions were grant-
ed an interview and questions
had to focus on the new film.
At the ongoing Hong Kong
Film Festival, reporters were
told that any questions about
being “blacklisted” would end
the interview. Most reports
have given Tang credit for
her performance on and off
the screen. The consensus
seems to be: As one of the
most talented actresses of
her generation, Tang deserves
an opportunity to work.
CHINA DAILY
be involved in a heartbreaking love
story directed by Kim Tae-yong. Set
in Seattle, the film is all in English.
“She is eager to learn,” Yuan
says. “People say she has a flair
for language, but she is only hard-
working. Studying ancient Chinese
was not for any specific purpose,
just because she thinks she should
improve it.”
Tang’s recent favorite film is Pon-
yo, an animation by Japan’s Hayao
Miyazaki. It centers on a goldfish
princess who longs to become
human.
“It is simple but full of emotions,”
she says.
a woman. She had to have lots of
inner suffering and contradic-
tions,” she says. “To play such a
complicated part is like grasp-
ing a handful of sand. Chinese
audiences are familiar with what
remains in the hand. I wanted
to show them the parts that slip
through the fingers.”
The Chinese producers believe
The Pleiades sets a precedent for
China’s film and television indus-
try. It opens a door to understand-
ing between the two nations.
“A made-in-China TV play
could not be shown in Japan 20
years ago. Thankfully, we, both
the Chinese and Japanese sides,
are not as close-minded as Cixi
in the play who refuses change,”
Liu says.
Ma Jie and Xie Lin in Tokyo also
contributed to this story.
C H I NA DA I LY T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 sports 23

Semenya
plans to Small thinks big about briefly
CRICKET/TENNIS

China’s baseball growth

Cross-border

return
CAPE TOWN — World
800 meters champion Caster
Semenya plans to compete
this season even though the
International Association of
Athletics Federations (IAAF)
has yet to resolve her gender
verification
ATHLETICS case.
South
African Semenya underwent
gender verification tests after
winning gold at last August’s
World Championships and
has not competed since.
“I hereby publicly announce
my return to athletics compe-
titions,” the 19-year-old said
in a statement on Tuesday,
although no specific date was
given.
“My coach, agent and I will
work closely together to iden-
tify and prepare for a limited
number of athletics meetings
over the course of the coming
athletics season.
“Given that I have not been
disqualified nor suspended
from athletics competitions
and that I expected these pro-
cesses to be expedited I, on my
own volition, resolved not to
compete in athletics competi-
tions until these processes had
been completed.
“Unfortunately, these pro-
cesses have dragged on for far
too long with no reasonable
certainty as to their end.
“The result is that my ath-
letic capabilities and earning
potential are being severely
compromised,” said Semenya
whose winning time in Berlin
of one minute, 55.45 seconds
was the fastest of 2009.
However, officials declined
to let Semenya run at a local
league meeting in Stellen-
bosch on Tuesday after the
world champion, who was not
entered for the event, turned up
and asked for a place.
“Caster asked if she could
compete, which is her right,”
organiser of the local meet-
ing in Stellenbosch, Richard
Stander, said.
MLB and CBA extend contract for
training of players and coaches
By YANG XINWEI
CHINA DAILY
BEIJING — If Jim Small is
to be believed, China could
be crowned world baseball
champions in the very near
future.
Small, vice president of
MLB Asia, said at a strategic
partner-
BASEBALL ship signing
ceremony
between Major League Base-
ball (MLB) and the Chinese
Baseball Association (CBA)
on Wednesday that not that
long ago nobody believed
Chinese swimmers would
win at the Olympics or Chi-
nese athletes would excel at
the Winter Games.
“There is no reason to doubt
that in the near future some of
the world’s best baseball play-
ers will be Chinese,” Small said.
“It will take some time but it’s
definitely going to happen.”
MLB and CBA extended
their cooperation for another
four years to help grow base-
ball in China despite the fact
the game has been kicked out
of the Summer Olympics, for
now.
During this coming four-
year period, MLB will help
the CBA in training players,
coaches and umpires, with
an aim to further spreading
the US pastime in the world’s
most populous nation.
The cooperation between
the two organizations started
in 2002 and both sides are
happy with the results … and
they should be.
The Chinese national team,
coached by Jim Lefebvre, who
recently became the San Diego
Padres’ hitting coach, shocked
the baseball world by beating
Chinese Taipei at the Beijing
Olympics and repeated that
feat at the World Classics.
The team also took a South
Korean team that beat the US
to 12 innings in a 1-0 loss at the
2008 Beijing Olympics.
“MLB is prepared to do
whatever it takes to help devel-
op baseball in China. We plan
to bring the team to the United
States in July in preparation for
the Guangzhou Asian Games,”
Small said. “But as to who
manages the team next, it’s up
to the CBA.”
Baseball is still a medal
sport at the Asian Games and
the Chinese pro league is set to
swing away later this year.
“The partnership with MLB
since 2002 has borne a strate-
gic significance with Chinese
players going to play in the
US and national team coaches
getting training from MLB
experts,” Lei Jun, chairman of
the CBA, said.
“We did achieve some
progress (the two wins over
Chinese Taipei) but that’s not
much compared with the
real strength of other Asian
countries as well as the world’s
power teams.
“The road of baseball devel-
opment has been and will still
be bumpy. That’s why we need
the help of MLB,” Lei said.
“Our goal (of the partner-
ship with CBA) is to have
baseball reach a significant
level in the world’s largest
country,” Small said.
For that, Small said there
were two areas of focus.
That is to make the game
more visible and more popu-
Jim Small (right), vice president of MLB Asia, and Lei Jun, chairman of the Chinese Baseball
Association, shake hands after signing the strategic partnership contract in Beijing on Wednesday.
lar through road shows, the
setting up of clubs at college
campuses, the continuation
of the Play Ball! Program in
120 schools and increased TV
coverage in China. The other
focus is to increase the level of
play in China through MLB
providing coaches and invit-
ing the national squad to the
US for training each year.
Small said a MLB Develop-
ment Center was set up in
Wuxi, Jiangsu province, last
September to target potential
national team talent.
“The result of the long
and important partnership
between MLB and CBA for
the past 10 years is nothing
short of astonishing,” Small
said. “Several players went to
play in the pro leagues in the
US, the national team grew
and most surprising is that
more people play baseball
today than before.
“The passion in kids we
have seen shows that, no
doubt, China will reach the
goal of becoming a strong
baseball nation,” Small said,
adding MLB’s ultimate goal
was to make the game a Chi-
nese sport.
“Our goal is to not to have a
HIGHTEAM / FOR CHINA DAILY
foreign coach; it is to be played
by the Chinese, coached by the
Chinese and umpired by the
Chinese.”
On Saturday, the MLB Base-
ball Park will be held at the Bei-
jing Solana, where people can
go and experience the excite-
ment of playing the game.
“The ballpark is a fine form
of spreading the sport. The
CBA will send national team
players or local outstanding
players to get involved in the
project in order to let more
people know about baseball,”
said Shen Wei, secretary-gen-
eral of the CBA.
wedding
Pakistani cricketer
Shoaib Malik and Indian
tennis player Sania Mirza,
two of South Asia’s best
known sports personali-
ties, are to marry in April,
the athletes said on Tues-
day.
Mirza, who has a recur-
ring wrist injury that has
affected her game, said she
would continue to play after
the wedding.
“I’m very happy, we’re all
very happy,” Mirza said in
her home town of Hyder-
abad. “It’s still a few days
away or a few weeks away.”
Malik, an allrounder who
captained Pakistan between
2007 and 2009, told televi-
sion channels in Pakistan:
“We both are happy and it’s
happening next month”.
The couple will settle in
Dubai after their marriage,
Mirza said.
MOTOR SPORTS
Hamilton needs
a father figure
Lewis Hamilton needs
someone around him to offer
sound advice and should
appoint a new manager as
soon as possible to replace
his father, former McLaren
driver David Coulthard said
on Tuesday.
Hamilton announced last
month his father, Anthony,
was stepping down as his
manager to focus on his
own business interests but
Coulthard said that deci-
sion appeared to be back-
firing.
“Where is the reassuring
arm around his shoulder?
Where is the sound advice
coming from? Where is
his father?” the Scot asked
in a column for the Daily
Telegraph newspaper after
Sunday’s Australian Grand
Prix.
MISCELLANEOUS
Baise to welcome
quest athletes
The third Baise Leye
International Outdoor Quest
will be held in Leye County
of Baise, Guangxi Zhuang
autonomous region, from
April 26-29.
About 50 top outdoor
quest athletes representing 30
teams from Sweden, Britain,
the United States, Denmark,
the Philippines, Germany,
France, Canada, Australia,

OLYMPIC BASEBALL GROUND WILL RELOCATE TO XIAMEN

“Unfortunately, there are
IAAF rules regarding eligibil-
ity of events and athletes that
we have to abide by and that
was explained to Caster.
“Naturally she was upset
but she accepted the decision,”
said Stander, who is also an
administrator for Athletics
South Africa (ASA). He said
Semenya stayed on to watch
the meet.
Semenya’s statement came
after ASA announced it would
abide by the IAAF’s request not
to allow the athlete to compete
until the world body had con-
cluded its investigation.
REUTERS
The baseball venue for the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games,
the Wukesong Baseball Field in
Beijing, is to relocate to Xiamen
in support of the State General
Administration of Sport, it was
confirmed by Lei Jun, chairman of
the Chinese Baseball Association
(CBA).
The Wukesong Baseball Field
is currently the best of its kind in
China. As an important part of
Beijing’s Olympic Games heritage,
it is located next to the Wukesong
New Zealand and hosts
China will contest the multi-
sports endurance race over
three days and across 200
kilometers.
Indoor Stadium at the Wukesong “The relocation means we have Upon completion, it will be a Participants will test
Culture and Sports Center in Bei- a Beijing Olympic heritage,” he center for baseball matches and themselves in cross-country
jing. It was one of the nine tempo- said. an ideal venue for baseball winter running, a bicycle-and-run-
rary venues at the 2008 Summer In addition, the China Xia- training as well as a showcase of ning relay, mountain biking,
Olympics. men International Baseball baseball culture. rafting, mountain climb-
ing, boating at night, speed
The baseball field has a total Exchange Center will soon The State General Adminis- descent and an outdoor abil-
land surface of 12,000 square start construction in which the tration of Sport also plans to ity test.
meters and a capacity of 15,000. Wukesong Baseball Stadium make Xiamen the training base Li Zhixin, director of the
It includes two competition fields is the core of a new sports and for the national baseball team Mountaineering Administra-
and one training field. leisure center. It will feature and a series of domestic and tive Center under the State
“The timetable has not been a business convention and international baseball tourna- General Administration of
Sport, said increasing num-
finalized yet but it will be put into exhibition center for education ments will be arranged at the bers of Chinese have started
use before a cross-straits forum in exchange and sports-related center. to take to outdoor quest
2011,” said Lei. leisure travel. — CHINA DAILY as a trendy sport and Leye
County had become a base
for outdoor sports.

