Beijing Today (January 7, 2005)

10.1 MB·English

by  Beijing Youth Daily Group

Xing’s lofty ideals cost him every cent Mountain streams, rocky cliffs, A Glimpse of the Western Xia Dynasty
he made and left him bankrupt. waterfalls, ancient villages and trees creates a vivid picture of this mysterious
Page 9 combine to create a harmonious dynasty and its people. Page 10
picture of heavenly beauty. Page 16
FRIDAY JANUARY 7 2005 NO. 188 CN11-0120 HTTP://BJTODAY.YNET.COM
Addressing a Confusing Issue
City’s building number system ready for overhaul
clearly presented, to easily guide
By Annie Wei / Pan Hao
people to their various destina-
Sometimes, an address is
tions, Huang said. In a city with
just not enough. Anyone
a well designed address system,
who has lived in Beijing for
a child should be able to give
long is most likely familiar with
clear directions on how to get to
the frustration of trying to give,
a specifi c place.
or follow, directions to get some-
“A scientifi c system of build-
where that really should be easy
ing numbering can enhance the
to fi nd.
geographic information system,”
Taxi meters tick over and time
Huang added, “Places and loca-
is wasted ... and why is A so often
tions are more easily identifi ed,
not next to B!
and people are better connected.
The construction boom in
It is not just a question of
Beijing, while streamlining many
modern lifestyle, but also a kind
streetscapes, has added to the
of humanism, Huang said. Re-
mess somewhat, with new streets
cently, a client from the US asked
appearing and old ones vanish-
him to design some door and
ing on an almost daily basis.
Taiping Tianguo era door house plaques for the US mar-
Factor in the issue of damaged, plaque from Lishui Museum,
ket. Huang found that the Dis-
unclear, out of date or even miss- Zhejiang Province.
abilities Act in the US requires
ing address signs on many older
What’s in house plaques to include braille.
buildings, and you have recipe
“I was very impressed at how de-
for confusion.
an address? tailed and carefully considered
“You invite your friends to
the regulations in the US have
come to your house-warming par-
Some streets have gone been made. The door plaque has
ty, but you have to give direc-
through several name to be installed at viewing height,
tions like, ‘Ask the cab driver to
changes over the years, and the braille is a little lower,
take you to the Kentucky Fried
sometimes because of the for the benefi t of people who are
Chicken in XX street. Send me a
changing political confi ned to a wheelchair.”
message when you get there and
situation, sometimes Huang has several ideas
I’ll come to collect you!’” Gabriel
because of changing about how to improve Beijing’s
Warren, an American employee
sensitivities. Gangmian address signage. “I hope the gov-
of Lenovo Info said to Beijing
Hutong was renamed ernment can invite some experts
Today, “You might end up com-
Weixing Street during the to join in the discussion on im-
ing down seven times in chilly
Cultural Revolution, and proving the system, from the
weather like today, because your
then later reverted to its planning of building addresses
apartment building 10 is next to
original name. Yabao Lu, to the design and production of
building 1, not building 9.”
used to be called Yaba address signs.”
An article posted on the
(mute) Hutong, and Piku Some cities in China have al-
Beijing government’s offi cial web-
Hutong once was Pigu ready taken steps to improve the
site announced that the Public
(bottom) Hutong. These situation. According to an arti-
Security Bureau started the task
street names, given by cle on People.com in April last
of reviewing building address
residents, date back year, Changchun, the capital of
plaques throughout the city on
centuries. They were Jilin Province had begun updat-
January 1 this year. Any resi-
changed to a more polite ing its house numbering system.
dent can apply for a brand new
form based on their The new system takes the end
plaque, which will at least help
pronunciation. of a street as its starting point,
solve the problem of missing or
House plaques in China and the number of the house
damaged signs.
can be traced back to is the distance between it and
Since the founding of the PRC,
Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368). the start of the street. For exam-
the Beijing government has re-
During the Taiping ple, Jilin Forestry Survey, De-
vised the city’s address plaque
Rebellion (1851 to 1864), sign and Research Institute’s
system on numerous occasions. A
yellow paper door plaques number is 4,756 Renmin Dajie,
survey in 1962 found there were
listed the names of the which means the institute is
220,000 such plaques in Beijing
family members and the 4,567 meters from the starting
Municipality, 3,000 of which were
building’s address. point of Renmin Dajie. The ar-
within the urban area.
ticle said that the renumbering
In 1965, along with many The implementation of a new address plaque system will require a considerable amount of work and coopera-
was due to be completed by the
streets being renamed to refl ect tion between numerous government departments. Photos by Li Shuzhuan
end of last year.
the anti-feudalism sentiments of
Research is underway in
the day, the fi rst name plaque ters and Pinyin used to meet the appropriate building addresses
Beijing to implement a better ad-
regulation was issued. Accord- needs of the increasing number seem simple: the management of
dress system. The new system
ing to this regulation, address of foreign tourists. household registration, the post-
should be sustainable and re-
plaques should be 14.8 by 8.4 Liang Congjie, president of lo- al system, and need for fi re,
quire fewer revisions as new
centimeters, with white char- cal environmental NGO Friends ambulance or other emergency
buildings are constructed. It
acters written on a red back- of Nature, told Beijing Today vehicles to be able to quickly fi nd
should also make it easier for
ground, replacing the earlier that he even found it diffi cult a given address. However there
emergency services, postal work-
version which used white char- to fi nd his own home in Ganmi- are other, less obvious reasons.
ers and others to locate individu-
acters on blue. Street number- an Hutong after some old hous- The inconvenience might deter
al addresses.
ing was supposed to run from es were demolished and replaced people from visiting parts of the
However implementing
east to west and north to south, by a high-rise apartment block. city they are not familiar with.
change is easier said than done.
and single and double numbers “The familiar guide is gone. Even With a simple, easily under-
The municipal design committee
were to be used to identify dif- I missed my home sometimes,” stood address, a business need
is only in charge of the names of
ferent sides of the street. he said. not waste advertising space with
an area, location, street or alley,
Many street names were Regarding the dramatic trans- maps detailing how to get to
while building and apartment
changed during the Cultural Rev- formation Beijing has been un- the store. Also, a clear address
numbers are under the jurisdic-
olution, for instance, Dongjiao- dergoing these past several years, system is a requirement for a
tion of local police departments.
min Xiang became Fandi Lu, and Liang said it was vital to com- modern lifestyle, which utilizes
Another issue is that there
Huangchenggen was renamed plete the process of the ur- modern supply and delivery by
are no specifi c laws governing
Lixui Beilu. In 1972 , 377 hutongs banization by giving the right retail businesses.
how addresses are designated.
(lanes) offi cially reverted to their identifi cation to a building. “Per- Huang Xing is the manager of
For example some new buildings
original names. Two years later, sonally I’d prefer the old street, Beijing Signosign Culture Devel-
are numbered by the real estate
50,000 damaged house number building and hutong retain the opment. His company provides
developers instead of by the local
and door plaques were replaced. same name, provided that they new concepts and designs for cor-
government department.
In 1980, the current system retain the same overall appear- poration’s identifi cation signage.
Solving the problem will re-
of identifying buildings with ance. However if they are com- Huang told Beijing Today he be-
quire cooperation between sever-
numbered plaques was es- pletely replaced by something lieves Beijing’s building signage
al government departments, and
tablished. The government new, then it is not necessary to is backward compared with that
is likely to take many years to
launched the door and building keep the old name. The key func- of many other countries, both in
complete.
plaque system to further devel- tion of the street and house num- terms of house address planning,
op the house number system. A ber plaque is to guide people to and building and apartment ad-
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: JIAN RONG
universal building plaque was fi nd the place they are seeking,” dress signs.
EDITOR: HOU MINGXIN
specifi ed as 60 by 110 centime- he said. Identifi cation signage should
ters, with both Chinese charac- The basic reasons to have contain suffi cient information, DESIGNER: PANG LEI
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 of the Editorial Department: Liu Feng 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)
6590-2525 E-mail: [email protected] Hotline for subscription with Red Cap Company: [phone] Overseas Code Number: D1545 Overseas Distribution Agent: China International Book Trading Corporation
TRENDS
2
JANUARY 7, 2005
E-mail:[email protected] EDITOR: HOU MINGXIN DESIGNER: PANG LEI
Tsunami Aid Donation Information
Red Cross Society of China
Donation Hotline: 6513 USD Account:
9999 Account name: Red Cross
Add: 8 Beixinqiao santiao, Society of China
Dongcheng District, Beijing Account No: 7112 1114
100007, China 8260 0000 209
Tel: [phone] Bank: Citic Industrial Bank
Fax: [phone] Jiuxianqiao Subbranch
E-mail: Postal Remittance
[email protected] Payee: Red Cross Society
Website: of China
www.redcross.org.cn Address: 8 Beixinqiao San-
Bank Transfer tiao, Dongcheng District,
RMB Account: Beijing 100007, China
Account name: Red Cross Direct Donation
Society of China To donate money:
Account No: 0200 0010 Please send the money to
0901 4413 252 Red Cross Society of China
Bank: Industrial and or its branches, and provide
Commercial Bank of China, your name and address so
Beijing branch, Dongsinan that the receipt can be mailed
sub-branch to you.
