China :: Commentaries

Visitors visit the European architecture model constructed with Lego in Hong Kong, south China, April 30, 2011. Artists using 3 million pieces of Lego constructed 17 world famous scenic spots, attracting lots of visitors.[Photo/Xinhua] Previous Page 1 2 3 4 Next Page Previous Page 1 2 3 4 Next Page

NANCHANG - Six people were killed and seven others injured after a coach crashed head-on into a truck Saturday in east China's Jiangxi province, police said.The coach, carrying about 50 passengers, crossed the center line and ran into an oncoming truck at about 9 am on a section of national road in Pingxiang city, said a spokesman with the provincial police department.Four people were killed on the spot, including the truck driver. Two passengers died on their way to the hospital, rescuers said.Police are investigating the cause of the tragedy.

BEIJING - An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale jolted Ilan county at the northeast coast of Taiwan at 4:35 pm Beijing Time Saturday, according to the China Earthquake Network Center. The epicenter, with a depth of 60 km, was monitored at 24.7 degrees north latitude and 121.8 degrees east longitude, the center said.

Flash China is full of individual cartoon makers. These people usually have a day job, but enjoy making cartoons on their own in their spare time. Some of these animations, such as Kungfu Rabbit, have become internet sensations. This is Kungfu Rabbit and his "enemy". People went crazy for them as soon as they appeared on the internet. The maker Li Zhiyong is a teacher at the School of Animation at Communications University of China. He makes cartoons in his spare time with help from his students and friends. Li Zhiyong, Individual cartoon maker, CUC, School of Animation, said, "Individual cartoons are only made in China's academies. This is because only students don't have to think about money when they create something. We make cartoons the way we want. We don't have any restrictions. That's why we call them individual cartoons. That's the reason why I choose to stay at this school." Busy with teaching, Li doesn...

Beijing - China has detected more than 100,000 cases involving violation of intellectual property rights (IPR) in the past five months, Vice-premier Wang Qishan said at a national conference in Qingdao on Friday.While praising the results so far, Wang ordered government departments across the country to continue their efforts by focusing on key markets and fields, such as agricultural products, food and pharmaceuticals. Related readings: IPR trust, communication and cooperation"Harsher criminal and economic punishments should be imposed in order to truly intimidate violators," Wang said.Wang also urged government departments to purchase and use legitimate computer software, Xinhua reported.He said local authorities should be more aggressive in policing software piracy, counterfeiting and online IPR violations and establish a long-term mechanism for IPR protection in the near future.The ongoing campaign has targeted pirated publications, DVDs, software and other illegal produc...

Libyan rebels weep after a comrade was shot in the head at a hospital in Misrata on April 29. (Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images) Libyan forces loyal to strongman Moammar Gadhafi have attempted to place mines at the port of the besieged city of Misrata, NATO officials said on Friday. NATO maritime forces found a number of small vessels and after investigations, disrupted mine-laying operations by pro-Gadhafi forces designed to threaten the flow of humanitarian aid into Libya. The mines were being placed several miles from the shore near where vessels approach the port. In all, three mines were found and disposed of. Rebels controlling the Misrata port were forewarned by NATO before NATO closed it down temporarily. Two ships were not able to deploy supplies to the city, where the humanitarian situation has gone from bad to worse in the past several weeks of fighting. The mining of a civilian port by pro-Gadhafi forces is clearly designed to disrupt the lawful flow of h...

James Cameron holds the hand of Yamaguchi Tsutomu, double survivor of both atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Courtesy of Takiseeds) Have you ever have one of those days where it feels like the whole world is against you and youre not sure if youll make it through? Chin up kiddo, because its nothing compared to the life of Yamaguchi Tsutomu, who was hit by two atomic bombs! Directed by Hidetaka Inazuka, Twice Bombed: The Legacy of Yamaguchi Tsutomu documents the tale of a rare individual who managed to survive both bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug 6, and Aug 9. More than 200,000 people died in the bombings and their aftermath, but Yamaguchi survived. As the movie reveals, Yamaguchi was a naval engineer on duty in Hiroshima on Aug 6, 1945. While walking through a potato field three miles from ground zero he saw a flash of light, a giant fireball, and was soon afterward knocked down by the blast. He suffered immediate radiation burns on his limbs, lost his ...

