Beijing Today (November 21, 2003)

Local people in cliff-hugging Guoliang village did not dare to raise pigs any larger than 50 kilograms.

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 21 2003

Even vegetarian monks could not resist the captivating smell of the soup and leapt over a wall to get a taste.

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CN11-0120

“I don’t want to wake up one morning to find I’m 50 and still just relegated to rehearsals, earning 30 yuan a day.”

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HTTP://BJTODAY.YNET.COM

Volleyball Glory Again

By Hou Mingxin hina beat its last rival and hosts, Japan, to take the title of the 2003 women’s volleyball World Cup last Saturday, with a perfect record of 11 straight victories.

The road to the crown took China 17 years, but the victory of the women’s volleyball team means much for the country.

In the past week, domestic media has heaped praise on the team, with

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headlines like “China goes through wind and rain to see sunlight.”

“We are so excited. We know the win means so much for the country. Every player had a burning desire to win the title. They have been working so hard for so many years,” said head coach Chen Zhonghe after the win.

In 1981, also in Japan, the Chinese team took the World Cup after beating their hosts in the final, the first time China had ever won a

world title in a team sport.

The women became household names and national heroines overnight and volleyball became one of the nation’s most popular sports.

For the next five years, the Chinese women dominated world volleyball, winning five consecutive world champions, the gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and the 1985 World Cup. “It was a miracle and the wins were so important to China, which

had just opened its doors to the outside world,” said Gao Shenyang, vice president of the Chinese Volleyball Association, in an interview with Xinhua last Saturday. “It was like rain in the desert. Everybody felt encouraged by the victories to work harder to build a prosperous country!”

However after winning the 1986 world championships, the Chinese team suffered a 17-year title drought, finishing in seventh and eighth plac-

es respectively in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and 1994 world championships, both of which results were widely regarded as “national disasters.”

Unlike in the 1980s, the domestic media has been relatively restrained in its coverage of this event, pointing out that the absence of Russia, the most formidable rival, made the victory an incomplete one. Next year’s Olympics, it is widely agreed, will be the true test.

Xinhua Photo

Donor Discovery Could Save Life of Little Girl

The question: “If the image of function y=ax2+ bx+a has two intersection with axis X, then the area of the point (a,b) on the aOb plane (not including the boundary) should be......”

According to Zhu, the full solution of the question is: a≠0 and│b│>2│a│, but the “correct” answer C, which does not exclude axis b by drawing it as a broken line or by drawing the shadow areas on the left and right of axis b with lines of different directions, only represents │b│>2│a│

Murky Math

The letter to the Ministry of Education signed by the 12 academicians.

Photo by Aily

Top scientists question college entrance problem

By Xiao Rong questionable math problem in Jiangsu Province’s 2003 College Entrance Examination has 12 academicians in arms.

After receiving a letter signed by the 12 academicians declaring that none of the four provided answers to multiple choice question No. 1 of the math test provide the correct solution to the problem, the Ministry of Education is reportedly now considering a fourth review of the contentious question.

Zhu Ruzeng, a researcher at the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been urging the Ministry of Education to work out a fair solution to the issue of the math question since it first came to his attention in June. The jointly signed letter is the latest step in the 62-year-old professor campaign.

“It’s simply a wrong question. This is obvious even to a high school student, whereas the three reviews organized by the education departments deny the fact.

A

The correct solution of the question, or the revised answer C, according to Zhu Ruzeng.

It is really a question of scientific spirit,” Zhu told Beijing Today in a telephone interview last Thursday.

Argumentation Zhu’s curiosity was first aroused by a report in the Yangzi Evening News on June 18, concluding that solution C did in fact correctly answer question No. 1 of the Jiangsu College Entrance Examination, after a review by experts invited by Jiangsu College Recruitment Office. Before that, Zhu had read on the internet that some math teachers from Yuhuatai Middle School in Nanjing had raised questions about the multiple choice question.

Wondering how a simple math question regarded as eroneous by many local math teachers, could turn out to be correct again after a review, Zhu found the question on the internet and performed the calculations himself, only to find that the question was self-contradictory and that none of the four choices was the correct answer.

(Continued on Page 2)

By Sun Ming Against all odds, good news has come in for American Linda Wells and her adopted daughter Kailee.

Last weekend, a suitable donor for the bone marrow transplant the six-year-old girl desperately needs to counter her aplastic anemia was found in Tianjin.

As Beijing Today reported last week, Wells arrived in Beijing on November 5 for her second trip to China to find a donor. She considered it her last chance to save her daughter’s life following disappointment in her first trip, made in February this year.

“I just can’t believe it. It’s too good to be true,” the 51-yearold lawyer publicly announced in Tianjin on Sunday, “The odds were rated at several million to one.”

Earlier that day, doctors in Tianjin discovered stem cell samples from a one-year-old Chinese girl are a perfect match for Kailee.

The cells have been frozen at Tianjin’s Union Stem Cell and Gene Engineering Ltd for one year. A representative of that facility told Beijing Today yesterday that there are enough cells in storage to conduct a transplant.

Wells adopted Kailee from Changde, Hunan Province in 1997 and five years later the little girl was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. Her doctors in the US reviewed eight million possible donors from global bone marrow databases without finding a match.

The China Marrow Bank has issued a statement that the stem cells from the Tianjin girl need further appraisal and once they confirm there is enough usable blood in the umbilical cord sample to perform the transplant, they will make arrangements for it to be transported to the US. Wells left China to return home on Tuesday.

Linda Wells holds a T-shirt with a photo of her adopted daughter, Kailee, at a press conference in Beijing last Monday.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: ZHANG XIAOXIA EDITOR: XIAO RONG DESIGNER: LI SHI

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NOVEMBER 21, 2003

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E-mail: xiaorong@ynet.com

EDITOR: XIAO RONG YU SHANSHAN DESIGNER: LI SHI

Citibank Fulfills Non-performing Loan Deal

By Xiao Rong Citibank has recently purchased $1.8 billion worth of non-performing assets of the Bank of China through a public sale, the bank’s Hong Kong branch told China Business Daily last Friday.

The purchase represents the biggest non-performing asset deal conducted with foreign capital this year.

The US banking giant is expected to pay about 500 to 600 million dollars for the asset, though the bank would not reveal the exact purchase price.

The $1.8 billion in loans were originally issued by the Bank of China Hong Kong Branch to some 450 companies from the mainland and Hong Kong. The majority are mortgages on Hong Kong real estate.

Citibank outbid competitors Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs and Standard Chartered Bank with a 15 percent higher bid for the target.

The group is well-known in the Chinese market for its retail banking business, but has kept a low profile in the area of handling non-performing assets. In 2001, the bank joined a syndicate initiated by Morgan Stanley to purchase $1.3 billion of bad loans from Huarong Assets Management Company in the first nonperforming asset auction in China targeting foreign capital.

The latest deal has received favorable comment from financial analysts at Min’an Securities, who say the move will enable the Bank of China to show

Professor Zhu Ruzeng with the jointly signed letter.

Photo by Aily

(Continued from page 1) The question asked students to choose from four graphs the one that illustrates the area on a plane derived from the provided equation. According to Zhu, by drawing the axis b as a solid line, instead of a broken line, the “correct” answer C includes the axis b, whereas it should be excluded.

Zhu then contacted the National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) under the Ministry of Education, which is in charge of setting test papers for the College Entrance Examination. “I only wanted to minimize the possible impact that the wrong question might have had on students in Jiangsu,” said Zhu, “So I suggested NEEA cancel this single question from students’ test results.”

However, NEEA’s response was to organized four math test setters to discuss the question with Zhu, which proved to be a fruitless exercise, as the four experts simply tried to refute Zhu’s criticisms.

“We could discuss the problem later” was the most frequently uttered comment by the four test makers, according to Zhu. “I began to realize it’s not only a math problem, it is actually a battle between the interests of the 300,000 examinees in Jiangsu and the ‘face’ of certain experts and government organizations,” Zhu said.

Following the first review, Zhu contacted Education Minister Zhou Ji on June 22 to ask for an objective review by independent experts. The next day, four more experts were invited by NEEA for a second review, which reached the same conclusion. The justification given was that “there is no scientific error in the question; if the illustration had been more specific, no dispute would have arisen; and the current statement of the question will not result in any misunderstanding by the test takers.”

Support Although astonished by these justifications, Zhu did not give up. He wrote several letters and emails in July to the education minister and vice ministers as well as the experts that conducted the review to further express his strong dissatisfaction at the way the case had been handled.

He also published the full story on the bulletin boards of Nanjing University and Yancheng Middle School in Jiangsu, which received strong support from local teachers and students. Zhu’s article later appeared on the well-known academic website http:// xys.dxiong.com, receiving more support from home and abroad.

“I want to express my support for your effort in bringing this issue before the public.

I don’t understand why those experts refuse to accept such an obvious fact. Everybody makes mistakes, so do experts. A decent person should have the courage to admit, and correct if possible, their mistakes,” commented Wenli Yang, from the School of Computational Sciences of George Mason University, in the US. Media reports from China News Weekly, Science and Technology Daily and Phoenix Weekly mushroomed in August. A search on the internet of all related stories found abundant on-line comments expressing support and admiration for Zhu Ruzeng.

a lower ratio of non-performing loans in its annual report. The Bank of China Hong Kong Branch has a nonperforming loan ratio of 7.8 percent until this September, high in comparison to Hong Kong banking industry competitors.

The auction of the $1.8 billion nonperforming assets by the Bank of China might trigger a new peak of non-performing asset handling by the four state-owned banks and assets management companies, according to a staff member at the Development Research Center of the State Council, who declined to be named.

The disposition of non-performing assets has always been a headache for the four state-owned banks, which have accumulated a total of

Many professors and teachers in Beijing also voiced support for Zhu’s campaign. “This is a simple ‘Yes or No’ elementary math question,” commented Hu Wenrui, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, one of the 12 signatories of the letter.

Professor Li Chunxuan, another of the 12, told Beijing Today Monday that he had received a letter from NEEA dated November 10, which expressed gratitude to the academicians for their supervision and support of the work by the Ministry of Education. NEEA attached great importance to the issue, the letter said, and was collecting more suggestions on how it should be resolved.

“Mathematics is a precise science that should be treated seriously. I think one common goal of each of us that signed the letter is that the relevant government departments should take full responsibility for this matter and give the public a clear explanation,” stressed Li. Solutions In the opinion of Zhu Ruzeng, neither a satisfactory resolution nor a simple public explanation has been forthcoming in the past five months. “We could have solved the problem when it first came out. But we missed that opportunity, which has greatly tarnished the image of the ministry and worse still, disappointed thousands of students and parents by shaking their belief in our credibility.”

Beijing Today contacted NEEA in an effort to find out how the issue would be resolved, but an official who refused to reveal his name said NEEA could not make any comment to the media regarding the matter.

Vice minister of education, Yuan Guiren, told Beijing Times on November 6 that the ministry was considering organizing another review of the test question and would eventually reach a scientific conclusion. The minister was quoted as saying “As an administrative department, the Ministry of Education will not be afraid of admitting mistakes and being punished.”

In a telephone interview with Beijing Today last Wednesday, Zhou Qifeng, director of the State Council Degree Awarding Office, under the Ministry of Education, said the ministry had been handling the issue of the math question seriously and had to date organized three reviews of the question. Zhou himself had attended a meeting of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on November 7, expressing gratitude on behalf of the Minister of Education to the academicians for their support.

“The ministry, as an administrative department, cannot judge a test question itself, we can only seek help from experts by organizing reviews,” said Zhou.

But Zhu Ruzeng holds that the experts, be it the test makers or the experts participating in the second review, were too closely connected with those defendant and most of them are from the same universities.

During an interview with Phoenix Weekly in August, vice director of NEEA, Ying Shuzeng, was quoted as saying, “we are now the defendant, so we will find proof to justify the question instead of proving that it’s wrong.

The current judgement is the final judgement, even if it’s a wrong ruling.”

Zhu expressed anger at this comment, stressing that a further independent investigation should be conducted by a third party rather than NEEA itself. An error rectification system for the College Entrance Examination should be established to prevent similar mistakes from happening again, he added.

“How can we teach our students to be honest when so many experts just don’t have the courage to admit their mistake in a simple question that even a high school student can recognize? We cannot permit the solemnness and justice of our College Entrance Examination to be tarnished.”

2,000 billion yuan in non-performing assets since 1999, when they first transferred 1,400 billion yuan of their non-performing assets to four specifically established asset management companies.

The government is now considering launching an overall reform of the state-owned banks, with the final goal of pushing the four giants to be listed overseas. Lowering the ratio of nonperforming loans has been an urgent task for the banks to qualify for listing. Both the Ministry of Finance and the People’s Bank of China have on different occasions recently urged the four banks to find solutions themselves to the disposition of non-performing assets while improving corporate management efficiency.

Bond Issue for New Subway Construction

By Yu shanshan Beijing will take the lead nationally by issuing 2 billion yuan in bonds to finance construction of the No. 4 and No. 10 subways next year.

The move represents a new attempt to raise cash for the ambitious program of upgrading the capital’s infrastructure.

The total investment for the two new subway lines is estimated at just over 30 billion yuan.

According to Wang Hao, vice general manager of the Beijing Mass Transit Railway Corporation, the government will be responsible for laying the tracks and the construction of tunnels and the stations, while non-state investors are invited to provide, operate and maintain the rolling stock and signal facilities.

So far, the construction projects have received loans of 8 billion yuan from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China for No. 4 line and 9.2 million yuan from the China Development Bank for the No. 10 line.

The remainder of the required funds is expected to be raised from a public-private partnership (PPP).

“Both of the two (bonds and PPP) will help blaze a new trail in terms of the involvement of non-state capital in the construction and operation of urban railways in China,” said Zhou Xiaoqin, an urban railway expert with the China International Engineering Consulting Corporation, last Friday in an interview with Xinhua News Agency.

Tenders for twelve stations, all underground constructions, will be settled next Tuesday.

The 28-kilometer No. 4 line will run north-south, from Beigongmen station, through Haidian, Xicheng, Xuanwu and Fengtai. ending at Majiabao station. The 33-kilometer No. 10 line will run from northwest Landianchang station, through Haidian, Chaoyang and Fengtai, ending at Songjiazhuang station.

Construction of the two lines is due to start next month and will be completed by 2008.

Public Transport System to be Revamped

By Wang Xiaoxiao A press conference held by the Beijing Communication Committee last Saturday unveiled a series of steps aimed at solving the city’s traffic problems and improving the public transport system in the coming year.

These steps include establishing a mass transit bus system, incorporating exclusive bus lanes, larger buses, priority at intersections, off-board ticket purchasing and revamping bus system management. The larger buses will be able to carry 250 to 300 passengers, compared to the current 180 to 200.

Committee vice director Zhou Zhengyu said ten raods connecting the second, third, fourth and fifth ring roads will be built next year. By 2005, another five will be under construction and the Airport Expressway will extend to the Second Ring Road.

Another goal of the committee is to reduce the number of vacant taxis cruising Beijing’s streets. Liu Xiaoming, also a vice director, said that special parking zones for taxis will be established and passengers will be able to order cabs by phone. The new operation mode will be tested on some of the city’s larger taxi companies.

Meanwhile, around 35 billion yuan will be invested in the construction of basic traffic facilities particularly in seven key areas, including Zhongguancun, the Olympic Village area, Wangjing and the CBD.

Public Security Review Of the calls to Beijing’s 110 emergency hotline last week, 71 were to report thefts, with car theft being particularly prominent.

Four cases reported on November 14 were about criminals stealing property from inside cars after tricking the driver into stopping and getting out the car.

Swindles also figured prominently last week. A person has swindled 62 people out of money posing as a representative of “Beijing Jianshi Real Estate Company.” The person offered “agency services,” charging home-owners agency fees and then absconded.

(Information from Beijing Public Security Bureau)

HK Stock Exchange Opens Beijing Office

By Elley Zhen The Hong Kong Stock Exchange established a mainland representative office in Beijing Monday, in accordance with the CEPA (Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement) agreement signed between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong in June.