China Charity Federation
Donation Hotlines: Foreign Exchange
6608 3191, 6608 3260, 6608 Account
3264, 6608 3194 Account name: China
Website: Charity Federation
www.chinacharity.cn Account No: 0091 4908
Bank Transfer 0910 14
RMB Account: Bank: Bank of China Head
Account name: China Offi ce Banking Department
Charity Federation Postal Remittance
Medical staff at the Beijing Hospital of Gynecology and Obstetrics deliver a baby boy named Zhang Yichi yesterday, designated China’s 1.3 billionth citizen. Account No: 0200 0028 Payee: China Charity Fed-
Xinhua Photo 0901 4450 409 eration
China’s Population Hits 1.3 Billion Bank: Industrial and Address: F7 Xinlong
Commercial Bank of China Building, A33 Erlong Road,
Beijing Branch Xisi Sub- Xicheng District, Beijing
branch 100032, China
Inquiry Hotlines at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
By Qiu Jiaoning/Zhou Ying from 14.39 per thousand to 6.01 people annually to reach a peak with 1.06 billion; the United
The population of China has in the same period, however, of 1.46 billion in the mid-2030s, States, with 291 million; Indone- The Department of Con- Chinese Embassy in Ban-
sular Affairs: gladesh: 0088-01 8921 2903,
reached 1.3 billion accord- China will encounter new and population experts predicted as sia, with 214 million; and Brazil,
010-6596 3511 0088-01 8925 1518
ing to an announcement severe challenges with its popu- quoted by Xinhua last year. with 177 million people, Reuters
00669-7700836 Chinese Embassy in Sri
by the National Bureau of Sta- lation hitting 1.3 billion, an offi - At the end of 2003, the total reported Tuesday.
00661-8214771 Lanka: 009411-268 8610,
tistics yesterday. cial from the State Commission world population stood at 6.27 The population of Hong
00661-9840658 009411-268 8611
The birthrate has dropped for Population and Family Plan- billion people, according to the Kong, Macau and Taiwan, which
Chinese Embassy in Chinese Embassy in
from 21.06 per thousand in 1990 ning told Xinhua Monday. World Bank. With 1.29 billion are also Chinese territory, are
India: 0091-98 1126 8632 Myanmar: 00951-221926
to 12.41 in 2003 and the popula- China’s population is expected people, China had the biggest not included in the latest popu-
Chinese Embassy in Indo- (Day), 00951-221280 (Night)
tion growth rate has decreased to increase by about 10 million population, followed by India, lation figures.
nesia: 0062-81 181 2344 (Xu Chuanmei)
International Recognition Spreads for
Beijing to Franchise Regulation Issued
Traditional Medicine
By Qiu Jiaoning traditional Chinese medi-
Issue Food By Nie Zhiyang Commerce spokesperson, com- by the franchisors be made The State Administration cine. Under the agreement,
The Ministry of Commerce mercial franchising is embodied available by the franchisee on of Traditional Chinese Med- foreign educational institu-
issued new rules on commercial in the form of a contract signed demand. icine (SATCM) and Ministry tions can arrange courses,
Safety Index franchising last Friday, which by the two sides, under which In addition, domestic compa- of Health have signed coop- graduates of which will
gives a clear legal defi nition the franchisors are authorized nies involved in such activities eration agreements on tra- receive formal academic cre-
on fi rms bearing the names of to grant certain privileges such should register for the record, ditional Chinese medicine dentials. In addition, herb-
other enterprises’ brands from as the use of trademarks, trad- while their international coun- with a further six countries, alist doctors are qualifi ed
By Xu Chuanmei
home and abroad. The regula- ing companies and operation terparts or affi liated companies China Radio International to apply to local medical
The Beijing government will tion, which will take effect from patterns and within its juris- in China should provide proof reported Wednesday. administrations for a permit
release a Food Safety Index February 1, requires franchisors diction in return for payment of of at least two successfully run The six countries are Italy, to practice medicine in those
this year. The measure is aimed to submit franchise agreements a fi xed fee. affi liates outside China. Ireland, Mongolia, Croatia, countries.
at evaluating risks involved and other relevant documents to The franchise regulation Apart from these procedural Norway and Egypt. To date, a An offi cial from SATCM
in the food markets of Bei- local authorities for the record also requires that information requirements, foreign inves- total of 67 countries have offi - said that traditional Chinese
jing’s 18 administrative dis- and at the same time, release related to funding, finance and tors engaged in commercial cially recognized traditional medicine products exported
tricts, director of the Beijing publicly information about their operation, as well as details franchise business activities in Chinese medicine. to those countries would now
Administration for Industry business funds. of expenses, special conditions China are treated as the same Cooperation agreements be classifi ed as regular med-
and Commerce (BAIC), Zhang According to a Ministry of and running capability set as local companies. are the essential prerequi- icines, rather than health
Zhikuan said at the adminis-
sites for foreign countries food, which would help stim-
tration’s 2005 working confer- China to Invest 83 Billion Yuan to
to grant legal status for ulate exports.
ence Tuesday.
The Food Safety Index, the Shenzhen Issues Law on
fi rst such index in China, will Harness Loess Plateau
cover every key category of food Irresponsible Offi cials
products, including rice, fl our,
edible oil and meat. It will be By Qiu Jiaoning end of 2020. The dams will help An offi cial from the Yellow By Chu Meng and discouraging journalists
based on a comprehensive anal- The government will invest prevent fl ooding in the lower River Water Conservancy Com- The principle of “take the from carrying out their work.
ysis of data from reports by 83 billion yuan on building reaches of the Yellow River. mittee said soil dams are par- blame and resign” has been All such abuses will be pun-
consumers and food quality silt retention structures on cen- Owing to deforestation and ticularly effective when sudden set as law for the fi rst time ishable by dismissal, or in
inspections by the government, tral China’s Loess Plateau to inappropriate land use over heavy rainstorms threaten to in China by the govern- serious cases, prison terms.
food makers themselves as well fi lter sediment from runoff water a long period of time, some fl ood the river. The project is ment of Shenzhen, Guang- Hou Liming, deputy
as retailers. Each administrative bound for the Yellow River, 454,000 square kilometers of expected to benefi t 70 million dong Province. procurator-general of the
district will have its own index, Xinhua reported Tuesday. the 640,000-square-kilometer rural residents on the plateau According to a document Shenzhen People’s Procura-
with 100 set as the highest pos- Under the project, a total of plateau is severely eroded. with a total income of 93 bil- released by the local govern- torate was reported in the
sible score. As a reference for 163, 000 soil dams will be built The Loess Plateau, from lion yuan. ment Sunday, the law aims at People’s Daily Sunday as
people to select safer food from on the Loess Plateau, which will which an estimated 1.6 billion The total fund of 83 billion making civil servants respon- saying, “An offi cial has to
the market, the index will be prevent 40 billion tons of silt tons of sediment flows into yuan is made up of a 48 billion sible for their own acts and shoulder responsibility for
updated regularly. from entering the Yellow River the Yellow River annually, is yuan investment by the central preventing abuses of power. certain job-related risks in
A “credit record,” an indica- and allow the replanting of 1.25 regarded as the world’s worst government and 35 billion yuan It covers such actions as mis- moral, executive, political
tor of the degree of safety, will million acres of farmland by the area for soil erosion. from the local government. using one’s infl uence for the and other fi elds, even if he
be established for each speci- benefi t of relatives, interven- didn’t make any direct mis-
fied category of food products. China Puts Export Tax on Clothing ing in local economic activi- take, commit crimes of mis-
As an effort to improve super- ties such as project bidding conduct in offi ce or break
vision and food safety systems, and real estate development, the law.”
food quality supervision sites By Chu Meng Under the previous quota cheaper clothing throughout the
CAAC Rules Out Increase in
will also be set up at large China has introduced an system, limits were set on the world. China has become one of
department stores, supermar- export tax on textile products amount of clothing, towels, the world’s major exporters of
Plane Imports
kets and large-scale wholesal- staring from January 1 this year, sheets and other textile items textile products with an export
ers, Zhang said. in response to the ending of a that any country could sell in the value reaching US $77.5 billion
“The basic framework for system that has restricted inter- US, Europe and Canada. How- from January to October in 2004, By Sun Yongjian bureau’s guidelines.
the capital’s food safety control national trade in textiles and ever with the abolition of the behind the US, EU and Japan.” Domestic civil aviation “The bureau will launch a
system has already been estab- apparel, the Ministry of Com- quota system since the begin- However challenges still authorities announced last series of new policies on the
lished, and the current safety merce announced last Friday. ning of this year, countries are exist for China, Pei said. On Wednesday that China will aspects of macro-regulatory
state of the food market here According to Lu Jianhua, free to sell as much clothing as one hand, though exports are not allow any further control and market regula-
is reassuring,” Zhang added. director of the ministry’s foreign they can around the world. expected to soar, most target imports of passenger planes tions,” Yang said.
In 2004, of the almost 20,000 trade sector, the tax will be col- Pei Changhong, chief middle and low-end markets, before the end of 2005. “The 147 planes Chinese
samples in 18 categories of lected according to the volume of researcher from the Chinese thus harming competitiveness; Yang Yuanyuan, presi- aviation companies have
food products spot-checked by exports. The rate will be 0.2 yuan Academy of Social Science’s Insti- on the other hand, developed dent of the Civil Aviation purchased and will be put
inspection agencies, 94 percent (US $0.024) per item to 0.5 yuan tute of Finance and Trade Eco- countries would inevitably Administration of China, to use in 2005 will basi-
were up to standard. A total (US $0.061) per kilogram. The nomics said to Beijing Today implement a series of non-tar- said during a regular press cally satisfy the need of the
of 23 food makers have quit tax will be levied on 31 kinds of Tuesday, “China’s low-cost facto- iff barriers in order to allevi- conference that no plane market, thus, the bureau
the Beijing market after failing textile products, most of which ries will dominate the trade and ate their losses resulting from imports will be allowed in will not allow any increase
spot checks repeatedly. are clothing, in six categories. benefi t consumers by providing high-cost textile production. 2005 on the basis of the in plane imports,” he said.
