China Trips

Chinese Cultural Expo to Debut in New York City
A Close Look at China -- a free cultural celebration will make its US debut in New York City at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center from September 6 through September 15, said an official news release issued Friday in Chicago. Sponsored by China's Information Office of the State Council and the Ministry of Culture, the exhibition will offer an unprecedented chance for Americans to look at the beauty and diversity of Chinese culture. The exhibit will feature Chinese fashion, art and tourism. To

Major Travel Firms Form JV
Business Travel International announced Wednesday that it has formed a joint venture firm with Jin Jiang International in Shanghai, which targets China's business travel market.

Uk-based BTI will take a controlling 51 percent ownership in BTI Jin Jiang, the city's first joint venture travel company, while Jin Jiang International has the balance. The British company said it chose Jin Jiang International because "the company has strong support from the local government."

There are mo

China, Armenia Issue Joint Communique
China and Armenia have agreed to further develop bilateral and multi-lateral cooperation and called for a just and reasonable new international political and economic order. According to a joint communique issued by the governments of the two countries Tuesday, the two sides agreed that the continued growth of friendly relations of cooperation between the two countries, based on the principles set forth in a joint communique on the foundation of friendly bilateral relations on May 5, 1996, is in

Six Days That Shook My Minds
In ancient China, the so-called Western Region was a term for the area west of Yumen Pass (Yumenguan) in present-day Gansu Province, including what is now Xinjiang and (parts of) Central Asia. In the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West that tells a story of the Monkey King Sun Wukong who escorts Tang Seng on his journey for the Buddhist scriptures, the "West" refers most probably to the above said " Western Region." Nowadays a "Go West" campaign is going on. This is the great drive to deve

Shanghai Provides Travel Cards
Visitors to Shanghai can pay for hotel accommodations, visits to scenic spots, shopping centers, cinemas, and travel agencies using only one card. This is the first travel smart card in China. The cards are available for purchase in downtown Shanghai and travel agencies. The card was developed by a Shanghai travel inquiry center and Shanghai International Travel Service.

State to Check Firms Helping People Go Abroad
China will reform those intermediary agencies engaged in helping people leave China in a bid to deal with the current chaos in the sector, according to a State Council decree published Friday. All such agencies must be examined by government officials at provincial level and approved by relevant departments of the State Council, according to Zhao Yongji, vice-minister of public security. Zhao made these remarks Friday at a teleconference sponsored by his ministry, the Ministry of Education, the

China to Straighten out Border Exit Services
To combat human smuggling and irregularities in border exit services, China has decided to clean up intermediary bodies engaged in border entrance and exit services, according to a State Council decree published Friday. The Ministry of Public Security and four other government departments held a national teleconference here Friday on pushing for a permit system for border control and removing any bodies without government approval. The number of Chinese citizens going abroad for personal reasons

Chartered Flights Link up Qingdao, Bangkok
Chartered flights from Qingdao of east China's Shandong Province to Bangkok of Thailand have been made available since September 30, when the first flight was launched. The chartered flight service is jointly operated by five organizations including China Eastern Airlines Shandong Branch Company and China (Qingdao) International Travel Service. A320 planes of China Eastern Airlines are used to fly on the air route. The chartered flight service is the second air route that connects Qingdao, a bea

Endangered Wild Camels Need Protection
Most people know about China's giant panda, whose image is the logo of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and has become synonymous with endangered animals. With an estimated population of about 1,000 in the wild, the giant panda is regarded as a national treasure in China. However, few know about the wild Bactrian camel - an animal more endangered than the famous giant panda in China. Surveys show the population of the two-humped wild camel stands at less than 900. "We need to do more to preven

EU Agrees Visa-Free Access to HK and Macao SAR Residents
The European Union (EU) has decided to grant visa-free access to Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) passport holders, according to an agency report. Portugal's national news agency, Lusa, reported that a preliminary decision had been made in Brussels by a plenary meeting of the EU's justice and home affairs ministers on Friday. Lusa quoted Portugal's Home Affairs Minister Nuno Severiano Teixeira as saying the "political" decision still needed to undergo "technical negotiatio

New Sino-Russian Air Route
A new Sino-Russian air route has opened to cater for the increasing demand of Chinese tourists to Russia. An airliner will depart from Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, and land at Vladivostok in Russia, via the province's Mudanjiang City, said sources from the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China. The MD-82 airplane can carry 147 passengers. It takes 19 hours to travel from Harbin to Vladivostok by train, but by air the travel time is only one hour. Increa

Lijiang Reports Rapid Growth in Tourism
Lijiang in northwest of southwestern China's Yunnan Province is expected to receive three million tourists this year. Lijiang, best known for its picturesque rivers and mountains, and unique ethnic customs, was visited by 2.8 million tourists in 1999, up from 840,000 in 1996. The earnings from its tourist service amounted to 1.5 billion yuan this year, compared to 300 million yuan five years ago. According to Yang Yong, the deputy director of the Lijiang Tourism Bureau, the city has introduced m

Holiday Travel Forecast Helps Avoid Gushing Crowds
The week-long vacation started from October 1, China's National Day, has brought more people to tourists attractions across the country. Yet the holiday travel forecast system has helped people avoid blindly crowd into some places. The Forbidden City, a leading tourist attraction opposite to Tian'anmen Square, received some 77, 500 visitors Tuesday, eight percent less than that on October 2, which was 84,000. The figure was one-third fewer than the record number of 120, 000 visitors on May 2, th

Passenger Air Fleet to Rocket
China's passenger air fleet is expected to more than triple its size in the next 20 years to accommodate the growing demand for travel. Aviation industry authorities said on Sunday that the country's airlines, which own 499 passenger aircrafts between them, are expected to need another 1,588 planes to address the projected 8.5 percent annual growth in traffic between 2000 and 2019. Tang Xiaoping, top aide to the president of the Aviation Industry of China I (AVIC I) company, said the rise is fas

Residents Reach Interactive Television
While millions of Chinese people have to make do with ordinary TV shows, Lina Yan is able to enjoy Hollywood movies using cable television. Yan can even find her favorite music, fashion and travel tips via the TV, check her e-mails from the office and do some home shopping. "It is so fantastic and such a new way of life," said Yan, who works for a multinational consulting firm in Shanghai. A total of 1 million households in Shanghai are now able to log on to interactive services through their TV

International Love in Bloom
The sun is still warm in Sanya, a beautiful coastal city in south China?￥s Hainan Province. One morning last month, Dong Xia got ready as quickly as possible to join her Russian husband Andre Ivanov and their daughter Anna Dong on a visit to the Sanya Oriental Grand Hotel. Dong got married three years ago in Sanya. On the morning in question, the couple were special guests at the fifth Sanya International Wedding Festival. Over 200 newlyweds and couples commemorating their anniversaries gathered

Taiwan Relaxing Curbs on Mainlanders
Taiwan's parliament Tuesday approved an amendment to allow Chinese mainlanders to visit the island for business and tourism or to get work permits, the Taiwan-based Central News Agency (CNA) reported. Under current legislation governing cross-strait activities, mainlanders can only visit to meet sick relatives, attend funerals or join seminars and familiarization tours as specialists. In the amendment, the mainlanders would be permitted to travel to the island for business and tourism and the ma

Hungarian President meets Chinese FM
China and Hungary stressed the importance of bilateral relations and agreed to further strengthen their partnership in order to promote exchanges and cooperation in various areas on Wednesday, December 6. During a meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan Wednesday, Hungarian President Ferenc Madl said China is an important factor in the current international affairs. China is an especially important cooperation partner of Hungary in terms of not only bilateral relations but al

WTO to Be Better off With China's Entry: Thai FM
China's entry into WTO will leave the organization better off and make it more attentive to the needs and concerns of developing members, Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan told reporters in a written interview recently. "China is the world's fastest growing economy, with an average annual growth rate of about 10 percent over the last 17 years or so. It is widely reported that China is on its way to becoming the world's largest economy in the 21st century," Surin said. "In this regard, it woul

West-East Power Transmission Project Under Construction
Construction of the Hongjiadu and Yinzidu hydropower stations, and the expansion of the Wujiangdu Hydropower Station started Wednesday on the Wujiang River, in southwest China's Guizhou Province. The projects are among the first group of China's massive west-east electricity transmission project, marking the beginning of the development of the western region. Wujiang River is the biggest tributary on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, the longest river in China. The three projects have a co

Train, Airline Passengers Decrease in Holiday
Fewer passengers traveled by train and air during the seven-day National Day holiday than the Labor Day holiday, according to statistics from the China National Tourism Administration. About 24.5 million people traveled by train, 10.6 percent less than the figure during the Labor Day holiday. Flights carried 1.4 million people, around 20 percent less. The decrease does not represent a decline in the tourism industry, analysts said. Many people chose to travel within their provinces or regions, f

Air China, Lufthansa Sign Code Sharing Agreement
Air China and Lufthansa German Airlines have signed a code sharing agreement, under which the airlines will be offering flights between Frankfurt and Beijing as well as Frankfurt and Shanghai under shared flight numbers. The agreement will take effect on October 29, when the airlines will issue their winter schedule. According to the agreement signed Monday in Beijing, Air China's nine weekly flights will be operating under Lufthansa flight numbers, while Lufthansa's 13 flights will carry Air Ch

Decorating Sichuan "Tourism Ambassador"
Sichuan formulates its future tourism vision recently with natural ecology and historical culture as the two keys, including Sanxingdui, Jiuzhaigou and Giant Panda and makes giant panda the real "Tourism Ambassador" of Sichuan. Sichuan is giant panda's hometown and 85% of the over 1,000 extant giant pandas live in south Sichuan. Now Sichuan has set up 17 giant panda reservations, including Wolong, Fengtongzhai and Wanglang. It is said that giant panda should be the key for Sichuan tourism to mer

Film "Red Star Over China" Premiered
Filming of "Mao Zedong and Snow", a screen adaptation of Edga Snow's "Red Star Over China", has been completed and its premiere was held in Nanchang, provincial capital of east China's Jiangxi Province. The film features on late Chairman Mao Zedong and American journalist Edga Snow's devotion to the great undertakings of the founding of new China and the world anti-fascism struggle. The film introduces the legendary Long March of the Chinese Red Army, Snow's four visits to China and the profound

Chinese President Meets Togolese President
Chinese President Jiang Zemin met with Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema and his party here Wednesday morning. Eyadema attended the opening ceremony of the three-day China-Africa Cooperation Forum -- Ministerial Conference Beijing 2000 inBeijing Tuesday. In addition to Beijing, the Togolese guests will travel to Shanghai and southwest China's Yunnan Province. This is President Eyadema's fifth China visit since he assumed the presidency in 1967.