scoreboard Fuzhou to host

NBA Dallas at Memphis Nash, PHX 72 800 11.1 Pacific Division Group H Special Olympics
Sacramento at Minnesota Paul, NOR 42 457 10.9 x-San Jose 47 19 10 104 247 198 Sanfrecce Hiroshima (JPN) 1 (Hisato Sato 45)
Tuesday’s results (home teams in CAPS): Washington at New Orleans Williams, UTA 69 723 10.5 x-Phoenix 47 24 6 100 211 191 Adelaide United (AUS) 0 The fifth National Special
INDIANA 102 Sacramento 95 Houston at San Antonio Rondo, BOS 72 703 9.8 Los Angeles 43 27 6 92 220 202 Shandong Luneng (CHN) 1 (Li Jinyu 74) Pohang Olympic Games will be held
Oklahoma City 111 PHILADELPHIA 93 New York at Portland Kidd, DAL 72 665 9.2 Anaheim 36 31 8 80 211 227 Steelers (KOR) 2 (Kim Jae-Sung 51, Kim Tae-Su 86)
Phoenix 111 CHICAGO 105 James, CLE 72 616 8.6
in Fuzhou, Fujian province,
Golden State at Utah Dallas 33 29 14 80 216 238
MILWAUKEE 107 LA Clippers 89 Davis, LAC 71 564 7.9 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for over- English Championship in September.
HOUSTON 98 Washington 94 NBA leaders through March 29 Westbrook, OKC 72 567 7.9 time loss. Tuesday’s results: Unlike the Paralympic
Harris, NJN 56 387 6.9 x-clinched playoff spot Cardiff 2 Leicester 1
Eastern Conference
Scoring
Wade, MIA 70 468 6.7 Plymouth 0 Barnsley 0
Games, which are held after
G FG FT PTS AVG z-clinched conference
Atlantic Division James, CLE 72 731 557 2147 29.8 Watford 1 Crystal Palace 3 the Olympic Games for ath-
W L PCT GB Durant, OKC 72 691 646 2132 29.6 NHL NHL scoring leaders through March 29 letes with physical disabilities,
y-Boston 47 26 .644 -- Anthony, DEN 62 623 472 1770 28.5 Scottish Premier League
Toronto 36 37 .493 11 Bryant, LAL 69 683 417 1875 27.2
Tuesday’s results (home teams in CAPS): GP G A PTS
Tuesday’s result: the Special Olympics are for
Atlanta 3 TORONTO 2 Henrik Sedin, Van 75 28 73 101
New York 26 47 .356 21 Wade, MIA 70 649 484 1850 26.4 Alex Ovechkin, Was 65 46 54 100 St Johnstone 4 (Sheridan 7, Millar 12, Craig 36, individuals aged eight and
Boston 1 NEW JERSEY 0 (OT) Davidson 79) Rangers 1 (Papac 16)
Philadelphia 26 48 .351 21 1/2 Ellis, GOL 61 603 280 1556 25.5
NY Rangers 4 NY ISLANDERS 3 Sidney Crosby, Pit 75 47 47 94 older with intellectual dis-
New Jersey 10 64 .135 37 1/2 Nowitzki, DAL 73 643 474 1800 24.7 Nicklas Backstrom, Was 75 29 61 90
Southeast Division Granger, IND 54 424 308 1295 24.0
Ottawa 5 WASHINGTON 4 (OT) TENNIS abilities.
COLUMBUS 3 Tampa Bay 2 Martin St. Louis, TB 75 27 60 87
x-Orlando 52 22 .703 -- Bosh, TOR 66 568 428 1572 23.8
DETROIT 5 Edmonton 4 Steven Stamkos, TB 75 45 41 86 “Compared to those with
WTA/ATP Miami
x-Atlanta 47 26 .644 4 1/2 Stoudemire, PHX 73 616 442 1675 22.9
ST. LOUIS 4 Chicago 2 Brad Richards, Dal 74 23 63 86
Tuesday’s results:
physical disability, they (the
Miami 40 34 .541 12 Roy, POR 59 458 320 1306 22.1 Joe Thornton, SJ 75 19 66 85
Charlotte 38 35 .521 13 1/2 Johnson, ATL 71 593 211 1512 21.3
Los Angeles 2 NASHVILLE 0 Men’s 4th rd: intellectually challenged)
VANCOUVER 4 Phoenix 1 Patrick Kane, Chi 74 28 54 82
Washington 21 52 .288 30 1/2 Randolph, MEM 72 593 309 1508 20.9
(OT indicates overtime win) Patrick Marleau, SJ 76 42 38 80
Andy Roddick (USA x6) bt Benjamin Becker tend to be more isolated by
Jackson, CHA 73 548 312 1522 20.8 (GER) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3; Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x13)
Central Division
Evans, SAC 64 473 318 1296 20.3
Marian Gaborik, NYR 69 39 40 79
bt Mardy Fish (USA) 6-1, 1-0 retired; Nicolas
the society. Sport is a good
y-Cleveland 58 16 .784 -- EASTERN CONFERENCE Ilya Kovalchuk, ATL-NJD 69 39 39 78
Milwaukee 41 32 .562 16 1/2 Rose, CHI 69 584 213 1393 20.2 Dany Heatley, SJ 76 39 38 77
Almagro (ESP x33) bt Thomaz Belluci (BRA x27) way for them to communi-
Atlantic Division
Chicago 35 39 .473 23 Lee, NYK 72 602 239 1443 20.0
W L OT Pts GF GA Anze Kopitar, LA 75 33 43 76 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3); Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x8) cate with others and build up
Maggette, GOL 63 416 414 1257 20.0 bt Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP x12) 6-2, 6-2; Rafael
Indiana 28 47 .373 30 1/2
Gay, MEM 71 539 266 1407 19.8 x-Pittsburgh 44 25 7 95 237 217 Daniel Sedin, Van 57 23 52 75
Nadal (ESP x4) bt David Ferrer (ESP x15) 7-6
their confidence,” Wang Nai-
Detroit 23 50 .315 34 1/2
Western Conference Brooks, HOU 72 507 224 1419 19.7 x-New Jersey 44 26 6 94 203 184
SOCCER (7/5), 6-4; Robin Soderling (SWE x5) bt Fernando kun, chairman of the Chinese
Philadelphia 38 32 6 82 221 210
Southwest Division NY Rangers 34 32 10 78 201 206
Gonzalez (CHI x9) 6-0, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2; Fernando Special Olympics Committee,
FG Percentage Champions League Verdasco (ESP x10) bt Marin Cilic (CRO x7) 6-4, 7-
x-Dallas 49 25 .662 --
FG FGA PCT NY Islanders 31 35 10 72 199 236
6 (3); Tomas Berdych (CZE x16) bt Roger Federer
said at a press conference last
San Antonio 44 29 .603 4 1/2 Northeast Division Results of Champions League quarter-final first leg
Memphis 38 35 .521 10 1/2
Howard, ORL 461 759 .607
matches played on Tuesday: (SUI x1) 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6). week.
Perkins, BOS 289 479 .603 x-Buffalo 42 23 10 94 215 189
Houston 37 36 .507 11 1/2
Hilario, DEN 393 662 .594 Ottawa 42 30 5 89 210 220 At Lyon, France According to Wang, there
Women’s quarterfinals:
New Orleans 35 40 .467 14 1/2
Gasol, MEM 377 646 .584 Montreal 37 31 8 82 204 208 Lyon (FRA) 3 (Lopez 10, 77-pen, Bastos 32) Bor-
Venus Williams (USA x3) bt Agnieszka
are 9.84 million intellectu-
Northwest Division Boston 35 29 12 82 191 189 deaux (FRA) 1 (Chamakh 14)
x-Utah 49 26 .653 --
Bynum, LAL 392 688 .570
Toronto 28 36 13 69 204 253 At Munich, Germany Radwanska (POL x6) 6-3, 6-1; Marion Bartoli (FRA ally-challenged people in
Horford, ATL 426 759 .561
x-Denver 48 27 .640 1
Boozer, UTA 568 1018 .558 Southeast Division Bayern Munich (GER) 2 (Ribery 77, Olic 90+2) x13) bt Yanina Wickmayer (BEL x12) 6-4, 7-5. China.
Oklahoma City 45 28 .616 3 z-Washington 49 15 12 110 296 219 Manchester United (ENG) 1 (Rooney 2) Besides the 35 domestic
Stoudemire, PHX 616 1109 .555 Men’s doubles’ 2nd Rd
Portland 45 29 .608 3 1/2 Atlanta 34 31 12 80 227 242
Minnesota 14 60 .189 34 1/2
Lee, NYK 602 1096 .549
Carolina 32 35 9 73 210 236 AFC Champions League Mahesh Bhupathi/Max Mirnyi (IND/BLR x4) bt delegations, athletes from
Millsap, UTA 348 638 .545
Pacific Division Florida 30 33 12 72 195 220 Tuesday’s results: John Isner/Sam Querrey (USA) 6-3, 6-2; Bob/Mike South Korea, the US and
x-LA Lakers 54 20 .730 -- Tampa Bay 30 34 12 72 199 240 Bryan (USA x2) bt Eric Butorac/Rajeev Ram (USA)
Rebounds Group B
6-4, 6-4; Mariusz Fyrstenberg/Marcin Matkowski
Singapore have also been
x-Phoenix 48 26 .649 6 G OFF DEF TOT AVG Bunyodkor (UZB) 0 Zobahan (IRI) 1 (Khalatbari 30)
LA Clippers 27 47 .365 27 WESTERN CONFERENCE Al Ittihad (KSA) 4 (Abdelmalik 12, Khariri 17, 19, (POL x8) bt Igor Andreev/Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) invited to compete at the
Howard, ORL 74 262 724 986 13.3
Sacramento 24 51 .320 30 1/2 Randolph, MEM 72 299 552 851 11.8 Central Division Alnumare 32) Al Wahda (UAE) 0 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 tiebreak; Benjamin Becker/Michael national event. The Games
Golden State 21 52 .288 32 1/2 Kohlmann (GER) bt Martin Damm/Filip Polasek
x-clinched playoff spot
Lee, NYK 72 203 647 850 11.8 x-Chicago 46 22 7 99 243 195 Group D
(CZE/SVK) 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5).
will be held from Sept 19-25
Camby, POR 67 228 553 781 11.7 Nashville 44 28 6 94 214 214 Mes Kerman (IRI) 3 (Eder Luciano 37, Ali Samareh
y-clinched division Boozer, UTA 72 163 640 803 11.2 Detroit 40 23 13 93 212 201 48, Paulo Zaltron 83) Al Sadd (QAT) 1 (Khalfan 7) and will feature 11 events
Wednesday’s games Bosh, TOR 66 193 529 722 10.9 St. Louis 37 30 9 83 207 207 Al Ahli (UAE) 2 (Aljunaibi 43, Clederson 65) Al Hilal Women’s doubles quarterfinals as well as five non-sports
LA Lakers at Atlanta Columbus 32 32 13 77 208 246 (KSA) 3 (Qahtani 10, Vilhelmsson 15, Lee Youngpyo Lisa Raymond/Rennae Stubbs (USA/AUS x4) bt
Philadelphia at Charlotte
Wallace, CHA 68 137 571 708 10.4
Northwest Division Alisa Kleybanova/Francesca Schiavone (RUS/ITA
programs about health and
Bogut, MIL 65 197 468 665 10.2 90+2)
Milwaukee at Cleveland Duncan, SAN 70 206 510 716 10.2 Vancouver 46 26 4 96 248 196 Group F x5) 6-4, 6-3; Nadia Petrova/Sam Stosur (RUS/AUS education.
LA Clippers at Toronto Murphy, IND 64 106 546 652 10.2 Colorado 41 27 7 89 225 207 Persipura Jayapura (INA) 1 (Pae 19) Kashima Ant- x3) bt Julie Coin/Vania King (FRA/USA) 6-3, 6-2;
Oklahoma City at Boston Calgary 38 29 9 85 194 193 lers (JPN) 3 (Endo 2, Koroki 26, Uchida 34) Gisela Dulko/Flavia Pennetta (ARG/ITA) bt Maria
Miami at Detroit Assists Minnesota 37 33 6 80 208 226 Jeonbuk Motors (KOR) 1 (Lee Dong-Gook 54) Kirilenko/Agnieszka Radwanska (RUS/POL) 6-3, REUTERSCHINA DAILY
Phoenix at New Jersey G AST AVG Edmonton 24 45 7 55 194 260 Changchun Yatai (CHN) 0 7-5.
sports
PAGE 24 | THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010
SOCCER European Champions League
Ferguson blasts
United after
injury-time loss
Never-say-die Bayern go into second
leg with 2-1 lead thanks to Olic
MUNICH, Germany — Sir
Alex Ferguson slammed his
team on Tuesday after seeing
Manchester United lose 2-1 to
Bayern Munich in the Cham-
pions League quarterfinal first
leg and striker Wayne Rooney
injured.
“We didn’t play well enough,
to be honest. We kept giving
the ball away,” said Ferguson
after his side conceded an
injury-time Ivica Olic goal
that evoked memories of the
famous 1999 Champions
League final between the two.
However, the Scot remained
upbeat for the second leg at
home next Wednesday, saying:
“Well, Old Trafford will be a
different game obviously ...
we’ll play better and we won’t
be giving the ball away the way
we did tonight.
“We’ve got the away goal and
that’s an advantage.”
To add injury to insult for the
three-time European champi-
ons, talismanic striker Rooney
limped off the field after giving
the visitors the advantage with
a left-foot volley with only 66
seconds on the clock.
“He’s got a kick in the ankle,
we’ll just have to see tomor-
row. Let’s hope it’s not too
serious,” said Ferguson, echo-
ing the thoughts of England
fans everywhere with just two
months to go until the World
Cup in South Africa.
Ferguson said Rooney, who
has been on prolific goal-scor-
ing form, netting 34 times this
season, “may be doubtful” for
Saturday’s top-of-the-table
clash with Chelsea in the Eng-
lish Premier League but said:
“It’s too early to tell.”
Summing up the game, Fergu-
son said it was “a disappointing
performance possession-wise”
but handed credit to United’s
German opponents who, he
said, were the better side.
Foreign stars: Love is good for career
Timo Boll of Germany
Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar,
left stranded by a Franck Ribery
free kick mid-way through the
second half — which took a
deflection off Rooney — and
beaten from close range by Olic
in the second minute of injury
time, paid tribute to Bayern’s
never-say-die spirit.
“German teams are never
beaten until they are on their
way to the airport. It’s hard to
take,” he said.
For his part, Bayern’s Dutch
coach, Louis van Gaal, said the
win was “highly-deserved”.
“We conceded a goal in
the first minute that we never
should have done. That was a
shock. We needed 10 minutes
to recover from and after that,
we were the better team.”
“We have a good chance also
in Manchester because we can
always score a goal away from
home.”
Bayern will hope to welcome
back their own talisman, Dutch
winger Arjen Robben, who sat
out the clash with United
after picking up a calf injury
in Saturday’s defeat against
Stuttgart.
Belgian defender Daniel
van Buyten also stressed the
Bayern team’s will to win after
a run of poor results that has
seen them slip off the top of
the Bundesliga.
“Of course, we started the
game very badly but we never
gave up hope. We played a full
90 minutes knowing we could
win.”
German international striker
Mario Gomez, who came on
as a second-half substitute,
said the 66,000 fans inside the
Allianz Arena had pulled the
team through.
“The crowd carried us. I have
only very rarely experienced
an atmosphere like that in a
match,” he said.
AGENCE FRANCEPRESSE
By TANG YUE
CHINA DAILY
GUANGZHOU — While
affairs of the heart remain a
contentious issue in Chinese
table tennis circles, former
world champions Timo Boll
and Vladimir Samsonov claim
their careers have benefited
from
TABLE TENNIS having
loved
ones traveling with them.
“It’s great to have wife who
understands everything and
who can listen to you all the
time,” 29-year-old Boll, who
got married in 2004, said in
Guangzhou, where he attended
the Volkswagen Cup table ten-
nis challenge.
“As professional players,
we have to travel around the
world competing and training.
It’s very demanding. It would
be impossible without the sup-
port of family. I enjoy spend-
ing time with my family very
much,” the two-time World
Cup champion said.
His thoughts were echoed
PUEL WARY
OF BEATEN
BORDEAUX
Lyon coach Claude
Puel saluted his players
after their 3-1 victory
over Bordeaux on Tues-
day but warned there
was still work to do in
the second leg of their
Champions League
quarterfinal.
Puel’s side will take a
two-goal advantage into
the return leg at Bor-
deaux’s Stade Chaban-
Delmas on April 7 after
a Lisandro Lopez brace
and a goal from Michel
Bastos put them in the
box seat at the end of a
pulsating game.
Lisandro gave Lyon
an early lead that was
cancelled out by Mar-
ouane Chamakh but
Bastos restored the
hosts’ advantage in the
first half and Lisandro
sealed a famous win for
the seven-time French
champions with a 77th-
minute penalty.
“It was a very good
match, each team had
periods where it domi-
nated,” said Puel.
“They made things
difficult for us by press-
ing us well at the start
of the first half but
we managed to score
despite being on the
back foot.
“They equalized
quickly and that opened
up the match. We started
the second half slowly.
Bordeaux made us run
and almost got an equal-
izer but we started going
forward, made some
chances, got 3-1 up and
had three or four chanc-
es to make it 4-1.”
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
by Samsonov, a father of two
boys.
“On one hand, you have to
invest a lot of time in your fam-
ily. On the other hand, you get
a lot in return, especially after
tough competitions. You need
someone who really loves you
and supports you all the time,”
said the 33-year-old, who
impressed fans by embracing
and kissing his wife after los-
ing at the 2000 Sydney Olym-
pic Games.
“I can’t play all through my
life. Retirement is coming
sooner than later now, so it
is always important to have
someone special in your life.”
Meanwhile, China’s wom-
en’s world No 1, Liu Shiwen,
who turns 19 in two weeks,
responded vaguely when asked
about rumors of a relationship
with national team player
Zhang Jike.
“We were once in the same
local team and have a good
relationship. We enjoy chat-
ting with each other,” Liu
said.
Her reluctance to define the
Top: Bayern Munich’s Ivica Olic celebrates his goal during their Champions League match against
Manchester United in Munich on Tuesday. Above: A combination of four pictures shows Wayne
Rooney of Manchester United twisting his ankle. Rooney might miss Saturday’s Premier League
match against title rivals Chelsea.
relationship has a lot to do with
the team’s tradition.
Although administrators
appeared open-minded last
year when it was revealed then
26-year-old world champion
Wang Hao was dating former
national teammate Peng Luy-
ang; an age limit was set at the
same time.
“The national team has
some rules about relation-
ships between young players
and we suggest they don’t get
involved in love affairs under
the age of 24 or it’s likely to
affect their training,” national
team leader Huang Biao said
then.
That is still considered
much more tolerant com-
pared to the strict regulations
of the past.
At the beginning of 2004, Bai
Yang, the former girlfriend of
Ma Lin, the winner of the men’s
singles event at 2008 Olympic
Games, was dropped from the
national squad — together
with three other players — for
engaging in romantic liaisons
with a teammate.
CHINADAILY.COM.CN/SPORTS
THOMAS BOHLEN/KAI PFAFFENBACH/ REUTERS
Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus
Chief: World Champs to stay
in Moscow despite bombings
By TANG YUE
CHINA DAILY
GUANGZHOU — This year’s
World Table Tennis Cham-
pionships will still be held in
Moscow next month despite
this week’s terrorist attacks in
the city, Adham Sharara, the
president of the International
Table
TABLE TENNIS Tennis
Federa-
tion (ITTF), said.
Suicide bombers at two Mos-
cow subway stations killed 39
people and wounded more
than 100 on Monday.
However, Sharara believes
the city will successfully and
safely stage the most impor-
tant event on the sport’s annual
calendar, which will feature 16
teams competing for the men’s
and women’s titles from May
23-30.
"If the attacks were happen-
ing in a particular area repeat-
edly then, of course, we would
avoid the area. For example, if
there were attacks in Moscow
every three days, for sure, we
CHINA DAILY
Mourinho:
I don’t like
Italian
football
LONDON — Jose Mourinho
sparked speculation about his
future on Tuesday on the eve
of his side Inter Milan’s Cham-
pions League quarterfinal clash
with CSKA Moscow by declar-
ing he was unhappy with Ital-
ian football.
The charismatic but unpre-
dictable Portuguese coach,
who previously managed
English Premier League
giants Chelsea and guided
Porto to the 2004 Champi-
ons League trophy, told Sky
Sports he did not like Italian
football.
“It is a simple situation, I
am very happy,” said the 47-
year-old, who is in his second
season with Inter. “I am happy
at Inter but unhappy with Ital-
ian football.
“I always speak with my
heart but if I spoke with my
heart now about Serie A I
would be suspended.”
Mourinho, who has not
enamored himself with the
Italian football authorities,
earning himself four touchline
bans, made it clear why he was
unhappy.
“Because I do not like it (Ital-
ian football) and because they
don’t like me.”
Adding unhappiness to his
tenure in Italy was Inter’s teen-
age forward Mario Balotelli,
who said he was refusing to
back down in a row with the
coach, which has led to him
being frozen out of action for
a month.
Mourinho again left Balo-
telli out of his squad for the
match against CSKA Mos-
cow, amid media reports the
Portuguese is waiting for an
apology for an incident in
training.
“I’m not so stupid to miss five
matches (unnecessarily). If an
apology was due I would have
given it before,” Balotelli told
Italian media.
“Being as I’m right, I am not
apologizing.”
The row is the latest in a
series of run-ins between
Mourinho and the talented
19-year-old, who has been
linked to Premier League side
Arsenal and Inter’s city rivals
AC Milan.
AFP/REU TERS
would not go there," Sharara
said on Tuesday.
"But before this (attack), it
was four years ago. This will not
stop us from going to Moscow
for the World Championships,"
he said at the Volkswagen
Cup table tennis challenge in
Guangzhou.
"If we do that, then there may
be another attack before the
Track and Field World Champi-
onships or before some confer-
ence and the terrorists would get
attention from the cancellation
and would have succeeded. We
have to show every terrorist
group they cannot change the
course of normal life."
Sharara is aware of the
possibility some teams could
withdraw from the event due to
security concerns but remains
determined to stage the tour-
nament in Moscow.
“I know some member
countries of the ITTF may be
feeling uncomfortable and may
decide not to go. It’s up to them,
but we trust the security system
of Russia and that of the city of
Moscow," he said.
Money can’t buy
you happiness
Burden of maintaining living standard leaves
some disillusioned.
> PAGE M4
metrobeijing
CHINA DAILY
Patients at the Huilongguan Hospital take a stroll in the courtyard.
Fear of people with mental
illness hampers expansion
Rehabilitation centers shunned by
some residents in neighborhoods
By YANG WANLI
CHINA DAILY
The city is in dire need of
more rehabilitation centers
for people with mental health
problems but few people are
ready to welcome them in their
neighborhoods, says a doctor
who specializes in the field.
Nan Zhenguo, from
Huilongguan Hospital, said
Beijing has around 10,000
patients with severe mental
illness. Most hospitals able to
help them are full. Nan would
like to see more rehabilitation
centers built so less severe
cases can be reintegrated into
the community. But, he says,
people’s fear of those with
mental health issues make
the building of such centers a
struggle.
“A rehabilitation therapy
inside
City hikes
parking
fees to
ease jam
Page M3
Car plates
Motor vehicles with these last
numbers are not allowed on roads.
Today: 0 and 5.
Friday: 1 and 6.
All roads lead
to Beijing
Rock singer Wang Feng prepares
for his upcoming concert.
> PAGE M8
CHINADAILY.COM.CN/METRO
center is much like a buffer
zone for psychiatric patients,”
he said. “If they are unable to
go back into society without
further medical guidance, they
would have to return to the
hospitals if it were not for the
help of rehabilitation centers.”
As one of the largest psy-
chiatric hospitals in Beijing,
Huilongguan Hospital set up
a pilot project in October 2008
to build a rehabilitation therapy
center in Yuetan, Xicheng dis-
trict.
Nan said people in the
neighborhood were initially
very concerned.
Zhang Lijun, a 65-year-old
resident of Sanlihe, Xicheng
district, was among them.
“I was afraid that those