DEVELOPMENT
3
JANUARY 7, 2005
E-mail: [email protected] EDITORS: HOU MINGXIN LIU WENLONG DESIGNER: PANG LEI
Changhong Blames US Company
Non-circulating
Shares Allowed
to Transfer
for Debts, Files Suit By Sun Yongjian
The two domestic stock ex-
changes have begun allowing the
transfer of ownership of non-circu-
lating shares of listed companies in
China’s securities exchange mar-
kets, the Shenzhen and Shanghai
By Sun Yongjian Changhong has charged Apex Changhong spokesman Liu ments unfavorable to Apex while quoted as saying. exchanges announced Sunday on
Changhong Electronics Digital with turning over 37 bad, Haizhong declined to comment held under arrest,” the New York Changhong’s has received a their websites.
Co., a leading Chinese or unredeemable, checks in 2003 on the matter when contacted by Times reported. credit extension of 3 billion Actual approval for such
television maker, has worth roughly $700 million, Chi- Beijing Today on Wednesday. A lawyer surnamed Huang yuan from the China Agricultur- transfers was granted on Tues-
fi led a lawsuit with a court na Business News said. Yet the case seems more com- representing Apex said that al Bank Sichuan branch, accord- day, when the exchanges’ Imple-
in California against US-based Chinese police had appre- plicated than Changhong’s suit while in detention on Decem- ing to a company press release mentation Rules of Transferring
TV sales agency Apex Digital hended Apex President David might indicate. ber 14, Ji was apparently com- on Wednesday. of Non-circulating Shares of List-
on charges the American fi rm Ji, a Chinese resident, in keep- “In court documents that are pelled by Changhong staff to That brings the total credit ed Companies took effect.
owes it $484 million in arrears, ing with this country’s laws, an Apex Digital’s fi rst extensive re- sign agreements giving the Chi- extended to Changhong for Non-circulating shares in do-
the China Business News said offi cial from the American Em- sponse to the accusations, com- nese company “unfettered ac- 2005 to 8.5 billion yuan, all mestically-listed companies total
Wednesday. bassy in Beijing told some US pany executives say that the cess” to Apex’s fi nancial records, coming from the big four do- around 30 billion yuan, the Beijing
The Chinese company an- reporters. television maker, Sichuan Chang- the report said. mestic commercial banks, the News reported on Tuesday.
nounced a defi cit of $460 mil- Ji was arrested on charges hong Electric, falsely stated that “Mr. Ji was required to sign Bank of China, Industrial and “This new policy will result in
lion on December 28, 2004, of fraud by police from Apex had failed to make pay- documents that he had not Commercial Bank of China, the creation of a C-share market,
which it later blamed on Apex Changhong’s home province of ments owed Changhong, and that agreed to and which had not China Construction Bank and opening a new kind of domestic
Digital, as Beijing Today re- Sichuan, the domestic 21st Cen- Changhong required Apex’s pres- been authorized by the board of China Agricultural Bank, the stock market after the A-share
ported last Friday. tury Business Herald reported. ident, David Ji, to sign agree- directors at Apex,” Huang was company said. and B-share markets,” the news-
paper said.
Sun Land Group
Shanghai port, the Shanghai Port World’s Third Largest
largest in China,
Pouring $3 Bln
handled 382
million tons of
freight in 2004 to into Harbin
push it past
Rotterdam, By Qiu Jiaoning
Netherlands in
America’s Sun Land Group
terms of capacity.
Corp. has signed a framework
The port handled
agreement with the government
14.55 million
containers, a 29 of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province
percent increase to invest $3 billion in the con-
from the year struction of the Haxi Develop-
before, making it ment Zone in the northeastern
the third largest city’s Nangang District, Xinhua
port in the world.
reported Sunday.
Daniel Megin, CEO of Sun
Land Group decided to make
the investment after an on-site
inspection in August 2004, the
company said in a press release.
Megin’s company and Harbin au-
thorities would work together to
set a phased plan for the con-
struction of the new economic de-
velopment zone, it said.
A project group would be set up
to implement practical operations
within 90 days of the signing of the
agreement, Sun Land said.
Major Lube Makers
Xinhua Photo
Squaring Off
By Sun Yongjian Chinese Company Likely to Get an assistant researcher at the By Deng Minjie
The 170 million yuan fi rst stage
Chinese state-owned oil fi rm Institute of Eastern Europe
of PetroChina Lubricant’s East
China National Petroleum Corp and Middle Asia of the Chinese
China lubricant oil plant was com-
(CNPC) stands to get a signif- Academy of Social Sciences told
Stake in Yukos Subsidiary
pleted in Taicang, Jiangsu Prov-
icant stake in a subsidiary of Beijing Today on Wednesday.
ince on December 31, an employee
Russian oil giant Yukos since “The 20 percent stake in the
of the PetroChina Co. subsidiary
that company was confi scated by new company is very signifi -
told Beijing Today on Wednesday.
the Russian government, domes- offi cial from the National De- of the shares of the new com- “The allowance signals the cant for China’s oil strategy be-
“This plant uses state-of-the-
tic and international media have velopment and Reform Com- pany,” the NDRC source was opening of Russian oil fi elds cause the oil fi elds owned by the
art technology and should be the
reported the past week. mission (NDRC), Beijing News quoted as saying. to Chinese companies and new company are the starting
main production base for Kunlun-
New that CNPC could be of- said Wednesday. Yuganskneftegaz extracted Chinese investment. The points of the Tayshet-Nakhod-
brand lubricant,” Liu Changxue,
fered up to a 20 percent share “Russian authorities are 11 percent of Russia’s oil, the state-owned Russian Gas Cor- ka oil pipeline, which stretches
an engineer from PetroChina Lu-
in the large Yukos subsidiary ready to set up a new compa- New York Times said. poration no longer has any ca- from Tayshet in eastern Siberia
bricant’s project offi ce said.
Yuganskneftegaz, as reported ny on the basis of Yuganskneft- Sources from within CNPC’s pability to expand investment to the port of Pervoznaya, near
“We expect production of Kun-
by the New York Times last egaz and will allow CNPC to Beijing operations have declined after paying to purchase Yu- Nakhodka on the coast of the
lun lubricant to reach 100,000
Thursday, was confi rmed by an hold not more than 20 percent to comment. ganskneftegaz,” Li Fuchuan, Sea of Japan,” Li said.
tons in 2006. We have a 30 per-
cent share of China’s lubricating
oil market and hope to grab 10
Chery Cars Could Appear BOC Hong Kong Names New Execs (Holdings), Heng Sheng Bank’s percent of the domestic market
Zhang Cheng has been hired as for high-end products.”
chief risk offi cer and Liao Renjun, Taicang is also the site of
on US Roads
By Chu Meng Wednesday. formerly of IBM, is the new chief a massive lubricating oil plant
Bank of China’s Hong Kong “The bank said it was con- information offi cer. owned by ExxonMobil, according
By Qiu Jiaoning York, will raise the money,” Holdings Ltd. appointed three se- fi dent that the new executives BOC Hong Kong has been to the Web site Sina.com.
Chinese carmaker Chery Visionary CEO Malcolm nior managers last Friday, after would enhance the corporate gov- scrambling to reorganize itself An employee from PetroChina
Automobile Co. has reached Bricklin told the Detroit two former executives were sus- ernance of the group and fa- and tighten internal controls af- Lubricant’s marketing department
an agreement with Vision- News Monday. pended and quit following an em- cilitate the further adoption of ter former deputy chief executives was quoted as saying that the
ary Vehicles, a US-based It remains to be seen bezzlement scandal last year, the international best practices,” Ye Zhu He and Ding Yansheng were American company had an 8.4 per-
company, to market its whether Chery, which ranks bank said in a statement on De- said. “The bank hired global re- found to have illegally used bank cent share of China’s lubricant
domestically-made automo- as China’s eighth leading au- cember 31, 2004. cruitment company Spencer Stu- funds. Zhu and Ding were sus- market, but sources from Exxon-
biles in America, Xinhua tomaker in terms of sales, Among the new appointments art to help identify candidates pended on August 3 last year and Mobile’s public relations depart-
reported Tuesday. will be able to manufacture was deputy chief executive Gao during the last four months.” resigned two weeks later. ment would not confi rm those
Visionary announced the vehicles up to the quality Yingxin, it said. Gao Yingxin, previously CEO The bank later said its former fi gures when contacted by Beijing
day before that it would im- standards of the US market. An employee of BOC Hong at Bank of China’s investment CEO Liu Jinbao and former gen- Today on Wednesday.
port up to 250,000 Chery- Visionary said it had Kong’s communication depart- bank BOC International Hold- eral manager Zhang Debao were Greater competition between
produced vehicles per year hired Harbour Consulting ments surnamed Ye confi rmed the ings, will become head of corpo- also under investigation for em- the two companies seems all but
starting in 2007, a fi gure of Michigan to review information to Beijing Today this rate banking at BOC Hong Kong bezzlement. inevitable in the domestic market.
equivalent to three times Chery’s factories. “I will vis- Tour Service Plans
Sinopec Prepped to Privatize Beijing Yanhua
the Chinese company’s to- it Chery’s plant in late Jan-
tal production in 2003. The uary for a two-week study Own Airline
target was to introduce Chi- of quality and other mea- By Sun Yongjian and Shanghai, said. company said. In the last step
nese-made cars and trucks sures to see whether they Sinopec Corp. announced last Under that agreement, Beijing of the process, Beijing Yanhua By Sun Yongjian
at prices 30 percent below can actually do what they Thursday that it is going to Yanhua’s board assented to the pro- would be delisted and eventually China Youth Tour Service
the standard for comparable want to accomplish,” Ron merge with Beijing Yanhua Pet- posed privitization of the company deregistered. (CYTS) plans to set up its own
models at 250 dealerships Harbour, president of the rochemical Co., which is listed as by way of “merger by absorption,” The proposed merger was airline, Guangzhou Daily report-
in the US, Visionary said in fi rm, was quoted as saying an H-share on the Hong Kong which entailed the cancellation of meant to consolidate Beijing Yan- ed last Saturday.
its statement. by Bloomberg. stock market, and make the local all of Beijing Yanhua’s H shares, hua’s petrochemical business into A source from CYTS con-
“We have an exclusive “The North American fi rm a private company under its the statement said. Sinopec’s integrated oil and pet- fi rmed the news on Tuesday.
