China :: Commentaries

Flash Watch this video and see a dog's hair sticking up straight after being rubbed with a blanket.

Martial art schools are losing luster in Anhui Province and Dengfeng city of central China's Henan Province, China Comment , Xinhua's political commentary magazine,reported. Martial art schools face declining business According to the management center of martial art and boxing, in the late 1990s there were more than 200 martial art schools in Anhui. In recent years, however, the number has shrunk to less than 60. In Dengfeng, the city where the Shaolin Temple is located, the number of martial art schools has decreased from more than 100 in the early 2000s to 48. Tang Shanzhong, head of the social activity department of the management center of martial art and boxing, said martial art schools usually do not enroll enough students because parents tend to send their children to academic schools where they learn more knowledge. What's more, national policies to relieve the financial burden of studying allow more rural children to study in average schools, Tang said. Gloomy em...

The Dale Farm Site were Irish 'Travelers' have until midnight on Wednesday to leave, in Essex. (Courtesy of Mary Turner) Hundreds of Irish "Travelers" (a community similar to Gypsies and Roma) had until midnight on Wednesday to leave their Dale Farm settlement after a 10-year court battle with the local council. In a phone interview, a Basildon Council spokesman revealed that bailiffs would be sent to physically remove the Travelers from the site. The Travelers say they are determined to stay. We bought and paid for this land. This is our own land, said Mary Walsh, a Dale Farm Traveler in a phone interview. She has lived in a Dale Farm trailer for two years with her seven children. Were human beings not objects. Dale Farm in Englands Essex region is Britains largest Traveler community. It has two adjacent sites, one that is legal and one that is illegal as it is marked as Greenbelt land, which means it can only be used for activities such as horse rearing, a...

Flash China and the Philippines pledge to work towards doubling their trade volume, hopefully to reach 60 billion US dollars in 5 years time. This information was announced at an economic forum in Beijing on Wednesday. The President of the Philippines is also trying to smooth tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and sign new trade deals with the world's second largest economy. Healing wounds and welcoming cooperation, that's the point of Aquino's visit. Benigno Aquino, President of The Philippines said "China is an economic power house; we now invite the Chinese business community to take part in this opportunity to invest, in an emerging economic force in South East Asia." China is now the Philippines' third biggest trading partner. Two-way trade in 2010 reached some 28 billion dollars, up 35 percent from the previous year. Wang Qishan, Vice Premier, PRC said "We should expand the trade volume; optimize the composition of imports and...

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Blind people can respond to emotional cues on other people's faces and safely navigate around objects despite being unable to perceive them visually, according to ongoing research. Neuroscientist Beatrice de Gelder at Holland's Tilburg University has been working on various projects with multinational scientists, looking at affective blindsighted patients. Physically there is nothing wrong with these people's eyes, but part of their visual cortex in the brain does not function properly, due to a stroke or other trauma, leaving them blind in at least one eye. Blindsighted patients feel theyre totally blind," said de Gelder in a press release presenting her research to a neuroscience congress in July. "But were finding they can still navigate around obstacles, and respond emotionally." People with normal eyesight (cortical vision) tend to empathize, for example they subconsciously synchronize their facial expressions with those of others. Previously, it was bel...

Former Acting Director Kenneth Melson in an ATF file photo. (Courtesy of ATF.gov) The head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is being reassigned to another agency, following a botched investigation that resulted in firearms going to Mexico and drug cartels. The Justice Department announced the decision Tuesday, which will move Kenneth Melson to a new post in the DOJs Office of Legal Policy, where he will take a role as a senior adviser for the country's forensic science policy. The U.S. attorney in Minnesota, B. Todd Jones, will take Melsons place as interim head of the ATF. Officials also said that Dennis Burke, U.S. attorney for Arizona, is resigning in the wake of the scandal that took place during the Operation Fast and Furious program. Related Articles Rick Perry Takes Commanding Lead in New Poll ATF agents told lawmakers that they were ordered to stand down while gun buyers bought weapons that the agency knew went to Mexican drug cart...