mental patients would hurt
me unexpectedly,” Xhang said.
“So, I always chose other roads
Contacts
Metro Beijing news hotline
6499-5555
E-mail
metrobeijing@chinadaily.com.cn
back home that were far from
the therapy center.”
Zhang said parents in the
neighborhood even warned
their children not to play near
the institution, which was ulti-
mately built and which is called
Jingxinyuan.
Nan said the center is avail-
able for the 289 psychiatric
patients in the Yuetan area
and has become accepted by
its neighbors, but he admits its
success is largely down to the
time experts spent liaising with
people in the neighborhood to
address their fears.
“We’ve made great efforts
to help residents in the Yuetan
area learn more about mental
disease,” Nan said. “With the
help of doctors, the patients are
as normal as ordinary people.”
Nan, who is in charge of
medical guidance at Jingx-
inyuan, said other districts
desperately need such facilities
but will face even more opposi-
tion because few will be able to
Airport theft gang grounded, say police
By ZHAO YANRONG
CHINA DAILY
Beijing airport police say they
have cracked the largest theft
case in the airport’s history.
One suspect is in custody and
two others are on the run, offi-
cers said on Wednesday.
And with the announcement,
police warned passengers to pay
more attention to their luggage
while using airport buses on
their way to and from flights.
Although the case is still
under investigation, police
were able to say that the three
Good home
hard to find
PAGE M5
have such a long dialogue with
the neighboring community to
reduce opposition.
Three months ago, the Mir-
ror Evening News reported
that Beijing Xicheng Ping An
Hospital was planning to build
such a center in Xizhimen. Res-
idents protested and the project
appears to have stalled.
Wards at Huilongguan Hos-
pital, one of the main psychiat-
ric hospitals in the city, are 90
per cent full.
Beijing’s two other major
psychiatric hospitals, Beijing
No 6 Hospital and Beijing An
Ding Hospital, are both full.
“Because some patients
cannot get the professional
medical care they need at
home and because there is a
lack of rehabilitation centers,
some patients have been at the
hospitals for years,” said Nan.
“Both the doctors and the
patients want to see more
rehabilitation centers built in
the city. They would help insti-
people allegedly involved in
the theft ring, a man named
Zhang, from Jilin province, and
two others, named Yang and
Guo, were at Beijing Capital
International Airport (BCIA)
on Feb 23 looking to steal pas-
sengers’ belongings.
Investigators said the gang
targeted a businessman, sur-
named Wang, from Shanxi
province, because of his neat
appearance and formal dress.
They allegedly followed him
onto a bus from Terminal 2 that
was headed for China Interna-
tional Exhibition Center. The
Sightseeing
on the road
Growing numbers of retirees
use their free time to travel.
> PAGE M6
WANG JING / CHINA DAILY
tutionalized patients return to
their homes and the stress on
overburdened psychiatric hos-
pitals would be eased.”
He said rehabilitation cen-
ters offer psychiatric patients
the best chance of returning
to a normal life and the model
is widely used in Western
countries.
“But in China, it is still being
developed.”
Jingxinyuan center has facili-
ties to offer 12 patients therapy
each day and is staffed by doc-
tors, nurses and other staff
from Huilongguan Hospital.
The center helps psychiatric
patients learn the skills they
need to return to normal life
as well as pottery, paper-cut-
ting and other skills that help
in their communication with
others.
“I want to have the chance to
talk and play with others so I
don’t feel so isolated from soci-
ety,” said a patient, surnamed
Wang.
trio sat near the luggage rack
at the front of the bus, said Li
Xuhua, deputy director of the
airport police bureau.
While Wang was looking for
a seat toward the back of the
shuttle, Yang allegedly grabbed
his luggage.
Li said Zhang opened the case
and stole 300,000 yuan in cash
within a few minutes while Guo
kept watch.
Yang and Zhang got off the
bus before it left the airport.
Guo got off later.
Wang noticed the cash was
missing when he prepared to
THURSDAY,
APRIL 1, 2010
PAGE M1
Online April
Fools’ game a
pie in the face
By WANG WEN
CHINA DAILY
Online games are all the rage among Beijing office workers,
who are turning to the Internet, rather than traditional props
markets, for their April Fools’ Day high jinks.
Renren.com, a Beijing-based social networking website that
is popular with college students and white-collar workers, last
week launched a tricky game.
Users can throw virtual garbage, such as rotten tomatoes or
cream cakes, at their friends, who can see the barrage of rubbish
coming their way on their computer screens.
“The game is special for April Fools’ Day and it will end
April 1,” said Song Tiantian, a spokeswoman for the website.
Renren.com has more than 150 million users in China.
Song said the game has attracted more than five million
daily players who toss an average of more than 100 pieces of
garbage.
Many white-collar workers did not hesitate to join in the
tomfoolery. Many took up the silly sport as early as the week
before April Fools’ Day.
“I noticed the game as soon as the game was launched and
I feel very happy to throw garbage at my friends because the
blow cannot hurt them and all of us can get fun out of the
game,” said Li Qilin, 25, who works in Beijing.
Li said every day he has thrown more than 20 items of gar-
bage at his friends. As his level in the game was increasing, Li
can throw more web-offensive objects such as smelly socks
and slippers.
Other websites, including www.ce.cn and www.it.com.cn,
have joined renren.com in the April Fools’ Day shenanigans.
The most common trick is changing the sound or screen
images on computers.
But for the vendors of physical trick props such as fake spi-
ders and screaming rubber chickens, the rising popularity of
Internet fun is going down as well as a flat whoopee cushion.
“My business is not very good those days because the tricky
props have been sold for several years and are not fresh any
more,” said Jiang Qianyong, who sells props and toys out of
a shop in the Tianyi market, the largest wholesale market in
Beijing.
Jiang said he sells about 50 props every day. Because he is a
wholesaler that number is unsatisfactory.
Business was worse than it was several years ago, although
he is one of the only two shops in the market selling such
wares.
Two women who work in a nearby office visited Jiang’s shop
on noon Wednesday but did not buy anything.
“We just want to find some new ideas to trick our friends
with tomorrow, but unfortunately the props here are all old-
style,” said one of the women, surnamed Li.
ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY
Spooky toys are less popular this year.
get off the shuttle and realized
his briefcase was lighter than it
their person.”
Liu said Terminal 3 at BCIA
had been when he got on.
Nineteen days after the theft,
is the major target of thieves
because of its huge passenger
Zhang was arrested by Beijing
police in Jiutai county, Jilin
volume.
Thieves usually look for tar-
province. Police said Zhang
admitted to his role in the
gets who appear wealthy and
begin following them before
crime. they board shuttle buses.
“We strongly suggest passen- They prefer to steal their
gers do not carry a large amount victims’ belongs and get off the
of cash while they are traveling,” bus before it leaves the airport,
said Liu Jun, the director of Bei- Liu said.
jing traffic police bureau. “Wallets, mobile phones and
“If they have to carry large notebook computers are the
amounts of money, we recom- three things that catch thieves’
mend they keep the money on attention the most.”
M2 metronews
briefly
Airlines start new
summer schedule
Starting from March 28, inter-
national airlines at Beijing Capi-
tal International Airport will run
a spring and summer schedule
and take off earlier.
The exit peaks at T2 will now
be between 7 am and 8:30 am,
and between 10 am and 12 am,
said Beijing entry and exit fron-
tier inspection.
ǂ on Wednesday.
Prison for porn
site operators
Five people who worked at
a porn website named “Naked
China” were sentenced to
between 10 to 14 months in
prison by Shijingshan court for
spreading porn.
Two were managers of the
website and three were online
editors. The court found that the
five, one of whom is an overseas
returnee, maintained about
3,000 porn photos and about 80
porn video clips, Beijing News
reported.
Alleged hit-and-run
driver arrested
Changping traffic police have
detained a man, who allegedly
killed three pedestrians in a hit
and run case in late March.
The man surnamed Sun, who
was at large for seven days, said
he was drunk while driving a car
borrowed from a man surnamed
Li on March 21.
Jail for father who
abandoned son
A man, who abandoned his
sick newborn son at a Beijing
bus station because he lacked the
money for treatment, was sen-
tenced to five months in prison
by Dongcheng court on Tuesday.
Gu Yongling, 25, from Anhui
province, abandoned his sick
eight-day-old son on Oct 28,
2009, at a bus station in Chon-
gwen district. The boy died of
pneumonia and a digestive dis-
order three days later.
Phone numbers left with the
boy led police to contacted Gu’s
family and Gu returned to Bei-
jing to turn himself in.
Man sentenced for
killing his spouse
A man accidentally hit his wife
and injured her while reversing
his car, Changping people’s court
heard on Tuesday.
The 39-year-old man sur-
named Xu reversed his farm
vehicle on June 21, 2009 while
his wife surnamed Yan was keep-
ing watch at the rear.
Yan was crushed between the
back of the farm vehicle and the
front part of a bus. She died of
her injuries in hospital the same
day.
Xu was sentenced to one year
in prison with one-year reprieve
by Changping people’s court in
January this year.
Rapist’s wife sues
for divorce
A woman surnamed Zhang,
who was jailed with her husband
for rape, filed for divorce after
being released from prison,
Miyun court said.
Zhang married her husband,
surnamed Li in June 2005 after
a blind date early that year. In
October 2005, Zhang tricked
her friend surnamed Yu into
her rented place, where Li then
raped Yu.
The couple were sentenced
to six and four years in prison
after Yu reported the rape to the
police.
Driving lessons for
the disabled
Disabled people in the city
can learn driving at Fengshun
and Oriental Fashion driving
schools, starting from April 1.
China Disabled Persons’ Fed-
eration chairman Zhang Haidi,
along with 96 disabled people,
have already signed up.
Potential learners have to
acquire a physical checkup
certificate from Beijing Bo’ai
Hospital.
The schools have included
barrier-free facilities for the
learners’ convenience.
Weather postpones
peach harvest
Peach growers in Pinggu
district are expecting a late blos-
soming of their trees this year
due to the cool weather, Mirror
Evening News reported.
The continuing low tempera-
tures this spring are expected to
delay the blooming and put the
harvest back by about two weeks.
The crop is likely to be picked
this year at the end of June.
The Pinggu district is well
known for its peach trees.
CHINA DAILY
Condo bosses threatened: Poll
Survey highlights
troubles faced by
owners’ advocates
Nearly half of condominium
association directors in the city
have received threats related to
their roles, Beijing News reported
In a survey of 92 condominium
board directors conducted by the
newspaper, 48 percent of respon-
dents said they have received
threats of various kinds.
The result highlights the dan-
gers inherent in the work of such
directors, who represent the rights
of hundreds of thousands of prop-
erty owners in the capital.
They must negotiate homeown-
ers’ terms with property manage-
ment companies over numerous
thorny issues.
More than 90 percent of the
respondents said the position is
unpaid while the rest said they
received wages of less than 1,000
yuan per month.
Tong Boting, director of the
Yabei New Zone Condominium
Association, told the newspaper
that instead of earning money, he
actually spent nearly 20,000 yuan
of his own money to do the job.
The survey came in the wake
of reports of escalating threats
against one such director.
Six thugs assaulted Chen Feng-
Fake shampoo
puts pair in lather
By LU CHANG
FOR CHINA DAILY
Two wholesalers trading coun-
terfeit shampoo were sentenced
to prison terms by Daxing district
court.
Huang Fuhui was sentenced to
three years and six months and his
co-conspirator, Zeng Lihong, was
sentenced to three years in prison.
The pair sold 1,419 cases of
counterfeit brand-name shampoo,
Mirror Evening News reported on
Tuesday.
The products were valued at
410,000 yuan.
The fake products, which were
labeled as VS Sassoon, Pantene,
LEK, Rejoice and other brands,
were found by police in Daxing
district on July 8.
Early in 2009, Huang and Zeng
began bringing the counterfeit
shampoos from a manufacturer in
Dajiaoting in the Chaoyang district
to the Xiao Jing wholesale market
in the southern Fengtai district of
Beijing.
A driver surnamed Xie, who
transported the counterfeit goods
to the market, said the products
were so popular that deliveries
between Dajiaoting to the Xiao Jing
market were made every 10 days.
The police found more than 20
vendors selling the counterfeit
shampoos at the market.
At the root of the booming busi-
ness is the visible profit margin,
police officials said.
A 400 ml bottle of counterfeit
Travel agency has wings clipped
By ZHAO YANRONG
CHINA DAILY
A Beijing travel agency will not be
allowed to organize tours to Taiwan
during the coming six months as a
result of an incident at the Taipei
Taoyuan International Airport last
month in which a tour party was
turned around.
Twenty-four Beijing travelers
were refused entry to Taiwan on
March 10 because they did not have
entry and exit permits from the local
authority.
The group was held up at the
airport for more than nine hours
before finally having to return to
Beijing later that night.
The National Tourism Adminis-
tration announced on Tuesday that
China International Travel Service
‘‘
Problems often
occur during our
talks with the
property man-
agement compa-
nies.
JIN WEILONG
DIRECTOR OF THE HUAQ-
INGYUAN CONDOMINIUM
ASSOCIATION IN HAIDIAN
DISTRICT
shan, director of the Baiziwan
Condominium Association, in
March; he subsequently found a
funeral urn placed in front of his
home and feces smeared on his
door.
Reports of the attack and threats
triggered uproar among the city’s
condominium association direc-
tors and prompted concerns about
their safety.
The biggest problem facing the
directors is the difficulty of per-
suading property owners to agree
on issues, the survey showed.
Another problem is the lack of
coordination between the property
management companies and prop-
erty owners, many of them said.
“Problems often occur during
our talks with the property man-
agement companies,” Jin Weilong,
director of the Huaqingyuan Con-
dominium Association in Haidian
district, was quoted as saying.
Procter & Gamble shampoo Head
& Shoulders was priced 5 to 6 yuan
while the real one costs eight times
more.
Han Xiangsheng, a salesman for
a company at the market that sells
brand name shampoos said some
of the dealers sell the fake sham-
poos for the easy money.
“You make only 3 yuan for each
authentic bottle,” Han told the Mir-
ror Evening News. “But 8 yuan for
the fake one.”
Among the regular customers
snapping up the fake shampoos at
the Xiao Jing Market were employ-
ees of hair salons and local grocery
stores.
A customer at a hair salon in
the Shijingshan area told the Mir-
ror Evening News that his head
was severely hurt when a salon
employee washed his hair with fake
shampoo in early March.
The manager of the salon
explained that counterfeit sham-
poo improves profit margins, add-
ing that using fake shampoo is a
widespread industry practice.
Since 2006, Daxing district
court has handled many similar
cases, sentencing more than 10
offenders.
Shampoo expert Zhang Ling said
low prices, unclear tags and poor
packaging are characteristics of the
counterfeits.
“Fake shampoo is often diluted
and has a foul odor,” Zhang said,
adding harmful substances in the
fake shampoo could lead to hair
loss, burns and rashes.
(CITS) Beijing was being suspended
from running Taiwan excursions for
half a year as a result.
The national authority said trav-
eling to Taiwan was an important
event and one that carried a lot of
responsibility.
“All government departments
that are related to the Taiwan travel-
ing service should take full responsi-
bility for inspection and supervision
and all travel agencies that are run-
ning businesses organizing travel to
Taiwan should strictly follow the
policies and rules regarding travel-
ing to Taiwan,” the administration
announced.
As many as 18 Beijing travel agen-
cies are among the 146 companies
on the mainland that are authorized
to arrange trips to Taiwan as a result
of a tourism agreement signed by
Chen Fengshan (middle) director of the Baiziwan Condominium Association looks on while a camera is installed in
front of his door.
“Most of the problems occurred
because the property management
companies failed to follow the rel-
evant regulations,” Jin said.
He suggested both parties
should learn more about the laws
governing property.
Only 6 percent of the directors
polled said the police launched an
investigation after the directors
FACE TO FACE
PHOTO BY LUO XIAOGUANG / XINHUA
Visitors look at Peking Opera facemasks at an
exhibition at the National Center for the Per-
forming Arts.
both the mainland and Taiwan in
June 2008.
CITS Beijing obtained certifica-
tion to organize travel to Taiwan in
February 2009 and has become the
first and only Beijing travel agency
to be penalized in connection with
Taiwan travel.
Chinese mainland tourists
need to obtain permission from
the entry and exit departments
in both the mainland and Taiwan
before departing, said Liu Songtao,
director of the sales and market-
ing department at China Comfort
Travel Group Co Ltd, which was
among the first companies in the
capital to take tourists from Beijing
to Taiwan.
“It usually takes 15 days to process
the applications, therefore visitors
should arrange their travel plans
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0
reported they had been threat-
ened.
More than half the respondents
said the police either ignored their
reports or dealt with them in a
passive way.
Chen Youhong, an associate
professor of public policy at Ren-
min University of China, said the
police should inform the public
accordingly,” Liu told METRO on
Wednesday.
He said March, April and May are
the best times to visit Taiwan.
Tourism to Taiwan has increased
significantly since last spring, when
travel was hit on concerns about the
spread of the H1N1 virus.
According to the United Daily
News in Taiwan, more than 7,000
tourists from the mainland are
expected to visit the island during
the Tomb Sweeping festival on
April 5.
“In the past, tourists have some-
times obtained their entry permis-
sion after landing in Taiwan, but that
was when the number of tourists
was quite small,” Liu said. “It’s better
to follow the regulations made by
both sides of the Straits in order to
make the trips successful today.”
C H I NA DA I LY
LIN HUI / FOR CHINA DAILY
about their procedures for dealing
with such cases to better protect
the threatened directors.
As for the case of Chen Feng-
shan, officers from the Nanmofang
police station said they have been
actively investigating the case and
will deal with it in accordance with
the law.
METRO
Police told to
put brakes
on misuse of
official cars
By ZHANG YAN
CHINA DAILY
Police officers who drive official
vehicles faster than the speed limit,
jump red lights and park outside
restaurants and other entertain-
ment venues while not visiting
them on official duty face suspen-
sion, the municipal public security
bureau has announced.
The bureau said it began a new
initiative in February and will be
keeping a close eye on police car
use until November following an
order from the Ministry of Public
Security.
The department has set up
monitoring points on major roads,
including the second and third ring
roads, and will also use footage
from surveillance cameras to try to
spot illegal use of police vehicles.
It has checked 485 vehicles since
February and found 18 violations.
All of the violations were
described as minor and included
such things as not wearing uni-
forms or not carrying a driving
license, said Jia Chunming, a senior
officer in charge of police discipline
inspection.
Newly appointed police chief Fu
Zhenghua is heading the inspection
team in an attempt to show how
seriously the department’s senior
bosses take the misuse of police
vehicles.
Jia said the illegal use of police
cars might include refitting police
cars from expired vehicles, using
the emergency siren while not on
duty, drunken driving, allowing
civilians to drive police cars and
lending police license plates to
others.
Jia said complaints from the pub-
lic have made it urgent to stop abuse
of power to protect the reputation
of the police.
Xu Kang, chief of a police sta-
tion in Xicheng district, said the
campaign will help eliminate abuse
of power and remind officers that
vehicles are only to be used for offi-
cial business.
“I personally heard complaints
from citizens about police officers
pressing horns wherever and when-
ever they go and it does hurt the
image of the police,” he said.
Jia said the inspection is targeting
a short-list of major abuses but that
list will be widened in future.
Citizens can call the police hot-
line at 6514-0706 or dial 110 to
report misuses.
C H I NA DA I LY T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 metronews M3

