Beijing Today (November 23, 2007)

BEIJING TODAY

Explore the city’s eerie underbelly

A tasty, traditional winter treat

Pages 15-18

Pages 20-21

Delightful Dutch design Direct from the Netherlands, Droog design has brought their new tables, lights, knobs, chairs and vases for the “A Human Touch” exhibition at Yong He Art Museum.

The exhibtion focuses on a new design paradigm, which emphasizes the relationship between a product and its user.

Photo provided by Droog Design Foundation

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PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23 – NOVEMBER 29, 2007 NO. 338 CN11-0120 HTTP://BJTODAY.YNET.COM CHIEF EDITOR: JIAN RONG NEWS EDITOR: YU SHANSHAN DESIGNER: ZHAO YAN

Tokyo topples art stereotypes Pages 12-13 GOOD LUCK

Pre-Games sports special The ‘Good Luck Beijing’ series

Pages 10-11

The Great Wall to implement visitor quotas Page 2

Chinese trainee goes on trial in France

Silk Route chooses leg power over horsepower

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Under the auspices of the Information Office of Beijing Municipal Government Run by Beijing Youth Daily President: Zhang Yanping Editor in Chief: Zhang Yabin Executive Deputy Editor in Chief: He Pingping Director: Jian Rong Price: 2 yuan per issue 26 yuan for 3 months Address: No.23, Building A, Baijiazhuang Dongli, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China Zip Code: 100026 Telephone/Fax: (010) 65902525 E-mail: bjtoday@ynet.com Hotline for subscription: (010) 67756666 (Chinese) , (010) 65902626 (English) Overseas Code Number: D1545 Overseas Distribution Agent: China International Book Trading Corporation

November 23 2007

The Great Wall to implement visitor quotas

News

2

By Annie Wei To ensure that tourism does not interfere with Great Wall heritage protection, authorities plan to limit access to certain areas.

The local gardening and greenery bureau announced its sightseeing plan for 2007 to 2020 on its website and has called on the public for suggestions.

The current draft would classify the sections of the wall and restrict access to each class: “wild

BEIJING TODAY

Editor: Jiang Xubo Designer: Yang Gen

Circular to cut down official vehicles in capital

By Jiang Xubo A circular from top administrator this week aimed to slash the number of vehicles operated by officials and official agencies and ease air pollution plus save energy.

The circular, issued by the State Council’s Bureau of Government Offices Administration (SCBGOA) and the Departmental Affairs Management Bureaus of the Central Committee of the CPC, required all central government offices and organizations under direct authority of the Central Committee of the CPC to eliminate vehicles in excess of their quota before year’s end.

Only new government offices and CPC organizations formed under administrator approval will be allowed to purchase new vehicles, according to the circular.

Authorities are not allowed to accept gifts of vehicles for official or personal use.

All official vehicles must be domestically produced, rated for low emissions and environmental-friendliness and have manual transmissions. No sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are allowed.

“Yellow-sign” vehicles, notorious for high oil consumption and high emissions, must be replaced within the first half of next year.

The circular also demanded offices and CPC organizations to reduce their oil consumption by 20 percent within the next year, and employ stricter regulations of official vehicle use.

Under the new requirements, official vehicles will be banned from the capital’s roads during national holidays and during certain national events.

It is forbidden to lease official vehicles for profit or employ them for personal use.

The government ordered 500,000 of 800,000 official vehicles off the road for two days during last year’s China-African summit, which was believed to have dramatically eased traffic jams.

“The capital will have 3.3 million vehicles by the Olympic Games.

We plan to decrease the traffic flow by 20 to 30 percent during the games, so one to 1.2 million vehicles must go to ensure smooth traffic,” Liu Xiaoming, vice chef of the Beijing Municipal Committee of Communication, said at a conference this April.

walls,” such as those in Shangguan and Fengsui, will have strict limits on how many visitors are allowed; demolished sections will be only partly open to tourists and non-protected areas open only to scientists; rebuilt walls such as Badaling, Shuiguan and Juyongguan will be open to tourists; newly-built sites such as the Great Wall museum will promote tourism only.

The plan would divide the whole great wall into a main tour-

ism area, recovering historical area and tourism service area.

“Main tourism area” refers to sections like the Badaling Great Wall, Juyongguan Great Wall and the Ming Tombs.

The plan suggests allowing no more than 16 million visitors per year.

According to the gardening and greenery bureau, traffic facilities unrelated to historical protections in the main tourism area may not be built. Parking lots

and commercial facilities will be pushed out of the main tourism area; in the Ming Tomb area, the remade Ming dynasty villas and hotel will be moved out and the government will repair the parts still in ruin.

According to the bureau, the current draft will be available online for the next 10 years.

Anyone with suggestions on how to protect the wall may FAX 6205 6593 or Beijing Today’s office at 6590 2525.

French experts train Beijing SWAT team

As part of a training program, experts from a French special force instructed a SWAT team from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Public Security Wednesday in how to cope with bus emergencies.

Xinhua Photo

Renovation rules aim to protect past

By Huang Daohen Starting Tuesday, arbitrary renovation or rebuilding of dangerous or old residential housing will be banned within second ring road, and all construction efforts must adhere to new standards, the Beijing Old City Housing Renovation and Protection group said Tuesday.

The guidelines stipulate specific standards for different scales and types of repair. For instance, the standards for a hutong and courtyard home differ due to their housing function. The alleys in a hutong may not be extended, and the width is limited to four meters. Renovations in a courtyard home must maintain original wooden structures.

The material used during renovation is also considered. The guidelines say fragile woods may not be used as a substitute.

Wooden structures are used in many old residential homes. When repairing or substituting wood fixtures in the original structure, use of aspen or willow is forbidden, as they are too brittle.

Dry, solid and durable materials are recommended, such as old stone slabs and tiles, according to the guidelines.

Restoration of the original frontage may be required if the residential home is a commercial component of the street.

The guidelines were welcomed by the local public.

“My courtyard has been around for 300 years. It is so well built and remains intact, with everything from screen walls to corridors. Even the tile was made of fine mud mixed with sesame oil,” Li Changlin, a retired public servant living in a Xicheng District courtyard home, said. “I’m glad about the guidelines. I hope they can keep the old houses.”

Beijing’s characteristic cityscape has been threatened by the pace of modernization.

The guidelines, issued by the city’s planning administration and other relative departments, are part of government efforts aimed at protecting the city’s ancient treasures.

Brief news

Underground coal fire finished after 50 years An underground fire that consumed as much as 12 million tons of coal in northwest China has been extinguished after 50 years.

The Coalfield Fire Fighting Project Office of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region announced the fire in the Terak field was finally out, saving an estimated 650 million tons of coal from burning.

Officials will monitor the coal seam for several more years and submit a final report in 2009 to regional and national authorities, Cai Zhongyong, deputy head of the office, said.

The fire, covering 923,500 square meters, was fueled by coal more than 100 meters underground. It released 70,000 tons

of toxic gas, including sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, each year since it started in the early 1950s, Cai said.

The office took three years to fight the fire and spent 89 million yuan on the effort.

“First, we drilled into the burning coal bed and then poured water and slurry into it to lower the temperature,” Miao Pu, head of the fire fighting team, said.

“After the temperature dropped, we covered the surface to starve the fire of oxygen.”

Xinjiang, with estimated coal reserves of 1.8 to 2.2 trillion tons, or 40 percent of China’s total, has put out 34 coalfield fires and plans to extinguish another 28 by 2015.

The local Coalfield Fire Fighting Project Office was established in 1958 to extinguish long-term coalfield fires plaguing the region.

Underground coal fires, most of which occur spontaneously, are common in the region’s fields. Some fires have been burning for almost a thousand years and are very difficult to put out.

With an annual production of 50 million tons, Xinjiang is China’s second largest coal producer after Shanxi Province. Terak, 45 kilometers east of Baicheng County in southern Xinjiang, is the autonomous region’s second largest coalfield.

(Xinhua)

Surge in capital’s HIV/AIDS cases The capital officially registered 973 new cases of HIV/AIDS so far this year, up 53 percent from last year and pushing the total number to 4,663, Jin Dapeng, head of the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, told a working conference on AIDS prevention on Wednesday.

840 billion cubic meters of water The country’s total water volume is 2.8 trillion cubic meters, of which 840 billion cubic meters can be used, Duan Hongdong, deputy head of the Ministry of Water Resources planning department, said.

Huge transient population The number of transient people registered with the country’s public security authorities hit 104 million this year, up 150 percent from 1995, according to a document issued this week by the Ministry of Public Security.

(By Jiang Xubo)

November 23 2007

Park’s animal administration department, said. “It was all because of hunger. The tigers have been together for seven years. They were familiar with each other. They wouldn’t have killed each other if they were not driven by hunger.”

The park dissected the dead tiger this week, preserving its fur and bones in the park’s refrigerator and feeding its meat to other animals.

As many as 30 tigers in

the park have been fed diminished rations of frozen chicken and beef every day due to a lack of funding.

“It is the park’s off season now. We don’t make much on ticket sales right now, so it’s hard to guarantee the animals are being fed adequately,” Qiu Wen, vice general manager of the park, said. “We used to feed the tigers six days a week ... We had to cut their meals to one meal every two or three days.”

The park and the administrator of local Qipanshan International Scenery Tourism Development Zone, where the park is located, collected 200,000 yuan this week to meet the urgent need after the tiger’s death.

The park, which closed temporarily last year due to a shortage of funds and cut off the animals’ food supply, survived last winter’s off-season thanks to a two million yuan loan from the Shenyang municipal government

Speak in a foreign hand As many as 16 trainees are receiving a training course, started Wednesday, to learn international sign language. The eight-day training

course, the nation’s first of its kind, is jointly held by the China Disabled People’s Federation Shanghai Disabled Person’s Federation.

CFP Photo

Hangzhou hogs hunted out Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, one of the most popular tourist cities in China, is waging a weeklong campaign to hunt down and kill wild pigs, which have plagued its West Lake area.

Shoot-kill-alert for cleaner lake area The campaign began on Monday, and forestry staff members were told to cull no more than 50 boars found in the West Lake Scenery Area in Xihu District, Zhu Xiaohu, from the district’s Forestry and Water Resources Bureau, said.

Local police were under orders to guard road junctions and prevent injuries from boars, Zhu said.

“Hunting is banned in the scenic area, and hunters were told to drive boars out before killing them,” he said.

A separate hunt-and-kill campaign began on November 1 and runs through the end of this month in three townships of Liuxia, Longwu and Zhouwu surrounding the scenic area, and hunting teams were also ordered to kill no more than 50 boars.

“The number of wild boars in

the three townships is estimated to be around 1,000,” a hunter surnamed Chen told Xinhua.

Although no official count of the boars in the scenic area is available, local experts believe it greater than in any other area of Hangzhou.

Wild boars spoiled the scene Hangzhou, billed as a “paradise on earth,” has watched its famous scenery turn into a haven for wild boards in the last several years.

The board appeared in the city’s downtown as early as 2002, a resident Lian Bogen said.

“Their sightings inside the lake area and other downtown areas are getting more and more frequent and are no longer treated as news,” Lian said.

Zhu Xiaohu attributed the frequent appearances to the city’s forest conservation efforts, hunting ban and a decrease of the number of the animal’s natural enemies such as wolves in the past years.

Though no record of assaults or injuries from the animals within the lake area is kept, their presence is not welcomed by locals and has hit tourism.

Culling for ecological balance The hunt-and-kill campaign at the lake area and in neighboring townships is part of a provincewide campaign under orders of the Zhejiang Provincial Forestry Department and Public Security Department, Zhu Xiaohu said.

The campaign, lasting from October 20 till end of this month, has been carried out to “eliminate a public enemy,” Zhu said.

Zhejiang’s forestry authorities estimate the number of wild boars in the province exceeded 100,000, up from 29,000 in 2000, due to environmental improvement.

Zhejiang’s regulations on wildlife protection allow local authorities to “properly control” the population of a certain wild animal species if it is expanding too fast to maintain “ecological balance.”

“To control the wild boars is a step to achieve a balance in the environment,” he said, “Certain species of animals are likely to pose a threat to others if their population expands too fast, such as wild boars versus snakes.”

(Xinhua)

By Han Manman Japan’s infamously rotund Dai Kato, 30, returned to Tianjin desperate for help once again after having lost 140 kilograms at the clinic four years prior.

The Tianjin-based Aimin Weight Reduction Hospital received an international phone call from Kato a week ago. He told the doctors he wanted to return for treatment, because he had ballooned up again after resuming life in Japan.

Kato began his second weightloss journey on Tuesday. This time it was harder. The hospital normally uses acupuncture to help patients lose weight, but no normal needle was strong enough or long enough to puncture Kato’s bulk. The doctors had to track down special extra-long needles.

He also failed to keep up with the hospital’s training course on the first day because of his stationary lifestyle in Japan. He deserted the swimming training course, claiming to have gone to town to buy personal items. In truth, he bought a kite and played all afternoon.

Four years ago, the 300-kilogram Kato came to the hospital to lose weight. After a year of treatment, he lost 140 kilograms. When he returned to Japan, he was immediately under the media spotlight and became a TV star. Kato said the Japanese TV station NTV invited him for a nationwide tour to promote weight loss.

Hailed as the country’s “weight loss hero,” Kato used his fame to find a job in his hometown. However, when he resumed daily life, eating a lot and never moving, he quickly packed on the pounds. When his employers cut off the contact with him after obesity began to interfere in his work, he decided it was time to return to Tianjin.

He said if he can successfully shed his bulk again, he may stay in China to start a new life.

Hospital director Shi Lidong said the hospital treats around 200 foreign customers per year from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Switzerland.

Editor: Jiang Xubo Designer: Yang Gen

Famous fatty back to fight flab

Beijing tigers brave enough for blood work

By Jiang Xubo An animal training program seeking to instill better manners in mighty beasts has made veterans’ work easier at the Beijing Zoo, even when animals are given no anesthetic.

The zoo held its first public exercise Tuesday to showcase the training achievements since last April, the Beijing Times reported.

