China journey

Nanjing to Hold Int'l Plum Blossom Festival
An international plum blossom festival will be held from March 1 to 18 in the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

The plum blossom is Nanjing's official flower, and each year local people traditionally go to view plum blossoms in early spring.

Nanjing Vice Mayor Jiang Yude said the opening ceremony of the 18-day plum blossom festival, which has the theme "folk art tourism," will feature scenery, cultural heritage and the current development of Nanjing.

A variety of act

Tourism revenue reaches US$60b in 2001
Tourism on the Chinese mainland continued to grow quickly last year despite the depressed state of the world tourism industry.

Tourism authorities have anticipated an even bigger tourism market this year. In addition to the booming domestic market, the number of passengers travelling abroad is also set to grow rapidly, as the State Council recently approved 22 countries and regions as destinations for Chinese tourists.

The latest statistics from the China National Tourism Administr

Hindu Rioters Attack Muslims, Nearly 200 Killed
The death toll in two days of religious rioting in India has risen to more than 190,including 58 burned alive in the attack that sparked the bloodshed, authorities said on Friday. The unrest is the worst in India in a decade. "The death toll is 133 all over the state," home (interior) department secretary K. Nityanandam said, referring to rioting on Thursday a day after 58 people were burned alive when a suspected Muslim mob attacked a trainload of Hindu devotees. The army has arrived in the wes

Taiwan Business Leader Congratulates Tung on Victory
Liang-jen Chang, managing director of Chung Hwa Travel Service, an important Taiwan businessinstitution in Hong Kong, Thursday congratulated Hong Kong SpecialAdministrative Region's Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa on his victory in winning a second term. "I congratulate Tung on his success in winning a second-term aschief executive and hope Hong Kong's tomorrow will be better," Chang told Xinhua in a telephone interview. Chang made the remarks immediately after the Registration and Electoral Offic

Boeing, Airbus locked in Fight for Asia's Market
US giant Boeing Co and Europe's Airbus Industrie are vying for dominance of Asia's aviation industry as the sector emerges from the turbulence triggered by the September 11 US terrorist attacks. China has emerged as a key battleground with the restructuring of its civil aviation industry, while Japan is another major market, said industry players who attended the Asian Aerospace 2002 conference and exhibition here. Deals worth nearly US$3.2 billion were signed during the event, which ended on Su

US Airline, CITIC Join Hands in Finance Services
US-based Northwest Airlines signed an agreement on March 4 in Beijing with the CITIC Industrial Bank of China to jointly provide travel and finance services to Chinese tourists. According to the agreement, those who apply for CITIC's overseas study financial services will become Northwest Airlines' "frequent travellers" and enjoy the company's mileage award. This is the first time that foreign have airlines aligned themselves with domestic banks to promote finance and travel services. A senior o

China's GDP Reaches 9,593.3 billion yuan
China's gross domestic product(GDP) of 2001 was 9,593.3 billion yuan, an increase of 7.3 percent over the previous year in constant terms, exceeding the targeted seven percent growth, according to official statistics released here recently.

Zhu Zhixin, commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics, said at a press conference that the added value of the primary industry was 1461 billion yuan, up 2.8 percent, and that of the secondary industry was 4,906.9 billion yuan, up 8.7 percent, a

Protection area for wild animals, plants in Central China
A protection project for wild animals and plants is to be launched in central China's Hunan Province to turn the province into a "paradise" for wild animals and plants in the next five to ten years.

An official from the Provincial forestry bureau said that they aim to enlarge or build 100 nature reserves by 2010. The project will also include protection of wetlands and will cover 1.3 million hectares.

A complete monitoring network for wild animals and the wetlands will be establish

Yangtze banks on clean-up project
China has mapped out an ambitious programme to clean up the pollution-plagued Yangtze River which, if successful, is expected to improve water quality for two-fifths of the nation's inhabitants by 2010.

According to the programme, water pollution in the Yangtze River area will be remarkably reduced within eight years, while most of the water sources for drinking will be greatly improved.

The programme, approved by a team of experts at a meeting in Beijing yesterday, is the first ti

China Experiences Another Warm Winter
It has been another warm winter and people in Beijing have again missed the fun of a cold winter.

Beijing Observatory reports that the temperature in Beijing averaged 0.1 centigrade in January, 3.8 centigrade higher than in previous years.

The observatory predicts that the temperature in February will be around four degrees centigrade higher than normal.

Many areas in north China, east China and northeast China have also reported warm winters this year.

Meteorologists

Toll Toilets in Beijing to Open Free
Chinese capital Beijing will open part of its toll toilets to citizens and tourists beginning March 1, the Beijing Daily reported recently.

The decree will apply to public toilets of category II or above,which are required to have closed partitions, hand washing and drying facilities and mirrors.

It is estimated that such toilets account for 10 percent of the 4,731 public toilets in the eight urban districts of Beijing.

The maintenance of these toilets will be financed by th

East China Weihai City Aims To Give Top Comfort
Weihai, a coastal city in east China's Shandong province, is aiming to become the country's most comfortable city for people to live.

To help this happen, the local government has made environmental protection a priority.

This year, the city rejected 124 investment projects which experts said would damage the environment. These rejections meant the loss of 650 million U.S. dollars worth of potential investment.

The architectural style of the city is being carefully studies.A

Shanghai Relaunches Plan to Build World's Tallest Skyscraper
Local officials of the Pudong New District in this largest commercial and industrial city in China announced together with the developers recently to go ahead with the plan to build the tallest skyscraper in the world.

The officials said the design of the planned building, known as the Shanghai Global Financial Center, has been revised for safety reasons after the September 11 terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center in the United States.

Construction of the project in Pudo

China's Largest Chime Stone Found
Chinese archaeologists have unearthed a chime stone, believed to be the largest of its kind ever found in the country, in northwest China.

The chime stone is 91 cm long and 61 cm wide, with a thickness of four cm. It was found in the Lajia Ruins in Minhe County, Qinghai Province.

The ruins were listed as one of the 10 major archaeological finds in China in 2000.

The rectangular chime stone was made in imitation of an ancient stone knife. Small holes were drilled in it so tha

Street for Pedestrians Only in Ancient County
A 500-meter-street for pedestrians only was recently completed in Weishan Yi-Hui Autonomous County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, in order to preserve historical and cultural relics.

Weishan was once the capital of the Nanzhao Kingdom, which was founded in the eighth century and survived for more than 200 years.

Historical records show that in 1390, during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, the then local government rebuilt and enlarged the ancient city and part of this has

Ancient Jade Artifacts Found in North China
In north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region archeologists have excavated jade artifacts dating back more than 8,000 years, the earliest discovered in China.

The priceless relics were discovered during excavations around the Xinglonggou Ruins of Aohan Banner in Chifeng City, and their discovery was one of the pinnacles of achievement for archeological research in the region in 2001.

Of particular interest is the discovery of an ancient funeral custom in which jade was imbedded

Northwest Province Protects Grotto Culture Relics
With the implementation of the security protection regulation for medium-and-small sized grottoes in northwest China's Gansu Province, six cultural relics protection units including Dunhuang Research Institute will receive 2.6 million yuan (about 313,250 U.S. dollars) to protect grottoes within the province.

Famed for its grottoes, Gansu has over 160 different kinds of grotto sites, including 40 world famous ones such as Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang and Maiji Mountain Grottoes in T

Former Imperial Hunting Ground Open to Tourists
It used to be an imperial hunting field reserved for the rulers of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), but now it welcomes more than half million tourists each year.

The hunting ground, some 300 kilometers from Beijing, is attracting people who have grown tired of the convention scenic spots, and especially people living in Beijing and nearby areas.

So far, it has received 40,000 visitors from Beijing and Tianjin, said Jiang Haiyan, head of the local tourism administration

The off

More People in Shandong Go Abroad for Personal Affairs
The number of people going in and out of China for personal affairs through official permission in east China's Shandong Province exceeded 532,000 in 2001, eight percent more than the figure of the previous year.

Among them, the number of Chinese going abroad totaled 99,000, an increase of 14 percent. And 433,000 foreign nationals and residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan came to China, up by seven percent.

Most Chinese went abroad for sightseeing, visiting relatives, business r

Dynasties Witness Rise and Fall of Chariots
In Chinese history the burying of horses and chariots was part of a strict sacrificial system.

Since the 1930s, Chinese archaeologists have discovered many chariot burial sites mainly in North and central China.

Zheng Ruokui, a research fellow with the Archaeology Institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, painted an outline of the chariot burial system in a recent issue of the Chinese journal, Cultural Relics World.

Yin: start

Historical records show tha

Capital's Household Names
Landscape: Celebrities' Former Residences and Anecdotes,'' written by Chen Guangzhong and published by the New World Press in Chinese, 34 yuan (US$4).

At first glance, the secluded courtyard at 21 Xisantiao Hutong in Beijing is no different from other compounds in the capital.

Located outside Fucheng Gate near the Second Ring Road, the conspicuously enclosed courtyard is neglected by most passers-by.

Yet, if people slow their pace and step closer, they may discover a tablet

Cathay Pacific Voted Asia's Top Airline
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways said here Tuesday that it had been voted Asia's Best Airline in a global poll of more than 4 million travelers.

In the survey, conducted between August 2001 and March 2002 by UK-based consulting firm Skytax, Cathay Pacific was also voted Best Airline Trans-Pacific and was overall ranked as the number-two airline in the world.

Cathay Pacific Director and Chief Operating Officer Philip Chen said: "We are very proud that more than 4 million travelers

Tourists Getting a Taste for Vinegar
A newly established vinegar production workshop in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, is attracting many tourists, local sources say.

At the workshop, built by Shanxi Mature Vinegar Group, visitors can watch the complete process of vinegar making and can sample vinegars in a variety of flavors.

A visit to the workshop is only part of a larger tourism program which concentrates on all aspects of the vinegar industry which is a specialty of Shanxi Province. Other acti

Chinese Air Company Managers Get IATA Certificates
Seventy senior managerial personnel from Shanghai Airlines on recently were awarded graduation certificates for passing examinations in four specialties offered by the International Air Transport Association(IATA).

Sources from the Shanghai company say that nearly 600 company workers underwent training programs operated by IATA which was founded in 1945 and has its headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

Shanghai Airlines is one of the few Chinese air companies which has IATA membership.

Passenger Planes Land in Domestic Market
Three China-made MA60 passenger planes will enter the domestic aviation market from April, the plane's producer - the Xi'an Aircraft Company - announced recently.

Wuhan Airline Company will lease three MA60 planes from Xi'an Aircraft Company through Shenzhen Financial Leasing Co Ltd. The planes will be delivered in April, May and June respectively.

It is the first time the smaller passenger plane gets the chance to play in the domestic market since it was developed in 2000.

Large Primeval Forest Discovered in Southwest China
A large area of primeval forest has been discovered in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

With a total area of 74.8 square kilometers, the forest is located in Zhaoping County, and has never been exposed to human exploitation.

In addition to numerous kinds of plants, the forest is also home to a large variety of animals such as pangolins and boars, many of which are among the list of the rarest species in China.