City plans
Local stores financial
project in
offer to offset Shijingshan
drivers’ costs By CUI XIAOHUO
AND WANG SUJUAN
CHINA DAILY
Beginning today, daytime parking fees will be adjusted
in 13 major shopping areas in Beijing, including Wang- The capital is incorporat-
fujing, Xidan and Yansha. To cope with the change, ing a new financial hub in
shopping malls are introducing favorable parking poli- west Beijing later this year as
cies to retain customers. part of the capital’s latest bid
“Currently, we have 180 underground parking spots at to attract foreign directed
the Wangfujing Department Store, although the under- investment into the money-
ground parking fee has been raised to 6 yuan per hour. hungry capital.
We will still offer free parking between 5 pm and closing The multi-billion-yuan
time,” Dong Yi of the store’s marketing department told financial hub project will
Beijing Youth Daily. probably start as early as this
Another large mall, Joy City in Xidan, decided to keep October in Shijingshan dis-
its favorable parking policies as well. trict at the west end of capital,
VIP members and patrons who spend more than 200 or 16 km west of Tian’anmen
yuan per visit can get one hour of free parking. Police slap fine notices on illegally parked cars. YANG WEI / MIRROR EVENING NEWS Square in central Beijing, the

More favor public

Malls affected by large parking fee increases are also local government announced
introducing favorable policies. on Tuesday.
Beijing Blue Island Mansion once charged 2 yuan per When completed, the new
hour for aboveground parking. Under the new standard, zone will form a business
the parking fee is 8 yuan per hour. center symmetrical to the
Wu Ping, that mall’s sales department manager, told central business district near

transport after hikes

Beijing Youth Daily that the mall was going to offer three Guomao in east Beijing.
hours of free parking to shoppers who spend more than The centerpiece will be a
300 yuan at a time. 1-billion-yuan convention
Since the underground parking costs 2 yuan less per complex — the Financial
hour than the aboveground parking, some malls are Cube — expected to be com-
providing more underground parking room for cus- pleted in the next two years,
tomers. Among them, the Cuiwei Department Store is officials from the Shijingshan
moving its staff parking 1 km away to make room for
more customer parking.
Daytime parking more expensive at 13 shopping areas in the city district government said.
The venue, with a similar
Similar measures have been adopted by the Beijing By HUANG YULI China Central Place, in the areas involved in the price She already considers tak- look to the Beijing Olympic
Oriental Plaza and Wangfujing Department Store in FOR CHINA DAILY CBD area. “Parking was 2 rise and citizens can find a ing a bus to work half of the showpiece the Water Cube,
central Beijing. yuan per hour before the bus stop every 300 meters month. is set to become the largest
Some managers of the affected shopping malls More people are consider- Spring Festival; and then it on average. “I do welcome the rises,” complex for meetings in the
expressed concern about the municipality’s parking fee ing changing to public trans- was hiked to 10 yuan at the The department would said Du, “but I don’t think it capital with about 5,000 seats,
increases. port as daytime parking fees end of February. Ten hours a also keep a close watch on will have much effect as pri- second only to the Great
“It might affect the shopping choices of many custom- rise today. day will total 3, 000 yuan per the passenger flow and add vate car procession in Beijing Hall of the People, officials
ers,” said a manager who declined to release his name. According to the Beijing month; it’s too expensive to capacity so as to meet the is still growing.” added.
“Some customers who used to drive here to shop might Municipal Commission of afford,” he said. travel demands, an officer The number of cars in the The cost of the proposed
turn to the subway, but others might cancel the shopping Development and Reform, “Ever since the rise, I’ve from the Traffic Department city was 4.17 million at the showpiece was not revealed.
altogether.” the aboveground parking been parking my car in told the Beijing News. end of 2009, according to the An official with the invest-
The manager added that customers are no longer loyal fees in 13 central areas within a parking lot outside the An office worker sur- traffic management bureau. ment planning authority of
to particular malls nowadays because there are too many the Fourth Ring Road will be Fourth Ring Road that named Du, who works in “I think the rises are use- the district told METRO the
shopping options. increased to a maximum of charges only 2 yuan per hour. the SK Building which is also ful but it’s too much for car government is still in pursuit
“So a rise in a parking fee can have a negative influence 10 yuan per hour from April I then take a bus to work,” in the CBD area, said: “Our drivers; I would say raising of a partner in building the
on customer flows,” he said. 1, while underground park- he explained. “Some of my underground parking lot the price of gasoline would iconic complex.
However, not all drivers face parking fee increases. ing will rise to 6 yuan per colleagues have already will increase the price from be much more effective,” “Land exploitation has
In Guomao, one aboveground parking lot reduced its hour. switched to the subway.” 5 to 6 yuan per hour from said Huan. yet to begin. The authority
fee to 8 yuan per hour from 10 yuan per hour, but the “The parking fees in our According to the Munici- Thursday. It is not actually “Besides, I’m afraid it’ll will accept bids for the land
underground parking fee will remain stable. building have increased pal Traffic Department there that big a difference, but it cause illegal parking while before an owner is chosen.
METRO fivefold,” said a sales man- are five subway lines and definitely has an impact on car owners seek somewhere But the project is expected
ager surnamed Huan, of 292 bus routes covering the people’s minds.” cheaper to park.” to start in October, so the
authority has six months
decide,” the official said, on
condition of anonymity.
Under the proceedings
of the Beijing municipal
government, such a project
usually takes from several
months to one year to get
the nod from the municipal
government.
It took the municipal
government more than one
year to approve the 10 billion
yuan expansion of the CBD
area near Guomao.
According to the official
website of Shijingshan’s eco-
nomic planning authority the
financial hub project was still
under revision as of Novem-
ber last year.
The 550,000 populated
Shijingshan district had
previously been viewed as an
industrial hub in west Bei-
jing. But the relocation of the
70,000 employee Shougang
from the region to neighbor-
ing Hebei province has made
available 9 square kilometers
of land for redevelopment.
The land equals to two
CBD areas in east Beijing.
“Considering the redesign
and the construction, we can
expect a big change in the
ONE, TWO, FIGHT area over the next 10 years,”
Zhou Maofei, director of the
PHOTO BY AN XUDONG / FOR CHINA DAILY
Shijingshan district govern-
A visitor to the Happy Valley ‘fights’ with a worker dressed as a cartoon character. ment, told reporters earlier.