A four-year-old male Siberian tiger, flat on its back in a cage with its tail stuck out through the bars, noticed, but did not attempt to attack, when two vets disinfected its tail, inserted a needle and took a blood sample, without putting it under.

The cat was rewarded for its cooperation. While the vets examined it, its keeper kept it pacified. Every time it kissed a 20-centimeter training rod with a clapper in the keeper’s hand, it would hear a clap, and a piece of meat fell out as its reward.

“The tiger has become used to the smell of the alcohol and the sting of the needle since it started training,” Zhang Guijun, the keeper, said, “At first we started without needles, then we gave it a small prick. Eventually, we could get blood samples even without using general anesthetic,” Zhang said.

Thanks to the program based on conditioned reflexes, as many as 30 animals, including giant pandas, chimpanzees, penguins, rhinoceroses, giraffes and elephants, were part of the first training group when the project started last April. The training extended to more animals this year, and 62 kinds of animals have been trained.

“The training was important for animal management. It helps to avoid the risks of anesthesia.

It also helps ease possible confrontations between animals and their keepers,” He Shaochun, the project director, said.

Foreign countries began such training in the 1980s.

Domestic cities, including Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, went to the Beijing Zoo to learn about the training program after it was introduced.

and public donations of funds and food.

The park opened at the end of 2000, originally housing 2,000 animals, including 400 from the nation’s list of protected species.

The park, which charges 80 yuan in summers and 60 yuan in winters for its entrance fee, allows visitors to drive their vehicles among tigers, bears, wolves and other animals, all roaming freely. It also offers regular performances.

BEIJING TODAY

By Jiang Xubo A 13-year-old male Siberian tiger was killed last Sunday by four other cats during a food fight over daily rations at a zoo in Shenyang, Liaoning Province.

Photographs released by Xinhua’s local branch showed the dead tiger with its back torn open and a rear leg missing.

“Four tigers were eating the dead tiger when we found them on daily patrol,” Li Wenshui, vice chef the Bingchuan Animal

News

Starving tigers turn to cannibalism in Shenyang zoo

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November 23 2007

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November 23 2007

By Huang Daohen China is playing a growing role in UN’s global peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guehenno, UN undersecretary-general for peacekeeping, said.

The country has contributed troops and police to an increasing number of UN peacekeeping missions in many parts of the world, Guehenno said at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

Guehenno said China has about 1,800 peace keepers deployed abroad, making it the second-largest contributor after France from among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

At the briefing, Guehenno praised the commitment of Chi-

nese troops to the UN peacekeeping cause.

Chinese peacekeeping personnel, including military observers, doctors and engineers, have been “doing very well” in their respective missions, he said. For the peacekeeping in Darfur, Guehenno said the strength of the mission depends on the willingness of member states to provide additional capacities and deploy units. “There are enormous expectations for the mission. I’m concerned there may be a gap between expectations and what the mission can really deliver,” he said.

“Having China involved in a variety of peacekeeping operations is important to us and I

think it derives from a broader calculation that China is a global power involved in all continents now,” Guehenno said.

“China has a stake in the stability of the international system, and to protect that stability, particularly in peacekeeping, is indeed a very good investment,” he added. “The army (in Darfur) should have a good image,” he said, adding that the Chinese army engineers and doctors not only served their own missions well, but also helped the local population with services like medical care and building bridges. “They helped touch the local population in their effort, and brought welfare to the local community,” he said.

Miss World sings for Beijing Olympics Miss World contestants pose during a ceremony to record the song for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay after it’s unveiled in Beijing.

The 106 Miss World contestants arrived in Beijing on Monday as part of a promotional tour. The group will compete in the 57th Miss World beauty pageant held in Sanya, Hainan Province, December 1, 2008.

IC Photo

Foreign adoption rates fall (USA Today) – Chinese couples are adopting in growing numbers, a trend that could eventually sever the pipeline that has sent up to 75,000 Chinese orphans, mostly girls, to new homes in the US since 1992.

China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, which oversees adoptions, confirms that foreign adoptions peaked in 2005 and are declining.

“It is partly because there are

less children who (are abandoned and) can be adopted, and partly because the volume of domestic adoptions has risen,” Wang Suying, a ministry official said.

The surge in domestic adoptions coincides with tighter rules for Americans and other foreigners looking to adopt Chinese children.

In May, China moved to disqualify foreign applicants who are single, overweight or older

than 50. At the same time, the backlog of foreign applications in Beijing has grown to more than two years and prompted some to pull out.

Some Americans “are moving to other options or deciding that adoption wasn’t in the cards for them,” says Joni Garner, mother of two adopted Chinese girls and case manager for AAC Adoption and Family Network in Berthoud, Colo.

have historic biases against girls.

“The importance of continuing the family line is eroding as China modernizes,” Hung Huang, a Beijing publisher who adopted a girl last year, said.

“Traditionally, Chinese felt that orphans signaled shame.”

Empty nesters Urban couples, restricted to a single child by a three-decade-old law, are adopting after their natural children reach adulthood and leave home.

“People want to have more than one child but cannot under the family-planning policy,” Ji said. “Adopting or fostering gives

them a way.”

Booming interest in domestic adoptions has given rise to a loosely regulated market for infants. Websites such as Orphan Net offer forums for prospective parents.

Wang Hongbin, a lighting salesman in Anhui Province, said he and his wife posted an ad for a daughter on Orphan Net after unsuccessful fertility treatments.

He says they are willing to pay up to US $1,400 to adopt a healthy child – a huge sum in a country where the government estimates the average annual wage at US $2,296.

Behind phenomena on Growing affluence As many as 250 million of China’s 1.3 billion people are part of a growing middle class. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says 40 percent of Chinese will be middle class by 2020.

“Better economic conditions mean more Chinese are able to bear the financial burden,” Ji Gang, director of domestic adoptions at the China Center of Adoption Affairs, a government agency, said.

Changing attitudes Deep-rooted prejudices against taking in children who aren’t blood relatives have begun to fade, as

(dailytimes.com) – China is building a giant underwater museum to preserve and exhibit an ancient shipwreck. The museum, the first of its kind in the world, is to contain a sunken ship more than 800 years old and its treasures.

Archaeologists say the ship is China’s most exciting underwater excavation. Named the Southern Sea Number One, it lies under 24 metres of water and two metres of sand and soil.

Archaeologists took more than 6,000 treasures from one small room on the ship in 2002. The Guangdong provincial government has now allocated ɪ10 million to building a five hall underwater museum to preserve the wreck.

Outlook

UN response

‘Lust, Caution’ prompts virus, medical warnings (Reuters) – A Chinese antivirus company has warned against free downloads of Ang Lee’s steamy spy thriller, ‘Lust, Caution,’ saying several hundred sites offering the service were embedded with viruses.

And Chinese doctors have warned moviegoers not to try some of the more ambitious sexual positions featured in the uncut version of the film.

The movie has been a big hit in China, reaping 90 million yuan in its first two weeks, despite losing seven minutes to the censors, and has been tipped by some to be the year’s biggest box office success.

“People should be wary of websites that offer free downloading services because their personal passwords can be stolen,” Li Ting, of Rising International Software, told Reuters.

Editors: Huang Daohen Zhang Nan Designer: Zhao Yan

(AP) – A contingent of Chinese engineering troops will leave for Sudan’s troubled Darfur region at the end of this week, the Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.

Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said the troops would depart on Friday from their base in Henan Province, but gave no other details.

Official media said the government would send a 315-member unit to Darfur, comprising three engineer platoons, one welldigging platoon and one field hospital. The team will build roads and bridges and dig wells in preparation for the arrival of a 26,000-strong African Union-UN peacekeeping force likely to arrive early next year.

Liu said that the unit leaving this week is an advance party, but did not make clear what additional forces will be sent.

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BEIJING TODAY

Peace-keepers deployed to Darfur

China to house shipwreck in underwater museum

November 23 2007

Global CEOs need strategic foresight

Business

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By Huang Daohen Friendship is the basis for business cooperation, and Chinese and foreign multinational corporations alike are learning about their counterparts and investment destinations, the International CEO Roundtable of Chinese and Foreign Multinational Corporations found in Beijing this past week.

A group of CEOs, business representatives, mayors around the world and senior government officials met to voice opinions on how to integrate their companies into the international arena, make more contributions to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and establish sound credit and reputation.

Multinational corporations in China Since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, multinational companies have

flocked to the country in search of business opportunities.

A foreign investment report released recently by the Ministry of Commerce found that 480 of the Fortune 500 companies have so far invested in China operations.

To date, 1,000 research and development centers (R&D) and about 40 regional headquarters of multinational corporations are based in China.

Deepen reform China is resolutely deepening its reform and opening-up process, Cheng Siwei, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, told the CEOs at the roundtables.

The nation is taking firm steps to optimize its investment climate and dedicated to raising the quality of its utilized foreign investment and helping foreign investors to

play a more important role in the country’s economy.

Zhang Mao, vice-minister of the National Reform and Development Commission, urged more foreign companies to become involved in the development of Central and West China. “High technology, machinery equipment, new materials and service sectors would welcome investors’ presence,” Zhang said.

The country is committed to improving its investment environment in a bid to seek win-win results with foreign companies based on mutual respect, he said.

Strategic foresight Enhancing friendship and learning more about each other was essential at the round-table.

“According to traditional Chinese business concepts, friendship is the basis for business cooperation. Even if a business talk is in

vain, it will not hurt our friendship,” Cheng, chairman of the roundtable’s organizing committee, said.

“With friendship, it is only a matter of time before we successfully join hands in business.”

The key is deepening understanding and friendship, while removing apprehension and prejudice, he said.

However, if one becomes prejudiced, he won’t have the patience or willingness to know more. Cheng urged foreign companies to be patient while doing business.

In terms of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection, Cheng emphasized that China took 10 years to complete a process that took foreign countries almost 10 decades.

Cheng encouraged foreign multinational corporations to study China’s situation and culture.

Auto Expo opens in Guangzhou

China may add foreign companies to domestic bourses (Bloomberg) – The Shanghai Stock Exchange may allow big multinational companies to sell shares in China to expand the nation’s capital markets, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing Que Bo, assistant general manager of the bourse.

China’s largest stock exchange may permit companies such as HSBC Holdings, Coca-Cola and Siemens AG to trade, and is conducting market research for the plan, the agency said.

Allowing overseas companies to sell shares in China may help accelerate government efforts to fully open the country’s capital account, easing restrictions on inflows and outflows of yuan for investment purposes, said Liang Futao, an analyst at Shenyin Wanguo Research and Consulting in Shanghai.

China allowed the yuan to be freely convertible under the current account in December 1996, removing limits on the use of foreign exchange for trade in goods and services.

BEIJING TODAY

Editors: Huang Daohen Zhang Nan Designer: Zhao Yan

Google under investigation for tax evasion

A model poses with a Honda Accord at the Second China International Auto Expo, which opened on Tuesday in Guangzhou. Automakers hope the expo will stimulate the nation’s auto market that has seen to have slowed growth.

IC Photo

EU companies still confident in local business

By Han Manman The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China launched yesterday the 2007 European Chamber Business Confidence Survey. The survey collected the opinions of 200 European companies operating in China, and shows an optimistic view of future development.

“EU companies are doing well in an increasingly competitive business environment. In comparison to last year’s survey, there is a stronger focus both on establishing R&D facilities, and also on expanding investment,” Joerg Wuttke, the president of the European Chamber, said.

“EU companies could serve their Chinese customers even better, if there was more transparency and the Chinese government would implement its regulations,” he said.

The survey reveals that European businesses are generally optimistic about their performance in China. Their optimism is mostly based on the continuing strength of China’s economic development and the resulting growth in domes-

tic consumption.

However, many of them are concerned about a series of issues such as shortages of qualified staff, environmental problems and insufficient protection of intellectual property rights. European business expects the Chinese government to take more effective action to address these problems.

“The optimism for business performance is not surprising.

To a great extent, it reflects the experience of our European cli-

ents operating in China, who are confident about remaining profitable in the coming years,” Charles-Edouard Bouee, managing director of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in Greater China, said.

“The survey provides an important insight into the concerns and views of European businesses operating in China, and this year it bears out many of the concerns which we raised in our annual Position Paper in September. We think it

will be of interest to governments in both China and Europe,” Michael O’Sullivan, secretary general of the European Chamber, said.

The survey, published in partnership with Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, will be presented to government and regulatory agencies in China, to the European Commission and EU Member State Governments, as well as to a wide range of business organizations and companies in China and Europe.

Key findings Facts and trends • The number of respondents who plan to increase their investments in China within the next two years is 69 percent.

There is a willingness to invest in Chinese R&D centers.

• The number of Wholly Foreign Owned Entities (WFOEs) is rising. Most are EU companies who prefer to operate in China.

• As many as 76 percent of respondents are making a profit or breaking even, and

82 percent of remaining companies expect to turn a profit within three years.

• There is a trend for companies to shift their sales and service centers from 1st tier to 2nd and 3rd tier cities.

• As many as 73 percent of respondents are optimistic about growth opportunities.

Challenges and concerns • Recruiting and retaining qualified staff remains a challenge.

• Labor costs are expected to increase by more than 10 percent annually. Localization of top management is not progressing as quickly as expected.

• More than 50 percent of European businesses are skeptical about the implementation of WTO obligations.

• IPR protection, lack of transparency and inconsistencies in government regulations are the main barriers to further investment.

By Huang Daohen Google is being investigated for tax evasion by the Chinese Inland Revenue Department following a tip off from an “informant” alleging wrong doing, the China Youth Daily reported recently.

According to the report, the investigation into Google includes evasion of business and personal tax, and tax on employee options.

At least some of the investigation relates to how Google has previously treated transactions from Chinese customers to its US head office. Between 2000 and 2003 Google offered Adwords services to Chinese citizens that did not go via the local subsidiary, resulting in no local records from which authorities could check for tax avoidance.

A further allegation suggests that domestic customers until 2007 could use agents to place Adwords ads, avoiding a formal invoice and auditable paper trail, possibly in breach of Chinese tax law.