BEIJING - A total of 10,535 former officials or government employees were placed under investigation, in the first three months of this year, for being suspected of having committed crimes in abusing their power, said the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) Friday.These former officials or government employees were said to be involved in 7,910 cases concerning work-related crimes, according to the SPP.As part of China's anti-graft efforts, the SPP has given top priority to seriously investigating and preventing duty-related crimes since the start of the year, said SPP spokesman Bai Quanmin.According to Bai, from January to March, the SPP placed under investigation 632 former officials or government employees who were suspected of being implicated in 5,567 significant cases which concerned abuse of power and caused strong public resentment.The SPP also tightened its crackdown on bribe giving and commercial bribery. Under the campaign, 923 officials or government employees were ...

BEIJING - A power shortage has recently hit many Chinese provinces well ahead of the normal peak consumption season, and it is believed that demand will increase even further once the peak season actually hits. Related readings: Power cuts worst for smaller businessesThe power supply shortage may expand to 30 million kilowatts or more this summer, depending on coal supplies and water levels, according to the China Electricity Council (CEC).East China's industry-heavy Zhejiang Province is facing power shortages of up to 2.71 million kw in April, the region's worst shortage since 2004. Other provinces, including Guangdong, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Hunan, are also dealing with power shortages. Some of these provinces have implemented power rationing measures as a result.Lin Weibin, deputy director of the research center of energy and strategic resources under Beijing Normal University, attributed the power shortages to increasing demand and coal shortages.China's demand for electr...

Just two hours away from the big event. At 11 a.m. local time on Friday, the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey will mark the biggest nuptials since Prince Charles and Princess Dianas wedding in 1981. After Prince William, 28, and Middleton, 29, tie the knot, they will become the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. 2 billion viewers are predicted to tune in for the royal wedding 100 million additional pints of beer will be served over the royal wedding period 50 million British pounds were earned in revenue from royal merchandise $34 million is the estimated cost of the wedding 1.1 million tourists are expected to visit London just for the nuptials 750,000 limited edition commemorative Oyster cards have been produced by Transport for London 600,000 fans are estimated to line the carriage procession streets from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace $398,000, the estimated value of Middleton's engagement ring 28,000 wilted tulips were cut down i...

Wang Xuan (1937--2006) was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. He is an innovator of the Chinese printing industry and an academician at both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He is a well-known computer application specialist, who was awarded the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award in 2001 by President Jiang Zemin in Beijing. Started in 2000, this highest degree prize of science and technology in China had only been awarded to 9 scientists by 2006. He was also the vice-chairman of the CPPCC.Wang Xuan graduated from the Department of Mathematics and Mechanics at Peking University in 1958 and devoted himself to computer science education and research ever since. He was mainly involved in research into computer processing of words, graphics and images. Since 1975, he had been in charge of the research and development of laser typesetting systems in the Chinese language and of electronic publishing systems. Surpassing Japan's second-generati...

Han hanged himself, leaving behind his wife and young daughters In the time when the prices of everything are sky-rocketing up in China, the recent plummeting price of vegetable seems rather abnormal and it is destructive to many vegetable farmers, most of whom are the low income population. A farmer from Shan Dong province hanged himself in desperation, leaving behind his wife and two young daughters. Han Jin, the 39 year-old farmer, was an introvert and an honest, hard working person. Last year, he was told poultry farming was a lucrative business. So he built a shed and bought some sheep with the 10 thousand yuan he borrowed. Han was anticipating earning the money for his childrens tuition. Unfortunately, the sheep were infected with epidemic disease. Instead of earning any money, the poor farmer family lost the 10,000 yuan overnight. Yet it never rains but it pours. This year, he planted cabbage in his 6 mou (around 1/3 hectares) farm land (the main source of the familys income). B...