The local government has filed an application

China's Imperial Dock to Be Restored
An imperial dock,located in the Summer Palace in Beijing,an imperial garden of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911),will be restored in the near future,according to Beijing Morning Post.

The dock is China's biggest and best preserved imperial dock and covers an area of 3,400sq.m.

It is on the National Historical Heritage listing and is also a popular scenic spot for today's tourists.

According to historical records,the dock was used specifically for berthing imperial vessels during

China, Japan, ROK to Hold Culture Exchange Fairs
China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are embracing an important year for cultural exchanges as four big events converge within the next couple of weeks, officials said Wednesday.

A "Chinese Culture Year" and a "Japanese Culture Year" will be held respectively in Tokyo and Beijing in early April, to mark the 30th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations.

Meanwhile a "China-ROK People-to-People Exchange Year" will be launched at the end of this m

Lhasa Aims to Become Key Tourism Attraction
Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, is aiming to become an important tourism city with a massive new infrastructure project, the city government has announced.

Losang Giangcun, mayor of Lhasa, said the city government had invested 1.23 billion yuan to improve water, electricity and traffic facilities as well as telecommunication, culture, education and public health in recent years.

Preferential policies and priority efforts will be given to the protection

Tourists to Hit a New High on National Day
Zhang Xiqin, vice-director of National Tourism Administration of China said on August 12, the domestic travel market is expected to hit another high during the festival of the National Day, presumably exceeding that of the Labor Day in number of tourists. To make the tours on holidays develop in an orderly way, August 12 saw the Chinese Association of Travel Service (CATS) offer consultations on travel in front of Beijing Books Mansion. Almost 20 Chinese well-known travel agencies carried out sa

Ice World Set to Heat up Tourist Trade
The country's famous ice and snow festival will again be held in Harbin, capital city of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province this winter, Ning Shimin, director of the provincial tourist bureau, announced recently. The annual festival, co-sponsored by the State Tourism Bureau and the local government, is used to attract tourists from both China and abroad to the area during the five-month-long winter. More than 1.7 million visitors attended the festival last winter, which brought in 780 milli

Wildflowers and Waterfalls
In the south of Hainan Island lies the Diaoluo Mountain National Forest Park, one of the most precious virgin tropical forests in China. It made a deep impression on me when I went there recently. Driving from Haikou, the capital of Hainan Province, along the east Haiyu Highway for about 200 kilometers, I reached Linshui County. From there, about 40 kilometers to the west, is the national park. I was lucky to be accompanied by Yu Weisun, deputy director of the Diaoluo Mountain Forestry Administr

Palestinian leader Arafat to visit China
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat left Gaza on August 13 for Beijing for a working visit to China. Arafat is expected to hold talks with President Jiang Zemin and other Chinese officials and brief them on the failed Camp David talks in the United States with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak under the auspices of US President Bill Clinton. The 15-day Camp David talks last month failed to achieve a breakthrough over core final status issues, such as the fate of Jerusalem, the return of Palestinian

Hot Weather Drives Tourists Northward
Thousands of visitors are rushing to North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where Genghis Khan fought and lived, to evade the heat wave plaguing China this summer. Meteorologists say that most cities in North China are experiencing one of the hottest summers in history. Temperatures in Inner Mongolia are 5?ower compared with Beijing and Tianjin. Many experts hold that it was cold weather that forced Mongolian hordes to invade southern cities for food and treasure, building a huge empire

Fujian Province
These Regulations are formulated in accordance with the state policies for further encouraging foreign investment and expanding export, and related policies of this province, with an aim of utilizing foreign capital more actively, rationally and effectively, and promoting the sound development of foreign investment in Fujian. 1. Delegating more examination/approval powers to lower levels: 1) The policies included in the document, Written Reply of the State Council to the Proposals of Fujian Prov

Zhangjiajie -- One of the World's Natural Heritages
The city of Zhangjiajie in northwestern Hunan Province is 400 kilometers from Changsha, capital of the province, and is well-known around the world for its vast expanse of unique landscapes. Among the city's scenic spots, the Wulingyuan Scenic Resort is the most famous. About 300,080,000 years ago, the place where the city is located used to be an ocean. Later, due to a series of crust movements, the seabed rose up and became land. Water erosion and natural landslides over the past millions of y

Arafat Leaves for China
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat left Gaza Sunday morning for Beijing for a working visit to China. Arafat is expected to hold talks with Chinese President Jiang Zemin and other Chinese officials and brief them on the failed Camp David talks in the U.S. with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak under the auspices of U.S President Bill Clinton. The 15-day Camp David talks last month failed to achieve a breakthrough over core final status issues, such as the fate of Jerusalem, the return of Palestini

Metal Scrap
Our plants in China monthly process 4,000 tons of non-ferrous metal scrap. Items including but not limited to: Cu/Al/Pb cables, Irony stainless/Cu/Brass/Al/Zn/Pb, shredded metals, motors. Our brass mill requires 2,000 tons of brass per month. We are constantly sourcing and buying. If you have some buying/exporting experience in your region, we would like to discuss with you. Our main requirements are: you must be honest, reliable and enthusiastic; willing to learn and travel. Joint venture is al

CAAC to Open New Tourist Flights
China's aviation industry is sparing no effort to tap into air market potentials in co-operation with the tourism sector, opening more air feeder lines around the nation and strengthening the promotion of international and Hong Kong flights. During the second half of this year, aviation enterprises should take advantage of the nationwide long holidays to expand business, said a source from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). In the week-long International Labor Day holidays in May

Yangtze River Gorges -- Unforgettable Cruise
The Yangtze River, originating on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, flows through seven provinces, an autonomous region and a municipality before it enters the East China Sea. It is the largest river in China and the third largest in the world. A boat cruise through the three gorges -- the Qutang, Wuxia and Xiling -- of the Yangtze River provides one of the most exciting river trips in the world.

The trip through the three gorges usually starts from Chongqing, Sichuan. But it is also possible

China's Principles and Policies on Handling Macao-Taiwan Relations
Relations after Macao's Return to China. The central government of China announced on January 15 1999 the basic principles and policies for handling relations between Macao and Taiwan following Macao's return to the motherland on December 20, 1999. According to the policies, unofficial exchanges between Macao and Taiwan, including economic, cultural and personnel exchanges, will remain basically unchanged after Macao's return. The central government will encourage and welcome Taiwan residents to

Guangxi
1. The preferential policies of Guangxi approved by the central government A) The policies applicable to the whole region 1) More rights are given to the local government in approving foreign investment projects which are in accordance with state policy in construction, production and operation, which do not need extra state support in foreign currency use, which have nothing to do import and export quota and license and which involve a total investment lower than US$30 million. 2) The foreign-i

Nanxi River Scenic Spot
While it's still pretty chilly up here in the north, the south is already enjoying a warm spring that makes the natural landscape a soul-stirring prospect.

Nanxi River Scenic Spot, a 625-square-kilometre area famous for beautiful waters, exotic rocks, waterfalls, intriguing old villages, forests and stunning rural scenes, is now in its prime for visitors.

Located 23 kilometers from Wenzhou City in East China's Zhejiang Province, Nanxi River is good to visit almost any time of the y

Wuyi Mountain -- Scenic Wonder
Fifteen kilometers south of the Chong'an County seat in Fujian Province, and isolated from the outside world by streams and ravines, the Wuyi Mountain area is often called the "number one scenic wonder in Southeast China." An ancient legend says that in prehistoric period, there was an eight hundred-year-old man named Peng Zu who came to live in Chong'an, where the people suffered because of serious flooding. Peng Zu had two sons, Wu and Yi, who offered to dredge the waterways and finally conque

Dazhai Village Changes Its Image
Many middle-aged people in China remember Dazhai Village from Great Cultural Revolution when they tilled the land many terraces cultivated on the Hutou (Tiger Head) Hills.

Those terraces today exist only in memory, however. As Dazhai has become a tourist center visited last year by over 200,00 people. Dazhainese have invested about 10 million yuan to create a park on the former terraces where tourists can see the Premier Zhou Enlai Memory Pavilion, vice-Premier Cheng Yonggui graveyard and

Xinjiang to Open Charter Flights to Thailand
New travel services in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are expected to boost tourism between the region and southeast Asian countries.

According to the plan, several travel agencies in Urumchi, capital city of the autonomous region, will supply charter flights for 320 Thai tourists both from and to Bangkok on January 21 next year, the eve of the traditional Chinese spring festival.

According to Liu Lingang, president of the Xinjiang Great Nature International

Helicopter Tour Debuts in Shenzhen
Fly with a helicopter to get a bird's-eye view over Shenzhen situated on the border between Guangdong and Hong Kong is no longer a dream for tourists coming to this southern Chinese city. The helicopter tour opened to the public in December 2002. The two Mi-171 helicopters in service are of world-advanced model put into operation in the end of 2000. Equipped with three engines and modern electronic navigation devices, each of them can carry 26 passengers. Taking off from the Nantou Helicopter Ai

Health Issues
If you need to see a doctor during your travels, you should ask your travel agent or hotel concierge to help you locate one. Western medical centers are separate from traditional Chinese medical centers. First-aid centers operate in most cities and counties. In Beijing there is a special 24-hour first-aid center for foreigners. The phone number is 120. In addition, there is a hospital in Beijing run by foreigners.

Chinese Parents Seek Standards for Foreigners Teaching in China
Many middle and primary schools in China try to attract students by conducting bilingual teaching and engaging foreign teachers. With the influx of more and more foreign teachers, concerns are beginning to be expressed for the first time by Chinese parents' concerns about foreign teachers' qualifications for teaching. Do these foreign teachers who come from all over the world speak correct English? Will their temporary stay in China affect the study of students? Do all foreigners teaching in Chi

Basins
Deep, large basins---some as large as hundreds of thousands of square kilometers---are found in the west, notably the Tarim, Junggar, Turpan, Qaidam and Sichuan basins. Medium and small basins---some as small as one or two square kilometers---are found mainly in the eastl. The Tarim Basin, the country?￥s largest inland basin with a total area of 530,000 square kilometers in southern Xinjiang, is screened in by the Tianshan, Kunlun and Altun ranges, like a lozenge in shape. It is bounded by the P

World Bank Report on China's Recent Economic Performance
Again, in a pattern that has become predictable, the economic performance of China during 2002 exceeded expectations. Official statistics show the economy growing by 8 percent, led by continued strength in the industrial and services sector. Output rose at an even faster rate of 9.9 percent in the first quarter of 2003, although this is unlikely to last given the effects of the SARS epidemic on some of China's regions and in neighboring countries. During 2002, there was renewed vigor in investme

Tallest Building in China Gets German Housekeeper
The 420-meter-high Jinmao Tower in Shanghai, the tallest building in China and the world's third, will be under joint administration of China Jinmao Group Co. Ltd and Imtech Germany, as the two sides signed a cooperation contract recently here.

The Imtech Germany, which holds 40 percent of shares of the joint venture, Shanghai JM Imtech Facility Services Ltd, will bring advanced technologies and solutions to enhance the management and services of the 88-layer skyscraper.