Flash Remember Tinkerbell, Paris Hilton's little Chihuahua? How about Shunsuke? Probably not, but the nine year old Pomeranian, born in Japan, is proving to be an internet hit here in China. Though he doesn't have a famous owner, his popularity has been great for pet shop owners. The nine year old Pomeranian, born in Japan, is proving to be an internet hit here in China.[CNTV] It's more kennel than catwalk for this fashion model. His sheer plethora of fans and videos on the Internet is a testimony to his charm. It's good news for pet shop owners, as more dog lovers yearn to have their own Pomeranian. And with an average 800 yuan price tag, it's not to be sniffed at. Miss Wu, a dog buyer in Jiangsu province, said, "Shunsuke makes me want to buy a dog. I want to buy a dog as cute as him with some grooming. " The nine year old Pomeranian, born in Japan, is proving to be an internet hit here in China.[CNTV] Mr. Han, a dog buyer in Jiangsu province, said, ...

A new regular direct air service was launched between Wuxi on the Chinese mainland and Taipei on Monday. The mainland's Shenzhen Airlines and China Eastern Airlines and Taiwan's China Airlines and TransAsia Airways will jointly operate the air route and share the same flight numbers, according to a spokesman with the Sunan Shuofang International Airport in Wuxi. Shenzhen Airlines and TransAsia Airways are jointly running a round-trip flight (ZH9021/2 and GE9021/2) every day except Saturday, the spokesman said, while China Eastern Airlines and China Airlines are jointly operating a round-trip flight (MU2931/2 and CI8014/3) every day, plus an additional round-trip flight (MU2961/2 and CI8016/5) on Mondays, he added. The airport mainly serves its residents and visitors to Wuxi and Suzhou cities, which have 18,000 Taiwan-funded businesses and 300,000 Taiwan business people, and the cities both enjoy close trade links with Taiwan, he said. "The new air route will further promo...

China's top legislature announced Sunday that it had appointed Liu Jixing as president of the Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) military court during its bi-monthly session that concluded Friday. Liu, who was the former vice president of the PLA military court, replaced Su Yong for the top job. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress also during its session approved the removal of Xiong Xuanguo from his office as vice president of the Supreme People's Court, and from his duty as a member of the judging committee and as a judge. Liu Yousheng, Wang Qingxin, Guo Sufen and Chen Dong were removed from duty as procurators of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, according to the top legislature. The top legislature also appointed seven vice chairmen for its special committees: -- Wei Liucheng, former Party chief of southernmost Hainan Province, and Lu Zushan, former governor of Zhejiang Province, were both appointed vice chairmen of the NPC Financial and Econo...

Villagers wait desperately for water from the township government about a dozen miles away in Qujing City's Zhanyi County in Yunnan Province. The area in southwest China is suffering the most severe drought in 50 years, affecting more than 3.2 million people. The persistent drought has also created a drinking water shortage for 5.47 million people in neighboring Guizhou Province.

Flash Migrant workers, the pillar of China's urbanization, are the weak link in the country's efforts to contain HIV/AIDS. Statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that migrant workers account for a growing percentage of new HIV infections nationwide, due to their lack of knowledge on the prevention measures. Migrant workers comprise a high-risk group in the spread of HIV/AIDS. The growing infection rate of this group makes sex education an urgent, long-term mission. Mr Duan is twenty nine year old, and was diagnosed with HIV five years ago. It was then that he went through what he calls the "darkest period of his life". Duan remained gloomy for half a year before seeking treatment. Mr Duan, HIV/AIDS carrier, said, "I had little knowledge about the disease and never thought I could catch it. So when my HIV test result came out positive, I was taken aback. I thought I was going to die very quickly. " Working a variety ...

Man protests with cattle-pulled car A man was using cattle to pull a car through the streets of Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province Wednesday, China News Agency reported. Shi Jingfu spent 480,000 yuan to buy a Volvo XC60 SUV in May 2011. After the purchase, however, the forward and reverse gears of the car failed several times. Angry that communications with Volvos customer service produced no result, Shi found cattle to pull his car and parade the streets of Jingdezhen as a form of protest.