Life of Last Chinese Emperor?￥s Nephew
In an office in a governmental building two kilometers from the Imperial Palace of the Forbidden City, Jin Yuzhang, the eldest nephew of China?￥s last emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), reads government documents, while enjoying sipping at a cup of Chinese tea. Jin?￥s original family name was Aisin Giorro, a surname for emperors and princes of the Qing Dynasty. Yet Jin himself now is the deputy director of Beijing Ethnic Affairs Committee and the deputy-director of the Chongwen District in

Li Peng Meets Togolese President
Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), met this morning with Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema and his party. The meeting is still going on at press time. This is President Eyadema's fifth China visit since he assumed presidency in 1967. The Togolese president attended the opening ceremony of the three-day China-Africa Cooperation Forum Tuesday. Following the event, the Togolese guests will travel to Shanghai and southwest

Life of Last Chinese Emperor?￥s Nephew
In an office in a governmental building two km from the Imperial Palace of the Forbidden City, Jin Yuzhang, the eldest nephew of China?￥s last emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), reads some government documents, while enjoying sipping at a cup of Chinese tea. Jin?￥s original family name was Aisin Giorro, a surname for emperors and princes of the Qing Dynasty. Yet Jin himself now is the deputy director of Beijing Ethnic Affairs Committee and the deputy-director of the Chongwen District in so

Guangxi: A Special Gift to Tourists
Every Chinese knows the saying: "The mountains and waters of Guilin are the finest under heaven''. But many a Guangxi residents would say: "Everywhere in Guangxi is like Guilin.'' Truly, the karst landforms that typify Guilin's mountains and waters can be seen almost everywhere in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Guangxi enjoys rich natural and cultural tourism resources. Besides the world-famous Guilin, the sub-tropical sea and beach scenery in Beihai, Qinzhou and Fangcheng, the local cust

Tourism Fair Ends in Eastern China City
A tourism promotion drive ended Sunday in Hangzhou, a major tourist city in east China's Zhejiang Province, with four million yuan in transaction volume. Representatives of about 150 tourism administration departments, travel agencies, hotels, and scenic spots in 52 cities across China took part in the three-day event. In the last three days, business exchanges, exhibitions and seminars have been staged. Zhejiang has 46 scenic spots at the state and provincial levels and many historical sites. I

Architecture Travel in Xiamen
In early September, Xiamen city presented out "20 famous sceneries" solemnly. It was the first time Xiamen launched the assessment of famous sceneries in the past 50 years and also a big stride-forward in tourism for Xiamen, a city approaching the best travel city in China. Among the 20 famous sceneries, there are 9 belonging to architecture scenery. Architecture is freezing music, revealing a historical cultural folk custom of distinct local flavor.

Li Peng Meets Russian Duma Speaker
Visiting Chinese top legislator Li Peng met Russian State Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznyov on Tuesday on bilateral ties and other topics of common concern. Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC), expressed satisfaction with the increasingly frequent contacts between the NPC and the State Duma, or the Russian lower house of parliament. The Chinese leader arrived in Moscow Monday on a nine-day official visit. Besides Moscow, he will also travel to Novo

Li Peng Stresses Strategic Partnership With Russia
Chinese top legislator Li Peng said in Moscow Tuesday that promoting a strategic partnership of cooperation with Russia is China's established policy, and such a policy will not be altered whatever happens in the world. Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, made the remark during a meeting with Yegor Stroyev, chairman of Russia's Federation Council, or upper house of parliament. Stroyev said Moscow highly values its relations with China, and Russian Presid

Project to Divert Water from Yellow River into Tianjin Operational
A project to divert water from Yellow River, the second longest in China, into Tianjin, a north China port city, became operational Friday. This is the seventh time that China has re-routed water from the Yellow River into Tianjin, an important economic center in north China. The project will channel the Yellow River water at the Weishan Gate in Dong'e County, east China's Shandong Province, and then travel more than 580 kilometers and lead water into Tianjin at Jiuxuan Gate. Some 400 million cu

First Chinese Japan Tour Group Sets Off for Japan
The Chinese tour group started off on the morning of September 13 from Beijing's Capital Airport to Japan at their own expense, the first ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. Their first destination is Tokyo. Participating in the group are 100 Beijing tourists, including 60 members from the Head Office of the China Travel Service. They will spend one week on visiting seven Japanese cities including Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto; the remaining 40 persons from the

Jews Assists Ancient Chinese to Make Earliest Paper Money
It is well known that jiaozi, world's earliest paper money, originated in China some 800 years ago. But latest research indicate that Jews assisted ancient Chinese in doing this. Jiaozi, also named jiaochao, appeared in China in 1154 during the reign of the Jin regime (1115-1234). It was believed in the past that Jin regime hired coining workers of Song (960-1279), Jin's preceding dynasty, to make the paper notes. But Qiu Shiyu, researcher of the Harbin Academy of Sciences and expert of Jin hist

Shanghai Fair Boosts Tourism
For Deborah Reinow, vice-president of tourism for the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, the second China International Travel Mart will provide a good chance to showcase the landscape of her city. "I hope the United States could also become a destination for Chinese tourists," said Reinow. Reinow is one of 1,200 international travel wholesalers and agents expected to attend the travel mart in Shanghai, beginning Wednesday and ending on October 22. The fair promotes tourism in China a

Formosa Plastics to Invest US$100 Million in the Mainland
Taiwan's petrochemical giant Formosa Plastics Corp. is to invest US$100 million in the mainland to build a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plant, it was reported in Taipei Wednesday. Formosa Plastics Vice Chairman Wang Yung-tsai would fly to the mainland Saturday to finalise the deal, the Economic Daily News said. The planned plant in Ningpo in southeast Zhejiang Province would churn out 300,000 tonnes of PVC every year, the paper said. A company spokesman declined to comment on the report but confirme

Li Peng Meets Kenya Parliament Speaker
Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), told Francis Kaparo, speaker of the Kenyan National Assembly, that China highly appreciates the long-term support from Kenya on issues of human rights, Taiwan and Tibet. Li made the remarks during a meeting with Kaparo and his delegation at this summer resort some 300 kilometers east of Beijing. Kaparo arrived in Beijing Wednesday as the guest of Li Peng. The Chinese NPC chairman stressed that China hopes to con

Easy Boarding Service Provided in China's Airport
A easy-boarding service club, set up by Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, has pledged to give its members VIP treatment, along with fast considerate, attentive, and individualized service. The service was provided in accordance with rapid development of the airport, one of the three show-window airports in China, including Beijing and Shanghai airports, an airport official said. "It's a breakthrough in China's airport service, and will bring changes to the previous service that was less considerate and

Vietnam Publicizes Tourism in China
A delegation, consisting of 25 major travel agencies from Vietnam, recently held a series of tourism promotion activities in China's Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in order to attract more Chinese visitors. "China has long been and will continue to be the largest source of tourism for Vietnam," said Vu The Binh, a tourism official of Vietnam. According to the official, airline companies in Vietnam plan to set up offices in Beijing or Shanghai next May, and will conduct direct flights to Beijing

Chinese Vice Premier in Cairo for Six-day Visit
Chinese Vice Premier Wu Bangguo arrived in Cairo late Saturday for a six-day official visit at the invitation of Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture Youssef Wali. Wu said in a written statement upon his arrival at Cairo International Airport that he will exchange views with Egyptian officials on ways to enhance bilateral ties, as well as regional and global issues of mutual concern. The friendly, mutually beneficial and cooperative relations between China and Egypt have be

New Chinese Consumption Pattern
Along with rapid economic and social development, China's consumption structure has changed remarkably in recent years. Chinese people now spend less on basic daily necessities and more on traveling, IT products, housing, medical insurance, entertainment and education. Chinese travel more and choose to eat out, or enjoy traveling for tourism, helping to promote the catering and tourism sectors. The catering industry is currently growing at an average monthly rate of 10 percent. It achieved 231.5

70% Officials in Tibet Are Tibetans
An official system dominated by native Tibetans has been formed in Tibet after 40 years of effort by both the Tibet regional government and the central government. According to the latest statistics, in Tibet there are now more than 50,000 officials who are Tibetan or other ethnic minorities and the proportion of all officials who are Tibetan has exceeded 70 percent. The central government of China started to help training Tibetan officials during the 1950s and so far a total of over 1 billion y

Lhasa Listed as Excellent Tourism City
Lhasa, capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, was recently granted the title of "excellent tourism city" by the National Tourism Administration. Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau which is known as the "roof of the world", Lhasa has long been famous for its unique culture and historic architecture, attracting thousands of tourists from all over the world every year. In order to improve its services for tourists, the local tourism administration has making efforts to improve the protection

Tibet Builds Its First Tourism Highway
Construction of a tourism highway linking Damxung County and Nam Co Lake started recently in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The 68-kilometer-long highway, the first tourism route in Tibet, will greatly improve travel conditions from the regional capital Lhasa to the famous scenic spot Nam Co Lake, 200 kilometers away, sources with the regional tourism administration said. The state has granted 17 million to Tibet to build the road, which is expected to be completed by October next ye

Santa Claus Ditches Sleigh for Internet
Santa Claus may be a great man of tradition. But these days even the symbol of Christmas for millions of children around the world is taking some unusual steps to keep up with the pace of modern life. To help him with what has become a year-round job, Santa has hooked up to cyberspace so fans who can't travel to the Arctic Circle can see and talk to him live online and watch him receive guests in his office. This year some 500,000 people, many of them Japanese, are expected to flock to his Santa

Faster and Safer Train Travel Welcomed
The acceleration of train speed along the key railways in China has benefited vast travelers, said Wu Lingsong, a sales agent with the Samsung company in Tianjin. Wu, who spends half of his work hours traveling, normally prefers bus to train for short journeys, but recently, he took the train from Shanghai to Ningbo city in east China?￥s Zhejiang Province. ?Since the train increased its speed, travel by train is faster than long-distance bus,? Wu said while opening his laptop to check data. He s

Tibet Seeks Investors with Special Policy Plan
The Tibet Autonomous Region has come up with new policies to attract overseas investment in the region. Companies investing in education, animal husbandry, high-technology and infrastructure sectors in the region will receive favorable taxes and financing services, according to a newly released supplementary document on rules of attracting investment to Tibet. The package applies to both domestic and overseas investors, including those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. It also includes special t

Faster, Safer Train Travel Welcomed
The acceleration of train speed along the key railways in China has benefited vast travelers, said Wu Lingsong, a sales agent with the Samsung company in Tianjin. Wu, who spends half of his work hours traveling, normally prefers bus to train for short journeys, but yesterday, he took the train from Shanghai to Ningbo city in east China's Zhejiang Province. "Since the train increased its speed, travel by train is faster than long-distance bus," Wu said while opening his laptop to check data. He s

Gold Production up, Demand down
Gold demand on the Chinese mainland during the first three quarters this year slightly declined but output increased significantly. According to sources from the World Gold Council, the gold demand on the mainland was 148.5 tons during the period, a modest decrease of 0.5 tons compared with the same period of last year. But the gold output increased by 3.6 percent year-on-year to 120.8 tons during the first three quarters, said sources from the Gold Administration under the State Economic and Tr