Imtech Ger

Precious Cultural Relics Donated to Sun Yat-sen Memorial
A former aide to the wife of Dr. Sun Yat-sen,a forerunner of the Chinese democratic revolution, has donated a hoard of the Chinese statesman's personal items to the Sun Yat-sen Former Residence Memorial in Shanghai.

Zhou Hekang, who worked for Madam Soong Chingling, the wife of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and the late honorary president of the People's Republic of China, from 1956 to 1981, gave more than 100 articles used by the couple, including Sun Yat-sen's long fur coat and razor and Madam Soong'

Shenyang to Host Car, Motorcycle Fair in July
The 2002 China (Shenyang) Automotive and Motorcycle Exposition and Trade Fair is due to be held in Shenyang, the capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, from July 10-14.

The fair is co-sponsored by the China Automotive Industry Consultation and Development Co., Ltd. and Shenyang Hongji Business Development Company.

Dozens of local and international car makers have shown interest in exhibiting their products at the fair, which will be staged at the Shenyang International Con

Seminar on development of shopping streets
Representatives from 14 world famous shopping streets recently gathered in Wangfujing, one of the busiest shopping streets in China, at a seminar on the development of shopping streets.

Their topics include how a street can be turned into landmark of a city or even a country and how to deal with traffic problem and public security issues.

Dominique Rodet, general representative of Champs-Elysees Committee, said she was surprised at the speed of development in Wangfujing, in downtow

China may host Miss World contest
Sanya, a tropical tourist city on south China's Hainan Island, is likely to become the first Chinese city ever to host the Miss World beauty pageant, says event organizer Julia Morley.

Morley made a five-day trip to Sanya recently to inspect preparations for the China section of the contest, which will be held in September and produce a contestant for the 2003 Miss World finals in Mexico.

While expressing satisfaction with Sanya's tourism environment and the preparatory work, she h

Straits travel relations predicted to recover
The China Airlines air tragedy on May 25 will not have a long-term adverse impact on cross-Straits exchanges, Taiwan affairs experts and travel-industry insiders said on May 28.

Cao Xiaoheng, director of the Institute of Taiwan Economics with the Tianjin-based Nankai University, said: "Catastrophic as it was, the plane crash - as an incidental accident - is not expected to bear a heavy and persistent impact on the general situation of the economies on both sides as well as their economic

Mainland SAR visa procedures simplified
Mainlanders will find it easier to get visas for Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) from now on, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Public Security on May 29.

The reason for the change in procedures is to meet the needs resulting from the increasing demand for economic, cultural and personnel exchanges between the mainland and the SARs, according to the ministry's Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration.

Also, new visas and visa registration

Soprano Lives More Than One Life
As a soprano with contracts to sing in leading opera houses around the world, Zhang Liping has lived many different lives on stage. Since last September, she has added another role to her theatrical life in between her tight schedule: teaching and sharing her knowledge and experience with young vocalists as professor of vocalism at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, which is also her Alma Mater. On June 9, Zhang will relive her multiple roles during a solo concert at the Forbidden City

China Rules to Govern Overseas Tourism
Beijing Monday released a new regulation governing Chinese tourists travelling abroad, which will go into effect on July 1. The 33-article regulation stipulates that foreign tourism destination countries should be decided by China's tourism authorities with the approval of the State Council, China's cabinet. Work units and individuals are not allowed to organize visits for Chinese tourists to foreign countries that are not listed by the tourism authority of the State Council as destination count

Thousands of Chinese Fans Head for Debut Game
Armed with flags, drums and bright red wigs, thousands of Chinese fans gathered in Kwangju on Tuesday to watch China's debut at the World Cup finals against Costa Rica. Between 10,000 and 20,000 are expected. The more thrifty took day trips from China while others joined expensive packages including tickets for China's two other group C matches against Brazil and Turkey. "China's in the World Cup for the first time so we had to come and support them," Pan Weisi, 31, a lawyer from the southern Ch

State Rules to Govern Overseas Tourism
Beijing yesterday released a new regulation governing Chinese tourists travelling abroad, which will go into effect on July 1. The 33-article regulation stipulates that foreign tourism destination countries should be decided by China's tourism authorities with the approval of the State Council, China's cabinet. Work units and individuals are not allowed to organize visits for Chinese tourists to foreign countries that are not listed by the tourism authority of the State Council as destination co

China's Oldest Giant Panda to be Preserved
Changchang, 35, China's oldest known giant panda, who died on May 20 in Jinan, capital of Shandong Province in the eastern country, will be preserved as a mounted specimen.

The male panda, weighing 114 kilograms at his death, had been suffering from organ failure since the beginning of this month, according to the medical team with Jinan Zoo, where he lived.

The average life expectancy of the endangered species is 25 years. Thirty-five equals the advanced age of 75 to 85 in human t

China's Oldest Giant Panda Seriously Ill
China's oldest giant panda, Changchang, was seriously ill and may be on his last legs, according to sources at the Jinan zoo in Shandong Province, east China.

At the age of 35, Changchang has outlived the 30 years of average life expectancy for giant pandas and is equivalent to about 85 in a human lifespan, the sources said.

Stout Changchang began to refuse food on May 8, whereas he used to have a big appetite, eating three corn buns, three kilograms of milk and 15 kilograms of bam

China to Produce First Cloned Giant Panda
Chinese scientists will produce the world's first cloned giant panda in one or two years, Beijing Youth Daily reported recently.

Chen Dayuan, a researcher with the Research Institute of Animals under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and a team leader on giant panda cloning, explained that they were just one step away from success.

"If everything goes right, the world's first cloned giant panda cub will be produced within one or two years," said Chen.

In a speech about "

Indian tiger was sighted in south China
An Indian tiger has been sighted by Chinese villagers recently in the mountains on the Sino-Vietnamese border.

Huang Nongsheng, a farmer from Tongmian Township in Ningming County in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said that he and about 30 other villagers were working on the mountainside when the tiger appeared about 100 meters from them.

"The tiger was running around and its roars caused the cows to disperse. We all climbed up trees for safety," he said.

Hua

Centenarians on Rise in China's Moslem Region-Ningxia
The number of centenarians in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has risen to 78 with the oldest aged 117.

Ningxia, which has China's largest Moslem population, has 5.6 million people, one third of whom are Moslems.

The average lifespan of locals used to be only 35 owing to poor living conditions and public health facilities before the founding of New China in 1949. Life expectancy these days has climbed to 71 on average, according to a recent regional survey.

N

Showroom Commemorating Nobel Prize Winner Opened in Hefei City
An exhibition room displaying the major achievements as well as everyday articles of Nobel Prize laureate Chen Ning Yang opened recently in this capital of east China's Anhui Province, his hometown.

The room is located within the Hefei Science and Technology Museum.

The museum's curator, Bai Jinsong, said that the newly-opened room exhibits photos and video tapes about the famous scientist, as well as things once used by him.

Among the 106 photos on display, 56 were provided

Scholarships to Deepen Research Into Macao's Culture, History
The Cultural Institute of the Macao Special Administrative Region government will soon grant a new slew of scholarships for those who have made outstanding progress in research of Macao's history and culture.

The research scholarships for the academic year of 2002/2003 aimed to further encourage scientific studies in the areas of Macao's history, literary, cultural heritage, anthropology and sociology, especially pertaining to the combination of the Chinese and Portuguese culture in the c

Meet in Beijing Culture Festival Closes
China's largest national culture festival, the 3rd "Meet in Beijing", ended here on May 30 in a dance performance by the world-famous Spanish National Dancing Group, which was the 33rd foreign artistic troupe to participate in the festival.

The festival, since its debut on April 20, has been applauded by more than one million people in the audience. A total of 100 performances were staged in 20 theaters and 10 squares by 33 troupes from 30 countries and regions, as well as 15 Chinese nati

Smoking urged to butt out of sports
Non-smoking and more sports lead to a healthy life has become the conviction of people who attended a national anti-smoking campaign on May 31 that celebrated the 15th World Non-smoking Day.

Responding to the World Health Organization's (WHO) global campaign -- dubbed "Tobacco-Free Sports: Playing it Clean" -- various regions of the country have held public education activities, urging people to kick tobacco out of sports events and their lives.

While Beijing is the host to the 200

World Cup exciting opportunity for China
After all, the first-ever Chinese presence at the FIFA World Cup soccer finals fulfills a decades-old Chinese dream.

Like Beijing's successful bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics, the significance of the team's expected debut at the World Cup finals has gone beyond the sport itself.

For many, that our men's soccer team finally has made it to the finals in South Korea and Japan is a matter of national pride. And our national team has become a roster of national heroes.

Expectati

Simplified travel permits to spur business in Macao, HK
Life has been made easier for commuters between the mainland and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions - thanks to the Ministry of Public Security which has set up seven measures to simplify permit procedures.

Mainlanders will find it easier to visit their family members or do business in Hong Kong and Macao with the simplified procedures, according to sources with the Exit and Entry Department of the ministry.

The scope for mainlanders visiting their relatives in

Scientists help save China's giant pandas in natural habitat
They just may be the world's most adored, most adorable animals, and there is no better place to fall under their spell than this remote, mountainous region where most of the world's wild pandas still live.

Sichuan Province is also home to the world's two largest panda reserves. They are part tourist attraction, but mostly serious research centers, where scientists from China and other countries work side by side to save the panda from extinction with some notable success recently in capt

Images Flow with Feeling
Photographer Klara Beck links water and women, using visual metaphors to induce the birth of a feminist style that celebrates the nurturing and enigmatic sides of motherhood and femininity, writes Zhao Feifei A beauty, her head tilted back, eyes nearly closed, peers through a half-opened car window. The window is flecked with raindrops. The woman's face is split by the window -half clear, half misty -creating a sharp relief against the black background. This is Klara Beck's interpretation of the

CIA Chief Meets Sharon in Israel
CIA Director George Tenet met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Monday, beginning a tough Mideast mission in which he wants assurances Yasser Arafat will revamp the Palestinian security forces to prevent attacks on Israel. Sharon has repeatedly said he does not believe the Palestinian reforms will be serious as long as Arafat leads the Palestinian Authority, and had been expected to deliver that message to Tenet. Tenet, who arrived Monday, met with Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben

Images Flow with Feeling
Photographer Klara Beck links water and women, using visual metaphors to induce the birth of a feminist style that celebrates the nurturing and enigmatic sides of motherhood and femininity. A beauty, her head tilted back, eyes nearly closed, peers through a half-opened car window. The window is flecked with raindrops. The woman's face is split by the window -half clear, half misty -creating a sharp relief against the black background. This is Klara Beck's interpretation of the connection between

Bridge Across the Pacific
Like other spouses of consuls, Vivian Chang acts as a bridge between two countries and cultures. But Vivian is the bridge of all bridges, as she is CSS's liaison officer, responsible for communication between CSS and the local community, government and Shanghai Women's Federation. Born in Hong Kong, she migrated to the United States at the age of 10. She majored in Mandarin and French at Georgetown University and completed her studies at the University of Paris at the Sorbonne. It was through a

Sept. 11 Mastermind May be Identified
Investigators believe they have identified a Kuwaiti lieutenant of Osama bin Laden as the likely mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a senior US counterterrorism official said Tuesday. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, designated one of the FBI's most-wanted terrorists, is at large in Afghanistan or nearby, the law enforcement official told The Associated Press. US investigators believe Mohammed planned many aspects of the Sept. 11 attacks, turning bin Laden's calls for dead Americans into reali

Henan to Invest Heavily in Environmental Protection
Central China's Henan Province plans to invest 31 billion yuan in environmental protection between 2001-2005, around 1.3 percent of its GDP in this period.