North American distribu- automobile market is com- umbrella. Beijing Feitian would pay a rochemical operations to create a Ding Chongyang, an executive
tion agreement with Chery plex, competitive and al- The process would begin with cancellation price of HK$3.80 leaner and more effi cient group at CYTS’s securities department
to bring in fi ve brand-new ways changing,” Chery the establishment of wholly- per Beijing Yanhua H share to structure, the statement said. told Beijing Today that the com-
models for delivery in 2006 President Yin Tongyao owned subsidiary Beijing Feitian, the company’s shareholders, with The move should also effective- pany’s CEO Jiang Jianning re-
to go on sale in January of said in a written state- which would handle the merger the total reaching approximately ly eliminate competition between vealed the plan to the media last
2007. Visionary will invest ment. “We are looking agreement with Beijing Yanhua, HK$3.85 billion, it said. the two sides, since Sinopec Corp. week after it was sent to the com-
$200 million in new Chery forward to working with the statement from Sinopec, one The Sinopec subsidiary would and Beijing Yanhua are both en- pany’s board for consideration.
products for the US mar- Visionary Vehicles and of China’s leading crude oil and also issue new registered capital gaged in the petrochemical busi- “But Jiang hasn’t revealed
ket and Allen & Co., an in- taking advantage of Mal- petrochemical companies listed in to its parent company before the ness with similar products and any exact schedule for the plan,”
vestment company in New colm’s expertise.” Hong Kong, New York, London completion of the merger, the competing sales channels. Ding said.
OUTLOOK
4
JANUARY 7, 2005
E-mail: [email protected] EDITORS: HOU MINGXIN LIU WENLONG DESIGNER: PANG LEI
Russia Selects Pacifi c Oil Route
Florida Teen Credited for Firefox
Key Biscayne, January 5 (UPI) – A Key
Biscayne, Fla., teenager now attending Stan-
ford University is getting credit and national
attention for the development of the new web
Moscow, January 1 (The Asahi Shimbun) – Moscow is seeking an agreement with China to two countries were involved.
browser, Firefox.
The Russian government announced Friday it had supply crude oil to China via rail, the sources said. However for China’s multilateral energy diplo-
The browser was introduced two months ago
agreed to the construction of an oil pipeline favored matic policy, though Russia has agreed to build
Analyst’s Take: by the Mozilla Foundation, a not-for-profi t orga-
by Japan that would connect eastern Siberia to a branch line from Angarsk to Daqing, we won’t
nization that promotes “choice and innovation”
Russia’s Pacifi c coast. That plan was chosen over The Pacifi c route from Tayshet to Nakhodka depend on it alone. Last September, China began to
on the Internet.
a Chinese proposal to route the line to Daqing in on the Sea of Japan coast will undoubtedly bring build a similar crude oil pipeline from Kazakhstan
The Miami Herald and the London Times
northern China. more benefi t to Russia. First, compared with the to Xinjiang. Once completed in 2010, the 1,200-kilo-
have given much of the credit for Firefox to
The Pacifi c route stretches 4,200 kilometers from Sino-Russia oil pipeline which was proposed from meter pipeline will be able to deliver up to 20 mil-
Blake Ross, 17, who is now attending Stanford.
Tayshet in eastern Siberia through Skovorodino, East Siberia’s Angarsk to Daqing, this Pacifi c route lion tons of crude oil to western China annually.
Computer experts have been quoted as
near the Chinese border, and through Khabarovsk can also supply a steady amount of oil to Japan The Russian government said the pipeline is
saying Firefox is faster than Microsoft’s Inter-
to the port of Pervoznaya, near Nakhodka on the and South Korea, as well as China. Therefore, expected to have the capacity to pump about 80 mil-
net Explorer, more versatile and also offers
Sea of Japan coast. The pipeline is expected to have Russia can gain infl uence over these three Asian lion tons of crude oil annually, but given complex
more protection from viruses and spam.
the capacity to pump about 80 million tons of crude energy-consuming powers. Second, this line can technical and political concerns, whether or not it
Ross began playing with computers when he
oil annually. easily cross over the Pacifi c Ocean and convey oil to will reach that production capacity by the time of its
was just 7, and at 14 was offered an internship at
Japan argued for the Pacifi c route on the basis the western coast of America, which will inevitably completion has still to be determined.
Netscape in California. He worked there for three
that Moscow would benefi t more from access to infl uence Russia-US relations. Furthermore, coun- – Zhao Junjie, Associate Professor and Spe-
summers and became familiar with Mozilla.
the vast expanse of the Asia-Pacifi c region. China tries benefi ting from the pipeline will all become cial Consultant from the Institute of European
The organization was already working on a
wanted the Daqing connection to meet its own investors in this billion-dollar project, thus bal- Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
new browser but now gives Ross and his friend
surging oil demands. Now that the route is decided, ancing the risk of construction better than if only (Chu Meng)
David Hyatt the credit for making the critical
breakthrough that led to Firefox.
Good Year for Frankfurt Chases London Stock Exchange
Frankfurt, January 4 (AFP) – Deutsche
Internet Stocks
Boerse is upping the stakes in the battle for
the London Stock Exchange, with media reports
January 4, (USA Today) – Anyone suggesting that the German stock market oper-
focusing on the Big Three stock indexes ator is ready to raise its offer and might sell its
ending 2004 on a strong note probably Clearstream unit.
missed the real action: Internet stocks. The Financial Times reported that the Frank-
Unlike the grab-your-socks type of furt stock exchange was ready to compromise
indiscriminate gains fi ve years ago, on every aspect of its bid and was even willing
not every Internet stock has performed to consider selling off Luxembourg-based Clear-
well, which is why the USA Today stream, which many observers saw as the main
Internet 50’s 8.8% 2004 gain was on stumbling block to a tie-up.
par with the Standard & Poor’s 500’s But a Deutsche Boerse spokesman rejected
9.0% rise. the report. “Clearstream is an integral part of
But consumer-oriented Internet Deutsche Boerse,” he said.
stocks, such as Yahoo and eBay, had The London market believes that having all
a stellar year and powered the e-Con- of Deutsche Boerse’s trading, clearing and set-
sumer 25 to a remarkable 25.5% gain. tlement activities under one roof could disad-
The surge of consumers getting high- vantage LSE users in terms of prices. So far,
speed access and using the Internet for Deutsche Boerse has promised to leave exist-
everything from shopping to search- ing contractual arrangements with the London
ing drove these stocks to impressive Clearing House in place.
performance. Morgan Stanley Cuts
While consumer Internet stocks stole
the attention in 2004, the entire group Thai Growth Forecast
has enjoyed a big bounce from 2002
Singapore, January 5 (AFP) – US investment
bear market lows. The Internet 50 is
bank Morgan Stanley has lowered Thailand’s eco-
now 142.2% above its low, far better
nomic growth forecast this year to 5.7 percent
than the Nasdaq composite’s 95.3%
Europe Mourns from 6.0 percent due to the impact of the tsunami
bounce from its low.
disaster on the country’s tourism industry.
That’s a sign Internet stocks have
While the affected Thai provinces account
grown up, says Scott Kessler, Internet
Tsunami Victims for only 2.7 percent of the country’s GDP, the
stock analyst with S&P. “There are a
damage to the tourism sector could have a “mul-
fair number of Internet companies of
tiplier effect” on the entire economy, Morgan
the size and long-term staying power to
Stanley said in a report Tuesday.
be profi table investments for people,”
Morgan Stanley maintained its 4.5 percent
People gather in the Schuman Square, Brus-
he says.
GDP growth forecast for Indonesia as the tsu-
sels, to pay their respects to the victims of the
Kessler expects investors who stay
nami damage has been largely confi ned to the
tsunami on Wednesday.
alert to new initial public offerings and
province of Aceh, nearest to the epicenter of
mergers in Internetland to make money
the December 26 earthquake that triggered the
A couple are mourning for the German vic-
again. “2005, like 2004, is going to pro-
massive waves.
tims in the tsunami Wednesday, in Berlin’s
vide a lot of opportunity for nice appre-
“Given that the energy (mainly oil and natu-
downtown Friedrichstra e Station. By now,
ciation in Internet stocks,” he says.
ral gas) production facilities in Aceh or North-
60 German citizens have been confi rmed dead
Analyst’s Take: ern Sumatra have survived the tsunami, the
in the disaster; more than 1,000 Germans are
overall damage to Indonesia’s economy appears
The New Economy, which is driven still missing. Xinhua Photos
to be minimal,” it said.
by high tech stocks such as the IT
It also noted that the impact on Malaysia is
industry, is commonly recognized as the
minimal and maintained its growth forecast for
brightest point in the modern economy
the country at 4.8 percent.
of the US. Pyongyang to Host World Trade Fair
Samsung Develops Super LED
The New Economy has already
been transformed into a new lifestyle
Seoul, January 4 (AFP) – South Korea’s Sam-
for average citizens in America, mean-
sung Electronics has developed the world’s larg-
ing that it has been merged into Beijing, December 31 (Yonhap) – North Korea will time to hold a trade fair. The North Korean government
est organic light emitting diode (OLED) display
people’s daily lives and has become hold an international trade fair in May in an ambitious has revealed its intention to attract more Chinese enter-
panel for high-defi nition televisions.
more and more necessary. For exam- step towards an open economy and has already invited prises, so it could be a good chance for Chinese enter-
The 21-inch (53.34-centimeter) OLED panel
ple, online purchasing is a very com- American and European fi rms as possible trade part- prises to enter the market.
outperforms existing liquid crystal displays
monly used service. ners, a Chinese report said Friday, quoting a North A North Korean embassy offi cial in Beijing said that
(LCDs) in brightness, slimness and power effi -
The New Economy has also made Korean offi cial. the government has set forth some regulations aiming
ciency, the fi rm said.