Trussardi expanding in Beijing

By Gan Tian Italian fashion house Trussardi opened its new flagship Asian store in Oriental Plaza on Tuesday, bringing another Italian luxury brand to town.

It is the sixth Trussardi store in China, and its 44th retail store including Tru Trussardi and Trussardi Home branches.

Trussardi invited actress Yuan Quan, actor He Rundong, hostess Shen Xing and super model Yue Mei to the ribboncutting ceremony.

“Trussardi has been in China for 10 years. This is a good chance for the group to reunite our market,” Trussardi CEO Beatrice Trussardi said.

November 23 2007

By Huang Daohen A Chinese trainee went on trial again in France Tuesday charged with pirating her

‘Rally’ on the Wall Street

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been charged with breach of trust and fraudulent access to a computer system while on a five-month trainee contract in Valeo’s automotive air-conditioning department.

She was arrested after her supervisor told police, and later detectives discovered copies of two files and a secret list of Valeo’s production plans in China.

Li was remanded in custody for 53 days but then released on bail as French police acknowledged that there was no evidence that she had transmitted the data to China.

By Huang Daohen Up is the picture of the week online, which sparked heated debate over the image of Chinese tourists abroad.

A local TV anchor shot the controversial scene during her recent visit to New York, US, and posted the photos on her blog. Shrewd netizens soon found the photos and spread them on the internet.

Nevertheless, climbing the bronze bull or touching the horns is no exclusive patent for the Chinese tourists.

The horntouching is said to be a tradition and routine for the businessmen working on Wall Street, with an aim to bring them good luck Photos provided by phoenixtv.com everyday.

Debate

computer and never intended to exploit the information.

Valeo is demanding 150,000 euros (US $107,000) in damages and compensation for what it describes as an attack on its corporate image.

Li’s arrest in 2005 came as the French authorities set up an Economic Intelligence Unit to help businesses fight industrial espionage. Counterespionage experts believe that among the growing number of foreign students and trainees in France lurk spies prepared to infiltrate the industry.

The young Chinese girl has

Editors: Huang Daohen Zhang Nan Designer: Yang Gen

Li Li

employer’s computer system, in a case that has raised Gallic fears over industrial espionage, the Times reported on Tuesday.

Li Li, 24, from Wuhan, Hubei province, is accused of copying confidential data from Valeo two years ago, the French automotive equipment supplier, on to her personal computer.

She could face a maximum sentence of three years in prison if found guilty, according to the Times. However, she has denied the allegations. She contends that she acted out of ignorance, not realizing that it was an offense to copy files on to her

A natural thing At university, students often bring in their hard disks. I did the same thing in my company.

For us, it’s a natural thing to do.

– Li Li Guilty of carelessness Li Li is a maladroit trainee guilty of carelessness. She made a mistake that should have been punished by the employer, not in a criminal tribunal.

– Raphal Pacouret, Li’s lawyer An offense It’s not the spy scandal of the century, but it’s clear she committed an offense.

– Spokesman for the French prosecution service Victim The girl is the victim of French paranoia over China’s rising industrial power. They say that the case has provoked hysterical reactions in the country.

– O’Looney, Rumania Know more about China I think those who harbor the concept, “China menace,” do not fully understand China.

– Young, Beijing, Not a spy I don’t think the girl is a spy. The evidence cannot prove she is guilty. Do you think an experienced spy would stupidly copy material onto a disk and then let the police find it at home? If she is really brilliant a spy as portrayed, she should know enough to give the information to a third party! She is a victim!

– Helen Spies do exist Welcome to the real world.

All states spy on each other and have done so since the beginning of time.

– MXR, US Industrial secret worthless Of course most countries have spies. The real significance of the story is what was being spied upon – just industrial secrets? China is a nuclear power but no sane regime is going to use them.

– Jack Sprat, UK

7

BEIJING TODAY

Chinese trainee goes on trial in France

Comment

November 23 2007

Expat news

8

Silk Route chooses leg power over horsepower

By Gan Tian A group of 37 cyclists from 11 different countries arrived in Beijing on bicycle last Sunday, after setting off on their historic journey from Istanbul, Turkey on August 4.

Canadian environmental activist Henry Gold, 55, was the founder of this Silk Route Bicycle Expedition. He had the idea in 2003 when touring Beijing. “I found there were more and more cars in Beijing. I thought cycling would be a good solution to this problem, but we had to let people know it

first,” Gold said.

He announced his cycling idea on the website and, much to his surprise, won support. “Many people told me, ‘We should have this,’ and I just started,” Gold said.

The Silk Route cyclists followed the historical paths of Marco Polo, General Zhang Qian and Genghis Khan. They started from the Mediterranean Sea, passing through Turkey, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and finally arrived in China.

The team experienced exciting

and difficult moments during the three and a half months. It was not an easy task for them to ride so many miles every day, and sometimes they traversed the hottest deserts. The team members were also disconnected from modern conveniences.

However, the trip gave the team an extraordinary experience. “It’s been a very challenging expedition,” tour leader Shanny Hill said when they passed Xi’an, “Over the past three months, we have traveled through eight countries, and while

BEIJING TODAY

Editor: Han Manman Designer: Zhao Yan

Droog reveals the human touch of design

Droog Design team Photo provided by Droog Design Foundation

By Jackie Zhang Tables, lights, knobs, chairs and vases, have been redesigned and reproduced in different ways by the Droog designers from the Netherlands. Renny Ramakers, one of the founders of Droog Design, brought 70 sets of Droog designers’ works to the “A Human Touch” exhibition at the Yong He Art Museum earlier this month. The exhibit continues until December 9.

The exhibition focuses on the subtleties of the relationship between a product and its user. The 70 sets of items, including 125 pieces, present a selection of categories including interaction, tactility, simplicity, experience, imperfection, familiarity and ornament.

Droog Design was founded in 1993 by Renny Ramakers and Gijs Bakker. “We wanted to present and to stimulate another way of looking at design,” Ramakers said when mentioning their original intention of creating the

design group.

Droog Design first appeared during the International Furniture Fair in Milan, Italy in 1993.

During the last decade, it has shown itself to be the master of contemporary design with its multi-faceted approach. “It is a very loose network. Designers come and go. We are mainly interested in young designers, artists and architects. We have been working so far with over 100 designers,” she said.

“Droog” means “dry” in Dutch. In Droog’s opinion, their designs employ a dry execution.

That is to say, without frills. For Droog Design, it is a matter of original ideas and clear, up-todate concepts which are shaped in a wry, no-nonsense manner, producing creative pieces with functionality at their core. All projects at “A Human Touch” with no exception reflect the Droog mentality.

Ramakers said that although they are well-known in the

design world, they also would like to attract the attention of a bigger audience. “We would like people to look at design in a different way, not only as products that are elegant and stylish but we’d like to express the human touch of design. We would like to show that design is not only about form and function but that it also can create an experience.”

Among the items exhibited at the exhibition, he recommended the Chest of Drawers

by Tejo Remy to the Beijing audience. “It is the most iconic piece. The bench, ‘Come a Little Bit Closer,’ is maybe the most ‘human’ one. All people who sit on this bench have fun and they make immediate contact with other people on the bench,” Ramakers said.

The designer also disclosed that Droog Design would start selling their products in China soon in a store named the Design Republic in Shanghai.

Cyclists spent three and a half months from Istanbul to Beijing to raise awareness of the damage wrought by modern vehicle.

Photo by Rachel Dobson we’ve experienced radical extremes in temperature, elevation and road conditions, we’ve been rewarded with incredible adventures, hospitality and cultural diversity.”

To raise awareness of modern vehicle’s damage was the biggest aim of this trip. “By cycling 11,000 kilometers in 107 days, we showed a way how bicycles could be used in every modern city as a means of effective transportation,” Gold said.

He mentioned that the automobile is one of the biggest environmental problems today. “It takes

up too much space, it pollutes and it’s noisy. Many people think that the car offers convenience, but they actually become slaves to it; they have to pay for gas, space and they disturb others’ lives.”

“China actually has a wonderful history of the bicycle, but now the country seems to have discarded it with more and more cars crowding it out,” Gold said, “Cycling is really good for your health. Our riders have become healthier and younger after they got to Beijing.”

Graffiti artists’ ‘evil but cute’ art

By He Jianwei Charles Uzzell Edwards, known by the moniker “Pure Evil,” will exhibit his vampire rabbit and other graffiti works in the exhibition, “Pure Evil Solo Show at FakeSpace” from tonight to January 15, 2008.

Edwards, born in south Wales in 1968, was inspired to establish a twisted brand that lures innocent victims and delves deep into the dark side. His vampire rabbit has become a star of graffiti communities in the UK and the US. Essence of evil In Edwards’ eyes, the name “Pure Evil” is the best phrase to express the most evil thing in the world. “All evil things are crushed into one, just like a diamond being formed,” he said.

When he played with his friends at age ten, Edwards killed a bunny with a shot gun. “I thought it was just a game, but the bunny was dead. I felt very sad and I realized that evil was part of my ego,” he said.

He believed every good human being has his or her evil side. “Plato says bad men do what good men dream. When I painted the image of the vampire bunny, I knew it was coming back,” he said.

However, he is a pacifist.

When he stayed in Barcelona, Spain this year, he took ten hours to finish a work called “Guernica.” He mirrored Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica.” “It was the work I took the most time to finish,” he said.

It is a painting by Pablo Picasso, depicting the Nazi bombing of Guernica, Spain on April 26, 1937 during the Spanish Civil War, in which about 250 to 1,600 were killed and many more were injured.

A tapestry copy of Picasso’s Guernica is displayed on the wall of the United Nations building in New York City, at the entrance to the Security Council room.

Evil but cute Most of the images from Edward’s pen show their dark side. He made an image in which a bunny rode on horse-

Charles Uzzell Edwards Photo provided by FakeSpace back. “It is an image from a children’s picture book, but I added two demonic teeth on the bunny,” he said.

Evil can sometimes be cute in terms of art. He created some pandas wearing punk make-up, which made them appear quite rebellious but in the eyes of children, these images are more cute than evil.

“Yesterday, a little girl who passed by the studio recognized the images and liked them very much,” he said.

Taking something from China Pop art is his biggest source of inspiration followed by popular culture, what’s happening in society, the way society invents new forms of society and also strange things that happen to people, including horror films.

However, Chinese traditional art has become his source of inspiration as well, even though he stayed in Beijing for less than ten days. He used his brush and ink to create graffiti on China paper.

Among his works exhibited this time, some are created using brush and ink in graffiti style.

“On one hand, I bring something to China, which is my regular graffiti work. On the other hand, I want to take something from China,” he said.

November 23 2007

The program gives free football training to children.

January and February for boys and girls ages 5 to 16.

For adult soccer, CF will offer a men’s campaign centering on 5-aside leagues, which offer competitive organized soccer on midweek evenings and on weekends, David Niven, COO of CF, said.

The men’s campaign tourna-

ment, which has eight divisions and caters to all levels of ability and interest, is the biggest in town.

“Everyone can play at a suitable level,” Niven said.

MasterCard ClubFootball Women’s sessions will build on the interest generated by the recent Women’s World Cup in September.

Community demands fulfill a drawer’s dream

Marianne Daquet teaching French kids at her hutong house.

Photo by Annie Wei

By Annie Wei /PingPongChine Every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, a group of French children are led to a hutong house in Dongsiwutiao for art lessons.

There, Marianne Daquet, 29, teaches art in her courtyard home. Unlike hutong homes which have been refurbished for expat rental, Daquet’s is simple and plain with a courtyard illuminated by sunshine.

“I always wanted a place like this – where people don’t feel familiar,” she said. Many of her French expat contacts live in modern apartments or big houses. “I think people come here (to the hutongs) to experience another life,” she said.

Her studio and living room is full of painting materials and foldout tables. How many she leaves open depends on how many students she draws. Her bed has

been prepared to host the session’s live model.

Marianne teaches 20 students. The children come to learn painting, drawing and sculpting in the afternoon, and she offers adult classes during mornings and evenings.

Marianne said her classes are open to all ages and nationalities, as long as the student is willing and interested in art.

Before coming to China, Marianne worked as an artist and an illustrator in Paris for seven years.

“Being an artist is very hard in Paris. Before I came here, I had considered changing my career to cooking,” Marianne said.

When she met Gael Thoreau, another French man and friend who has lived in China for eight years, she made up her mind to come. She taught in a French school for a while, and her reputation quickly spread and paved the way for a career as a freelancer.

“I like living here, it’s hard for me to do such things in Paris, but here, within a year, I could have a drawing school,” Marianne said.

“Maybe my success is because I was the first one in the community doing this,” she said.

Photo provided by ClubFootball They are suitable for any aspiring athletes, regardless of nationality, age or ability.

“It may encourage participants to practice their English, and at the same time, keep fit and have fun. And it is just the first stage in a long term plan to promote the women’s game at an amateur level,” Niven said.

CSB to hold its Christmas Charity

By Gan Tian The Commonwealth Society in Beijing (CSB) is preparing for its coming Christmas Charity Event on December 1, which will raise funds for Chinese charities.

The Society will stage the event at the Pakistan Embassy College of Beijing from 11 am to 3 pm. It will feature stands to showcase the culture of major Commonwealth regional groupings in Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Asia, Europe and the South Pacific.

Members will prepare and donate gastronomical delights and other items, which will be sold to the public to generate funds, and also items donated by sponsors will be featured in a raffle for which tickets will be sold.

The Society consists of female diplomats and spouses from Commonwealth member states.

“In every society, women have traditionally played a major role in caring for the vulnerable and less fortunate. Therefore, when CSB undertakes fund raising efforts to help support Chinese charities, it seems as an opportunity to express the Society’s thanks and appreciation to its host country,” Daniela Xuereb, the president of CSB and the wife of the Maltese ambassador, said.

Community

Peking Opera and face-painting The Chinese Culture Club will invite two veteran Peking Opera artists to teach how to apply the spectacular and complicated opera makeup, introduce the songs and movements of opera and perform a few scenes. For this workshop, the artist will focus on how to do paint faces for the roles of enterprising warrior, Sun Wukong and of a graceful lady.