City’s Toyota owners demanding fair treatment

By XU FAN
CHINA DAILY
Toyota has promised to
compensate owners of recalled
RAV4 vehicles in Zhejiang
province, which has aroused
anger among Beijing owners
and their association, who
feel they are being treated dif-
ferently.
After two closed-door
rounds of talks between a del-
egation from Toyota and local
authorities in Zhejiang, Toyota
promised to compensate recall
owners in Zhejiang, step up the
recalls, offer substitute vehicles
and return purchase subscrip-
tions, a first deal of its kind in
China.
Zhejiang Provincial Admin-
istration for Industry and Com-
merce complained that Toyota
“seriously discriminated against
and treated differently ” Chinese
consumers, as it recalled more
than six million units in the
United States and 2.7 million
units in Europe, but “only
75,000 units in China”.
Qu Jianhui, deputy secretary-
general of the Beijing Con-
sumer Association, said Toyota
should respect every consumer
in China and appealed to the
company to treat car owners in
Beijing and other cities the same
as Zhejiang province.
Qu said Zhejiang province
won the concessions mainly
due to its strong regulations on
consumer protection.
“Vehicle sales were provided
‘three guarantees’ in 2000.
“Most provinces and cities
haven’t regulated vehicles into
such regulations yet,” he said.
“The ‘three guarantees’ refer
to retail sales that warrant
repairing, changing and refund-
ing if the product has quality
problems,” he explained.
Qu said the Toyota issue
might push legislators to write
vehicle sales into the law and the
capital then could put vehicles
into local consumer protection
regulations according to the
new law.
Li Yunwei, president of the
Beijing car owner association,
told METRO Toyota’s reputa-
tion would be damaged if it
can’t handle the recall in a sat-
isfactory way.
“To common consumers
who plan to buy their first fam-
ily car, they will hardly consider
purchasing Toyota with its cur-
rent safety concerns,” he said.
Several Toyota 4S shops in
Beijing contacted by METRO
said that so far they hadn’t
received any notice about com-
pensating owners of RAV4s
recalled for an accelerator pedal
problem and had no idea “if
there will be some relevant
policy in the following days”.
The biggest RAV4 owner
forum on a popular vehicle
themed portal xcar.com.cn
has a special discussion forum
about the recalls, with 7,138
posts as of Wednesday.
One of the most popular
threads called on the city’s
RAV4 owners to unite to
demand compensation over
the recall. Toyota has reduced
the prices of its Carolla, Camry
and REIZ model recently. The
“normally no discount” RAV4
has had its price reduced by
18,000 yuan in less than two
months, according to China
Business News.
M4 metrofocus T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 C H I NA DA I LY

Beijingers richer but unhappier

‘‘
Burden of By OU LU
CHINA DAILY
of the least happy in China because of the
unbearable economic pressures they face
Wang said.
He said his criteria for being genuinely Many of my friends who make de-

T
maintaining he tens of thousands of Beijingers
living standard who are part of the city’s growing
middle class are developing ever
leaves some higher expectations in terms of
their standard of living, but reaching and
members of the maintaining these standards is sucking the
joy out of life for an increasing number of
middle class them.
Few would doubt that with an annual
disillusioned income of 500,000 yuan ($73,206) Liu
Chunhua has the means to lead a privi-
leged life in Beijing. However there aren’t
many traces of affluence at her home.
The 39-year-old is the CFO of a World
Top 500 company’s Beijing office. Despite
being paid handsomely, she says she still
feels she is not rich enough to indulge in a
lavish lifestyle just yet.
She uses the majority of her income to
pay for the mortgage and maintenance
of the seven apartments she had bought
in Beijing.
“I have to save to pay the mortgages off,”
she said.
During weekdays her family stays in a
50-square-meter apartment in Xicheng
district, close to one of the city’s best pri-
mary schools, which her son attends. On
the weekends they stay in a bigger apart-
ment in the suburbs, to enjoy a little bit
more luxury.
The market prices of Liu’s apartments
more than tripled during the past few
years’ real estate boom in Beijing. Selling
a few of her apartments would make her
a millionaire several times over. But she is
apprehensive about such a move.
Reflecting on the reasons she can’t
simply be a happy-go-lucky middle class
professional woman, Liu concludes that
she feels she must continuing working
hard and saving as much as possible to
secure a good life after retirement, to pay
her parents’ expensive medical bills and,
most importantly, to help her son get the
best education available.
“The biggest reason for me to keep sav-
ing is to ensure a good future for my kid
and I believe that’s what most Chinese
middle-class families are doing,” she said.
Liu said she has already been putting
money away to send her son to study abroad
after he graduates from high school.
“It might cost more than 200,000 yuan
for a year’s tuition, so I have to save at least
1 million yuan for him,” she said.
She says another reason for her anxiety is
that she never feels secure in her job.
Last year when the world economy was
hit hard by the global financial crisis, she
was unemployed for almost a year, living
on the rents she collected from tenants.
“I was able to support my family with
that money, but I want to save more in case
it happens again. It wasn’t a great situation
— I was so busying looking for a new job
that I had almost no time for my family,”
she said.
Although Liu is not the only breadwin-
ner for her family, her husband, who works
in the government, is not as well paid as
she is.
Liu’s feelings coincide with those of a
survey published recently by insurance
company Manulife-Sinochem. According
to the survey middle class families in the
most prosperous regions in China, such as
Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, are some
and the small amount of time they spend
with family members.
middle class includes having enough time
to be with family and to travel abroad dur-
cent salaries at big multinational
companies dare not buy whatever
But Liu’s life isn’t all stress and unhap- ing vacations, as well as having enough
they like and make any mistakes
piness — she recently indulged a bit and money to be able to donate to charitable
bought a villa in Daxing district with a causes and to take care of his health. at work. These people aren’t genu-
yard in front, saying she’s always had the Wang said his definition of middle inely in the middle class, because
quintessential urban dream of owning a class life is that depicted on Desperate
if they lose their jobs, they will
house in the country. Housewives, an American television
“I’d love to live in a place like that when comedy-drama series popular with the immediately be poor.”
we retire,” Liu said, with a beaming smile well-educated young professionals in
on her face. China — owning a big house surrounded
WANG XIN
36, EMPLOYEE OF STATE-OWNED COMPANY, WHO DEFINES
“I’m already counting down the years by green lawns and beautiful flowers and HIMSELF AS A PRE-MIDDLE CLASS
until my retirement,” she added. having plenty of leisure time.
Unlike Liu, who says she is a bit confused “So many Chinese are still struggling
about her position in the social echelons, to get richer,” said Wang. “We simply
36-year-old Wang Xin, a middle-ranking don’t have enough time to fulfill our other
office worker at a state-owned company in needs.”
Beijing, know exactly where he fits.
He calls himself pre-middle class and
said he will likely become a real member
of the middle class after he turns 40.
Wang said he totally disagrees
with a report by Lu Xueyi, a
renowned sociologist at the Chi-
nese Academy of Social Sciences,
which said that China’s middle class
now comprises 23 percent of its 1.3
billion population.
Though definitions for middle class
vary in China, many hold that middle
class families should have household
incomes of at least $10,000 a year,
own an apartment and a car, eat
out often and travel on vaca-
tions.
“There are simply not that
many people in this country
who belong to this privileged
group,” Wang said.
Wang owns two apartments in
Beijing, both bought with loans,
and an investment portfolio
worth 2 million yuan, but said
he still doesn’t think he qualifies
as middle class yet.
“Genuine members of the
middle class are those with
the money as well as other
resources, such as leisure time,
to maintain a certain lifestyle,”
he said.
“But many of my friends
who make decent salaries
at big multinational com-
panies dare not buy what-
ever they like and make
any mistakes at work,”
he said. “These people
aren’t genuinely in the
middle class, because
if they lose their jobs,
they will immediately
be poor.”
Wang said even his
friends who make enough
money to not worry about
being unemployed for a while
don’t have the leisure time that
is a hallmark of middle class fami-
lies in the West.
One of Wang’s friends makes more than
700,000 yuan per year as a sales manager
but still “lives like a dog,” he said.
“In the past few years this friend’s sales
quota was 20 million yuan, but this year it
surged to 200 million yuan, “ said Wang.
“He doesn’t have any time left for fun.”
It feels like a never never-ending struggle
to keep from falling behind,

