China Tour

Meetings, Exhibitions Increase Beijing's Tourism Income
With the tourist industry taking shape in Beijing, local authorities now plan to cash in on the increasing number of conferences and exhibitions to be held here.

Yu Changjiang, director of the municipal tourism administration,announced the plan at Sunday's seminar on the issue.

Beijing has a special attraction to domestic and overseas tourists because it is China's political, economic and cultural center. A solid foundation has been laid for the city to host meetings and exhibition

Beihai-Hong Kong airline resumed with chartered planes
The Beihai-Hong Kong airline, which was suspended early this year, will be resumed with chartered planes since December 21, according to sources.

The preparation work for the resumption is done, sources said.

The flights will be carried by the Hunan company of the China Southern Airlines (Group), using Boeing 737.

Twice a week on Monday and Friday respectively, the planes will take off at 18:10 in Beihai and arrive in Hong Kong in 19:00, then return at 20:00 and get back in

Yunnan Safeguards Heritage With Law
The protection of the cultural heritage of the ethnic groups in Southwest China's Yunnan Province is a top agenda item, a key official said.

Xu Facang, deputy director of Yunnan's Cultural Department, urged better care on this matter in his remarks at this week's international seminar.

Yunnan is home to 25 of China's 56 ethnic groups, contributing much to the intrigue of the region through their colourful cultures and arts.

A series of measures have been put in place over th

Chinese Citizens Able to Travel to Turkey, South Africa
Sources with the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said here Sunday that Turkey and South Africa have gained the Approved Destination Status (ADS).

So far, the total number of ADS countries and regions surpasses 20.

At the moment, the CNTA and other related ministries are discussing detailed issues such as tourism visas, routes, and accommodation in these two nations before Chinese tourists are able to visit.

"Chinese people can easily find familiar culture in Sou

Macao's Tourism Industry Booming in 11 Months
The number of tourist arrivals from January to November has surpassed the total in the year 2000 in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), the latest official tallies show.

Figures released by the Statistics and Census Services show that Macao received 9.38 million tourists in the first 11 months of this year, representing a year-on-year increase of 12.3 percent.

The authorities predict that the SAR will have a record of more than ten million tourists in 2001.

Ho

Visitor arrivals in HK expected 4.8% growth
Growth in visitor arrivals in Hong Kong is expected to be around 4.8 percent for the year of 2001, said the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) Saturday.

The HKTB said this is a significant improvement on the situation on late September, when revised forecast of zero growth was made after the terrorist attacks in the United States.

Statistics showed total arrivals for the year have reached more than 12.4 million, a five percent increase on the first 11 months. It is likely that the full

Hotels to feel the pinch
Revenues of the domestic hospitality industry risk being further eroded with WTO entry.

In the face of intensifying competition from abroad, hotels like Jinjiang Inn, under the management of Jinjiang Corp, look to place emphasis on lower-grade chain hostels, catering to lower- and medium-income people.

The (domestic) hotels have always emphasized that they were limited by capital. On the other hand, they spent large amounts of money inviting experienced foreign groups and staff to

Foreign Travel Agencies to Land in China
Foreign travel agencies will be allowed to control stakes in joint-venture companies by January 1, 2003 and wholly own companies by the end of 2005, Chinese travel authorities announced on Thursday. The moves reflects China's hasty move to uphold agreements made when it formally joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) earlier this month. A China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) official said the State Council -approved the revised Regulations on the Management of Travel Agency on Decembe

Foreign Travel Agencies to Land in China
Foreign travel agencies will be allowed to control stakes in joint-venture companies from January 1, 2003 and wholly own companies by the end of 2005, Chinese travel authorities announced on Thursday. The moves reflect China's hasty move to uphold agreements made when it formally joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) earlier this month. A China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) official said the State Council approved the revised Regulations on the Management of Travel Agency on Decembe

Foreign Travel Agencies to Land in China
Foreign travel agencies will be allowed to control stakes in joint-venture companies from January 1, 2003 and wholly own companies by the end of 2005, Chinese travel authorities announced on Thursday. The moves reflect China's hasty move to uphold agreements made when it formally joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) earlier this month. A China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) official said the State Council approved the revised Regulations on the Management of Travel Agency on Decembe

China Sets up Two New Joint Venture Travel Agencies
Sources with the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said here Thursday, two new joint venture travel agencies were set up recently. CITS-AE Travel Agency, which will start operating next March, was jointly established by the China International Travel Service and the American Express Company. Comfort-Rosenbluth was set up by China Comfort Travel Co. and Rosenbluth Company, with Comfort holding 51 percent of the shares. "China will further promote the joint venture travel agencies. Coop

Hear the New Year with a Mix of Music
Although you can't have the old-fashioned new year's fun of listening to the rattle of firecrackers in Beijing any more because they are prohibited, you can treat your ears to a variety of new year concerts that will be happening around the city. Dozens of concerts featuring different styles will be given throughout the holiday season, making it truly a feast for local theatre-goers. On New Year's Eve, the German Radio Symphony Orchestra and Beijing Symphony Orchestra will give a joint New Year'

Beijing Residents to Enjoy Snow Fun
Six ski resorts in suburban Beijing hosted the capital city's snow and ice festival Sunday. All of the resorts are offering skiing, skating and sleigh- riding.

The international ski resort in Huairou has a 3,100-meter-long slope with a fall of 238 meters. More than 20 professionals are there ready to give coaching.

Sponsored by the Beijing Tourism Bureau and seven district and county governments, the festival also includes snow hunting and an ice lantern show.

"Snow tourism,

2002 China Tourism Focuses on 100 Folk Cultural Items
Over 100 Folk Cultural Items have been selected as the focus of China's tourism next year.This is the first time that the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) has combined folk culture with tourism in organizing activities. The main cultural items include Chinese opera, Chinese handicrafts, Chinese sculpture and grottoes and Chinese gardening.

Chinese folk culture, originating from its rich culture and mass population, will be favored by the whole world, said He Guangwei, chairman

China Invests More to Renovate Huangdi Mausoleum
China started Tuesday the second phase renovation work for the Mausoleum of Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor), a legendary founder of the Chinese nation, in Shaanxi Province. With an expected overall investment of 150 million yuan (about 18 million U.S. dollars), 35 projects will be launched during the coming several years, local officials said.

The work will integrate the traditional architectural style of the buildings with the natural environment around the mausoleum, they said. Fire-proof

Museum to mark first ancient emperor
China is to set up a museum to mark the birth place of its first emperor, inshihuang, in the city of Handan, North China's Hebei Province.

According to archaeologists, Qinshihuang, the first emperor who unified China in 221 B.C., was born at Handan.

The museum will feature exhibits of historical documents and cultural relics on the emperor and the time period, and will become one of the city's tourism destinations.
In his lifetime, Qinshihuang started to build his mausoleum, whi

New Capital Museum Under Construction in Beijing
Construction of the new Capital Museum began Tuesday in Beijing. It will purportedly be the largest cultural building constructed in the city since 1949.

On Baiyun Street, near the western point of Chang'an Avenue, the new museum aims to become a landmark construction in 21st-century Beijing.

Covering more than 60,000 square metres, the seven-storey building will open to the public in early 2005, said Han Yong, a leading official on the construction committee and would-be curator o

Chinese tourists to South Korea outnumber Americans ahead of World Cup
Chinese tourists visiting South Korea outnumbered those from the United States for the first time this year, tourism officials said on Tuesday.

The number of Chinese tourists was expected to rise further during next year's World Cup soccer finals, which South Korea will co-host with Japan. China, which is making its World Cup debut, will play its three first-round matches in South Korea.

Of the 4.75 million foreign tourists to South Korea this year, 2.22 million were Japanese follo

Beijing's Forbidden City may raise ticket price for better protection
Visitors to the Forbidden City, a former complex of royal palaces in central Beijing, have to spend more with possible ticket hikes during tourism boom season, according to the Forbidden City Museum on Monday.

Officials with the museum said entry ticket price would be raised as high as 30 per cent from current 40-yuan (US$4.8) ticket in boom season. The added money will be used in revamping the museum.

At present, only half of the Forbidden City is open to the public, as the museum

Cultural Relics Protection in Shanxi Province
Shanxi Province has 119 cultural relic sites, the highest number under State protection,according to latest issue of Beijing Review.

Shanxi boasts the most ancient architectures in China. With more than 18,000 old buildings, it is known as a treasure house of Chinese ancient architecture. As the province has 12,000 painted sculptures from all dynasties, experts and scholars praised it as a museum of colored modeling art. The province also ranks first in the country in its number of cultur

Beijingers Having More Green Land: Survey
A new survey shows that the per capita green area in the Chinese capital has reached 36.08 square meters.

Using remote sensing technology, staffers of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Parks and Woods recently carried out a comprehensive investigation of grass land and forested area in thecity's 18 districts and counties.

The survey shows that the total acreage of forested area in parks and woodland has exceeded 26,000 hectares, nearly 6,000 hectares more than that in 1995.

Be

Hainan Air Aims High on Express
Hainan Air Group, one of China's most profitable carriers, announced yesterday in Shanghai it will establish its own all-cargo airline, in a bid to tap into the nation's huge freight market.

The carrier, the fourth largest in the country, formally filed an application to operate the Yangtze River Express Co. Ltd. with the Eastern branch of the Civil Aviation Administration of China yesterday.

"China's cargo market, especially the air express sector, is still somewhat untapped and a

China's Aviation Industry Aims High
China's aviation industry hasopened direct air routes around the globe, and has attracted
worldwide attention with its flight safety record.

The latest statistics from the Civil Aviation Administration ofChina (CAAC) indicate 11 Chinese airlines offer flights to a total of 62 cities in 32 countries. China has opened 145 international air routes and 45 regional routes to Hong Kong or Macao, with the overall length reaching 657,000 kilometers.

Meanwhile, more and more foreign airl

China Becomes Leading Tourist Market and Destination
China is expected to become both the largest tourist market and tourist destination on earth in the near future, Beijing Youth Daily reported Tuesday.

More than 10 million Chinese went to other countries for sightseeing last year, since China opened more overseas flight routes. The number of outgoing visitors rose to 5.48 million in the first half of the year, up 10 percent over last year's same period.

The World Tourism Organization predicted that China is to be the world's larges

More roads to be built in western China
China will build 40,000 kilometres of highway next year, among which 62 per cent are to constructed in western China, according to Ministry of Communications (MOC) on Monday.

MOC Minister Huang Zhendong said the major focus for next year's work is to input heavy funds on perfecting the country's artery national highways, eight inter-provincial highways and on building bitumen roads linking all counties.

Among the designed highway length, 25,000 kilometres will be expressways, he sa

Visas Issued for Inbound Group Travel at Authorized Ports
Authorized Ports Authorized by the Ministry of Public Security, port visa offices will be set up in such open ports: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Dalian, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Xi'an, Guilin, Hangzhou, Kunming, Guangzhou (Baiyun), Shenzhen (Luohu, Shekou), Zhuhai (Gongbei), Haikou, Sanya, Jinan, Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai, Chengdu and Nanjing. Procedure According to sources, members of foreign travel groups may apply for group travel visas from port visa offices through travel agencies before he

Capital wrapped in festive atmosphere
With New Year's Day just around the corner, Beijing is caught up in the holiday hype: theatres are decked out in festive colours, concert halls resonate with busy rehearsals, and restaurants are sizzling with bountiful delicious dishes to fit the season.

More than 100 shows, ranging from symphonies, choirs, ballets and Latin dance to Peking Opera, will crowd the stages of Beijing, said Liu Lu, an official of the Beijing Cultural Bureau Thursday.

Although there have been over 1,000

Beijing Organizers to Launch New Logo for 2008 Olympic Games
Beijing organizers have decided to launch a new logo for the 2008 Olympic Games although there is a bit of reluctance to do that.

The old logo, shaped like a person playing "Taiji", the country's traditional shadow boxing, has remained in use after the organizing committee was set up in the mid of this month.