Where: Room 201, Chinese Culture Club, Kent Center, No 29 Anjialou, Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang When: November 27, 1:30 pm – 3 pm Cost: 100 yuan Tel: 6432 9341 Dartmouth alumni gathering This Saturday, Beijing Impro and the Dartmouth Foreign Study Program students, alumni and friends will get together for a scavenger hunt.

The participants will then divide students into groups of three and assign an alumnus or two to each group.

Each group will be given a set of instructions for things to find. These may be art objects, signs, machines or government slogans. The search will take place within and around 798 art district.

Where: Timezone 8 bookstore cafe in 798 art district When: November 24, 2 pm Rocks and Art: Imaginary Landscapes For centuries, scholar rocks have been valued in China as one of the highest forms of art, combining the abstraction of Pollack and the found art of Duchamp. They provide a window into Chinese views of nature and art.

Hugh Scogin Jr, a Beijin g-based lawyer, first worked in China in 1985 and is recognized as one of the foremost academic authorities on Chinese law. He dedicates much of his spare time to the study and admiration of scholar rocks.

Where: Embassy of Hungary, 10 Dongzhimen Wai Dajie, Chaoyang District When: November 29, 7:30 pm (By He Jianwei)

Editor: Wei Ying Designer: Yang Gen

By Jackie Zhang ClubFootball (CF), a local, independent grassroots football network, and MasterCard Worldwide are aiming to raise interest in soccer among people of all ages.

Last week, the credit company announced its commitment to grassroots sports in China at the launch of the MasterCard ClubFootball Grassroots Campaign. This year marks the third year of MasterCard’s and ClubFootball’s cooperation.

The campaign is aimed to bolster the number of amateur men, women and children participating in CF’s existing leagues, sessions and coaching courses. It will introduce a variety of soccer opportunities to all three divisions.

“There has never been a better time for Beijingers to become involved in sports. This agreement will encourage even more people of all ages to get out and play,” Willie Fung, general manager of Greater China and Korea, MasterCard Worldwide, said.

“MasterCard has generously supported an initiative which is not for the elite, but is inclusive of every man, woman and child in Beijing,” Jonathan White, PR manager of CF, said.

The sponsorship means CF can offer free and discounted courses with professional UK coaches, White said.

The next major event related to the sponsorship is the MasterCard ClubFootball Winter Coaching Camps, which will be held in

Lecture: Chinese contemporary dance As the artistic director of Beijing Leidong Tianxia (LDTX) Modern Dance Company, Hong Kong City Contemporary Dance Company and The Guangzhou Modern Dance Company, Willy Tsao has been instrumental to modern dance in China. Tsao will introduce the Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company, China’s first independent dance company. He will also speak on the history of modern dance in China and his experiences with the movement.

Where: The Bookworm, Building 4, Nan Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang When: December 4, 7:30 pm Tel: 6586 9507

9

BEIJING TODAY

MasterCard joins ClubFootball, promotes grassroots games

Events

November 23 2007

10

Judo highlights on campus

Olympic warm-up

GOOD LUCK

Europeans dominate medals The two-day tournament ended up with three of the four gold medals going to European players.

Asian champion Yoshie Ueno choked Chinese judoka Yan Xuelan, former Universiade champion in 2002, to take the women’s 63 kg title with a breezy ippon win.

The 24-year-old, younger sister of Athens Olympic champion Masae Ueno in the women’s 70 kg category, claimed a gold medal at last May’s Asian Championships at Kuwait City in the same class, piling up her winning streak in the continental tournament to three in a row.

For the men’s part, Italy’s national champion Antonio Ciano denied a late comeback from Japanese judoka Ono Takashi to win the men’s 81 kg final with a waza-ari.

The other two titles of the 2007 Beijing Judo Open were won by Russian Alim Gadanov and Frenchwoman Caroline Lantoine on Thursday.

In the men’s under-66 kg final, Gadanov, a dark horse, upset Olympic gold medalist Masato Uchishiba of Japan with a yuko, while Europe’s promising Lantoine took only 39 seconds to beat this year’s Pan American Games silver medalist Erika Miranda of

By Han Manman The 2007 Beijing Judo Open ended last Friday. The tournament, slated for November 15-16, took place at the Beijing Science and Technology University (BSTU) Gymnasium, which will also be the site of the judo competitions of the 29th Olympic Games in 2008 as well as the Olympic taekwondo event and the wheelchair Basketball and wheelchair Rugby events at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

As one of the 26 “Good Luck Beijing” events in 2007 and the first international event after the completion of the stadium construction, the 2007 Beijing Judo Open acted as a rehearsal for next year’s grand sports event, with 114 judokas from 16 countries and regions participating in four categories, the men’s 66 kg and 81 kg and the women’s 52 kg and 63 kg categories.

In the men’s 81kg competition Brazil with an ippon for the women’s 52 kg title.

Xiao Jun, last year’s Chinese national judo championships winner in the women’s 48 kg category, settled for

Photo by Zuma Cui a bronze medal in the women’s half-lightweight event, and her compatriot Liu Changchun won the third place with a win in the men’s half-lightweight category.

BEIJING TODAY

Editor: Han Manman Designer: Zhao Yan

People-friendly venue The newly-constructed BSTU gymnasium, located on the central axis of the school, covers an area of over 23,000 square meters and has 8,000 seats including 4,080 permanent seats and 3,932 temporary seats.

The gymnasium, whose design was created by the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University, has two halls.

During the Games, the main hall will host competition while the other will serve as a training venue.

The gymnasium has a square look and a flat roof, which corresponds with the school spirit of precise and steady going. Zhuang Weimin, the venue’s designer, said they didn’t choose novel appearances but emphasized that

the gymnasium should precisely meet the Games’ needs.

“We’ve tried to apply Olympic spirit to the gymnasium project,” he said.

The USTB gymnasium belongs to the Olympics, but moreover, it belongs to the university, emphasized Zhuang.

He said since the early stages of designing the gymnasium, a major goal had been set to have the gymnasium complement its green surroundings.

Throughout the entire construction process, making the gymnasium people-friendly was a top priority. Zhuang said that full consideration was given to making the venue accessible to people with a disability.

The biggest highlight of the gym lies in the installation of 148 fiber optic light pipes that are 530 mm in diameter

The new gymnasium will be the site of the Olympic judo and taekwondo events.

CFP Photo

- more than any other Beijing Olympic venue so far. On days with strong sunlight, the light pipes will be able to meet the lighting needs for sports training in the gymnasium. At night, the pipes will transmit light through the gymnasium’s roof, creating an attractive nightscape effect.

Visitors will go to the university when watching Olympic events and meanwhile experience the cultural atmosphere of China’s higher educational system, deepening their understanding of China’s development both in economics and culture.

For post Games use, the USTB Gymnasium will become the university’s education and entertainment venue as well as for major international sports competitions.

Comment

High marks Senior officials of the International Judo Federation (IJF) said Friday that they were encouraged to expect a very successful Olympic judo tournament in 2008 after their two-day inspection at the Judo Open.

“With the excellent job they’ve done, we are sure that we will have a very successful judo competition at the Beijing Olympic Games,” Marius Vizer, President of the world judo governing body, said.

Francois Besson, sports director of the IJF, gave high marks to the venue, the facilities, the transportation and volunteer services, while watching out for problems during the operation of the tournament.

“The operating systems have all functioned well, as we are trying to give the best location for the spectators and for television coverage.

As well, we are reconsidering the color of the mat. The very strong light inside the stadium may be too bright for TV shooting and photographing,” Besson said.

The Frenchman expressed his satisfaction with the location of the venue. “It’s only 5 kilometers away from the Olympic Village, in a university and inside the city. No surprise since the sport originated in Japan and its founder and advocator was an educator.”

Student volunteers Ever since construction began, many students have applied to be Olympic volunteers and have taken pride in doing so, Volunteer Manager Ding Xucheng said.

According to him, this open tournament attracted over 1,000 students from different universities to apply as volunteers. After tests and interviews in Olympic knowledge and foreign language proficiency, over 300 candidates were finally chosen to make up a volunteer group. They were then distributed to some 20 departments to serve the “Good Luck Beijing” Beijing Judo Open.

The days during which the competition was held were not holidays. With this in mind, USTB released a corresponding policy to ensure that these volunteers could work without affecting their studies. “In view of volunteer reservations, we basically chose sophomores and juniors this time. Training is a continuous process and hopefully, through the preliminary training and practice, this group of volunteers with service experience can continue to serve the Olympics next year,” Ding said.

What impresses me most is that people here are very friendly and helpful, both the staff and the volunteers. I think I will never forget my stay here in China.

– Sports staff member from OMEGA

The venue is well constructed, the technology applied is up to date and the working environment is nice. The layout is well scheduled and carried out smoothly. It would be better if the audience could learn more about the game.

– Zheng Li, one of the judges

The seating and lighting for the venue is excellent as well. I have an unobstructed view of the competition from my seat. I can see the clock letting me know the times as well as the scores, and I find that the competition moves fairly smoothly with no hitches.

– Rob Dahling, a foreign teacher of USTB

Although my work is not that easy, I really appreciate what I have contributed to the event.

Every day after work, I may feel tired; however, when I think of the people I helped, my heart is filled with a kind of strength that makes me feel happy enough to continue my work.

– Zhang Wenjie, a volunteer

The entire experience for me is like taking part in 21st century history making. I like the fact that I am able to purchase Olympic memorabilia. Perhaps wrapped fruit could be sold as a refreshment during the Games.

– Yvette Taylor, a resident in USTB (By Chen Fei) Photos by Chen Fei

November 23 2007

Boxers arrive with pride

11

I went to see a boxing match, as I thought that people in Beijing don’t often get a chance to see such a sport. It was amazing. What I loved best about the venue was that it had a smoking area, a big plus for me. The volunteers were also very good and welcoming. In all, I love this sport very much. It was organized so well.

Feng Lusha, sales representative, China

The International Boxing Invitational Tournament was held from last Saturday to yesterday at Beijing Worker‘s Indoor Arena.

I went to see both boxing and Wushu. I noticed that they have a lot in common at the Good Luck Beijing events.

Both venues were renewed and they were totally different from what they were before. They brought us a lot of amazing visual feats, I must say.

Guo Ya, gym coach, China (By Gan Tian) Photos by Yang Xue

the Olympic Games is a great challenge to the AIBA, and everybody concerned should work hard to fulfill this important task,” Wu said.

Renovated venue BWIA will be the venue of the invitation tourney as well as the Olympic boxing and Paralympic judo competitions in 2008.

The renovations began May 26 last year, resulting in an expanded building area of 41,828 square meters. An energy resource center, a main boxing arena and two warm-up halls were especially built for the boxing matches.

More than 400 vehicle parking lots, 12,000 permanent spectator seats and 1,000 temporary seats were provided after the renovation. The arena’s ventilation, light-

ing, electrical equipment, acoustics and sound insulation, and spectator seats were all updated.

The most noticeable addition was the various barrier-free improvements, including wheelchair ramps at the north, south, east and west entrances and barrier-free restrooms in the spectator, VIP and athlete areas. In addition, wheelchair accessible seating areas will be located on the floor, near the competition area.

Hotels One of the most important conveniences in the event are the hotels. Poly Plaza, for the AIBA officials and technical officials, is only one kilometer from the venue. The four-star hotel also featured Beijing International Dancing Festival

shows during the events.

Huadu Hotel was also prepared for the athletes. It was also only three kilometers away from the venue.

Volunteers A group of 23 medical workers from eight hospitals and 450 volunteers from 11 universities took part in the event.

Defects One of the defects of the event went to its official website’s contents. There was an arrangement posted on its websites, but the committee gave another version at the press conference before the game started.

The official website failed to update the arrangements, which caused a lot of trouble for journalists.

Bringing Wushu to the world stage

By Gan Tian The Good Luck Beijing Ninth World Wushu Championships proved that Wushu, the typical traditional Chinese sports, could shine on its home turf.

Chinese sport, international event The championship competition was the largest in the history of the event in terms of both participating individuals, countries and regions.

During the six days, 1,500 athletes, trainers and judges from 88 countries and regions competed in 40 men’s and women’s events, including 22 Taolu events and 18 Sanshou events.

China won nine gold medals out of 22. The rest were taken by 10 other attending countries and regions. Wang Xiaolin, the president of Chinese Wushu Association, said, “the contest demonstrated that the Chinese-born sport was spreading well all over the world, and athletes from far and wide were becoming very proficient.”

In the opening ceremony, international visitors enjoyed the charm of this sport with the performance by Beijing Normal Uni-

The Good Luck Beijing Ninth World Wushu Championships were held at Beijing Olympic Sports Center Stadium from November 11 to last Saturday.

CFP Photos versity, the Beijing Institute of Technology, the Capital Institute of Physical Education and the Guangdong Wushu Team.

The world-renowned action movie star Jet Li, also showed up to lend his support. Also a former Chinese national Wushu champion, Li encouraged all the athletes, “If you win against yourself, then every one of you is a champion.

However, this event also means the sport itself is developing.”

Renewed venue The Beijing Olympic Sports Center Stadium has already hosted The 2007 Modern Pentathlon World Cup Finals, one of the Good Luck Beijing series sports events in September.

The venue went through 17 months of renovations, almost doubling in capacity. The football field at the core of the venue has been turned into a high-standard temporary competition field for

equestrian events.

Foreign referees A very different scene took place at the event: a group of golden-haired and blue-eyed referees, dressing in traditional Chinese dress, gave orders in Chinese to all the athletes on the stage.

Chen Guorong, the vice director of the Wushu Sports Center in Chinese National Sports Administration, mentioned that around 60 referees were selected from 200 international referees. “About 90 percent were foreign referees,” Chen said, “They came from 40 countries and regions.”

Many of these referees were trained in China, some of whom were Wushu athletes themselves.

Every four years, they will be transferred to China to gain further study on this sport.

Higher-priced tickets Different from other events of the Good Luck Beijing series, Wushu ticket prices varied a little due to its popularity. The tickets for the preliminaries were about 10 yuan. However, the prices went to 30 yuan for the semi-finals and the finals on the last two days.