Online Travel Sites Gaining Ground
China's travel websites, who are providing tough competition for traditional tour agencies, have also been popular at the International Tour Trade Fair 2000 for their detailed online information and efficiency. According to the webmaster of www.chinagc.com, travel shoppers are drawn by the exact and prompt information provided on the Internet and the favorable prices offered by the travel networks, usually 20 percent to 30 percent less than the standard prices of tour agencies. During the four-d

New Board to Aid Investors
The founding of the Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board (SFIDB) is a profound sign that the city's commitment to attracting foreign investment has reached a new stage, claimed Jiang Yiren, vice-mayor of Shanghai, at the inauguration ceremony for the new investment promotion organization on Friday. According to Jiang, SFIDB will provide valuable advice and services for foreign investors looking to spend money in Shanghai. The board will serve as an intermediary consulting organization,

China Makes Its First Five-Seater Airplane
China's first five-seater airplane rolled off the production line recently. The plane, named AC500 and known as the "air car," was jointly developed by Nanjing Light Aircraft Co., Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, both based in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, and the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group. The plane was manufactured in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, where Hongdu is based. The plane can fly 1,000 km non-stop, with a maximum speed

Traveling to Thailand to Be Less Risky
Good news for travelers planning to visit Thailand during the New Year or Spring Festival holidays: The governments of China and Thailand recently agreed to crack down on unscrupulous tour operators and guides. Thailand, one of the most-popular destinations for Chinese travelers, has long been criticized by tourists for its unqualified guides and tour organizers, unfair charges for tourists, substandard souvenirs and indecent places. "Our Thai tour guide left us in a large souvenir shop that was

Travel Forecasting System Starts in E. China Province
A travel forecasting system in Shandong Province in east China has officially opened, said a government tourism official. Http://www.sdta.gov.cn, a key part of the system, provides Shandong tourism information to tourists. The system is made up of three parts: tourism forecast, monitoring and statistics, said Li Deming, director of Shandong Provincial Tourism Administration. Ten cities in Shandong Province, which include Jinan, Linyi, Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai, Zibo, Weifang, Taian, Rizhao and Quf

China Makes Its First Five-Seater Airplane
China's first five-seater airplane has rolled off the production line recently. The plane, named AC500 and known as the "air car," was jointly developed by Nanjing Light Aircraft Co., Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, both based in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, and the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group. The plane was manufactured in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, where Hongdu is based. The plane can fly 1,000 km non-stop, with a maximum sp

First Elevated Railway on Trial Operation
Shanghai Mingzhu elevated railway, China's first, was put into trial operation Tuesday in this largest industrial and commercial city in east China. With the operation of the 25-kilometer rail, first phase of a 62-kilometer railway project, the total length of urban transit railways in Shanghai now increases to 65 kilometers, ranking first among other cities in China. The new elevated railway, which starts from Southern Station of Shanghai Railway and ends in the town of Jiangwan in northern Sha

Ancient Buddhist Temple Untouched by Modern Tourism
The 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple, the cradle of the famous Shaolin Boxing, was not disturbed by swarms of tourists, as the Henan provincial government keeps regulating the tourism sector. The temple was built in 496 in the period of Northern and Southern dynasties (420-581) for the fabulous Indian monk, Bodhidharma, who came to China to spread Buddhism and introduced an Indian form of exercise. The Chinese monks combined Indian exercise with Chinese techniques and developed a unique form of "wu

Ancient Buddhist Temple Untouched by Modern Tourism
The 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple, the cradle of the famous Shaolin Boxing, was not disturbed by swarms of tourists, because the Henan provincial government keeps regulating the tourism sector. The temple was built in 496 in the period of Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-581) for the fabulous Indian monk, Bodhidharma, who came to China to spread Buddhism and introduced an Indian form of exercise. The Chinese monks combined Indian exercise with Chinese techniques and developed a unique form o

Three Gorges Tourism Picks Up
Tourism at the Three Gorges, where the construction of the world's largest hydro-power project is under construction, has picked up after a low market period. Tourism's recovery at the Three Gorges has been attributed to the 50 percent annual increase of tourists to central China's Hubei Province, which will reach 430,000 this year, according to Du Yunsheng, director of the Provincial Tourism Bureau. With the theme of "New Century, New Three Gorges," major scenic sites in the dam area, which are

Ancient Buddhist Temple Untouched by Modern Tourism
The 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple, the cradle of the famous Shaolin Boxing, was not disturbed by swarms of tourists, because the Henan Provincial government keeps regulating the tourism sector. The temple was built in 496 in the period of Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-581) for the fabulous Indian monk, Bodhidharma, who came to China to spread Buddhism and introduced an Indian form of exercise. The Chinese monks combined Indian exercise with Chinese techniques and developed a unique form o

Bilingual Programs Benefit Minority Teenagers
Abudo Kelim still feels a little embarrassed when talking about his first trip to Beijing. He came to study at the then Central Institute for Ethnic Minorities in 1964 as one of the best Uygur middle school graduates from Bachu County, in the southern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. ?For six months, I didn't dare to leave the campus because I didn?￥t know how to say ?I am hungry?￥ in Chinese,? he recalled. But the Uygur and other ethnic minority students at the Urumqi Experimental Midd

FedEx to Ship Giant Pandas to US
Two Giant Pandas from China will travel by Federal Express' plane from Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province, to the United States on December 6, 2000. Currently housed at the China Research and Conservation Center for Giant Panda in Wolong of Sichuan, Tian Tian, a three-year-old male panda, and Mei Xiang, a two-year-old female panda, will fly on a FedEx MD-11 jet from Chengdu to the Washington Dulles International Airport. From the airport, a caravan of FedEx vehicles will deli

Chinese Pandas to ?Visit? US
Two Giant Pandas from China will travel by Federal Express' plane from Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province, to the United States on December 6, 2000. Currently housed at the China Research and Conservation Center for Giant Panda in Wolong of Sichuan, Tian Tian, a three-year-old male panda, and Mei Xiang, a two-year-old female panda, will fly from Chengdu to the Washington Dulles International Airport. From the airport, a caravan of FedEx vehicles will deliver the pandas to the

Senior CPC Official Meets Chilean Delegation
Li Tieying, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met Wednesday with a delegation from the Chilean Party for Democracy led by its President Guido Lavin. The CPC and the Chilean Party for Democracy established formal links in 1995, and since then, they have had constant exchanges. During the meeting, Li, also president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, had a cordial conversation with the delegation members, who are here at the invitatio

Air Control Introduced at Pearl River Delta
A stricter air control is being introduced at the Pearl River Delta in south China from September 29 through October 9 in a bid to ensure air safety at five airports in Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Macao during the forthcoming National Day holidays. Experts from the air traffic control center, headquartered in Zhuhai of Guangdong Province, said that they have worked out rigid air control measures and are well prepared for the coming peak travel season, that will be from October 1, China's National Day,

Sheepskin Raft Plays New Role
With great reluctance, Han Xingde, a middle-aged man from the Salar ethnic group of Qinghai Province, presented the sheepskin raft, handed down in his family for generations, to a nearby museum recently, after he won the gold medal in a recent sheepskin raft race on the Yellow River. "After driving it on the Yellow River for more than 20 years, sheepskin raft now becomes such a rarity that the cultural bureau treasures it in the museum," Han said. The 44-year-old began to sail the raft to transp

China Slams Bribery to Stamp out Corruption
A local government official, named Zhang Lizu, in east China's Jiangxi province was sentenced Friday to one year imprisonment for offering bribes to former deputy governor Hu Changqing. During the past month, altogether eight bribery cases concerning Hu, have been dealt with respectively in Jiangxi, Shanghai and Shenzhen. It is the first time over the past few years that bribery cases have been tried publicly on such a large scale. Observers said it shows the increased efforts by the Chinese gov

1.8 Billion Yuan Signed to Promote Tourism in Shaanxi
The Shaanxi Provincial Branch of the Bank of China, one of the four largest banks in China, signed a deal with Shaanxi Tourism Group Company here Wednesday, to finance 1.8 billion yuan (US$218 million) for the company in the coming five years. The money will be used by the company for major tourism development projects and its subordinate enterprises. The company, an investment and capital management entity authorized by the provincial government, engages in the management or development of cult

Lhasa Evening Online Launched
Lhasa Evening Online was launched on November 28. It is to be run in the way outsiders throughout the world will be helped speedily with a rich supply of information about social and economic life, local customs, conditions and developments of Lhasa, known as the ?roof of the world?. Lhasa Evening is the parental paper of Lhasa Evening Online. With the launching of Lhasa Evening Online people will also gain easy access to a panorama of life outside Lhasa. Lhasa Evening was published as early bac

Beijing Ready for Tourist Peak
Beijing has prepared well for a potential travelling frenzy during the week-long National Day holiday. So says Zhang Mao, vice-mayor of Beijing and director with the city's Holiday Travel Co-ordinate Office, a temporary institute for holiday travel arrangements and administration. The office will strengthen co-ordination between more than 10 government departments, including Beijing Tourism Bureau, Beijing Railway Bureau, Beijing Transport Administration Bureau, Beijing Commerce Committee and Be

China Boosts Tourism Industry for Elders
As China's population gets older, the country's tourism industry is fostering special tour programs for the elderly. In the National Day holiday in early October, a number of travel agencies in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region designed a series of tour programs for elders. According to a president of a local travel agency, the idea of conducting special tour programs for the elderly came from the 2000 China tourism trade fair hosted in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, in July. "Set

Lhasa Evening Online Launched
Lhasa Evening Online was launched on November 28. It is to be run in the way outsiders throughout the world can speedily get a rich supply of information about social and economic life, local customs, conditions and developments of Lhasa, known as the ?roof of the world?. Lhasa Evening is the parental paper of Lhasa Evening Online. With the launching of Lhasa Evening Online people will also gain easy access to a panorama of life outside Lhasa. Lhasa Evening was started on July 1, 1985. By now, i

Tea Culture Travel Routes
Recently Anxi is listed on the range of China tea culture golden travel routes which is confirmed by the state department concerned. This travel route is "Shanghai-Zhejiang Zhoushan-Fujian Anxi". Anxi is the ancient hometown of Chinese oolong as well as the seedbed of Tieguanyin, treasure of oolong. It boasts for long history, assembled culture, and rich and unique travel resources.

Raising Fares: Solution to Problems Facing Civil Aviation?
Starting on November 5, 23 airlines across China raised airfares on domestic routes by 15-20 percent. The move has found a ready response in other industries, including those of tourism, which have direct relations to airlines. Concerning this, the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (GACAC) said that the raising of fares was a provisional emergency measure, and that the fares would be restored to their normal level if the price of aviation fuel went down. According to an official

Quanzhou to Hold Two Travel Festival
The year 2001 is China's sports travel year. The provincial travel bureau declared recently that Fujian will hold five travel festivals next year, among which two will be held in Quanzhou. These two festivals include the third travel festival of Quanzhou city which will be held in the gold coast holiday spending area in next May and the golf invitational tournament for Fujian, Hong Kong and Macao which will be held in next October.