important contributions to the national The fair will take place from May 16-19 and up to 300 at attracting more investment from overseas. “We will
Organic LED screens generate their own
economy and has become a major eco- companies from the United States and European coun- offer preferential policies to those Chinese enterprises
light, eliminating the need for back lighting and
nomic driving force. That’s why the high tries have been invited by Pyongyang, said the Interna- that invest in our country,” he added.
allowing equipment makers to develop slimmer
tech industries have attracted great tional Herald Leader, a newspaper published by China’s The current consumption level in North Korea is
and more power effi cient monitors.
investment in the US. state-run Xinhua News Agency, quoting a North Korean close to that of China in the 1980s. North Korea is
Samsung said its new portable display would
In China, the New Economy still has embassy offi cial in Beijing. extremely short of civil products of light industry, most
be used for televisions and computer monitors.
a long way to go to catch up. For example, of which come from imports. It has a very strong depen-
Local Report: Samsung, one of the world’s largest LCD
big Internet companies like Sohu.com, dency on food imports while maintaining strong sea-
makers, said its new OLED display panel, an
Sina.com or Dangdang.com have not China’s non-governmental enterprises have so far had food and ginseng exports. “In general, North Korea
upgrade on its own 15-inch product, uses tech-
been listed in the domestic stock markets, no access to North Korea’s market in any signifi cant focuses on importing machinery, light industry prod-
nology that can be easily mass-produced on the
and few people use the Internet for pur- scale. North Korea has published the news of the trade ucts, electronic products and food. Meanwhile, mineral
company’s existing LCD production lines.
chasing goods or services. fair to the Chinese media in order to invite Chinese enter- resources can be ranked among the most important
The global market for organic LEDs is fore-
However, as time goes on, the high prises offi cially. It indicates that North Korea is ready to exports from the country,” said Cheng Peng, vice direc-
cast to grow to US$830 million this year from
tech lifestyle will merge into people’s open up its economy to the world. tor of the China-North Korea Cultural Exchange Cor-
US$330 million last year.
lives here as well. North Korea has carried out an economic adjustment poration. Cheng added that current business activity in
The Best & Worst Managers
– Xu Yiding, analyst with South- policy over the last two years that is similar with China’s North Korea is relatively quiet, even though the econ-
west Securities Firm opening-up policy, and this has stimulated huge demand omy shows signs of revival. January 10 (Business Weekly) – To decide
(Sun Yongjian) in the North Korean market. Therefore, now is the right – Xinhuanet, December 30 (Qiu Jiaoning) which executives should be lauded and which
deserved a different kind of renown, we surveyed
our staff of more than 130 writers and editors in
Japan Mulls FTA Policy
The criteria for selecting potential up by 0.5%. New York and in 20 bureaus around the world.
partners include whether an FTA The report basically evaluated the The best managers: Jeffrey Immelt (General
would help strengthen Japan’s eco- results of the FTA negotiations between Electric); Steven Reinemund (PepsiCo); Hector
Tokyo, December 21 (The Japan with Singapore and Mexico, and nomic power and solve political and Japan and 18 other countries. It also Ruiz (Advanced Micro Devices); Steven Spielberg,
Times) – The government on Decem- agreed in November with the Phil- diplomatic issues, whether it would argued that Japan’s GDP would rise Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen (Dream-
ber 21 approved a basic plan to pro- ippines on a basic accord. Talks help strengthen Japan’s position in by 0.24% once Japan agreed an FTA Works SKG); Robert Nardelli (Home Depot); Jack
mote free-trade agreements (FTA), are now under way with Thailand, international negotiations such as at with ASEAN and that agreements Rowe (Aetna); Joseph Tucci (EMC); Gary Forsee
prioritizing accords with Asian trad- Malaysia and South Korea. the World Trade Organization, and with Mexico and Singapore would (Sprint); John Henry (Boston Red Sox); Hen-
ing partners to help build an East The idea of setting up an East whether it would help secure and boost Japan’s GDP by around 0.24% ning Kagermann (SAP); Anne Mulcahy (Xerox);
Asian community. Asian community is meant to diversify stable imports of food and and 0.002% respectively. Edward Breen (Tyco); Phil Knight (Nike); Linus
It also adopted a set of 12 criteria to enhance regional cooperation based other resources for Japan. Japan’s government places partic- Torvalds (Open Source Development Labs);
choose potential FTA partners, envi- on the ASEAN-plus-three process ular emphasis on the effect of an FTA Chung Mong Koo (Hyundai); Steven Murphy
Local Report:
sioning future negotiations with trad- involving Association of Southeast on agriculture. However, the report (Rodale); Jerry Perenchio (Univision).
ing partners outside East Asia. These Asian Nations member states plus Japan’s Economic and Social said that an FTA would have a mar- The worst managers: Raymond Gilmartin
were decided at a meeting of cabinet Japan, China and South Korea. Research Institute released a report ginal effect on Japan’s farming and (Merck); David Smith (Sinclair Broadcast
ministers involved in FTA negotia- Japan has suggested that Austra- last Friday saying that if Japan man- fi shing industry, at least in respect of Group); Franklin Raines (Fannie Mae); Michael
tions, said an offi cial at the Prime lia, New Zealand and India be aged to sign a free trade pact with pacts with the US and Australia. Eisner (Walt Disney); Gary Bettman (National
Minister’s Offi cial Residence. admitted as members of the pro- China, it would promote Japan’s econ- – Oriental Morning Post, Hockey League); Scott Livengood (Krispy
Japan has already signed FTA posed community. omy signifi cantly and push its GDP January 1 (Deng Minjie) Kreme); Howard Pien (Chiron).
CITY
5
JANUARY 7, 2005
E-mail: [email protected] EDITOR: SUN MING DESIGNER: PANG LEI
Local People Open Hearts, Wallets
Revised Driving Tests Put Brakes
on New Licenses
By Dong Nan ken into three sections –
to Aid Tsunami Victims Hopeful new drivers theory, parking and on-
faced a whole new set road. Skill checks such
of skills tests on Tues- as driving around obsta-
day when revised, more cles and along a one-way
diffi cult driving exams bridge, handling right
started running as per turns and up-hill starts,
By Liu Zhaoxi massive earthquake sparked tsuna- called on the public to give to help Ministry of Public Secu- changing gears in a rig-
Street artist Li Weiguo fi shed mis that swamped several countries, those in need. By yesterday, the Beijing rity orders. Unlike in the orous 100-meter course
past, the failure rate was and navigating uneven,
some hard-earned cash from killing more than 155,000 people as Red Cross received around 2.6 million
surprisingly high. zigzagging and narrow
his pockets and turned it over of Thursday. yuan in donations from businesses
Nearly half the exam- roads, have been added
on Monday at a donation center run Engineer Zhao Tong, who gave at and individuals, even a group of cancer
inees at driving schools or upped in diffi culty.
by the Beijing Red Cross. the same donation center on Mon- patients, Liu Yanjun, secretary gener-
in Fengtai and Haidian New drivers caused
The 19 yuan, Li’s contribution day, said he felt compelled to contrib- al of the city’s Red Cross society told
districts did not make 95 traffi c accidents in
to local efforts to help the millions ute by the gravity of the disaster. Beijing Today.
the grade that fi rst day, 2004, resulting in 39
suffering after the December 26 “I thought this disaster would be More than 100 donation boxes have
Beijing Youth Daily re- deaths, according to data
tsunamis in South and Southeast over in a few days. But it just kept been set up in hotels and communities
ported. released by the Beijing
Asia, represented half the money the getting worse and the death toll just across the city and Beijing Red Cross
“I was one of 14 stu- government at the end of
young man had earned over a week- kept rising,” Zhao said. staff have been working around the
dents who took the test last year. The challenging
end of making music on an overpass Thousands of people in Beijing have clock answering phones and handling
this morning and only new test is intended to
in Xidan. donated to the cause since last Thurs- donations. Prominent athletes, artists
one of us passed,” a produce more careful and
He is just one of the many day, when a youth volunteer group and pop stars have given their time
Teachers and students at Tsinghua Universi- student in Haidian sur- skillful new drivers and
Beijingers who have answered the previously set up to assist at the 2008 and money in organizing and partici-
ty line up to donate to the campaign to help named Liu confessed. decrease the grisly toll of
international call for aid after a tsunami-stricken countries. Xinhua Photo Olympics and the China Red Cross pating in donation drive events. The new test is bro- poor driving.
Going, All the School’s a Stage
By Lu Xiaonan many stories from their
Going,
Beijing’s fi rst in- textbooks into plays,”
school children’s acting Wang said. “They also
Gone troupe was established won the grand prize in
recently at Dongcheng the Beijing Campus Chil-
District’s Fensiting pri- dren’s Play Competition
mary school, now home on Children’s Day last
to the fi rst campus year.”
branch of the Beijing Youth drama was an
Children’s Theatre Com- ideal way to cultivate
pany. knowledge as well as fos-
The troupe is well- ter cooperation, artistic
organized and complete, appreciation and self-ex-
consisting of pression among
playwrights, directors, students, she said.
Photo by Lou Qiyong singers and dancers and The Beijing Chil-
By Chu Meng
a drama club, all under dren’s Theatre Company
The old Xiushui, or Silk Street,
direction of artists from planned to set up chil-
Market was fi nally closed and demol-
the theatre company, dren’s troupes at prima-
ished this Wednesday to make way for
Fensiting principal Wang ry schools across the city
New Silk Street, a multi-storey build-
Huan was quoted as say- in the next two to three
ing that stands just meters away. Xian Wenmin suffered no serious injury in the accident.
ing by Xinhua on Tues- years to give lots of local
The only remaining task for the
Xian was carried back to safety after three days alone on the day. kids the chance to get
local economic administration cen-
mountain. (left) “Children in this into theatre at a young
ter that used to oversee the popular
troupe have adapted age, Xinhua said.
clothing market is to clear away the
rubble.