ZHANG CHENGLIANG/CHINA DAILY

Voice of the middle class getting louder

PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
Wang Huiyao, vice-chairman of China’s Western
Returned Scholars Association
By OU LU
CHINA DAILY
Members of Beijing’s middle class
are demonstrating a growing interest in
expressing their opinions on some big mat-
ters, even if it doesn’t have much effect.
“A big portion of Beijing’s middle class
is not satisfied with simply being enter-
tained or getting rich,” said Wang Huiyao,
the vice-chairman of China’s Western
Returned Scholars Association (WRSA),
which with more than 50,000 members is
the largest overseas returnees’ organization
in China. “They are keen to share their per-
spectives about state affairs and seek ways
to deliver their message to the country’s
policy makers.”
“We have to make use of these talented
and ambitious people, many of whom have
contributed tremendously to the economic
development of Beijing,” Wang said.
Wang, who is also the director general
of the Center for China & Globalization,
a think tank focusing on the academic,
economic and political implications of
how China adapts to globalization, said
there are about 100,000 returned scholars
in Beijing and 15 percent of them are mem-
bers of the WRSA.
The WRSA also includes the Chinese
alumni associations of many of the world’s
top universities.
“Many of our members joined because
they want to network with a pool of tal-
ented and resourceful people, which helps
them find job opportunities, business part-
ners or life partners,” said Wang. “However
many of these middle class people seem to
have reached a point in their life where
they need a channel to express their think-
ing and opinions. We shouldn’t ignore this
strong desire.”
The middle class often leads main-
stream thinking and is the key engines
of economic growth in many countries,
added Wang.
Over the past few years Wang has been
organizing monthly seminar luncheons
and roundtable discussions for academics,
business people and other members of the
middle class while publishing periodicals
with scholars’ ideas on how to improve
the country. He says he has successfully
worked with government officials to turn
some of the proposals arising from these
discussions and periodicals into actual
policies.
“Most of these people come back to
China with an international vision and
different perspective and want to explore
the existing problems in Chinese society,
instead of just making money here,” said
Wang.
For January’s seminar luncheon Wang
invited Huang Yasheng, professor of
political economy and international
management at the Sloan School of Man-
agement at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, to compare the economies of
China and India.
For February’s seminar luncheon he
invited Ji Weidong, executive director of
Morgan Stanley Asia Corp in China, to
talk about opportunities in China’s media
business.
Both of the two sessions attract dozens of
the city’s top-notch scholars, businesspeo-
ple and many other members of Beijing’s
middle class.
Wang said he wants to expand the
seminar luncheon program to include
Beijingers who not yet members of the
middle class, but aspire to be one day. He
admits budgetary constraints are currently
hindering this, but hopes people don’t
mind paying a registration fee to join such
discussions and share their opinions.
“We now require people attending our
luncheon to pay 300 yuan, but I can guar-
antee that they will go home with some
food for thought,” he said.
C H I NA DA I LY
Good home is hard to find
I
’ve been in Beijing for
a year and I’ve edited
lots of stories about
market.
the crazy housing
In recent weeks, I’ve gone
from reading about it to
experiencing it — and I’ve
got to tell you, what I found
out there isn’t pretty. In fact,
it’s as ugly as a bullfrog that’s
shunned by the other bull-
frogs for having too many
warts.
As far as I can tell — and
I admit I’m no housing
market expert — there are
almost 20 million people
in our city. There’s 16,800
sq km of land. Thousands
of high-rises and apart-
ment buildings. Millions of
households. But there are
only 12 vacant apartments in
my price range in the whole
metropolis.
I feel qualified to make
that observation after sev-
eral weeks of painstaking
research spent trudging
across our city and speak-
ing with dozens of housing
agents and after looking in a
great many realty storefronts.
Clearly, there is a short-
age of vacant apartments on
the market right now and a
good home is harder to find
than a salmon swimming
downstream during spawn-
ing season.
I began my quest on the
Internet.
Somewhat naively, I
thought a few keystrokes
would be all that was
required. I searched in
English for “apartments in
Beijing” and hooked up with
several real estate agents. I
could have easily success-
fully ended my search at that
moment — if I had 5,000
or 6,000 yuan a month to
spend on a roof over my
head.
Tragically, we journalists
cling to life in the lower ech-
elons of the food chain.
With a maximum budget
of 3,000 a month, my search
would continue elsewhere.
My girlfriend, at this
point, suggested searching
the Internet in Chinese and
a world of possibility briefly
opened up to us.
The computer coughed up
hundreds of homes in our
price range and we excit-
edly began scrolling through
them.
After filtering out the ones
without photos, the ones
with photos of what looked
to be prisons, the ones with
an impossible commute, the
ones that were too expensive
and the ones with other
Suicide a selfish act for ‘Me Generation’
L
ast week I caught a
glimpse of a piece
of news from the
local paper which
stopped me from looking
through the following pages
for a moment: a 26-year-old
PhD student at the Beijing
University of Posts and Tele-
communications committed
suicide by jumping from the
13th floor of the university’s
main building.
I felt somewhat sad, as
around eight years ago, my
dream of learning in Beijing
began at that university. I
can visualize the building,
the scene, even what the stu-
dent looked like — a typical
engineering student, young,
smart, and super hardwork-
ing.
Moreover, this 26-year-old
is the same age as me.
Tragedies are everywhere
and everyday. Every time
you watch television or read
a paper there is another. But
reading the heartbreaking
stories of someone losing his
life in a traffic accident or
dying of an incurable disease
is different, there is always a
big question mark that lin-
gers in my mind whenever
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0
EARLE GALE
obvious blights, we came
up with a healthy-looking
shortlist and settled down
with pen and notepad to
troll through them.
We would see a particu-
larly nice bathroom in one,
but a horrible kitchen. A
horrible kitchen in another,
but a particularly nice bath-
room. A particularly nice
bathroom and kitchen in
another, but no living room.
Surely, it was just a matter
of time before we found the
perfect combination.
And then the sky fell in.
We noticed many of the
homes looked remarkably
similar. Some of the floor
plans were almost identical.
Very similar furniture. Many
people had the same taste in
decorating. Then, my girl-
friend noticed one kitchen
was so similar to one she had
seen before that it even had
the same magnets on the
fridge door.
We scrolled through the
photos. They were identical.
We suddenly realized that
many of the homes we really
liked were composites of
photos we had seen in other
homes. Who knows where
the original photos came
from. One nice bathroom
popped up at least half a
dozen times.We wondered
what the homes available for
rent really looked like and
even questioned whether
they existed at all.
Frustrated, we gave up our
online search and went to
talk to the real estate agents
directly. During the next few
days, we hooked up with
dozens.
Some could barely hide
their scorn when we told
them what we hoped to find
and how much we hoped to
spend. Many enthusiasti-
cally rolled up their sleeves
and set about showing us
what they could.
Things started out well.
On the very first day, we saw
a home that was perfect.
Small but fairly new. Clean.
Well-decorated, in a good
area and for about the right
price.
We said we would take it.
The agent told us she
needed two months of rent
for a deposit. One month
QIN ZHONGWEI
I learn of the suicide of a
promising young student.
Unfortunately, this trag-
edy, just like most suicides
that I know, left no answers.
But the sudden passing of
this 26-year-old reminds
me of last summer, when I
attended a prayer ritual for
another young student who
committed suicide.
That dead student sur-
named Jia, who studied
journalism at Peking
University, was also in his
twenties. Several days before
he got his Master’s degree,
without any previous sign,
he jumped off the balcony of
his friend’s apartment.
The prayer ritual was held
a week later in a downtown
temple as Jia was said to be
a faithful Buddhist. That day
was a typical Beijing sum-
mer day, hot, humid and
gloomy. I went there with
of rent for her agency fee.
And three months of rent in
advance. It was a tidy sum
and more than I had jangling
in my jeans pockets.
We said we would get the
money and return the next
day to sign the papers.
Within the hour, she
called my girlfriend to tell
her the place was no longer
available.
Someone had scooped it.
Disappointed, we decided
that from then on, we would
have enough money in our
pockets to swoop, hawk-like,
on anything that suited us.
But it was still a long haul
before we found what we
were looking for.
The real estate agents kept
calling us, but rarely did they
take us to see anything that
fit the bill.
Usually, we had no idea
where we were headed when
we met on a prearranged
street corner at a prear-
ranged time. Usually, the
long walks ended in disap-
‘‘
The suicide stories
just tell the cold truth
that the parents’ love
and devotion was in
vain. For the one-child
generation a suicide
means there is no-
body to take care of
them when they grow
old.
some of my classmates who
used to be close with him.
We were all dressed in black.
It was the first time I
attended prayers in a temple.
A year has passed, but I can
still clearly remember the
moment when the monks
in the solemn hall began
to read the prayer, big tear-
drops fell silently down the
cheeks of the tall guy who
stood next me.
And the single mother
kept talking to everyone
who comforted her about
pointment. Good apart-
ments were taken. Bad ones
were so bad we didn’t want
to cross the doorstep.
We saw one apartment
three times, courtesy of the
fact that the three different
agents took us there and
were all disinclined to tell us
where we were going until
we got there.
It was a frustrating and
exhausting process that
seemed to hit rock bottom
when we went to look at
an apartment that seemed
finally to be just what we
wanted.
It was on a high floor, had
a nice kitchen and bath-
room, and was clean, near
the subway, and bright and
airy.
We were at the point of
taking it when we noticed a
door we hadn’t opened.
“What’s in there?” my girl-
friend asked.
“Oh that’s where my
brother lives,” said the hom-
eowner.
how difficult it was raising
her son by herself, and how
she had to save every penny
to buy him a piano, and how
she made the decision to
move to Beijing just to cook
for him and take care of
him. Then all of sudden, he
was gone without any words.
To me, seeing the mother’s
hopeless eyes was the sad-
dest part of the whole trag-
edy. Behind every tragic
suicide, there is always a
heavy and continuous blow
to the parents and the fam-
ily. In China, parents spend
everything they can on their
children unconditionally.
Most of my foreign
friends say Chinese parents
are just more demanding,
or have higher expecta-
tions for their children. But
deep in their hearts, most
Chinese parents usually
have a simple wish, which
is, no matter what job their
children do or how much
money they make, they want
their children have a life that
is “simple and good”.
According to conserva-
tive statistics, 63 university
students nationwide were
reported to have committed
ZHANG CHENGLIANG / CHINA DAILY
“Can we look inside?
“No, it’s his bedroom.”
It turned out that the
brother came with the flat
and would be sharing the
nice bathroom and kitchen
and making himself at home
in the bright and airy living
room.
Thank God we found a
nice little walk-up a day or
two later and grabbed it. It’s
no palace, but it’s quiet and
clean and feels like home.
Looking back on all that
walking and looking makes
me realize that property,
be it rental or for sale, is in
short supply. It wouldn’t sur-
prise me at all if I get to edit
several more stories in the
coming months about the
skyrocketing house prices in
our city.
If any readers have advice
on how would-be tenants,
especially English-speaking
would-be tenants, can find a
home in our city, drop me a
line and we’ll try to pass on
the information.
suicide in 2008. Research
shows that the suicide rate
for Chinese college students
is much higher than for oth-
ers in the same age group.
I don’t want to discuss
the reasons that made these
students give up on living
in this world. Life is full of
obstacles. But I do believe
that our post-80 generation,
which is termed by some
media as the “Me Genera-
tion”, should have second
thoughts before doing any-
thing rash.
The suicide stories just tell
the cold truth that the par-
ents’ love and devotion was
in vain. For the one-child
generation a suicide means
there is nobody to take care
of them when they grow old.
As Tomb-Sweeping Day
is approaching, it is the time
to mourn those who have
passed, but as its also a time
when I will recall those
grieving parents who lost
their children, I just want to
send my heartfelt blessings
to them, even though the
wounds in their hearts will
probably never be healed.
Treasure your life, as it is
not only yours.
metrovoice M5
Is the ‘crime
of group sex’
really outdated?
‘‘
By MING HAOYUE
S
ociologist Li
Yinhe, known
for her pro-
motion of I believe greed is
“sex rights”, has again part of human nature
become the focal point
of public attention with and various laws
an article that appeared are made to curb
in her blog on March 3. people’s greed. Let’s
Li wrote that the
“crime of group sex”
imagine, if everybody
in the Chinese crimi- is driven by their
nal law has been so desire and can do
outdated that it should whatever they want
be abolished. While
the Internet was abuzz to do, won’t the world
with the debate, 22 sink to total chaos!
people including an
associate professor
were charged with the crime and being prosecuted by
district prosecutors in Nanjing.
I’ve found it difficult to agree with her suggestion. Li
has listed the following reasons for the abolishment of
the crime.
First, to abolish the crime is not to encourage group sex.
Second, a law made on the basis of the lifestyles of
some citizens should not be used to punish the lifestyles
of others.
Third, such criminal charges are rarely made in the con-
temporary social life.
Fourth, laws, especially criminal laws, should not be
ued to deal with moral issues.
Fifth, to abolish this crime has another importance, that
is, to prevent the recurrence of the wanton trampling of citi-
zens’ rights that took place during the “cultural revolution”.
I don’t think these are valid reasons.
First, if there is no law to punish group sex, then how
can we prevent if from happening again? We should nei-
ther encourage nor tolerate such behavior.
Second, whoever has committed a crime must be pun-
ished by the law; by the same token, whoever has partici-
pated in group sex should be punished by the law. Those
not participating will not be punished by the law because
they are not part of the activity.
Li’s argument that a law based on the lifestyles of some
citizens should not be used to punish the lifestyles of
some others is off the mark and confusing. Punishing
group sex participants will provide effective protection
for the overwhelming majority of people who are against
group sex.
Third, rare uses of the charge don’t mean group sex is
non-existent, and the criminal charge is no longer appli-
cable.
Fourth, as far as individuals are concerned, group sex
is decadent behavior that arises from people’s pursuit for
sex. However, from a public perspective, it has challenged
the social morality and adversely affected the normal
social order, thus hindering the pursuit of the majority of
people for good behaviors.
Fifth, there is a difference between the punishment of
group sex and willful trampling of citizens’ rights.
I believe greed is part of human nature and various
laws are made to curb people’s greed. Let’s imagine, if
everybody is driven by their desire and can do whatever
they want to do, won’t the world sink to total chaos!
The same goes for human sexual activity. Chaotic,
indulgent sexual activities may fuel other evils. As long as
there are such behaviors, the crime of group sex will not
be outdated.
Excerpts of a comment that appeared on people.com.cn on
March 25.
Quotation of the day
‘‘
This year, we’ll build mountain
roads for villagers to pick fruits
and transport them outside for
sale. We’ll also build a reservoir
as soon as possible so villagers
can drink running water instead
of water from the cellar.”
WANG PENG
25, A VILLAGE HEAD
IN RURAL BEIJING.
TO COMMENT
METRO welcomes your responses. For publication, please e-mail
metro_opinion@chinadaily.com.cn. Comments are edited for accu-
racy, clarity and length. Articles about your life and work in Beijing
should be no longer than 800 words. The opinions expressed do not
necessarily reflect those of METRO.
M6 metrotravel T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 C H I NA DA I LY

PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

Wang Chunfeng and her husband Li Jian, both in their 60s, travels around Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in more than 40 days in the summer of 2008.

Sight-seeing seniors enjoy the ride

BY LI JING
Growing num- CHINA DAILY
bers of retirees
M
ore than 100 senior
citizens, including one
are using their 75-year-old, attended
a tourism promotion
free time to held by Golden Luck Travel Agency
last weekend, all eager to choose
go traveling their next holiday destination. Many
wanted to escape the bitter winter and
at home and early spring in the city, as they consid-
ered the months-long cold weather to
abroad be harmful to their health.
“They are very experienced travel-
ers,” said Song Ying, an organizer of
the promotion.
“The first concern for senior travel-
ers is value-for-money, including how
many scenic spots are included in the
schedule, that the schedule is not too
rushed and there aren’t too many
shopping excursions.”
At this time of the year, the most
popular domestic destinations are
coastal cities like Hainan, and some
cities in the neighborhood of Shang-
hai, he added.
Wang Chunfeng, 62, is packing for
a trip to Yunnan. “It is the best time of
year to visit there, not as rainy as it is
in other months,” said Wang.
Having retired in 2003, Wang has
traveled across the country with her
husband, from the southern island
province of Hainan to the ice sculp-
ture city of Harbin in the north.
“We don’t have specific travel plans,
but we manage to travel at least once
a year,” she said. The couple prefers
nature resorts because Wang’s hus-
band, a retired photographer, likes to
paint the local scenery.
But the couple has budget limits,
about 4,000 yuan for each of them
per trip. They usually take the train
and stay in hostels.
“Many people prefer planes to
trains to save time. But time is the
one thing we have in abundance, so
we often take the train. It’s safe and
economical,” said Wang. “Hostels in
China are usually priced between 50
and 60 yuan, neat and clean.”
The Wangs are among an increas-
ing number of elderly people who like
to explore China and the rest of the
world after they retire. “Many senior
people are frequent travelers once
they are freed from work and fam-
ily duties. Some travel three times a
year,” said Jiang Haizhong, marketing
director of Beijing UTS International
Travel Service. Senior tourists account
for 50 percent of their clients after the
Spring Festival, he added.
“The market for senior tourists has
increased by 30 to 50 percent from
that of last year. As of March 20, there
are already two senior tour groups to
Europe, with an average of 40 people
of each. The number of senior tour
groups is on average three a month so
far in 2010, while in 2009 it was only
one a month,” said Che Yan, market-
ing director of China Space Travel.
The couple rides on camels during their trip to Xinjiang.
“Most of our clients have only one
child. They don’t have as many bur-
dens and family duties,” Che said.
Previously clients of outbound
tours were just the wealthy. But since
2009, more senior tourists have been
willing to travel abroad.
“Those with a large budget prefer
European or American tours at 15,000
yuan while those with smaller budgets
take tours around other Asian coun-
tries,” said Che.
Asian counties, such as Japan and
Korea, with their familiar food and
lifestyle are popular, although Euro-
pean countries including Greece,
Italy and France are the favorites, Che
said, adding the foreign travel gives
them something to show off among
their friends.
The tour schedules for senior tour-
ists generally span seven to 10 days,
“which is long enough to include the
most popular scenic spots, and not
too exhausting for them,” said Ma
Xing, an employee from Ctrip.com
marketing department.
However, seniors traveling abroad
tend to get nervous and need constant
supervision.
“Senior tourists don’t like free
activities, it worries them to be left
alone. Tour guides accompany them
until they return to their rooms,” Che
said.
It is usually the language barrier
that makes senior travelers nervous
of overseas travel.
“I don’t want to go aboard again. I
did not know any English and when I
was in Australia, I constantly felt wor-
ried and helpless,” said 62-year-old
Yue Chaolan, who went to Sydney
last year to visit her daughter who is
working there.
“I seemed to be deaf and dumb
when I was there. I couldn’t watch
TV and dare not go outside alone. I
had to stay home all day just waiting
for my daughter to come home from
work,” Yue said.
For their children, the well-being
of their parents is their main concern
about them traveling.
“I don’t want my parents to go with
travel agencies because I feel worried
about their health. When they want
to go I plan to go along with them,”
said Bin Jinglan whose parents are in
their 60s.
Bi had planned a journey with
his parents to Australia and booked
three special-price tickets one month
ago, which cannot be transferred or
refunded.
But it looks like now she will be
unable to leave work and the trip will
have to be cancelled.