Over the past decade, 247 mainland companies have been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Market, the first being Tsingdao Beer. In terms of market value, four of the top 10 Hong Kong-listed companies are from the mainland. Currently, the total market value of mainland businesses is about HK $1.44 trillion, accounting for 28 percent of the exchange’s overall value.

Hong Kong financial secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen said at the press conference for the opening Monday, “The official opening of the Beijing Office of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will provide better services for companies interested in going public in Hong Kong. It will also encourage communication between professionals as well as financial regulators.”

China Securities Regulatory Commission chairman Shang Fulin said, “The participation of a variety of mainland businesses, ranging from telecom operators to the energy industry, has also increased the attractiveness of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.”

Chairman of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Charles Lee Yem-kwong, said that public listing on the stock exchange would push forward corporate reform and improve corporate governance.

Capital to Host International Psychology Congress

By Shan Jinliang The 28th International Congress of Psychology will be held in Beijing next year from August 8 to 13. Held every four years, the congress is known as the Olympics of the psychological field.

Hosted by the Chinese Psychological Society, the congress will invite 80 world renowned psychologists to give addresses, including Nobel Laureate Daniel Kanheman and seven Chinese experts.

Chairman of the Chinese Psychological Society, Zhang Kan, said at a press conference for the event in Beijing Tuesday that qualified psychologists are greatly needed in China, pointing out that among a population of 1.3 billion, there were only 10,000 psychologists. Zhang expressed the hope that the event would promote the development of psychological work in China.

Fewer TOEFL Test Takers

By Chen Si The number of people in China sitting for TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) has fallen from almost 30,000 last year to about 10,000 this year, according to a report in Saturday’s China Youth Daily.

At Beijing University last Saturday, which is one of the sites for the last TOEFL test for 2003, a mere 100 people sat in an examination hall that can accommodate 1,000. The TOEFL test, organized by the US-based Educational Testing Service, is held five times a year in China.

An employee from The National Education Examinations Authority, who declined to be named, told Beijing Today on Tuesday that the decrease is partly due to the lower number of visa approvals to the US since the 2001 September 11 terrorist attacks.

A Mr. Wu, from the Foreign Language Center of Beijing Foreign Studies University, who also declined to give his full name, told Beijing Today Tuesday that due to the SARS epidemic, the TOEFL test was suspended in May, and some students had to readjust their study plans. “Besides, more agencies send high school students from China to language colleges in foreign countries before they start their undergraduate study there.

In this way they don’t need a TOEFL score.”

Wang Ting, an undergraduate student at Renmin University decided against taking the TOEFL test when the fee was raised from 750 yuan to 1,092 yuan in August. “In the past, a TOEFL score was important not just for studying abroad, it was a way of showing your English level when applying for a job,” Wang told Beijing Today, “But now there are many new domestic English tests, such as the National Foreign Language Translation Certificate, which can also measure your English ability and makes the TOEFL test unnecessary.”

Universities in most English speaking countries usually require prospective students from abroad to provide evidence of competency in English when applying for admission. Scores for TOEFL, IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) tests are the most commonly accepted for this purpose.

DEVELOPMENT E-mail: zhangxx@ynet.com

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

EDITORS: ZHANG XIAOXIA SHAN JINLIANG DESIGNER: LI SHI

Friendship Store to Become Luxury Office Building

Xinjiang Hops Stock Bottoms Out in Wake of Scandal

By Shan Jinliang ince the disappearance of Xinjiang Hops Corporation’s chairman Aikelamu Aishayoufu on October 30, the company’s fortunes have hit the skids and the value of its shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange have fallen an average of 10 percent per day since the brewing materials maker announced his disappearance on August 4.

As Beijing Today reported on November 7, Aikelamu fled one day after a local court froze over 60 million shares of Hengyuan Investment Cor-

S

poration, Xinjiang Hops’ major shareholding company. In the subsequent two weeks, the company’s share value fell from 16 yuan to less than 5 yuan two days ago, and internal investigations have exposed the company is facing 140 million yuan in loans it is unable to repay.

On Sunday, 750 million yuan assets of assets held by Xinjiang Hops and its subsidiaries were sealed or frozen by local banks to cover their potential losses. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the company said it had applied for “special treatment” from the Shang-

hai Stock Exchange and that its production of raw ingredients for brewing beer would continue in order to protect its clients’ interests.

An investigation report aired by China Central Television (CCTV) on Sunday uncovered the details of the scandal.

Through a complex scheme, Aikelamu managed to hold an over 50 percent share of Xinjiang Hops in violation of Chinese shareholding law. Moreover, according to the report, Xinjiang Hops’ board of directors has long been effectively neutered and was unable to prevent Aikelamu from abusing his power.

On November 5 and 17, the government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region held meetings at which it asked all local financial institutions to support Xinjiang Hops’ continued operation. A report on the website Sohu on Tuesday called that move the kind of interference in the regular performance of financial institutions that could give rise to scandals such as the Xinjiang Hops debacle. That article continued that China’s financial laws and regulations should be improved since a number of similar scandals have been uncovered in the past.

Central Television Ads Auction Reaps 4.4 Billion Yuan

By Shan Jinliang On Tuesday evening, CCTV anchor Bai Yansong announced the media organization brought in 4.4 billion yuan from auctioning of advertising airtime for 2004, an increase of 33.3 percent from last year’s figure.

Kunlun Lubricant Oil won the bidding for the coveted first ads up for bid, positioned before the popular nightly program Focus Report, for 32.4 million yuan. An article in Beijing Youth Daily on Wednesday quoted an industry analyst as saying that Beijing Monarch Lubricant Oil successful bid for that slot last year was a major factor in its 100 percent sales growth in the first half of this year.

By the end of the event, Inner Mongolia-based Mengniu Dairy, emerged as the largest buyer of advertising time, spending a total of 310 million yuan. Second place went to Mengniu’s major rival Yili Dairy with 210 million yuan.

Yet history shows that winning top advertising spots on CCTV is a dubious honor, as many of the companies that have done so over the past decade have ended up in serious financial trouble or gone bankrupt. Shandong-based Kongfuyan Wine won the most ad time in the 1995 auction with a total investment of 30.8 million yuan, but in June 2002 its brand was transferred to Shandong Lianda Group for only 80 million yuan as a result of poor performance. Qinchi Alcohol, another Shandong company, led the bidding at the 1996 and 1997 auctions, but its trademark was ordered to be sold by a regional court to cover the company’s massive debts.

The next year, the Guangdong-based VCD player maker Idall scored the top advertising spot, but its spiraling debts

By Shan Jinliang The Beijing Friendship Store, originally established as the designated place for overseas tourists to shop, will be developed into a high-end office building. During construction, the store will continue to operate at another facility in the capital.

An executive who requested anonymity from Beijing Xidan Friendship Group, the store’s parent company, told Beijing Today about the plans on Tuesday. She said the store would continue to operate at its original site on Jianguomenwai Avenue after the office building was completed.

According to information from Xidan Friendship Group, that company and the China National Real-Estate Development Group Hong Kong branch will co-develop the building, to be called New Friendship Plaza.

Built in 1964, the Beijing Friendship Store has been popular with foreign residents and visitors for literal decades, but suffered a heavy blow from the outbreak of SARS this spring, when its average number of daily visitors dropped from over 8,000 to just around 20.

The Beijing Xidan Friendship Group source denied rumors that sluggish performance since SARS is motivating the move, adding that the store’s business has fully recovered. She told Beijing Today that the Friendship Store began discussions with other companies about reconstruction a few years ago.

Wu-Mart Issues IPO in Hong Kong Today

Auctioneer Lin Yiping prepares to begin the bidding for CCTV ad time on Tuesday at the station’s Media Center.

resulted in a domestic court sentencing general manager Hu Zhibiao to 20 years imprisonment and fines of 650,000 yuan this August. Idall’s major rival BBK took top ranking 1999 and 2000 for over 100 million yuan each year, but has since failed to break into the top ten. Panda Mobile Phone spent 108.9 million yuan to be last year’s biggest buyer, but has recently been exposed of posting very low profits, just 5.5 percent before taxes.

P&G, which had never previously won a bid in a CCTV ad auction, was a surprise victor on Tuesday, buying 100 million of time and far surpassing its rival Nice Group, which scored only one ad slot for 35 million yuan.

A senior official from Amoi Electronics told China Youth Daily on Tuesday that the advertising prices surpassed expectations and were up to 30 percent higher than the prices for the same

slots last year.

CCTV Advertising Department Director Guo Zhenxi confirmed such assertions and explained that advertising prices were increased in keeping with rising ratings, advertising prices of rival stations and unmet demand for some advertising periods. Some industry analysts have attributed the price hike to CCTV’s monopoly over the national television market in China.

Foreign Auto Finance Companies European Steel Producers Push Hard in China Run to Get Licenses

By Shan Jinliang General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC), one of the largest auto financing companies in the world, claimed to be the first foreign car financier to apply for a license to conduct business in China at 9 pm last Wednesday.

The application was filed following the announcement earlier that day by the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) of new auto financing regulations and implementation guidelines. CBRC spokesman Li Shaopeng told the press on Tuesday that around 20 companies had applied to the commission for permission to enter the opening industry.

Volvo China told the Guangzhoubased South Metropolitan Daily on Tuesday that it is holding discussions with a few domestic commercial banks about cooperating in the realm of auto financing, covering trucks, passenger cars and construction vehicles.

GMAC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GM, will establish a joint venture in Shanghai with Shanghai Automotive Group Finance Corporation. GM China stated last week that the venture would provide auto wholesale and retailing financing services first for cars under its brands and then to cars of other makes.

Richard Clout, executive vice president of GMAC International Operations said last Thursday, “Globally, auto manufacturers sell about 70 percent of their products through auto financing deals, while in China that figure is just around 15 to 20 percent.

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We expect the auto financing business here to grow 60 to 80 percent in coming years.”

Chinese media analysts have speculated that the weakness of the national credit system could pose a serious obstacle to foreign auto financing companies, while domestic banks are rallying to make their products more competitive and set up new cooperative alliances with auto dealers.

Auto industry analyst Zhong Shi told the Beijing News on Monday that auto financing is not very profitable for domestic commercial banks and can even result in losses for them. He believes the entry of foreign companies could end up killing off some weaker Chinese financiers and help raise levels of service in the domestic auto financing industry.

By Tony Shaw Foreign steel producers, including global industry leader Arcelor, are pushing hard in China to seize major share of the country’s steel market now that demand is spiking, reported the UK-based Financial Times on Monday.

Last week, France-based Arcelor announced plans to sign an agreement worth 100 million euros with Shanghai-based Baoshan Steel and Japan’s Nippon Steel to establish a jointly-operated steel factory, marking the steel giant’s entry into China.

Arcelor will hold a 12 percent stake, Nippon Steel a 38 percent stake and Baoshan Steel the remaining 50 percent stake in the factory, scheduled to begin operation in 2005.

According to the Financial Times, Germany-based Thyssen-Krupp, Europe’s second largest steel producer, intends to inject 120 million euros of investment into its eight factories in China in the next two years to be able to manufacture galvanized sheet metal, mostly for

the booming domestic auto industry. The company’s statement added that it would raise its steel sales volume by 10 times in three years, to 800 million euros, intended to help Western automakers such as Volkswagen to improve their productivity in China.

Baoshan Steel general manger Ai Baojun told the Chongqing Evening News in July that investment from leading international steel producers would pave the way for domestic partners to acquire top technologies and opportunities to draw even with global standards. However, he also warned that steps should be taken to keep foreign companies from grabbing control of the domestic market.

Lin Yifu, an economist from the China Center for Economic Research under Beijing University told South Metropolitan Daily from Beijing on Monday that there is risk of investment in the domestic steel industry overheating, mostly as a result of the extremely fast growth of the auto industry.

US Carmakers Gear Up Exports to China

Photos by Photocome

Last Wednesday, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motors Co., the US’ top two automakers, announced the signing of agreements with their joint venture partners in China to export thousands of vehicles to this country by 2006 as China opens its market to foreign competition.

GM said it would export more than 5,000 Cadillac and Buick models in 2004 and 2005, both through its China-based subsidiary, GM China, and independent Chinese importers.

Thousands more units will be assem-

bled in China by GM’s joint venture partners using components and kits made in the US. The deals have a combined value of 1.3 billion dollars.

Meanwhile, Ford Motor Co. stated it would begin shipping the first of 5,250 US-built units later this year under newly granted export licenses.

The automaker has not decided what models or brands it will supply, but it is “leaning towards sport utility vehicles,” said Ford spokesman Chris Vinyard.

(Xinhua)

By David Huang Beijing Wu-Mart Commerce Group, the city’s largest supermarket operator, is set to launch a HK$400 million to HK$500 million initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange today.

Gao Xueming, a senior official in the company’s enterprise planning department, told Beijing Today on Tuesday that Wu-Mart Commerce Group openly sold its stocks from November 11 to November 14 in Hong Kong.

For the IPO, it will issue 76,480,000 shares open to select investors and priced at around 6 yuan per stock.

Wu-Mart earned profits of 1.6 billion yuan in 2001, 2.7 billion yuan in 2002, and 27 million yuan in the first five months of this year, according to Gao. Since establishing its first supermarket in 1994, the company has opened around 2000 more stores in China, making it the 16th largest supermarket chain in the country.

Auction Marks Revival of Land Transfers

By Tnoy Shaw For the first time since approval of land transfers was halted last July, the local government will oversee the transfer of rights for use of a plot of land through an unprecedented public auction at the Beijing International Hotel on December 8.

The 407, 000 square meter plot is located to the northwest of Huangcun town in Daxing District and is an excellent area for investment, according to the city’s land administration. The land is zoned for residential development and the use rights transfer period will be 70 years.

The auction is open to organizations and individuals in and outside China, and they can bid independently or in combination. Participants will have to pay bidding deposits of 20 million yuan and the starting price for the plot has been set at 430 million yuan.

Daxing District Land and Resources Administration Deputy Director Lu Weishen told the Beijing Times last Thursday that the traditional method of land transfer, meaning privately signed contracts between the government and real estate companies, is out-of-date and opaque, leaving room for illegal land transfer and use and depressing the natural development of property value. The new open auction system is intended to put all prospective developers on the same level.

Regarding charges that open auctions will lead to rising property value and consequent hikes in apartment prices, Lu said that natural market forces would keep prices in check. He speculated that housing prices would increase at first, but soon after fall back to more natural levels.

4

OUTLOOK

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

EDITOR: ZHAO PU DESIGNER: LI SHI

E-mail: zhaopu@ynet.com

Giant Russian Gas Pipeline Tunnels Ahead November 15, Moscow (AFP) Russia, China and South Korea unveiled a giant $17 billion project to supply Siberian gas to energy-hungry Chinese and South Korean markets from one of the world’s largest undeveloped gas fields.

Rusia Petroleum, which is 63-percent owned by TNK-BP, signed a feasibility study with its partners, the state-run China National Petroleum Corporation and Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS), giving the initial goahead for the project.

The 4,887-kilometre (3,055 mile) pipeline would transport gas from the vast Kovytka gas field near Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia to South Korea through China and the Yellow Sea. Asia’s longest pipeline will tap into estimated reserves of 1.9 trillion cubic metres of gas, “one of the largest

undeveloped gas fields in the world,” said Harry Griffits, Rusia Petroleum deputy director general, at the signing ceremony in Moscow.

“By the realisation of this hugescale project, Russia, China and South Korea will receive lots of benefits, raising revenues for Russia and long-term energy diversification for China and Korea,” said KOGAS chief executive Oh Kang Hyun.

“Russia is rich in mineral resources.

China has a fast-growing economy and South Korea is a country with a stable economy and a high demand for energy,” added another KOGAS executive Jae-Hyun Chung.

“Russian gas will be popular in the Chinese market,” said CNPC’s Miao Chenguu.

Under the 30-year project, Russia will supply 20 billion cubic meters of

natural gas a year to China and 10 billion cubic metres to South Korea and sell four billion cubic metres on the domestic Russian market, Gas deliveries are due to start in 2008.

Analyst’s Take: The significance of laying such a gas pipeline lies in three points. The first is to satisfy the energy thirst of the eastern areas in Russia, the northeast of China and the Bohai Bay and South Korea.