75 Percent of Chinese Against Airfare Hike
A 15 percent hike in ticket prices on domestic airlines has urban Chinese up in arms. The hike was enacted in response to high fuel prices. The China Economy Monitoring and Forecasting Center, an affiliate of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and China Central Television?￥s "Economy 30?￥" program surveyed more than 900 residents of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou about the airfare hike. Fifty-three percent of those surveyed thought that prior to the hike airfares were basically acceptable

Kiribati Gives Visa-free Access to Macao Passport
The Republic of Kiribati has granted visa-free treatment to passport holders of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Beginning from Thursday, Macao SAR passport holders can enter Kiribati with visa-free treatment and stay there for up to 30 days per entry, according to officials with the Identification Services of the Macao SAR government. People holding the travel permit of the Macao SAR can also enjoy visa-free treatment while entering the island country in the Pacific Ocean

Farmer Renovates the Great Wall at His Own Expense
?If you really want to do something, you must prepare for it in full confidence.? This is a motto a farmer from northwest China?￥s Gansu Province lives up to. Yang Yongfu, from Huangcaoying Village in the Jiayuguan City, has the aspiration to renovate the section of the Ming Great Wall ruins near his village with funds raised by his own efforts. Yang undertakes many contracted projects outside his hometown, but he frequently returns home to cultivate his own land of some 0.67 hectares. He always

Mainland Visitors to Be Allowed Easier Access to Hong Kong
The Chinese government will adopt a series of preferential measures to facilitate mainlanders' entry into the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), sources with the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the China's State Council said Wednesday. The measures mean all mainland travel agencies authorized to organize overseas-bound tour groups, will be allowed to arrange Hong Kong tours for mainlanders. More importantly, the quota system for mainlanders visiting Hong Kong will also be aboli

Qufu Relics Damaged by Cleaning Firm
Improper cleaning methods have done great damage to the Confucian Temple, the Confucius Family Mansion and the Confucian Cemetery -- all precious cultural relics listed in the United Nation's Catalogue of Global Cultural Heritage Sites -- according to the State Bureau of Cultural Relics. The three sites are situated in Qufu, the city in East China's Shandong Province which is the birthplace of Confucius, a world-renowned ancient thinker and educator. The damages have caused enormous losses, said

Jiyuan--Origin of Chinese Culture
Many may have heard of the Temple of Heaven, Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon in Beijing, but not know of the Heavenly Peak, Sun Peak and Moon Peak in Jiyuan. Similarly, there is Beihai Park and Fragrance Hill in Beijing, and there's little Beihai and the red leaves of Wangwu Mountain in Jiyuan. It is said that Chinese emperors used to offer sacrifices to Heaven at the Heavenly Peak on Tiantan (meaning Heavenly Temple) Mountain in Jiyuan. By the reign of Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, howe

Jiyuan -- Origin of Chinese Culture
Many may have heard of the Temple of Heaven, Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon in Beijing, but not know of the Heavenly Peak, Sun Peak and Moon Peak in Jiyuan. Similarly, there is Beihai Park and Fragrance Hill in Beijing, and there's little Beihai and the red leaves of Wangwu Mountain in Jiyuan. It is said that Chinese emperors used to offer sacrifices to Heaven at the Heavenly Peak on Tiantan (meaning Heavenly Temple) Mountain in Jiyuan. By the reign of Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, howe

Two Dancers Killed in US Road Crash
Two teenage Chinese dancers have been killed in a road accident in the United States. The youngsters, aged 16 and 17, died after the bus they were travelling in overturned on an icy road in Washington state. Two others - a dancer and a teacher - who were critically injured in the crash were last night still in hospital. Twenty-one others were mildly injured and were released from hospital after the crash on Friday. Yesterday they were preparing to return home. The group, a 34-strong dance troupe

2001: What Will Economic Boost Usher in for the Chinese People?
In early spring of the new millennium, the Chinese economy is growing healthily, a harbinger of another boom ahead. Industrial added value hit 169.5 billion yuan (US$20.42 billion) in January this year, a rise of 2.3 percent over the same period last year, according to the State Bureau of Statistics. It is expected that the national economy will achieve rapid, sustained growth in 2001. A thriving economy swells the money in ordinary people?￥s purse. By the end of last year, per capita GDP came t

Private Lawyers Popular in Large Cities
Recently, Mr. Li, a resident of Nanjing, capital city of east China?￥s Jiangsu Province, got into dispute with a neighbor over the raising of pigeons. During their quarrel, the neighbor said something that Mr. Li had only ever heard from TV series before: ?I don?￥t want to talk with you about this. I will leave the matter to my lawyer.? It is becoming increasingly common for people to hire private lawyers in large cities like Beijing and Nanjing. With the improvement of the living standards of C

Hotel+Plane Ticket? Tour Appears in Shanghai
A ?Hotel+Plane Ticket? tour has appeared in Shanghai, offering self-help travel that is cheaper and far easier to organize than existing means. Potential travelers can see on the price list that a round-trip ticket with three nights in a five-star hotel for a person coming from Sanya, in China?￥s southernmost province of Hainan, only costs 2,980 yuan, while a round-trip ticket with two nights in a four-star hotel costs 2,180 yuan from Beijing. This new kind of tour is expected to attract many ?w

Visiting Factories: New Mode of Tourism in Shanghai
A new mode of tourism has flourished in Shanghai: visiting famous and large-scale local factories. Yangshupu Waterworks -- Shanghai's oldest waterworks opened to visitors on March 10, and several thousand residents registered to visit in only one week's time. After drinking water directly from the taps, they wondered at the good water quality of Shanghai. Over 10,000 Shanghai residents visited the Shanghai Sharp Co., Ltd., which was opened to visitors last year. They visited assembly lines for w

Shanghai to Become An International Metropolis
Shanghai has been developing rapidly in recent years, and both the Shanghai people and local government are determined to construct it into an international metropolis. During the Fourth Session of the Ninth National People?￥s Congress (NPC) which concluded in Beijing recently, Xu Kuangdi, NPC deputy and Shanghai mayor, explained to CIIC reporter about the city?￥s blueprint. Sound Environment for Investment An international metropolis should provide a good environment, which can attract foreign

Beijingers to Travel Through Charter Flight
The Water Sprinkling Festival of Thailand will be held on April 13-16. This seems to have nothing to do with the Chinese people. However, can you image there are over 1,500 Chinese who have already reserved air tickets on April 16 to take part in the revelry? From the 12th to the 16th, merely in Beijing alone, some 800 people will take the charter flight to Thailand. It is not a secret that tour fad has become an increasingly important economic factor for airlines, and this has led to rapid grow

Four Days Are Enough
If you enjoy four days off and would like to travel, here is my suggestion: You could go to PingYao in the centre of Shanxi Province. From Beijing, take train 605 at 23:23 and you will be there at 10:30 the next morning. Even if the little city has not yet become a major tourist stop, accommodation is easy to find and the prices are reasonable. You can have a very good meal for a surprisingly low cost. "PingYao Niu rou" (beef) and all kinds of "pasta" dishes with funny names like "kao laolao" aw

Western China Explores Cultural Heritage Gold
Grottoes carved out of cliffs, ancient cities standing in pastures, Tibetan Buddhist temples surrounded by snow-and-ice-capped mountains. These and other cultural and historical sites in China's vast western region are turning into money-makers for local residents. Statistics show that tourism projects involving cultural and historical sites account for 20 percent of the more than 6,000 projects requiring investment at the on-going Investment and Trade Fair for Cooperation between Eastern and We

To Enter a Totally Different Culture
One day, I received a call, out of the blue, informing me that I would be going to China in three days. I had almost forgotten that I had signed up for such a trip. When the day came for me to leave home, I was a little apprehensive, not having had much time to absorb the fact that I was about to travel half way around the world and enter a totally different culture. As I stepped off the plane, the first thing I felt was the really cold climate. After throwing on a jacket my mother had prudently

Group Travel to China, Take Two: the Family Vacation
One thing that sets China adoptions apart from other international adoptions is the group experience. For most of us who adopted from China, the transition to parenthood happened as we traveled with a group of strangers who rapidly became intimates. Returning to China as a family was something I had envisioned since my first trip there in 1995, when I adopted Molly. At that time I traveled with a group so that my husband, George, could stay at home with our older daughter, Maggie, who had been b

Construction of Major Roads Helps Shorten Travel Time
Beijing's bid for the 2008 Olympic Games has gained new momentum as a group of projects are near completion, including the Fourth Ring Road, according to China Daily. The 50-kilometre long road, which will open in June, will be a principal expressway connecting the majority of planned Olympic venues in the north and west of Beijing. The local government has officially named the Fourth Ring Road the "Olympic Boulevard." It will have eight -- lanes with 147 flyovers to connect with the major stree

Swedish Global Refund Starts Business in Beijing
The Beijing branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) became the agent for Sweden-based Global Refund in Beijing to offer refund services for tourists. With the new business relationship, Beijingers who travel abroad may get their refund tax money back at home, after purchasing items abroad, instead of in foreign tourist destinations. The Global Refund has established some 600 refund agencies in about 27 countries and regions all over the world. It has been generally acknowled

Who Benefits From the Holiday Tourism?
The May Day Holiday (May 1-7) this year proved to be the heyday for Beijing tourism, turning in a profit of over 3.2 billion yuan. An analysis by Xinhua looks at the ultimate beneficiaries behind this huge number. According to statistics offered by the municipal statistics bureau of Beijing, during the May Day holiday, 1,910,000 tourists from outside Beijing and 1,690,000 Beijing residents participated in touring activities in the capital. A survey shows that tourists from outside Beijing spent

Revolution-based Routes Catch Tourist Favor
With the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) coming nearer, travel agencies in China have offered a series of historical revolution-based travel routes. The "classical revolutionary course travel routes" promoted by some agencies start either from Jinggang Mountains of Jiangxi Province to Baotashan at Yan'an of Shaanxi Province or from Japanese-Russian prison at Lushun of Dalian City to Langyashan Mountains where five soldiers of the Eighth Route Army, led by t

Young Chinese Artists Waiting on the Periphery
Every year, about 60 students graduate from the two best fine arts institutes of China -- the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, and the China Fine Arts Academy in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Graduates from these two academies constitute the main elements of China's circles of young artists. Among them, less than one quarter continue on the artistic road, and they mostly come to Beijing or Shanghai in hopes of an opportunity to exhibit their creations and make contact with art brokers. Th

Travel Giants Eye China Market
World travel giants have expanded their tourist business in China, responding to the rapid development of the country?￥s economy and people?￥s rising living standards. According to World Tourism Organization Secretary-General Frangialli Francisco, leading travel companies have begun their battle for market share in China. China?￥s gross domestic product in 2000 hit US$1,000 billion, and its residents?￥ bank savings stand at US$846 billion, creating a chance for Chinese to become mass travelers.