"We have a strong bond with the old logo, which is a symbol of our bidding success," said Zhang Ming, a top publicity official ofthe Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Organizing Comm

Beijing touches up Olympic action plan
Beijing has been working on an ambitious overall plan to ensure the smooth preparation of the 2008 Olympic Games while boosting the urban development of the Chinese capital.

The plan, which covers seven years till 2008, will serve as a guide on the social and economic development of Beijing and the city' preparation for the Games.

"In the spirit of the action plan, the city's urbanization and the Olympic preparation are mutually beneficial," said Wang Wei, general secretary of the

Macao Sees Tourist Craze at Christmas
Tourists flocked to Macao at Christmas.

According to the latest statistics, Macao's ports of entry handled a total of 370,500 visitors from December 22 to 26.

Gongbei Customs, the only land gate linking the special administrative region with China's inland areas, received 284,300 visitors alone. A number of special passages were added to handle the passenger flow. Police were there helping the visitors fill in the entry and exit cards and reminding them of taking care of their lugg

Shenzhen to try to attract overseas tourists
South China's Shenzhen City bordering Hong Kong will strive to attract overseas tourists, a local official said in Shenzhen on Wednesday.

Shows highlighting Shenzhen's tourist attractions will be held next year in Japan and Germany, said Chi Xiongbiao, head of the Shenzhen Tourism Bureau.

A campaign calling on people to build the city into one of the best tourist cities in China will be launched soon, Chi said.

Being a major player in China's economic reforms and a major bas

Merger of Airlines to Go Forward
China's aviation authorities have said the industry regrouping based on three major domestic airlines might take longer than what was originally scheduled but is going on smoothly.

The planned industry merger aims to regroup ten airlines directly controlled by the aviation administration into three conglomerates based on the Beijing-based Air China, Shanghai-based China Eastern and Guangzhou-based China Southern airlines.

Everything is going well in the merger, and the CAAC will on

CAAC to cut oil surcharge on airfares
Special oil charges imposed on air tickets since last November are set for a downward spiral next month.

The special fees are to be slashed to 8 per cent of the total value of the ticket on Tuesday from its current level of 14 per cent.

Sources with industry watchdog General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) said a notice had been distributed to domestic airlines about the price cut.

CAAC began to impose the special oil charges in November last year when the i

China sets up two new joint venture travel agencies
Sources with the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said in Beijing on Thursday that two new joint venture travel agencies were set up recently.

CITS-AE Travel Agency, which will start operating next March, was jointly established by the China International Travel Service and the American Express Company.

Comfort-Rosenbluth was set up by China Comfort Travel Co. and Rosenbluth Company, with Comfort holding 51 percent of the shares.

"China will further promote the j

China Quarantine Administration Warns Ebola-Type Virus
The State Administration for Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine issued a circular to warn its offices across China to take precautions against infection of Ebola virus.

According to a report from the World Health Organization, the hemorrhagic fever has broken out in the Republic of Gabon. By December 19, 27 people in the country were suspected of carrying symptoms resembling the Ebola-type disease. Fifteen of them have since died.

There is no vaccine against Ebola, which was firs

Light Railway on Test Run in Northeast China
A light railway was put to a trial run Friday at Changchun,the capital of northeast China's Jilin Province. Formal operation will start next October, and it will then become China's first completed light railway, whose construction quality is up to international standard.

The 14.6-kilometer rail is expected to transport nearly 10,000 passengers at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour.

The first phase of the rail project will connect with three districts, shopping malls, entertainment

Railway extends to Chinese mainland's south most
The railway connecting Zhanjiang and Hai'an,both cities of south China's Guangdong Province,has completed and is now undergoing a quality check.It is expected to open for service early next year.

The project that will link up Guangdong Province on the Chinese mainland and Hainan Island consists of the 138-kilometer Zhanjiang-Hai'an Railway in Guangdong Province,railway ferry service on the Qiongzhou Straits,and the Haikou-Chahe Rail Line on Hainan Island.

The Chinese mainland and H

Fair fare for rail passengers
The Ministry of Railways will not continue to enjoy the arbitrary right to increase rail ticket prices during transportation peaks.

The State Development Planning Commission announced on Tuesday price changes in rail transport must first be discussed in public hearings.

The commission is busy preparing for a public hearing in Beijing -- pencilled in for next month -- and experts, consumer representatives, railway officials and the local pricing authority will be invited to the disc

More Shanghai Residents to Travel Overseas in New Year
More people in Shanghai are planning to travel overseas during the upcoming New Year's holiday. Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Australia, Hong Kong and Macao have become the top destinations for tourists from Shanghai, according to statistics from major local travel agencies. As a large number of Shanghai residents want to head to Hong Kong during the holiday, seats on the special tourist trains between the two cites have all been booked. So far, over 20 foreign countries have been opened t

HK Attracts More Mainland Tourists
The number of the Chinese mainland's visitors to Hong Kong is expected to hit a new high in 2001, consolidating the city's status as the premier destination for tourists from the mainland. Latest statistics from the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) indicated that an exceptionally high growth of 33.4 percent year-on-year was recorded in the number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong in November 2001, with visitor arrivals of 406,225. For the period of January to November, the number of visitor arriva

Mainland Visitors Love to Buy Jewelry in HK
Gold and diamond jewels are expensive luxuries, but they have become affordable commodities for many Chinese tourists from the mainland, according to the major local gold and jewelry shops here.

According to Chow Sang Sang Jewelry's Causeway Bay branch manager surnamed Yip, the branch has experienced a rise of 30 percent in its number of mainland customers in December alone.

"The number of the local tourists has remained unchanged. But the number of mainland tourists has risen by 3

Confucius' Hometown Restores Ancient Buildings
Qufu City, the birthplace of Confucius, a great thinker and educator in China's history, has started a major construction project to bring back some historic sites featuring the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

With a total investment of 50 million yuan (some 6 million U.S.dollars), the city will restore some Ming Dynasty city towers and city wall, a xanadu formerly built for Emperor Qianlong of the succeeding Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a number of ancient mansions,stone-paved streets and the onc

Beijing to Rebuild Three Imperial Gardens
The Beijing municipal government is planning to rebuild three imperial gardens: the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and the Xiangshan (Fragrant) Mountain Park. The first two have already been inscribed as the World Heritage List by UNESCO.

Recently, "Beijing Morning Post" quoted an official of the municipal government as saying that construction preparations are underway for rebuilding five groups of architectures within the area of the Temple of Heaven, which is expected to present

World's Largest Cultural Relics Protection Project Underway
The world's largest cultural relics salvation efforts are underway at the Yangtze River's Three Gorges, where the world's largest power project is being built.

In order to save the most important cultural relics before water storage of the power project in 2003, hundreds of archaeologists from 64 research institutes and universities across China gathered in the reservoir area, according to Beijing Daily.

The investment in saving and protecting cultural relics at the Three Gorges wi

Shanghai builds China's first downtown air terminal
Passengers who fly from Shanghai will soon be able to check in at a downtown terminal, rather than rushing to the airport hours in advance.

The newly built terminal in west Nanjing Road, a major commercial district, is the first downtown air terminal in China, said a source from the information office of the municipal government Friday.

At a cost of 300 million yuan (US$36 million), the 11-story building will provide check-in and luggage delivery services and perform routine securi

Foreign travel agencies to land in China
Foreign travel agencies will be allowed to control stakes in joint-venture companies by January 1, 2003 and wholly own companies by the end of 2005, Chinese travel authorities announced recently.

The moves reflects China's hasty move to uphold agreements made when it formally joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) earlier this month.

A China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) official said the State Council -approved the revised Regulations on the Management of Travel Agency

Boomtowns Changing Farmers' Life Style
Some 10 million farmers in east China's Zhejiang Province have left behind the life style of their forefathers and started urban life in boomtowns that have prospered in tandem with the rapid development of township enterprises.

The boomtowns are just like any other big cities in China, withtall buildings, super markets, green fields, brightly-lit stores, restaurants and entertainment centers.

But for the former farmers, the changes are taking place not just within the surroundings

Excavation of Ancient Chinese Empress' Tomb in Dispute
Nobody knows exactly what's inside the 1,200-year-old Qianling mausoleum, the tomb of Wu Zetian, the famous empress of ancient China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), because Chinese archaeologists can't agree on when to open it.

Some people insist that excavation of Qianling be started as soon as possible, as China now has the qualified people and technical know-how to do the work. Others are urging to hold off abit, saying a plan has to be in place to protect the tomb's treasures befor

US Troops Head to Gulf, Jets Strike Iraq Radar
The US military ordered more than 11,000 desert-trained troops to begin heading to the Persian Gulf and Western jets struck an Iraqi defense radar on Wednesday as pressure mounted on Iraq to disarm. The movement, including tanks and attack helicopters, was the first deployment of a full combat division of US forces to the area since the 1991 Gulf War. Much of the Army division's equipment is already waiting in the region. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has put thousands of troops on notice an

Railroad Ticket Prices to Rise During Spring Festival
Passengers on Shanghai Railway Bureau trains will have to pay much higher prices on either side of the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year that falls on February 1. The bureau has announced that ticket prices one day before and one week after the New Year, or traditional Chinese Spring Festival week, would be up to 20 percent higher than usual. An estimated record 23.8 million passengers are expected to travel on Shanghai bureau trains from January 17 to February 25, a year-on-year increase of 8.3 p

Highway Construction Speeds Up in Sichuan
With the recent opening of a 130-km highway, expressways in southwest China's Sichuan Province cover 1,500 km altogether, the highest in mid-western China region. The highway linking Mianyang and Guangyuan Cities cost 4.4 billion yuan (US$530 million), and driving by car from the provincial capital of Chengdu to neighboring Shaanxi Province now takes only four hours. In the past, it took ancient Chinese months to travel from Shaanxi to Sichuan, stumbling along the only precipitous link between t

Easy Come, Easy Go
As a timely response to its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), China unveiled six major measures to make it much easier to enter and leave the country. Experts believed these measures, which went into effect one after another starting late 2001, will help promote international economic and cultural exchanges and facilitate visits across the border, thus benefiting China's reform, opening up and economic construction. Jia Chunwang, Minister of Public Security, said the six measures

From Poland to France, Europe Battered by Severe Weather
Heavy snowfalls together with violent gusts of wind paralysed road and rail links across Poland Wednesday and the country's air traffic was also severely hit with two major airports at Krakow in the south and at the Baltic port of Gdansk closed down. "Only one plane took off (from Krakow) during the morning and dozens of other flights were cancelled because of heavy side winds and snowstorms," an airport spokesman said. Several hundred villages in the northeast were cut off after wind created sn

Israeli Forces Raid Gaza Refugee Camps
Israeli forces backed by helicopter gunships swooped on Gaza refugee camps on Thursday amid fresh violence in which five Palestinians and an elderly Israeli were killed. The raids in central Gaza Strip came after Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, three of them teenagers, who the army said were on their way to attack Jewish settlements. In the Israeli village of Maor, close to the West Bank, police said they killed a Palestinian who broke into the home of an Israeli couple. Later, police f

Over 500 Ancient Grottos Discovered in Gansu
Archeologists have discovered two dagobas and over 500 grottoes with numerous Buddha statues in an 50-kilometer strip along the Jinghe River, according to sources of the Jingchuan county government, in northwest China's Gansu Province. Experts say that the "grotto corridor" is composed of five groups, with the grottoes thought to be constructed at different times during the Sixteen Kingdoms Period (317--420). Experts believe more than 400 of them were once inhabited by Buddhist monks, and the gr

Tourism Theme Defined as "Culinary Kingdom-China 2003"
According to information from the China National Tourism Administration, this year's tourism promotion theme is defined as "Culinary Kingdom-China 2003." China is an ancient country with a long-standing history and beautiful natural scenery including magnificent mountains and rivers. With its thousands of years of civilization and wide variety of ethnic groups and customs, it is rich in tourism resources as well as cuisine culture. Chinese culinary culture forms an integral part of the social sy

China's longest river shorter than believed
Scientists have found that China's longest river, the Yangtze, is nearly 90 kilometers (56 miles) shorter than previously thought, Xinhua said recently.