Where Xian Dead on Arrival
At 9 am on Wednesday morning, was found
three police wagons arrived on the
By Liu Zhaoxi
scene and offi cers tried to maintain Where
order as angry vendors reluctant to the two bodies When police in Guang-
move next door crowded into the mar- Camel were found Yangmantai dong Province found a few
Peak
Peak men trying to move a
ket area in a vain effort to save it.
dead body near a train
Silk Street vendor Zhao Jinghua
station last week, they
told the Mirror newspaper on
had not stumbled upon
Wednesday, “My license is legally
a crime scene but a sad,
valid until 2008, so demolishing this
strange story of poverty
market is a violation of my rights. It
and friendship.
might be closed, but I’m still going
More than a month
to come here and sell my stuff every-
ago, Li Shaowei, 61, per-
day from the back of my tricycle.”
Climbing Tragedy Leaves One Alive
suaded his neighbor and
Other vendors donned white T-
life-long friend Zuo Jiabin,
shirts that read “oppose the savage
54, to leave their home in
demolition,” and a bolder few held
Hunan Province and go Li wrapped Zuo’s body to try
theirs up in front of the assembled
By Wang Fang tain in fi ve or six days,” Xian told they were heading for Camel Peak. with him to Fujian Prov- to sneak him onto a train to
news television cameras, hoping to
After spending three days and the Sichuan-based Tianfu Zaobao Then when we passed a crevasse ince to take up work at a their hometown.
plead their case. Many vowed to stay
nights trapped and alone on a newspaper. “But when we were near Camel Peak on December 30, fi ber-optic cable installa- Photo by Zhao Yan
all day and all night, but in the end,
the wrecking ball won out. mountain glacier, an editor for the climbing on December 29, the gla- we saw a human hand sticking out tion project. Zuo was with the other friends and
website Sohu.com was rescued last cier broke under the feet of my hus- from a thick snow drift. We imme- hoping to make some mon- sat the body down. But
week and is in stable condition. But band and the guide. They plunged diately feared something had hap- ey to build a house in the ruse was up when
one of the fi rst things she had to down and were soon buried in ice pened to the three people we had their village, Li told South- they got to Guangzhou,
do after returning to civilization and snow. met just four days before,” Xu told ern Metropolitan Daily on and police found them try-
in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, was “I saw everything but there was Tianfu Zaobao. Monday. ing to cover Zuo’s body as
oversee the cremation of her hus- nothing I could do.” They immediately sent word to lo- On New Year’s Day, they prepared to get on
band, who died on the mountain The accident left Xian stranded cal authorities to organize a search Zuo, who had high blood another train back home.
along with a local guide, Beijing without a guide on the mountain party. “After we got the report, we pressure, suddenly passed The police quickly in-
Youth Daily reported. for three days. “On that icy cliff, I sent out our crew and found two male out after having a few formed Zuo’s family, who
Xian Wenming, her husband and had only the tent and nine choco- bodies at the site,” rescue team mem- drinks with Li and some rushed to Guangzhou.
experienced climber Wang Zhuo and lates to ward off the cold,” she was ber Ma Qishou said. “We also found other friends. Li and the Members of the family
their guide, Lu Zhongron, set out on quoted as saying. Xian and rushed her to a local hos- others took him to a near- later said they were very
a trek up Sichuan’s Siguniang Moun- Climbers Xu Huichuan and pital. She was alright except for a by hospital, where the angry with Li at fi rst, but
tain on December 24, but fi ve days lat- Cao Weiqing found the bodies the slight injury to her left hand.” doctors diagnosed Zuo as later understood he had
er the small team met with tragedy. next day. After staying in Xiaojin County a having suffered a severe only good intentions.
“We left from Rilong town in “We met Lu, Wang and Xian on few days, Xian on Tuesday traveled stroke and gave him lit- The Guangzhou po-
Xiaojin County, planning to summit December 26 when we were on the to Chengdu, where her husband’s tle chance to live. After lice have not charged Li
Camel Peak on Siguniang Moun- way to Yangmantai Peak. We knew body was cremated on Thursday. a few hours of fruitless with any crime.
emergency treatment, Li Li was quoted as say-
and his friends asked the ing he greatly regretted
Stepping towards Hope
doctors to give up and Zuo not immediately telling
died soon after. Zuo’s family about his
“We did not have any death as well as taking
Photo by Jia Ting By Zhou Ying got to school. “Teachers or students money,” Li told the news- Zuo to Fujian at all.
Freaky Flakes paper in explaining why On Monday after-
After sitting on a basketball had to carry her on their backs to
he did not go all out to noon, Li and Zuo’s family
for fi ve years as a way of moving the toilet,” Zi recalled.
By Zhou Ying around, a nine-year-old girl has Over the years, Qian has save his friend. “The doc- went to Fujian to clarify
tors said he was gone.” the cause of Zou’s death.
The unexpected fi rst snow of 2005 hopes of being able to walk again. changed basketballs six times and
After his friend died, Press reports on the
blanketed Beijing in white fl akes on Doctors at the China Rehabilita- it is far from a perfect system, Zi
Li was determined to case have elicited some
Wednesday afternoon. tion Research Center in Fengtai said. “After all those years on a bas-
fi nd a way to send his unexpected responses. A
The snowfall seemed to catch the District began treatment yesterday ketball, her bottom has got blis-
body back to their home- man in Shenzhen con-
Beijing Meteorological Administra- to fi t her for artifi cial legs. tered and swollen.”
town for burial. tacted Southern Metro-
tion off guard, as its weather pre- Qian Hongyan, a native of Chen Yawei, one of the three
“He died away from politan Daily on Tuesday
diction for the day said nothing of Yunnan Province, had her legs experts, told the Beijing News af-
home, so he had to be with a pledge of a job
snow. and lower torso amputated after ter the preparatory examination
sent back,” Li said, add- at his farm for Li, whom
The fl akes started falling around she was involved in a severe traf- that Qian was very suitable for
ing it was in keeping he said showed impres-
3 pm and kept coming down for near- fic accident at the age of four. getting artificial limbs and she
with local custom. sive honesty and loyalty.
ly eight hours, Beijing Youth Daily Her family later had the idea of had already moved to a wheel-
That evening, Li pur- A Chinese reader in the
said Thursday. Thanks to quick ac- having her perch on a basketball chair, ending her days on a bas-
chased a few tickets for US, who had seen the
tion from transportation authorities, so she could push herself around for treatment, which should take ketball forever.
a train to Guangzhou. Li story online, also contact-
the snowfall did not have a serious and be mobile. six months. “The operations will cost near-
carried Zuo’s body on his ed the paper on Wednes-
impact on road safety nor did it sig- Three experts from the research Qian’s teacher Zi Hongying told ly 90,000 yuan, most of which
back as if he were merely day offering to donate
nifi cantly slow traffi c fl ow during center fl ew to Qian’s hometown on the Beijing News on Tuesday that is coming from social donations,”
sick, boarded the train money to Li.
rush hour. Monday to bring her back to Beijing Qian was very shy when she fi rst Chen added.
VOICE
6
JANUARY 7, 2005
E-mail: [email protected] EDITORS: SUN MING DONG NAN DESIGNER: PANG LEI
Clean Pension Scheme Delayed
By Wang Fang
The plan to introduce a
“clean pension” scheme for
government employees in
a district in Hangzhou, the pro-
vincial capital of Zhejiang Prov-
ince, hit an obstacle on January
of Beijing University: the scheme
1, 2005, Xinhua reported. ing their tenure.
is against the Constitution
Zhu Zhongyi, secretary of the Zhu told Beijing Today that
“It’s a resolution “Since the “This scheme The law does not provide any
Discipline Inspection Commis- the pension scheme would be
reference to the so called clean
sion of Xiacheng District of based on supplements paid by an to track down the policy-makers only says that the
pension scheme. The plan in-
Hangzhou told Beijing Today on offi cial each year and subsidies root of corruption. behind this clean guaranteed money
volves deducting money from
Wednesday, “To be prudent, the paid by the local government. For This is also what pension scheme will be paid back government employees’ salaries
Discipline Inspection Commis- example, a new public servant at
developed are also the upon retirement. but it is against the principles of
sion of Hangzhou has sent our the age of 22 will be required to
draft to the provincial Discipline pay 500 yuan yearly while the countries do to benefi ciaries from But what will the Constitution which protects
personal assets from being taken
Inspection Commission. Since it local government will subsidize deal with it, it is quite happen if some
by anybody or any organizations.
is undergoing assessment, the 150 yuan every year, with the corruption.” diffi cult to say that government
I don’t think this scheme should
scheme cannot be carried out as combined sum standing at 650
the scheme would employees want to be carried out.
we planned.” yuan, Zhu added.
be fair and just.” quit their jobs?” Mao Shoulong, professor at the
Introduced by Xiacheng Dis- In addition, the amounts of
law department of Renmin Uni-
trict government at the end of De- money increase according to the
versity: more social problems
cember 2004, the pension scheme length of service and the specifi c
will be created
was offi cially called a “Guaran- work posts. That means a public
teed Money System for Clean servant at the level of the sec- entire amount, Zhu explained to mentary method, but not effec- oping institutionalized, standard- According to this scheme,
Government.” The idea was to tion chief could get up to 300,000 Beijing Today. tive on its own ized and legalized governance. the government employees will
guard against corruption, with yuan after retirement. Though the scheme has been More attention should be paid Huang Chuanping, member of get a pension which is several
more than 1,500 government em- Those who have received welcomed by local offi cials, not to building a power scrutiny sys- Hangzhou People’s Political Con- times higher than other work-
ployees in Xiacheng District of warnings or punishments will everyone believes the idea will tem to standardize the personnel sultative Conference: it’s a reso- ers. In the context of the nation-
wide anti-corruption mission
Hangzhou Government stand- have 20 percent of the total de- tackle corruption effectively. system and reform the fi nancial lution to track down the root of
ing to receive pensions of up to ducted; those who have been Xu Jianfeng, vice-director of management and administrative corruption that is under way, the scheme
300,000 yuan upon retirement demoted will lose 60 percent the Economic Institute under the examination and approval sys- It is important to change the will enlarge the gap in income
so long as they are proven to and those who have been ex- Zhejiang Provincial Academy of tem. The anti-corruption work method of cracking down on between government employ-
have been clean and honest dur- pelled from offi ce will lose the Social Sciences: it’s a supple- should be incorporated in devel- corruption from using adminis- ees and other people.