BEIJING - Marveled by the futurist architecture, Jiang lit up a cigarette as he disembarked a tourist bus in front of the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA), situated in the heart of Beijing."It is my first time to the grand theater," said the 60-year-old farmer from east China who only gave his surname Jiang, referring to the French-designed new icon of the Chinese capital.Jiang, excited to explore, strode into the hall, with the burning cigarette still in hand. No one bothered to stop him as he puffed away.Such an example demonstrates the huge challenge Chinese health authorities face in imposing a smoking ban in all enclosed public venues in a country with the world's largest number of smokers - 350 million - and a deep-rooted tobacco culture.Smoking-related diseases kill roughly 1.2 million Chinese every year and the death rate is expected to keep climbing in the coming decades, according to estimates of the World Health Organization and Chinese health aut...

BEIJING - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao concluded his visit to Malaysia on Thursday and arrived in Jakarta for a two-day visit to Indonesia.Following are highlights of Premier Wen's activities in Malaysia on Wednesday and Thursday.KUALA LUMPUR -- China will further promote educational cooperation with Malaysia, Wen said during his two-day official visit to Malaysia.When visiting the University of Malaya, the oldest and largest university in Malaysia, Wen said the two countries will sign agreements on mutual recognition of higher education experience and academic degrees.Wen meanwhile hailed the university's efforts to promote cultural exchanges between Chinese and Malaysian youths.KUALA LUMPUR -- Wen met on Wednesday with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to boost relations between their two countries.During the small-scale meeting, Wen expressed happiness over his visit to Malaysia, his first in six years, and congratulated the country on its great achievements in economic...

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the International Horticultural Exposition in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, on Thursday, April 28, 2011. [PHOTO BY YUAN JINGZHI / FOR CHINA DAILY]

PLACE BOYER: Haitians displaced by the earthquake stay in makeshift homes in Place Boyer in Petionville on Jan. 23, 2010, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Sophia Paris/Getty Images) Georges Marie is a proud and angry Haitian lawyer who lost her husband in the earthquake. As she mourned, the humanitarian industry exploded. She watched with concern as Port au Princes narrow streets became clogged with white Land Rovers, each stamped with an aid agency logo on the drivers door. It still rankles her when the humanitarians dine and dance in a four-star restaurant overlooking the Place Boyer, a public square now strung with tarps, home to some of the million-plus people still displaced from the 2010 earthquake. Some aid organizations, Georges Marie said, dont pay taxes required to operate in Haitialthough to be fair its quite possible that the under-resourced Haitian state has never asked. Others dont fulfill local hiring mandates, placing foreigners in positions that Haitians could...

BEIJING - Fire authorities in Beijing said Thursday that they have ordered a citywide overhaul of fire control measures after a building blaze earlier this week left 18 people dead and two dozen others injured.The overhaul is aimed at preventing major fires and is expected to last through May, said a spokesman with the city's fire department on Thursday.The overhaul will focus on rural-urban areas, specifically rented houses, small hotels, bars and Internet cafes, where fire safety enforcement is often lax, he said.Authorities will also run safety checks on high-rise buildings, construction sites and densely-populated areas.The fire department has vowed to shut down businesses that are in serious violation of fire safety regulations.The safety overhaul came after a fire swept through an illegally constructed building in suburban Beijing on Monday, killing 18 people and injuring 24 others.Eight of the injured were still in critical condition as of Thursday night, according to the ci...