A new measurement of the river using satellite technology found that it stretches for 6,211.3 kilometers (3,851 miles), shorter than the accepted length of 6,300 kilometers (3,906 miles).

But it is still the longest river in China and the third longest river in the world, according to Xinhua.

"It does not mean the river shor

Euro's first day in China
Tuesday was the birthday of the euro. At 9 o'clock on Tuesday morning when people in the 12 countries of the "eurozone" were asleep, a Chinese man named Bo Zhengfeng withdrew 10,000 euros in cash from a Bank of China (BOC) branch in Beijing.

He may have been the first one to withdrew euros in Beijing and have had euro notes in his pocket before many Europeans.

"I came early just because I have to leave Beijing this afternoon and wanted to have the money before leaving," Bo said. He

Jiuzhaigou Mulls Monkey Tours
Jiuzhaigou,a tourist resort in west China's Sichuan province,is considering launching a special tour,which could be the most expensive ever in China,the local government said recently.

The tour,which could cost as much as US$5,000,offers close and full contact with golden-haired monkeys,an exclusive creature in Jiuzhaigou,where wildlife environment is carefully reserved.

Tourists will be carried by helicopters into the resort and have native guides all along the field trip.

Ice Bridge Spans Globe
More than 300 VIPs from over 10 countries and regions were treated to the spectacular, 2002 China Changchun Jingyuetan Ice and Snow Festival which opened on Jan.1.

Tourists, businessmen and celebrities from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, USA, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Spain, Russia and South Korea were all invited to attend the annual event in the capital city.

Li Shu, mayor of Changchun said the city is to turn its annual ice and snow festival into a bridge to connect Chinese p

Winter Wonderland
The seventh Ice and Snow Festival held in Beijing's north suburban Yanqing County promises to be the best one yet.

There will be an international flavour to this year's event with participants coming from more than 10 different countries from as far as Norway.

As a county boasting many celebrated tourism resorts, millions of travelers from home and abroad visit Yanqing every year.

The annual winter ice and snow festival is part of the local government's attempts to attract m

Tourism booming in SW China's "Shangri-La"
The Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, southwest China, hosted 1.24 million domestic and overseas tourists in 2001, an increase of 14. 3 percent year on year.

The tourists brought the prefecture a total of 883 million yuan (US$106 million) in revenue, up 24 percent, local tourism officials said.

Diqing has been promoting itself as "Shangri-La" described by British writer James Hilton in his book "Lost Horizon", published in 1933.

"Shangri-La" is said to

China to Issue Visas for Inbound Group Travel at Authorized Ports
Authorized Ports

Authorized by the Ministry of Public Security, port visa offices will be set up in such open ports: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Dalian, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Xi'an, Guilin, Hangzhou, Kunming, Guangzhou (Baiyun), Shenzhen (Luohu, Shekou), Zhuhai (Gongbei), Haikou, Sanya, Jinan, Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai, Chengdu and Nanjing.

Procedure

According to sources, members of foreign travel groups may apply for group travel visas from port visa offices through trav

Chinese People Embrace New Year in Various Ways
People on the Chinese mainland greeted the new year and bade farewell to the year 2001 in various ways.

Beijing citizens tolled the Yongle Bell in the Big Bell Temple 108 times at the turn of the new year, hoping to get rid of all the annoyances and troubles which afflicted them last year and have more luck in 2002.

People from all over China gathered in the vast Tian'anmen Square, in the heart of Beijing, Tuesday morning to watch the daily morning flag-raising ceremony.

To

Illegal Emigrants Seized After Boat Loses Power
A team of illegal emigrants cheated death after five days drifting at sea off this port city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province. Dalian police said 25 illegal emigrants, including six women and three fishermen, were brought to the city in two fishing boats on Thursday night. On Wednesday, a fishing boat containing dozens of people and apparently having lost power was seen drifting at sea, said Li Shengke, a ship owner whose boats were fishing nearby. Believing the people to be illegal emigra

Rule of Law Affirmed Through Price Hearing
China's first ever hearing on price setting at the central government level scheduled for this month is proof that the rule of law is upheld in the country, a senior official said Sunday. Wang Yang, deputy minister in charge of the State Development Planning Commission (SDPC), told a press conference that SDPC will hold a government-sponsored hearing on setting prices of railway tickets January 12. The discussion will focus on the pros and cons of raising ticket prices during the peak time of pa

Shanghai: Bustling Christmas, Quiet New Year's Day
Many Chinese think Shanghai has something of the exotic, not just in outlook, but also in the way of life. On Christmas Eve, 2001, Shanghai residents sent 12.19 million short messages via mobile phones, double November's daily average of 6 million. Traffic flow on Hengshan Road, the city's famous bar street, also doubled on Christmas Eve, as crowds flooded to churches, restaurants, discos and coffee bars to celebrate the western holiday season. Many reservations had to be made a week in advance

Ice-snow festival opens in Harbin
An ice-snow tourist festival opened on Saturday in the capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

Entertainment activities during the festival include ice-snow art shows, and cultural and tourism programs.

Business conferences, ice-snow sculpture contests and sports competitions will also be held during the festival.

The annual ice-snow event was first launched in 1985, and has won itself world fame.

Attending the opening ceremony were foreign envoys fro

Northeast China Woos Tourists With Ice, Snow
China's northeastern Jilin province is promoting a series of snow and ice events to attract tourists.

In addition to enjoying traditional snow scene, this year's promotion features a series of snow-related sports and competitions, including a snow sculpture contest, high speed skiing, relay car race on ice, according to information from the provincial tourism administration.

Local tourism officials expect the ice sculptures, ice lanterns, skiing, and skating will allure millions of

Over 500 Ancient Grottoes Discovered in Gansu
Archeologists have discovered two dagobas and over 500 grottoes with numerous Buddha statues in an 50-kilometer strip along the Jinghe River, according to sources of the Jingchuan county government, in northwest China's Gansu Province.

Experts say that the "grotto corridor" is composed of five groups, with the grottoes thought to be constructed at different times during the Sixteen Kingdoms Period (317--420).

Experts believe more than 400 of them were once inhabited by Buddhist mon

Guilin City Hosts More Tourists
Guilin, one of China's most popular tourism destinations, hosted more than 10 million tourists this year, a record high.

Of the total, overseas tourists made up 900,000, said a local tourism official.

Guilin, a city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China, chalked up 4.5 billion yuan (about US$ 542 million) in tourism revenue this year, said the official.

With a history of more than 2,000 years, Guilin is renowned for its green mountains, clear water and stran

Beijing Plans Huge Investment to Control Traffic Noise
Beijing will spend one billion yuan on traffic noise control from 2002 to 2007. According to the Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, the money will be used to curb noise pollution in the city, which at times reaches 71 decibels, the highest among China's four municipalities: Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing.

Related local departments have started joint efforts to curb traffic noise by improving traffic management and road conditions,with the theme of protecting the environm

China's Cultural Market Prosperous in 2001
On the eve of 2002, the China Central Nationalities Orchestra (CCNO) and the Czech National Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra in the Great Hall of the People jointly staged a concert entitled "Golden Spring" to highlight the past year's cultural exchanges.

In 2001, the first year of the new century known world-wide as "China's Year", Beijing won the bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games,Shanghai held the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings, and China entered the World Trade Organization

Hainan Province Outlines Long-term Tourism Plan
South China's island province of Hainan is determined to vigorously explore tourism and make the sector contribute more to the province's gross domestic product (GDP) in the forthcoming two decades.

In accordance with an overall provincial tourism development plan, Hainan expects to be able to host 48 million to 55 million tourists annually by 2020, and revenue from the tourism industry will account for 15 percent of the province's GDP by then.

According to the plan, Hainan will co

Macao Sees Huge Flow of Travelers on New Year's Day
Streams of travelers swarmed at the Barrier Gate Customs, the only land gate between Macao and China's mainland, on New Year's Day.

Preliminary statistics show that the port handled a total of 135,000 passengers Tuesday by adding a few special passages, where police were helping them fill in the entry and exit cards and reminding them of the safety of luggage.

The figure is up about 30 percent from the passenger flow in common days.

Macao residents traveled to the mainland a

HK tourist quota abolition lures more mainland visitors
More than 4,000 tourists from the Chinese mainland visited Hong Kong on New Year's Day 2002, the first day of the lifting of the daily ceiling of 1,500 visitors from the mainland.

The tourists arrived in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region after check-in procedures at the Shenzhen Luohu Checkpoint in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province.

Facing Hong Kong across a local river, Shenzhen is a major gateway to Hong Kong.

Officials at the checkpoint attributed the i

HK Attracts More Mainland Tourists
The number of the Chinese mainland's visitors to Hong Kong is expected to hit a new high in 2001, consolidating the city's status as the premier destination for tourists from the mainland.

Latest statistics from the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) indicated that an exceptionally high growth of 33.4 percent year-on-year was recorded in the number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong in November 2001, with visitor arrivals of 406,225.

For the period of January to November, the number of

Life Jail for People Smuggling Kingpin
A leading triad gangster and three of his closest henchmen have been sentenced to life imprisonment for their part in an illegal immigrant smuggling racket. Snakehead Chen Wenshu, Wang Chen, Bai Yuquan and Jin Jiming were each sentenced to life imprisonment and deprived of their political rights for life, by the Intermediate People's Court of Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu Province Tuesday. The court also ordered that all their personal property be confiscated. The four were responsibl

China to Streamline Travel Agencies
China will make greater efforts this year to streamline travel agencies throughout the country in a bid to form an industrial code, the China National Tourism Administration said Wednesday. This year, China will open the tourism industry wider than it has promised before the country enters the World Trade Organization (WTO), said Director He Guangwei of the administration said. He said one to three well-performed international travel agencies will be given a go-ahead to enter the Chinese market

Mainland Predicts 90 Million Overseas Tourists
The Chinese mainland expects 90 million tourist arrivals this year, the director of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said yesterday. He Guangwei said tourism is expected to bring in US$18.5 billion this year. The overall revenue from domestic and overseas tourists will be 535 billion yuan (US$64 billion), 8 percent above last year's figure. He said 85 percent of arrivals will come from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. He said his administration would enhance the network management of

Mainland Predicts 90 Million Overseas Tourists
The Chinese mainland expects 90 million tourist arrivals this year, the director of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said yesterday. He Guangwei said tourism is expected to bring in US$18.5 billion this year. The overall revenue from domestic and overseas tourists will be 535 billion yuan (US$64 billion), 8 percent above last year's figure. He said 85 percent of arrivals will come from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. He said his administration would enhance the network management of

China issues stamps for Year of Horse
The State Administration of Posts and Telecommunications Saturday issued a set of special stamps for China's Lunar New Year, the Year of the Horse, which falls February 12, 2002.

The ceremony to mark the issuance, as well as the start of the China Folk Art Tourism Festival, was held Saturday in Baoji, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Baoji's Fengxiang County is home to traditional clay sculptures, which have a history of 600 years. A horse sculpture has been selected as the d

Former Revolutionary Base Attracts Visitors
More than 980,000 people from home and abroad visited the Jinggang Mountains, a scenic spot under state protection in east China's Jiangxi Province, last year, bringing a tourism income of 500 million yuan (60.24 million U.S. dollars), sources said.

Dubbed as the cradle of the Chinese revolution, the Jinggang Mountains have many scenes featuring the history of Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (1928-1937), led by the Communist Party of China. They include a mint of the Red Army, Jin

Shanxi Province Makes Record Tourism Income
North China's Shanxi Province saw rapid development of tourism industry in 2001.
The tourist sector in the province realized a record income of some 10 billion yuan (about US$ 1.2 billion) last year, an increase of 23 percent over 2000, according to statistics from Shanxi Tourism Bureau.