Henan, the most populous province in China, is also one of the poorest, suffering from severe environmental problems.

By 2010, Henan is expected to reach its peak in terms of population, while its per-capita share of resources will be at the lowest level.

The provincial government recently published its environmental plan

Nation Becomes More Transparent
China will not slow down in opening itself to the outside world in many people's eyes, even though daily reports on SARS stopped appearing last week on the nation's television screens. The decision to discontinue the daily reports on severe acute respiratory syndrome came in the wake of the World Health Organization decision to lift its travel advisory on Beijing and remove the city from its list of SARS-affected areas. The WHO decision is an indicator of China's future as a more transparent cou

Global Focus on High-tech Event
Leading players from around the globe are set to gather at China's biggest high-tech fair this autumn. "We hope we can ink the same amount of deals as last year or even more, although China was hit seriously by the SARS epidemic," said Li Hongzhong, acting mayor of Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong Province, and director of the organizing committee of the Fifth China High-Tech Fair (CHTF). Li told a press conference on Friday that the biggest high-tech fair in China will be held in the specia

Retail Therapy Prescribed for Post SARS Beijing
It's the first weekend since Beijing's removal from the WHO's list of SARS affected areas. Retail stores have done slow business over the last two months, but they are now preparing for an onslaught as pent up consumption urges drive shoppers and tourists

Restaurants, Beauty Saloons Resume Business
in China After SARS
Latest statistics from the national information center indicate that by mid-June, 80 percent of restaurants and beauty saloons throughout China had resumed business, after temporary suspension due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak.<

First Group of Overseas Tourists Arrive in Beijing
Tourists from the Republic of Korea (ROK) arriving at the Beijing International Airport send a scroll to staff members of the Beijing Municipal Government and the Beijing Municipal Tourism Bureau at the airport June 30, congratulating Beijing for its victory in fighting against SARS. Sixty tourists from the Republic of Korea (ROK) arrived in Beijing on Monday, becoming the first group of overseas visitors since the World Health Organization removed Beijing from its list of SARS-infected areas an

Yunnan Province Resumes Tourism Business After SARS Shadow Removed
The tourism bureau of southwest China's Yunnan Province announced Monday that local travel agencies could resume both domestic and overseas tourism business from July 1. At the peak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Yunnan's tourism industry was adversely affected, though it was one of the country's five provinces where no SARS cases were reported. As SARS has ebbed from the Chinese mainland, Yunnan, which boasts of numerous internationally-known attractions, is intensifying its touri

Domestic Tourism Market Opened to Foreign Investment
China just approved a regulation allowing foreign investment in travel agencies, much earlier than World Trade Organization (WTO) commitment.

Less than one week after the issue of the regulation, Jalpak was allowed to set up a totally foreign funded travel agency.

"Foreign enterprises will promote the brands formation of China's travel agencies," said Wu Bihu, an expert with Beijing University.

Some people argued, the limitation in the new regulation such as not allowed doin

Tourism Watchdog Receives 10 Applications from Foreign Investors
A recent move to open up China's lucrative tourism industry to overseas firms is being keenly eyed by 10 major players. In an exclusive interview with China Daily, an official from China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) revealed that they had received 10 applications from foreign investors. "Everything is going quite well and these overseas investors are showing interest in the industry, although the procedure is in the preparation stages," said Du Yili, director of the Quality Standard an

Zoo Keepers Search for Special Friends
Finding a partner for life is a daunting task for the animals in the zoo in the capital city of Jilin Province. But the zoo keepers, working as matchmakers, are scrambling around the nation in a bid to help giraffes, chimpanzees and hippos mate. "There are dozens of animals in mating season and they still have no partners," said Zeng Qingyong, a nutritionist at the Changchun Zoological and Botanical Park, the only zoo in Changchun, which is located in the nation's northeast. "We have taken a set

Overseas Tourists Arrive in Beijing After SARS
Sixty tourists from the Republic of Korea (ROK) arrived in Beijing on Monday, becoming the first group of overseas visitors since the World Health Organization removed Beijing from its list of SARS-infected areas and lifted its travel advisory against the city on June 24. The group, consisting of representatives from 45 ROK tourism agencies as well as some reporters, came to Beijing to learn about the post-SARS tourism market in Beijing. The ROK travelers were presented with flowers, souvenirs a

Classrooms Reopen After SARS
Primary and middle schools in Beijing reopened yesterday after a two-month-long closure to prevent the spread of SARS. Many of the 1.7 million students were relieved to return to school and rejoin their teachers and classmates. But they also face their final exams for the term in only two or three weeks. The World Health Organization removed Beijing from its list of SARS-infected areas and lifted its travel advisory against the city last week. But the city's education authority is still taking p

Beijing Welcomes First Foreign Tourists Group After SARS
Sixty tourists from the Republic of Korea (ROK) arrived in Beijing on Monday, becoming the first group of overseas visitors since the World Health Organization removed Beijing from its list of SARS-infected areas and lifted its travel advisory against the city on June 24. The group, consisting of representatives from 45 ROK tourism agencies as well as some reporters, came to Beijing to learn about the post-SARS tourism market in Beijing. The ROK travelers were presented with flowers, souvenirs a

Overseas Tourists Arrive in Beijing After WHO Lifts Travel Advisory
Sixty tourists from the Republic of Korea (ROK) arrived in Beijing on Monday, becoming the first group of overseas visitors since the World Health Organization removed Beijing from its list of SARS-infected areas and lifted its travel advisory against the city on June 24. The group, consisting of representatives from 45 ROK tourism agencies as well as some reporters, came to Beijing to learn about the post-SARS tourism market in Beijing. The ROK travelers were presented with flowers, souvenirs a

Chinese Railways Prepare for Summer Peak Traffic
China's Ministry of Railways has decided that the summer peak season for passenger transport will start on July 1 and end on August 31. During the following two months, railways across the country are expected to handle at least 158.4 million passenger journeys, mainly by college students on vacations, tourists and migrant workers, according to officials at the ministry. The ministry's original plan set the average daily passenger volume at 2.4 million passenger journeys in July and 2.8 million

China Southern Sets August 1st Re-Launch
Amsterdam/China Service
China Southern Airlines - the largest airline in The People's Republic of China, announces that it will re-launch its European gateway with service each Tuesday and Friday from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Beijing, China with continuing service to Guangz

Tourism Watchdog Receives 10 Applications from
Foreign Investors
A recent move to open up China's lucrative tourism industry to overseas firms is being keenly eyed by 10 major players.
In an exclusive interview with China Daily, an official from China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) revealed that they had rec

E. China Province Encourages Foreign, Private
Investors in Tourism Industry
Fujian Province in east China is encouraging overseas investors and local private business people to invest in its fledgling tourism industry, according to local official sources.
The provincial government will allocate a special fund of 100 million yu

Taiwan University Students Visit Chinese Mainland
A group of 24 students from Taiwan's Chinese Culture University Tuesday toured cultural and historical sites in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, becoming the first group from a Taiwanese educational institution to visit the central part of the Chinese mainland following the SARS epidemic. The visitors toured Wuhan University, the provincial museum, the memorial to the Revolution of 1911, which led to the overthrow of China's last feudal dynasty, and the Yellow Crane Tower, a site of historic in

A Hard-Won Victory by China And Its People
In the third spring of the new millennium, China was struck by the sudden outbreak of SARS. It had been wreaking havoc in Guangdong Province, Beijing and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region even before many got to know what severe acute respiratory syndrome was. In the weeks that followed, 32 countries and regions reported SARS cases. Worldwide, SARS infected more than 8,000 people, over 800 of whom died. China was the hardest-hit area. In a sense it was also the frontline in the global war

Smoother Sailing for Yangtze River Ships
Foreign ships can now travel the lower Yangtze River at night smoothly because of changes to navigation channels that took effect Tuesday. A special channel up to 500 meters wide has been set aside for the first time for large, seagoing vessels on the 300-kilometer stretch of the river below Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu Province. Wang Jingdong, a publicity official with the State Maritime Safety Administration, said the newly designated channel took up the center of the river, while

Bid Brings Mountain of Opportunities
Danxia Mountain, a key national scenic spot in Shaoguan, a northern city of South China's Guangdong Province, Tuesday launched its bid to take part in an international tourism resources programming plan. This bid, for the scenic spot programme, is the first of its kind in Guangdong, said Zheng Tongyang, director of the Guangdong Provincial Tourism Administration. "The proper and general development of Danxia Mountain plays an essential role in building up Shaoguan's fame and further development,

Smoother Sailing for Yangtze River Ships
Foreign ships can now travel the lower Yangtze River at night smoothly because of changes to navigation channels that took effect yesterday. A special channel up to 500 meters wide has been set aside for the first time for large, seagoing vessels on the 300-kilometre stretch of the river below Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu Province. Wang Jingdong, a publicity official with the State Maritime Safety Administration, said the newly designated channel took up the center of the river, whil

China strengthens scrutiny over airline safety
China's civil aviation administrator is taking urgent measures to ensure flight safety ondomestic airlines.
Six minor accidents involving domestic airlines occurred in June. Though no casualties were reported, those accidents have raised the alarm for

National geology park opens to visitors
The Songshan National Geology Park, reputed to be a natural museum on geological development, opened to visitors Tuesday, in Dengfeng City of central China's Henan Province.
Located on the Songshan Mountain, the 463.6-sq-km park is one of the first 11

Miller gains EVP role, heads China project
LONDON - The World Travel & Tourism Council new executive vice president Richard R. Miller is to head a new multi-sectoral initiative focused around China.

A release noted the promotion was in recognition of the outstanding contribution that Richard has made to the Council over the past thirteen years and follows the highly successful launch of the WTTC China Report. Most recently, Miller has been focused on managing and growing the production and delivery of WTTC's economic research.

China fulfills its WTO commitments
Thursday marked the second anniversary of China's entrance into the World Trade Organization. Upon its entry to the World Trade Organization, China made a number of market opening commitments. According to its agreement with the organization, China will lower average tariff level from 15.3 percent to 8 percent over a 5-year period.

China has exceeded expectations in meeting its WTO commitments. In the auto industry, for example, China plans to cancel quotas on cars and lower tariffs from

Trade calls for new China-India leisure link
NEW DELHI - A Chinese trade mission to Kolkata, East India, has called for leisure charter flights between Kunming and Kolkata.

Speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry seminar, Yunnan Development Research Centre director He Xuan said the civil aviation departments of both countries should begin negotiations to open the Kunming-Kolkata air route.

The historic "South Silk Road", connecting India and China passes through Yunnan. Stressing the need to re-start the famous road

Beijing Olympic Games music is announced
The Beijing Olympic Committee announced on Dec.10 that the top seven entries for the Olympic theme song have been recorded by China National Radio and will be released by the end of the year.