The top scenic spots for elderly travelers to visit this spring
‘Jiangnan’ small towns
‘Jiangnan’ means, literally, south of
the Yangtze River, but in its purest sense
it refers to a swath of land in southern
Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang provinces,
bracketed by Suzhou and Hangzhou, the
proverbial twin paradises.
Characterized by waterways, arch bridg-
es, stone-paved trails, and old houses with
carved wooden windows and tiled roofs,
the ‘Jiangnan’ small towns are straight out
of a Chinese brush painting.
These towns are a photographer’s
dream destination, as every turn throws
up a scene crying out to be photographed,
even by the clumsiest shutterbug.
a tropical climate ranging from 16 degrees
during the winter months to mroe than 30
degrees in the summer, and the sun, surf,
sandy beaches, and palms, have made it
famous as the “Oriental Hawaii”.
But there is more to the island than
beach life and those who prefer cultural
pursuits to sunbathing can enjoy the cul-
ture and customs of the island’s minorities
as well as its many historical sites.
One popular attraction is the Ends of
the Earth, a beach on the southern coast
dotted with large round boulders.
Although the name comes from the fact
that it was a place of exile and imprison-
ment around 1,000 years ago, and those
Other famous tourist destinations in
Fujian include the piano island of Gulang, Wuyuan, Jiangxi
the holy pilgrimage to Mazu, and the large,
fortified earth buildings of Hakka Tulou,
another UNESCO World Heritage site.
There is also the magnificent Zhangzhou
Coastal Volcano National Geology Park,
with its volcanic outlet in the shape of the
eight fortune telling diagrams.
Located in the area between Longhai
and Zhangpu, it covers an area of about
100 square kilometers and is unique in
China.
Zhouzhuang,
Mountains in Guangdong Jiangsu
Located to the northeast of Shaoguan

Wuyuan in Jiangxi
Wuyuan located in the northeast of
Jiangxi province remains untouched by
modernization and urbanization.
Its idyllic scenery of hills covered in rape,
green farmland, and villages lying along
small rivers, has been crowned the “most
beautiful countryside in China”.
Spring is the best time to visit Wuyuan,
as the fields are a vibrant sea of cole flowers.
Aside from the lovely scenery Wuyuan is
also popular for its cultural heritage.
It was also home to some of China’s top
scholars, including Zhu Xi, a Confucius
master in the Southern Song Dynasty
(1127-1279), and Zhan Tianyou, China’s
first railway engineer.
Tropical haven: Hainan Island
The picturesque island of Hainan enjoys
who lived here were cut off from civili-
zation, the Ends of the Earth is bustling
these days.
The Yanoda Rain Forest Cultural Tour-
ism Zone, opened in 2008, is another
must-see.
Mountains and sea: Fujian
Fujian, lying between mountains and
the sea, is a uniquely favored place.It has
a sub-tropical climate, with no distinctive
difference between seasons, and a mean
annual temperature of 17-21 C.
The verdant Wuyi Mountain rising in
the north of Fujian is on the UNESCO
World Heritage List, and is famous for
its peaks.
In fact, more than 80 percent of Fujian
is mountains and hills, which means spec-
tacular views and photogenic terraced
fields.
CHINA
city in Guangdong Province, Danxia
Mountain, Dinghu Mountain, Luofu
Mountain and Xiqiao Mountain are the
four famous mountains of Guangdong
provinces.
Danxia Mountain, is called the “red rays Danxia Mountain,
of the sun” in Chinese, because of its steep Guangdong
red cliffs and Luofu Mountain, was known
as the Grotto Heaven of Vermillion Bright-
ness and Shining Perfection to Daoists. Wuyishan, Fujian
Dinghu Mountain is known as the
“green gem on the tropic of Cancer” and it
has been a tourist attraction and a sacred
site for Buddhists since ancient times. Sanya, Hainan
Xiqiao Mountain is an extinct volcano,
with numerous cliffs and hollows and
spectacular waterfalls, and many scenic
spots such as White Cloud Hollow with its
many temples and monasteries.
METRO
C H I NA DA I LY
what’s on
STAGE
Classical ballet
The National Ballet of China
will stage Carmen and Etudes
at Beida.
Choreographed by Roland
Petit, the latest version of Car-
men preserves the original flavor
of French writer Mérimée’s novel
and captures the essence of
Bizet’s opera.
The Royal Danish Ballet
debuted the one-act bal-
EXHIBITS
Visual art
American artist Erin Ko’s solo
show, Free Money, has digital
paintings as well as mixed media
installations. The works, includ-
ing Eat Double Chicken Sand-
wiches, Everyone is Racing and
One World One Dream, explore
the themes of industrialization,
consumerism and a rapidly
changing world. Her latest works
draw inspiration from Chinese
culture.
10:30 am-5:30 pm, until April
5. Imagine Gallery, Feijiacun
Donglu, Cuigezhuang, Laiguan-
gying Donglu, Chaoyang district.
6438-5747
想象画廊, 朝阳区来广营东路崔各
庄费家村
LIVE MUSIC
Hot Cat Club Thursday
open mic
Lovers of live music can look
forward to the party Thursday
night at the Hot Cat Club. Enjoy
a professional ensemble of gui-
tars, piano and drums, as well as
drink specials, including 10 yuan
Tsingtao beer. Admission is free.
9 pm-8 am (next day), April 1.
46 Fangjiahutong, Andingmen
Neidajie, Dongcheng district.
6400-7808.
RADIO
CRI highlight
Voices From Other Lands
is a half-hour magazine show
devoted to the experiences of
people visiting, living, and work-
ing in China.
The purpose of the program
is to inform as well as entertain
and provide insight into China
from an international perspec-
tive.
It is broadcasted in Beijing
FILMS
UME
44 Shuangyushu Kexueyuan
Nanlu, Haidian district. 8211-5566
海淀区双榆树科学院南路44号
Avatar
11:00, 90 yuan. 14:00, 90 yuan.
23:30, 150 yuan.
Alice in Wonderland
08:50, 70 yuan. 11:30, 55 yuan.
13:40, 55 yuan. 15:50, 55 yuan.
17:00, 70 yuan. 18:00, 80 yuan.
19:10, 120 yuan. 20:10, 80 yuan.
21:20, 120 yuan. 22:20, 80 yuan.
Percy Jackson & the Olympi-
ans: The Lightning Thief
13:40, 40 yuan.
Fire of Conscience
09:35, 40 yuan. 11:40, 40 yuan.
17:45, 40 yuan. 19:45, 60 yuan.
21:45, 60 yuan.
23:15, 60+60(VIP) yuan.
Future X-Cops
09:15, 40 yuan. 11:10, 40 yuan.
13:05, 40 yuan. 15:00, 40 yuan.
16:55, 40 yuan.
17:30, 60+60(VIP) yuan.
18:50, 60 yuan.
19:25, 60+60(VIP) yuan.
20:45, 60 yuan. 22:40, 60 yuan.
Koshihikari Treasure Box
09:55, 40 yuan. 11:40, 40 yuan.
13:25, 40 yuan. 15:10, 40 yuan.
16:55, 40 yuan. 18:40, 60 yuan.
20:25, 60 yuan. 22:10, 60 yuan.
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0
let Etudes in 1948 and it has
remained in its repertoire ever
since.
It narrates the life of ballet
performers and is famed for its
elegant dances and technical
sophistication.
7 pm, April 2, 3. 120-280 yuan.
Peking University Hall, inside
Peking University, Haidian dis-
trict. 6275-2278
北大百年讲堂，北京大学内
Glass, crystal fair
The 21st China International
Craftwork, Gift and Commodity
Fair will include industrial art-
works, crystal and glass wares,
jewelry, accessories, healthcare
products, home décor items and
textiles.
9 am-4 pm, April 4-7. China
International Exhibition Center,
6 Beisanhuan Donglu, Chaoyang
district. 8460-0000
中国国际展览中心, 朝阳区北三环
东路6号
Forgotten Diary
Zhang Qitian’s unique exhibit
explores the effects of the “cul-
tural revolution” (1966-76) on
东城区安定门内大街方家胡同
46号
James Brodie
Scotsman James Brodie,
writes comedic schizo-folk
songs drawn from his experi-
ences as an expatriate in
China. Brodie’s songs in English,
French, Chinese and Chinglish
and his wild performance style
and hilarious lyrics will have the
audience in stitches.
9:30-11:30pm, April 1. Ginkgo
Restaurant and Bar, 199 Anding-
men Neidajie, Dongcheng dis-
trict. 6402-7532.
东城区安定门内大街199号
on FM 91.5 at 13:30 every
Thursday and can also be
accessed at crieasyfm.com or
crienglish.com.
Program schedule
05:00-07:00 Day Break
07:00-08:00 Beijing Hour with
Susan Osman
08:00-11:00 EZ Morning
11:00-13:00 Third Wheel
MEGABOX
G1, Sanlitun Village, Sanlitun,
Chaoyang district. 6417-6118
朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯
Village地下二层
Alice in Wonderland 3D
10:40, 60 yuan. 11:45, 60 yuan.
12:55, 60 yuan. 14:00, 120 yuan.
15:10, 120 yuan. 16:15, 120 yuan.
17:25, 120 yuan. 18:30, 120 yuan.
19:40, 120 yuan. 20:45, 120 yuan.
21:55, 60 yuan.
Percy Jackson & the Olympi-
ans: The Lightning Thief
10:35, 25 yuan. 14:40, 50 yuan.
Sherlock Holmes
12:20, 25 yuan. 14:55, 50 yuan.
17:20, 50 yuan. 19:45, 50 yuan.
Koshihikari Treasure Box
11:35, 35 yuan. 15:35, 70 yuan.
17:20, 70 yuan. 19:10, 70 yuan.
20:55, 70 yuan. 22:40, 35 yuan.
Future X-Cops
10:55, 35 yuan. 12:50, 35 yuan.
14:50, 70 yuan. 16:45, 70 yuan.
18:40, 70 yuan. 20:35, 70 yuan.
22:30, 35 yuan.
CAPITAL CINEMA
10/F, Joy City Shopping Mall,
Xidan Beidajie, Xicheng district.
6601-8177
西城区西单北大街大悦城10层
metroguide M7
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Symphony celebrates
choral classics
The China National Sympho-
ny Orchestra will stage a concert
of classic choral songs in the
Beijing Concert Hall.
The performance will be
divided into two sessions, so
patrons can enjoy 10 interna-
tional masterpieces in the first
session and another eight,
including Chinese folk songs, in
the second.
7:30 pm, April 7-8. 80-680
yuan. Beijing Concert Hall, 1
Beixinhua Jie, Xicheng district.
6605-7006/5812.
北京音乐厅, 西城区北新华街
an individual and his family.
A child of a high-ranking offi-
cer of the People’s Liberation
Army, Zhang created a “diary”
of 66 small paintings that
briefly outline the situation at
that time. The series serves as
a reminder of impact of large
social movements on individu-
als.
Zhang hopes the “forgotten
diary” will remind people not to
forget history.
9 am-11:30 pm, until April 30.
20 yuan. Artist Village Gallery,
North of Renzhuang Village,
Songzhuang, Tongzhou district.
Ink paintings His works are characterized by the use of vivid colors and dynam-
6959-8343.
An exhibition of ink paintings by veteran artist Shi Qi displays ic composition.
通州区宋庄画家村画廊 more than 100 works created over the past 40 years. 9 am-5 pm, until April 5 except Monday. National Art Museum
Shi, 71, born in Fujian province, is a professional artist of the of China, 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng district. 6401-7076
Beijing Fine Art Academy. He employs realistic, abstract and
impressionist approaches to his figure paintings and landscapes. 中国美术馆, 东城区五四大街1号
EVENTS
BSB Tumble Tots For details about tee times, Gongti Xilu, Chaoyang district.
course location, and member- 6552-2880.
The British School of Beijing
ships contact beijingladiesgolf@
has introduced its Tumble Tots 朝阳区工体西路A7号
program for toddlers and par- yahoo.com.
9 am-1 pm, April 1.
ents. French soiree at Alfa
Touch the Untouchables Little ones can improve 北京女子高尔夫队 Alfa will play host to an eve-
Band their coordination, balance ning celebrating the savoir faire
Far from an ordinary band, and confidence through fun of French culture every Thurs-
Chinese cooking class:
Marrion Musgrove with her exercises that include dance, day.
Sichuan
band the Untouchables bring gymnastics, games and outdoor Indulge in mussels for 50
Sunday at The Place mall.
together soul, funk and a touch activities (when the weather Have you tried spicy Sich- yuan and French wine for 25
6-9:30 pm, April 1. Ganges
of jazz to showcase their pow- permits). uan dishes during your stay in yuan per glass. Enjoy specials
Indian Restaurant, Building S9 3-
erful live energy and danceable The program is led by Melinda China? Learn how to cook spicy, on Cointreau and Grand Marnier
covers. Hand, a physical education mouth-numbing but delicious 1(west end of the 3rd floor) The cocktails.
Musgrove, whose tunes brim teacher and the mother of three. Sichuan dishes and discover Village, 19 Sanlitunlu, Chaoyang 6-11 pm, Every Thursday, until
with power and passion, has 8:30-10 am, April 1. British the art of chopping, cutting and district. 6416-0181. April 29. Alfa, 6 Xingfu Yicun,
been called Beijing’s Aretha School of Beijing, 9 Anhualu marinating. 朝阳区19号院三里屯 Gongtibeimen, Chaoyang dis-
Franklin. (across from ISB Villas and 10 am - noon, April 1. 200-220 VILLAGE南区S9-3-1单元 trict. 6413-0086.
Musgrove and the Untouch- Yosemite Villas), Shunyi district. yuan. The Hutong, 1 Zhongxiang B138A, The Place mall, 9 朝阳区工体北门幸福一村6号
ables perform on Thursday 8047-3588 Hutong, Jiudaowan, Dongcheng Guanghua Lu, Jianguomen
nights. 北京英国学校，顺义区安华路9号 district. 159-0104-6127 UCCA Artist Talk:
9:30 pm, April 1. Unit S1-30
朝阳区建国门光华路９号世贸天
东城区九道弯中巷胡同1号 街Ｂ138A Ma Yansong
Village Third Floor, 19 Sanlitunlu,
Ma Yansong, a renowned
Chaoyang district. 6415-3338. Tee party
Catalonian delicacies Chinese architect, will share his
朝阳区三里屯19号院, 3层, S1-30 Avid female golfers meet Live Bollywood dance at thoughts on creativity, life and
every Thursday at a local course. Ganges Those desiring to sample the
work.
You may have already appreci- Spanish food can visit Scarlett
The green fee of 290 yuan for His talk precedes the open-
18 holes includes caddie and ated Bollywood performances and order all-you-can-eat tapas,
ing of his joint exhibition with
lunch. on videos at Ganges, but what plus six new additions to the
Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur
13:00-13:30 People In the Know Beijing Ladies Golf group was about live ones? menu. More than 80 wines are
Eliasson.
13:30-14:00 Voices from Other started by Canadian and British Diners can enjoy Bollywood available.
5:30-6:30 pm, April 2. Ullens
expatriates just for the love of dance performances Thursday Those wanting American fare
Lands Center for Contemporary Art,
golf. through Sunday nights while can try the restaurant’s popular
14:00-17:00 EZ Café 798 Art District, 4 Jiuxianqiao
Members range from absolute enjoying some of the best Indian hamburgers.
17:00-19:00 China Drive Lu, Chaoyang district. 8459-
beginners to very good players. food in the capital. 6-10 pm, every Thursday
19:00-20:00 Beijing Hour with 9269.
Annual membership costs 400 Thursday and Friday at the until April 29. 88 yuan. Scarlett
Paul James 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区
yuan. Sanlitun branch, Saturday and Wine Bar and Restaurant. A7
20:00-22:00 The Pulse
22:00-23:00 All That Jazz
23:00-24:00 The Zhazha Club OUT + ABOUT
Show
Nine Eyes Tower on Flame northeast gate of Lido Holiday
Mountain Inn, 6 Jiangtailu, Chaoyang
The hike starts on a trail
behind the village at the Jiank-
district.
Visit www.beijinghikers.com
Alice in Wonderland ou Great Wall. for reservations and more
10:50, 100 yuan. 13:00, 100 yuan. As one of the most impor- information.
13:30, 120 yuan. 15:10, 100 yuan. tant watch towers of the Great 8:30 am-5:30 pm, April 3.
15:40, 120 yuan. 16:10, 100 yuan. Wall, Nine Eyes Tower is an 280 yuan. Beijing Hikers, Room
17:20, 100 yuan. 17:50, 120 yuan. impressive three-level struc- 1907, Building 107, Jiangfu
18:20, 100 yuan. 19:30, 100 yuan. ture that offers amazing views Jiayuan, Xiaochenggezhuang,
20:00, 120 yuan. 20:30, 100 in all directions. Jiangtai Donglu, Chaoyang dis-
yuan. 21:40, 100 yuan. 22:10, 120 Many hikers prefer this trail trict. 5137-4906.
yuan.
because of its steepness. 朝阳区将台东路小陈各庄将府家
Meet at the Lido Starbucks, 园107号楼1907号
Beauty on Duty
TELEVISION
11:40, 30 yuan. 13:20, 50 yuan.
14:10, 45 yuan. 15:30, 70 yuan.
17:30, 50 yuan. 18:55, 70 yuan.
19:40, 70 yuan. 20:50, 70 yuan. CCTV-9 HBO 07:00 First Air ESPNews 14:01 Repeat Bass: 2010 Bass-
09:30 Nature & Science 5:10 Beowulf 07:20 Repeat ESPNews master Classic Highlight
09:55 Chinese Civilization 7:00 The Immortal Voyage Of 07:40 Repeat ESPNews Show
Future X-Cops
10:15 Sports Scene Captain Drake 08:00 Repeat ESPNews 15:00 Repeat Sportscenter
11:20, 30 yuan. 12:50, 30 yuan.
10:30 New Frontiers 8:30 HBO Central 08:20 Repeat ESPNews Right Now
13:35, 45 yuan. 14:05, 45 yuan.
11:30 Around China 9:00 Gods And Generals 08:40 Repeat ESPNews 15:01 Repeat Tiger World Of
14:55, 45 yuan. 15:35, 45 yuan.
13:00 Dialogue 12:35 Hollywood One On One 09:00 First Air Sportscenter Football
16:55, 45 yuan. 17:35, 45 yuan.
13:30 Rediscovering China 80 Right Now 16:00 Repeat UEFA Champi-
18:55, 60 yuan. 19:35, 60 yuan.
14:30 Culture Express 13:00 The Spiderwick Chroni- 09:01 Repeat Big Ten Cham- ons League 2009/10
20:15, 60 yuan. 20:55, 60 yuan.
15:15 Learn to Speak Chinese cles pionships - Women’s 18:00 First Air ESPNews
21:35, 45 yuan. 22:15, 45 yuan.
15:30 Nature and Science 14:35 Marci X Gymnastics 18:20 Repeat ESPNews
11:00 Repeat Grand American 18:40 Repeat ESPNews
15:55 Chinese Civilization 15:55 Racing With The Moon
Koshihikari Treasure Box 16:15 Sports Scene 17:40 The Ladies Man Series: Homestead- 19:00 Repeat Contenders, The
12:35, 30 yuan. 13:25, 50 yuan.
16:30 New Frontiers 19:00 Body Of Lies Miami 19:30 Live Sportscenter Asia
14:25, 45 yuan. 15:15, 50 yuan.
17:30 Documentary 21:00 Divine Secrets Of The Ya- 11:59 Repeat Sportscenter 20:00 First Air Castrol Football
16:15, 45 yuan. 17:05, 50 yuan.
18:30 Around China Ya Sisterhood Right Now Crazy
18:05, 60 yuan. 18:55, 70 yuan.
19:30 Dialogue 22:55 Tmz 203 12:00 First Air ESPNews 20:30 First Air Portugol!
19:55, 60 yuan. 20:50, 70 yuan.
12:20 Repeat ESPNews 21:00 First Air UEFA Champi-
20:00 Asia Today 23:15 Be Kind Rewind
21:45, 45 yuan.
20:30 Culture Express 12:40 Repeat ESPNews ons League 2009/10
21:30 Rediscovering China ESPN STAR sports 13:00 First Air ESPNews Weekly Highlights
Percy Jackson & the Olympi- 22:00 China Today 06:00 Repeat Sportscenter 13:20 Repeat ESPNews 22:00 Repeat Sportscenter
ans: The Lightning Thief 22:30 New Frontiers Asia 13:40 Repeat ESPNews Asia
14:00, 120 yuan. 16:25, 120 yuan. 23:15 Sports Scene 06:30 Repeat Planet Speed 14:00 Repeat Sportscenter 22:30 Repeat UEFA Champi-
18:45, 120 yuan. 21:05, 120 yuan. 23:30 Documentary 2009/10 Right Now ons League 2009/10
M8 metropeople T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 0 C H I NA DA I LY