A TV Travel Channel Wanted
Up to now, there have been many dazzling programs appearing on the Chinese television screen, such as a movie channel, amusement channels and sports channels, etc. This, however, makes a great many travel-lovers feel disappointed. With the improvement of living standards, an increasing number of people want to travel and see the world around them, offering a prosperous future for the sector. Those who can open a travel channel at the proper time will certainly come to the fore in the ensuing com

China to Import Magnetic Suspension Train Equipment
The first group of magnetic suspension train (MST) equipment needed for Shanghai's MST rail project will be shipped from Hamburg, Germany, on June 18. Sources from the China Shipping Container Co. Ltd., the only designated carrier of the shipment, said the cargo will arrive at Shanghai Port around July 10. According to the sources, it will take two years to finish transporting all the equipment needed for the MST program. The magnetic suspension rail in Shanghai, the first of its kind in this or

China Stages Tourism Promotion Party in Philadelphia
A "China Night - Philadelphia " party featuring travel presentations, trade shows with Chinese art performances, was held Tuesday night in downtown Philadelphia by an 88-member Chinese travel delegation. The first of three special gatherings for travel agencies between the two countries, hosted by the Chinese delegation, was attended by Zhang Hongxi, Chinese consul-general in New York and Nancy Morgan, executive assistant to the office of mayor in Philadelphia. "China and the United States have

China and US Agree Bilateral Relations Improving
China's Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and US Secretary of State Colin Powell agreed during a telephone conversation Thursday that bilateral relations have taken a turn for the better. In the telephone call requested by the United States, Tang and Powell said the recent difficult period in Sino-US relations had passed. Tang said he would be pleased to meet Powell in Hanoi next month during the ASEAN summit and to exchange views on Sino-US relations and other issues of mutual concern. Powell is al

US Chamber Backs China's WTO Entry
Steve Van Andel, the newly elected chairman of the US Chamber of Commerce, said on Monday that he was looking forward to China joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) sometime before the end of this year. He said this will pave the way for permanent normal trade relations between China and the United States. "For US business, one of the best things that can happen to help confidence in the Chinese market is China becoming part of the WTO," Andel said in an interview with China Daily. His rema

The Olympics: Beijing Has Its Work Cut Out
The Olympic 2008 host city has some work to do before it is ready to hold its best Olympic Games, many Beijing citizens agree. Although many great points about Beijing contributed to its winning of the Olympic Games, many improvements are still necessary. One Beijing citizen wrote to a website recently: ?Beijingers-warm-hearted and friendly-nevertheless have to suffer daily such indignities as ambiguous traffic signs, poor taxi service and the company of many fellow citizens who are not observin

Chinese Man Finishes World Trek
Zou Yulin is not your ordinary freelance writer and photographer -- he has made his mark in China's 5,000 years history as the first Chinese to walk around the world. Beginning his 16-country trip from Shenzhen in China on September 4, 1998 he returned some 630 days later in June 2000 after the tour which took him on foot through South Korea, Canada, US, Britain, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Vatican, Egypt, Australia, and Singapore. Earlier, Zou Youl

Chinese Man Finishes World Trek
Zou Yulin is not your ordinary freelance writer and photographer -- he has made his mark in China?￥s 5,000 years history as the first Chinese to walk around the world. Beginning his 16-country trip from Shenzhen in China on September 4, 1998 he returned some 630 days later in June 2000 after the tour which took him on foot through South Korea, Canada, US, Britain, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Vatican, Egypt, Australia, and Singapore. Earlier, Zou You

Survey Chronicles Changing Chinese Lifestyles
Today?￥s Chinese care more about the quality of their lives over just earning money, according to a recent survey by the Life program of China Central TV Station and the National Bureau of Statistics. The survey found that compared to five years ago urban Chinese also are investing and embracing new buying habits, more women are running households, and more people are being careful about eating a healthy diet. Meanwhile, some 16.6 percent of families interviewed reported doubling their financial

Chinadotcom Loss Doubles in 2nd Quarter
Internet conglomerate chinadotcom corp, which has slashed staff to align itself with the harsh realities of its industry in Asia, said Friday its second-quarter net loss more than doubled from the first quarter as revenue tumbled. "Overall, I would characterize the second quarter as one of significant structural adjustments for us," Chief Financial Officer Daniel Widdicombe said in an interview. While tough market conditions will likely continue, Widdicombe expects the company, whose main busine

US Hopes to Talk on EP-3 Recovery Payment
The United States said on Monday it wanted to hold talks with China after a new Sino-US row blew up when Washington offered only US$34,000 for costs incurred by a downed US spy plane. China expressed its "utmost dissatisfaction" on Saturday at the "erroneous" US decision over fees related to the landing and repatriation of the EP-3 aircraft after a collision with a Chinese jet in April. A Pentagon spokesman said Thursday the US offer was non-negotiable. State Department spokesman Philip Reeker a

Date Decided on Sino-US Non-Proliferation Talks
A team of US experts will travel to Beijing this month for talks on halting the spread of missile technology, the State Department said Monday, a week after reports here accused a Chinese firm of supplying missile parts to Pakistan. The talks, agreed to when Secretary of State Colin Powell was in the Chinese capital late last month, will take place on August 23, and if necessary conclude the following day, State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said. The US inter-agency team will be led by the

China/US: New Dispute Over Spy Plane Pay Offer
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi urged on Wednesday Washington to reconsider its offer and to "give China due explanations as soon as possible so as to settle the issue properly. "The decision is unacceptable to China in both form and content," said Sun. Sun noted that the US told China recently of its decision on the payment issue through its embassy. But the decision was unacceptable to China in both content and form. China has reiterated its strong dissatisfaction with and firm opp

New Tourist Routes
The Yellow Dragon Hotel of Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, seemed to be especially crowded as more than 120 distingushed guests from some 40 domestic international travel services and about 30 overseas travel agencies gathered in the famous tourist city to conduct investigations on a newly-launched tourist route----"a cultural tour in Golden Triangle of Hangzhou". In order to attract more overseas tourists and visitors from HK, Macao and Taiwan, Hangzhou, a world-famous tour

Tourists Yearn for ?Experience Travel?
Not long ago, a group of foreign tourists in Shanghai, after visiting Yuyuan Garden and other famous attractions, made three special requests of their tour guides: They wanted spending a day living with a Shanghai family, they wanted to learn to cook a typical Shanghai dish and they wanted to a stroll down a street with Shanghai youth. These requests reflect the kind of ?experience travel? that has become more attractive to tourists who say they have been to most of the famous attractions and th

Nation on Alert for Possible SARS Recurrence
China has told health workers to be on alert for a possible reemergence of SARS, redoubling temperature checks at airports and ordering local governments to practice emergency measures.

Immigration inspectors must check all passengers traveling in or out of the country and send those with fevers or other cold symptoms to clinics, said a report on People's Daily. Such a step was part of an agreement during the outbreak by China and its Southeast Asian neighbors to cooperate in fighting SAR

Law Needed to Protect Tourism
China's top tourism administration has urged the acceleration of the legislation process to deal with problems in the expanding holiday industry to guarantee its further development. ``A comprehensive law is urgently needed to change the legal relationship in the industry that is more complicated than before,'' said Zhang Shumin, a National Tourism Administration official in charge of policy and laws. The official also noted that as the definition of the tourism industry has not been clarified b

Chinese Worker Makes Wooden Car
With some old teak doors and a chassis and engine, a Chinese auto worker has made a wooden car after one and a half years' devotion. The wooden limousine, 4.2 meters long, 1.68 meters wide and 1.7 meters tall, is made according to the picture of a real Rolls- Royce produced in 1907. "People can drive it and travel around the globe," said Han Yanling, 43, who made the wooden car with his own hands. Han, whose father is a carpenter, is good at woodwork. Also an auto fan, he has been longing to hav

China Marks National Day
The whole nation was in a festive mood Monday, as people across the country celebrated both the National Day and the Mid-autumn Festival. In Beijing, the Chinese capital, more than 200,000 people gathered at Tian'anmen Square early in the morning to witness the national-flag hoisting ceremony. The city's major parks and tourists attractions were filled with tourists from across the country, as many Chinese have chosen to travel during the seven-day holiday from October 1-7. The tourism authority

Chinese Airlines Win Five Star Diamond Award
A Chinese airline, the China Eastern Air Group, has been awarded this year's Five Star Diamond Award, the world's highest award for services industry. Li Zhongming, president of the group, received the award from Joseph V. Cinque, chief executive officer of the American Association for Higher Services (AAHS) Friday in Shanghai. Li also received the Five Star Diamond Award for being a distinguished entrepreneur. The AAHS's Five Star Diamond Award is given annually to the best enterprises, hotels,

Law-makers Urged To Ensure Rural Autonomy
Top legislator Li Peng Thursday urged the legislative departments of the people's congress at all levels to effectively ensure farmers' rights of autonomy according to the Organic Law of Villagers' Committees of China. The system of democratic election, making decisions on village affairs by villagers themselves, and making public the village affairs, have been improved constantly since the revised law was enacted in November 1998. "The implementation of the law in the countryside, an important

Law-makers Urged to Ensure Rural Autonomy
Top legislator Li Peng Thursday urged the legislative departments of the people's congress at all levels to effectively ensure farmers' rights of autonomy according to the Organic Law of Villagers' Committees of China. The system of democratic election, making decisions on village affairs by villagers themselves, and making public the village affairs, have been improved constantly since the revised law was enacted in November 1998. "The implementation of the law in the countryside, an important

More Tourists Hit South China
The comparatively warmer regions in southern China attracted more tourists during the Spring Festival holidays, an occasion for reunions with family members and relatives. Sources from the tourism bureau of Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, said the city hosted more than 5.35 million domestic and overseas tourists during the Spring Festival holidays from January 24 to January 30. A total of 17,200 tourists were handled by local travel agencies in the city, up 29.31 percent

Holiday Railway Transport Brings Huge Profit
Railway transport in Beijing during China's traditional Spring Festival has brought in huge profits, due to an increase in the number of passengers, today's Beijing Morning Post reported. During the first 15-day travel peak before the festival, tickets sold at Beijing's major stations -- the Beijing Railway Station and the West Station -- valued at nearly 300 million yuan (US$36.1 million), an increase of 50 percent over the same period of last year. More than 3.76 million passengers traveled du

Tourism Profits by 'Golden Weeks'
During the first week of the Lunar New Year holiday, Shanghai racked up 1.05 billion yuan (US$126.5 million) in tourist earnings as nearly 2 million visitors came to the bustling city, said Jin Fang, director of the office of the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Management Committee. "Shanghai has the capacity to receive this many tourists easily," said Jin. To stimulate consumption, the Chinese government traded weekends to create week-long breaks for the Labor Day holiday in May and the Nationa