Editor's Notes: Nowadays, if there's one woman that you cannot avoid seeing in daily headlines, it is Kate Middleton. Everything makes the news, such as the teapot souvenirs, T-shirts, and even condoms! And of course, "What will Kate's wedding dress be like?" has become one of the hottest discussed issues thanks to the love of beauty that humans share. File photo: Michelle Obama (L),Kate Middleton,(C) Carla Bruni-Sarkozy(R)[Photo/chinadaily.com.cn] You may be tired of reading about one-angle reports about the bride-to-be, and China Daily website presents a Fashion in politics review, just in time for the royal wedding. We take you on a visual tour of how some first ladies dress, and examine their fashion codes and impact on fashion, and the political world. To start, let's look at Kate Middleton, Michelle Obama, and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Kate Middleton: Between Royal and Modern The wind blows Kate Middleton's hair during a Naming Ceremony and Serv...

A woman puts a pressure cooker over her head as a sudden hailstorm hits Hangzhou, East Chinas Zhejiang province, April 27, 2011. One netizen called it the most suitable umbrella for this weather. [Photo/Qianjing Evening News]

Counting down to the royal wedding of British Prince William and his girlfriend of nine years, Kate Middleton, the royal family has picked a stone carving from China for the couple, Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.According to the report, the stone-made teapot, finely carved on a stone from Taihu Lake in East China, featuring red jujubes, peanuts and longans, will be presented to the royal couple on their wedding day.The three lucky objects according to traditional Chinese culture-- red jujube, peanut and longan, which are also represented by the Chinese characters zao (early), sheng (give birth to) and gui (noble) -- bear the wishes for the newlyweds.Contacted by the British family in February through the UK China Culture Association, a nonprofit organization, Chinese artist Cai Yundi spent a month to finish the work and handed it over to the Queens representative a few days ago.The teapot is now stored at Buckingham Palace.According to another report from Chinanews.com.cn, a b...

EXCLUSIVE LIM SIANG CHAI Malaysia says region's largest economy is crucial to success KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - China should take the lead in formulating a single currency for Asia, given the large size of its economy, suggested Lim Siang Chai, Malaysia's deputy minister of finance. Premier Wen Jiabao waves as he arrives at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Wednesday for a two-day visit to Malaysia. Saeed Khan / AFP A unified currency in Asia, where most countries are emerging economies that might easily attract hot money inflows from industrialized nations, could help diminish the risk of exchange rate fluctuations and help boost the region's trade, said Lim in an exclusive interview with China Daily."Without China's leadership, it's hard for Asia to achieve the goal of having a solitary currency," Lim said.He added that, amid increasing trade between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since the implementation of the China-ASE...

TORONTOLong dismissed as the party that would never rule, the NDP are surging in the polls and poised to change the dynamic of democracy in Canada. Though previous elections have seen the NDP get a bump in the polls that melted away just before voters cast their ballots, there hasnt been a showing as consistent as this. The latest poll released Wednesday by Forum Research showed Jack Laytons New Democrats were closing in on the front running Conservatives with 31 percent support compared to 34 percent for the Tories. If that carries through to the ballot box, the orange team would scoop 108 seats compared to 37 in 2008. The Tories would miss their majority with only 137 seats and the Liberals would take 60. The Bloc Quebecois would be decimated with only three representatives. The surge comes as the Liberals struggle to connect with voters and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper loses the edge he once had into majority territory. The Liberals are responding by framing the ND...

Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers keep watch at the gate of the Afghan air force compound in Kabul on April 27, 2011. (Shah MaraiAFP/Getty Images) A shooting at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan on Tuesday killed eight U.S. NATO troops and a civilian contractor, the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, stated. NATO Training Mission Afghanistan suffered a tragic loss from an attack, which occurred this morning, resulting in the deaths of nine coalition trainers, stated Lieutenant General William Caldwell, Commander of NATO's Training Mission Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack and has launched an investigation. ISAF, the name of NATO's mission in Afghanistan, is working closely with Afghan partners "to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident, said spokesman Rear Admiral Hal Pittman. During the incident, an Afghan military pilot apparently opened fire, turning against his allies in the embattled country. The pilo...