The second is to improve the economic structure, the environment and anti-pollution efforts in China, Russia and South Korea. The third is to promote cooperation in northeast Asia.

The completion of the feasibility study on gas transportation from the Kovytka gas field doesn’t mean the conclusion of preparation work for

the project, but the first step of the work. There are still many things to be done and many problems to be settled, among which some can be settled among the enterprises while others can only be solved among the three governments. After the completion of the feasibility study, the companies involved will wait for the attitude of their own governments, which is also crucial to the project. If the three governments have no doubt about the project, a detailed plan will be launched, as will business negotiations on gas purchase and sale and the financing work for the project. The three governments still need to sign a treaty on laying transnational gas pipelines. After that, the construction can begin and the gas field can be fully developed.

– Yan Shen, Researcher, Chinese Academy of Energy

Yukos Pipeline Project Spurned November 13, Moscow (RBC) - A negative decision on the draft Angarsk-Daqing pipeline project is not aimed against Yukos, Kirill Yankov, Russian Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, announced today. He spoke about this issue at a conference on “Environmental projects of Russian corporations” and stressed that the project of a pipeline passing through a national park could not be approved.

Yukos have been supporting the project for a pipeline running from Russia’s Angarsk to China’s Daqing, stipulating a route passing via a national park. Another possible route, from Angarsk to Nakhodka, was proposed by Transneft.

The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources said in September that the AngarskDaqing project would violate Russian environmental safety laws. After an independent ecological inspection, experts reported that the project in fact met these laws in general except for the part concerning national parks. The deputy minister noted it was possible to introduce changes to the project to bypass the national park.

Media Report: In 1994, Russia proposed cooperating with China in building a gas pipeline, and a series of long and difficult negotiations began between the two countries. As the lifeline of a nation, the gas and oil resources are subject to international politics more than other resources. So the examination of the failure of the Angarsk-Daqing pipeline project should take into account the geopolitics and geoeconomics in northeast Asia.

Japan imports all its gas from foreign countries, mainly around the Persian Gulf. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have changed the situation of international geopolitics and to reexamine the security of its gas resources has become Japan’s biggest concern. Since the middle 1990s, Russia has been focused on its relationship with the east as well as the west and has tried hard to defend its status as a power in Asia.

After Putin became president, Russia realized the importance of Asia to its politics, economy and national security and has been adjusting its diplomatic policies towards North Korea and Japan.

Now that the relationship between Russia and Japan has become more flexible, Japan has naturally set its eyes on the gas resources in east Russia, which could provide another vital source. Korea, the other nation in Asia that totally depends on foreign gas, has also shown strong interest in investing in the development of gas resources in east Russia. It is the geopolitics and economics of northeast Asia that have caused the failure of the Angarsk-Daqing pipeline project.

– The Global Times

EU Rejects US Steel-Tariff Compromise November 19 (Dow Jones) - European trade officials dismissed a potential compromise from US steelmakers that would reduce contentious steel tariffs, saying the tariffs remain illegal and ought to be removed, Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal reported.

“What we are waiting for is the complete elimination of the steel tariffs, which are clearly illegal,” said EU trade spokeswoman, Arancha Gonzalez.

The compromise, reported in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, calls for the US to end tariffs six months earlier than their current March 2005 expiration. The compromise also called for an immediate cut in the tariff level by about one-third, then a subsequent cut early next year. The compromise is intended to head off a trade war with the EU.

Canadian Officials Investigate Hollinger November 19, Toronto (AP) - Canadian securities regulators are looking into possible irregularities at newspaper publisher Hollinger International Inc. and coordinating their efforts with the Securities and Exchange Commission, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Conrad Black announced his departure as CEO of Hollinger International Monday after an internal review found that he and another executive each received $7.2 million in unauthorized payments in connection with the sale of several community newspapers.

The Toronto-based parent company of Hollinger International, Hollinger Inc., also received unauthorized payments, according to a special committee conducting the investigation. Black still controls that company.

Brussels Plans Single Market for Services

A herd of several hundred sheep pass by the Puerta de Alcala monument during a migration through central Madrid, Spain, Sunday November 16. The sheep were herded through Madrid to highlight the legal right to use the centuries-old traditional pathways that exist in AP Photo/Paul White Spain although many paths now face a major threat from urban sprawl.

November 18, Brussels (FT) - The European Commission plans to open up the service sector by sweeping away unnecessary red tape for companies operating outside their home countries and reducing advertising restrictions.

Draft legislation, seen by the Financial Times and due to be made public next month, calls for “the free movement of services between member states” and an end to barriers to companies in one European Union country setting up businesses elsewhere in the EU. The draft, which will also need to be approved by the European parliament and member states, sets out a framework for a “genuine internal market for services by 2010”.

Nokia Says its Batteries Are Safe

Bond to Terminate Deficit November 18, Sacramento, California (Reuters) - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, saying he had “strong resolve” to cure California’s fiscal woes, proposed a record bond issue on Tuesday of up to $15 billion to fund the state budget deficit.

To set an example of new austerity, the multi-millionaire Republican actor said he would forgo a salary in his new job as governor of the nation’s richest state and would impose a freeze on hiring, travel and upgrading expenses.

“I inherited a huge debt,” Schwarzenegger told his first news conference after his Monday inauguration. “It is not my doing. So now we have to figure out how to work with it.”

“I’m asking voters to approve up to a $15 billion bond to consolidate the debt accrued by the reckless spending in recent years. It will allow us to move forward to recovery without cutting the schools.”

The proposal was unusual not only in its massive size but in its focus. Voters are usually asked to support bonds for specific future spending projects such as schools or roads, rather than to cover past deficits.

A top Democrat expressed concern

about the plan.

“It’s morally and fiscally wrong to ask future generations to pay for today’s debt,” said state Treasurer Phil Angelides, a Democrat running for governor in 2006. “In the first 24 hours of the administration we are moving in the wrong way.”

Schwarzenegger, speaking to reporters just before a special session of the state legislature convened late on Tuesday, said the massive borrowing program would have to be paired with a constitutional cap on state spending.

He called for $2 billion in cuts from the state’s roughly $77 billion general fund budget, and met with legislative leaders to put together the details.

“Absolutely there will be budget cuts,” Schwarzenegger said. “I’m not going to take a salary ... which is $175,000.”

Media Report: Schwarzenegger faces a lot of difficulties as he takes up his new post, and how to deal with the huge financial deficit is the most difficult one.

According to the California budget offi-

Arnold Schwarzenegger gives his inaugural address at the State Capitol in Sacramento November 17, 2003.

Xinhua Photo

cials, the new government will inherit a financial deficit of nearly $25 billion. In addition, in the new fiscal year finishing in June next year, the deficit in California is set to rise by a further $10 billion. If the Schwarzenegger administration is not careful, the deficit will increase by 13 to 14 billion dollars every year in the future.

According to this calculation, the deficit will be up to about $62 billion by June 2006.

However, promises made by Schwarzenegger in the election process aggravate the difficulty of financial deficit settlement. Schwarzenegger promised that he would not raise taxes after taking up his official post, and that he would abolish the laws set to double car taxes.

– Beijing Star Daily

Senate Blasts BLIPS, FLIP and OPIS November 18, Washington (Dow Jones) - KPMG LLP made more than $124 million in revenue selling four tax shelters to some 350 individuals between 1997 and 2001 - part of what a Senate investigation found to be a “highly aggressive marketing effort” of tax-avoidance techniques.

The firm went to some lengths to hide its tax-shelter activities from the Internal Revenue Service by not registering three transactions the tax collector later found should be disclosed as tax shelters. And the firm employed sophisticated mass-marketing techniques, such as using a telephone call center to coldcall potential tax-shelter customers.

Those were among the findings of a year-long investigation by the Senate Governmental Affairs permanent investigations subcommittee, which held a hearing

Tuesday on KPMG’s practices.

“Potential clients were persuaded to buy and use the deceptive shelters KPMG was peddling and the US Treasury was effectively defrauded of taxes owed as a result,” said Senator Carl Levin, whose staff led the investigation.

The Internal Revenue Service has been stepping up enforcement efforts against tax shelters, which are investment strategies designed to cut or minimize taxes.

Some tax shelters are legal and others skirt the boundaries of the law.

The US government lost “tens of billions” of tax dollars in the last decade due to tax shelters, with losses totaling perhaps $33 billion since 1993, the General Accounting Office said last month.

The committee’s investigation focused on four tax shelters KPMG marketed: the

“Bond Linked Issue Premium Structure” or BLIPS; “Foreign Leveraged Investment Program,” or FLIP; “Offshore Portfolio Investment Strategy” or OPIS; and the “S- Corporation Charitable Contribution Strategy” or SC2.

“All four generated significant fees for the firm, producing total revenue in excess of $124 million,” the committee’s report said. The IRS later determined BLIPS, FLIP and OPIS were potentially illegal tax shelters while SC2 is under review.

The committee report said that as of June 2002, the IRS identified at least 243 people who had used BLIPS, FLIP or OPIS to claim tax losses of $5.8 billion.

“There is an awful lot of money to be made by beating the IRS,” Calvin Johnson, a University of Texas Law School professor, told the committee.

November 18, Helsinki (Reuters) - Finland’s Nokia, stung by reports of its mobile phone batteries catching fire, said on Tuesday a follow-up test by Test-Aankoop, a Belgian consumer watchdog, had shown its own-made batteries were safe for use.

The world’s biggest mobile phone maker has been hit by a recent spate of reports, from Vietnam to the Netherlands, of its batteries overheating and catching fire or exploding.

This led European consumer groups to lock horns with Nokia in past weeks over the safety of its cellphone batteries.

The Belgian firm said in a separate statement its previous test released earlier this month had accidentally included counterfeit batteries in the sample. But it said Nokia should address the issue of many forged batteries sold under Nokia’s brand.

Saudi Signs Landmark Deal with Shell-Total November 16, Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali al-Nuaimi signed a multi-billion-dollar landmark deal with a consortium led by Royal Dutch/Shell and Total for gas exploration and production in the south of the kingdom.

Nuaimi signed the 40-year deal in Riyadh with Total chairman and CEO Thierry Desmarest and Sir Phillip Watts, chairman of the committee of managing directors of Royal Dutch/Shell.

“This evening, we witnessed the signing of the kingdom’s first natural gas investment agreement, which is being implemented to encourage international oil companies to invest in the kingdom’s gas sector,” Nuaimi said after the signing ceremony.

Euro Hits Record High against Dollar November 19, London (AFP) - The euro prepared for a new assault on the dollar after hitting a record high point on concerns about protectionist sentiment in the United States and dwindling investment in US assets.

The single European currency hit a new all-time peak of 1.1979 dollars in the early hours of the day in Sydney.

It later retreated to 1.1914 dollars in early European trading, against 1.1968 late on Tuesday in New York, when the euro had already smashed through its previous historic high against the US unit.

CITY

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

E-mail: sunming@ynet.com

EDITOR: SUN MING DESIGNER: LI SHI

Classic National Geographic Images on Show

The now iconic photo Afghan Girl is among those on display at the China Millennium Monument.

Photo by Chen Bai

By Guo Yuandan The National Geographic Society unveiled an exhibition of over 200 stunning images, the first photo show of the kind ever in China, last Tuesday at the China Millennium Monument in Beijing.

The exhibition is comprised of two parts, “Marco Polo Returns to China” and “Eyewitness to the World.”

The first section is meant to commemorate the Italian traveler’s epic journey through China 700 years ago. It includes 115 photographs shot by National Geographic

photographer Michael Yamashita as he followed in Polo’s footsteps.

Yamashita began his retracing of Polo’s trail around the end of the last century, and in three years traveled over 7,000 miles and through 12 countries as he made his way from Venice to Beijing. Along the route, he took more than 70,000 pictures. Half of the show is devoted to highlights of that journey that reflect Yamashita’s attention to culture, religion, scenery and the human condition.

The photographs in “Eyewitness to the World” present changes

to the land and peoples of the earth over the past century.

Subjects span the Serengeti plains of Africa to the rain forests of the Amazon, from glaciers to great cities and from the bottom of the sea to outer space. It includes such iconic images as the now world-famous Afghan Girl, shot at a refugee camp in Pakistan in 1984, the first pictures of Machu Picchu and the discovery of the Titanic.

The show runs through January 28 next year and entrance tickets are priced at 30 yuan or 15 yuan for students.

HIV-Positive Suspect Put in Special Cell

By Sun Ming A criminal suspect known to have AIDS was moved to detention in a new, separate cell in Wuhan, Hubei Province, on October 28 as he awaits trial.

Liu Gang (pseudonym), 24, is the chief suspect in a series of robberies committed in that city over recent years and was arrested earlier this year.

The cell was built in a suburb of Wuhan last month specifically for Liu. More than 70,000 yuan was spent on constructing the cell, which contains complicated equipment for monitoring his health

and maintaining safe sanitary conditions, according to the Wuhan Public Security Bureau.

The cell is the first of its kind in this country.

Liu developed a drug addiction roughly one decade ago and he went through all of his personal property and that of his family to feed his drug habit. While undergoing rehabilitation in 1999, he was found to have AIDS. After that discovery was made, Liu allegedly robbed residents of his neighborhood in Wuhan’s Hanyang District at needle-point, telling them he would inject them with his infected blood if they

did not give him money.

Local police said Liu had been caught and detained a few times, but was always quickly released because there were no appropriate places to safely hold him.

“The AIDS infection only made him more unscrupulous and rampant in his criminal offenses,” the Wuhanbased Chutian Daily quoted a former official of Liu’s neighborhood committee as saying last Wednesday.

The policemen assigned to guard Liu’s new cell have been trained to avoid contracting AIDS and provide him medical assistance.

Photo by Lu Beifeng

Miss World Contestants Complete China Tour

By Chen Ying The 110 contestants in the finals of this year’s Miss World competition are scheduled to finish their tour of China today. The 2003 Miss World pageant will be held in Sanya, Hainan Province on December 6.

The contestants started their tour, which took them to Hong Kong, Xi’an, Shanghai and Beijing, on November 8, accompanied by Miss World 2002 Azra Akin of Turkey and Miss World Executive Chairman Julia Morley.

Photo by Chen Tielian

Collector Pawns Old Phones to Local Museum

By Yu Shanshan The Beijing Telecom Museum has far more to display these days thanks to the generosity of a local collector. Last Friday, Zhang Dafan, customer manager of a local Huaxia Bank branch and amateur collector, sold 158 historic phones from his personal collection to the museum.

Zhang began amassing old phones in June 2001 and through frequent subsequent trips to Beijing’s Panjiayuan antique market and other places, put together a large collection. This July, he contacted the Beijing Telecom Museum about purchasing the phones and the museum quickly agreed to buy 158 of them, including one model that dates back to 1910.

He told Beijing Youth Daily last Saturday that he only charged the museum around enough to cover his own costs in collecting the phones.

Businessman Abuzz over New Copter

By Yu Shanshan Shanghai businessman Li Linhai is looking forward to personally buzzing his way over the Huangpu River in his brand new, four-seat Robinson R-44 helicopter, which is currently going through final customs approval procedures.

Last Saturday, Li’s US-made chopper, which cost him 4 million yuan, was approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). He told PLA Daily on Monday that he planned to pick up his new toy after ten days of flying practice with a friend in Guangzhou.

Li is believed to be the first person from the Chinese mainland to purchase a light helicopter for private use. He said he plans to use the copter for business trips and personal visits to other cities, but getting around in the new aircraft will not be easy.

The CAAC does not permit private flights at altitudes of under 600 meters, meaning Li will have to apply to general and local aviation administrations and air force bodies for flight permission. Once all necessary permits are granted, he will have to present his local aviation administration with detailed flight plans before getting the green light to take off.

He will probably not be able to fly to Beijing, as private flights are forbidden in the skies around the capital. Moreover, he will struggle to find landing sites, as there are nearly no heliports in China and only a few airports that are able to handle light business aircraft traffic.

The government loosened restraints on flight training and pilot licenses to allow private fliers in 1997, and according to CAAC statistics, there are now over 180 licensed private pilots in this country. Although training costs are considerable, around 2,000 yuan per hour, the number of people enrolling in the around 10 flight schools nationwide is on the rise.