Editor: Wei Ying Designer: Yang Gen

Wow, it is so amazing to see so many foreign referees appearing in the traditional Chinese Wushu sport!

I would consider participating in this sport at a later date. Also, it is a very good chance for us to know more about the Chinese culture.

Lisa Linderman, visitor, the US

By Gan Tian The Good Luck Beijing event welcomed the International Boxing Invitational Tournament at the Beijing’s Worker’s Indoor Arena (BWIA) mid-month, lasting from last Saturday to yesterday, with 76 boxers from 18 countries and regions including 12 from China.

Good news for female boxers Big news arrived in the form of women’s boxing being a part of the Olympic Games.

Boxing is the only sport at the Olympic Games not represented by women. Ching-kuo Wu and Chang Jianping, president and vice-president of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), talked about this issue on Tuesday.

“To bring women’s boxing to

BEIJING TODAY

I am a boxing fan. It was my first time to see such an event in Beijing. It would have been better if the scheduling had been clearer. I went to the boxing matches twice and found no schedules posted at that time.

Luo Sha, amateur boxing athlete, China

Olympic warm-up

GOOD LUCK

Comment

November 23 2007

12

Center stage

Breaking b

BTAP’s fifth anniversary exh

By He Jianwei

To mark their fifth anniversary, the Tokyo Gallery in conjunction with the Beijing Tokyo Art Project (BTAP) opened “BTAP: Works in Progress,” a group exhibition that puts the spotlight on

Asia’s leading and emerging artisti stereotypical images in contempor Forty artists and over 100 artwo for this exhibition that “seeks to sp

Yohei Watanabe

Boundary between reality and fantasy

BEIJING TODAY

Editors: Yu Shanshan Qiu Jiaoning Designer: Yang Gen E-mail: yushanshan724@ynet.com

What stands out in the Yohei Watanabe’s paintings is the way in which one can make one’s own interpretations of the interplay between reality and fantasy, and the seemingly deep meaning conveyed by the white background.

His motifs consist of natural subjects such as people and trees, and man-made subjects such as boats and airplanes, but all of them are depicted in equally fine detail. At times they are portrayed realistically and at others they are vividly abstract.

The desultory and ambiguous feelings one gets from looking at his paintings as a form of visual communication are perhaps related to the blurring of the boundary between real and unreal.

When you see a young boy fused with an airplane, or a young girl with a wolf, if one looks at it as a means of expression, it is quite arbitrary and if one looks at it as a world of fantasy, then perhaps it can be understood on an emotional level.

People who see illusions believe them to be the real world to the exclusion of the ordinary world, whereas in Watanabe’s case, reality and unreality and the ordinary and the extraordinary seem to co-exist without discord.

Kristy Cha Ray Chu

No borders for dolls Kristy Cha Ray Chu from Taiwan Province made hundreds of second hand dolls which are hung on the walls. Chu created this series in 2002. “The second-hand dolls go hand-in-hand with childhood at different times and in different places,” she said.

Every viewer can remember his or her childhood connected to dolls. “Human beings are fickle in their affections. Last year was the Dog Year and people threw away many dog dolls at the end of last year,” she said.

Chu has collected these second hand dolls in over 40 cardboard boxes. “You will find that the children in different countries play with the same types of dolls, including Winnie the Pooh and Barbie,” she said.

She is addicted to dolls, because she didn’t have any during her childhood. “I’m the second child in my family. The dolls were consumed by my sister and younger brother,” she said.

Kaneda Showichi

Creating atmosphere betwee the work and the viewers

“The most important thing for viewers is not so much the work itse atmosphere that emerges between the work and the viewers,” Kaneda For his three-dimensional works, he chose different information an able to convey in that specific dimension. “I’d like viewers to see cinem out from my works and enjoy picturing visions in a free manner,” he s In these particular works, there are many images dealing with the beings as animals. “As a means of expression, I often use sharks, whic stop moving, even when they are sleeping and eating. They are in mot they die,” he said.

He said that human beings engage in war, reflect on their actions, wars; they destroy buildings and then rebuild them; pollute the enviro forget about it and continue to pollute.

He mixed all of these images together in the “Formula One Car” wo corporate advertising stickers stuck onto the vehicles reflect the scene “It is almost impossible to think that human beings will ever stop,” no other animal like a human that is so addicted to speed. The speed o of computers and the speed of pizza-deliveries. I feel that there will be speeding-up of life.”

Fire of Forest

by Yohei Watanabe Chiyoko Kirishima by Hiyoto Kitagawa

Photos by BTAP

Dreamy Farm-B by Chiharu Nishizawa

November 23 2007

13

Center stage

boundaries

hibition: Works in Progress

c talents and aims to break the rary art. rks have been brought together potlight the energy and creativ-

ity which has empowered the phenomenal growth of the Asian contemporary art scene over the past five years,” Tabata Yukihito, Director of BTAP, said.

Blanket Monster by Hiroyuki Matsuura

Chiharu Nishizawa

Traditional forms and contemporary themes Chiharu Nishizawa depicts city dwellers living in contemporary Japanese cities, from a bird’s eye view, filled with uncertainty and indifference. The way he uses this perspective is a radical development of Northeast Asian art heritage, particularly Japan’s traditional emaki, scroll paintings, picture scrolls and byobu, folding screens, illustrated folding screens.

Nishizawa was born in 1970. Coming from the generation that followed the babyboomers, he feels a sense of uneasiness. To Nishizawa, the human follies and tragedies that unfold in the world are like events being played out on a stage.

Red flowers make up a heart-shaped ring: within the ring he depicts the human being’s material life; outside the ring, he paints the relations and inner world of human beings.

The people in his paintings who have faults are isolated; behind each other’s backs, they destroy the people around them, regardless of whether they are rivals, enemies or strangers.

The people in his paintings have no concept of rest and meditation. Even the figures that are enjoying entertainment shows are nothing more than machines moving robotically.

BTAP 5th Anniversary Exhibition: Works in Prgress Where: Tokyo Gallery + BTAP, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang When: Tue-Sun, 10:30 am – 5:30 pm, until December 9 Tel: 8457 3245

en

orks. The many ery of present day. ” he said, “There is of traffic, the speed e no end to this

Mixing sculpture and photography Koh Myung Keun from South Korea uses the technique of reconstructing transparent photographic images as three-dimensional objects so as to make a creation that crosses the boundary between sculpture and photography.

Using photographs of a variety of marble sculptures, he experiments with a number of variations on the human body.

“No matter how much a marble sculpture of a person may resemble the real thing, it is still hard and cold. There will always be a sense of distance between it and a living thing,” he said.

Since the Ancient Greece era, sculptural likenesses in marble have existed only as objects of

worship and idealized icons. Together with such subject matter, turning transparency photographs into three-dimensional objects makes it possible to have a unique, changing overlay of images, bringing new meaning to the subject.

Rather than the body in its entirety, the artist takes fragmentary images of the human body and composes them so that it is as if they are enclosed in space.

Many of these spaces have been made in the shape of houses in which the artist is indirectly trying to express fragmentary thoughts on the time and space of human existence.

Hiroyuki Matsuura

Walls between adults and children, men and women The popularity of animation and comics has provided youngsters of the new digital age with a selfreflection of role-playing. The visual images, which continuously bring out new images in the digital environment, are catalyzed rapidly. They have not only become the password for the new generation to pursue the popularity and the novelty, but also the symbol of fashion products.

The fictional figures in animation, comics, cartoons, online games, TV commercials, TV series, movies and videos on the Internet, satisfy children’s longing and imagination of human relations and emotional interactions.

Hiroyuki Matsuura is a member of this generation.

He grew up immersed in a world of cartoons and

comics. His animamic images aim to establish visual symbolic systems to portray his daily realities and the virtual realities in the game world.

He utilizes dazzling colors, applies flat surfaces, and very humorous content. He presents his different perspectives with pluralistic ways in his distinctive style. From the close interaction between cyberspace romance and feelings in real life or from the fresh, bright colors of digital imaging of the new century, driven by animamic aesthetics, he constructs endlessly changing visual forms and nurtures the present taste for the fantastic.

“I take the images as an existence which transcends the walls between adults and children, men and women,” he said

Takuto Hyuga by Hiroto Kitagawa

Editors: Yu Shanshan Qiu Jiaoning Designer: Yang Gen

and then start more onment, reflect on it,

Koh Myung Keun

BEIJING TODAY

elf but rather the a Showichi said. nd images most suitmatic images that flow said. nature of human ch are said to never tion until the day

November 23 2007

Slowhand’s fast climb to best seller

Book

14

Eric Clapton, Grammy Award winning artist, threetime inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and ranked as the 4th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone, has dabbled in a variety of genres in his 40-year career, but throughout it all, his work has remained rooted in the blues.

The artist’s blue days are revealed with intimacy and candor in his autobiography Clapton: The Biography (352pp, Broadway, US $15.60) as he retraces his career from the Yardbirds and Cream to his going solo. Clapton lays bare his periods of drug and alcohol addictions, turbulent marriages and the spiritual choices that pulled him onto the road to recovery.

Clapton was an illegitimate child, born in 1945 and raised by his grandparents. Until age

nine, he believed his mother was his sister. In his teen years, he turned to the guitar for solace, and a legend was born.

His career with Cream propelled him to stardom in London, and in the following years, he would guest with Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and George Harrison.

During his time working with Harrison, a seemingly unrequited love with the other artist’s wife drove Clapton to misery and drug addiction. By the start of the 1970s, he shook himself out of the downward spiral to release the albums 461 Ocean Boulevard and Slowhand, the later of which went platinum.

The artist swapped heroin for alcohol and returned to a pattern of behavior that eventually broke up his marriage. It was not until the 1980s that he dragged himself

back onto the path of recovery and become a father. Tragedy struck again when his four year old son Conor died by falling out the 53rd-story window of his mother’s New York City apartment. Instead of returning to substance abuse, the tragedy inspired “Tears in Heaven,” a song which together with his Unplugged album, won him six Grammy Awards.

Clapton’s autobiography is the memoirs of a man who has battled incredible demons from his very beginning, and though he has not always won, he has survived to achieve success.

(By Derrick Sobodash)

The Book Thief

BEIJING TODAY

Editors: He Jianwei Qiu Jiaoning Designer: Zhao Yan

Azrael tale of a little girl

By Han Manman The Book Thief, which USA Today said “Deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank,” has won numerous awards. It was the winner of the Book Sense Book of the Year Award for children’s literature and the National Jewish Book Award.

It is no exaggeration to say Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief (576pp, Knopf Books for Young Readers, US $11.99) is a book both children and adults will nd intense and captivating.

“It’s just a small story really, about among other things, a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish stghter and quite a lot of thievery,” Zusak wrote.

Death narrates the World War II-era story of Liesel Meminger from the time she is taken, age nine, to live in Molching, Germany, with a foster family in a working-class neighborhood of tough kids, acid-tongued mothers and loving fathers who earn their living with their hands.

The child arrives having just stolen her rst book – although she has not yet learned how to read – which her foster father uses, The Gravediggers Handbook, to lull her to sleep when she is roused by regular nightmares about her younger brother’s death. Over the ensuing years of the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Meminger collects more stolen books as well as a peculiar set of friends: the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee Max, the mayor’s reclusive wife and her foster parents.

About the author

Timezone 8 book listing Timezone 8 Limited is a Hong Kongbased publisher, distributor and retailer of books on contemporary art, architecture, photography and design. This week, it lists its three top-selling art books for Beijing Today’s readers.

Lucian Freud: Paintings

Zusak not only creates an original story, but also writes with the kind of poetic syntax to spark deliberation over how to interpret lines and phrases.

He said the book was inspired by two real-life events related to him by his German parents: the bombing of Munich, and a teenage boy offering bread to an emaciated Jew being marched through the streets, ending with both the boy and the Jewish prisoner being whipped by a soldier.

The way in which Zusak combines such terrible events with such believable characters and the minutiae of everyday life in Nazi Germany is what makes the book so special.

“The book came to mean much more to me than I could have imagined. No matter what anyone ever says about that book, whether good or bad, I know it was the best I could do, and I don’t think a writer can ask for more of himself than that,” Zusak wrote.

Australian author Markus Zusak was born in Sydney in 1975. At age 30, Zusak is considered one of the most innovative and poetic contemporary novelists. He is the award-winning author of four previous books for young adults: The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, Getting the Girl and I Am the Messenger, recipient of a 2006 Printz Honor for excellence in young adult literature.

By Robert Hughes, 136 pp, 300 yuan, Thames & Hudson In his highly-acclaimed text, Robert Hughes points out that the reality pursued in Freud’s paintings goes far beyond naturalism. It is both startling and disconcerting, producing some of the most powerful and moving images of the last thirty years. No other living artist has his ability to capture the texture and density of esh, and his distinctive portraits have a haunting and unforgettable quality.

Ron Mueck

By Robert Rosenblum, 110 pp, 300 yuan, Thames & Hudson The stunning and carefullycrafted sculptures of Australian artist Ron Mueck have catapulted him into the rst tire of world artists. This book is a record of his recent exhibition at the Fondation Cartier in Paris, for which he created an ensemble of new sculptures, two on massive scale. Mueck explores reality’s ambiguous relationship with artice.

798:A Photographic Journal by Zhu Yan

By Yin Jinan and Li Jiangshu, 184 pp, 280 yuan, Timezone 8 Limited The book presents Zhu Yan’s black and white photographs taken with an 8 by 10 camera to document the spaces and the people of Factory 798: artists in their studios, designers, gallery owners, restaurant and bar owners and workers. Together with acerbic texts by art critic Yin Jinan and photography critic Li Jiangshu, the book is more than just a journal by one of China’s top photographers.

(By He Jianwei)

Join the urban explorers

Ripe for exploration

Dive into history The No 52 and 53 subway stations in Shijingshan District

Unlike other adventurers, such as rock climbers or spelunkers, UEs shun the natural world in pursuit of more closely examining and understanding the inner workings of our constructed world, of seeing civic society in its real, raw, unpainted, unplastered and unprettied state. It is about going where people are not supposed to go.

