A leisurely dusk ride along Wenjin Jie is a history lesson in a city marking its 850th anniversary as Page 16 capital.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 31 2003
There are many myths surrounding the origin of Shoushan stone. Page 10
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Dong had the good fortune to become one of the students of exiled Czech writer Milan Kundera, author of the The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Page 9
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Quake Survivors Battle Low Temperatures
Italy Donates 16.4 Million Euros to Reduce Beijing Traffic Pollution By Hou Mingxin our environmentally friendly bus engines have arrived in Beijing from Italy. The shipment, the first of a series, is the result of an agreement signed in May by a delegation representing the Italian Ministry of Environment and Territory and the Beijing Municipal Government. The delegation, led by Adolfo Urso, vice minister of Production Activities, visited Beijing during the SARS outbreak. According to the agreement, the two sides agree to reinforce cooperation in the field of environmental protection. The Italian Ministry of Environment and Territory is providing 15 million euros to Beijing, for use mainly in the purchase of 300 sets of super low emission CNG bus engines, establishing light vehicle emission test laboratories, set up a pilot intelligent transporatation system and a traffic environmental air pollu-
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tion monitoring and control system, and construct solid waste treatment facilities. The program constitutes a key program between the Italian ministry and Beijing under the framework of a cooperation agreement that began in 2000. The main purpose of the program is to reduce vehicle emission pollution and improve air quality. In mid-October, at the invitation of the Italian ministry, a delegation headed by Vice Mayor Liu Zhihua visited Italy. During the trip, the Italian side agreed to provide a supplemental 1.4 million euros to Beijing, which will be used to purchase catalyst converters for the 300 engines. So far, the Italian government has provided a total of 16.4 million euros for Beijing’s environmental protection. The two sides have also agreed to carry out further cooperation in the area of environmental monitoring and environmental protection facilities.
Keeping the Wall Great By Hou Mingxin Built 2,000 years ago to keep out Mongolian marauders and Manchu militias, the Great Wall of China now faces a more modern threat. And this time, it is from the inside. While the elements continue to wear down this ancient defense little by little, the greatest cause of damage today is the relentless encroachment of civilization. In an effort to prevent a famous section of the Great Wall from being ruined, Ma Jinkui,
Xinhua photo
Students of Longshan Center Primary School study in an open-air classroom.
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t 7:10 pm Wednesday, 2,000 cotton-padded tents allocated by the Ministry of Civil Affairs arrived in the quake-hit city of Zhangye, in northwest China’s Gansu Province. The delivery is the largest batch of relief goods received so far in Zhangye, where survivors are battling freezing temperatures, said Liu Jianying, an official in charge of relief goods distribution. Some 3,500 tents were sent to Minle and Shandan counties, the areas most severely hit by last Saturday’s earthquakes, however a further 6,500 are still required, according to Liu. Liu called for more donations from the whole of society to help local residents pass the coming winter safely. Earthquakes measuring 6.1 and 5.8 on the Richter scale
shook areas between Minle and Shandan counties late Saturday, killing nine people and injuring 43. With much of the relief material still on the way, survivors are living a hard life, especially at night, when temperatures have been falling to five or six degrees below zero. Cotton-padded tents are sorely needed, local officials said. In the village of Yaozhai, Minle County, where no house was left undamaged by the quakes, people have had to spend the freezing nights sheltering in wheat stacks, or under tractors or barrows. Soldiers have helped local villagers build 40 makeshift shelters for children, the elderly and the ill. According to the Zhangye City government, the twin quakes affected 46,491 households, destroyed 14,322 houses and caused damage to 45,950
a farmer in Hebei province, has devoted himself to its protection since the 1960s. He has even organized a conservation group to safeguard the wall and its spectacular vistas. A historical monument Qianxi is a small mountainous county under Tangshan Municipal City in Hebei province. Across the north of the county runs the Xifengkou section of the Great Wall. (Continued on page 2)
houses in two counties. All the injured have been hospitalized and are now receiving treatment in local hospitals. More medical workers have been sent to the disaster areas to help treat the injured and those who fall sick. Zhang Zhengqian, a senior official in Zhangye, said the city government had allocated 6,000 cases of 537 kinds of medicines, valued at 1.68 million yuan to the affected areas. “The medicine we have received is sufficient,” he said. Meanwhile, most schools in the quake-hit areas resumed operation Wednesday. “Except for 30 schools that were seriously damaged, the rest of the schools in Minle have reopened, accounting for 80 percent of the total,” said Wang Xueshun, deputy director of Minle’s cultural, educational and sports bureau.
“But some students are attending classes held in tents and some even in the open air,” said Wang. In Shandan County, 25 primary and middle schools reopened Wednesday, but students at another 26 schools had to remain at home. “Even the reopened schools are facing great challenges as winter approaches,” said Li Jicheng, deputy director of Shandan’s cultural, educational and sports bureau. The governments of the two counties are setting up more tents and transferring students whose schools could not resume operation in the short term to other schools. All schools in Minle and Shandan are expected to resume operation before November 7, according to local officials. (Sources: Xinhua)
Ma Jinkui points to a damaged section of a guard tower on the Great Wall. Photo by Hou Mingxin EXECUTIVE EDITOR: ZHANG XIAOXIA EDITOR: HOU MINGXIN DESIGNER: LI SHI
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