Yu Hai, professor at the sociology
trative power to building up a
department of Fudan University:
benefi cial system to prevent gov-
self-discipline is not enough
ernment employees taking bribes
To reinforce the building of
or breaking the law. This is also
an honest and clean government,
what developed countries do to
encouraging moral self-discipline
deal with corruption.
Tang Yijun, secretary-general of is not enough. There needs to be
the Zhejiang Provincial Discipline an institution such as the clean
Inspection Commission: we pension scheme to restrain gov-
ernment employees from giving
encourage the scheme
in to corruption.
We encourage the implemen-
Yang Zhenliang, a Hangzhou cit-
tation of the clean pension
izen: I don’t understand the
scheme. It’s a way of using eco-
scheme
nomic means to keep corruption
The scheme implies that the
within limits. We issued the
government employees do not
Zhejiang Anti-Corruption Pre-
need to take bribes since the
caution System Regulations last
government will provide them
year, proposing six systems: ideo-
with lots of money. But say a
logical education, restraining ad-
government employee can take
ministrative power, supervision
more than one million yuan of
and management, legal checks,
bribes, will he take it or not? I
encouragement of clean gover-
bet he will because it is much
nance and proactive steps. The
more than the pension could
clean pension is in line with all
provide. The scheme doesn’t
these ideas. It demands enor-
guarantee the government em-
mous fi nancial support so we
ployees will refrain from think-
want to carry it out in Xiacheng
ing of taking bribes.
District in Hangzhou as a trial
Zhang Zhan, a government
so we can see the results.
Yang Xiaojun, professor at the employee in Beijing: the scheme
law department of the State is not practical
Administration College: it is a I am only 26 and I don’t know
if I am going to stay in the gov-
way to raise government
ernment for the rest of my life.
employees’ salaries in a dis-
This scheme only says that the
guised form
guaranteed money will be paid
Since the policy-makers be-
back upon retirement. But what
hind this clean pension scheme
will happen if some government
are also the benefi ciaries from it,
employees want to quit their
it is quite diffi cult to say that the
jobs? As a government employ-
scheme would be fair and just.
ee, I don’t have as high a salary
Additionally, if the clean pension
as my peers who work in compa-
scheme is promoted, the public
nies. I think the deducted guar-
cannot monitor what the govern-
China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation had hoped to hold the banquet prior to Spring Festival anteed money would create a
ment will do to collect funds to
fi nancial burden for me since I
Charity Banquet Postponed law department of Jiangxi Uni- sXuieb sQidinizgek iutis, epmropfelosysoeer sa.t the already have to pay other insur-
versity: there’s no need to government management faculty ance fees and taxes.
criticize people who donate
money
People will feel happy if Soundbites
By Wang Fang ues ranging from 1,800 yuan donate money to help young their donation can be recog-
China Foundation for Pover- up to 38,000 yuan for a seat people living in poverty; howev- nized by the offi cials and in this
ty Alleviation, China’s largest next to a top official. er, it is not necessary to hold a sense, the banquet provides “I’m here testifying against ant, Jermaine O’Neal and four
non-governmental anti-pover- Liu said that due to ac- state banquet. State banquets them with this opportunity. We prisoner abuse. It just wasn’t other NBA players have prom-
ty organization, announced on commodation capacity, about are for top offi cials to treat their understand that people donate right,” a former Navy SEAL ised to donate $1,000 for every
Monday that the charity ban- 3,500 to 4,000 tickets would be foreign counterparts and dis- for different reasons and some said Tuesday. The sailor, whose point they score in a game later
quet planned for February 1 issued at most and the foun- tinguished guests. If the foun- may just want to get a little identity was not revealed, said he this week to help victims of the
would have to be postponed, dation planned to hold such dation is truly to work for the bit of fame by donating money initiated a criminal investigation Indian Ocean earthquake-tsuna-
Beijing News reported. Spring Festival charity ban- poor, why can’t they hold a and having dinner with top of- into prisoner abuse in Iraq be- mi. The program hopes to raise
Liu Wenkui, deputy secre- quets once a year from 2005 more simple ceremony? fi cials. Does this really matter? cause the brutality he witnessed about US$250,000. The money
tary-general of the founda- to 2007. Li Xing’an, college student at I suppose as long as they make weighed heavily on his conscience. raised will go to UNICEF.
tion, told Beijing News that People have different feel- the sociology department of a contribution, it is okay for The accused Navy SEAL lieu-
they had hoped to hold the ings towards this novel way of Nanjing University: this might them to be there. tenant, who also was not identi- “Everybody says he was a
banquet prior to Spring Fes- raising charity funds. be unfair to some donors Andrene Hunts, student of law fi ed, is accused of punching Iraqi prince of a guy. He did records for
tival, which falls on February Shan Meng, reporter with Obviously, people who want at the University of Sheffi eld: Manadel al-Jamadi and allow- rappers, gangster rap and hip-
9, but that it would have to Beijing Times: this banquet to be present at the banquet this kind of thing might work ing other Navy personnel to abuse hop, but we haven’t found anyone
be postponed owing to “insuf- benefi ts everyone would regard it an honorable in China the prisoner, who died a short who had any particular problem
fi cient preparation.” This is a new experiment to thing to sit together with top As a specialist in tax law, time later at Abu Ghraib prison. with him yet,” said a detective in
The plan was to raise money raise funds for charity while offi cials. But what about peo- I know that in China the cur- Detroit about the slaying of Am-
by holding a lavish state ban- spending relatively little. This ple who have already donated rent tax law is quite prudent “There are many people whose jed A. Abdallah, the owner of
quet at the Great Hall of the plan is based on the theory of more than 38,000 yuan but are towards enterprises, allowing level of grief has reached ab- the studio where hip-hop mega-
People and invite state lead- market exchange. Rich people not able to attend this charity them certain tax exemptions normal proportions,” said Dr. R. star Eminem recorded the mul-
ers to attend, the idea being around the world pay a great banquet? What will the orga- in return for donations. How- Reuban, a psychiatrist at a psy- timillion-selling CD, The Slim
that people would pay more deal of money for the honor nizers do for them? ever, it is not a general prac- chiatric ward in the Sri Lankan Shady LP. Abdallah was found
to sit next to a top offi cial. of sitting next to a top offi - Li Yundong, reporter with tice in the West. city of Galle, an area hammered shot to death inside the studio
“This would be China’s fi rst cial. China also has this tradi- Lianhe Zaobao, a Singapore Frances Wang, an NGO by the tsunami, where some pa- on Wednesday and investigators
charity banquet featuring top tion. In the past, when people based newspaper: a new way employee: nothing to get too tients banged their heads against had not determined a motive in
offi cials,” Liu said. donated money to build some- to help the poor worked up about the wall; some, wide-eyed, just the slaying.
According to Liu, the mon- thing, like schools, bridges or As the well-known saying Having been working in an stared vacantly, and others mum-
ey to be raised will be spent on roads, their names would be goes, “whether the cat is black NGO for three years, I have bled “the sea is coming”. These “I think this should be regard-
vocational training for young engraved into a monument for or white, as long as it can seen many kinds of charity patients are being treated for ed as an example. I now feel
people from poverty-stricken people to remember and to catch mice, it is a good cat.” banquet though this is the fi rst post-traumatic stress disorder 40-42 years old in all aspects of
areas and in rewarding those show respect. It is similar to This applies here, in that peo- time I have heard about a state but doctors worry the debilitat- my life,” Italian prime minister
who have contributed to pover- the charity banquet. The rich ple should feel free to try dif- banquet for donors. This is a ing condition will overtake many Silvio Berlusconi told journal-
ty relief. and the poor will both benefi t ferent means to contribute to game solely for the rich. Hold- survivors. ists at his end-of-year news con-
“Elite people from all from this banquet. charity. I feel it’s a good idea ing a banquet is not against ference on Thursday. The 68-year
walks of life are welcome to Sun Zhenglong, editor with to ask tycoons, celebrities and the law and what the orga- “I think when more players old prime minister disappeared
the banquet, but they will Qilu Evening News: the luxury entrepreneurs to raise money nizers need to tell the public fi nd out about it, they’ll get in- from public view a few times
have to pay an admission fee,” banquet doesn’t fi t into the to help with poverty in China. is how they are going to moni- volved,” said Jalen Rose of the over the past year, emerging af-
Liu told Xinhua. The founda- theme of helping the poor This kind of banquet should be tor the whole donating process Toronto Raptors about the pro- terwards with a new look: a hair
tion planned to issue seven Society has the responsi- held every year. and how they are going to use gram, called “Shoot-a-Thon,” in transplant and a face lift.
kinds of tickets with face val- bility to encourage people to Yang Tao, professor at the the money. which Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bry- (Edited by Lene Chau)
PROBE
7
JANUARY 7, 2005
E-mail: [email protected] EDITORS: SUN MING DONG NAN DESIGNER: PANG LEI
Who Can Protect China’s Police?
found these results completely
astonishing,” Chen Yijun, direc-
tor of the Wenzhou bureau’s pub-
lic affairs department was quoted
Threats to
as saying.