Archeologists from both China and Kenya are joining forces in a large scale excavation project on islands off the coast of Kenya. Recently a team of Chinese experts were dispatched to the area, signaling the beginning of a 3-year research commitment. The largest three islands of the Lamu Archipelago are namely the Pate Island, Manda Island and the Lamu Island. Archeologists first paid a visit to the town of Pate, which was founded by refugees from Oman in the 8th century. Buildings and houses built with coral reef are seen everywhere. The locals say the principal parts of many of the constructions were created in the 13th century. With the guidance of the local Pate Museum staff, Chinese archeologists came to the beach nearby, where they've discovered debris of blue and white Chinese porcelains. In the town of Siyu, an ancient mausoleum captured the attention of Chinese archeologists. Unfortunately written materials detailing the tomb owner's social status and activities are ha...

Watch Video Play Video More than two months have passed since the oil leak began in north China's Bohai Bay. The situation has not improved as ten more leaks have been found. It took ConocoPhillips a month to admit the leak. The oil seepage first occurred in the Penglai 19-3 oil field, Platform B, in Bohai Bay on June 4th. But ConocoPhillips China, the operator, didn't report it until July 1st. On July 5th, China's State Oceanic Administration said oil had also leaked from Platform C. ConocoPhillips China responded the next day saying the oil spill had been contained and the clean-up operation was nearly finished. On July 14th ConocoPhillips admitted that about 1,500 barrels of oil had leaked into the sea water. While on August 12th, the company said that number had increased by more than 3,200 barrels. Dried oil particles were identified along the coasts of the provinces of Hebei and Liaoning on July 19th. The maritime authority confirmed they were from the Penglai 1...

Watch Video Play Video For the latest on the ConocoPhillips briefing, we now cross to our reporter Wang Yizhi at the conference hall. Q1: Some big questions face ConocoPhillips, such the new leak and the clean-up timetable. Has the briefing given all the answers? Q2: You've been covering the story for days. How serious could the impact from the oil spill be? Related stories ConocoPhillips China responds to media questioning 2011-08-22 Analysts: ConocoPhillips should take the blame of oil spill 2011-08-22 Authorities say ConocoPhillips' clean-up ineffective 2011-08-22 ConocoPhillips apologizes for oil spills amid criticism of inefficient clean-up efforts 2011-08-20 ConocoPhillips pressed to clean up, curb leaks 2011-08-17 Editor: Zhang Dan | Source: CNTV.CN

Food poisoning is the suspected cause of two deaths and dozens of sick in northwest China's Gansu Province, said local authorities Wednesday. According to the government of Longxi county, 30 people had been sent to hospitals by 10 a.m. Wednesday, of which six were in critical condition. Two died early Wednesday morning after medical treatment failed. All of patients were found to have had a kind of local snack made of bean jelly and roast chicken at a store. Police have detained the stall owner and collected the remaining food for testing. The Gansu Provincial Health Department has sent a team of experts to the county to look into the case.

From 21cn : A post on the Renren.com (a popular student social network in China) by an American student under the Chinese name Guo Jiaxin exposed the difference between Chinese students dormitory condition and the foreign students in Peking university, Chinas top-notch university and bringing the issues under the spotlight. A Japanese student in her dormitory Zhong-guan-xin-yuan in Peking University A Chinese student in her dormitory crowded with her stuff Guo claimed that the university has made a lot of improvement to their foreign students dormitories during this summer vacation. They have renovated the swimming pool, the bowling center, KTV rooms, the gymnasium and the billiards room. While the foreign students are enjoying the new, well-conditioned dormitories, the Chinese students are living in the old shabby dormitories with plank bed (no mattress), and no air-conditioner. Guo also called for improvement and equal treatment for the Chinese student in her post. A female student ...