More than 200,000 people from overseas visited the province in 2001, nearly 22 percent more than that of the previous years.

"Raise the Red Lantern," one of the films directed by Zhang Yimou, us

Hainan Airlines acquires jets
Hainan Airlines has acquired three Boeing 737-800 airplanes as part of an international leasing package to improve passenger transport capacity, the airline said on Sunday.

The leasing deal was arranged by China Construction Bank and Chase Manhattan Bank and guaranteed by the Export-Import Bank of the United States. It marked the largest international financing contract of its kind for a Chinese company after the September 11 US terrorist attacks rocked the world financial market, the air

China Southern Airlines resumes flights to UAE
China Southern Airlines, one of the country's leading carriers, Sunday resumed its regular passenger flights between China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

CZ329 and CZ330, the only direct flights linking the Chinese mainland with the UAE, were suspended out of security considerations after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

China Southern Airlines have resumed the flight operations because of "fully guaranteed aviation safety" and "growing market demand,"

Luohu checkpoint handles more people
Luohu Checkpoint in this major city in south China's Guangdong Province, on the border with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), handled over 88.85 million people entering and leaving China last year, ranking first among the country's 228 points of entry and exit.

Sources at the Shenzhen Border Inspection Station said the volume accounts for about a half of the national total.

According to the sources, the number of people passing Luohu Checkpoint has been growing by

Chinese Treasures in Istanbul to Attract More Chinese Tourists
Priceless Treasures to Become Highlights

According to the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), Turkey and China are working out the details for the tourist visa approval.

Over 10,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain were kept in a palace in Istanbul, thanks to the centuries-old history of ancient merchant trade between the two countries. They are now regarded as priceless treasures in Turkey.

"The news is really good for both of us. We believe Chinese treasures in Istanb

Landmark Hearing Set in Beijing on Rail Ticket Prices
A landmark public hearing on the price of rail transport is scheduled to take place in Beijing on Saturday.

Thirty-three people have been invited to air their views over the Ministry of Railways' application to change ticket prices.

The 33 include railway experts and National People's Congress delegates. Twelve are consumer representatives from different regions.

The hearing will be the first organized by the State Development Planning Commission, the country's pricing regul

Mainland predicts 90 million overseas tourists this year
The Chinese mainland expects 90 million tourist arrivals this year, the chairman of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said on Tuesday at the annual tourism conference in Bo'ao,Hainan province.

He Guangwei said tourism is expected to bring in US$18.5 billion this year. The overall revenue from domestic and overseas tourists will be 535 billion yuan (US$64 billion), 8 per cent above last year's figure.

He said 85 per cent of arrivals will come from Hong Kong, Macao and

Tourism Revenue Breaks Record
Tourism revenue for the Chinese mainland was 9.76 percent higher last year than in 2000, said the chairman of the China National Tourism Administration. Total revenue from domestic and overseas tourists is set to hit 496 billion yuan (US$60 billion), including US$17.5 billion contributed by international arrivals. Addressing a national working conference in Beijing on Tuesday, He Guangwei said that it was estimated that the mainland had received about 87 million overseas tourists in 2001, 4.2 pe

Port of Boston Secures Direct Ocean Call From China
Governor Jane Swift of the US State of Massachusetts announced Wednesday in Boston that China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO) will provide a direct vessel call into the Port of Boston beginning in March 2002. "This is welcome news not only for Massachusetts businesses, but many New England businesses which import and export goods to and from the Far East," Swift said at a joint press conference at the State House here. "A direct vessel call into the Port of Boston will provide New England

China Builds First Salvage Airport
The construction of China's first airport for emergency rescue flights is running smoothly in this east China port city. At present, the civil engineering work of the project has been completed. Several S-76C Salvage helicopters, the most modern type among similar planes, have been transported from the United States to Shanghai and are now being assembled, sources said. The helicopter can fly in heavy winds, with the travel distance of 650 kilometers and the capacity to carry up to 10 people. Sh

Stricter Rules for China's Tourist Guides
From now on China'sunqualified tourist guides will find it difficult to survivebecause of stricter government supervision. Sources with the China National Tourism Administration said Wednesday in Bo'ao that China will set standards for guide behavior tobring more order to the industry. From this March, a legal and more transparent payment systemwill be established between tourist guides and travel agencies.Under-the-counter deals and all illegal payments are forbidden. Tourist guides will be gra

Ministry of Railways Takes Steps to Ease Spring Festival Travel
The Ministry of Railways of China has worked out three viable transport plans meant to ensure safe and fast transportation service during the Spring Festival period, said ministry sources here Thursday. The "Spring Season Transport", as it is usually called, includes floods of transient laborers and college students returning home during their winter vacation. The coming spring season for the railways will start on January 28 and end on March 8, according to the ministry. The ministry predicts t

Ministry of Railways Takes Steps to Ease Spring Festival Travel
The Ministry of Railways of China has worked out three viable transport plans meant to ensure safe and fast transportation service during the Spring Festival period, said ministry sources Thursday. The "Spring Season Transport", as it is usually called, includes floods of transient laborers and college students returning home during their winter vacation. The coming spring season for the railways will start on January 28 and end on March 8, according to the ministry. The ministry predicts that d

Prestigious Universities Attract More Visitors
China's prestigious Beijing University and Tsinghua (Qinghua) University, which have been recently listed as cultural relics under state protection, have now become scenic attractions bringing an increasing number of local visitors.

Sources with the State Administration of Cultural Heritage say that it is the first time that well-known higher educational institutions have been officially granted the title of China's key cultural heritage since 1949.

Beijing University was founded i

Former Residence of KMT General's Wife Opens to Public
The former residence of Zhao Yidi, wife of the late Kuomintang (KMT) General Zhang Xueliang, has opened to the public in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, after renovation.

Zhang Xueliang, reputed as a great Chinese patriot, and General Yang Hucheng arrested Chiang Kai-shek, the KMT leader, in the famous Xi'an Incident on December 12, 1936, which was eventually settled peacefully with the efforts of the Communist Party of China. This incident impelled Chiang to fig

World's Third-Tallest Building Receives Record Tourists in 2001
Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the world's third tallest building, received a record 3 million tourists in 2001, the tower management said.

The 486-meter high tower on the bank of the Huangpujiang River has received 16 million visitors since it opened to tourists six years ago, equivalent to the whole population of Shanghai.

On one of its busiest days in 2001, the tower was visited by a record 35,000 sightseers.
( Xinhua News Agency )

Shanghai reports increased tourist arrivals
Despite the sluggish international tourism market in the wake of the September 11terror attacks,Shanghai received two million international tourists in 2001,11percent more than in 2000.

The municipal tourism bureau director Yao Mingbao said that the total tourism revenue in 2001amounted to 94billion yuan (US$11billion),including US$1.8billion contributed by international arrivals.

Yao attributed the record to Shanghai's thriving economy.The city has seen its GDP growing at an annua

Experts Blame River Changes for End of Ancient Neolithic Culture
Chinese archeologists say the deterioration of water environment contributed to the disappearance of a Neolithic culture in east China's Zhejiang Province.

The Hemudu Neolithic site, covering an area of 40,000 square meters, can be dated back 7,000 years. However, it ended abruptly about 2,000 years later.

The former curator of Hemudu Museum, Shao Jiuhua, says at least two floods occurred during the Neolithic period. The second not only washed away the inhabitants' houses, but also

HK expecting tourism boom
The number of mainland travel agencies organizing tours to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) will rise to 67 from the current four as a quota system has been abolished to encourage a surge in tourists to Hong Kong.

The China National Tourism Administration will publish a list of the authorized 67 as well as one indicating the Hong Kong tourist agencies approved by the related Hong Kong authority to be involved in these operations.

The move would bring about an influ

Mainland tourism revenue breaks record
Tourism revenue for the Chinese mainland was 9.76 per cent higher last year than in 2000, said He Guangwei, chairman of the China National Tourism Administration.

Total revenue from domestic and overseas tourists is set to hit 496 billion yuan (US$60 billion), including US$17.5 billion contributed by international arrivals.

Addressing a national working conference in Bo'ao, Hainan province on Tuesday, He Guangwei said that it was estimated that the mainland had received about 87 mi

Taiwanese investors pour into Shanghai
Shanghai and Taiwan are expected to forge closer economic and trade ties this year on the heels of successful exchanges in 2001, said the Shanghai Municipal Taiwan Affairs Office.

During the first 11 months of last year, 430,000 Taiwan people have come to the city for visits and business opportunities, a 53 per cent increase over the corresponding period in 1999.

Qiu Changgeng, division chief of the Municipal Taiwan Affairs Office, said: "Shanghai has attracted a resident populatio

HK people embracing mainland
More and more Hong Kong people are looking to the mainland for business opportunities, offered by further economic integration between Hong Kong and the adjoining Pearl River Delta.

Figures from the Trade Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region show that about 100,000 Hong Kong people are currently working on the Chinese mainland.

Donald Tsang, administrative secretary of the Hong Kong SAR, said earlier that one can get "a very powerful economic area" if Hong Kong

Travel Agencies Vie for a Piece of "Piggies" Pie
With Spring Festival approaching, the Chinese media are full of ads for "study-travel" trips organized by travel agencies to countries like Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Student-travelers, who have acquired the nickname "piggies," spend about 10,000 yuan (US$1,207) each on trips that take anywhere from 10 days to over one month. Arrangements for students usually include living with local families, studying languages, attending other classes and visiting scenic spots But some 140 students fr

Hometown of Writer Named Historical, Cultural City
Fenghuang County, the hometown of late Chinese writer Shen Congwen (1902-1988), was recently approved by the State Council as one of China's noted historical and cultural sites. The county is located in the west region of central China's Hunan Province. Tuojiang Town of the county has a 1,000-year history and was political, military, economic and cultural center in western Hunan since ancient times. The county's layout and architecture have preserved the traditional style of the Ming (1368-1644)

Hometown of Writer Named Historical, Cultural City
Fenghuang County, the hometown of late Chinese writer Shen Congwen (1902-1988), was recently approved by the State Council as one of China's noted historical and cultural sites. The county is located in the west region of central China's Hunan Province. Tuojiang Town of the county has a 1,000-year history and was political, military, economic and cultural center in western Hunan since ancient times. The county's layout and architecture have preserved the traditional style of the Ming (1368-1644)

Emergency Call Service in English Helps Foreigners in China
China is safe and Chinese policemen are kind, according to George, an Australian touring the country with three fellow travelers. The Australian was speaking to an English-speaking operator with the 110 police emergency call service on the 110-call anniversary day in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. The 110 emergency number was first introduced in China in the 1950s by the police to provide the public with emergency help. January 10 was the 12th anniversary of Nanjing's 110 eme

Hometown of Writer Named Historical, Cultural City
Fenghuang County, the hometown of late Chinese writer Shen Congwen (1902-1988), was recently approved by the State Council as one of China's noted historical and cultural sites. The county is located in the west region of central China's Hunan Province. Tuojiang Town of the county has a 1,000-yearhistory and was political, military, economic and cultural center in western Hunan since ancient times. The county's layout and architecture have preserved the traditional style of the Ming (1368-1644)

110 English Service Helps Foreigners in China
110 English service available "China is safe and Chinese policemen are kind," according to George, an Australian touring the country with three fellow travelers. The Australian was speaking to an English-speaking operator with the 110 police emergency call service on the 110-call anniversary day in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. The 110 emergency number was first introduced in China in the 1950s by the police to provide the public with emergency help. January 10 was the 12th

Abode Ruling Hailed as Balanced in HK
Political parties and legal specialists in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) applauded a ruling of the Court of Final Appeals on the right of abode, saying the ruling balanced both legal and human concerns. Hong Kong's highest court ruled on Thursday that only around 500 of the more than 5,000 Chinese mainlanders who claimed to have abode rights in Hong Kong would be entitled to permanent residency there. The rest would be deported back to the mainland, with a deadline set for Ma

International Hotels Work to Attract Wealthy Chinese
International hotel and resort operators are hoping to attract more affluent Chinese travelers who want comfort and luxury, as well as an exotic experience during overseas trips. Dozens of executives of the world's most-luxurious hotels, who gathered in Shanghai yesterday, are banking on locations, either on a pristine beach or in a tropical forest, and unique styles, such as museum-like facilities, as selling points. The New York-based Leading Hotels of the World Ltd., a room reservation agency

Macao Awaits Boom of Inland Tourists
The Macao special administrative region (SAR) government is looking at better ways to host tourists from China's interior, which is tipped to soar in the wake of further opening of the inland tourist market. Official figures show that China's inland became the second largest tourist source for the SAR with nearly three million visitor arrivals in 2001, a year on year increase of up to 30 percent. And the number is projected to be even greater this year, taking into consideration of the post of t

Ministry of Railways Takes Steps to Ease Spring Festival Travel
The Ministry of Railways of China has worked out three viable transport plans meant to ensure safe and fast transportation service during the Spring Festival period, said ministry sources Thursday.