Tiger Kills Man in Badaling Wild Animal Park

‘Real UK’ Opens Door to England

By Zhao Hongyi The British Council, the de facto cultural and education section of the British Embassy in Beijing, is inviting high school students from Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou to visit the UK at no expense.

The organization launched the “Real UK” event on November 19 in Beijing. Interested high school students can register at www.educationuk.org.cn.

Prospective travelers must first go through a series of contests on their knowledge of the UK, English proficiency and communication skills, with the finals held in the capital on January 15 next year.

The lucky winners will link up with similarly outstanding students from 13 other countries and regions, including Japan, Hong Kong and Brazil, for the March 13 to 27 journey.

During the tour, the select youths will explore student life at some of the UK’s most famous institutions of higher education and meet celebrities from the realms of sports, business, music, academia, design and technology. More information can be gleaned from the Real UK hotline at 8855 4190 ext. 18.

5

Hunan Fire Investigation Points Finger at City Councilman

By Zhao Hongyi Investigations into a tragic fire that consumed a residential building fire in Hengyang, Hunan Province (see story in last week’s Beijing Today) has led to the house arrest of Li Wenge, chairman of Yongxing Group, the builder of the structure. Yet facts uncovered in the case indicate that may just be the beginning of the prominent local industrialist’s problems.

Twenty fire fighters were killed and another rescue worker and four local reporters were seriously injured when the blazing building collapsed in the early morning of November 3.

Preliminary investigations unveiled Li and his company changed the design after receiving construction approval from the original plan of three parallel, six-floor buildings to a single enclosed nine-storey complex, thereby increasing total area by over 3,000 square meters. Their purpose was al-

most undoubtedly the simple pursuit of profit.

More seriously, Li sold the apartments before any authoritative quality inspections had been conducted, a violation of national construction laws. The first floor was also changed from an area for housing to a space to house shops.

Li has been an active developer in Hengyang for nearly a decade and has served as a representative in the city’s council.

He was summarily dismissed from that body last weekend.

The media has widely covered the scandal, emphasizing his elected position, starting with a Xinhua News Agency report last Saturday and followed by Beijing-based News Week and Xi’an-based Hua Shang Bao (Chinese Business Daily), which ran an article under the headline, “How could Li be a representative of the people?”

By Ji Runju One of three construction workers at a building site near the Badaling Wild Animal Park who made the unfortunate decision to cut through the facility’s tiger area was mauled and killed by an enraged tiger on the afternoon of November 11.

The three men approached the park around its closing time.

In a bid to save some time on their walk home, they decided to climb over the protective fencing around the park, which consists of two three-meter-high fences surrounding a third four-meterhigh fence with an electrified wire on top.

Despite signs on each fence warning “Beasts of prey inside, keep away”, the determined construction workers still tried to climb over, the first one making it safely over the electrified wire thanks to the rubber soles of his shoes.

The tiger pounced on the man as soon as he jumped to the ground. His friends, stuck outside the last fence, could do nothing but crying for help and watching in horror.

A guard patrolling the area rushed to the scene when he heard the cries and arrived to find the terrified men looking at the badly mauled and bleeding body of their coworker, with the tiger pacing around him. After scaring the tiger away, the guard found that the man was dead, his neck broken in the sudden attack.

According to the police, the case is still under investigation, so the name of the victim cannot be publicized, but the Badaling Wild Animal Park will not be held responsible.

6

VOICE

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

E-mail: xiaorong@ynet.com

By Dong Nan / Wang Xiaoxiao uzimei has become an overnight Internet celebrity.

The 25-year-old editor of City Pictorial, a magazine in Guangzhou, has excited considerable interest with her online diary Yiqingshu (Memo of Love).

Muzimei was already well known for her racy magazine column, that dealt with love and sex. From June 19 this year, she also began to post her diary on blogcn.com, the largest website in China for “blog”, the Internet term for online diaries. Most of the contents are about her sexual experiences with different partners every couple of weeks. In the diary, she often uses the men’s real names.

In August, Muzimei wrote about a night she spent with Wang Lei, a well known rock star in Guangzhou. She described all the details, even down to Wang’s sexual ability. The gossip soon spread to various large-scale websites and aroused media attention.

Earlier this month, China’s three biggest websites, sina.com, sohu.com and netease.com reported Muzimei’s story. Soon after that, the server for blogcn.com broke down because so many visitors were trying to read Muzimei’s diary.

“I take these sexual affairs as they come. Like other things, it is what people need,” Muzimei wrote in her diary on November 6.

The discussion about Muzimei’s attitude and her writing style on the Internet have already been described as the “Muzimei phenomenon”.

EDITOR: XIAO RONG DESIGNER: LI SHI

M

Muzimei

Muzimei’s Soundbites “If I married, I would still have sex with other men,” – when asked for her opinion on marriage.

“How can I be so promiscuous? Because I do not use sex to exchange anything, such as money or marriage,” – in her diary, November 4 “It makes me happy, and gives me the chance to study men; every man has his particular characteristics,” – when asked why she changes sexual partners so often

“Sometimes, I think men are all the same when they are naked,” – in her diary “To me, the point of having relationships with men is to have sex with them,” – in her column article.

“I am ‘evil’ since I activate the dark side of men’s nature,” – when talking about herself “If others ask me about you, I say that you are a girl who hates to be controled by others.”

– quote from her mother in her diary

Se Blog Cuts Deep Opinions from experts and celebrities Li Yinhe, renowned sociologist and sexologist Of course, some people think she is right, others think she is wrong. But what I care about is whether Muzimei has the right to publish her sexual experiences. She is an adult and has the right to have sex with others, this is her personal freedom. She also has the right to record her experiences. Many people think Muzimei’s affairs set a bad example. They believe sex should be based on love. I agree myself. But there are some people who do not share this opinion.

We should not criticize their choice on moral grounds. I think society should be able to tolerate different values.

Zhou Xiaozheng, sociologist, Renmin University Muzimei’s sexual diary is even more terrible than erotic VCDs. You can do whatever you like as long as you don’t affect the public. Muzimei has polluted the public. Diaries like hers are bad for the healthy development of our culture.

Wei Xiuling, associate professor of law, Guangdong Commercial College There is no law forbidding one from having sexual relations with many people. However, given that Muzimei used people’s real names, she might be guilty of violating their right to privacy.

Zhu Jiaming, sexologist, vice president of Guangdong Sexology Academy I think Muzimei might want to attract the attention of the media and

the public just to make a name for herself. Otherwise, it sounds like she might have some kind of psycological problem.

Fang Xingdong, CEO of blogcn.com Whether you accept it or not, Muzimei popularizes blog culture. Her name is sure to go down in the history of the Internet in China. However, though the ideal of blog is open and free, it does not mean there is no responsibility. Self-discipline is highly important to the growth of blog.

Huangaidongxi, renowned novelist, column writer, lives in Guangzhou All she’s doing is having sex. But she is seen as subversive. I like her style of writing and her stories.

Comments from the media Beijing News, November 19 There are many things we can say but cannot do, and many things we can do but cannot say. Now Muzimei brings out all these “cannot-dos” and “cannotsays” to the public. It’s really had an impact.

China Youth Daily, November 19 As she posted her dairy on the Internet, her private business now has a social meaning. In other words, her sex life is no longer private and she should face responsibilities for that, including pressure from the public, critics and legal responsibility.

New Express, November 17 We should tolerate Muzimei, but not too much. Just because a society be-

lieves in diversified values and free choice it does not mean that it cannot judge between right and wrong. We should not be too tolerant or we will lose the courage to uphold our values.

Sina.com, November 17 As well as natural freedom and rights, human beings have responsibilities. Muzimei neglects this by mixing private and public business. It hurts other people’s feelings and challenges social morality.

Beijingnews.com.cn, November 14 It is useless to criticize Muzimei only, since people are obviously interested in what she writes. But this voyeurism reflects a degeneration of society, and people should be aware of that.

Voices from ordinary people Wei Jiang, 32, female It’s not such a big matter. I don’t think it’s a good idea to disclose something so personal in public, especially on the Internet, but we can’t say that Muzimei is a bad woman or something like that. She’s not the only one that has chaotic relationships with men, but she’s the first one to tell us all about it.

Li Peng, 26, male As a matter of fact, there are a lot of authors like her right now. She’s just a little bit more extreme. If we take it as some kind of literary work, it doesn’t deserve much attention. So just let it be. We don’t have to make such a fuss.

Wei Neng, 32, male She’s a brave woman I think. Actually people like to talk about sex, but are afaid to.

She is helping to open this theme in public.

She did no harm to anyone, so why are so many people criticizing her? Chinese people are somehow still traditional, particularly regarding sex. On the other hand, little kids are able to find her diary on the Internet, which is not so good. And she shouldn’t write the men’s real names without their permission.

It is an offence to their reputation.

Stephan, 45, male, German I guess this kind of phenomenon is quite common here in Germany. We don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. You have the right to choose what to read and hear, so the authors also have the right to choose what to write. But of course, publications have a certain place. For example, you can’t buy erotic books in every bookstore, and you can’t watch this kind of film on every channel. The media has a good way of controlling access to these things. Muzimei is just doing what she likes; she didn’t break the law, so why is she to blame? It’s the fault of the Chinese media!

It doesn’t provide controlled outlets for this kind of thing, that’s where the problem is!

Internet discussion Internet surfer, 61.174.140.* Of course we cannot stop Muzimei from pubishing her diary. But don’t we have the right to criticize her? If she was your wife or your daughter, would you be so tolerant?

Internet surfer, 218.69.196.* I am a student, and I know what students are thinking. We are curious about sex, but schools and parents don’t provide enough information for us. In fact, I think it is better to talk about it openly, like Muzimei, than to hide it underground. The more adults conceal it, the stronger our curiosity becomes. So I support Muzimei forever!

Internet surfer, frankfrank1234 The boundary between right and wrong is changing very fast. Muzimei’s challenge to morality and ethics shows us the base line of society. Whether what she’s doing is right or wrong, this is her contribution.

FOCUS E-mail: sunming@ynet.com

By Wang Fang / Zeng Pengyu f Huang Yong hadn’t let his 24th victim go, the local police might never have caught him. On November 10, 2003, the Pingyu Local Police Bureau announced that since September 2001, Huang, a 29-year-old local male resident, had kidnapped and killed 23 young men, including 18 secondary school male students and five other men aged around 20. In the past two years, constant reports of missing male teenagers had been registered with the local police.

Only recently has it emerged that the police never bothered to file the reports. When the parents of the missing young men heard of Huang’s arrest, they felt anger as well as sorrow. Now they want to know why the killer was not caught sooner.

Beijing Youth Daily set off for Pingyu, a small town in the south of Henan, to investigate.

Case emerges after boy’s escape “If Zhang had not escaped and reported the killer, we would not know what had happened to our sons.” The mother of Lu Ningbo, a junior grade two student of Pingyu No.2 Secondary School, cries whenever the name of her son is mentioned. Lu Ningbo was only 16 when he went missing in September 2001. He was the first teenager on the missing list. His worried parents reported it to the police but heard nothing more.

“In the past two years, we went to see the vice squad every day to see if there was any news about my son. All we ever heard was that there had been other cases of young men going missing.” There have been 11 cases of local young men going missing this year. The oldest was 20 while the youngest was not yet 16. The latest case was reported on October 24, 2003, two years and two months after Lu Ningbo first went missing.

Beijing Youth Daily tried to contact the 24th victim, Zhang Lei (pseudonym), but were prevented from doing so by the local government. However, we managed to interview the boy’s grandfather. His grandfather went to see Zhang Lei on the second day after his escape. The old man recalled that on November 6, Zhang had gone to an Internet

I

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

Serial Killer Finally Caught

Photo by Li Zhi

The parents of the victims

The suspect Huang Yong

cafe and met Huang Yong there.

Zhang told his grandfather that Huang tried every trick to get him to come to his home. Zhang eventually agreed but soon realized he had made a terrible mistake. The grandfather told us Zhang had been tortured by Huang. “I have lived a long time but I never heard of anything as inhuman as this is. When I

went to see the kid, his eyes were bloodshot and his throat was black and blue. He could not speak clearly. His belly was also terribly hurt by a needle.”

In Huang’s home, Zhang kept on trying to escape. He pleaded with Huang who eventually threw him a bag of instant noodles. It was the only food Zhang got for four days. He tried to escape twice but did not make it. After he had been there several days the teenager saw Huang wandering in the room, murmuring, “Kill or not kill?” Zhang pleaded to be set free.

“Please let me go. I will help you.”

Soon afterwards, Huang let Zhang go. Initially, Zhang was afraid.

He did not dare go home or report the case to the police, fearing that Huang would follow him. He spent his first night staying with a classmate and returned home on the second day. He then went to the police who immediately ar-

Some of the victims (from left to right): Lu Ningbuo, Wang Liang, Huo Honglei and Ling Zhengwei

rested Huang at his home. Huang had followed Zhang and saw he didn’t go to the police so he assumed he was safe. The police proceeded to dig up the remains of 23 bodies in Huang’s house and front yard. Seven of the bodies were found in his bedroom.

Who is the killer?

Beijing Youth Daily visited Dahuangzhuan Village where Huang lived. We went with six mothers of the missing teenagers. The village is 20 kilometers from Pingyu County. It’s remote and difficult to get to along the muddy paths.

Gas Bombs Sealed in Qiqihaer

By Sun Ming ast Friday, 33 reporters from all over the country were invited to witness the process of sealing up the World War II Japanese gas bombs unearthed earlier this year in Qiqihaer in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province.

Nearly 150 experts from Japan and China have been working to clean up the pollution and seal up the remaining parts of the bombs since November 8 in Qiqihaer. A total of 724 gas bombs have been found in the city since 1991.

Urgent need to deal with the gas bombs “It’s very urgent to deal with the gas bombs, because some of them have been eroded seriously,” Ma Yinde, a military official in charge of the operation told the media last Thursday. “After all, they’ve had been buried underground for half a century.”

Since 1995, Chinese and Japanese experts have cooperated to search for gas bombs left by Japan’s army in China. The gas bombs discovered in Qiqihaer were all transferred to a special storage place in the suburbs of the city.

“We must make sure that the gas bombs won’t leak,” said Ma. “We are sealing them up by using special hermetic containers in preparation for their future destruction. All the gas bombs sealed will still be kept in the storage place for a period of time.”

Besides mustard gas which caused the death of one person and the injury of 43 people in Qiqihaer in August this year, there are six other kinds of poison gases contained in the bombs, according to the office under the Min-

7

EDITOR: SUN MING DESIGNER: PANG LEI

L

A Japanese expert marks the number of a gas bomb.

Xinhua Photo

istry of Foreign Affairs which is dealing with the problems arising from the chemical weapons that Japan left in China.

During World War II, the Japanese army developed and used chemical weapons in nearly 20 provinces in China, and the buried weapons are still causing death and injury today.

Before the surrender, the Japanese invading army buried the weapons in China so as to conceal their crime.

Reporters witness the sealing The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized for 33 reporters to witness the sealing of the gas bombs last Thursday, but only one hour was permitted.

“The experts from China and Japan worked in tents in the contaminated area. They wore masks and protective uniforms printed with ‘China’ or ‘Japan’ on the back,” said Xinhua News last Thursday. “Around the 19 tens, there was an explosive-

proof wall which would contain an explosion, should one occur.

An ambulance stayed outside the contaminated area.”

“A technician picked out a gas bomb from a wooden box full of sawdust and then placed it on the operating table,” said Heilongjiang Daily last Friday.

“Technicians marked the number on its surface and took pictures of it. Then they wrapped the gas bomb with a white fabric bag as the first layer, and then tinfoil as the second. At the same time, technicians pumped out the air from the bags. Then the wrapped gas bomb was covered by a special black plastic and tightened by adhesive tape.

At last, it was put inside a green iron container.”

Gas bombs continue to be unearthed The chemical weapons left by the Japanese army have killed and injured more than 2,000 Chinese since 1945, according to the Academy of Social Sciences.