Quiet star reluctantly in the spotlight

Ren Chengwei is happy to focus on the craft of acting rather
than the trappings of fame but admits to METRO reporter
Li Jing that his biggest ambition is to sing on screen

B
orn in the small village
of Hulin in Heilongjiang
province, Ren Chengwei
said he never dreamed
that he would be an actor one day.
In fact, he had no idea what an actor
did when he was young. Now, Ren is
in demand for roles in theater, films,
and TV.
He has won several awards,
including the Golden Deer Award
for best actor for his role in Heart
of Ice at the 2008 Changchun Film
Festival. His latest award was for
his role as the revolutionary martyr
Fang Zhimin in Lovely China as the
Best Actor award at the 2009 Ameri-
can Chinese Film Festival.
story between the leads moved me.
It is pure and innocent and spans
decades.
METRO: In the series, you play a
character from his teens through
to his senior years. How do you
convey the different ages?
Ren: The eye is the key and mir-
ror to a person’s age. Young people
never focus their eyes on one thing
for a long time. As people age, the
expression in their eyes changes,
becoming more firm and resolute.
METRO: Is there a particular role
you want to try?
Ren: I’d really like to be in a musi-

‘‘
A favorite of the critics, he main-
tains a low public profile, seldom
I’m content with appearing on TV talk shows and
rarely engaging in promotional
the fact that activities.
people call me “I’m content with the fact that
Boss Cao after people call me Boss Cao after my
my role in the TV role in the TV series Boss Cao’s 18
Secretaries or they call me Liu Jie-
series Boss Cao’s fang because of my role in TV series,
18 Secretaries or Peers (Tong Ling Ren),” he said.
they call me Liu
METRO: What do you look for when
Jiefang because choosing a project?
of my role in TV Ren: Beautifully crafted scripts
series, Peers are intensely moving and entirely
(Tong Ling Ren).” unforgettable. No matter whether
I take a role or not, the first thing
REN CHENGWEI to do when I read the script is high-
ACTOR light the good dialogue, point out
things that I consider unreasonable
in the plot and list suggestions and
comments for the directors and
screenwriters. As a young actor, I
didn’t know how to read and judge a
script. I didn’t know how to discuss
scripts with directors or how to play
them. At that time, I just followed
the director’s instructions, without
creativity or imagination.
METRO: Why did the script of Peers
move you?
Ren: I found the story is compel-
ling. The series tells the stories of a
group of people who were born at
the founding of the People’s Repub-
lic of China. It follows the ups and
downs in their lives alongside the
growth of the country. Also the love
cal. It’s a regret of mine that several
years ago, I was invited to play a Dis-
ney musical Beauty and the Beast in
Japan, but it failed to happen.
METRO: In 2009 you joined the
Beijing Based entertainment
company, HY Brothers. It seems
to have brought more promotional
activities?
Ren: Yes, I have started to receive
interview requests and be invited to
be a guest on talk shows, which will
make me better known. But, I’m not
used to it. I believe an actor’s place is
on the screen, or in the theater. I do
not want to reveal my family or per-
sonal life, or perform just to please
others. It makes me feel strange and
embarrassed. I’m a person that likes
quiet and likes to be alone.
METRO: What makes you feel
relaxed?
Ren: Photography. I always have
a variety of professional cameras
with me when I work, and I always
volunteer to shoot stills. I bought
my first camera in 1995, because
I wanted to take pictures of my
wife.
METRO: What kind of cameras do
you prefer, digital or film?
Ren: Most of my cameras are
digital ones but I like film better.
You need to be more careful and
attentive when shooting film, which
helps produce a more sophisticated
photograph. Ren Chengwei is an actor who is looking for opportunities in a musical. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

For godfather of Chinese rock, all roads lead to Beijing

LISTEN UP
FAITH 2010
The concert featuring Wang Feng and
Baojia Street 43 will take place April
By XU FAN
CHINA DAILY
METRO: How has practice gone
with your band members?
capital mean to you?
A: I was born here, grew up here
A: They are all my old friends from and chased my dream here. In the
When Wang Feng gave up a high- Baojia Street 43. To make sure it would past, I might generally have said
salary job as the key viola player be teamwork and the entire training Beijing is shrouded in a strong cul-

‘‘
10 at Capital Indoor Stadium. with the state-owned Central Ballet
Theater orchestra at age of 23, few
I will try to cre- understood why he would make
such a financial sacrifice to pursue a
ate a concert in dream of rock ’n’ roll.
which the entire For 15 years Wang struggled for his
audience can music as he founded the renowned
forget the outer band Baojia Street 43.
Wang, considered the “new God-
world in the first father of Chinese rock music”, said he
10 minutes.” has finally found the answer to what
American rock icon Bob Dylan
WANG FENG
ROCK MUSICIAN meant when he sang, “How many
roads must a man walk down before
you call him a man?”
“To me, it’s 6.6 kilometers. But I
walked 15 years,” Wang said as he
stood on the nearly 600-year-old
ancient arrow tower of Deshengmen
during a press briefing last week for
the Faith 2010 concert.
The performance will be held April
10 at Capital Indoor Stadium.
The distance refers to the span
between Baojia Street No 43, where
Wang’s band was formed and Capi-
tal Indoor Stadium, where he and the
group will play before an audience of
about 10,000 people.
During the one-hour interview, he
couldn’t help but stretch his arms to
the gray sky and lift his face even a
strong wind ruffled his hair.
“Beijing is a city that provides peo-
ple with eternal faith, which makes
you feel that you are supported by
something perpetual forever,” he
said.
METRO: What’s the most unusual
aspect of your new concert?
A: It’s hard to say right now.
I will try to create a concert in
Rock singer Wang Feng prepares for his upcoming concert.
which the entire audience can
forget the outer world in the first
10 minutes.
I want to rock their ears and eyes
with glittering lights and a fantastic
stage performance. It will not be a
solo concert where everyone just
listens and I sing. I can perform
everywhere with a guitar.
We have cooperated with the best
Japanese stage art company, which
ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY
designed Madonna’s Asian tour
and Mariah Carey’s 2000 Japan tour.
We also plan to copy European and
American advanced experiences
in dividing a concert into at least
2,000 timed sections (for lighting
and special effects changes), while
it is normally divided in 20 to 30
sections on the Chinese mainland.
Every section of the concert will be
subtly designed.
won’t be affected by personal affairs, I
made a strict rule: Anyone who comes
late to rehearsal would be fined. One
minute late for a 800-yuan fine.
Unfortunately, I was late the first
day. As the leader of band, I fined
myself 1,600 yuan, doubling what the
rule regulated.
METRO: How was the fine been
used?
A: Well, my band members had a
perfect dinner at a good restaurant.
METRO: The concert costs a for-
tune. Are you worried the ticket
sales can’t balance the cost and
profit?
A: To be honest, we have done the
concert at a loss. According to our
current budget, the cost of Faith 2010
is three times the price of a normal
concert. Even if we get a full-house
audience, we will still sustain a loss.
For me, I want to do an impossible
concert and show rock fans how far
rock music can reach.
METRO: You named the concert
Faith, a word you mention many
times in the media. Can you explain
it more?
A: Faith is not a metaphysical con-
ception. It’s something that you can
believe all your life. It’s something
that supports you whenever you
have lost life’s direction in fame and
fortune. For me, faith is music.
METRO: As a native Beijing
resident, you wrote “Beijing” into
many of your songs, notably Good
Evening, Beijing. What does the
tural atmosphere that couldn’t be felt
anywhere else.
But now I gradually have discov-
ered Beijing’s genuine charming spirit
that it’s a city with belief. When you
lose belief, she will keep a far distance
from you. Residents here are not just
concerned about housing, money or
other material objects. What they
care about more is something related
to morals and the inner worlds.
METRO: Rock music is traditionally
regarded as the weapon to criticize
unfairness and the dark side of
society. What do you think?
A: I never agree music should be
limited to one category. In all of my
songs, about 20 to 30 percent are
filled with some warm-heartedness
and optimistic emotions.
My signature song, Flying
Higher, is the most popular and
most-requested to be sung in many
occasions. Only 50 percent are intro-
spective and critical. Rock can be pop
music, but not just appreciated by a
minority underground group.
METRO: On the 15th year of your
rocking road, what’s your biggest
change?
A: My hair grew long and then
was cut short, and currently is long
again.
OK, I’m just kidding. Actually,
no change is my change. I have had
many enriching life experiences but
have not changed my personality.
I could be reviewed as stubborn
or obstinate because I have always
kept my heart on rock ’n’ roll for 15
years.