Russian Foreign Minister Arrives in US for Pre-summit Talks
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov arrived in Washington late Wednesday, amid a flurry of diplomatic activity to lay the groundwork for an upcoming summit between US President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Ivanov arrived in the US capital shortly before midnight (0500 GMT), promising to ensure the success of Putin's first meeting with the US president on US soil. The two leaders will hold talks on November 12 in Washington and then travel to Bush's ranch in Crawfo

Hong Kong to Launch Direct Flights to Western Xinjiang
Hong Kong is planning to launch direct flights to China's westernmost region of Xinjiang this year as part of China's measures to develop the impoverished hinterland, a report said Tuesday, January 2. The direct flights between Hong Kong and Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, are expected to start in March or April to attract Hong Kong investors to invest in the west, the Chinese-language Ming Pao daily said. Wang Mingang, a Hong Kong delegate to China's parliament or National People's Congress an

First Group of Visa-Free Tourists Arrive in Hainan
Organized by NIC travel agency of the Republic of Korea (ROK), 21 ROK tourists, with valid ordinary ID documents, were smoothly led out of the Phoenix International Airport in Sanya of Hainan Province by representatives of the local Chinese travel agency early Thursday morning. They are the first group of visa-free tourists Hainan has received since the island province announced early this year that members of tourist groups from 21 countries will be given visa-free treatment for tours on the is

Ancient Silk Road Expands Eastward
The 94-km-long expressway which forms part of the national trunk linking northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region with Qingdao, a coastal city in eastChina, opened to traffic Friday. It means that the famous 2,000-year-old Silk Road now has a newoutlet to China's eastern coast. The new expressway starts from Guyaozi and terminates in Wangjuanliang, both located in Ningxia, through which the ancient Silk Road passed. The expressway, built up to international standards, costs 1.1 billion yu

Icy Land Receives More Tourists
The growing popularity of ice and snow has made China's northernmost Heilongjiang Province one of the hottest tourism spots across the country during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday from January 24 to 30. Statistics from the Provincial Holiday Affairs Office show that 1.35 million domestic tourists traveled to the province during the holiday period, 35 percent higher than last year. Tourism income hit a record 701 million yuan (US$84.5 million), up 40.2 percent from last year. The province

Workers Take Long Holiday
Some 280 million Chinese will travel on the nation's airlines, trains, boats and buses during the weeklong International Labor Day holiday that starts today, according to the Ministry of Communications. A sizable number of Shanghai residents will venture out of town, and an equally large crowd of tourists will pour into the city. The government began its "golden weeks," or "holiday economics" policy last year in an attempt to boost tourism and consumer spending. Flights and railway services to p

Cooperation With China Has Good Prospects: Mexican President
Mexican President Vicente Fox said bilateral relations between his country and China are excellent and he wished to see strengthened exchanges between the two countries. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Fox, who is going to pay a state visit to China on June 6-9, said Mexico and China are focusing on sustained development and economic growth. "We'll travel to China, to seek more trade opportunities, mutual investments and the promotion of economic development," he said. In his one-week Asian t

Mainland Ship Across Straits Expected Next Week
China's southeastern Fujian Province is planning to send a boat on a historic trip to the small island of Kinmen off the mainland coast early next week, officials in the province said Thursday. The crossing, which has tentatively been set for Tuesday, will be the first officially sanctioned trip by the mainland to Taiwan in more than 50 years. "We are shooting for a trip to take place on February 6," said a staff member with the semi-official Kinmen Compatriot Federation in the Fujian port city

Trade Plan's Shortcomings Criticized
Taipei's plan to partly ease a ban on direct cross-Straits transport, trade and postal services "has fallen short of real and full" bilateral links between the Chinese mainland and the island, one of Beijing's leading experts on Taiwan affairs said Tuesday. Xu Shiquan, director of the Institute of Taiwan Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the so-called "mini-three links" proposal is "an utterly inadequate measure" for boosting cross-Straits economic and trade relations. T

More Hotels in Guilin with Star Rating
Guilin, one of China's most popular tourism destinations, now has 35 hotels with a star rating, said local sources. According to the sources, Guilin, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has been making painstaking efforts to construct and improve facilities for transportation, accommodations in a bid to improve the quality of tourism services and enhance the city's capacity to handle tourists. The city now has 70 travel agencies, including 18 agencies that are authorized to organize out- an

Dazu Rock Carvings Exhibited in Beijing
Do you want to see the most well-preserved ancient grotto art repository in China? Visit an exhibition now showing at the National Museum of Chinese History in Beijing. Then, if possible, make a visit to Dazu County in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Entitled "A World Heritage: Dazu Rock Carvings of China," the exhibition gives a fascinating insight into 50,000 precious statues carved mostly between the ninth and the 13th centuries. Featuring more than 100 color photographs, 14 origina

Int'l Coconut Festival to be Held
An international coconut festival is to be held from April 28 to May 22 by China's southernmost province of Hainan, the country's largest special economic zone ( SEZ) and a famous tourist spot, sources told a news conference here Tuesday. The Tenth Hainan International Coconut Festival is a gathering featuring activities concerning travel, cultural exchanges and economic cooperation, said Zhao Guowei, an official with the festival's Organizing Committee. According to Zhao, a series of activities

Jinan to Hold Int'l Tourism Fair
An international tourism fair will be held Wednesday in this capital city of eastern China's Shandong Province, announced Yu Fenggui, vice director of the provincial Tourism Administration, Monday. Vice mayor of Jinan Wang Tianyi told Xinhua that the fair will adopt the pattern of fair plus forum. Travel agencies from the United States, Germany, Austria, Canada and Thailand have booked 26 exhibition pavilions. Some 4,000 domestic and international travel agencies involving more than 10,000 deleg

New Policy Slated to Attract Overseas Professionals
In one of its boldest moves yet to attract high-caliber talent, Shanghai plans to soon issue "green cards" granting nearly all residency rights to foreign experts and returning Chinese students, according to the Personnel Bureau. The bureau has presented a draft proposal to municipal government and hopes to have the new rules in place by the end of the year. Under the plan, "Shanghai green cards" would be issued for one-to-three-year periods, allowing holders to live and work here and to travel

Kim Jong Il Ends Nine-day Train Trip across Russia
Kim Jong Il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), arrived in Moscow Friday evening for a five-day visit. Kim, who just ended his nine-day train trip across Russia, was welcomed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov at the Yaroslavl railway station. After a short welcome ceremony, Kim went to a residence in the Kremlin where he will stay during the visit. The railway station and streets nearby were blocked off and under tight security control. Kim, who crossed

HK, Tianjin Sign Tourism Agreement
Cooperation in travel trade between Hong Kong and China's northern city of Tianjin was further reinforced when tourism heads of the two cities signed a tourism agreement in Hong Kong, a press release issued in Hong Kong today by the Hong Kong Tourism Board said. The agreement, signed on March 28,was part of the "Tianjin Week" trade fair in Hong Kong which ended April 3,when a 500-strong delegation from Tianjin, led by the city's vice mayor, WangShuzu, unveiled more than 200investment projects. T

Australia Trains Chinese Tourism Specialists Via Internet
Thirty Chinese travel agency managers have been receiving a three-month training course run by the Australian tourism authorities via the Internet since August 22, the "Economic Information Daily" reported Tuesday. These managers are from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong Province. It is the first time the Chinese mainland tourism sector has received such investment from a foreign counterpart organization, said the newspaper. Before this, Australia had oper

Railway Ministry Taken to Court for Spring Price Hikes
Lawyer Qiao Zhanxiang from North China's Hebei Province is taking the ministry to court over railway price hikes during the Spring Festival peak travel period. It is the first time that the ministry, which still monopolizes railway transport across the country, has been brought to court in this way. The Beijing and Shanghai railway administrations and the Guangzhou Railway Corporation (Group) are defending the case with the Ministry of Railways. Lawyer Qiao Zhanxiang claimed that the Ministry of

DPRK Top Leader Arrives in Moscow
Kim Jong Il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), arrived in Moscow Friday evening for a five-day visit. Kim, who just ended his nine-day train trip across Russia, was welcomed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov at the Yaroslavl railway station. After a short welcome ceremony, Kim went to a residence in the Kremlin where he will stay during the visit. The railway station and streets nearby were blocked off and under tight security control. Kim, who crossed

No Visas Needed for Foreign Tourist Groups in Haikou
Members of tourist groups from 21 countries will not have to get a visa to visit south China's Hainan Province for less than 15 days. The practice has won the approval of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, according to sources from the provincial people's government. The 21 countries are Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Germany, Britain, France, Austria, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, the United States, Ca

Six Measures to Be Launched for National Day
The weeklong National Day holiday will come along with China's traditional Mid Autumn Festival in twenty days time. The Chinese tourism will certainly hit another peak record as against that of the last National Day holiday, for such a holiday coincidence can only happen once every 20 years, according to Sun Gang, vice-chairman of China National Tourism Administration at a working conference on September 3. Sun said, the work for week-long National Day holiday has been formally launched and we s

Chinese Flotilla Visits France
Two Chinese naval ships and 530 Chinese sailors sailed on Thursday morning into the western French military port of Brest for a four-day goodwill visit, the first ever to Europe by warships of the People's Republic of China. The flotilla of the guided missile destroyer Shenzhen and the supply ship Feng Cang, led by Rear-Admiral Wu Fuchun, chief of staff of China's East Sea Fleet, was greeted at the harbor by Rear- Admiral Durieux of the French Navy and Chinese Ambassador to France Wu Jianmin. Hu

High-quality Products Urged for Russian Market
High-quality Products Urged for Russia Market Chinese enterprises should and will sell more high-quality and famous-brand products to Russia in order to enlarge their shares in the Russian market, Chinese State Councilor Wu Yi said Tuesday in Moscow. Wu, who arrived here Monday evening for a four-day working visit, made the remarks while visiting the Chinese Textiles and Garments Exhibition, which opened Sunday at Moscow's Gostinyi Dvop (Guest Court) near the Red Square. Inspecting the display c

New Train Service Set Between Chinese, Russian Cities
A new international passenger train will go into operation late September connecting Suifenhe of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province and Vladivostok, a Russian coastal city in the far-east.