The bidding process for the Beijing Olympics theme song lasted for six months. 305 proposals were submitted to the committee and went through three stages of selection before reaching the final seven ones in the last round.

Beijing International Dance Festival
The long-awaited Beijing International Dance Festival kicked off at the Poly Theatre on Dec.12. It comes hot on the heels of this year's Beijing Drama Festival and Symphony Festival.

As the opening of the Beijing International Dance Festival, "Romance and Greatness" presented the most attractive parts of past performances, in the hope that success will once again favor the Oriental Song and Dance Ensemble.

More and more Chinese people are regarding the arts as a positive way to win

New airport in Inner Mongolia operational
A new airport has been put into use in Wuhai City, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north China, making this remote place more accessible to outsiders.

The airport, which cost 145 million yuan (about 17.46 million US dollars) to build, is part of the government's efforts to speedup the development in the poverty-stricken areas in the western part of the country.

Hainan Airlines operates flights between Wuhai and Beijing on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. All the f

Museum gets green accolades
Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, is the third tourism destination in China to be granted the Green Globe 21 certificate.
Located in Canberra, Australia, Green Globe sets the global benchmark for certification of environmentally-friendly tourism sites. Certification is based on Agenda 21 -- principles for sustainable development endorsed by 182 countries and regions from around the globe during the United Nations Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992.
The oth

8 more African states become approved destinations for Chinese tourists
The Chinese government will grant eight more African countries the status of pproved destination for outbound Chinese tourists, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here Monday.

Wen made the announcement at the opening ceremony of the SecondMinisterial Conference of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum.

The eight African countries are Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tunisia, Seychelles, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mauritius.

"To step up our tourism cooperation with Africa, China will grant eig

Fighting sand to protect Mogao Grottoes
The legendary and mysterious Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang of Gansu Province are one of the most significant cultural treasures in China and the world. Over 1,600 years, however, the force of nature has gradually taken its toll on the colorful frescos and murals, leaving the merciless mark of time on their once faultless surfaces.

The Mogao Grottoes are the most remarkable of the Dunhuang Grotto complex. The caves were discovered by chance in 1900. The discovery shocked the world and marked

Tour operator forming new US-Asia association
Charles Man, president of New York-based Asia Vacations, is rallying tour operators from the US and Asia to form a new association to boost travel links and information flow between the regions.

As the outbound market builds momentum from the region, Man is seeking to champion the birth of this body to bridge the gap between the US and China, in particular.

“I see a need to set up an association – something on par with the USTOA,” he told TravelWeekly.

“I want to set up an U

Chinese Language Heats Up Worldwide
Enthusiasm for learning Chinese is growing all over the world.

Experts estimate that the number of people learning Chinese overseas has increased to more than 25 million.

Outside of China, 2,300 institutions of higher learning have opened Chinese language courses.

The trend followed China's entry into the World Trade Organization and its successful bid for the 2008 Olympics Games.

In addition, China has recently signed an agreement with the U.S. to establish Chinese l

Shanghai Voted Best City to Live and Invest In
A recent survey indicates that high-salaried professionals in seven of China's largest cities regard Shanghai as the most desirable place to live and invest on the mainland.

China Merchants Bank and Progress Strategy Corporation surveyed 1,616 randomly selected white-collar workers in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Cheng-du, Xi'an and Shenyang about their investment plans and habits.

About one-fourth says Shanghai is the most suitable mainland city to live in and 42.8 percent

Underground heater uncovered in Qing dynasty general's home
While present-day Chinese have replaced coal-burning stoves with geothermal heaters to minimize pollution, their ancestors over 200 years ago had learned to build fireplaces underground to keep their home clean and tidy.

Workers at the former residence of a Qing Dynasty (1644 -- 1911)general in Hohhot city, capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, recently found a complex underground heating system during their repair work in the compound, which has been listed as a cultural herit

Museum displays 6,000 years of sex history
It's all there, artistically displayed on fans, bronzes and ceramics and in phallic forms sculpted in crude stone or precious jade: more than 6,000 years of human sexuality in the world's most populous nation.

Liu Dalin, 71-year-old founder and curator of the Chinese Sexual Culture Museum, has made it a mission to reintroduce his country's ancient culture of sexuality to generations brought up in more prudish communist times.

But after years of struggling to keep his private museum

Mass wedding planned in Shenzhen
Splendid China Miniature Theme Park and China Folk Culture Villages in Shenzhen will host a mass wedding Dec. 31 through Jan. 1.

Beginning at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 31, brides and bridegrooms can take their wedding photos in the Splendid China Miniature Theme Park.

At 6 p.m., led by a group of musicians playing suona, a Chinese pipe instrument, the happy couples will gather for a group picture at the Phoenix Square of China Folk Culture Villages.

Following the photo, the couples wil

1.72 billion passenger trips expected on highways for Spring Festival
The number of passenger trips on highways during the forthcoming Spring Festival season is expectedto hit 1.72 billion, up 3 percent from last year.

In accordance with the traditional Chinese calendar, the SpringFestival --one of the most important occasion for family reunion for Chinese people -- will fall on January 22 next year.

But the Spring Festival transport season will start from January 7 and ends on February 15, and the transport task during this period is the most arduou

6.78 mln people expected to cross land checkpoints in coming holidays
The Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's (HKSAR) estimated that about 6.78 million people will cross the land boundary checkpoints to and from the Chinese mainland during the coming Christmas and New Year holidays, an increase of 13.1 percent over the same period last year.

A government press release on Tuesday quoted an Immigration Department spokesman as saying that the peak period for cross-boundary traffic during the Christmas and New Year holiday pe

Shanghai-Melbourne Direct Flights Start
Airbus 340-600 jetliner took off at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai for Melbourne, Australia, on Monday, marking the start of direct air service between the two cities.

China Eastern Airlines sent a delegation aboard the first flight to the Victoria State, Australia, to participate in a ceremony for the launch of the direct air route.

Under an agreement between the airlines and the government of Victoria State, the Shanghai-based airlines will offer the direct air service

Civil Aviation Contributes to Development of Northeast Region
Liaoning plays an important role in the development of the old industrial base of the northeast region. As the window of Shenyang and Liaoning, Shenyang Taoxian International Airport implemented reform and enhanced comprehensive service ability of the airport.

Shenyang Taoxian International Airport situates in the central region of Liaoning Province. With huge development potential, the airport can provide air service for 2,18 million people in Liaoshen region. In order to grasp the oppor

China Inks Tourism Deal with VISA
Chinese tourism authorities have launched a cooperation program with VISA in Beijing.

During the five-year program, VISA will become the sole partner of China's National Tourism Administration in the paying service sector.

Both sides will make full use of VISA's worldwide network resources and marketing experience.

They will also take the opportunity of Beijing's 2008 Olympics to promote Chinese tourism in the global market.

Chinese Mainland, HK Sign Tourism Agreement
The Chinese mainland and Hong Kong closer tourism cooperation agreement was signed in Hong Kong Friday, signifying their closer tourism cooperation and exchange.

The documents were signed by the Director of the China National Tourism Administration, He Guangwei, and Hong Kong's Secretary for Economic Development and Labor, Stephen Ip.

After the signing ceremony, Ip said the agreement marked a milestone in the growth of the tourism industries for both the mainland and Hong Kong.

Ancient Pottery Kilns Discovered in Guizhou
Chinese archaeologists have discovered 15 pottery kilns, dating back to the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) in the Wujiang River valley in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Located on a river bank near the Hongdu Township, Tujia Autonomous County of Yanhe, 13 of the 15 ancient pottery kilns remained intact, according to archaeologists with the provincial cultural heritage research institute.

The pottery kilns, scattered in an area of over 3,700 square meters and 120 meters from t

New Tourist Line Links Liaoning and Jiangxi Provinces
With the coming of the 110th anniversary of the birthday of Mao Zedong, Liaoning tourist circle and China Travel Service of the civil aviation of Jiangxi Province jointly pushed forward a new tourist line. The airline between Shenyang and Nanchang to be operated which marks the cooperation of the tourist circles between Liaoning and Jiangxi.

Jiangxi Province is known as the province of revolution. In order to provide the people with the chance of visiting the revolutionary place and enjoy

Direct Straits Shipping Urged
The Ministry of Communications yesterday urged Taiwan to take pragmatic and rapid steps towards direct shipping links across the Taiwan Straits.

In a written statement, the ministry said the mainland is prepared, both legally and technically, to open cross-Straits sea links.

The call was part of fresh efforts by Chinese mainland to establish direct transportation, trade and postal services to Taiwan.

On Wednesday, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council published its

Carving up Christmas
The battle for Christmas is underway with hotels in Beijing jostling to outdo one another to grab a slice of the festive action.
Christmas Eve events and Christmas dinner are the focus of the battle.

The cost of lavish Christmas dinners continue

HK Welcomes Christmas with Activities
As an international metropolis, Hong Kong features the unique blend of Western culture and the Chinese tradition. That's why it's one of the most attractive tourist cities in the world.
As Christmas Day approaches, Hong Kong is expected to attract hund

Dalian-European Cargo Airline Opens
On Dec.17, 11:00 AM, a Boeing 747-400 cargo-flight by Emirates Airline took off from Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport to Dibai then arrived in Frankfurt finally. This is the first international airline between Dalian and European countries.
Emir

HK Aims to Boost Tourism with Improved Service
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) officially launched the "Quality Tourism Services" Scheme (QTS Scheme) Enhancement Friday to further raise overall service standard and visitors' confidence, especially in the areas of dining and shopping in Hong Kong.

HK Mega Showcase and Food Festival Opens
The Hong Kong Mega Showcase and Food Festival was inaugurated on Saturday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.
Officiating guest, Secretary for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Economic Development and Labor Stephen Ip said at the

Shenyang Imperial Palace: the Crown of Manchu Culture
Manchu culture is the center piece of the Imperial Palace in Shenyang, capital of northeastern China's Liaoning Province.

The royal complex, through has the same name in Chinese as the Forbidden City in Beijing, contains a different historic and cultural feature, according to Zhi Yunting, the palace curator.

Founded in 1624, the 380-year-old Shenyang Imperial Palace is one of the few ancient Chinese architectures to epitomize an ethnic culture, next to the Potala Palace in Lhasa, c

Switzerland Open to Chinese Tourists
Switzerland has become another destination for Chinese tourists after it signed a travel agreement with China.

Now it only takes 48 hours for Chinese citizens to get a visa to Switzerland.

Reportedly, some traveling packages targeting Chinese tourists have been launched including Swiss skiing and wedding packages.

In 2002, the number of Chinese tourists traveling to Switzerland reached 70 thousand and is expected to top 100 thousand this year.

China Southern Eyes Sino-European Air Transport Market
With more European countries becoming tourist destinations of Chinese citizens, competition in the nation's civil aviation market has heated up as domestic and foreign airlines endeavor to profit from Sino-European air routes.

From June 28, China Southern Airlines one of the country's main airlines, headquartered in Guangzhou, will start flights from Shanghai to Amsterdam via Beijing.