Adventures into abandoned structures are perhaps the most common example of urban exploration. Explorers face various risks in abandoned structures including collapsing roofs and floors, broken glass, guard dogs and the presence of chemicals. The more popular and highprofile abandoned buildings include amusement parks, grain elevators, factories, missile silos, hospitals, asylums and sanatoriums.

Many explorers of abandoned buildings find the decay of uninhabited spaces to be beautiful, and a source of inspiration for UE photographers. Some abandoned buildings are heavily guarded with motion sensors and active security. Others are more easily accessible and carry less risk of discovery.

Catacombs are the UE’s second choice. In China’s ancient cities, there are many catacombs. The “cataphiles’” purpose in diving in is not to unearth buried treasure, but to learn about history.

In China, most UEs are currently in the cities with a long history of ancient architectures and sceneries. “Every city has its place which has been forgotten,” Xing said.

Many of the members at chinauer.com – China’s largest UE website – are young people who prefer nights of exploration. There are as many as 10,000 registered members, ages 18 to 40, throughout the country.

On the website, UEs share their experiences, upload photos and share tips; some post advertisements for group adventure activities.

Xing said urban exploration needs to be popularized. “It costs little money and requires no elaborate equipment. Besides, most activities take place in the city, so you don’t need to spend a lot of time on transpor-

tation,” she said.

“More importantly, it fosters friendship between complete strangers,” she said.

It usually takes one or two hours to investigate an abandoned site, but some trips are abandoned due to legal restrictions, hostile squatters or inaccurate sites.

“As urban exploration is adventurous and exciting, it is a better opportunity for us to relax from the stress and strain of modern life and to strengthen our ability to work together with strangers,” she said.

However, the rapid pace of urban development threatens the hobby’s future. “Some abandoned houses that are mentioned on the website today may be demolished tomorrow,” she said.

What lies beneath?

Where might this tunnel end?

Continued on page 16 ...

Editor: He Jianwei Designer: Zhao Yan

UE in China

BEIJING TODAY

The dawn of UE came in 1793, when Frenchman Philibert Aspairt, doorkeeper of the Val de Grace hospital who lived through the tumultuous times of the revolution, took his final walk in the catacombs of Paris.

Variously known as “draining,” “urban spelunking,” “urban caving,” “building hacking,” “reality hacking” or “roof and tunnel hacking,” urban exploration became popular in the West in the 1980s. The targets of exploration could be anything ranging from abandoned factories, hospitals, cinemas, museums and asylums to historical castles and war ruins.

One of the 19th century’s most famous and celebrated poets, Walt Whitman, was also an avid UE, publishing his forays into Brooklyn’s abandoned Atlantic Avenue Tunnel in 1861.

In the 1920s, Parisian Dadaists brought metaphysics into the hobby, organizing tours through a deserted church and other sites which really had no reason for existing.

In the US, MIT students led excursions into steam tunnels and rooftops around campus in the late 1950s under the label of “hacking.”

With the growth of the Internet in the early 1990s, urban exploration’s popularity exploded, generating hundreds of websites, and, for the first time, allowing members from around the world to exchange photographs, information and tips on how to get into sites.

By He Jianwei “Take nothing but photos; leave nothing but footprints” is the unwritten rule of China’s urban explorers (UE). The UE group was established only a few years ago, and the capital is in the lead for most members and places of interest.

It is curiosity that drives people to climb into abandoned buildings and explore catacombs. “To stay safe and not break the law are basic expectations of all UE,” Sammi Xing, a veteran UE and founder of China’s largest UE website, said.

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November 23 2007

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g n i j i e B f o Lost sights

By Huang Daohen Every city has a “ghost-chaser” – an urban explorer out to unearth its past. Beijing is no exception. The following five sites, which vary from the mysterious underground city to the banned chemical plant, are recommended by local urban explorers.

BEIJING TODAY

Editor: He Jianwei Designer: Zhao Yan

Shougang old site: a future heritage park While workers left or were displaced and the machines were auctioned, what about the unmovable workplace and facilities in an old site of heavy industry?

Taking a ride to the Huagong Bridge at Beijing’s Fifth Ring Road, you will soon see six big chimneys standing on the horizon, relics of the famous Fatou Industrial Zone, once home to a number of factories.

Now most of the factories have been relocated or demolished, and the only legacy is the chimneys on the former site of the Shougang, a major Chinese steel producer.

The last furnace was fired July 15 last year, and production at the 47-year-old Shougang plant came to an end. At present, its steel production is little known to most people. Only the remnants of the buildings and equipment throughout the site serve as evidence of heavy industry and bygone days.

The plant once formed a self-sustained miniature society, complete with school, hospital and residential zone, Li Guishu, 66, a retiree, said. For decades, workers clung to it as the heart of their activity.

Furnaces, for their historic significance, are still the signature facilities of the plant. The black mammoth is 4.3 meters high and 14 meters long, embracing 65 char-

Abandoned ga

s pipes

ring chambers arranged in a row.

Up the clamped stairs within the furnace is the “inferno.” It was once a poorly-conditioned workplace, hot and dirty. The workers were required to wear thick protective outfits in exchange for higher allowances and better food, Li said.

Li said that a terrace at the top of the furnace would be reconstructed into a cafe and bar.

At the end of the plant site runs a railway far into the distance. It was used to haul coal in and coke out, but rampant weeds have conquered the derelict railway beds.

The railway line may one day be used to transport visitors.

Next to the furnaces is the chemical zone, the other major part of the site. The air still carries irritating fumes due to the scent of remnant sulfur and benzene. It is suggested to pass through the area as quickly as possible.

Various kinds of gas generators, recovery equipment and cooling towers are scattered throughout the area.

Officials from the Shougang Group reportedly have invited experts to do research on the preservation of the site. A possible and viable suggestion was to convert it into an industrial heritage park.

The old site at Shougang will be converted into an industrial heritage park.

Beware of the Ooze.

The dark, damp and eerie tunnels beneath the city.

Capital’s real underworld

An underworld entrance in Qianmen area

Gas generators next to a furnace

Beneath the ancient capital lie factories, stores, guesthouses, restaurants, hospitals, schools, theaters, readingrooms, a mushroom cultivation farm and a roller skating rink.

It’s the underground city.

These underground tunnels and service facilities, covering a total area of 850,000 square meters, were built as air raid shelters in case of nuclear attack during Mao Zedong’s days in the 1960s.

Statistics show that the underground tunnels wind for 30 kilometers, 8 to 18 meters below ground. The network was built from 1969 to 1979 by more than 300,000 local citizens and opened to tourists in 2000.

The network of tunnels are said to have been designed so all the main buildings in Beijing had an entry point in their basement to the tunnels.

However, due to safety considerations, some of the tunnels are off limits. Visitors are only allowed to see a small, approved section accessed via small shops or a hotel front.

Surprisingly, foreigners and college students in Beijing seem to know more about the Underground City than local residents. Simon Zhang, a graduate student in the city, recently visited the Qianmen section of the underground city.

“The address I was given was a street not even on the map, so I trudged around the vague area for hours through all the old hutongs until I finally came to what looked to be the entrance,” Zhang said.

After entering the tunnel, Zhang said there was a portrait of Mao Zedong amidst murals of people digging the tunnels.

There are fading but catchy slogans on the wall, like, “Dig the tunnels deep; accumulate grain; oppose hegemony.”

Aside from odd recent additions, such as a silk shop, the tunnels are dark, damp and genuinely eerie, Zhang said.

“Down there we see a cinema, two hospitals and a school!” he said.

Though Zhang didn’t get to see much or take many photos, he did get a great urge to explore farther. “It’s great to see all the old Communist slogans, photos and statues still +there,” Zhang said.

Tour groups can enter free of charge without prior permission, but individual tourists are charged 20 yuan.

Continued on page 17...

November 23 2007

... continued from page 16

Ruins at Zhushikou Xidajie Street

By Jiang Xubo The city of Beijing is undergoing massive urban transformation, which has left many ruins. They stand as the last remnants of the city’s history, soon to be demolished to make way for new development. But in the eyes of the capital’s urban explorers (UE), they are sort of a secret treasury full of surprises and the joy of discovery.

The ruins, opposite the Zhushikou Protestant Church at the Zhushikou Xidajie Street, stand as an example.

An exciting exploration into the ruins led to “an encounter with a long lost treasure,” Sammi Xing, founder of chinauer.com, an online forum for the country’s UE, wrote in her review after she explored the ruin in May. The ruins owed much of their attraction to the western-styled buildings, which urban explorers thought to be built during the Minguo Period (1912-1949).

The side street of the three-storied building was quite decent with its pillars and balcony intact. Yet exterior walls of the other three sides were damaged, exposing dull, red bricks.

The white front gate, which was sealed with bricks, denied any access.

Its back door was also blocked with an iron sheet. The side doors and windows revealed a partial glimpse of the staircases and even some scribbles on walls inside.

“It was broad daylight – people walked by occasionally. I had no tools with me and I had to restrain my impulse to climb into the building for further exploration,” Xing posted with hidden excitement.

The ruins, which occupy an area the size of a soccer field, offered much more to explore. There are a number of abandoned buildings scattered over the area, most of which are half-demolished.

owed part of its grandness to traditional Chinese architectural paradigms. The base, rails, and two pavilions on each side of the church front, where two steles stood from the Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) of Qing Dynasty (1616-1911) as royal bestows, all added traditional Chinese flavor to the building.

It surely made sense that the church gained its fame as one of the most beautiful churches in the capital for its grand Gothic-style architecture. However, it seemed a bit perplexing that it also made the list of the capital’s hottest spots for urban exploration.

The church, formerly the center of a great complex of schools, orphanages, hospitals and libraries, stands at the center of a building labyrinth.

It was a church, which witnessed fighting and bloodbaths when the Boxer Rebellion broke out in 1900 involving battles against the eight allied powers invading the country.

Chinese fighters besieged the church in June, 1900, and fought with the French and Italian garrison in the compound for over two months before the Allied troops came to their rescue.

The blood and iron of the past could be a definite reason why this church has become a great magnet for the capital’s urban explorers.

Abandoned biochemical plant in Pinggu

Trend

17

By Jiang Xubo “Biochemical plant” may just mean another place where industrial stuff happens. But, in the eyes of urban explorers, it seemed to bear a mysterious feel. It might be especially true if it happened to be crazy like Resident Evil, a Hollywood movie series and video game series with many biochemical plant scenes.

That might reveal part of the reason why an abandoned bio-chemical plant in Pinggu District established its reputation as sort of a mecca for the capital’s urban explorers. Some explorers, like Reddogg, a registered urban explorer on chinauer.com, of the Umbrella Corp – looking site. He finally mustered up enough determination and made the trip last March into the plant situated in mountains near the Xiaying Villiage, Pinggu District.

Explorers had to be nimble enough to climb over the walls before setting foot on the mysterious land. But the adventure demanded more than just a fit figure, and the trial began at the entrance to the workshops. Someone had scribbled the Chinese character zhou on the wall near the entrance, which means curse.

“Facing the character, I knew it released adrenaline in some explorers, who had arrived here before, but I ignored it. It was our turn this time,” Reddog wrote in his review posted on chinauer.com after the adventure.

Explorers had to rely on torches when they searched along the narrow passages, and the journey seemed to lead somewhere in the past. The heavy steel doors, steel locks, respiratory chamber, pools, sinks, pipelines and valves all seemed to have a story to tell. However, those sealed passages and those locked doors must have provoked much thought for who knew what was behind them.

Explorers might have enjoyed their long explorations in the darkness but returning to the world of brightness seemed extra pleasant.

Xishik

u Chu r CFP P ch hoto

Urban explorers discover a piece of heaven in the ruins at Zhushikou street.

The abandoned bio-chemical plant in Pinggu

Other targets for urban exploration The west No 6 palace of the Palace Museum The western building at No 81 on ChaoyangmenNei Dajie in Dongcheng District The office building at No130 on Chaoyangmen Nei Dajie in Dongcheng District The Fulong Temple at the Fulong Jie in Dongcheng District The Gui Jie at Dongzhimen in Dongcheng District The Wanning Bridge in Di’anmen in Xicheng District The Prince Li’s Palace at Xi’anmen in Xicheng District The 798 Art District in Chaoyang District The Huguang Gild Hall in Xuanwu District The Zhao Temple on the Fragrance Hill in Haidian District The No 52 and 53 subway stations in Shijingshan District

Photos provided by chinauer.com

Continued on page 18 ...

BEIJING TODAY

By Jiang Xubo Xishiku Church, or Salvador Church, meaning Christ Church, better known as Northern Church, was located on Xishiku Street in Xicheng District.

The three-storied church was viewed as the largest Catholic Church in the capital. The church had an elaborate grey marble facade, a tall and wide nave with side aisles, octagonal transepts and a huge sanctuary. There were many chandeliers, plus large, painted stations of the cross, old stained glass and the remains of old wall decorations.

The building

Editor: He Jianwei Designer: Zhao Yan

Xishiku Church in Xicheng District

November 23 2007

Editor: He Jianwei Designer: Zhao Yan

BEIJING TODAY

n a b r u r o f Six tips on explorati

... continued from page 17

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By He Jianwei Urban exploration has become more and more popular with the younger generation. Sammi Xing, a veteran urban explorer (UE) in Beijing and the founder of China’s largest website offered some advice for newcomers to this interest.

Required equipment “The equipment for exploration depends on the place you wish to explore, but newcomers must have the basic requirements,” Xing said.

The required equipment is as follows, a flashlight, mobile phone, compass, radio, rope, harness, binoculars, cane and a digital video or digital camera.

“Most of the places we explore are dark, so a flashlight is necessary. Some places have no signals for mobile phones, so we must have a radio to communicate with our companions,” she said.

Suitable clothing “Outdoor clothing is suitable for urban explorers,” she said, “Long pants and long sleeves are a wise choice.”

Hiking boots are necessary for people who intend to climb and jump. The clothing choices must keep you warm in winter and cool in summer.