With a population of 700,000, Vladivostok is a famous tourist resort and a major outlet to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, Japan and the United States. Suifenhe City, some 230 kilometers away from Vladivostok, is also a tourist city flourishing with border trade wi

WB Approves US$200 Million Loan to China
The World Bank approved Tuesday a loan of US$200 million for a highway project in Jiangxi Province, east of China. The Second Jiangxi Highway Project will improve the most important transport corridor in Jiangxi, between the provincial capital of Nanchang, and the coastal cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, the World Bank said. It will reduce vehicle operating costs and travel time of road users, and help stimulate social and economic development, reduce poverty, and thus dec

High-quality Products Urged for Russian Market
Chinese enterprises should and will sell more high-quality and famous-brand products to Russia in order to enlarge their shares in the Russian market, Chinese State Councilor Wu Yi said Tuesday in Moscow. Wu, who arrived here Monday evening for a four-day working visit, made the remarks while visiting the Chinese Textiles and Garments Exhibition, which opened Sunday at Moscow's Gostinyi Dvop (Guest Court) near the Red Square. Inspecting the display counters at the fair, Wu attached importance to

Sweeping Away Old Interment Practices
Li Guangyuan will burn incense on April 5 in memory of his wife, who died last month at age 81. But he will not be among the millions of Shanghai residents who mark Qingming, China?￥s annual day of mourning, by sweeping the graves of their departed loved ones. While others are cleaning ancestral burial sites in area cemeteries, Li will spend the day at home: The ashes of his wife were scattered at sea. ?We made the decision because we have no children, so we don?￥t want to trouble others to swee

Jinan to Hold International Tourism Fair
An international tourism fair will be held on Wednesday in the capital city of eastern China's Shandong Province, announced Yu Fenggui, vice director of the provincial Tourism Administration on Monday. Vice mayor of Jinan Wang Tianyi told Xinhua that the fair will adopt the pattern of fair plus forum. Travel agencies from the United States, Germany, Austria, Canada and Thailand have booked 26 exhibition pavilions. Some 4,000 domestic and international travel agencies involving more than 10,000 d

Cultural Sites to Be Explored
Grottoes carved out of cliffs, ancient cities on the grasslands, Tibetan Buddhist temples surrounded by snow-capped mountains -- these and other cultural and historical sites in China's vast western region are turning into money-makers for local residents. Statistics show tourism projects involving cultural and historical sites accounted for 20 percent of the more than 6,000 searching for investment at a recent investment and trade fair for cooperation between eastern and western China. The fair

Panorama of Ordinary Chinese
It took me four days to catch up with Guan Shan, author of the recently released "Running All the Way: Listening to the Authentic Voice of Ordinary Chinese." When I finally found him, it was in a fast food restaurant near Jianguomen in downtown Beijing, two days before the Spring Festival. "Sorry, I am too busy these days," he said, explaining that he had been "running all the way," preparing promotional tours and being interviewed by about 50 local newspapers, radio and TV stations in Beijing a

Authorities Clean up Travel Agencies
The National Tourism Administration circulated a notice on Wednesday listing disciplinary measures taken against five travel agencies for violating regulations in overseas tourism. Among them, Yangtze International Travel Agency of Central China's Hubei Province and Zhangzhou China International Travel Service of East China's Fujian Province have been forbidden to run overseas tours from January 3. Another three agencies are temporarily suspended from organizing overseas tours. Eighteen travel s

Sweeping Away Old Interment Practices
Li Guangyuan burned incense on April 5 in memory of his wife, who died last month at age 81. But he is not be among the millions of Shanghai residents who mark Qingming, China?￥s annual day of mourning, by sweeping the graves of their departed loved ones. While others are cleaning ancestral burial sites in area cemeteries, Li spends the day at home: The ashes of his wife were scattered at sea. ?We made the decision because we have no children, so we don?￥t want to trouble others to sweep our gra

People Crazy for Cars
Excited people filled the car exhibition at the on-going Beijing International Fair. "I long to drive my own car for my family. We don't worry about sunshine and rain pouring. The diameter of life has been extended along the highway," said Mr.Chen,who was wandering around the fair. The car, a product of the Industrial Revolution, was a remarkable symbol of the 20th century.When people marvel at the one-hundred year history of cars,they discover that only the prestigious have enjoyed owning cars

Promoter Cancels Holyfield-Ruiz WBA Title Fight in China
The delayed WBA heavyweight title fight between Evander Holyfield and champion John Ruiz will not be held in China anymore as it was re-scheduled on November 25, said American boxing promoter Don King on Wednesday. The decision was made by HBO, who was contracted to televise the fight for 5 million US dollars, and agreed by Don King in the wake of the international travel warning issued by the US state department after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. "I suppo

Browsing 100 Museums at Home
Museum buffs try to see every museum wherever they travel. "But no one can see all of the museums in China in his or her lifetime," said Liu Qiguang. The sheer number of museums across China, 1,800, is daunting. But he is not discouraged. Four years ago, Liu and his colleagues started a project to record museums in China on video tape. "Since we cannot visit all of the museums, we can at least bring some of them to people's homes via TV," said Liu, who is the production's general director. Their

Art Event to Show Big Names
A photographic exhibition depicting eminent world figures will be held in the China National Art Museum from April 7 to 15. Said to be unprecedented in the history of international photography, the pictures, about 80 in number, focus on Nobel Prize winners and other leading figures from around the world. Deng Wei, 42, the photographer who has portrayed the personalities and life details of these great people through his lens, began to travel the world from 1990 in a bid to realize his dream of p

First Light Rail Line Lays Down in Beijing
Beijing's urban traffic congestion is expected to be greatly eased thanks to the launching of the city's light rail project. The initial tracks of Beijing's first light railway line were laid down on Monday. Construction of the light rail begins at the Huilongguan East Station in the Huilongguan residential areas in northern Beijing's Changping District. The light rail will stretch from the Huilongguan East Station to Xizhimen in the west and Dongzhimen in the east. Construction of the light rai

Taiwan's Economic Woes Take Toll on Hawaii's Tourist Industry
Taiwan's continued economic slowdown has taken its toll on the tourism industry in Hawaii, reports reaching here from Taipei said Wednesday. A Taiwan official in charge of commercial issues said that 20 percent of ethnic Chinese in Hawaii operate tourism related services. "Taiwan's economic woes have seriously affected their business revenues, particularly after two major Taiwan carriers suspended their direct Taiwan-Hawaii flight services," he said. With the Taiwan economy losing steam, the off

Travelers Flocking to Hotels
More than 10 million Chinese stayed in hotels during the Spring Festival holidays, a substantial increase over last year, agency reported. Domestic travelers during the January 24-30 holiday period totaled 44.96 million. According to the China National Tourism Administration, tourism income during the Lunar New Year holidays reached 19.8 billion yuan (US$2.38 billion), a sizable increase over the 55 million yuan recorded during the National Day holiday on October 1. With more disposable income,

Cultural Sites to Be Explored
Grottoes carved out of cliffs, ancient cities on the grasslands, Tibetan Buddhist temples surrounded by snow-capped mountains - these and other cultural and historical sites in China's vast western region are turning into money-makers for local residents. Statistics show tourism projects involving cultural and historical sites accounted for 20 percent of the more than 6,000 searching for investment at a recent investment and trade fair for co-operation between eastern and western China. The fair

Qufu Relics Damaged by Cleaning Firm
Improper cleaning methods have done great damage to the Confucian Temple, the Confucius Family Mansion and the Confucian Cemetery -- all precious cultural relics listed in the United Nation's Catalogue of Global Cultural Heritage Sites -- according to the State Bureau of Cultural Relics. The three sites are situated in Qufu, the city in east China's Shandong Province which is the birthplace of Confucius, a world-renowned ancient thinker and educator. The damages have caused enormous losses, said

Chinese Enjoy Holidays
Air crashes, hijackings, explosions and other gloomy news in other parts of the world did not prevent the Chinese people celebrating their annual National Day festival. TOURISM BOOM In spite of the global terror scare, 740 planes took off and landed at Beijing's Capital International Airport on Monday, the first day of the week-long National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, 100 more than on the same day in 2000. The national tourism authority estimated that an average 500, 000 domestic and o

Tourists From China's Mainland Acceptable to China's Taiwan
According to the policies issued June 5 by "Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC)", those 1st-rate travel agencies in Taiwan Province operated for over five years, may receive tourists from China's mainland in a controlled number of visitors and in the way of "group entry and exit", sources from Taipei say. For the moment, tourists from China's mainland are allowed to visit Taiwan in a controlled number but the number will by and by be increased. At the very beginning this can be carried out o

Travel Organizers Face New Scrutiny
The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) yesterday issued a circular tightening the management of travel agencies' foreign exchange activities in a move designed to prevent draining of the State's foreign exchange resources. The circular is also aimed at supporting efforts made by the National Tourism Administration (NTA) to regulate the inbound and outbound tourism markets, a SAFE official said. The circular, which goes into effect on March 1, stipulates that only travel agencies app

China Riding 'Holiday Economy' Train
China's Vice-Premier Qian Qichen has used the occasion of the current week-long International Labor Day holiday to promote further development of the nation's tourism industry, saying Chinese people need to have wider access to recreation and relaxation. The message was similar to a recent call by experts for strengthening of the nation's "holiday economy," a term that sprung up in 1999 when China lengthened its major holidays. The experts claimed promotion of the holiday economy would contribut

Berger Slams Bush Policy on China
Former U.S. National Security Advisor Samuel Berger criticized the Bush Administration for its ?shaky? policy toward China, a Japanese newspaper has reported. In an interview June 6th with a correspondent from Asahi Shinbun, the former top Clinton Administration official said that it would be a mistake for countries like the United States and Japan to adopt unfriendly relations with China. ?The China policy of countries like the United States and Japan will affect the future of China. If we take

Friends of Birds
From a thatched cottage, 34-year old Wang Hui observed a family of red-crowned cranes. Only about 2,200 of the creatures are in existence and they are listed as the most endangered birds on earth by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The Yancheng Biosphere Reserve in east China?￥s Jiangsu Province has the country?￥s largest original coastal wetland, which covers more than 3,000 square km. The reserve is now the best winter habitat for the cranes. Before the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the cranes c

China Riding 'Holiday Economy' Train
China's Vice-Premier Qian Qichen has used the occasion of the week-long International Labor Day holiday to promote further development of the nation's tourism industry, saying Chinese people need to have wider access to recreation and relaxation. The message was similar to a recent call by experts for strengthening of the nation's "holiday economy," a term that sprung up in 1999 when China lengthened its major holidays. The experts claimed promotion of the holiday economy would contribute signif

Treat by Top Tenors
Chinese audiences were no doubt surprised when they heard the world's three great tenors say in Chinese on the CCTV's Spring Festival Variety Show on January 23: "Happy New Year and see you in Beijing." A solo concert by Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo or Jose Carreras can make a splash in every corner of the world, let alone a joint performance by all three. It is an opportunity Chinese audiences have eagerly awaited for a long time. Now their hopes will come true. After nearly three years o

Tourists Assured Safe over Thai Trips
Chinese tourists travelling overseas will continue to enjoy their visit in Thailand in safety despite reports of an outbreak of dengue fever, the Thai Government declared in Beijing Monday. The disease which originates in tropical and subtropical areas has been of concern to Chinese tourists, quarantine, tourism and health departments since July. A Thai delegation headed by senator Suradech Yasawasdi moved to ease fears by explaining the current status of the disease in its country. More people

Monkeys Wildly Attacks Travelers
Over 60 monkeys jumped upon us crazily...? On May 31, 12 female travelers were frightened when traveling near the Nine Dragon Mountain Village in Ningbo, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province. At half past 3 on that day, 12 female employees from a certain company in Ningbo went to the Monkey Island in the Nine Dragon Mountain Village. When they disembarked, over 60 monkeys suddenly ran at them and forced them into the lake. For the solitary boat had already gone away, most of the travelers h

