Urban Blurbs

The big news of the last month was of course the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which first came to the attention of the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019, after a number of suspected pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. One week later, the mystery illness was confirmed to be a new strain of coronavirus, the same family of diseases as severe accute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Wuhan, a city of over 10 million people, went into lockdown on January 23, in order to curb the spread of the virus. It was also announced that the Chinese New Year holiday would be extended in order to contain the spread of the respiratory disease. After the WHO declared the virus a global health emergency, at least 73 airlines canceled flights to China, while several countries temporarily shut their borders to travelers from China. Venues across the country closed and several events were also canceled as the country went into quarantine amid coronavirus fears. For the latest of the coronavirus outbreak, scan the QR code.

Disney Updates Prices

Admission prices to Shanghai Disney Resort will be restructured starting on June 6. The new pricing system will have four levels. Regular tickets for non-peak days, mostly in fall and winter, will cost RMB399 (USD57) – the same as the current price. The price for most days in spring and some weekends will soon be RMB499. Major peak periods will also see a slight hike in price. Tickets for most peak summer days and some holidays and weekends will cost RMB599. And finally, official Chinese holidays and major international celebrations and events will put visitors back RMB699.

Minors Banned from Arcades

China has banned minors from video game arcades, according to new guidelines released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Effective since January 1, entertainment venues are prohibited from providing gaming-related services to anyone under the age of 18, except on public holidays. Domestic establishments will also be forbidden from operating gaming equipment that promotes gambling, such as slot machines.

Paperless Train Tickets

Good news for frequent train travelers in China: You no longer need paper tickets at select train stations across the country! High-speed train stations are beginning to eliminate paper tickets as China’s massive railway network transfers to a digital ticketing system. The new e-ticket exclusive program was launched at nearly 100 stations around the Yangtze River Delta in December. Electronic ticketing service is also being offered at select intercity lines. The paperless system is currently being piloted and will gradually be rolled out nationwide. The new system will no doubt save tons of time when you’re on a tight schedule and can’t afford to wait in the ticket pickup line. Likewise, it cuts down on problems created by losing or forgetting your ticket.

Foreign Textbook Ban

Textbooks imported from foreign countries will be banned at primary and middle schools across China, according to new regulations issued by the Ministry of Education in January. Under the new regulations, primary and middle schools, as well as vocational institutions, must use the country’s unified teaching materials for Chinese language, history and politics. Notably, the new regulations exclude international high schools, international programs at local high schools, universities and secondary vocational schools. While these schools will be allowed to use overseas teaching materials, they’ll still be encouraged to include textbooks from Chinese publishers in their curriculums.

Online Gaming Curfews for Minors

Ninety minutes... that’s the newly allotted time that minors have to play online games on weekdays after China announced a gaming curfew earlier this month. Beijing’s guidelines will apply for all online gaming platforms operating in China, including the country’s biggest game providers – Tencent Games and Netease Games. The new rules target gamers under 18 years old, restricting them from playing online games between 10pm and 8am. Minors will be allowed to play for up to 90 minutes on weekdays and no more than three hours on weekends. In total, six measures were outlined that aim to deter kids from ‘over gaming,’ including authenticated registration for online gamers, time limits for online gaming as well as a limit on in-game purchases (depending on the minor’s age).

Illegal Schoolbus Crackdown

China is cracking down on illegal school buses. At the end of 2019, the Ministry of Education announced that it will impose more severe punishments on anyone operating illegal school buses around the country. The move comes after a slew of accidents involving dangerously overcrowded school buses in the country, many of which were fatal. Departments of public security and traffic management are in charge of making more safety checks and patrolling major roads, especially during peak hours. Schools are also responsible for educating both students and parents about road and traffic safety and the risks of taking overcrowded illegal buses.

Smoking is Decreasing in China

Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the world, and China, the world’s largest tobacco products producer and consumer, is a country with a large portion of the population using the highly addictive substance. But on the bright side, smokers in the PRC have been on the decline in recent years. Shanghai recorded 19.9% of residents were smokers in 2018, a 0.3% decrease compared with 2017. Male and female smokers in the municipality accounted for 37.9% and 0.8%, respectively. An ongoing smoking-control campaign in Shanghai aims to reduce its cigarette-smoking population to below 18% by 2030.

Chinese People Spend Almost 2 Days a Week on Their Mobile Phones

Take a ride on any bus or subway in China and you’ll see a large portion of commuters’ heads buried in their smartphones. A recent report published by research firm QuestMobile revealed that Chinese mobile users spent, on average, 6.2 hours a day online on their mobile devices –over 43 hours a week! Data was compiled from the beginning of 2019 to the end of November, and showed an 11.3% increase from the same period in 2018. App usage was also up this past year, with the average number of apps used per month increasing from 21.3 in 2018 to 23.6 in 2019.