“If you want to explore at night, you must wear clothes with phosphorous strips to make you easy for rescuers to locate if you are in danger,” Xing said.

Groups better than going solo Though some veteran explorers like going it alone, it is a little dangerous for rookies.

“The maximum number for an urban exploration group is 11 people. If you investigate more dangerous places, that number should be reduced to six for better control,” she said.

Sound body Unlike other X-games, urban exploration does not require topnotch physical fitness and is a suitable activity for all ages.

“People who are 18 to 50 and are responsible for their actions can participate in urban exploration,” she said.

“Of course, people with heart problems or other chronic diseases are not suitable,” she said.

Safety first “Before every exploration, I repeat, ‘be safe’ three times,” Xing said.

Urban exploration is a type of sports and recreational activity. “If place threatens life, I never go there. For instance, if someone wants to go into an underground sewer, you must never follow. Solo exploration is forbidden.You must have at least one or two companions with you, so that you can help each other if needed,” she said.

Share your experiences The areas for exploration always come from other explorers. “It is not easy for us to find interesting spots, so it’s important to share new targets with other explorers. Different people have their own preference for targets. Some may think one choice is boring, while others may find it interesting,” Xing said.

“Sharing exploration adventures is another delight for urban explorers,” she added.

r ipment fo Basic equ ration plo urban ex

s r e d n o w d e t r e s Six de d l r o w n r e d o of the m

Pripyat, Ukraine was abandoned following the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl.

Pripyat, Ukraine Pripyat, Ukraine was once a thriving city of 50,000, but was abandoned following the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. For a long time the amazingly preserved city, rapidly evacuated by the populace, is a virtual museum, a snapshot of the times. Pripyat has since been looted and only images and architecture remain. The site will be unfit for human habitation for hundreds of years due to nuclear fallout. However, you can tour the ruins by video.

Abandoned Castle, Siberia Tere-Hole, Siberia is a lake with a recently discovered treasure in the middle: a ruin dating back 1,500 years.

Located in a vast wilderness of lakes, this long-abandoned stronghold is 600 by 450 feet. Excavations this year may reveal ancient artifacts.

Abandoned Airports, New York New York, US, has a surprising number of abandoned airfields directly in and around the city. Given the relative density of the city and its surroundings it seems unusual that these have been left unused for so long. Each of these anomalous airfields has its own story.

Abandoned factory, Russia Promyshlennyi, Russia was abandoned with the fall of the Soviet Union, cut off from communication with and support from the government. When utilities and electricity halted, people were simply left to find work elsewhere, leaving buildings behind and many belongings in ruin.

Abandoned Village, Italy Near Genoa, Italy, is a small abandoned village. What caused people to leave such a beautiful place. Nobody is sure. To be fair, though, the ruins left behind are aesthetically compelling in their own right. The structures are remarkably intact and provocative.

Ghost towns of the American West Ghost towns of the American West are what come to mind when people think of abandoned settlements. However, there are fascinating abandoned buildings all over the world. Some of these have a clear historical reason for being deserted, while the abandonment of others remains a mystery.

Related websites for UE in China chinauer.com urbanexplore.cn sammixing.blog.sohu.com blog.sun0769.com/ user1/124/ When utilities and electricity halted, people left Promyshlennyi, Russia.

November 23 2007

Improve blood circulation to beat the cold Wei

at ave said th Experts h e th , st 50 years la e th r e v mo an body te m u h e g ra e av one has fallen ng perature o y u Many degree. ones especially , n e m o w and an setting rb u n a in have ern diet, on a mod lation poor circu developed door avily on in e h ly re d an they atter how heat. No m e biting cold , th bundle up body way their a ip n l il w . e minutes a heat in fiv h oday as Beijing T ls ir g for city few tips on on e circulati v ro p im sto tead of de s in n w o their their linging to perately c were s as if they d n ie fr y o b eater. a human h

Lift up you r legs Moving your legs is

a sim effective way to exercise in ple and Sit in front the office. of your desk but try to lif your legs ev t ery hour to im prove circulation in the feet.

Fresh air e very three hour s In

In the morning

Even after and drags yo your brain wakes up ur body ou t of bed kick ing and sc reaming, yo ur body m still be asle ay ep. “Wakin g up your bo means to m dy” ake all your capillaries kick in from nerves and their sleepi stasis. A lit ng tle morning sunshine ca make this tr n ansition a bi t easier. Sunlight is know n to stimul ate the brai so jump ou n, t of bed and enjoy.

Draw open th e cu rt ai ns when yo wake up. If u yo get any sunl ur bedroom does not ight, lamps can help.

Wear eno ugh clothes M

any young girls think to be sexy the way is to wear less – even in winter. U nfortunately , at that ag they do no e, t think ab out the pr lems it will obcause by th eir late 30 Any woman s. can fall vict blood circul im to poor ation, calle d ti body” in trad han, “cold itional Chine se medicine (TCM). Acc ording to T CM theory, air-conditio the ner is the main culpri behind auto t motive nerv es lo ability to ad just to indo sing their or and outdoor tempe ratures.

Make sure to wear en you go out. ough when Plan well w hat you will wear to fit yo ur next day’ s schedule.

Walk fast

winter, the fo rced-air heat closed windo ing and ws can leav e you feelin tired. Instea g d of plopping back in your chair after lu nch, take a 5 to 15-minute walk outside when weath er allows. If the Beijing w inds are carr ying grit and sand, stand around your desk and chat with co-wor kers about clothes, shop ping discount s and gossip .

From 1 pm to 6 pm, cont ting up and inue getmoving arou nd. Get som water to drin e k, go to the washroom or go stand in the lobby fo r some fres air. Fresh ai h r will help cl ear your min and enhance d concentratio n.

At night

h, Take a bat er the not a sinhaoww arm bath is

Soaking ur temperto raise yo easiest way le prefer op pe etimes, ature. Som e, but a nc r convenie a bath a shower fo as e iv ct fe t as ef shower is no body. A warm bath ur at heating yo muscles and make ur yo h ot so can undly. you sleep so

ed or Sleep nak table in comfor as spered to each pajam en have whi r

Wom underwea earing tight other that w the body. e ap sh lp n he at night ca t be true, no ay may or m can conWhile that r le underwea d negauncomfortab an n io at circul strict blood p. one’s slee tively affect

Drink little water before obmeucdh water in the

to work

Although w e all realize tance of ex the imporercise, few commit to amount of the time neede d each wee Since you k. will always find a excu to avoid th se e gym, try walking fast on the way er to work to metabolism boost your . If you li ve near yo office, wal ur k instead of driving taking a ca or b.

CFP Photo

Having to ood circulause poor bl body can ca uch before m o to t drink tion, so don’ om is too ro think your u yo If d. be not drink midifier. Do dry, use a hu water after a bath. ld too much co room again before th ba e th to Go for bed. y ad re getting

Editor: Gan Tian Designer: Yang Gen

Enjoy the sunshine

same positio desk all day n at your causes poor circulation and muscle ac he. Ginger te a is an effective way to warm up yo ur body and bolster your spirit.

All it takes to make a cup tea is a pack of ginger of Lipton bl ack tea and some ginger powder. Add brown sugar to enhance the flavor an d function.

Ginger tea al so speeds up the metabolism to aid in weight loss.

BEIJING TODAY

By Annie

In the Prepare office a cup of wa rm, black, ging er tea Staying in th e

Health

19

November 23 2007

Food

20

By Jackie Zhang

CFP Photo

Tangchaolizi

Chestnuts, called lizi in Chinese, are a traditional winter snack in Beijing. When I was a child, my father would purchase tangchaolizi, peel off the shells and give them to me.

In Beijing, the chestnuts harvested in Huairou District are quite delicious and popular.

However, the chestnuts are available from other sources are equally delicious. To taste the most tantalizing tangchaolizi, you may have to wait in line for an hour or more.

Chestnuts stir-fried with sugar – a traditional winter treat Chongwen District

Xuanwu District

Where to buy

BEIJING TODAY

Editor: Gan Tian Designer: Yang Gen

Chaoyang District Xiaojie Lizi Store Although the store is small, for 12 years it has drawn daily visitors eager to sample its scrumptious chestnuts. The old owner usually gives buyers a bit extra for their money, and has a pool of loyal customers.

It opens at 8 am and closes at 9 pm, turning out a fresh pot of chestnuts every 40 minutes, a total of seven big sacks every day.

All the store’s chestnuts are sent in from Huairou District. The shells peel off easily. The current master chef has been cooking chestnuts for 18 years, and knows every measure and the second to add sugar all by memory.

Where: West of Chaoyangmen Beixiaojie Nan Kou, Chaoyang District Open: 8 am – 9 pm Cost: big chestnuts, 20 yuan per kilogram; small ones, 16 yuan per kilogram Limanqiu Store Limanqiu store is famous in and around the Liufang community for its dry salted chestnuts. The chestnuts, both big and small, are 20 yuan per kilogram. If you buy a kilogram, the store will give an extra 37 grams. There are usually separate queues for buying chestnuts and melon seeds and peanuts, so don’t wait in the wrong line.

The head cook said the store changes the temperature of the fire while the chestnuts fry. The result is a drier and sweeter nut than found in other stores.

Where: First floor of Yanfeng Shopping Center, Liufang Bei Jie, Chaoyang District Open: 8:15 am – 9:40 pm Cost: 20 yuan per kilogram

Xiaoye Lizi Store The chestnuts in Xiaoye Lizi store are sorted by where there were harvested. None sold come from Huairou District, so the ones from Qianxi, Hebei Province, are the best in this store. Chestnuts harvested in Qianxi are mainly exported to Japan and South Korea. The hulls are thin, and the kernels contain plenty of sugar.

The two pots used for frying chestnuts are automatic. A fresh pot is ready every 20 minutes. During winter times, the store runs both pots in tandem.

About 500 kilograms are sold each day.

The store is large, and aside from peak hours, there is no wait. A new branch store newly opened recently just opposite Shinkong-Place at Dawang Lu in Chaoyang District.

Where: 56, Changchunjie, Xuanwu District Open: 7 am – 11 pm Cost: 20 yuan per kilogram

Wanglaotou Lizi Store If you want to taste Wanglaotou’s chestnuts, you will have to wait at least 20 minutes – possibly an hour.

The current owner is the third generation in his family in the chestnut business. Every autumn – from the end of September to early October – he stays in Huairou for the chestnut harvest. The chestnuts are transported to the capital and picked through again by six girls to remove all the bad ones.

“To fry tasty chestnuts, it’s not how long you fry them and how much sugar to add. First, you need to select high-quality chestnuts. The rest is experience,” the owner said.

Where: Near the bus stop at the east side of the northwest exit of Yuting Bridge, Chongwen District Open: 7:30 am – 8:30 pm Cost: big, 20 yuan per kilogram; medium, 19 yuan per kilogram; small, 16 yuan per kilogram

Dongcheng District Jinlisheng Store The chestnuts sold in Jinlisheng are comparatively small. They are selected in and transported from Zunhua, Hebei Province.

The paper bags used to store the chestnuts are designed with several small holes in the bottom to let out the heat and prevent the chestnuts from getting soft and soggy.

The sauteed ginkgo biloba sold in the store, used in Chinese medicine to reduce inner heat, are also popular.

Where: Northeast corning of Zhangzizhong Lu crossing Open: 8:30 am – 10 pm Cost: 20 yuan per kilogram

History of Tangchaolizi

Photo by Lu Jiazuo

Chestnuts originate in China. Each year, chestnuts begin appearing on the market around Mid-Autumn Festival. The ripe chestnuts fall from the trees, still green and looking like a hedgehog. Peeling away the outer skin reveals a group of five to six chestnuts. Chestnuts can be cooked a variety of ways – boiled, fried, braised or baked -- but stir frying with sugar is the most popular.

An ancient story recorded in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) poet Lu You’s essay tells of a possible origin for tangchaolizi.

Chen and Qian were two messengers sent by the Southern Song Dynasty to the north of the China, then controlled by the Liao (926-947), on a diplomatic mission. Two men who claimed they were sons of a businessman called Li He in Beijing, gave the two messengers ten bags of tangchaolizi. The gift of lizi to the messengers symbolized the desire of the locals to reunite the country.

Continued on page 21...

November 23 2007

How to make Tangcha Tang chaolizi olizi

DIY your own chestnuts

By Gan Tian

If all of these cannot satiate your chestnut cravings, try my grandma’s secret recipe for tangchaolizi. Do not forget to share your own recipes if you enjoy it.

Food

21

... continued from page 20

Braised pork w

ith chestnuts Ingredients 1 oven-ready po rk roast, about 6 pounds 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon fre shly ground bl ack pepper 2 onions, coarse ly sliced (about 1 cup) 1 pound peeled ches 3 rutabagas (som tnuts et imes called yello nips), about 3 w turpounds 6 cups water Process Sprinkle the m eat with the salt and pepper.

Add 1/2 cup of water and plac e on medium heat. Cook cove red for 15 min utes. Uncover the meat and continue cook ing until all th liquid has evap e orated and the meat starts to brown. Brown for 12 minutes , then add the onions, 5 cups water, and cove r and cook on medium heat fo r one hour. Ad d the chestnuts and cook cove red for anothe r hour. Finally add the rutaba , gas, another cu p of water and cook another 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepp er and serve when the liqui evaporates com d pletely.

Ingredients Chestnuts Salt Sugar The amount of salt used must equal the amount of chestnuts. If you want to make a kilogram of tangchaolizi, you will need a kilogram salt. Only one spoonful of sugar is needed.

Process Clean the chestnuts and use a sharp knife to notch their skins. The notch should be 5 millimeters deep and 3 centimeters long. Do not be lazy, this is very important.

Clean the chestnuts and soak them in the cold water for ten minutes. Dry them.

Dry the pan. Pour all the salt in with the dried chestnuts at the same time. This must be done before heating the salt.

Stir-fry them slowly. Be careful to evenly heat the chestnuts, otherwise some will end up charred or raw.

After a few minutes you should notice the chestnuts expand. Stir faster.