KUALA LUMPUR - Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met here on Wednesday with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to boost relations between their two countries. During the small-scale meeting, Wen expressed happiness over his visit to Malaysia, his first in six years, and congratulated the country on its great achievements in economic and social development. Wen said Malaysia is a good friend of China, adding that the two countries, due to their joint efforts, have continuously boosted their traditional friendship, and achieved rich fruits in their cooperation in various fields. China and Malaysia both are facing the major tasks of developing the economy and improving people's livelihood, Wen said. He said that he wishes both sides continue deepening cooperation from a strategic and long-term perspective so as to create a more splendid future for their relations. For his part, Najib said he is confident Wen's trip will further deepen bilateral pragmatic cooperation and br...

ZHENGZHOU - Eight people died and 17 others were injured in a blast that ripped through the homes of coal mine workers and nearby villagers in Central China's Henan province Tuesday evening, a local official said Wednesday.The explosion, which occurred at about 8:40 pm Tuesday evening, hit part of a village in the city of Pingdingshan's Shilong district, said Zhang Wei, deputy governor of Shilong District.Illegally stored explosives in a residential community were the cause of the explosion, Zhang cited an initial investigation as saying.Police authorities are continuing to investigate the explosion, Zhang said.Local police have detained 25 people, including the owner of the Tianshun Coal Mine, in connection with the illegally stored explosives, Zhang said.Eighteen people, including several miners and their families, lived in a residential area located about two kilometers from the coal mine. Eight of them were killed and the remaining ten were injured in the blast.The victims ...

Latest Chinese quake town aims to be tourism city Stroll along a fancy lane, stop by a bistro, pour yourself a glass of Champagne and bathe in the sunshine. This is how you will soon spend a day if you visit Bailu, a town severely damaged by the 8.0 earthquake that struck Sichuan province on May 12, 2008. Child victims find a space to call home Children affected by natural disasters in China now have safe places to recover from their trauma. "The protection of children in disasters requires more than food and psychological consultation," said Song Wenzhen with the National Working Committee on Children and Women. Man who lost his son to become a father again Yang Qinggui lost his 19-year old son in the deadly magnitude 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake that struck Southwest China's Sichuan province on May 12, 2008. Today, the 47-year-old farmer's wife is expecting a baby next month. Fast Facts: The 2008 Sichuan earthquake that measured at 8.0 Ms occurred at 14:28:01.42 on May 1...

BEIJING - The Chinese mainland and Taiwan have reached consensus on a majority of issues concerning individual mainland tourist travel to the island, and such tourists are expected to be allowed to visit some selected places in Taiwan before the end of June, a mainland official said Wednesday.Yang Yi, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, told a press conference that the two sides have yet to decide which places will be the first authorized to host mainland individual tourists.Currently, mainlanders are only allowed to visit Taiwan in tour groups. According to Taiwan authorities, 1.82 million mainland tourists visited the island on tour packages from July 2008 to the end of 2010.Yang said tourism associations on both sides, which are authorized to handle cross-Strait tourist affairs, have played a key role in serving tourists, safeguarding their rights and interests and regulating the tourist market order across the Taiwan Strait.

GUANGZHOU - A high-rise building in downtown area of Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, caught fire Wednesday morning.

By Chen Tingting, China News of Shanghai , 16th, April, Translated by Jenny Jiang Pan Jie, 25-year-old white-collar died from overwork at Price Waterhouse Coopers in China Pan Jie, an energetic young lady, graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University with a masters degree, had been an envy of many. She had a well-paid job at one of the four famous auditing companies, Price Waterhouse Coopers in China, 25 years old with a bright future. But, the delicate flower withered overnight. She died suddenly from viral encephalitis on 10th, April. Although the reason of her death has been reported as simple viral encephalitis, it has become a heated topic among people. Many netizens couldnt accept this simple reason, but suspected that fatigue after the continuous overwork and delay in treatment of the disease caused her death. Some famous foreign companies in China, including PwC, which Pan Jie used to work at, have been put on top of the criticizing list. Many netizens accused them of over labor...