"We are opening the new European air route aiming to strive for a big share of the increasingly co

Glory of Rome on Display
Summer is the best season in the eyes of curators of Beijing's major art venues, who usually choose to open their most important exhibitions of the year in June or July.

This summer, among the many shows being or to be held in the capital, about 10 large-scale ones look to be the most promising.

They include the "Ancient Roman Civilization" exhibition currently on at the National Museum of China, the "Genghis Khan" exhibition of 13th-century cultural relics, at the Millennium Art M

Chinese Tourists to S. Africa Increase by 39 Percent
The number of Chinese tourists to South Africa jumped by 39 percent in the first quarter of 2004 compared with the same period of last year, the country's Tourism Board announced on Thursday.

The sharp increase of Chinese visitors was a result of the fact that South Africa was granted Approved Destination Status by China in April 2003, said the board's chief executive officer Cheryl Carolus.

A fast-growing tourism destination in the world, South Africa draws approximately 6.5 milli

Tropical Paradise in Yunnan
Located in Yunnan Province in southwestern part of China, Xishuangbanna is famous for its mysterious tropical rainforests, wild animals and minority customs.

Xishuangbanna is an area of China that few travelers afford themselves the time to see. Yet it is a mysterious paradise.

As the only tropical rainforest nature reserve in China, Xishuangbanna is ideal for nurturing wonderful plants and flora and is home to unusual wildlife.

Old trees reach into the skies here, vines twi

Hanging On
Hang on the Box was once billed-with a lot of fanfare-as China's only all-girl punk band. They aren't anymore. They don't do so much punk, and their guitarist is a man. After playing under a label at several massive US music festivals, the band is back in Beijing, labelless, playing in little bars and cafes to sedate crowds.

After some initial success, Hang on the Box is learning the next lesson of rock music: how to hang on.

Wang Yue is the band's lead singer. Shen Jing is the dru

Chinese Tourists to S. Africa Increase by 39 Percent
The number of Chinese tourists to South Africa jumped by 39 percent in the first quarter of 2004 compared with the same period of last year, the country's Tourism Board announced on Thursday in Johannesburg.

The sharp increase of Chinese visitors was a result of the fact that South Africa was granted Approved Destination Status by China in April 2003, said the board's chief executive officer Cheryl Carolus.

A fast-growing tourism destination in the world, South Africa draws approxi

Tourists Can Soon Fly over Mt. Lushan
Mount Lushan of central China's Jiangxi Province, is to further develop it's tourism industry, adding flying tours to its list of attractions.

As early as later this year tourists can look down Lushan Mountain and Boyang Lake from helicopters.

The scheme aims to attract those who want to experience touring in a unique manner and also those who suffer from carsickness as bobbing over 400 swerves over 35 kilometers can be quite an ordeal.

The Jiujiang City, at the foot of Moun

Airline Plans Compensation Rules
China Eastern Airlines Co Ltd is planning to publish detailed guidelines on how it will compensate passengers whose flights are delayed before the busy summer season begins.
Its major rivals are also expected to set their own guidelines in the near future.

The pending rules will clarify what compensation is given to delayed travelers, depending on what discounts they were given when buying tickets and what class they are flying in, according to Xu Ji, vice manager of China Eastern's co

43 Americans Forbidden to Disembark in Shanghai
46 foreigners, including 43 Americans, have been forbidden to disembark in Shanghai on Monday as they have no valid visas.

The Americans were on the second-generation Pacific Princess' maiden voyage to Shanghai when they were forbidden to disembark.

This March, the American Embassy in China started to scan and collect fingerprints of the majority of Chinese non-immigration visa applicants.

China then decided to take new visa measures for American citizens coming to China.

Chinese paper-cutting show makes debut in Cairo
A Chinese paper-cutting show made debut in the Egyptian capital on Monday evening.

On display were designs conceived by ancient Chinese novels and works depicting normal life in countryside throughout China.

Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Wu Sike told the opening ceremony of the exhibition that such an event would play an active role in helping enhance mutual understanding between the Chinese and Egyptian peoples.

The seven-day event, held at the Display Hall of the Cairo-based

SRS-WORLDHOTELS Adds Three New Top Hotels In The Asian Market
Conquering the Asian market is, and remains for 2004, a key strategic objective for SRS-WORLDHOTELS. Including the new member hotels on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and in South Korea, the hotel sales, marketing and reservations organization's portfolio now encompasses 55 luxury Asian hotels.

Chinese Mainland

SRS-WORLDHOTELS has gained one of the most renowned Guangzhou establishments, The Garden Hotel Guangzhou, as a new member in its Deluxe Collection. The five-star hotel's Ex

Expressways to Link the Pearl River Delta
South China's Guangdong Province will soon begin construction of four major expressways to link the province to the rest of the country.

Zhang Yuanyi, director-general of Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Communications, said the new expressways will contribute to construction of an advanced highway network in the Pan Pearl River Delta region.

The expressways will help expand economic ties between Guangdong Province and neighboring provinces and regions such as Hunan, Jiangxi and Fuji

China Southern Northern Company Takes Delivery of New Airbus Aircraft
China Southern Airlines, the largest airline in The People's Republic of China, is pleased to announce that China Southern Airlines Northern Company (a fully owned subsidiary of China Southern Air Holding Company) has taken delivery of three new Airbus A319 aircraft.

The three new A319 aircraft are part of a total order of 16 new Airbus aircraft previously placed by China Northern Airlines, prior to that airline's merger with China Southern Air Holding Company.

A total of four A319

Zimbabwe Opens Door for Chinese Tourists
Zimbabwe received China's Approved Destination Status Monday morning with the signing of an MOU Agreement by Zimbabwe's Minister of Environment and Tourism Francis Nhema and Sun Gang, deputy director of the China National Tourism Administration.

"The signing of the Approved Destination Status MOU Agreement marks a new beginning of tourism exchanges between Zimbabwe and China," said Nhema at a tourism promotion conference held by the Zimbabwe embassy to China in Beijing on Monday afternoon

63 countries and regions open to Chinese tourists
Statistics from the National Tourism Administration indicate that the Chinese government has given the green light to a total of 63 countries and regions for accepting Chinese tourists, CRIENGLISH.com reported Tuesday.

Recently, Zimbabwe in Africa and Romania in Europe have signed agreements with China to become destinations for Chinese tourists.

Moreover, China has signed similar agreements with Brazil in South America, Norway in Europe and Tanzania in Africa, as well as ten more

Simply FIT for Hong Kong
More than two million mainlanders have poured over the border into Hong Kong since the individual travel scheme was launched at the end of last year.

Financial Secretary Mr Henry Tang estimates each has spent US$8,900 per trip, pushing about US$1.5 billion into the economy.

The effects are seen everywhere, notably in retail. Swank shops in expensive malls are busy with mainland buyers. Government figures show retail sales rocketing up 23 per cent in revenue terms, US$2 billion.

American Airlines chief executive lobbies for routes to China
American Airlines' chief executive says he has asked Chinese government officials to allow more routes between that nation and the United States.

China is the key to American's plans to increase service to Asia, and the airline is focusing first on adding flights between Chicago and Shanghai, a key business center, Gerard Arpey said

Wednesday. "I've spent a lot of time in Asia this year," he said. "The GDP numbers in that region of the world are quite extraordinary and traffic is r

China Southern Xinjiang Company launches new International Routes
China Southern Airlines Xinjiang Company (a fully owned subsidiary of China Southern Air Holding Company) has launched a new Urumqi-Dushanbe and Urumqi-Kashi-Islamabad service.

The new Boeing 757 service to Dushanbe, available every Monday, will promote the commercial exchange between Xinjiang and Tajikistan and the development of tourism industry of the two regions.

Additionally, service to Islamabad is the first international route from Xinjiang which operates every Tuesday and S

Folk Art Festival Scheduled for September in Shanxi
For a comprehensive understanding of China's folk art, visitors may go to the sixth Chinese Folk Art Festival scheduled for September 26-30 in north China's Shanxi Province.

To be held in the 3,000-year-old Yuci district of Jinzhong City, the festival would present a folk song and dance performance, an exhibition of exquisite handicrafts, a show of clothes of Chinese ethnic minorities, an exhibition fair of fine works of art and a show of photos of folk customs, according to the organizin

Shenyang Speeds up Its National Garden City Construction
It is learnt from Shenyang Urban Construction that Shenyang's national garden city construction project has been initiated formally.

On June 5, the project of building Shenyang a national environmental protection model city was approved by the state relevant department.

Up to now, the afforestation rate around the city has reached to 35.1 percent.

Shenyang now is busy preparing for the detailed work on 8 aspects of applying materials, organizing and managing, planning, sceni

Chinese traditional garden opens in Paris
The first Chinese traditional garden built in France has opened in a city in the outskirts of Paris, CRIENGLISH.com reported Thursday.

The garden, called Yili Garden, covers an area of 6,000 square metres.

It is designed by two Chinese horticulturists with the help of China's Garden Bureau of Suzhou, which boasts the most classic gardens in China.

French visitors have been attracted by the garden's refined layout and its unique charm.

The local mayor has planted a tre

Switzerland open to Chinese tourists
Good news for Chinese tourists! Switzerland has become another destination for Chinese tourists after it signed a travel agreement with China, CRIENGLISH.com reported Thursday.

Switzerland has become another destination for Chinese tourists after it signed a travel agreement with China.

Now it only takes 48 hours for Chinese citizens to get a visa to Switzerland.

Reportedly, some traveling packages targeting Chinese tourists have been launched including Swiss skiing and wedd

S.Korea unveils new plan to promote tourism
The South Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Wednesday announced a second five-year plan aimed at boosting the country's tourism industry.

The new strategy outlines a shift in the primary policy focus from attraction of foreign tourists to revitalizing domestic tourism sector, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in a press release.

Under the plan that requires 8 trillion won (6.9 billion US Dollars) from the state coffers and civilian investment, the government hopes to

Tourists Can Soon Fly Over Mt. Lushan
Mount Lushan of central China's Jiangxi province, is to further develop it's tourism industry, adding flying tours to its list of attractions.

As early as later this year tourists can look down Lushan Mountain and Boyang Lake from helicopters.

The scheme aims to attract those who want to experience touring in a unique manner and also those who suffer from carsickness as bobbing over 400 swerves over 35 kilometres can be quite an ordeal.

The Jiujiang city, at the foot of Moun

Airlines Consider Customer Service Plans
Consumer complaints about poor airline service, especially regarding service during flight delays, have been escalating.

Now China's major airlines, under prodding from the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), are considering compensating customers for such inconveniences.

Affected passengers may be provided with free tickets, free board and lodging and seat upgrades without charge, said Xu Ji, deputy general manager of China Eastern Airlines' Administration De

Tibetan Buttered Tea Best in Wooden Bowls
Although jade and porcelain bowls are now common in Tibetan households, Tibetans still like to drink their buttered tea from wooden bowls.

Wooden bowls are in fact an inseparable part of Tibetan life.

When serving buttered tea, Tibetans always place two wooden bowls on the main tea table in the sitting room, a big one and a small one.

The big one is for the father and the small one for the mother.