The "Spring Season Transport", as it is usually called, includes floods of transient laborers and college students returning home during their winter vacation.

The coming spring season for the railways will start on January 28 and end on March 8, according to the ministry.

The min

Snow Sculpture Contest Ends in Northeast China
Mother love a snow sculpture created by Russian artists has won the first prize in the International Snow Sculpture Contest in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

Works from the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Japan, China and Romania also won prizes in the four-day contest which ended on Sunday.

More than 60 national and foreign artists gathered on Taiyang Island (Sun Island), a scenic spot in Harbin, and created 20 sculptures in a variety of styles.

T

Beijing Customs Combats Antique Smuggling
The Beijing Customs has enhanced efforts to fight antique smuggling in recent years, and in 2001 alone, its checkpoints at the Capital Airport seized 83 such cases.

The checkpoints confiscated 884 pieces of ancient coins in total,taking up over 60 percent of the smuggled antiques last year, Wednesday's Beijing Daily reported.

Most of the coins were found to be in full sets and bought from antique markets either for private collection or to be presented as gifts, according to the Be

Electronic Customs Now Used in E. China
The customs department in Ningbo bonded area in Zhejiang Province, east China, has begun using a self-designed regional information management system making it the first in the country to have an electronic customs system.

Relying on world-class information processing and network techniques, the system will help local customs officers improve their handling of routine work including processing, storage, customs declaration, surveillance of cargo flow, management of businesses, tax reducti

Huge Loans Offered to Build Expressway in Northeast China
The China National Development Bank recently offered 4.6 billion yuan (554 million U.S. dollars) to northeast China's Heilongjiang Province to finance three expressway projects.

The loans will greatly help the province in infrastructure construction and improve the provincial transportation facilities, according to provincial communication officials.

Over the past five years, the bank gave a total of 12 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) in loans to the province, according to

Tourists to Tibet on Rise
Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China received 659,000 Chinese and overseas visitors in the first 11 months of 2001, up 16.5 percent over the figure a year ago.

Tourist income of the period totaled 680 million yuan (US$ 82.2 million), an increase of 4.3 percent on a year-on-year basis, a regional tourist department official said.

Due to the influence of the September 11 terrorist attack in New York and Washington and the royal tragedy in Nepal, the number of overseas tourists

HK Passport Holders Granted Visa-free Access to Colombia
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government announced Monday that confirmation has been received from the Consulate-General of Colombia that the Republic of Colombia has granted visa-free access to HKSAR passport holders for a visit up to 180 days per calendar year with immediate effect.

A HKSAR government spokesman extended warm welcome to the decision made by the government of the Republic of Colombia. "It marks a vote of confidence by the Republic of Colombia in our

Hong Kong to Spruce Up Its Image of Tourism Industry
Colorful celebrations for new year

Hong Kong is set to celebrate the Chinese New Year Carnival between February 10 to 14 to welcome in the Year of the Horse with a major New Year Parade and neon greeting cards adorning the sides of skyscrapers, according to an advance document from the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

A cavalcade of elaborate floats, costumed performers, local and overseas cultural troupes, musicians and marching bands will take to the streets on February 12 to present an

China to Streamline Travel Agencies
China will make greater efforts this year to streamline travel agencies throughout the country in a bid to form an industrial code, the China National Tourism Administration said Wednesday.

This year, China will open the tourism industry wider than it has promised before the country enters the World Trade Organization (WTO), said He Guangwei, chairman of the administration.

He said one to three well-performed international travel agencies will be given a go-ahead to enter the Chine

Stricter rules for China's tourist guides
From now on China's unqualified tourist guides will find it difficult to survive because of stricter government supervision.

Sources with the China National Tourism Administration said in Hainan recently that China will set standards for guide behavior to bring more order to the industry.

From this March, a legal and more transparent payment system will be established between tourist guides and travel agencies. Under-the-counter deals and all illegal payments are forbidden.

One Million Yuan Reward for Xinjiang Tiger
A Xinjiang-based exploration and travel company recently offered a reward of one million yuan (US$125,000) to encourage local residents of west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to put more efforts on Xinjiang tiger seeking. Xinjiang tigers, the world's only tiger species living in the desert, were frequently seen in the Tianshan mountain area and the Tarim River Valley at the end of the 19th century. Historical records show that the Xinjiang tiger was comparatively small in size with lig

Duty-free Business Still Off Limits
Overseas companies' participation in China's duty-free business was banned before China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) and will remain banned now that China is a WTO member. Duty-free business is regarded by many WTO members as a specialized retail business. Therefore, the business is run like a monopoly, said Zhang Hanlin, a professor of the University of International Business and Economics. "The country did not promise to open the business to overseas companies during negotiations

Future Positive for Sino-US Relations: FM Spokesman
Sino-US relations have bright prospects in the 21st century, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said Tuesday at a regular press conference in Beijng. Since US President George Bush assumed office in 2001, Sino-US relations have had their ups and downs, even though both sides made their efforts in bilateral cooperation in the latter half of 2001. This included close cooperation on counter- terrorist issues, he noted. The United States, the world's largest developed country, and China

RMB to maintain stable despite pressure from sliding Japanese yen
China will keep its currency stable despite pressure from a sliding Japanese yen, central bank chief Dai Xianglong said Tuesday in Beijing.

"The renminbi's value is underpinned by China's sufficient foreign exchange reserves and favourable trade surplus,"Dai, governor of the People's Bank of China, told a press conference.

But he urged the Japanese Government to take measures to stabilize the yen, whose rapid slump in value is putting pressure on currencies of its Asia neighbours,

Airliner accused of unfair competition
Air China, the Beijing-based national flagship airline, recently launched a scathing attack on China Northwest Airlines by accusing it of unfair competition.

It claimed the Lanzhou branch of China Northwest Airlines prevented local ticket agents from selling air tickets for Air China.

The headquarters of China Northwest Airlines is located in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, with two subordinate aviation companies in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, and Nanjing, capital of Ji

World's Biggest Tea Museum Built in China
The world's biggest tea museum was recently built in Zhangpu county of Fujian province, east China.

Located in Pantuo township in Zhangpu, the museum covers 5.3 hectares with a floor space of 8,000 square meters, featuring a major exhibition hall, a Japanese tea ceremony hall, a painting and calligraphy hall and other tea-related structures.

Exhibits at the museum reflect the history of tea culture in thousands of years in China and other parts of the world.

The museum also

Relics from Ancient Hero's Sunken Ship to be Salvaged
Relics from an ancient sunken warship belonging to a national hero Zheng Chenggong, are to be salvaged.

Zheng Ghenggong's warship sank in today's Dongshan sea area in the East China Sea, Fujian Province. Chinese archaeologists have conducted an underwater survey to locate the relics and the salvage plan has been approved by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

Previously, archaeologists have salvaged a number of iron cannons, bronze blunderbusses, shells, landmines and po

Joint Venture Schools Boom in Confucius' Hometown
Over 2,500 years ago, Confucius, a great thinker, philosopher and educator, set up the first school in China's history in his hometown of Qufu, in east China's Shandong Province.

Today, the charm of Qufu as a cradle of Chinese civilization has drawn many domestic and overseas investors who seek to carry on Confucius' cause of education.

Cooperated with counterparts from Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan, the city has set up 14 schools in the c

Shandong leads China in investment in tourism industry
A total of record 126 million yuan (US$15 million) was spent last year to promote tourism industry of the eastern province of Shandong, outnumbering all other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the country, according to sources.
Shandong also took the lead in the country to target tourism as a pillar industry of the province's economy.
The province, in cooperation with the World Tourism Organization, made a comprehensive development plan for its tourism industry, and such

China to Speed Up Opening of Travel Service Industry
Now that it is a full-fledged member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), China will speed up the opening of its travel service industry, vice-premier Qian Qichen said in Bo'ao, Hainan Province recently.

Addressing a national conference on the tourism industry, Qian said China will allow big-name international travel agencies to entry the country so as to learn from their management and expertise.

Meanwhile, China will hone its existing approval system to stop the entrance of uns

Passengers call for better services
People from across the social strata expressed mixed reactions to the public hearing on the pricing of railway tickets.

The live CCTV broadcast of the public hearing meant all people had access to what was being debated at the meeting.

Most people interviewed said they could accept increased prices during Spring Festival, which is the traditional family reunion holiday for Chinese.

"Trains are the safest and the most convenient transportation vehicle for me and the price inc

Rail ticket prices to climb
The majority of the 33 delegates representing public consumers at the country's first central government-sponsored public hearing on the price of railway tickets on Saturday gave consent to a proposal that would raise train ticket prices, but they urged pricing authorities to give careful consideration to non- or low-income groups such as students, farmers and migrant labourers.

The two-part hearing, which lasted for six hours, became a platform for passenger representatives to criticize

China marks historical step with price hearing system
China's first ever central government-sponsored hearing on setting prices of railway tickets opened Saturday in Beijing, bringing opposition to price gouging that led the Ministry of Railways to re-think its practices.

"The hearing shows Chinese government's decision to implement policy abiding by laws and let public participate in price-setting," said Qi Hong, a customer representative.