When the salt turns dark, add a spoonful of sugar. Make sure it is added slowly so that all the chestnuts come in contact with the sugar.

As the salt gets tacky and darken, continue to stir faster and faster to prevent burning.

When it loses its stickiness, turn off the flame and cover the pan. The chestnuts will be ready to serve.

Shelling these nuts is extremely easy because of the small cut in them. The cut also allows salt to penetrate the shell and flavor the nut.

However, there are some tips you should bear in mind when cooking this dish: Chestnuts can explode! They are dangerous!

Cutting notches into each chestnut can help prevent them from exploding.

Adding sugar is an optional step. Some people like the nuts with sugar, and some like them without.

The salt can be reused. You can mix it with new salt in the next batch if it solidifies.

During the process, the salt reaches extremely high temperatures. Be careful not to get burned.

Chestnut

r

ice Ingredien ts 12 ounces of ch 3 cups white estnuts or brown ri ce 3 and 1/2 cu ps water fo r white rice 1 teaspoon sea 2 tablespoo salt n of mirin nese alcoh , a sweet Ja ol paProcess Spread the chestnuts sheet and ro out on a co ast in oven okie for 40 min a sharp knif utes. Use e to remove the chestnut Wash the ri shel ce and add and mirin the water, se ls. in a pot or a salt ri ce cooker. shelled ches Add the tnuts, cove r an utes for whi te rice or 45 d cook 15 minbrown rice to 50 minut . Let it sit es for for 10 to 15 With a woo minutes. den spoon, mix and fluf rice, and th f up the en serve im mediately.

BEIJING TODAY

CFP Photo

ients Ingred milk ps u 1 1/4 c s sugar p u c 4 / 1 2 utter poons b 3 tables ark rum d 1/2 cup icotta cheese ts r d n u o hestnu el 1p ounds c died lemon pe p 2 / 1 n a c 1 and d e chopp e sugar 1/4 cup cup of th 4 s / s 1 e d c n Pro ilk a ed. e the m dissolv over Combin l the sugar is cepan u a s l ti e n ing te u s t in a s a e s and h stainle utter, the rem p of e g r la u b In a ine the um and one c ed. r t, comb issolv low hea of sugar, the gar is d , ps l the su in the ricotta ti n u two cu t a r e ti b e s n th d e n th in ta water, eel. Mix the hea e from ndied lemon p Remov a c ts and p into chestnu r mixture. er, scoo dy. m mak ga a a u e e r r -s c k is e il m to an ic when it Place in t immediately nd ea bowls a

Editor: Gan Tian Designer: Yang Gen

cream nd ice a t u n Chest

BEIJING TODAY

Advertisement

November 23 2007

22

November 23 2007

This column focuses on Chinglish mistakes in our daily life. If you have any experiences to share, send them to Gan Tian at gantian@ynet.com.

Embarrassing English used in Latte Town

This column aims to identify Chinglish in public areas. If you see any Chinglish signs, please take a picture and send it to gantian@ynet.com together with your name and address.

CFP Photo

I knew that intercourse literally meant the mating ritual, so I quickly messaged a nativeEnglish speaking friend, who is also a teacher of English, to ask “Does intercourse mean communication as well?”

My friend replied, “Only in

certain diplomatic circles.

Why? Did someone try to hit on you?”

No one tried to hit on me.

I was just struck by this stupid and bad translation.

When I went back to the office, I sent the project mag-

azine an email, to say that the word they used was probably not appropriate and suggested that maybe an alternative word like communication would bring less embarrassment.

But, I never received their feedback or any thank-you letter.

Blacklist Beijing Today has come up with Blacklist, a new column of words or phrases commonly misused by Chinese speakers. If you’re planning to be an English teacher, reporter or employee of a multinational company, then this page is your new best friend. Watch it for each week.

Local professor: Zhu Shida 1. John is hard to define as a particular type of artist.

This is typical Chinese English. The writer is thinking in a Chinese idmatically, you have to say: It is hard to define John as a particular type of artist.

Can you see the mistake?

2. Adults are more initiative.

The word “initiative” is a

noun though it does look like an adjective. There are several ways to say this. “Adults have greater initiative,” or “Adults are more initiativedriven,” or “Adults are more initiative-oriented.”

3. Disable people It should be “disabled people.” It means people who are deprived of ability or power.

The noun form is disability. For instance, deafness would be a disability for musicians.

Native Speaker: Joe Edwards 1. John is hard to define as a particular type of artist Let’s help John find his identity. To make this statement clearer, we must cozy John up to the verb, “to define,” and have the sentence read, “It is hard to define John as a particular type of artist.”

2. Adults are more initiative Maybe, but not in this gram-

matically-challenged sentence.

“Initiative” is a tricky little noun that can easily be mistaken for an adjective. Like Britney Spears being easily mistaken for a singer.

This statement can be corrected in several ways. How about, “Adults have more initiative” or “Adults show more initiative.”

3. Disable people Say “disabled people.” If you “disable people,” it means you are actually doing something to disable someone. Not nice. Shame on you!

By Derrick Sobodash When modern historians want to study the problems in an ancient society, they look at old legal codes. When foreigners want to learn about the problems in a country they are visiting, they look at public notices.

It’s unfortunate that the district government decided to place this sign by Houhai. While the first parts, which forbid fishing and dumping waste, make perfect sense and would be found near any publicly-accessible body of water, the last one is a bit odd.

“No Raise of Poultries.”

It would be better to say “No raising poultry,” rather than attempting to create an awkward plural. The verb form needs to be active here. One would say “No fishing,” not “No catch of fish.”

More disturbing here is why there needs to be such a sign at a high-traffic lake.

Does the municipal government really expect Zhang Average to show up in the middle of the night with his truck of ducks and netting, rope himself off a section of Houhai and set to work becoming Quanjude’s new supplier? Probably not.

It could be argued the sign is up so that, in the off event someone does this, the police can point out it is forbidden.

However, if one were to make signs for every possible event not allowed in the Houhai area, there would be “No firing rocket-propelled grenades into the hutongs,” “No hiring xiaojie” and “No riding a war chariot while pulled by a team of camels.”

A sign like this makes the area look very backward. A foreigner will read it and wonder, Do they mean no feeding ducks?

They can’t be suggesting farmers are hiding down every alley, biding their time until they can set up their new poultry nets.

Unless it really is a problem, this sign may be better off without the last notice, or at least without a corresponding English translation.

Editor: Gan Tian Designer: Yang Gen

Raising poultry

BEIJING TODAY

By Annie Wei Four years ago when I moved to Beijing, I started working as a contributor for a “high-end” magazine to survive.

My boss, Mr Zhang, an ambitious young man in his early twenties, made his first bag of gold in real estate advertising. He believed in the media power of affluence and adored anyone who looked successful or was from a good school.

Zhang’s magazine mainly served real estate developers. So part of my job was to write stories about real estate projects.

One day, Zhang asked me to write something for a project called “Latte Town.” Sporting foreign names was a trend in Beijing’s real estate market at that time, such as Palms Springs, Park Avenue, the Central Park, the Upper East Side and Season’s Park.

Latte Town was outside of the south Fifth Ring Road and it took over two hours to get there by bus. It was the first and only time that I had visited the southern part of Beijing and I fell asleep in transit.

I arrived and I found it was a lovely, well-built compound.

Although the project manager was upset to learn I was from an unknown magazine that had the same name as a famous column from a well-known newspaper, he still showed me around and offered me lunch.

“It was designed for young couples who make over 15,000 yuan income per month,” he said.

In 2004 real estate was much cheaper than it is now.

But I was shocked when I left Latte Town. I saw a slogan in English on a sculpture at the entrance that had been translated poorly from Chinese.

The Chinese said that Latte Town was something, something and communication or communicative. But the English translation came out as, Latte Town was something, something and “intercourse!”

Photo by Derrick Sobodash

Chinglish

23

Chinglish story

November 23 2007

24

Weekend

Stage in December Music

Friday, November 23

Exhibition Paolo Gioli – Thirty 50 by 60 Polaroids and Five Films

light on the best of Asia’s emerging artistic talents.

Where: Tokyo Gallery, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang When: Daily 10:30 am – 5:30 pm, until December 9 Admission: Free Tel: 8457 3245

Music

BEIJING TODAY

Editor: Qiu Jiaoning Designer: Zhao Yan

This is the first solo exhibition in China of the distinguished Italian experimental photographer and filmmaker Paolo Gioli. The exhibition consists of a selection of approximately 30 works on Polaroid 50 by 60 centimeters, ranging from the early ‘80s to today and a selection of his experimental films.

Where: OffiCina, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang When: Daily 10:30 am – 7:00 pm, until January 27 Admission: Free Tel: 6436 1191 Works in Progress – BTAP 5th Anniversary Exhibition

Works in Progress is a large scale group exhibition that puts the spot-

Made in Ningxia The show features the Nucleus Band, the Easy Going Band and the Buyi Band.

Where: 2 Kolegas Bar, inside the drive-in movie theater park, 21 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang When: 10 pm Admission: Free Tel: 8196 4820

Movie

Lost in Beijing

Lost in Beijing is a film about how people feel lost in chaotic and uncertain modern Beijing. The story revolves around a girl and two couples.

Where: Cherry Lane Movies, inside Kent Center, Anjialou, Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang When: 8 pm Admission: 50 yuan Tel: 139 0113 4745

Saturday, November 24 Exhibition

Outdoor

Times Tag – Liao Zhenwu Solo Exhibition Where: China Visual Arts Center, Zone D, 1 Art Area, Hegezhuang, Cuigezhuang, Chaoyang When: Tue-Sun 9:30 am – 6:30 pm, until December 10 Admission: Free Tel: 6432 6755 Bai Nanzhun Solo Exhibition Bai Nanzhun is the quintessential Fluxus artist. He was a central member of the most important avant-gardes after 1945: the musical avantgarde, cinematic avantgarde, action avant-garde and media avant-garde.

The underlying thread connecting all these activities is the theme here using analogue and digital technology.

Where: DoART Gallery, 261 Caochangdi, Changyang When: Tue-Sun 10 am – 6 pm, until December 2 Admission: Free Tel: 8457 4550, 8477 5158 Neo-Nirvana – Contemporary Interpretations of Buddhism Where: Red Gate Gallery, Dongbianmen Watchtower, Chongwen When: Daily 10 am – 5 pm, until December 16 Admission: Free Tel: 6525 1005

Tour: Writer Lu Xun’s Museum Lu Xun (1881-1936) is regarded as the father of modern Chinese literature. He is a writer and thinker. Get with the extraordinary life of this intellectual and revolutionary.

When: 2 pm – 5 pm Cost: 100 yuan (pay at the door) Tel: 6432 9341, 6432 1041 (Registration at Chinese Culture Club is essential)

Drama

Musical Jin Sha Who: Directed by San Bao Where: Poly Theater, 14 Dongzhimen Nan Dajie, Chaoyang When: 7:30 pm, December 28-29 Admission: 80-880 yuan

Dance

Sunday, November 25 Exhibition The Colorful Chain from the Snow Land – Tibet Contemporary Art Exhibition

until December 2 Admission: Free Tel: 6737 0977 Wang Jimin Oil Paiting Solo Exhibition

Wang Guangle Solo Exhibition Where: Aye Gallery, Room 601, Building 3, Yonghe Garden 2, 3 Dong Binhe Lu, Andingmen, Dongcheng When: Tue-Sun 10 am – 6 pm, until January 31 Admission: Free Tel: 8422 1726

Movie

Where: Creation Art Gallery, 22-23 Guanyintang Art Avenue, Wangsiying, Chaoyang When: Daily 10 am – 7 pm,

Where: Art Gallery of Central Fine Arts Academy, Shuaifuyuan Hutong, Dongcheng When: Daily 9 am – 4:30 pm, until November 25 Admission: 5 yuan Tel: 6527 7991

L’Esquive (Games of Love and Chance) Krimo schemes his way into acting in a play in order to get closer to Lydia, the lead actress, whom he loves. This is not your typical high-school comedy, but a reality-based romance set in the housing complexes that surround Paris. The inhabitants are mostly disadvantaged North

Groove Coverage Beijing Concert Who: Groove Coverage Where: Beijing Exhibition Theater, 135 Xizhimen Wai Dajie, Xicheng When: 7:30 pm, December 2 Admission: 180-880 yuan Handel Messiah by International Festival Chorus Who: International Festival Chorus and Martin Ennis Where: Zhongshan Music Hall, inside Zhongshan Park, Dongcheng When: 7:30 pm, December 8 Admission: 80-320 yuan Richard Clayderman & Guoyue Tianjiao New Year Piano Concert Who: Richard Clayderman Where: Great Hall of the People, on the west side of Tiananmen Square, Xicheng When: 7:30 pm, December 27 Admission: 180-1,680 yuan New Year Concert: From Barcelona To Beijing Who: The Principado De Asturias Symphony Orchestra Where: Poly Theater, 14 Dongzhimen Nan Dajie, Chaoyang When: 7: 30 pm, December 30-31 Admission: 80-2,008 yuan

Africans and the play is an 18thcentury comedy whose language is as far from French slang as Shakespeare is from rap.

Where: French Culture Center, 1/F, Guangcai International Mansion, 18 Gongti Xi Lu, Chaoyang When: 5 pm Admission: 10-20 yuan Tel: 6553 2627

Moscow Theater Ballet Troupe China Tour Who: Moscow Theater Ballet Troupe Where: Minorities Cultural Palace Theater, 49 Fuxingmen Nei Dajie, Xicheng When: 7:30pm, December 21-24 Admission: 80-880 yuan Tap Dance Christmas Shoes Who: Chicago American Stamp Champion Team Where: Beijing Exhibition Theater, 135 Xizhimen Wai Dajie, Xicheng When: 7:30 pm, December 21-23 Admission: 80-1,280 yuan Madame Butterfly by Northern Ballet Theater Who: Northern Ballet Theater (UK) Where: Poly Theater, 14 Dongzhimen Nan Dajie, Chaoyang When: 7:30 pm, December 21-23 Admission: 120-1,680 yuan (By Li Jing)