China has a long tradition of erotic art but pornographic films and pictures are currently illegal. Despite frequent anti-porn clampdowns, pornography remains available both online and in the form of DVDs. A paper titled A Peep at Pornography Web in China compiled by scholars at Xian Jiatong University is one of the few authoritative sources of pornography statistics. The scholars examined part of network traffic in Northwest Net of China, from Mar. 29 2009 to Jan. 25 2010 and collected 92,950 online porn web pages from 1,826 porn sites of which only 12.8% were hosted on servers inside China. The paper looks at usage patterns of the people detected visiting porn sites, but does not attempt to derive any numbers about porn use nationwide. Nonetheless, anecdotal evidence suggests demand for porn in China is growing. Aside from professionally produced films, there is a growing subculture of DIY porn movies, which is one of the subjects Dr. Katrien Jacobs examines in her new book, Peopl...

More than 50,000 "pages" of palm-leaf manuscripts have been preserved in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Since 2006, officials have completed the registration, sorting and photocopying of the ancient palm-leaf manuscripts written in Tibetan, Sanskrit and other ancient Indian languages, said Tsewang Jigme, director with the region's palm-leaf manuscripts protection office. Among the found pages, some are precious and rare editions while some were written on paper, he added. Palm-leaf manuscripts, which originated in India, refer to the Sanskirt classics, including Buddhist scriptures, ancient Indian literature and codes, inscribed on the leaves of palm trees. Tibet is now among the regions in the world that have the most complete Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts registered, Tsewang said. According to the contents and written style, it is believed that most palm-leaf manuscripts preserved in Tibet were from the eighth to fourteenth century, he said. And the ear...

Hours after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden finished his lunch Thursday, noodles with soybean paste became the hottest topic on the Chinese Internet. Biden and his staff ordered five bowls of noodles with soybean paste, ten pork buns, some side dishes and cola for a total cost of 79 yuan (about 12 U.S. dollars). The homely Beijing favorite was the noon meal for Biden, who is making his first official visit to China as vice president. Biden had earlier met with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Biden and his staff ate at Yao Ji Stewed Liver, a small restaurant set in a traditional alley near Beijing's Drum Tower. The Chinese public got the news of Biden's culinary expedition from an item posted on the microblog of the U.S. Embassy in China. "Western stomachs don't do offal," said a microblogger named Laociwei_CWM, speculating why Biden skipped the house specialty, stewed liver. "American politicians are good at molding their public image. This is a product of...

Watch Video Play Video For more on Joe Biden's visit to China, we are joined by our current affairs commentator, Gregory Tsang. Q1: US arms sales to Taiwan are a core issue between Beijing and Washington. How do you think the topic will be covered? Q2: Biden will fly to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province later today. Does this indicate more cooperation between China and the US in second- and third-tier cities? Related stories US economy likely to dominate Biden's visit in China 2011-08-19 Live phoner: How Biden's visit influence Sino-US relations? 2011-08-18 Biden meets China's top legislator Wu Bangguo on closer cooperation 2011-08-18 Crossover: US expectations on Biden's visit 2011-08-18 Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping welcomes US counterpart Biden 2011-08-18 Editor: Zhang Dan | Source: CNTV.CN

Notes about social criticism and black humor on the Chinese Internet, by Victor H. Mair of the University of Pennsylvanias Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. We survived! Here is a cartoon that has been circulating widely on the Chinese Internet. Man: Im so glad you werent poisoned (to death) by gutter oil, Sudan red, lean meat essence, or toxic buns! Your house didnt catch on fire! The bridge in front of your house didnt collapse, right? Youre so lucky that the escalator didnt malfunction when you went to work! Its wonderful! We survived another day! Woman: I was so worried youd get run over by someone supposedly going 70 kph on your way to work! Or get stabbed eight times in a row! My gravest fear was that you would be accidentally injured by chengguan who were beating up someone else! I was also worried you would need to ride the high speed train! But I didnt dare to call you, because I was afraid your cell phone would explode! Virtually every line alludes to ...