Fifty-eight years after the end of the war, Japanese bombs continue to be unearthed on a regular basis in China. In the most recent case, a Chinese man Li Guizhen died and more than 40 people, aged between eight and 53, were injured by five World War II-era metal barrels containing mustard gas which were unearthed at a construction site in Qiqihaer city on August 4.

One of the barrels was carelessly broken by workers at the site, causing a red oil-like substance to leak out and penetrate into the soil. Unaware of the nature of the material, Li guizhen and his co-workers later cut the barrels into pieces and sold them as scrap metal to a recycling facil-

ity in a residential community.

Things were made worse when the polluted soil from the building site was moved to other locations as part of the construction work.

This was one of the most serious tragedies caused by Japan’s abandoned chemical weapons On August 10, just six days after the tragedy in Qiqihaer, a bomb containing nerve gas was found in Changsha, capital Hunan Province. One month later, eighty bombs were discovered in Heze city in eastern Shandong province.

More cooperation needed Kong Quan, spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called on the Japanese government on August 12 to handle the chemical weapons issue properly.

Up to now, no accurate estimate of the number of chemical weapons still littering the Chinese countryside has yet been made. Existing and incomplete statistics suggest that around two million chemical bombs were left in China after the war, scattered in many provinces.

“The Japanese government should provide overall statistics on its abandoned chemical weapons in China to the Chinese government,” said Gao Hong, a researcher from the Japan Institute, China Academy of Social Sciences.

Under the Sino-Japan Chemical Weapons Convention, which went into effect in 1997, Japan should destroy all chemical weapons found in China by 2007.

The Japanese government has decided to offer 300 million yen (about $2.7 million) to China as compensation for the harm caused by abandoned chemical weapons.

When we arrived there were several people blocking the entrance to the village, shouting, “Going into the village is forbidden!” Lu Ningbo’s mother implored the villagers, “I just want to see my son. I’ve been looking for him for more than two years.”

The villagers eventually let us pass. We had to get past three more of these barricades on the way to Huang’s house.

Huang’s red brick house had a 30 square meter yard. You could clearly see patches of loose fresh soil. The house is only a few meters away from other houses, so how come the neighbors never knew what was going on? A villager who lived nearby told us that Huang lived alone and was rarely at home. “If the police had not come, we would not know that he committed so many crimes.” Other villagers told us that Huang looked normal and honest. He’d come to live here after leaving the army. Hu Honglei said she had often gone to the local Internet cafes to look for her son, and had met Huang several times and asked him about her son.

We want to know more The parents of the victims demanded to know more about the case. “The police don’t tell us anything. They only call us to do DNA screening. They don’t allow us to go to the crime scene, or let us see our sons. We don’t even know how our poor sons died,” one of the mothers told us. They all asked the same question: why didn’t the local police investigate in the past two years after so many teenagers went missing?

“We all reported to the vice squad immediately after our sons went missing but we didn’t hear anything,” one of the parents told us. “They admitted to us they didn’t file the reports because they believed the teenagers had just left for the cities. To them, it was not worth investigating.”

The parents went to the county police bureau and were told that only the local vice squad was in charge of any investigation.

At the beginning of September, seven missing teenagers’ parents went to Beijing to seek help.

When they returned on September 7, they heard that the case had been put on file but the local police still didn’t issue any notices or warnings, according to the parents. On October 24, 17-yearold Qin Jifei also went missing.

The police spokesman we spoke to in Pingyu said during our interview, “As soon as the case came to light, the county police bureau instantly reported it to the provincial police bureau.”

When we asked why the county police hadn’t reported the case to the provincial bureau earlier, after so many young men had gone missing, he refused to answer.

There were a number of peculiar obstructions to our investigation. We couldn’t contact any of the fathers of the missing teenagers. The mothers said their husbands had been “invited” by the local government to stay in a hotel while the investigation was continuing. The husbands were not allowed to meet anybody or speak to the press. “As there are so many reporters, the local government is afraid they might say something improper”, one of the mothers explained.

Several other strange things happened. There was always a car, and even a police car, following us. Our driver told us it was because the county government knew we were reporters.

We couldn’t connect to the Internet even though we had been able to when we arrived. Also, it was not possible to make long distance phone calls in the local hotels because they had received a notice from the government.

The local police bureau still has not disclosed any more information about the case, for instance, why was Huang able to kill so many and for so long?

When asked to hold a press conference about the case, a spokesman for the local government simply said, “No comment”.

8

OLYMPICS

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

E-mail: xiaorong@ynet.com

Approaching Athens

EDITOR: XIAO RONG DESIGNER: PANG LEI

The fifth in a series of seven special reports on the 2004 Olympics

By Geng Zhensong/Jiang Hao

W

hile the world is looking towards a festival of sport and a celebration of friendly international relations next summer, security officials are focusing on a different scenario. Terrorism experts agree that the Athens Olympics present a frighteningly tempting target for extremist groups, an easy way to get themselves into the headlines around the world.

Part of the concern stems from the pipe bomb which went off at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. It killed one person and could have been much more serious. The world also shudders at the memory of the 1972 Munich Olympics when Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes they had taken hostage. US security officials have expressed fears that the Greeks are not up to speed in terms of their precautions for next years games. It’s also been noted that the Greek authorities have failed to stamp out the infamous November 17 terrorist group that has killed a number of western security personnel in Greece since 1975. But the Greeks say security is a top priority. The Athens Organizing Committee for the Olympics (ATHOC) pointed out in a recent statement that, “No other country in Olympic history has earmarked as much money as Greece for security matters and no other organizing committee has been more painstaking in handling the security issue than ATHOC.”

Unwanted visitors Security has long been one of the key issues facing host cities.

Although Athens is regarded as one of the safest capitals in Europe, anti-terrorism experts point out the holding of the Olympics there changes everything. The Forum, a local Greek newspaper, recently reported that Greece has been listed as one of the top ten countries facing possible terrorist attacks.

The report said Greece ranked No. 7, below the US and Israel but above the UK. When questioned on the subject by the media, Greek officials have refused to confirm or deny the findings.

Explosives found near stadium Last August, Greek police found explosives near a 100-yearold stadium in Athens. The stadium is one of the venues for

The Shadow of Terror ty measures in cooperation with relevant agencies like the Greek police and coordinating the security forces.

Ryan recently pointed out that the conditions in Greece are different from those in Australia.

Greece has a long and easily infiltrated borderline and it is located at the crossroads between the Balkans, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. He said that security officials needed to consider preventing terrorist activities from taking place months before the games begin, not just when they start.

Thousands of experts are to be recruited to help in this task. Last June, Athens police department held a second anti-terrorism exercise with over 500 people participating, including local coast guards, firefighters and police.

A record number of 200,000 policeman will be involved in security matters during the games.

At the Sydney Olympics, only 25,000 policemen were deemed necessary.

High-tech security response gears up.

the Olympics. The explosives were buried on top of a small hill near the stadium. The Greek police said they suspected the explosives were related to November 17.

According to a report in a UK newspaper, The Sunday Times, one retired senior US security official recently warned that Greece has no capacity to resist the terrorist attacks which might be launched by November 17 during the Olympics.

Meanwhile, America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has expressed similar concerns. In a speech to Congress, CIA director George Tenet warned of the need for further precautionary measures to strengthen security before the games.

Big bucks for security network While pointing out that nobody can ensure absolute security, ATHOC revealed that US$600 million has been set aside for the security infrastructure. Unprecedented international cooperation on security issues has also been called into action.

Greek policemen are currently receiving combat training with police in London. And ATHOC has been in close touch with domestic security services, including Coast Guards, Fire Prevention departments and the armed forces.

Greece has also signed 37 security agreements with 22 countries. An advisory group has been set up with members from the US, UK, Australia, Germany, France, Spain and Israel and the advisers will hold consultations regularly.

Special problems The Greek authorities have appointed Peter Ryan as security advisor for the Athens Olympics.

Ryan began his career in 1963 and has worked in crime control and counter-terrorism. He was also the security adviser for the Sydney Olympics and the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Because of his excellent performance in the previous events, IOC invited him to help ATHOC with security. His chief responsibilities include drafting securi-

US company provides security systems After careful selection, the Greek Ministry of Defense signed an agreement on May 19, 2003 with a US company named Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) which will provide security facilities to the Athens Olympics. According to the contract, SAIC will be responsible for establishing a security network called Management and Control Systems for the Athens Olympics Security Center.

Though the company was established back in 1969 by an eminent nuclear physicist, it is not so well-known to the public. Its revenues reached US$6.1 billion in 2002 and it is a powerful ally of the US Defense Department. The company has invented many core detection technologies for the US intelligence agencies.

With the help of its data digging and sensoring systems, US intelligence agencies successfully captured Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, a leader of al-Qaeda and one of the masterminds of 9/11.

With 40,000 employees worldwide, SAIC is currently engaged in confidential research for the Pentagon including the redesign of warfare systems and biological weapons and the improvement of tapping devices for the US National Security Bureau.

US intelligence-gathering agents are usually armed with software developed by SAIC. The software can help to find clues of possible terrorist attacks by scanning books, newspapers, magazines and other documents published in other languages.

Prevention of biochemical attacks The Greek government recently organized a special committee to look into the possibility of a large-scale bio-chemical attack. When the committee sub-

mitted its plan to the Public Security Ministry and Defense Ministry, it suggested providing large-scale pollution treatment systems at 13 hospitals in Athens and equipping security guards with special anti-chemical warfare clothes, portable oxygen tanks, masks and other facilities.

The total cost of this plan will be 312 million euros.

Philippos Petsalnikos, minister of Justice also revealed that ATHOC will initiate a new electronic data bank to scan criminal records. All the participants, including athletes and officials at the games, will be checked against this databank.

Temporary withdrawal from Schengen Agreement The Greek Government announced on August 3, 2003 that it would suspend the Schengen Agreement - a treaty allowing the free movement of people between EU countries - for a period of two months to prevent terrorists from entering Greece during the games. During this period, all people applying for Greek visas will be strictly examined and some ports will be closed.

The Schengen Agreement was signed by France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg in the small town of Schengen in Luxemburg on June 14, 1985.

According to the agreement, citizens from these five countries as well as Spain and Portugual could travel freely without showing their ID cards at the borders. Any foreigner with a visa for any of the seven countries would have the same right.

This agreement formally came into effect in 1995. In December 1997 and in April 1998, Greece, Italy and Austria announced they would also implement the treaty. Since then, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland have also joined.

The only EU countries that haven’t joined are the UK and Ireland.

According to certain articles in the agreement, member countries can suspend the agreement under special circumstances. For instance, claiming it wanted to prevent the possible spread of SARS, the Italian government announced on May 9, 2003 that it would suspend the Schengen Agreement.

Costas Simitis, Greek Prime Minister recently defended his governments efforts to ensure safety at the games. “Like all European countries, Greece is concerned about security issues.

Greece has joined all the main international organizations and programs related to global security. The country has invested huge sums in security measures and has the ability to handle security issues in collaboration with other countries and agencies. We do not think that the discouraging remarks people have made about our security are justified.”

Photos by Cheng Tieliang

FACE

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

9

EDITOR: ZHAO PU DESIGNER: PANG LEI

E-mail: zhaopu@ynet.com

From Harvard to Gansu

By Shan Jinliang hen China successfully launched its first manned spacecraft on October 16, Sarah Tsien, a 23-year-old Chinese American girl, had a special reason to feel excited. Her grandfather’s first cousin, Qian Xuesen had helped start the manned space exploration plan in the early 1970s.

So she felt somewhat uncomfortable when the UKbased Economist magazine ran a front-page story reading, “Congratulations, China (so no need for any more aid, then?)”, referring to the massive spending on the space program.

Tsien knows better than most the financial difficulties blighting the lives of China’s poor, and that it’s a problem which hasn’t gone away. After she graduated from Harvard last June, she started working as head of the China mission of France-based PlaNet Finance, an NGO helping to fight poverty by providing loans to entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Though she is the second youngest member in her office in Beijing, Tsien has already helped hundreds of Chinese farmers to build a more secure livelihood. It’s quite a surprise for her, given that four years ago, China was one of the last places she intended to visit.

Christmas party talk Tsien was born in Connecticut, US in 1980.

Though her parents are both Chinese she had only learned a few Chinese expressions by the time she got to college. She had a fairly negative attitude towards China at that time, but a talk with her cousin at a Christmas party in 1999 changed her mind. When she found out about a student exchange project between Harvard and Yunnan Normal University in September 2000, Tsien, who was studying anthropology and economics, decided to apply. Soon after, she made her first visit to China.

In her first semester she studied both Chinese and the minority peoples in Yunnan.

Tsien flew to Beijing in February 2001 to work as an intern with Du Xiaoshan, a professor from the Rural Development Institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. She worked on the “Funding the Cooperatives”

W

Sarah with a photo of Qian Xuesen

‘I

f you offered me a trip to Gansu or Shanghai, I would choose Gansu, even though I have never been to Shanghai.’

– Sarah Tsien

project to help farmers.

Hard life The same month she attended a conference in India on micro-finance, a method of helping people escape poverty by offering them short-term, low interest loans. There she met a Frenchman called Arnaud Ventura, the managing director of PlaNet Finance. Arnaud told Tsien that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation had invited PlaNet Finance to start a micro-finance project in Yunan Province. He asked Tsien to work as a guide for his research team.

During the project, from February to March 2001, Tsien came to understand what microfinance could do for Chinese farmers.

Tsien led the team to Yunnan via Thailand and Laos. In her thesis for graduation from Harvard in June 2002, Tsien

Sarah talks with loan officers

wrote about her experiences in places such as Yaorenba Village in Luoping County, Yunnan.

Tsien lived with some of the poorest families and witnessed their bitter struggle to survive.

Yaorenba was struck by frequent floods, and villagers had to eke out a living sharing a piece of land just one-fifteenth of a hectare in size.

“They had almost none of the usual domestic comforts, but their warm and friendly reception made me feel at home. They have aspirations, they have hope and ambitions, but they can not find enough opportunities,” Tsien told Beijing Today.

Initially, Tsien lived with the mother of two boys, aged 11 and 14. She had to make a living by raising chickens while the father went to a nearby town to

Sarah with the owner of the house where she lived in Yaorenba Village

Photos by Tian Xiaotong

work. Things were hard because he had got no payment for two months. The mother, in her 30s, had to get up at 4 am to make some extra money by going to buy cheap rice and trying to sell it at a profit. One day Tsien accompanied her. After a hard day’s work, the mother had earned 12 yuan, but the money was stolen while they were on their way back home.

“We started to cry,” says Tsien.

Because of the lack of money, only one of the two sons had the chance for further education, so Tsien helped finance the other son’s tuition.

Tsien came to understand that while most Chinese people may live above the poverty line, many of them are still subject to risks such as floods.

She believes that with savings and low interest loans, micro-

finance projects can help generate entrepreneurship in the countryside, and provide farmers with new opportunities.

In the following year, Tsien visited similar communities in Sichuan, Henan, Hebei, and Guangxi.

A life-changing phone call In April 2002, just before she was due to graduate, Tsien received a call from France. “We are going to establish a China branch of PlaNet Finance later this year,” Arnaud Ventura told her, “and we want you to be head of the mission in China.” Tsien was only 22, but she accepted the offer and established the China office of PlaNet Finance in September.

She knew it would be a tough task but she had become enthusiastic about the whole project and was ready to devote herself to it. “You really need to get the people to feel motivated and understand what it means to pull themselves out of poverty. That’s really the spirit of micro-finance. If people think it’s another welfare program, then they’ll never be able to make it through,” says Tsien.

She’s visited Hebei and Henan about a dozen times in the past year helping to set up local lines of credit. It struck her that the lack of information is another factor hampering business success for

many farmers, so Tsien decided to include information technology in the local microfinance projects. In February 2003, she won funding from the European Commission’s18month Asi@ITC Program, and used it to implement projects in three counties in Hebei and Henan.

Tsien became fascinated by the country life and life with the Chinese farmers. “If you offered me a trip to Gansu or Shanghai, I would choose Gansu, even though I have never been to Shanghai,” she says.

Tsien plans to make Tianjin her first city project next month, hoping to help laid-off workers.