The public hearing on price setting was organized by the State Development Planning Commission

Air price to Tibet cut by 30%
The Tibet Tourism Administration is joining hands with China Southwest Airlines, the major airline carrier to Tibet from other parts of the country, to attract more tourists to "the roof of the world" in winter.
During Spring Festival holiday (February 12-18), which is also the New Year of the Tibetan lunar calender, the ticket price of each tour group member will be cut about 30 per cent, according to Vice-Director of the Tibet Tourism Administration Man Hongwei.
That means each traveller

President Jiang Meets

US Adoption Group
Chinese President Jiang Zemin met Wednesday with a delegation from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) of the United States led by Senator Mary Landrieu and Congresswoman Anne Northup. Jiang welcomed the US visitors most of whom were on their first visit to China, and he hoped that this visit would enable them to learn more about China. Jiang said that the Chinese government has always paid great attention to the welfare of children and has made tremendous progress. China ha

Powell Urges Patience in South Asia
Rejecting a war in South Asia, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday that he would work patiently to ease tensions that have brought Pakistan and nuclear rival India to the brink of armed conflict. Powell, arriving Wednesday on the first leg of an Asian tour aimed at pulling the two nations back from confrontation, praised Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf for launching a recent crackdown on Islamic militants blamed by India for acts of terrorism. Ahead of a dinner meeting wit

Japan Tours Getting Hot Among Chinese
More Chinese people are planning a tour to Japan due to the fall of the Japanese yen, the Beijing Morning Post reported. Tours on this route have nearly been booked out at Beijing-based BTG Outbound Tours, according to the travel agency's spokeswoman. Only identifying herself as Guan, the spokeswoman said people's enthusiasm for the Japan tour has increased because the trips have become cheaper with the recent slump in Japan's currency. The exchange rate has plunged to around 131 Japanese yen fo

Chinese Railways Focus on Quality of Service This Year
China's railway sector will concentrate on improving its service this year, Chinese Railway Minister Fu Zhihuan announced in Beijing on Thursday. China will promote the "Year of Good Train Service" this year throughout the entire railway system, focusing mainly on ensuring orderly and safe railway stations, and improving railway facilities, the railway environment and ticket and travel services, said sources with the Ministry of Railways. According to the ministry, at least 95 percent of trains

Japan Tours Getting Hot Among Chinese
More Chinese people are planning a tour to Japan due to the fall of the Japanese yen, the Beijing Morning Post reported. Tours on this route have nearly been booked out at Beijing-based BTG Outbound Tours, according to the travel agency's spokeswoman. Only identifying herself as Guan, the spokeswoman said people's enthusiasm for the Japan tour has increased because the trips have become cheaper with the recent slump in Japan's currency. The exchange rate has plunged to around 131 Japanese yen fo

Blair Lauds ?ruitful Ties?With China
British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday held talks with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and spoke highly of the bilateral relations. During the talks, Tang said the relationship between China and Britain currently enjoys a good momentum of development as both sides worked very hard to promote the ties. China attaches great importance to its relations with Britain and wants to promote the development of the bilateral relation from the attitude of strategy, Tang said. As perma

Falling Yen Makes Travel to Japan Attractive to Chinese
More Chinese people are planning a tour to Japan due to the fall of the Japanese yen, the Beijing Morning Post reported. Tours on this route have nearly been booked out at Beijing-based BTG Outbound Tours, according to the travel agency's spokeswoman. Only identifying herself as Guan, the spokeswoman said people's enthusiasm for the Japan tour has increased because the trips have become cheaper with the recent slump in Japan's currency. The exchange rate has plunged to around 131 Japanese yen fo

Opinion: Public rail price hearing a good start
A public hearing was held on Saturday to discuss the Railway Ministry's proposed price hike of passenger train tickets during the peak traffic period from January 28 to March 8 for the upcoming Spring Festival (on February 12 this year), which is the most important festival for Chinese family gatherings.

It is great procedural progress. It signifies the public will have more say in the price setting of the State-monopolized sector. Its price setting procedure will have to be a more transp

China Builds First Salvage Airport
The construction of China's first airport for emergency rescue flights is running smoothly in the east China port city of Shanghai.

At present, the civil engineering work of the project has been completed. Several S-76C Salvage helicopters, the most modern type among similar planes, have been transported from the United States to Shanghai and are now being assembled, sources said.

The helicopter can fly in heavy winds, with the travel distance of 650 kilometers and the capacity to

Nanjing to Transplant 40,000 Big Trees
Over 40,000 big trees will be transplanted this year in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, to improve the environment and scenery.

An official from the city government said that the trees, including chinar, pointed zelkova and maple, will help beautify Nanjing's main roads.

He also noted that Nanjing has had an annual increase of one million square meters of public parkland or reserves in recent years, which has provided a much better environment for tourists and re

Macau awaits boom of inland tourists
The Macau special administrative region (SAR)government is looking at better ways to host tourists from China's interior,which is tipped to soar in the wake of further opening of the inland tourist market.

Official figures show that China's inland became the second largest tourist source for the SAR with nearly three million visitor arrivals in 2001,a year on year increase of up to 30percent.

And the number is projected to be even greater this year,taking into consideration of the

China sets up GDS air ticket system
As the regrouping process of China's major airlines experiences air turbulence, a pivotal project for the aviation industry -- the construction of ticket distribution system -- is having a smooth flight.

The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), the aviation industry watchdog, announced that a Global Distribution System (GDS) for ticket sales had been established in China to provide all-round ticket services to consumers.

Air travellers in China can now easily g

Nepal Launches Destination Nepal Campaign to Promote Tourism
The Nepali government has decided to launch a national program of "Destination Nepal Campaign" from January 2002 to December 2003, to promote tourism in the Himalayan kingdom, the state-run English daily, The Rising Nepal, said recently.

The aim of the campaign is to promote the image of the country as a reliable, safe, attractive tourist destination by increasing awareness on tourism related issues and launching effective international publicity, the daily said, quoting a press release i

China Eyes Neighborhood Nations for Tourism Promotion
China expects 90 million arrivals this year, sources with the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said recently at the annual tourism conference in Bo'ao, Hainan Province.

He Guangwei,chairman of CNTA said tourism is expected to bring in18.5 billion U.S. dollars this year. The overall revenue from domestic and overseas tourists will be 535 billion yuan, 8 percent above last year.

He said Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will contribute 85 percent to the total number of arrivals

China simplifies procedures for going abroad
Chinese citizens will no longer need to offer an invitation from overseas in applying for dealing with procedures to go abroad beginning February 1 this year, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The exit registration card attached with their passports will also be canceled on the same day.

This is one of the six major reforms the ministry has decided to carry this year to simplify entry-exit procedures to meet the situation of China's accession to the World Trade Organiza

China's Airlines Stung by Terror
China's aviation industry is beginning to realize just how large an impact the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States will have on airlines in China, with four of the country's top international carriers expected to post combined losses of 1.5 billion yuan (US$180.7 million) for 2002, the Civil Aviation Administration of China reported.

"Passenger and cargo revenue losses, posted by Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Xinjiang Airlines were roughly

Extra Trains to Ease Festival Peak
Fifty extra passenger trains are to be added at Guangzhou railway station in south China's Guangdong Province to cope with the increase in passengers over the Spring Festival period. The number of freight trains will be cut to make way for the additional passenger trains, according to sources from the Guangzhou Railway Group. It is predicted that 75 million passenger journeys will travel the province's rail tracks in the 40-day period starting next Monday. The figure is roughly the same as the n

Executives Return to Classroom for MBA
While many are still in bed at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, the Sino-US program for Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Beijing University starts its regular weekend sessions, and the students, some of whom senior executives at transnational corporations, are all punctual. Some of them even have to travel a thousand kilometers to attend the course. Cheng, an accounting manager at the regional headquarters of a US company in Shanghai, flies to Beijing every Friday night for the two-day lectures. "I

Number of Chinese Tourists in Thailand Likely to Rise by 20 Pct This Year
The number of Chinese tourists in Thailand is expected to increase by 20percent this year,earning the country around 20 billion baht (US$ 454million)in revenue,according to a report of the Thai Farmers Research Center(TFRC)available today. The leading think tank said in the report that China is regarded as a potential tourism destination because it is a big market with expected rapid growth. The Chinese economy has expanded significantly against the global economy,resulting in people enjoying hi

Rights of overseas Chinese protected in motherland, says Vice Premier
Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen said at the National Overseas Chinese Affairs Conference Wednesday that overseas Chinese are assured of having their legitimate rights well protected in their motherland.

With China's accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO), overseas Chinese will have more frequent and closer cooperation and exchanges with the motherland than ever, Qian said.

The three-day meeting drew over 160 representatives from overseas Chinese affairs offices nationwi

Chinese Railways Focus on Quality of Service This Year
China's railway sector will concentrate on improving its service this year, Chinese Railway Minister Fu Zhihuan announced in Beijing on Thursday.

China will promote the "Year of Good Train Service" this year throughout the entire railway system, focusing mainly on ensuring orderly and safe railway stations, and improving railway facilities, the railway environment and ticket and travel services,said sources with the Ministry of Railways.

According to the ministry, at least 95 perce

Teapot exhibition tells of Chinese tea drinking history
China's tea appreciation culture has a long history and more diversified than what a lot of people have imagined,but an exhibition entitled "A Story About Teapots"currently held in Hong Kong tell the story.

The exhibition,held by the Hong Kong SAR Leisure and Cultural Services Department,allows visitors not only to view a fine selection of teapots and tea ware,but also to appreciate the diversity of the art across several dynasties in Chinese history.

The theme of this exhibition f

One Million Yuan Reward for Xinjiang Tiger
A Xinjiang-based exploration and travel company recently offered a reward of one million yuan (about 125,000 U.S. dollars) to encourage local residents of west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to put more efforts on Xinjiang tiger seeking.

Xinjiang tigers, the world's only tiger species living in the desert, were frequently seen in the Tianshan mountain area and the Tarim River Valley at the end of the 19th century.

Historical records show that the Xinjiang tiger was compar

Three Gorges Project So Far Costs 70 Billion Yuan
The nine-year construction of the Three Gorges Project on the China's longest Yangtze River has so far cost a total of 70 billion yuan (8.4 billion U.S. dollars),said China Yangtze Three Gorges Project Development Co.

The world's largest hydropower project started in 1993 and will be completed by 2009.

Work on the project in Yichang, in central China's Hubei Province, is to cost an estimated investment of 203.9 billion yuan(about 24.6 billion U.S. dollars), according to company sou

Beijing Strengthens Relics Protection
Beijing has made significant progress in relic protection of historic sites and relics over the past year, said an official in charge of relic protection in the national capital.

Mei Ninghua, director of the municipal cultural heritage bureau,said that by the end of November last year, the city government had set aside 190 million yuan (22.81 million U.S. dollars) for the restoration of 98 historic sites. Various interested organisations donated 600 million yuan (72.28 million U.S. dollar

China Working for Early Start of Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway
China is to finalize the scheme for an early start of the construction of the planned Beijing-Shanghai high speed railway this year, top planner Zeng Peiyan said recently.

Experiments are currently underway to test the technical models for the railway project so that the final decision can be made as early as possible, said Zeng, minister in charge of the State Development Planning Commission, at a press conference.

Railway transportation between Beijing and Shanghai has been very

Thailand, China, Laos to Push Forward "Asian Highway" Plan
Thailand, China and Laos have agreed in principle to go ahead with the construction of the "Asian Highway" plan that will connect road transportation of the three countries. It will benefit all three partner nations by the expansion of transportation facilities and the promotion of the tourism industry.

Thailand, China and Laos have agreed in principle to go ahead with the construction of the "Asian Highway" plan that will connect road transportation of the three countries, the state-owne

Major events increase city's entry-exit flow
A record number of people - 8,197,894 - entered or left Shanghai last year, officials announced recently.

Officials from Shanghai's Entry and Exit Frontier Defense Inspection Station attributed the 18 percent increase over 2000 to major events that were held in the city, as well as increased ease to enter and depart.

They did not provide a breakdown for entries and departures, but said the number included travelers and employees of airlines and ships that use Shanghai as an entry o

Two Million Foreigners Come to China for Business, Conferences Last Year
The year 2001 witnessed 1.98 million foreigners coming to China for conferences and business activities, accounting for 17.68 percent of the total number of foreigners who arrived in China last year.

Statistics issued recently by the Exit-Entry Administration of the Public Security Ministry show that about 22 million foreigners from 239 countries and regions entered and left China in 2001, up 10.49 percent from the figure for 2000.

The top ten countries with the most travelers to C

Tourism Cities in China to Make Most of Unique Character: Expert
China's major sightseeing destinations should take utmost advantage of their unique characteristics to open up most of China's plentiful tourism resources, said Michael MacNulty, a consultant for the World Tourism Organization who recently traveled 10 popular tourism cities in China in order to help China formulate the "Best Tourism Cities" criterion together with China National Tourism Administration.