In well-to-do families, each wooden bowl has a silver lid, on which are

Capital's Language Environment
As soon as the curtain came down on the Athens Games, the worlda?s focus shifted east where China now faces the challenge of hosting the 2008 Olympics, in the old capital of Beijing.

There is a buzz on the ground as people in the city discuss, plan and contemplate the next four years and the work to be done. Not a day is being wasted. Old landmarks are being refurbished, sports stadiums and accommodation venues are shooting up and the traffic gridlock is under a microscope. But underneath

Antique City: a Treasure Trove of Collectibles
Sitting in his Tianbaoge -- Shelter for Heavenly Treasure -store shaded by banyan trees, Liao Qiang sips a cup of tea while waiting for customers.

He is surrounded by hundreds of items including porcelain vases that he claims were made during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and wooden statues of Buddha, said to be made in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

There is not much commotion outside Liao's store or inside the few hundred similar stores in Liao's neighborhood in Xiguan Antique City

Beijing to Regulate One-day-tour Service
Visitors to the Chinese capital are often offered one-day-tour services at airports or railway stations, or scenic spots. But these so-called services are all illegal, according to the Beijing Tourism Administration.

Beginning from late August, in collaboration with the Beijing Public Security Bureau, the Beijing Tourism Administration has launched a campaign to eliminate such services and punish those illegal organizers.

So far, none of regular tourist agencies has operated one-da

China, Vietnam to Build Economic Corridor
One Chinese province and four Vietnamese northern localities are pulling their socks up to build an economic corridor to broaden and deepen multi-faceted ties between the two countries under a medium-and long-term plan worked out by the two governments.

Top leaders of China's Yunnan Province and the four Vietnamese cities and provinces of Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and Lao Cai gathered in Hanoi early this month for their first meeting on the issue, touching measures to facilitate the co

Golden statue of Chinese sea goddess to tour Macao in October
The golden statue of Mazu, the Chinese sea goddess widely worshipped in China's coastal areas, Taiwan Province and many overseas Chinese communities, will tour Macao in October, tour organizers announced Monday.

It will be the first time that the statue, believed by devotees to be the sacred body of the goddess Mazu, will visit Macao, the city named after the Cantonese pronunciation of her name.

The statue will leave for Macao by air on Oct. 21, according to Liang Wenxing, an offic

Nation's largest urban wetland park opens to visitors
Visitors from home and abroad can visit China's largest urban wetland landscape park, based in Harbin, capital city of the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, free of charge.

The park, which went into operation on Saturday, embodies China's increasing commitment to protect its wetland resources. The local government said the establishment of the 38-hectare Harbin Aquatic Park will help improve the city's ecological environment.

Located on the floodplain of Songhua River, one of

Guandong-Hainan Train Arriving
The Guangdong-Hainan cross-sea rail link is expected to introduce a long-delayed passenger service as early as next month.

The project connects Guangdong with the island province in south China by way of a 22-kilometer ferry link and 345 kilometers of railway track. It has to date only been used to transport cargo. The trains board ferries and will give passengers an uninterrupted journey.

A Ministry of Railways inspection team has reportedly finished its final evaluation of the pr

Shanghai Builds More Facilities for Disabled
To make life easier for Shanghai's half a million disabled people, the city is planning to make its facilities, from apartments to parks, more accessible.

Officials say Shanghai will start by upgrading its residential complexes to make them more user-friendly in a series of steps to be completed by the end of next year. The city will invest 300 million yuan or 36 million US dollars in the next four years.

First on the list are 1,500 housing blocks within the Inner Ring Road, where

Guangzhou-Hong Kong cruise service planned
Guangdong Yangchengzhilu International Travel Services (GYITS) plans to run a Guangzhou-Hong Kong cruise service, making it the first operator to offer the product, once it is approved.

The cruise will target tour groups from the Pearl River Delta. Manager, Mr Zhou Wei-quan, said, "Facilities will include a nightclub, dining outlets, karaoke and sauna. We may charge less than US$129 a trip.

The 13,000-tonne cruise ship, with capacity for 750 people, was built in Spain and will be n

Shanghai, Taiwan airlines ink milestone deal
China Eastern Airlines signed a co-operation agreement with Taiwan-based China Airlines on Friday to start a frequent flyer scheme.

"The programme, which will take effect on October 1, is part of the new round of co-operation between the two airlines," said Zhang Jianzhong, deputy general manager of China Eastern Airlines Co Ltd.

China Eastern launched the "one-ticket service" in 1996 by co-operating with China Airlines.The aim was to help passengers bound from Shanghai to Taiwan a

Chinese, German design selected for China's national museum
The design plan by Chinese and German architects has been selected for the construction project of the National Museum of China, a spokesman for the museum said Friday.

The design plan, chosen from three candidates by a panel of experts, was made by the Institute of Building Design under the Chinese Academy of Building and the German design company GMP.

The experts described the chosen design plan as rational and practical in the functional structure with innovative and peculiar fe

Hangzhou:"Heaven of the Earth" turns "Heaven of art"
Hangzhou, dubbed "Heaven on the Earth" for its beautiful scenes and benign climates, will embrace for a grand art carnival, the Seventh Chinese Art Festival, in the upcoming 17 days.

Local people will have the chance to enjoy about 100 traditional operas, musicals, dramas and song and dance performances at this capital of east China's Zhejiang Province and the province's Shaoxing, Wenzhou, Jiaxing and Ningbo cities.

The theaters at Hangzhou have been preparing for the art festival

HK airport records 3.5 m passengers in August
Passenger traffic number at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) rose to 3,509,000 in August, breaking any monthly record ever made in Hong Kong, the Airport Authority said Sunday.

The passenger throughput showed a 16.3 percent increase compared with August last year. More than 35.5 million passengers passed through HKIA over the past 12 months, a rise of almost 30 percent compared with the corresponding period last year.

According to the authority, August's cargo throughput rose

Beijing Clears Up Its Metro Stations
Beijing Metro Operating Company has just wrapped up a month long clearing-up effort on the city's metro trains and stations.

The campaign has cleared out more than 11 thousand illegal newspaper sellers, beggars, and performers from subway trains and stations.

Previously all the newspaper stands and shops were removed from subway platforms for safety reasons, but the metro company says many peddlers and performers are still barring the entrances of the subway lines.

Currently

Nine out of Ten: One Day off On Mid-autumn
There's only two weeks to go before the Chinese Mid-autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, which is on the 28th of this month. Spring Festival tops all the traditional festivals

And a survey conducted by Xinhua News Agency and online portal Sina has found that nine out of ten people believe the upcoming festival should be a national holiday.

92 percent of the surveyed think the Mid-autumn festival is a tradition that does not gain enough attention. 86 percent think making it a national

Passenger traffic rises
Passenger traffic at China Southern Airlines jumped 16.7 per cent in August from the same month last year when the airline industry was still recovering from the SARS outbreak, the country's largest carrier said.

China Southern, which is based in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, said it carried 2.68 million people in August - less than the 2.7 million passengers it carried in July. International traffic jumped 92.8 per cent on an annual basis, while domestic passengers rose 12.7 per

Plans for 29 new bus lines

The Shenzhen municipal communications bureau published draft plans for 29 new bus routes Saturday (Sep. 11th) to solicit public opinions during the next couple of weeks.

Most routes were designed to provide transport services to new neighborhoods in the special economic zone and rapidly developing areas outside the zone, the Daily Sunshine reported Sunday.

Other routes are planned to offer express services for long-distance travel as well as to link subway stations which will s

AirAsia first LCC to fly to China
AirAsia has become the first budget airline to get approval to fly to China, and is planning to start a daily service in December.

According to reports, chief executive Tony Fernandes said AirAsia will operate flights between Bangkok and the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming.

There are hundreds of airports in China and there is huge opportunity, Fernandes said at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's China Business Summit in Beijing.

AirAsia is in talks with regulat

BA sale lets Qantas fly to China
Qantas Airways will probably begin flying to Beijing within a year as part of its expansion into Asia, according to its chief executive, Geoff Dixon.

When British Airways sold its 18.25 percent stake in Qantas last week, Dixon said Qantas would be free to expand its Asia-Pacific presence, and to take part in any future consolidation among the region’s airlines.

Qantas, having already tried several times to crack the Chinese market, is now on a stronger financial footing to succeed,

Britain eyes North Asian travelers

Britain is eyeing the North Asian travellers namely from Taiwan, South Korea and China to boost arrivals and tourist expenditure.

Keith Beecham, VisitBritain's regional manager for Asia, identified North Asian countries such as Taiwan, South Korea and China as key markets with good potential for growth.

Currently there is a lot of excitement about the new tourism markets that are emerging and developing in Asia. China is developing very good growth for us. Equally places like K

Summer Palace prepares special gift
The Summer Palace, one of the world's most popular tourist attractions, has been busy preparing a special gift for tourists. They said the special gift has to fit the uniqueness and the culture of this imperial garden.

As China's Mid-Autumn festival draws closer, many people start to wonder where's the best place to go. The Summer Palace, the largest imperial garden in the world, will be one of the best places to go in the festival.

Organizers have staged a special ancient Chinese

Air China may sell 10 percent stake to Lufthansa ahead of listing
Chinese flag carrier Air China is willing to sell a 10 percent stake to Germany's Lufthansa ahead of its planned Hong Kong stock market listing.

According to the Chinese-language newspaper Sing Tao Daily, Air China is targeting the sale of about 28 percent of its equity shares in an initial public offering (IPO) to raise between 500-800 million US dollars.

The IPO may come as early as next month.

The paper added that Lufthansa had yet to decide whether to buy into Air China

Easy online hotel booking launched
From now on, passengers of China southern airlines could book hotels in China on-line.

China Southern recently implemented an online reservation system covering over 2 thousand hotels in over 2 hundred cities in China. Passengers can reach the online booking service by calling at southern airline ticket office or visiting China Southern Airlines' website at www.cs-air.com.

Mt Huangshan Hosts the Folk Art Festival
Song, dance and flag throwing make up the cultural mix that will bubble with excitement at the annual China International Folk Arts Festival next month.

Over 30 performing troupes from 22 countries will descend on Huangshan, east China's Anhui Province from October 1 to 18.

Local acts will also perform at the event organized by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

They will first perform in the city of Huangshan, well known for its scenic Mount Huangshan and the bui

The 400th State Leader Visits Badaling Great Wall
The Governor-General of Saint Lucia, Pearlette Louisy, became the 400th state leader to visit the Great Wall at Badaling, the best renovated section of the Great Wall.

Pearlette Louisy described the Great Wall as "awe-inspiring and breathtaking! I will always cherish this visit to the Great Wall, a symbol of peace, harmony and international good will?

Over the past 50 years, more than 120 million travelers have visited the landmark at Badaling.

Located at Yanqing County, abo

First China Tourism Forum announced in Hong Kong
First China Tourism Forum on Latest Developments in China's Tourism will be held on 25 September 2004 at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong PolyU) in part of 25th anniversary celebration of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM).