After Spring Festival next year, she will visit Fujian and Shanxi to set up new local micro-finance projects.

The Asi@ITC Program will expire next August and the challenge for Tsien is to maintain all the local projects the funding has helped develop.

A balanced life In the average day, Tsien takes a swim first and then bikes or walks from her home in Houhai to the office in Xizhimen at 8 or 9 am. It’s a long working day: she usually puts in 12 to 14 hours.

Tsien knows she’s earning a much lower salary than her friends back in the US, but she still loves the job and her enthusiasm boosts all her colleagues. Many of them come to do extra work on weekends with her.

Though busy, she tries to live a normal life, enjoying sports like running, swimming, and biking. She’s also become a member of the Beijing Mountaineering Club. She even took the No. 1 spot in the 20-25year-old group in a triathlon competition in Hainan two weeks ago. At weekends, she likes to go to the Pass-By Bar near Houhai to meet some friends.

Tsien does feel a bit sorry about how her new life has left her with little time to visit her family in the US. She says she is unlikely to go back home this Christmas, and she spent Spring Festival and National Day this year in Beijing. At least her mother was able to come and visit her last month.

The longer Tsien lives in China, the more she becomes aware of being a Chinese person. So she’s not going to give up the day job.

10

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

LEGACY

E-mail: zhaopu@ynet.com

EDITOR: ZHAO PU DESIGNER: LI SHI

Exploring an Ancient Cemetery

By Zhang Huan mountain in Henan Province, between the Yellow River and its tributary, the Luo River, is the site of hundreds of ancient tombs, dating back thousands of years.

Mang Shan, or Mount Mang, covers an area of 750 square kilometers to the north of Luoyang, the provincial capital. It was the final resting place for emperors, generals, ministers, scholars and people of influence from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC) through to the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Worn down by centuries of wind and rain, and picked over by a steady stream of grave robbers, it is not known exactly how many people have been buried on Mang Shan. Even the identities of most of the tomb’s occupants are today a mystery.

A major archaeological investigation of Mang Shan has recently been given the go-ahead by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. In what will be the largest-scale survey ever carried out on the site, modern technology will be used to explore and map the ancient tombs in a three stage investigation scheduled to be completed in 2012.

The key focus of the investigation will be the search for 15 imperial tombs from the Eastern

A

Panlong Mausoleum, at Mang Shan; all that is known about it is that it may have been the burial place of a high official.

Photo by Yao Wei

Zhou, Cao Wei (220-265), Western Jin (265-317) and Northern Wei (386-532) dynasties.

Here lies ...

“Born in Su Hang (the cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou), Buried in Bei Mang (Mang Shan)” was a popular idiom in ancient times. Although the mountain is literally littered with hundreds of ancient tombs, the absence of records identifying the location

and the occupants of the tombs, coupled with the fact that most of the original tombstones have been removed or destroyed and the descendants of the occupants scattered, identifying who is buried where is a difficult, if not impossible task.

Some unearthed tombstones, however, and certain historical records that have survived, provide some tantalizing clues as to

the identities of at least some of those buried on Mang Shan.

The most significant are considered to be the 15 imperial tombs of the Eastern Han, Cao Wei, Western Jin and Northern Wei dynasties, as well as a quantity of tombs from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, discovered together with many valuable cultural relics at the foot of Mang Shan at the beginning of the 20th cen-

tury. Some archaeologists believe these to be the imperial tombs of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. There are also historical records showing that the imperial tombs of the later Tang Dynasty (923-936) are also located in the Mang Shan area.

In November 2002, local archaeologists carried out a preliminary investigation of the imperial tombs on the mountain, concluding that though most had been robbed, there remained approximately 330 ancient tombs, including imperial tombs of different dynasties, in the region of the ancient cemetery.

An auspicious resting place The city of Luoyang, lying at the foot of Mang Shan, was the capital city during seven dynasties, from the Xia (2100-1600 BC), till the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

For a period of more than 1,000 years, it was the center of politics, culture and business in China. Though sacked and rebuilt many times throughout history, at the height of its prosperity, Luoyang was home to over one million citizens.

Overlooking the capital city from the north, with the Yellow River at its back, Mang Shan was considered in geomantic terms to an ideal place to be buried.

For anyone with the means to choose their final resting place,

this was the most important consideration.

Robbers and looters Tombs inevitably attract tomb robbers, and Mang Shan has seen a steady stream of them since ancient times. The most destructive of the looting occurred early last century, during the construction of the Kaifeng-Luoyang railway.

In 1905, the Qing government borrowed money from a Belgium company to build the railway, which is now part of the Lianyungang-Lanzhou railway. The railway passed through the southern part of Mang Shan, and during its construction, many ancient objects were unearthed, attracting the interest of the foreign specialists working on the project. Many of them collected large quantities of antiques from the tombs and sent them to Europe and America.

When it was learned that such artifacts could fetch high prices abroad, even more tomb robbers were attracted to the site.

The ensuing tomb robbing frenzy resulted in the widespread use of the specially designed “Luoyang Spade,” which was used to bring up a sample of soil from deep underground. Experienced tomb robbers could tell from the color of the soil whether there was an ancient tomb underground.

Turandot Transformed into Peking Opera

By Zhao Pu urandot, the cold-hearted Chinese princess of Puccini’s opera has been transformed into a gracious and sensitive young woman in a new Peking Opera version of the tale.

Chinese Princess Turandot adapted

by Wu Jiang, director of the Chinese Academy of Peking Opera, premieres tomorrow night at the Chang’an Grand Theater.

“This opera by an Italian composer, set in the Imperial Palace of China, is so well known in the west. Now we bring the story back to its homeland and reorganize it in accord with Chinese culture and logic, and present it as our own opera,” Wu told Beijing Today last Thursday.

With its Chinese setting, Turandot is probably the best known western opera in China. From Zhang Yimou’s version, staged at the Ancestral Temple in 1998, to Sichuan Opera and Yueju versions, Chinese directors and adaptors have always basically followed Pucci-

T

ni’s scenario and plot.

But the Peking Opera version is a complete rewrite, remolding the heartless princess into an intelligent and amiable young woman. “She is not cold-hearted and she doesn’t hate men.

She is a lonely 17-year-old princess living in the Forbidden City, dreaming of true love and seeking sincere understanding,” says Wu. One of the key changes in Wu’s adaptation is to the beginning of the story. He has added a background for the princess’s riddles.

The Peking Opera opens with a scene of chaos, in which 18 foreign princes fight each other to win Turandot’s hand. “What they really want is not the beautiful princess, but the chance to succeed to the emperor’s throne,” says Wu. To spare the city’s residents the fighting, the princess declares that any suitor must answer three riddles correctly, or die.

Another major change is to the love triangle formed by Turandot, Calaf

and his servant girl, Liu. In his adaptation, Wu replaces the servant girl with Princess Luling, a lover of Calaf’s father, Timur.

If the new production of Scholar Zhang Xie, by the Chinese Academy of Beijing Opera, looks back to the origin of Chinese opera, Chinese Princess Turandot can be seen as a contemporary Peking Opera.

Dancing and the role of the chorus are emphasized in this opera, unlike traditional Peking Opera in which solos take up the most part. “We especially invited teachers from the Beijing Dance Academy to choreograph this opera,” says Wu. “Chinese Princes Turandot is an effort to diversify the art form, and to better introduce our national art to the world,” says Wu. The opera will be staged in Shanghai next year.

Where: Chang’an Grand Theater, 7 Jianguomennei Dajie, Dongcheng District When: till December 4 Admission: 80, 120, 280, 800 yuan Tel: 6510 1309

Deng Min (Turandot) and Huang Bingqiang (Calaf) in rehearsal

Photo by Tian Xiaotong

PHENOMENA E-mail: yushanshan724@ynet.com

By Yu Shanshan trip to the Old Station Theatre is like stepping back in time to the era when Mei Lanfang was the top entertainer in this nation and Peking Opera had a truly massive following. This beautiful, slightly out-of-theway site not only has a historic feel, it is the venue for genuine Peking Opera performances, the likes of which are rarely seen in Beijing today.

The theater resides in the Qiantie Cinema, which was built in 1903 and served as China’s first railway station before it was transformed to a movie house after 1949. Walking to the seats takes visitors up long staircases and halls filled with pictures of old trains under warm yellow lamps, adding to the yesteryear feel.

Yet this somewhat hidden theater is very much alive and home to nearly 30 young, professional Peking Opera actors, led by Fei Henan, 25.

Dismayed by the degeneration of their art into touring groups that put on stunted performances for mostly foreign tourists, Fei and some of his friends and colleagues at the Beijing Opera Theater, a prominent local opera company, decided to stand up for tradition and set up a troupe to perform full versions of opera classics in one fixed place.

A stage for young actors Unlike many more experimental artists, these Peking Opera professionals did not simply occupy an unused space likely to be razed in the city’s development push. The Old Station Theater, on the contrary, has been newly refurbished but retains many classic elements, like the dramatic domed ceiling of the railway platform. Even the program sheets are copied from Peking Opera programs of the art’s heyday before 1949, cleverly put together by Wide Interactive Advertising, which oversaw the overall design of the venue.

At 7:15 last Saturday evening, the troupe held its second weekend show. Before the curtain went up, the backstage dressing room was buzzing, with actors putting on their makeup and costumes and a getting in a quick meal of fast food from KFC. No one would have been there that night, actor or audience, if not for Fei Henan.

Born into a Peking Opera family, his grandfather and father senior jinghu, or Chinese fiddle, players with the China Peking Opera Theatre and his mother an acting teacher at the Academy of Chinese Traditional Opera, Fei was a natural to the art. He began acting at

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NOVEMBER 21, 2003

11

EDITOR: YU SHANSHAN DESIGNER: PANG LEI

Actor Li Yang puts on his make-up in the Old Station Theatre’s tiny dressing room before a full-lenth performance of Hongyang Dong last Saturday evening.

Young Actors Reviving Peking Opera Tradition

Chang Qiuyue as Cui Shi in Chi Meng

Fei Henan as Yang Yanzhao in Hongyang Dong Photos by Wang Wei

the age of four and was called a child prodigy by Hong Kong newspapers while touring there at the age of eight. As a child, he gave memorable performances in two films, Sun Zhou’s Xin Xiang (Heart Perfume) and Chen Kaige’s celebrated Farewell My Concubine, and was nominated for best actor at the 12th Golden Rooster Awards, China’s major film prize, making him the youngest nominee in the awards’ history.

Yet by the time Fei was ready to really go professional, Peking Opera was in decline. He often thought of giving up the family and art, and “going and making movies with Chen Kaige or something,” as he recalled, but he did not. He stuck with his dream and at the age of 18 entered the Beijing Opera Theatre.

From Monday to Friday, Fei concentrates on training for the demanding physical and vocal work of roles as lao sheng (middle-aged or old men) or wu sheng (martial figures).

Though he has been involved in performances for tourists at such venues as the Huguang Guild Hall, Li Yuan Opera House and Chang’an Theatre, he and many other young actors in the company have been dismayed by the Beijing Opera Theater’s emphasis on stars, meaning newcomers rarely get on stage, and insistence on performing segments of only the four most famous operas.

“Young people are always talking about our futures and asking ‘where are we going’?

I don’t want to wake up one

morning to find I’m 50 and still just relegated to rehearsals, earning 30 yuan a day,” said Fei. Many of his young colleagues are of like minds and rallied behind his idea of setting up a more traditional theater on their own, pulling some sympathetic young musicians along with them. Fei noted, “People are surprised to see how seriously the people in our theater take their roles – that’s because they all know this kind of chance is not easy to come by.”

Curtains up, money down Du Peijun, the theater’s planning director and Fei’s girlfriend, said that they struggled at first to convince outsiders to invest in a Peking Opera theater. Finally, Fei managed to sell the idea to three people, including real estate developer Zhang Zhe, whose mother is a rabid opera fan. The three investors set up a firm, called Huizhong Old Station Cultural Development Company, to provide a steady source of needed funds for the theatre.

Finding the venue proved to be easier. Chen Zhifeng, a friend of Fei’s father and director of the Qianmen Railway Station Culture Hall, agreed to rent out the theatre, which had long been used for occasional movie screenings for Ministry of Railway employees, but was normally empty. Thanks to their personal connection, Chen demanded no rent from Fei, only money to cover electricity and water use.

On the theater’s opening night, the audience was around

300 strong. However, many of those people were personally invited by Fei or Du, and when the curtain went up for the second show the following afternoon, only around 30 of 40 people were in attendance, most of them elderly opera lovers.

According to Du, the crowd drawn to the theater can be divided cleanly into two groups, older people and young university students. She has found that experienced older audiences only pay attention to their favorite parts of certain operas, while younger viewers focus on entirety of a performance. “White collars workers are our next target audience,” she told Beijing Today last Wednesday.

Fei said he would be willing to sacrifice income to get larger audiences. “I’d rather play to a full theater without getting one fen of ticket money. At this point, getting another 100,000 yuan of investment would only mean 100,000 times more pressure on me,” he stated.

Keeping it pure To attract larger audiences and some badly-needed cash, Du tried to woo some local tour agencies, but in the end gave up the plan for fear tourists’ tastes would force the theater to water down its performances.

On the theater’s opening night on November 8, the troupe performed a full version of the two-hour-long classic Si Lang Tan Mu (Silang Visits His Mother).

Such authenticity is unlikely to be acceptable to tour agencies, which demand that shows be limited to under one hour.

Fei still thinks there is a market among tourists who want a truer Peking Opera experience. He recalled taking two French friends to a normal tourist-oriented opera in Beijing – “I could easily tell that they knew the performance was pretty bad. It was embarrassing and a shame for them.”

At the same time, upholding tradition does not mean leaving the audience behind, and Fei is aware that most younger viewers need some kind of information on performances lest they be completely lost by the now unfamiliar stories and obscure words. A creative solution to the problem was found by inviting a traditional storyteller, or pingshu, to introduce the plots of operas before the curtains go up.

During last weekend’s performance, actress Chang Qiuyue’s beautiful voice in Chi Meng (Crazy Dream) and Fei Henan’s impressive acting in Hongyang Dong (Hongyang Cave) won a lot of applause. Du Peijun said that after the show, she talked to one elderly couple from Shanghai who said they thought the acting was superb, it was just a shame the audience was so small.

Such praise is one of the reasons Fei, Du and the other members of the troupe at the Old Station Theater are determined to soldier on. “The future is bright – after all, I am only 25,” Fei said, “With so many talented young people here working together towards the goal of rejuvenating Peking Opera, how could we not succeed?”

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NOVEMBER 21, 2003

SPOTLIGHT

E-mail: zhangxx@ynet.com

Pu Shu’s Back

By Dong Nan After keeping his fans waiting for four years, Pu Shu will release his new album Shengru Xiahua (Colorful Days) next Wednesday.

In 1999, Pu was all over China’s airwaves with a string of hits from his debut album, Woqu 2000 Nian (I’m Heading for 2000). His melancholy style made him a favorite of university students and young professionals. However despite a highly publicized record deal with Maitian Music, nothing further was heard of the new star, other than a movie appearance and a single or two.

This helps explain the media frenzy that has followed the announcement, and why 10 thousand copies of a promotional VCD for Colorful Days released on November 8 sold out in half an hour in Beijing. The ten-minute VCD features the music video, karaoke and mobile phone ring tone of Colorful Days, the title track of the new album.

Pu has written all the music and lyrics for Colorful Days, which he describes in a press release as more mature than his first album.

After the release of the new album, Pu will launch on a threemonth tour of over 30 cities, from Harbin to Urumchi to Guangzhou, to promote his come-back.

EDITOR: ZHANG XIAOXIA DESIGNER: PANG LEI

WORLDWIDE

Night of Acrobatics

By Dong Nan feast of world-class acrobatics is being staged at Beijing Workers Gymnasium tonight, titled the Wuqiao International Circus Festiva Performance.

The Wuqiao International Circus Festival, held every two years since 1987, is one of the world’s top international circus events.

This performance features prize winning acts from Russia, the US, Columbia, Argentina, South Korea, France, Mongolia, Ukraine and China.

The most death-defying of these are

A

propbaly the Russian “Grand Board” and “Ballet on Steel Wire.” Another breathtaking highlight will be “Flyers” from South Korea.