Features to Be Drawn on

MacNulty said the vast areas of offered an abundance of

City Gears up for Spring Rush
Shanghai Railway Station is seeing a ridership increase, with the start of the festival peak travel period nearly a week away. Shanghai Railway Administration, which controls rail transportation in the city and four neighboring provinces, said it is planning to add 134 trains to its daily fleet of more than 400 to prepare for increased traffic during the peak period surrounding the Chinese Lunar New Year. Administration officials said they expect to handle 20.8 million passengers during the upco

Israel's Sharon Keeps Tanks on Arafat's Doorstep
Israel kept up the pressure on Yasser Arafat on Sunday, maintaining its tanks on the streets of Ramallah right outside the Palestinian leader's offices, provoking more armed clashes and threats from Islamic radicals. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was quoted in the daily Maariv as saying "it is preferable that Arafat stays locked in Ramallah instead of being expelled from the (Palestinian) territories as he could cause more harm outside." "He opens the windows of his Ramallah offices, he se

Early Traffic High Tide Expected
An early rush period of China's railroad system is expected to occur this year due to the combination of an earlier-come rural workers homeward tide and the normal wave of returning university students at the end of their semester. The high tide of Chinese transportation industry usually falls around the traditional Chinese Spring Festival. Shanghai Railway Station is seeing a ridership increase, with the start of the festival peak travel period nearly a week away. Fifty extra passenger trains a

China to See Passenger Flow of 1.74 Billion in Peak Season
China's transportation department is expected to serve 1.74 billion passengers during this year's 40-day spring peak season, which starts in six days. The figure represents a rise of 3.3 percent from a year earlier and a daily average of 43.5 million, an official of the State Economic and Trade Commission said Tuesday. It is expected the railway system will carry 130 million passengers during the peak season, up two percent year on year; the highway system will handle 1.58 billion passengers, up

Trips for Festival to be Safe, Comfortable
Good news for millions of Chinese passengers: Trips to visit family during Spring Festival will be safe, easy and affordable. China's top communications watchdog has pledged to tighten security and improve services to handle the rush of travellers during the holiday week, which starts a week before February 12, which is the Spring Festival. Hu Xijie, deputy minister of communications, said at a televised working conference Tuesday that precautions are being taken to reduce the number of potentia

Beijing Don't Plan Bus Price Rises
Beijing will not raise charges for its city-wide road transport service during the coming Spring Festival holidays,today's Beijing Times reported. But prices for routes from Beijing to other provinces or cities may increase if the terminal place plans price rises. A Spring rush is expected during the holidays when people usually travel home to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Many other provinces and cities have announced the plans to raise bus fares,such as Shanghai,Anhui province and Zhejiang p

China Braces for Travel Rush over Lunar New Year
China is bracing for more than 1.7 billion passengers to hit the road over the Chinese Lunar New Year as people take advantage of the traditional festival to return home or travel. The number of journeys was expected to be 3.3 percent higher than the same peak 40-day period last year at around 1.74 billion passengers. That total -- which includes trips both to and from a given destination -- exceeds China's population, the world's largest at 1.3 billion. Some 43.5 million people will travel dail

No Bargains for Holiday Trips
If you're planning to travel during the Spring Festival next month, prepare to be gouged by airlines and travel agents planning to raise prices on both domestic and overseas trips. An informal survey of tour prices offered by four of Shanghai's largest travel agencies shows that average price will increase by more than 1,000 yuan (US$120) during the first half of the seven-day holiday, but costs will drop during the second half. A trip to Hainan Island, for instance, will more than double in pri

Plentiful Preparations Begin Early for Spring Festivities
Chinese vacationers are gearing up to enjoy the coming week-long Spring Festival, which begins on February 12. Although there are several weeks before the Chinese Lunar New Year, many Chinese people are making preparations for their holiday travel plans, especially those who are eyeing distant destinations. So far, about 30,000 Beijing residents have booked overseas tours during the Spring Festival. The China Travel Service has received approximately 200 customers per day in recent weeks booking

Straits Narrow for Spring Festival
In the first joint effort between the mainland and Taiwan airlines, more flights will be available from Shanghai to Taiwan via Macao for the Spring Festival. The new flights will accommodate Taiwan businessmen working in Shanghai, said Fan Hongxi, president of Shanghai Airlines. "With the increase of Taiwan compatriots coming to the city, current flights are far from meeting the demand," said Fan. China Sunrise International Travel Service, Taiwan Dynasty International Travel, Haixiaton Express

Macao Airport Prepares for Traffic Peak in Spring Festival
The Macao International Airport has made provision for a tipped passenger peak in the forthcoming Spring Festival break, a traditional red-letter day for family reunion and tours which falls on February 12.

The airport is projected to add six to seven flights on the busy routes to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Sanya, Beijing and Ningbo per day between February 9 to 14, the authorities told Xinhua.

Air carriers, such as Air Macao, Hainan Airlines and Xiamen Airlines, plan to prov

Turpan: Hot Tourist Spots in Xinjiang
Turpan has gradually become one of the most attractive scenic spots in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Boasting abundant historical and natural scenery as well as peculiar folk customs of the Uygur people, the main resident group in Xinjiang, Turpan enjoys a high reputation among travelers both at home and abroad.

Over 1.33 million domestic and overseas tourists visited the region last year, up 33 percent over 2000, local statistics show.

An investigation

HK Airport to See Busier Lunar New Year
Hong Kong International Airport will greet a busier lunar New Year as demand by airlines for extra flight slots has exceeded last year's number with three weeks to go before the start of the holiday season.
Airlines have requested 956 additional flight slots for the holiday season, which runs from February 7 to February 23, exceeding the 952 extra flights that were laid on from January 19 to February 4 of 2001, the Airport Authority of Hong Kong reported recently.
The Airport Authority est

Shanghai city to evaluate guides
Starting this year, the nearly 10,000 guides in the city will be reviewed annually and those who fail to meet standards will probably lose their licenses, the municipal Tourism Commission said recently.

The evaluation system is designed to insure that guides offer qualified services to tourists, the commission said.

A major goal is to eliminate unqualified guides, officials said. Those involving in collecting rebates, asking for gratuities and forced shopping for extra gain will re

China's tallest air control tower being built in Guangzhou
The air control tower now being built at new Baiyun International Airport of Guangzhou, one of China's southern gates to the outside world, will stand 104.5 meters upon completion, the highest in the country.

Sources from the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Co. Ltd said that the Guangzhou regional air control central project, or the air control tower, will cost about 660 million yuan (US$79. 52 million) and will be well equipped.

On completion, it will be the third major air

Ancient Military Sites Discovered in Central China's Henan Province
The ruins of nine military forts, believed to be built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), have been discovered in a scenic zone in central China's Henan Province.

Archaeologists said these forts were military camps during the Ming Dynasty.

Built on nine mountain peaks in the Qinglongxia Scenic Zone in Xiuwu County, each of the camps covers an area ranging from 2,500 to 5,000 square meters. The fort walls were all built with block stones and slab stones.

Archaeologists foun

Japan Tours Getting Hot Among Chinese
More Chinese people are planning a tour to Japan due to the fall of the Japanese yen, the Beijing Morning Post reported.

Tours on this route have nearly been booked out at Beijing-based BTG Outbound Tours, according to the travel agency's spokeswoman.

Only identifying herself as Guan, the spokeswoman said people's enthusiasm for the Japan tour has increased because the trips have become cheaper with the recent slump in Japan's currency.

The exchange rate has plunged to aroun

North China Town Pingyao to Host Lantern Show
A large-scale lantern show will be held during the upcoming Chinese lunar new year in Pingyao, an ancient town in north China's Shanxi Province.

More than 100 groups of lanterns will be displayed from February 9 to March 1, decorating 3,600-meter streets across central part of the town.

Pingyao is home to the most complete ancient city walls in China, and also famous for many well-protected dwelling houses, stores, streets, temples, and government offices built in the Ming(1368-164

Shanghai Airways Raise Transport Capability
Shanghai aviation departments have recently made adjustments to enhance the airport's transport capability to be better prepared for the large number of passengers during China's traditional Spring Festival period.

China Eastern Airlines Co., Ltd. will put 68 airplanes into the holiday transport. Shanghai Airlines will use all its 22 planes for the effort, together with Boeing's 737-800 planes, which will begin operating on January 21.

It is estimated that the two airways will be a

Travel Agency Becomes Developer of Tourist Spots
A Chinese travel agency recently invested heavily in development of east China's scenic spot of Mount Huangshan, which is well-known for its cloud sea, thermal spring and uniquely shaped rocks.

The Tianjin-based Fangzhou Travel Agency cooperated with Huangshan Government in establishing a company to develop the tourist destination, constituting the first endeavor of Chinese travel agency to go beyond its traditional purpose of organizing travel tours.

According to the contract, Fan

Duty-free business still off limits
Overseas companies' participation in China's duty-free business was banned before China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) and will remain banned now that China is a WTO member.

Duty-free business is regarded by many WTO members as a specialized retail business. Therefore, the business is run like a monopoly, said Zhang Hanlin, a professor of the University of International Business and Economics.

"The country did not promise to open the business to overseas companies during

China to See Passenger Flow of 1.74 Billion in Peak Season
China's transportation department is expected to serve 1.74 billion passengers during this year's 40-day spring peak season.

The figure represents a rise of 3.3 percent from a year earlier and a daily average of 43.5 million, an official of the State Economic and Trade Commission said recently.

It is expected the railway system will carry 130 million passengers during the peak season, up two percent year on year; the highway system will handle 1.58 billion passengers, up four perce

US Plane Makes Emergency Landing in China
A US Northwest Airlines passenger plane made an emergency landing in northern China's Tianjin International Airport Thursday after a slip containing words of threat was found on board. Flight NWA 087 to Beijing from Detroit made the unscheduled stop at Tianjin airport, about 100 miles from Beijing, around 7:00 pm local time (1000 GMT). Northwest Airlines' Tokyo office reported the threatening letter to the Chinese side two hours earlier, around 5:00 local time (0800 GMT). The plane made an emerg

US Plane Makes Emergency Landing in China
A US Northwest Airlines passenger plane made an emergency landing in northern China's Tianjin International Airport Thursday after a slip containing words of threat was found on board. Flight NWA 087 to Beijing from Detroit made the unscheduled stop at Tianjin airport, about 100 miles from Beijing, around 7:00 pm local time (1000 GMT). Northwest Airlines' Tokyo office reported the threatening letter to the Chinese side two hours earlier, around 5:00 local time (0800 GMT). The plane made an emerg

China's Taoist Bible Engraved on Agate
China's Taoist bible, The Way and Its Power (Dao De Jing) in Chinese, has been inscribed on a rare agate. The oval-shaped brownish agate is seven centimeters (2.76 inches) long and 5.5 centimeters (2.17 inches) wide, weighing 2.6 kilograms, and contains a tiny pool of water the size of a ping-pong ball. The central text of Taoist philosophy consists of 5,570 characters and they have all been minutely engraved on the agate. Hu Shaoyu worked on this gem for five months. Hu is the vice director of

Sandstorms Continue to Whip up Trouble
More than half of the sandstorms occurring in North China and Northeast China originate from outside the country, said the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) on Friday. According to the latest project report of the administration, the northern parts of the country suffered a total of 32 sandstorms during last year -- 56 percent of which were whipped up in southern parts of Mongolia. The remaining 44 percent came mostly from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The sources of t

HIV Carrier Promotes Awareness of AIDS
Liu Ziliang's life mission is clear. As the first Chinese HIV-positive patient to appear before the country's media undisguised, Liu will show his bravery once more as he begins a 1,000-kilometre bike trip to promote AIDS awareness.

"I do not know how much longer I will live in this world but I want to make the rest of the years of my life more valuable," Liu said. The 33-year-old HIV-carrier comes from the countryside of Central China's Henan Province.