Lu Xun Remembered as Global Literary Giant
Despite his death 65 years ago, Lu Xun's literature and thought still receives great attention and his popularity appears unlikely to die out. "His works do not merely belong to one nation, but are of global value,!1 Feng Tie, a scholar of Chinese nationality now at Germany said at a recently held international academic symposium entitled The World of Lu Xun and the Lu Xun of the World. Lu Xun, born in Shaoxing County of east China's Zhejiang Province on September 25, 1881 and died on October 9,

HK Foundation to Aid Poor in Guizhou
The Kadoorie Foundation from Hong Kong will aid the poor in two counties of the remote southwest China province of Guizhou under an agreement signed Guiyang Sunday. The agreement was inked by China Charity Federation (CCF) president Yan Mingfu, representing the Kadoorie Foundation, and officials from the counties of Luodian and Haozhang. The Hong Kong-based foundation will carry out a program of planting cash crops in Luodian, which is mainly inhabited by the Buyi Minority. The foundation plans

25 Percent Chinese Give up Outgoing Plans
Some 25 percent of Chinese residents will probably give up their outgoing plans during the Spring Festival period as transport fares rise dramatically, according to a recent survey of 1,800 residents in big cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The survey shows festival spending will rise this year, with larger proportion on entertainment and travel. It is estimated that each family will spend one tenth of their yearly income during the fest. Starting January 10, China entered the an

Poll Finds City Women Happy
Ninety percent of local women are satisfied with their marriages - and if they are not married, they are happy with their family life, according to a 10-month, citywide survey carried by the Shanghai Women's Federation that was completed last month. The study, part of a nationwide poll, also found more than 70 percent of Shanghai women are satisfied with their material and spiritual lives. The poll is based on responses from 2,352 residents, ranging in age from 18 to 64. Fifty-three percent were

Travellers' Return Trips Peak After 7-day Holiday
Travellers, who turned up at Beijing's railway stations in the hope of leaving the capital for home by train after the week-long National Day holiday, were disappointed yesterday, as most tickets had sold out. The national transportation authorities said that during the holiday period a record 1.6 million people were expected to leave Beijing by train, up 4.2 percent over the same period of last year. More than half of the passengers, who had travelled to Beijing to visit family and friends or w

Village Travel Should Inpour Traits
The village travel has become a fashion in Shanghai. On each weekend, hundred of thousand of people go to suburbs to enjoy the amusement that they get from the nature and experience a real pastoral life. The village travel in Shanghai can be traced back in the early of 1990s. The Chongming County first promoted the village travel project on the basis of the local pastoral scenery and ecological environment, which lured a great many travelers from urban city during the preliminary operation on th

Mainland: A Magnet to Hong Kong Tourists
China's mainland has received 58.56 million Hong Kong tourists who stayed overnight last year, accounting for more than 70 percent of overseas tourists, eastday.com reported today. The travel industries in Hong Kong and mainland are always depend on each other, said Chen Yousheng, vice chairman of the China Travel Association in Hong Kong yesterday. Chen led a large tour delegation to Hong Kong to attend the Hong Kong International Tour Show. Hong Kong received more than 13 million tourists, wit

H.K. Travel Expo
The 15th International Travel Expo of Hong Kong, an annual travel spectacular in the city, opened yesterday, attracting more than 400 exhibitors from 45 countries and regions. With an area of 12,000 square meters, the four-day expo serves as a one-stop shopping marketplace for sellers and buyers of travel and tourism trade. The China National Tourism Administration has the biggest pavilion among all.

Travellers' Return Trips Peak after Holiday
Travellers, who turned up at Beijing's railway stations in the hope of leaving the capital for home by train after the week-long National Day holiday, were disappointed yesterday, as most tickets had sold out. The national transportation authorities said that during the holiday period a record 1.6 million people were expected to leave Beijing by train, up 4.2 percent over the same period of last year. More than half of the passengers, who had travelled to Beijing to visit family and friends or w

Squash Appeal Grows
It?￥s a common experience. You have been planning to play since Monday, but just as you are heading to the courts with your T-shirt and tennis racket a sudden rain shower upsets your plans. Before you change your clothes and put away your racket in disappointment, you should think about an alternative sport. Squash can offer much of the same joy as the weather-dependent tennis. "Shanghai people are not as familiar with squash as they are with tennis, because squash is not an event in the Olympic

China and Turkey Sign "Action Plan" to Boost Ties
Turkey and China signed in Ankara Monday an "action plan" to boost bilateral cooperation in the political, economic and cultural fields. The document, inked by foreign ministers Ismail Cem of Turkey and Tang Jiaxuan of China, outlines a framework of enhanced cooperation between the two countries. "Our ties have been on a positive track. With the action plan they will gain speed," Cem told reporters after the ceremony. Tang, for his part, said that Turkey and China had many cooperation opportunit

Lu Xun Remembered as Global Literary Giant
Despite his death 65 years ago, Lu Xun's literature and thought still receives great attention and his popularity appears unlikely to die out. "His works do not merely belong to one nation, but are of global value," Feng Tie, a scholar of Chinese nationality now at Germany said at a recently held international academic symposium entitled The World of Lu Xun and the Lu Xun of the World. Lu Xun, born in Shaoxing County of east China's Zhejiang Province on September 25, 1881 and died on October 9,

Biotech Center Attracts Chinese, British Scientists
A Sino-British inter-university biotechnology research and development center was established yesterday in Shanghai to promote research on growing more productive crops. Jointly launched by Fudan and Jiaotong universities in Shanghai and Nottingham University in the United Kingdom, the research center will have more than 40 scientists working collaboratively at the three universities. Scientists say the research of basic plant and plant-related science issues are too long-term, multidisciplinary

Macao Opens New Air Route to Philippines
A new air route will be opened between China's Macao Special Administrative Region and the city of Laoag in the Philippines as of July 19, Air Macao announced Monday. This will be the second air route from Macao to the Philippines following the one to Manila, said Zhang Hongying, general manager of Air Macao. He told Xinhua that the new route will cater to the demand of the increasing number of tourists from the Philippines to Macao. Statistics show that the number of visitors from the Philippin

A Bridge Between Cultures
A company offering simultaneous translation for foreign audiences has revolutionized their appreciation and understanding of Peking Opera. A 500-strong audience, mainly foreigners, regularly packs the Chinese Traditional Opera College in the southwest of Beijing to watch Peking Opera with wireless earphones providing simultaneous translation. A recent performance of "The Romance of White Snake" was an experiment in using the earphones, planned and carried out by the Beijing One Tone Cultural Exc

High-Speed Passenger Train Put into Use in South China
The "Blue Arrow" high-speed passenger train, powered by an alternating current locomotive, was put into commercial operation Monday, becoming the first passenger train to travel at 200 km per hour in China. The train, which operates on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Railway, is composed of a locomotive engine and six trail cars, with 422 passenger seats. Currently, it takes 60 minutes for the train to travel from Guangzhou to Shenzhen, but it will take only 55 minutes to complete the trip from March 1,

Spring Season Transport Period Starts
China's annual Spring Festival holiday season began today and will end in February 17. Known as the Spring Season Transport period, the peak time occurs before and after Spring Festival, and is the most important traditional holiday for Chinese people. Those traveling are usually laborers, college students in their winter holidays and people working elsewhere on their way home. In recent years an increasing number of people have traveled during the period. According to sociologists the increased

Shanghai Leads China in Comfortable Living
Shanghai is taking the lead in China marching toward a comfortable living standard, according to Mayor Xu Kuangdi. Local government statistics showed that urbanites enjoy an annual disposable income of 11,700 yuan (US$1,410), while farmers have 5,500 yuan (US$663). Statistics also registered significant growths of expenditure on education, culture, healthcare and travel. Over the past five years, a total of 78 million square meters of new living space have been constructed,raising the per capita

Holidaymakers Swell Industry's Coffers
China's tourism market reached a new peak during the May Day holiday, which is traditionally called a "golden week.'' It has been predicted that the amount of income from tourism and the travel industry during the holiday will surpass both last year's May Day week and the week-long National Day holiday, according to information released on Monday, the last day of the holiday, by an office set up during the holiday by the National Tourism Administration. Major tourist attractions like Shanghai, C

Migrating Workers Welcomed in West Development
?Although these well-trained people will eventually return to where they came from, we still expect that they will contribute to the economic development in west China regions.? This is the common understanding of delegates from west China regions attending the ongoing fifth Investment and Trade Fair for Cooperation Between Eastern and Western China. Attracted by China?￥s bold drive to develop its western regions, more and more high-level professionals have swarmed to seek better career opportun

A Bridge Between Cultures
A company offering simultaneous translation for foreign audiences has revolutionized their appreciation and understanding of Peking Opera. A 500-strong audience, mainly foreigners, regularly packs the Chinese Traditional Opera College in the southwest of Beijing to watch Peking Opera with wireless earphones providing simultaneous translation. A recent performance of The Romance of White Snake was an experiment in using the earphones, planned and carried out by the Beijing One Tone Cultural Excha

First Electric Railway in Northeast China to Open to Traffic
The first electric railway in Northeast China, a 550-kilometer-long railway linking Harbin and Shenyang, capitals of Heilongjiang and Liaoning provinces, was completed Wednesday and will be open to traffic in mid August, Thursday's Economic Information Daily reports. The Harbin-Shenyang railway is a part of the electric railway that links Harbin and the coastal city of Dalian, a major infrastructure project to be completed in November this year. The Harbin-Dalian railway runs 949 kilometers and

Western Region Explores Cultural Heritage Gold
Grottoes carved out of cliffs, ancient cities standing in pastures, Tibetan Buddhist temples surrounded by snow-and-ice-capped mountains. These and other cultural and historical sites in China's vast western region are turning into money-makers for local residents. Statistics show that tourism projects involving cultural and historical sites account for 20 percent of the more than 6,000 projects requiring investment at the on-going Investment and Trade Fair for Cooperation between Eastern and We

Yale President Highlights His China Tour
Visiting Yale University President Richard C. Levin said Wednesday that his China tour has been one of the most wonderful experiences of his life. Levin and his delegation visited Beijing during May 6-9 and left for Changsha Wednesday after meeting students and faculty at Beijing and Qinghua universities. He delivered speeches on university globalization and the role universities play in economic development at the two prestigious schools. Members of his delegation also talked with scholars of t

Last Minute Goal Keeps China in Sight of Finals
China remained firmly on course to their World Cup dream thanks to a dramatic last minute goal in a 1-1 draw with Qatar here last Friday in their Asian Group B qualifier. With the home side within sight of a famous victory that would have put them on top of the table, Li Weifeng scored from close range in injury time after a goalmouth scramble to preserve China's unbeaten start to the campaign. China top the group with seven points from three games while Qatar, having played one match more, rank

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