Some of the routines performed by this troupe have only been mastered by these two Korean acrobats.

“The charm of acrobats is to experience the highest point of human courage with joy,” the press release for the show reads, “but be warned, those with heart problems should think twice about witnessing this spectacle!”

Police outside Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, California

Michael Jackson’s Ranch Searched by Police Armed with a search warrant for a criminal investigation, police swarmed over Michael Jackson’s fairytale Neverland Ranch in central California on Tuesday, but the pop superstar was not at home and said he knew nothing about the inquiry.

Police said only that they went to Neverland “to serve a search warrant as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.”

They scheduled a news conference for Wednesday morning.

(Reuters) Fans Camp Out in NY for Spears CD, Critics Unmoved

Pirates Battles Pirates

By Dong Nan Following hot on the heels of Matrix: Revolutions, another hit US film opened in Beijing on Wednesday.

Set on the crystalline waters of the Caribbean, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, stars Johnny Depp as the roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow. Jack’s idyllic life capsizes after his nemesis, the wily Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), steals his ship, the Black Pearl, and the story begins...

Rock Review

Twisted Machine

“I like Depp very much, and though Disney films are usually full of clichés, I have been waiting for this film since summer,” Wang Xin, a college student told Beijing Today.

Since Pirates of the Caribbean screened in US this summer, pirate copies have been readily available here. In an effort to fight back against the pirates, Disney offered promotional materials such as posters, key rings and cards to movie goers who handed in their pirate DVDs of the film at certain cinemas.

By Jiang Xiujing Founded in 1998, Niuqu de Jiqi (Twisted Machine) features two lead singers, guitar, bass, drums and a DJ. Influenced by the American hip-hop sound, they sing songs about the growing up and the sorrow of youth. Combining passion with real technical ability, this band has a solid and loyal fan base.

Line up: vocals Wang Xiao’ou, Liang Liang, guitar Li Pei, bass Yang Lei, drum Li Xiye, DJ: Zhang Ran Niuqu de Jiqi (Twisted Machine), 2000 Recommendations: Ziyou de Shenghuo (Free Life), Wo Mei Cuo (It’s not My Fault), Xiaoxindian (Be Careful) Chongfan Dixia (Reentrance to the underground), 2003 Recommendations: Xin Shiji (New Century), Tuidong Wo (Push Me), Women Laizi Dixia (We are from the Underground)

Britney Spears

Critics may not have been moved by Britney Spears’ album, In the Zone, released on Tuesday, but hundreds of excited fans were inspired to camp out in Times Square to get the pop star to sign a copy of the CD. Five hundred people, some who had waited three days outside the Virgin Megastore, were ushered into a room where they would meet Spears, 21, and get her autograph on a CD The New York Times called “almost perversely devoid of personality.”

“Nothing Britney does could suck,” said Jessica Mullen, one of the first in line. (Reuters) Singer Meat Loaf Collapses on Stage in London American rock star Meat Loaf was taken to hospital in London after collapsing during a concert, his record company said Tuesday.

The 56-year-old singer “collapsed from exhaustion due to a prolonged viral infection. It is not life-threatening,” a compa-

ny spokesman said.

Meat Loaf, famed for his mega-hit “Bat Out Of Hell,” collapsed in the middle of Monday night’s concert at London’s Wembley Arena, tried to perform another song but on advice from paramedics was taken to the nearest hospital.

(Reuters)

Meat Loaf

Film Institute Looks at 100 Years of Movie Music It shapes up as a battle between Somewhere Over the Rainbow Dorothy and The Way We Were Babs, old-time crooner Bing and The Boss, Bruce Springsteen.

The American Film Institute on Tuesday unveiled 400 songs vying to be the favorite music in films as part of its “100 years” series of annual events spotlighting film history.

“100 Years ... 100 Songs” is the seventh list put together by the American Film Institute, or AFI, which is one of the United States’ top groups for film preservation and education.

Michael Douglas to Receive Honorary Golden Globe Michael Douglas, Oscar-winning star of Wall Street, son of Kirk Douglas and husband of Catherine Zeta-Jones, will receive an honorary Golden Globe award for his work in the entertainment industry, the awards’ sponsor said on Monday.

The Golden Globes Awards, presented by the roughly 90-member Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is among the most watched celebrity honors shows in Hollywood during the film industry’s annual awards season starting in late December. (Reuters)

Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, announces the winner

SHOPPING E-mail: sunming@ynet.com

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

EDITORS: SUN MING SHAN JINLIANG DESIGNER: PANG LEI

Opera Star Chamber

By Dong Nan or fans of Peking Opera or people simply curious about this distinctive art form, stepping into the life of an opera star is now as easy as going to the Experience Beijing Opera (Fenmo Nongzhuang) photography workshop.

Inside this store, the staff help customers put on authentic Peking Opera face make-up and costumes for a wide range of roles and then take professional-quality pictures of the transformed clients.

Experience Beijing Opera offers dozens of complete costumes, including over 20 for women such as female generals, maidens and fairies from famous plays, more than 10 costumes for men including emperors, heroes and scholars, and five costumes for kids, led by the beloved Monkey King.

When it is time to go before the camera, Peking Opera actors are on hand to give customers suggestions for how to strike authentic poses. Throughout the experience, the knowledgeable staff provide all sorts of information about this enduring form of performance art.

Customers looking for something less exotic can dress up in traditional Chinese garb, such as magua robes for men and elegant qipao dresses for women. Prices for a complete photographic experience range from 200 yuan to 2000 yuan depending on volumes of photos and complexity of costume.

Where: B Building, Kentezhongxin No. 29, Liangmaqioa Lu, Chaoyang Open: 9 am - 6 pm Tel: 8046 3936

F

By Elva Lee The tiny nation of Nepal is not only home to towering peaks and beautiful temples, but also a rich tradition of making distinct handicrafts and clothes, some of which are now available in the capital thanks to Cui Ying Hong Xia store in the Ritan Business Building shopping complex.

The compact shop is stuffed with a wide range of Nepalese clothes, boots, jewelry, scarves, cushions and handbags, many Photo by Elva Lee beaded or embroidered with flower patterns or religious images.

Genuine Nepali clothes go for 400 yuan to 600 yuan per garment, handbags fetch 180 yuan a piece and slipper-like shoes from Pakistan sell for 260 yuan a pair.

Top sellers of late are the 2004 calendars made of wool paper and covered in Nepali folk paintings, priced at just 35 yuan each.

Store owner Juan Juan is a lover of all things Nepali and has amassed an impressive collection.

She personally decorated the festive store, including painting the walls, hanging the colorful curtains and installing lights she designed herself.

Also on offer are works by local artist friends of the owner and her husband, such as colorful earthenware and pottery pieces that are quite reasonably priced.

Where: Room 2006, Ritan Business Building, No. 15 Guanghualu, Chaoyang. Open: 9 am - 8 pm Tel: 8563 7342

Nepalese Dreams

by Candlelight

Fine Frames

To the Pointe Shoes

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By Yu Shanshan The precise balance that makes ballet so graceful requires a special kind of shoe with a hard front end, the familiar pointe shoes. But where can local dancers amateur or professional find such footwear? Probably the best choice in town is to check out the goods made by Dan’s Girl, a company founded a decade ago by the Beijing Dance Academy. The company, the only maker of professional-quality ballet point shoes in Beijing, is located inside that academy and remains its main source of shoes.

Whether they are going to a beginning dancer or a seasoned professional, all pointe shoes need to be broken in before they are actually worn to make them comfortable, a process that includes softening the shank and making the toes slightly rough to provide grip on often slippery wood floors.

Dan’s Girl shoes come ready for dancing and are made of high quality silk (45 yuan to 60 yuan per pair) or canvas (35 yuan for pink ones, 45 yuan for red and other colors), all with quality leather shanks.

The pointe shoes’ toes are made sufficiently stiff through carefully pasting five layers of cloth tightly together with a glue of Dan Girl’s invention and then baking them until they are tough, durable and dependable.

The shoes come in a range of widths and levels of hardness, the stiff-shanked level I shoes aimed at beginning dancers who need more support, while the level IIIs, supple enough to be used as ordinary shoes, are intended for experienced dancers with honed leg and foot strength.

The company can also make custom shoes lined with canvas for 55 yuan per pair. All shoes come with traditional silk bands to strap them on, but wearers still need to pick up foot coats (10 yuan each) to protect their feet from scraping directly against the shoes’ stiff toes.

Aside from its high-quality shoes, Dan’s Girl also sells a full range of dance wear, appropriate for ballet to jazz to tap, and offers all its products online at www.dansco.com.cn.

Where: No.19 Minzu Xueyuan Nanlu, Haidian Open: 8:30 am - 6 pm Tel: 6893 5758

By Sun Ming The Maple Frame Shop is a good choice for getting a new piece of art or treasured poster framed, as despite its small size, it offers a range of materials sure to suit nearly any taste.

The walls are adorned with over 300 frame corner samples.

“We work with customers to select the best options for their artworks at good prices,” said saleswoman Zhao Huifang.

Of course, besides paintings, the shop can Photo by Sun Ming also handle the framing of photos, handicrafts, mirrors and all kinds of other items.

The majority of frames on offer are made of wood, such as cedar, Kauri and basswood imported from Malaysia. Prices range from 16 yuan to 204 yuan per meter depending on material and frame style.

The store also sells a selection of already-framed pictures and traditional Chinese handicrafts, such as small clay sculptures of painted faces from Peking Opera housed in curved bamboo frames.

It normally takes seven to 10 days to get a work framed, but relatively elaborate projects may require up to three weeks to complete.

Where: No. 35A, Dongdaqiao Road, Chaoyang Open: 10 am - 6 pm Tel: 8562 3169

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FOOD

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

Email: xiaorong@ynet.com

EDITOR: XIAO RONG DESIGNER: PANG LEI

Soup’s On!

By Xiao Rong Soup is loved around the world for its abilities to warm the body and restore energy, but the Chinese tend to put particular stock in soup’s abilities to boost vital energy and improve health.

In different parts of this country, soup is made and treated differently, often as a result of climate and dining habits. In sub-tropical southern China, particularly Guangdong and Fujian Provinces, soups have become daily fare regarded as tonics for many parts of the body.

Many soups from this hot and humid area are made with meat, generally pork or poultry, and vegetables, including traditional Chinese herbal medicines. Such brews are usually simmered for hours, and hence are called laohuo liangtang, which translates to “delicious soup cooked on slow fire.”

As these kinds of soup contain both yin and yang ingredients, they are believed to remedy imbalances between cold and hot elements in the body.

Compared with the thick and nutritious southern-style soups, most soups of northern China are thin and watery. Leafy vegetables are a common main ingredient, requiring relatively short cooking time, normally over high heat for a rolling boil.

The difference in cooking times betrays a larger discrepancy in soup thinking between the North and South. Guangdong people focus more on soup broth, not its bitable ingredients, under the philosophy that in a properly cooked soup, all of the nutrients of given ingredients dissolve into the broth. Northerners are generally less picky and dig into the goodies inside a bowl a soup, not just its broth.

The methods and timing of serving soup also vary in China.

In the North, a large bowl of soup or broth is often presented at the end of a meal to aid digestion. The people of Guangdong, on the other hand, normally serve soup at the start of a meal to “wet the mouth” and stimulate the appetite, or it can be served at the same time as the dishes to be spooned over rice.

Tips for Cooking Soups: When choosing Chinese traditional medicines to prepare soups, select items that have minimal or no side effects, such as ginseng, Chinese wolfberries (gouqi), lotus seed and dried lily.

Soups should start from a base of cold water to allow the protein of any meat inside to fully dissolve into the broth.

Before it goes in the broth, meat, such as chicken, duck or ribs, should first be plunged into boiling water for several minutes to cook off some fat and drain the blood. When cooking fish soup, a good idea is to first fry the fish on both sides, an extra step that will prevent it from breaking into small pieces while boiling and help remove any fishy odor.

Salt should not be added until just before serving because it can drain moisture from meat and solidify protein.

Recipe Mustard Greens with Saltcured Egg Soup This easy and healthy family soup is made from readily available ingredients and is easy and fast to cook.

Ingredients: 2 salt-cured duck eggs (xianyadan); about 1.75 liters water; 4 slices peeled ginger; 3 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil; 800 g mustard greens, trimmed and cut into around 7.5-cm lengths Procedure: 1. Crack the eggs into a bowl. Cut up each egg yolk (already solidified during the salting process) into around eight pieces.

Lightly mix the egg yolk and egg white together so as to break the gel. Keep handy.

2. In a large pot, bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the ginger and oil.

Add the mustard greens and return to a simmer, lowering the heat.

3. Pour in the eggs, stirring as the whites solidify. Continue to simmer, either covered or uncovered, for about three minutes until the egg yolk is thoroughly cooked. Transfer the soup mixture into a soup tureen or into individual bowls. Serve hot.

Standard fotiaoqiang, 198 yuan

Photos by Lou Ge / Aily

Costly Kettles at Shenji Liangtang

By Joel Kirkhart In Shanghai-ese, soup seems to translate to “surprisingly expensive,” or that at least is the impression given at the Shenji Liangtang Restaurant, a Shanghai soup specialist.

The main dining hall houses a wall of around 20 large pots of house soups simmering away and a massive chandelier that makes the room feel like a miniature Great Hall of the People. A curious decorating theme for a restaurant perhaps, but one that is representative of Shenji Liangtang’s apparent target audience - people treating for meals to impress.

Unfortunately, that does not mean that the food itself is terrible impressive.

After a short English introduction in classic, impenetrable Chinglish, the menu starts with many soup offerings, ranging from basics like chicken soup (58 yuan) to the medicinal nourishing soup for men (78 yuan), which contains such exotic ingredients as seahorse. The pigeon and mushroom soup (shanzhen liugu laoge tang, 98 yuan) was satisfying and pleasingly rich, but failed to really stand out from less costly soups at run-of-themill restaurants.

The rest of the menu is devoted to a respectable range of mostly Shanghai-style dishes as well as a selection of Japanese food. Two decent choices are the stir-fried beef (fengwei feiniu, 42 yuan), a plate of tasty, tender paper-thin slices of meat to be rolled in leaves of crisp iceberg lettuce, and the fried pork ribs (mizhi zhibao gu, 32 yuan), which have plenty of meat and a complex, slightly sweet flavor. The home-style salted chicken (jiaxiang xianji, 26 yuan) is a fine starter from a large selection.

Less satisfying was the stewed cabbage with milk (baolin naibaicai, 22 yuan), that came out overcooked and nearly tasteless. A little better was the rice fried with vegetables (zhongyoucai chaofan, 20 yuan), though it looked better than it tasted.

Despite such culinary mediocrity, Shenji Liangtang manages to draw plenty of diners.

As a place to try a nourishing, if expensive, Shanghai soup, this restaurant is fine, but otherwise it is probably best reserved as a place to treat clients who want a little mianzi or overseas guests wary of spicier Chinese fare.

Where: No. 1 Xindong Lu, Chaoyang Open: 11 am - 10 pm Tel: 6532 1177 Cost: 100 yuan per person and up

Vow-busting Brew at Royal Food

Shark fin soup, 268 yuan

Chinese Chowders at Huajia Yiyuan

By Sun Ling Good place to track down warming, nourishing Guangdongstyle soup as the cold, dry air of winter sets in are the popular Huajia Yiyuan restaurants.

These two restaurants, which rose to fame on Ghost Street, have eclectic menus with dishes of Sichuan, Guangdong and Beijing style and many that fall somewhere in between.

Their soup offerings include traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients and are all simmered for no less than 10 hours, making them rich with flavor and nutrition.

Even with such quality, prices are reasonable.

Two recommended soups are the stewed wild mushroom with dragon bone (yeshanjun bao longgu), actually made with pig backbone, and the stewed tianma with wild rabbit (tianma bao yetu). Tianma is a traditional Chinese medicine that can drive cold from the body, while wild rabbit is considered beneficial to the skin. Both of these tasty tonics are priced at just 19 for a pot large enough to serve three or four.