Friday, August 19, 2011 On Aug. 19 of what year did U.S. Tomcats shoot down two Libyan planes in the Gulf of Sidra? THEN On Aug. 19, 1981, two U.S. F-14 Tomcat fighter jets shoot down two Libyan, Soviet-made Sukhoi Su-22 attack aircraft off the coast of Libya in what would become known as the first Gulf of Sidra incident. The military engagement occurs during the Cold War when then U.S. President Ronald Regan is in the White House and Moammar Gadhafi is the leader of Libya. In the years leading up to the incident, Libya claims a 12-mile extension zone of its territorial waters prompting Regan to authorize U.S. naval operations in the Gulf of Sidra area. In response, the Libyan air force deploys bombers off the coast of Libya. On the morning of the incident, one of the Libyan Su-22s fires on one of the U.S. F-14s, and misses. The F-14s return fire in defense under their rules of engagement, striking both Libyan aircraft and forcing the pilots to eject from their planes, according to A...

Boston: One of the many Hubway stations located in the city of Boston. The hi-tech solar powered stations allow members to swipe their cards, take a bike and commute to their destinations. (Steve Gigliotti/Epoch Times) BOSTONA short trip around Boston will show what a bike city it is. Cycling has become a subculture of many who use this green alternative for their daily commute. This week, the League of American Bicyclists recognized Bostons Mayor Thomas Menino and the city of Boston with the Silver Bicycle Friendly Community Award. It was the first time Boston has received the honor. I am proud to accept this honor on behalf of Boston as this important award signifies how far we have come in our transformation into a world-class bicycling city, Menino said. With the recent launch of the Hubway bike share system, we are well on our way to reaching the next level. I would also like to thank and recognize our green business leaders who have helped make our city more bicycle-friendly, fr...

NUX VOMICA: An important homeopathic remedy for the treatment of insomnia. (Franz Eugen Kohler, Kohler's Medizinal-Pflanzen (List of Koehler Images) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons) Naps, commonly discouraged with insomnia, can be extremely beneficial if they are regularly scheduled events, restricted to a single, brief power nap during midday.The nap period should not exceed 20 minutes, even if actual sleep is not achieved during this time. Naps should be a scheduled part of the daily routine, best taken after lunch or sometime in the early afternoon.Nap breaks can be extremely refreshing, improving alertness, enhancing job performance, and increasing energy without resetting the circadian rhythm or disrupting the nighttime sleep pattern.The napping process also provides the nervous system with practice in the art of relaxing. This exercise helps in calming the mind whether or not sleep is actually achieved. Naps can help the body relearn the art of sleeping. Classical Home...

ELEVEN people have died from cancers since 2002 in a village in southwest China's Yunnan Province where a chemical plant has piled chromium slag near the village for 10 years, China Central Television reported yesterday. The Luliang County Heping Chemical Plant in Qujing City attracted media attention recently after it had piped 5,000 tons of chromium tailings near a local reservoir that feeds one of China's largest rivers. People can contract lung cancer when inhaling compounds that contain chromium, while chromium in drinking water can also cause cancers. Xinglong Village, the name means prosperous, near the plant is now more widely known as "Cancer Village," because 14 people had suffered from cancers in the past 10 years according to officials, although villagers claim the number is far higher, CCTV reported. Some late-stage lung cancer patients were following a traditional folk remedy by eating more than 50 bedbugs every day in an effort to relieve the illness, C...

From MOP : After the news of a 10-year-old French models (Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau) provocative pictures triggering a storm of controversy in China, there are initiatives to impose restrictions on the sexualisation of children in the media and sexual content in advertising. Recently another news about young models in China again gets people furious. On August 10th, in Jiangxi province, a young girl model contest was held in a hotel. In this contest, young girls wearing bikini and masks, walked on the runway like real catwalk models. The contest has triggered heated discussion and many people questioned its integrality, condemning it for being a show to satisfy some peoples twisted and disgusting fetish. Users comments from Mop.com mgl9000 2011-08-16 15:49:06 The government officers want to try a "new taste" 2011-08-16 15:55:44 TianChao! (Tianchao is a buzz word nick name referring to the peoples republic of China, which has its origin in the Internet. TiancChao li...