On February 28, Liu and Zhu

Migrant Workers Have More Transport Options During Spring Festival Peak
The world's largest flow of population started Monday in China as the country's most joyous season -- Spring Festival -- draws near. During the coming 40 days, a total of 1.74 billion passengers, about 100 million more than the figure reported last year, are expected to take various forms of public transport to be reunited with their families. However, Beijing West Railway Station, one of the main traffic hubs in China and the largest of its kind in Asia, seems to be quite normal, with no sign o

HIV Carrier Promotes Awareness of AIDS
Liu Ziliang's life mission is clear. As the first Chinese HIV-positive patient to appear before the country's media undisguised, Liu will show his bravery once more as he begins a 1,000-kilometre bike trip to promote AIDS awareness. "I do not know how much longer I will live in this world but I want to make the rest of the years of my life more valuable," Liu said. The 33-year-old HIV-carrier comes from the countryside of Central China's Henan Province. On February 28, Liu and Zhu Ming, presiden

Migrant Workers Have More Transport Options During Spring Festival Peak
The world's largest flow of population started Monday in China as the country's most joyous season -- Spring Festival -- draws near. During the coming 40 days, a total of 1.74 billion passengers, about 100 million more than the figure reported last year, are expected to take various forms of public transport to be reunited with their families. However, Beijing West Railway Station, one of the main traffic hubs in China and the largest of its kind in Asia, seems to be quite normal, with no sign o

Macao to Put Priority on Preventing Dengue Fever
Preventing the spread of dengue fever will be a priority on the 2002 agenda of health service departments in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).

The Health Service Bureau has revealed that, as of last September, more than 1,000 local residents have been confirmed to be infected with the disease, which is believed to be brought to Macao by those who had traveled to southeast Asian countries.

Director Kui Kuok Ieng of the bureau told the press recently that Macao will

China Vows to Protect Ethnic Minority Culture
China has vowed to protect indigenous arts and traditions in its efforts to raise the standards of living of ethnic minorities through economic development.

Official statistics show China has put around 6.4 billion yuan (771 million U.S. dollars) into cultural development of its ethnic minorities so far, recently China Daily reported.

Li Dezhu, minister of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, said,"The culture of ethnic groups can be developed into a major enginefor local economic

Coastal Fujian Province to Build Garden-like Cities
The coastal province of Fujian, east China, has mapped out a plan to build a number of clean, garden-like cities through massive investment in environmental protection and ecological construction projects.

According to a plan made by the provincial government, at least one waste water treatment plant will be built in each of the 23 cities in the province before 2005, so that no less than 45 percent of the domestic and industrial waste water will be treated and up to the government standar

Beijing Receives More Visitors
Beijing received more than 2.85 million overseas visitors in 2001, a rise of 1.31 percent on a yearly basis, earning 2.95 billion U.S. dollars in foreign exchange, according to statistics published here recently.

Domestic visitors to the Chinese capital totaled 74.62 million,up by 10.7 percent. The city harvested an income of 83.2 billion yuan (10.02 billion U.S. dollars), rising by 30 percent when compared with the previous year, according to the Beijing Municipal Tourism Administration.

Three Million Visit Confucius's Birthplace in 2001
More than 3.2 million local and overseas travelers visited Qufu, Confucius's birthplace in east China's Shandong Province in 2001.

This number was 20 percent more than the previous year, according to the local tourist department. Tourism revenue hit one billion yuan (120 million U.S. dollars).

Confucius, a philosopher who lived in the 5th century BC, is world-renowned figure. His doctrine which advocates "benevolence" dominated China's politics for more than 2,000 years.

Aft

Macao to Host 54th PATA Annual Conference in 2005
China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) has won the right to host the 54th Annual Conference of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in 2005, an opportunity both to show its strength as a tourist Mecca and to promote the tourism business.

Joao Manuel Costa Antunes, director of the Macao Government Tourist Office, announced recently that it would be the first time for Macao to host the PATA annual conference, on the preferred dates from April 3 to 8, 2005.

The SAR is

World's Biggest Water Control Project Attracts Tourists
The Three Gorges water control project now being built in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and believed to be the largest in the world has become a major tourist attraction.

Sources from the China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation said 560,000 local and overseas tourists visited the project construction site last year.

Construction has been sped up for a number of tourist facilities near the dam of the water control project, including a sight-seeing

Relics relocation not to affect tourism on Yangtze
Relocation of stone inscriptions at Qutangxia Gorge will not affect tourism in the Three Gorges area, an official said in Fengjie County of Chongqing recently.

Wang Wei, tourism director of Fengjie County in southwest China 's Chongqing Municipality, said that the relocation will better preserve the stone inscriptions and retain the cultural feature of the spectacular gorge scene, which has inspired many Chinese poets.

While the ancient inscriptions are being removed from the cliff

Ancient Inscribed Stones Moved from Three Gorges Dam Area
The removal of four stones carrying inscriptions from the Qutangxia Gorge on the Yangtze River started recently, in a bid to keep the 1,000-year-old cultural relics from being inundated.

They are the first cultural relics to be moved from the Three Gorges, the site of the world's biggest hydro-electric project.

Yan Weiqian, an official in charge of the protection of cultural relics in the area, said that the central government has allocated five million yuan to remove the stones an

Beijing Airport Customs Intercepts 1,435 Antiques in 2001
Customs authority at Beijing's Capital Airport intercepted 1,435 pieces of antiques in 2001, a big rise over the previous year.

Of the 1,435 objects, 674 are strictly forbidden for export, while 761 are restricted for export, customs officials said recently.

The two figures are up 25 percent and 69 percent, respectively, over the numbers for 2000.

Among the rare pieces intercepted by the customs are 20 ancient paintings worth 190,000 yuan and six ancient ceramic objects valu

Northern Shanxi province to construct more expressways
Nearly 500 more kilometers of expressways will be completed and put into operation this year in north China's Shanxi Province, according to the provincial department of communications.

This means the total operational expressways in the province will exceed 1,000 kilometers in 2002, the department officials said.

The province started to build a 660-kilometer expressway connecting the cities of Datong and Yuncheng in 2000, the major section of which will be finished this year. The e

Trips for festival to be safe, comfortable
Good news for millions of Chinese passengers: Trips to visit family during Spring Festival will be safe, easy and affordable.

China's top communications watchdog has pledged to tighten security and improve services to handle the rush of travellers during the holiday week, which starts a week before February 12, which is the Spring Festival.

Hu Xijie, deputy minister of communications, said at a televised working conference Tuesday that precautions are being taken to reduce the numb

China Begins Three Gorges Reservoir Bed Clean-up
Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of explosions blasted away a building in the reservoir area of China's Three Gorges Project recently, marking the start of the countdown to water storage and power generation at the Three Gorges Project.

"This is the prelude to evacuation on a broader scale and the countdown to water injection and power generation," said Gan Yuping, deputy mayor of this western China metropolis and deputy director of the Committee for the Construction of Three Gorges Project Und

Tourism Gets First Joint Firm
The first Sino-foreign joint venture business travel service company debuted Monday in Beijing, marking the formal opening of China's travel market after the country's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The joint venture, named CITS American Express Travel Services Ltd, was co-established by the China International Travel Service Corporation (CITS) and the US-based travel management company American Express, with CITS holding a 51 percent stake. Scheduled to start operating in Apri

Four Seasons Hotel Opens in Shanghai
Four Seasons Hotel,a Canada-based world-top restaurant group,opened a new outlet in Shanghai yesterday.It's the first hotel the group has ever managed in China. Holding a 21 percent stake in the new hotel,Four Seasons joins hands with the Shanghai Industrial Group,the Wenhui Daily reported today. "It's also the first time our group has funneled such a large sum into a joint-stock hotel,"president of the Four Seasons Global said. As general,the group only manages the technical input,keeping their

Passengers Well Taken Care of During Holiday Peak Season
Having been carefully prepared for the passenger surge before and after the Chinese New Year in mid-February, airports and railway stations across China took more care of passengers on Monday, the first day of the 40-day spring holiday peak season. Passengers traveling from Lanzhou, capital of northwest Gansu province, were taken by surprise as they entered Lanzhou Railway Station that was reopened on Monday after a year of renovation work. The new station, with spacious waiting halls, delicate

CITS, American Express JV Debuts
The first Sino-foreign joint venture business travel service company debuted on Monday in Beijing, marking the formal opening of China's travel market after the country's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The joint venture, named CITS American Express Travel Services Ltd, was co-established by the China International Travel Service Corporation (CITS) and the US-based travel management company American Express, with CITS holding a 51 percent stake. Scheduled to start operating in A

First Sino-US Joint Venture on Business Travel Established in China
China International Travel Service (CITS) and American Express jointly established CITS American Express Travel Services Limited here on Monday, the first Sino-US business travel joint venture in China. The company will provide business travel management services toclients from multi-national corporations, regional companies and domestic companies throughout the country. Services to be providedby the company include obtaining and handling visas, internationaland domestic flight reservations and

Tourism Gets First Joint Firm
The first Sino-foreign joint venture business travel service company debuted yesterday in Beijing, marking the formal opening of China's travel market after the country's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The joint venture, named CITS American Express Travel Services Ltd, was co-established by the China International Travel Service Corporation (CITS) and the US-based travel management company American Express, with CITS holding a 51 per cent stake. Scheduled to start operating in

City's 40-day Holiday Rush Off Smoothly
With all his bags safely locked in the brand-new automatic lockers at Shanghai's main railway station, Zhang Guoyun, a 28-year-old migrant worker from Hunan Province, wandered the stores outside the station in search of last-minute Chinese New Year's gifts for his family back home. The train station may not have looked much busier than normal yesterday, but the arrival of Zhang and other migrant workers like him marks the start of the busy Spring Festival travel period. The Shanghai Railway Stat

Railway Passenger Flow Steady as Holiday Season Begins
Some 8.2 million people have traveled by train in China over the past three days as the peak season of the world's largest railway passenger flow draws nearer. The Chinese Ministry of Railway announced the beginning of the busiest transport season of the year on Monday, noting that 130 million people will travel by train in the 40-day period around the Chinese New Year on February 12. The figure is two percent higher than in the same period of last year. The ministry expects three peaks of railw

Rail Travel Fails to Whip up Head of Steam
The scene in Beijing's main railway stations on Monday turned out to be contrary to people's expectations: no travellers clad in padded winter coats with makeshift luggage climbing through the windows of trains. With two weeks to go until the Chinese Lunar New Year on February 12, station platforms and concourses were instead no more raucous than at other times of year when transport is not in peak demand. Monday marked the start of the 40-day transportation peak period, which will run until Mar

Foreign Travel Agencies Head Inshore
The city will allow major foreign travel agencies to become controlling share-holders in joint ventures beginning this month, the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission announced yesterday. Currently, there are no joint-venture travel agencies in the city, but officials would like to see one or two established by the end of this year. The city may even allow wholly owned foreign travel agencies to set up in town before 2005, the date China promised to open the travel business as part of its

Green projects take root throughout China
China has preserved 46.7 million hectares of trees and forests, ranking it first in the world, Zhou Shengxian, director of the State Forestry Administration, said recently in Beijing.

China's six largest green projects for this century will each exceed in scale the renowned ecological projects of Joseph Stalin's in the former Soviet Union, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's in the United States and the green programmes in North Africa, Zhou told a working conference on forestry.

"In contr

China in bid to protect Yellow River wetlands
Three provinces, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Henan, will work together to protect large areas of wetlands in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, China's second largest river.

According to Shanxi Administration of Nature Reserves, the three provinces are drafting an overall plan that targets 330,000 hectares from Yumenkou, between Shanxi and Shaanxi, to Dongbatou, at the border of Henan and Shandong.

The wetlands, which consist of riverbeds, alluvial flats, flood-plains, tributary debou

Yunnan builds China's second largest power project
Construction work began recently on what will be China's second largest hydropower station on the international Lancang-Mekong River.

Situated in the middle reaches of the river in Dali Bai Ethnic Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province in Southwest China, Xiaowan Hydropower Station will have a total installed generating capacity of 4.2 million kilowatts. It will be second only to the Three Gorges project on the Yangtze River.

About 22.2 billion yuan (US$2.7 billion) will be spent

Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge to Undergo Overhaul
The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, the first China-designed bridge on its longest river, will undergo the first major overhaul since it was built more than three decades ago.

The feasibility and scheme of the overhaul will start soon, said Mao Limin, office director of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge Administration.

The overhaul has been put on agenda for several times but has to be delayed due to the irreplaceable role of the bridge in cross-Yangtze traffic, he said.

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