The most nutritious soup on the menu is the stewed fresh ginseng with chicken (xian renshen bao laoji, 28 yuan), made with rare wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain in northeastern China.

Stewed fresh ginseng with chicken (xian renshen bao laoji, 28 yuan)

The extensive menu offers all kinds of dishes to accompany soup, including house special baye roast duck (baye kaoya, 68 yuan per whole duck). This duck stands out from other versions because it is cut in half, one side imbued with a mild fruity flavor and the other with a pronounced taste of mustard.

Where: No. 3 Dangxiao Lu, opposite Carrefour near Beijing International Exhibition Center, Chaoyang Open: 10 am – 10 pm Tel: 8451 8806 No. 235, Dongzhimennei, Chaoyang Open: 24 hours Tel: 6405 1908 Cost: 75 yuan per person

By Huang Chunchen Among the countless soups made in this country, there is one that is likely the most famous, at least among gourmets — fotiaoiqiang, or “Buddha jumping over a wall.” Beijing’s Royal Food Restaurant is a specialist in this Fujianstyle super soup that contains at least 20 different kinds of rare delicacies and seafood.

Legend has it that even vegetarian monks could not resist the soup’s captivating smell and leapt over a wall to get a taste, the source of the dish’s unusual name.

Standard ingredients for a good fotiaoqiang include sea cucumber, shark fin, fish maw, dried scallops, Jinhua ham, abalone, fish skin, houtougu (monkey-head mushrooms), goose feet and pigeon eggs. The concoction is brewed through a special process in which the ingredients are soaked with some broth and some lotus leaves in a jar and then simmered for three days until it nearly completely free of scum and oil.

This exacting process results in a delicious soup with a fresh, rich flavor and chock full of nutrition.

With their talented Fujianese chefs and impressive standards of quality, the Royal Food Restaurant makes a strong claim for the best fotiaoqiang in Beijing.

The soup goes for 198 yuan to 2,000 yuan per large bowl, based on the cost of ingredients, such as abalone, antler and deer tendon, and can be ordered at the restaurants or taken away in clever packages for cooking at home.

The restaurant’s fancy furnishings and antiquestyle decoration create a classy yet comfortable atmosphere for trying China’s soup of kings (and monks).

Where: 1, China World Trade Center West Building, 1-L124, Jianguomenwai Avenue Open: 10 am - 12 am Tel: 6505 6139, 6505 5988

Sup Like Cixi at Gege Fu

By Guo Yuandan Dinner at the Gege Fu Restaurant is like stepping back into the Chinese imperial court of a century ago, as it occupies the former residence of Qing Princess Rongshougulun and specializes in a type of stewed soup popular among the royal family.

That stew has the same basic concept as hot pot, with materials plunged into hot broth to cook, but is made with a very complex broth with such base materials as black chicken, duck, oil tail and dozens of herbal medicine materials.

Stewed duck soup

The luxurious soup originated in the late Qing Dynasty when the Empress Dowager Cixi bestowed the mansion to Princess Rongshougulun for her wedding. For the massive wedding feast, the princess asked the imperial cooks to create a unique stew as a tribute to the empress. Cixi was taken by the dish, which quickly became a court favorite and was further refined and improved through the addition of more ingredients and perfected cooking methods.

Stewed turtle and chicken soup

There could hardly be a better place to indulge in this imperial treat than in the princess’ actual former home, a huge siheyuan compound of three linked courtyards.

The restaurant’s imperial legacy is continued through the waitstaff ’s court dress and formal manner, as well as the interior decor of red columns and glowing lanterns.

Gege Fu offers a range of set menus that revolve around the stewed soup and include accompanying smaller dishes, such as vegetables and cold starters, that can be switched as per customers’ wishes.

Prices range from around 80 yuan to 400 yuan per diner.

This elegant, expensive restaurant gets a festive air during lunch and dinner times, when guests can enjoy performances of acrobatics and dance.

Where: 9 Qudeng Hutong, Meishuguan Houjie, Dongcheng Open: 9 am - 10 pm Tel: 6407 8006

INFO

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

E-mail: zhaopu@ynet.com

Music

15

EDITOR: ZHAO PU DESIGNER: LI SHI

Stage

Tanguera Charity Concert: Hepatitis Free A night of Hong Kong and Taiwan stars, including revived bad-boy Nicholas Tse, Dave Wang, Joey Yung, Twins and movie legend Jackie Chan.

All proceeds will be donated to the fight against hepatits.

Where: Capital Gymnasium, 54 Baishiqiao Lu When: Tonight, 7:30 pm Admission: 180 - 580 yuan Tel: 6833 5552

Movies Matrix: Revolutions In this third and final chapter in the “Matrix” trilogy, the rebels’ long quest for freedom culminates in a final explosive battle. As the machine army wages devastation on Zion, its citizens mount an aggressive defense – but can they stave off the relentless swarm of machines long enough for Neo to harness the full extent of his powers and end the war? In English with Chinese subtitles.

Where: UME International Cineplex, (Huaxing Guoji Yingcheng), 44 Shuangyushu Kexueyuan, Haidian When: till November 30 Admission: 80 yuan Tel: 6261 2851 Heng Shu Heng (Go For Broke) Directed by Wang Guangli, starring Zhang Baohong.

A true story of a group of workers laid-off from stateowned factories in Shanghai.

Through hard work, they finally strike it rich. No professional actors were used.

Where: Cherry Lane Movies, Kent Center, 29 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang When: November 22, 7:30 pm Tel: 13901134745 Lu Cha (Green Tea) Directed by Zhang Yuan, starring superstars Jiang Wen and Zhao Wei. Wu Fang (Zhao), an attractive single career woman, goes on a string of blind dates, always ordering a cup of green tea at the start of each meeting to read the leaves and predict her future. Cocky Chen Mingliang (Jiang), her latest beau, thinks the tealeaf stuff is nonsense.

They struggle with each other to find their own definitions of love and sexual experience in this elusive picture beautifully filmed by Christopher Doyle. In Mandarin.

Where: B2M bar, Dongpingfang, near the river in front of Ditan Park South Gate When: November 23, 8 pm Admission: free Tel: 6426 1091

Beijie Nanyuan: The Courtyard South of North Street Starring Pu Cunxin, Zhu Xu and Lu Zhong. A play about two families who share a courtyard with several other families. The courtyard is quarantined after a resident is suspected of being infected by SARS, thus changing the inhabitants’ relationships.

Where: Capital Theater, 22 Wangfujing Dajie When: November 21 - December 5, 7:15 pm Admission: 80 - 280 yuan Tel: 6524 9847 Qingren: Lover Directed by Wu Xiaojiang.

A modern play about extramarital affairs and love going cold.

Where: People’s Art Experimental Theatre, third floor of Capital Theatre When: till December 8, 7:15 pm Admission: 80 yuan Tel: 6526 3388

(Tango Woman) This Argentinean musical is a bold combination of the body language of tango, the narrative style of Hollywood and the musical stage design of Broadway. It tells a tragic love story of a French immigrant woman in Argentina during World War I. Where: Tianqiao Theater, 30 Beiwei Lu When: November 27 - 30, 7:30 pm Admission: 180 1,200 yuan Tel: 8315 6300

Exhibitions

Jams

51% Human Being, 49% God by Huang Huasan

Control+Shift+S We are glad to receive your feedback. We will print employment, language exchange and accommodation info for individuals. Feel free to email us at bjtodayinfo @ ynet.com or call 6590 2529

By Dong Nan

An exhibition of recent works, including paintings, installation works and digital video pieces, by teachers and students from the Xu Beihong Art School of Renmin University.

Where: New Millennium Art Gallery, Xin 2 Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang When: November 29 December 11 10 am - 7 pm Tel: 8453 6193

Group Show: Su Weixian, Liu Jibiao and Zhang Zhenhua Su Weixian specializes in drawing traditional Chinese beauties, while Liu Jibiao paints animals, especially tigers and dogs, and Zhang Zhenhua focuses on scenery and figures from ancient China.

Where: Wan Fung Art Gallery, 136 Nanchizi Dajie When: November 22 December 2, Monday 12 pm - 6 pm, Tuesday - Sunday 10 am - 6 pm Admission: free Tel: 6523 3320 Raw Moves Solo exhibition of renowned Australian photographer James Houston co-sponsored by the Australian Embassy and the Beijing Jintai Art Museum.

Where: Beijing Jintai Art Museum, No. 1 Nongzhanguan Nanlu, inside west gate of Chaoyang Park When: November 28 December 8, daily 10 am 4 pm Admission: free Tel: 6501 4984 Funny Loneliness: Luan Xiaojie Luan Xiaojie’s funny and distinctive oil paintings depict young boys playing with toys, with the children subtly becoming parts of the game themselves.

Where: Qin Gallery, Huaweili 1-1E Enjoy Paradise, north of Beijing Curio City When: till November 30, daily 9:30 am - 6 pm Admission: free Tel: 8779 0458 Days of Songs: Xia Junna Young painter Xia Junna creates romantic canvases portraying beautiful young women. Her works were shown at the 1996 Shanghai Biennale, and this is her first solo show in Beijing.

Where: China Blue Gallery, first floor of Yanhuang Art Museum, 9 Huizhong Lu, Yayuncun When: November 23 December 7, Tuesday Sunday 10 am - 5 pm Admission: free Tel: 6496 8317 Together with Migrants This show of 15 Chinese artists is sponsored by UNESCO’s Beijing Office and falls under the framework of the on-going “Together with Migrants” program. On display are photographs, installation works, video pieces, sculptures and

Painting by Su Weixian

performances all related to the challenges faced by migrant laborers.

Where: Today Art Gallery, No. 9 Wenhuiyuan Beilu, Jindian Huayuan When: November 22 to 30, daily 9 am - 5 pm Admission: free Tel: 6532 4854 Precious Butterfly A solo exhibition of works

Echo of Sounds A night of acid rock with four bands, Tiantang (Heaven), Haishishenlou (Mirage), Aegean Sea and Shifan.

Where: Get Lucky Bar, 500 meters east of University of International Business and Economics (Jingmao Daxue) south gate When: November 21, 10 pm Admission: 30 yuan Tel: 6429 9109 Reflector Pop punkers Fanguangjing (Reflector) take the stage.

Where: Loup Chante, 38 Chengfu Shiweiying When: November 22, 9 pm Admission: 20 yuan Tel: 6276 7355

Clubs

Boy with Ball by Luan Xiaojie

by artist Li Yun, whose paintings show women’s search for peace and prosperity and the obstacles of tradition before them.

Where: Green Tea House, 6 Gongti Xilu, Chaoyang When: till November 30, daily 11 am - 3 pm, 6 pm - 12 am Admission: free Tel: 6552 8310

Techno Action Geneva-based techno pioneer Andrea Valvini brings his underground sounds to Beijing.

Where: CD Café, Dongsanhuan Lu, south of Agriculture Exhibition Center When: November 21, 11 pm Admission: free Tel: 6586 5532 Paris to Beijing Frenchman Alex TC cranks up the beats with a set of house, ragga and jungle music.

Where: Vibes, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, just north of Beijing Tokyo Art Projects When: November 22, 10 pm Admission: free (limited to 300 people) Tel: 6437 8082

Sports Cheap Swimming The swimming pool at the Sino-Japanese Youth Exchange Center is launching an attractive new pricing system of 10 visits plus sauna bath for 150 yuan, or 20 swims for 260 yuan.

Where: 21st Century Hotel, Liangmaqiao Lu, 500 meters northeast of Lufthansa Center When: mornings 9-11:15 am, Wednesday through Sunday

16

PLAN

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

EDITOR: SUN MING DESIGNER: LI SHI

E-mail: sunming@ynet.com

Before the 1970s, the only way local people had of reaching the village, was climbing steep, zigzaging stairs built into the cliff.

By Sun Ming / Wu Sheng erched atop a precipitous cliff in the Taihang Mountains in Henan Province, the village of Guoliang makes a spectacular, and still relatively unspoilt, tourist destination.

Guoliang was the name of the leader of a peasant uprising in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

After being defeated on the battlefield around the 1st century AD, he retreated to the Taihang Mountains, where he used the cliffs as a last line of defence against the imperial troops. Although he was defeated, local people named the site of his last base after him, as a memorial to his bravery.

Guoliang tunnel To reach Guoliang, one must traverse the great valley of the Taihang Mountains, which opens out into the Central China Plain. Before the 1970s, the only way local people had of reaching the village, was climbing steep, zigzaging stairs built into the cliff, from the village of Xitipo, at the base.

The climb, which covered a vertical distance of 200 meters, was both tiring and somewhat hazardous, as the stairs, made of irregularly shaped stones or dug directly out of the cliff, were less than one hundred centimeters wide at the narrowest point.

With the only way of taking their goods for sale from the village either on their back or by lowering them down the side of the mountain, local people did not dare to raise pigs any larger than 50 kilograms, fearing they would be unable to get such a beast to the market below. And if someone was seriously ill, his family had to put him in a basket and lower it down on a rope, in order to transport patient to the hospital.

In 1972, the then village head, Shen Mingxin, organized the villagers to dig a tunnel along the cliff face. At that time, they had no electricity or machinery, and had to do all the work by hand. It took five years to complete the fivemeter high, seven-meter wide and 1,250-meter long tunnel.

Named the Guoliang Tunnel, it was open to transportation on May 1 1977.

It follows a slightly winding course, and the walls are not even. When the tunnel was dug, some openings in the side were made to ventilate and lighten the tunnel. These openings were also used to remove debris, and they give the tunnel the appearance of a long, natural gallery, overlooking the valley.

Great valley There are many scenic spots in the village. The cliff walls on either side of the valley are red-colored, hence it is known locally as Hongya Gu, or Redcliff Valley. The cliffs are steep and sharp, and rock layers from different ages are clearly visible, creating a natural geological museum.

According to Li Rongrong, a local tour guide, there are two natural scenes no visitor to Guoliang should miss, if possible: the first is watching the sun rise illuminate the cliffs on the other side of the

Guoliang tunnel

The Entrance to Guoliang tunnel

P

A Cliff Hanger Holiday

Guoliang village lies at the top of a 200 – meter cliff.

valley; the second is, after rain, watching the clouds and mist wreathe the mountains.

Every year, students from art schools and photographers from all over China visit Guoliang. It also attracts rock climbing enthusiasts.

Village of stone There are some 80 families living in Guoliang, with a total population of over 300. Little wood has been used for building in the village. Visitors can see stone mills, stone streets, stone tables, chairs and even beds, not to mention stone bowls and stone chopsticks.

In recent years, the magnificent local scenery has attracted numerous film and TV crews. It is said locally that almost everyone living in the village has been an extra in a film or TV drama.

While there are no star-rated hotels to be found, almost every home offers accommodation to tourists, and the village can accommodate more than 400 visitors at a time. Tourists are charged 20 yuan a day for bed and meals.

Dragon caves and Echo Spring There are numerous limestone caves in the vicinity of Guoliang. Most of the nearby caves have a story about a dragon associated with them, therefore, these limestone caves are known locally as dragon caves.

The best known of these are White Dragon Cave, Black Dragon Cave, Red Dragon Cave and Yellow Dragon Cave, all about two kilometers from the rear of Guoliang.

Not far away from Honglong Quan (Red Dragon Spring) is Xiang Quan (Echo Spring). The spring comes out of a onehundred-meter-high cliff. If a tourist stands at the foot of the cliff and shouts, the flow of water from the spring seems to increase, as though the spring is welcoming guests, therefore, it is known Echo Spring.

Getting there: Take the Beijing-Luoyang train and get off at Xinxiang station, Henan Province. From Xinxiang, it is a three-hour bus ride to Huixian, costing three yuan. Every day, there are buses leaving Huixian for Guoliang at 8:00 am and 1:00 pm. The trip takes 2.5 hours and costs 10 yuan. Entry to Guoliang costs 20 yuan.

Sight-seeing: Two nights in the village are enough to see all the sights. On the first day, you arrive at the village, visit the Guoliang tunnel and watch the sun set from the cliff.

On the second day, visit the limestone caves, Echo Spring and the mountains. You can walk down the stairs on the morning of the third day and return to Zhengzhou in the afternoon.

Village of stone

Photos by Chen Jie