The growth of China`s tourism has been spectacular since 1978 when the economic reforms and opening up policies were adopted. China`s travel and tourism industry has been recognized as one of the main drivers of the economy and contributed

Tourism: main non-trade channel to bring foreign currency
Tourism has now become one of the main non-trade channels to bring foreign currency income for China, said He Guangwei, Director of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

China's tourism developed rapidly after the reform and opening-up policy in 1978. China reaped its first 10 million US dollars foreign currency income in 1996, and gained 20 million US dollars in 2002. According to the government plan, China will become the world's biggest tourist destination by 2020, with foreign

Chinese Outbound Travel Soars 63.7%
The number of travelers outbound from China reached 16.0 million in the first seven months of 2004, soaring 63.7 percent from the same period last year, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) reported on Thursday.

CNTA Director He Guangwei said that China is on its way to becoming one of the worlda?s most powerful tourism nations. In 2003, the number of Chinese traveling abroad surpassed that of Japan, making it the largest in Asia.

Sightseeing in foreign lands was once o

First China Tourism Forum Announced in Hong Kong
First China Tourism Forum on a?Latest Developments in Chinaa?s Tourism¨￠?will be held on 25 September 2004 at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong PolyU) in part of 25th anniversary celebration of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM).

The growth of Chinaa?s tourism has been spectacular since 1978 when the economic reforms and opening up policies were adopted. Chinaa?s travel and tourism industry has been recognized as one of the main drivers of the economy and cont

US Companies Bullish on China: AmCham
The American Chamber of Commerce in People's Republic of China and AmCham Shanghai released their jointly compiled American Business in China White Paper 2004 on Thursday. A survey of 238 US companies that is the primary source for the report shows that American firms overall are even more optimistic about doing business in China than they were last year.

"For the second year in a row, our research shows that our members remain bullish on the China market, with twice the number planning t

Western Xia Mausoleums--Pyramids in the Orient
About 30 km west of Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in the eastern foothills of the Helan mountain range, mounds made from the loess soil in different sizes rise up from a 50-square-km flatland. These are the mausoleums of the Western Xia kings, reputed to be the "Pyramids in the Orient". The cone-shaped earth mounds are the most direct relics on the ground that tell the history of the Western Xia Kingdom which disappeared nearly 800 years ago. In 1038, the Dangxiang tribe, under the le

Guangdong Opens up Travel Sector
Guangdong will invite Hong Kong travel agencies to set up shop in the province to compete with State-run tourist agencies, Guangdong party chief Li Changchun has revealed. Li said the operations could be joint ventures or even solely owned. The move would allow Guangdong to take the lead in the mainland's tourism industry reform, Li said during a panel discussion with Hong Kong and Macao members at the ongoing annual session of the Guangdong Provincial People's Political Consultative Conference

Maglev Railway Project Runs Well
The country's first maglev railway line is being built in Shanghai while sparing the public from an advertising blitz and the loud noise usually associated with such construction projects. The line will make transportation easier for people and advance the economic development in Shanghai, China's largest commercial centre. Near a subway station in an industrial area of the city, a giant building with a steel dome stands out. It is the start of a concrete elevated railroad that will extend 30 ki

Israel Missile Strikes Near Arafat, Deaths Rise
An Israeli helicopter fired a missile near Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat Wednesday, but he emerged unscathed as Israel retaliated with fury for the killing of six Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. At least 13 Palestinian civilians and security officers were killed in the barrage of Israeli reprisal strikes against Palestinian targets across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "Arafat and his aides are safe in his office," Mohammed Dahlan, a Palestinian security chief, told Reuters after the missil

Construction of World's First Transrapid Maglev Railway in Shanghai
Without media promotion, nor the noise usually associated with construction projects, the building of the world's first transrapid maglev railway line is progressing in China's largest commercial center, Shanghai.

The line, which is to play an important role in the country's transportation, people's lives and the country's economic development, has been under construction for almost a year.

Near a subway station in an industrial area of the city, a giant building with a steel dome

Mainland-Based Taiwanese's Return Trip Shortened
The sound of a ship's siren on Saturday morning announced the start of a homeward journey by 181 Taiwanese people who have businesses or work on the mainland.

The ship left the dock at Xiamen in south China's Fujian Province for Mazu, where passengers will take a flight to Taiwan to celebrate next week's Spring Festival.

This is the first time in fifty years that Taiwanese have been able to make a through trip from the mainland to Taiwan without stopping at Hong Kong or Macao.
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Former Handover Site to Become Public Square in Macao
A 16,500-square-meter public square will emerge in less than five months at the site of the ceremony marking Macao's return to the motherland.

An inauguration ceremony for the project, with an estimated cost of 18.68 million patacas (US$ 2.34 million), was held recently.

Designers say that the new square, on the southeastern tip of the Macao Peninsula, will be covered by cheese-colored macadams and crisscross marble lines meaning the integration of the Eastern and Western cultures

Terracotta Warriors Start National Tour
Lifelike terracotta warriors, delicate bronze carriages and chilling weapons, these world-known cultural relics unearthed from west China's Shannxi Province, have arrived in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province , the beginning of a three-year national tour.

Some 120 cultural relics were chosen for the tour, including warriors, weapons, pottery, ironware and building parts.

Experts said that the exhibition includes a large colorful bronze carriage, which is the largest, most

Yellow River Waterfall Becomes Geological Park
The Hukou waterfall on the Yellow River on the border of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces has become a national geological park upon recent approval by the Ministry of Land and Resources.

The Hukou waterfall is formed when the 500 meter-wide river is forced into a 50-meter bed and falls 20 meters off a steep cliff.

The waterfall geological park covers an area of 45 square kilometers.

Ancient Inscribed Wooden Slips Excavated in Three Gorges Area
Chinese archaeologists have excavated more than 20 inscribed wooden slips, confirmed as belonging to the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), in the Three Gorges Reservoir area in Chongqing Municipality.

The relics were discovered at the Jiuxianping ruins in Yunyang County in a pit 15 meters deep and 5.5 meters in diameter.

Four of the excavated slips are inscribed with a total of 50 Chinese characters. One of the four has characters for a specific date.

The Jiuxianping ruins co

Six ancient cities discovered buried underneath Kaifeng
Ruins of six ancient cities were discovered buried each on top of another in a space 3-12 meters deep beneath the modern city of Kaifeng, ancient capital of central China's Henan Province.

Among the cities were three state capitals, two provincial capitals and a big town, according to an announcement released after 20 years' excavation and study.

Except for the deepest-buried and little understood Daliang City, capital of the State of Wei during the Warring States period (770-256 B

China Resources Builds Holiday Zone in Hainan
Hong Kong-registered China Resources (Holdings) Co., Ltd. will invest at least one billion yuan (120 million U.S. dollars) to build a tropical paradise for tourists in Hainan, an island province in south China.

The project will be located at Shimei Bay, Wanning City. It will cover an area of 180 hectares, including a seven-kilometer-long beach along a forest 12 kilometers long and 400 meters wide.

The Hong Kong company expects to turn it into a famous tourism and holiday zone in Ch

China-India air routes to start soon
Flights linking China and its Asian neighbor India will begin operating on March 28, China Eastern Airlines Co., Ltd. announced recently.

Gao Pei, manager of the Marketing Department of the airlines company says the weekly flights will link Beijing and New Delhi and Shanghai and New Delhi.

The Beijing-New Delhi flight will leave every Monday at 20:00. The return flight will leave at 3:40 Tuesday from New Delhi and arrive at 9:40 the same day. The Shanghai-New Delhi flight will leav

Forbidden City to Add New Exhibition Hall
Beijing's Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, hopes to build a new underground exhibition hall to display its ancient treasures.

The anticipated hall is about 30,000 square meters and more than a million exhibits of ancient treasures are expected to be displayed in the hall, China Daily reported recently.

The Palace Museum, with a collection of millions of treasures in the imperial palaces of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, was given State cultural

Happiest Holiday Thanks to Better Service
The tourism industry was given a pat on the back thanks to its improved service during this year's Spring Festival.

Tourists, growing in numbers this year for the celebrations, stated they were more satisfied than ever with the organization of events, according to an official industry report released Monday.

A survey conducted in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan Province, showed 98.6 per cent of tourists were satisfied with their trips to the city, an increase of 0.5 pe

Over 50 Million Tourists Travel During Spring Festival Holiday
During this year's Spring Festival vacation 51.58 million tourists traveled around China, 14.7 percent more than during the same period last year.

According to the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), the total income from tourism was 22.8 billion yuan, up 15 percent on last year. The tourists spent 1.28 billion yuan on airline transportation and 1.18 billion yuan on railway transportation.

A CNTA official says this year the tourism market was better organised and services

Scientist Plans Solo North Pole Trek
A Chinese adventurer, Liu Shaochuang, left Beijing Thursday for Moscow to start his solo Arctic trip. The trip is a scientific expedition, which will help fill in a gap in China's North Pole studies. If the 1,000 km trek is successful, the scientist will be the first Chinese adventurer to complete an unaided trek across the ice from the Asian Continent to the North Pole. Solo Arctic trip A Chinese adventurer, Liu Shaochuang, left Beijing Thursday for Moscow to start his solo Arctic trip. Liu sai

President Bush's Remarks at Tsinghua University
Following are remarks for President Bush delivered at Tsinghua University in Beijing, as provided by the US embassy in China. Vice President Hu, thank you for your words of welcome. I am grateful for your hospitality, and honored by this reception at one of China's great universities. Tsinghua University was founded, with the support of America, to further the ties between our two nations. I know how important this place is to the Vice President, who earned his degree here and even more importan

Investment Encouraged in Hainan Tourism Industry
Domestic and overseas investorsare now welcome to run independent tourist operations in Hainan, China's southern island province. This has been made possible by the Hainan Provincial Regulationon Tourism which was passed recently at the provincial people's congress. It is China's first legal document to be passed since the WTO entry which is designed to enable a Chinese region to fit in with the world tourism industry by opening its tourism market to outside investors. Previously, there were man

Shanghai Approves 230 Foreign-funded Projects in January
Projects involving exclusive foreign investment in this, China's leading industrial center made up 78 percent of the total foreign-funded projects approved in January. This suggests that foreign investors have enhanced their confidence in development projects in China since it joined the World Trade Organization late last year. Statistics show that the Shanghai Municipal Government approved 230 foreign-funded projects in January, an increase of 45 percent compared with last year's same period. T

College Students Meet With Bush
Visiting US President George W. Bush delivered a speech at the prestigious Tsinghua University Friday morning during his two-day working visit to China. After that, he answered questions from the Tsinghua students. QUESTION: Mr. President, yesterday I watched press conference made by you and President Jiang Zemin, but at the conference you didn't clearly answer a question which is concerned by almost everybody, which is whether the TMD system will cover Taiwan. And what's more, whenever you talk

Scientist Plans Solo North Pole Trek
A Chinese adventurer, Liu Shaochuang, left Beijing Thursday for Moscow to start his solo Arctic trip. The trip is a scientific expedition, which will help fill in a gap in China's North Pole studies. If the 1,000 km trek is successful, the scientist will be the first Chinese adventurer to complete an unaided trek across the ice from the Asian Continent to the North Pole. Solo Arctic Trip A Chinese adventurer, Liu Shaochuang, left Beijing Thursday for Moscow to start his solo Arctic trip. Liu sai

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