Depression and anxiety
body and mind
plagued the majority of police,
are natural parts the survey showed. Over 40%
of the offi cers surveyed said
of police work,
they suffered depression, 37.6%
had phobias and 35% showed
but reports from
symptoms of obsessive-compul-
around the sive disorder.
However, Zhang Zhensheng,
country indicate
a professor in police psycholo-
gy from Chinese People’s Public
that many
Security University told Beijing
offi cers suffer Today on Wednesday that he
did not think the situation was
from severely
so severe.
“Law enforcement is a very
poor health and
special profession, so you cannot
mental illness, judge police according to the
same criteria as ordinary peo-
putting them at
ple,” Zhang said.
He said his own studies indi-
real risk and
cated that 10% to 20% of police
casting doubt offi cers suffered from mental ill-
ness, through he admitted those
over their
were not acceptable fi gures.
A previous survey once
abilities to
showed that the average cop wit-
effectively serve nesses more horrible events in
three years than most people
and protect.
see in their lifetimes, an occupa-
tional hazard that possibly helps
explain the high frequency of
mental trauma.
Heavy pressure was the main
culprit in police offi cer’s mental
problems, Zhang said. “As far as
I know, most police have to work
Local police were called on to work heavy hours during the SARS outbreak in 2002.
an average of 14 hours a day
By Zhou Ying and protect. ed Oriental Outlook magazine. many offi cers’ mental endurance and they aren’t even well paid,”
The deaths of three police Reacting to the troubling fi nd- In the most severe of the inci- and had serious impact on their he said.
offi cers in Chongqing Mu- ings of several recent surveys, dents between March and April morale, Liu said. It is precisely those conditions
nicipality in only two the Ministry of Public Security 2004, an offi cer was stabbed in Physical toll that turn many people away
days last December sent trem- decided on Sunday that all can- the head by a criminal wielding The deaths of the three police- from law enforcement, which
ors through China’s law enforce- didates for public security posi- a screwdriver. men in two days in Chongqing then explains why police sta-
ment community, and seemed tions or potential students at law A total of 6,550 police offi cers early last month shocked China’s tions are understaffed and of-
clear testimony to some that enforcement academies had to around the country were wound- law enforcement community and fi cers overworked, according to
law enforcers in this country fi rst undergo psychological eval- ed or died in the line of duty the public. Zhang. For China’s massive pop-
are being pulled down by the uations as of this May. The move in 2003, statistics from the Min- The fi rst death occured on ulation, there are only around
physical danger and mental ex- is part of a larger campaign istry of Public Security reveal, December 1 when Peng Xue- 1.7 million police offi cers nation-
haustion they face every day. to protect China’s legal enforce- and the death toll among cops song, deputy director of the wide, a proportion far lower than
Threats to body and mind are ment institutions, its police offi - hit 476. Baitao public security bureau Peng Shijie, 42, was one of three of- the 500 people to one cop ratio
natural parts of police work, but cers and the public. That translates to more than in Peiling district, Chongqing, fi cers that died in two days in De- standard in many countries.
reports from around the country Routine assaults one cop dead and 17 injured ev- who had only been in the police cember in Chongqing. He suffered a “They not only have to do
indicate that many offi cers suf- There were at least six cases ery day. for three months, ended his own heart attack. their duties, but often other gov-
fer from severely poor health and of police suffering assault or in- Shijiazhuang policeman Yu life by jumping off a 12-storey ernment departments seek po-
mental illness, putting them at jury on the job in a two-month Zhong told Oriental Outlook last building. illness, the local public security lice help for backing up their
real risk and casting doubt over span last year in the city of Shiji- year that many offi cers he knew, A member of his family later bureau found in a survey done actions, from planned parent-
their abilities to effectively serve azhuang, Hebei Province, report- especially those who worked at told the Beijing News on condi- in December 2004, and rates hood to campaigns to inoculate
110 emergency call response cen- tion of anonymity that Peng had were particularly high among pets, and those trivialities can
ters, had been assaulted while tried to commit suicide in No- special unit officers. leave offi cers exhausted, bored
carrying out their duties. vember by overdosing on medi- State statistics show that and whiny,” he said.
The situation in Beijing is no cation, but he had been found in the average age of active police Taking action
better. Li Jie, a patrol offi cer time and saved. who died of disease dropped in This grave situation has
at the Haidian public security Peng left behind a suicide 2004 to 40 from 44 just eight drawn attention from the Min-
substation told Beijing Today on note explaining he could no lon- years ago. istry of Public Security, which
Monday that attacks on police ger take the heavy pressure and Compounding the problem, set up a special investigation
were commonplace. “An offi cer physical and mental exhaustion most police that suffer from team in 2003 to look into and
can’t really call himself a cop if of being a police offi cer. chronic illness or disease cannot solve the problem of deteriorat-
he hasn’t been beaten,” he grim- The same day Peng killed him- receive proper treatment due to ing physical and mental health
ly joked. self, Du Chenghua, 49, a deputy their busy schedules and limited among police.
Liu Zihua, a member of the police team leader in Chongqing, medical insurance coverage. Zhang is a member of the
Beijing Political Consultative died of liver failure as a result of The ailments mostly likely team and said the group had
Committee, said on Tuesday that excessive workload. to plague police are job-related. come up with three measures
of the total 4,197 cases between And by unfortunate coinci- Nearly 20% of the members of for helping police with mental
2001 and early 2003 in which lo- dence, a heart attack claimed the special units and patrol offi cers problems.
cal police faced dangerous situa- life of a 42-year-old policeman suffer liver and stomach disease, First, a special website ac-
tions, 10,567 offi cers were beaten Peng Shijie from Erlang County results of their stressful work cessible to public security per-
or verbally abused. the following day. and heavy schedules, while traf- sonnel only, was launched on
Those injuries, and the idea Nearly half the police in fi c police are likely to develop December 30, 2004, to make
Outside their daily duties, police offi cers are expected to enroll in cultural that attackers could lurk around Chongqing’s public security problems with their lungs, backs free counseling and psycholog-
courses and training. any corner, have worn down system suffered from chronic and legs from inhaling car ex- ical advice accessible to police
haust and standing long hours nationwide. “More than 50 psy-
on unyielding pavement. chology experts around China
Not only did they face the have signed on to counsel cops
By Dong Nan non?” 51% of respondents said it most danger, but police on the and I hope that number will
A Matter of Face
The idea that Chinese are was hard to say if it was a good front line were also the must grow to 100 by the end of 2008,”
very concerned with mian- or bad thing, but that it was succeptible to illness, the same the professor said.
zi, or ‘face,’ may seem a tired a useful habit. Just over 28% state-funded study found. An More than 12,700 police had
stereotype, but a recent survey said “face” was a remnant of amazing 75% of special forces already logged on to the website,
shows it has much validity. traditional culture that modern offi cers suffered some kind of he added on Wednesday.
Over 80 percent of the 1,030 Chinese should reject, 15.6% ailment or disease, followed in Psychological testing was
people queried by Beijing Sci- thought it was a good idea and frequency by traffi c police and also going to be made a man-
tech Report in a study released helpful to communication, and patrolmen, it showed. datory part of the process of
last week said that face was 5% said that they simply did The physical toll of police work screening people for police forc-
an important consideration in not care about the matter. is felt by cops of all ages. Just es and academies, Zhang said.
their lives. The flip side of concern under 74% of police between 25 “That way we can choose people
Only 11.98% thought face about face and keeping face and 45 years old have suffered who have the most psychologi-
was moderately important, 2.61% is losing it in situations relat- or continue to suffer from some cal strength.”
said it was not important and ed to work or social standing. form of chronic illness. The content and standards of
2.07% said they had no feelings Over 35% of respondents said Stressed out the tests are still being discussed
on the issue. not being able to do their But policemen’s problems ex- among Zhang’s team. “It is quite
“In China, ‘face’ mostly stands work well or show their abili- tend past their bodies. A survey a complicated thing, but we hope
for one’s social status and rep- ties was the most “face-losing” conducted among employees of to have everything settled before
utation, and people paying at- situation imaginable. Another the public security bureau of this May,” he said.
tention to face means they are 17.29% chose “not having any Wenzhou, Guangdong Province Lastly, the public security
paying attention to the external social position and not having revealed that more than 50% ministry will conduct a general
estimation of their social status,” any say,” 17.15% said “having of the city’s police had psycho- investigation of the psychologi-
Huang Guangguo, a psychologist limited income and money,” logical problems, 30% above the cal health of the country’s po-
at Taiwan University told Beijing 12.35% responded “not having average in society at large, the lice, opening fi les on every offi cer,
Sci-tech Report. enough social relationships,” Oriental Morning Post reported which Zhang said would assist in
When asked, “What do you 10.88% chose “not having any last October. getting a clear picture of the situ-
think of paying great attention power” and 6.99% answered “I always knew that police ation and allow for more careful-
to ‘face’ as a social phenome- “not having many friends.” faced heavy pressure, but I still ly directed help and treatment.
FOCUS
8
JANUARY 7, 2005
E-mail: [email protected] EDITOR: SUN MING DESIGNER: PANG LEI
Free at Last
By Liu Zhaoxi of more 500,000 yuan during
On his sixty-fi rst birthday May and June 1997.
last Thursday, Tan Shoux- Other company fi nancial re-
iang, a former senior bank cords, however, demonstrated
manager, was released from a de- that the 350,000 cash was with-
tention house in Nanjing, capi- drawn between September 1997
tal of Jiangsu Province. He had and January 1998. Regarding
spent the past four years of his this, the intermediate court de-
life in the detention house, on Bank offi cial accused of bribe-taking found not guilty after four years’ detention cided that the records were made
a charge of taking a bribe of after the actual withdrawal.
US$40,000. At the turn of the “This explanation was not
year, the Supreme People’s Court cusation was false, and merely convincing,” Wang Houhai told
of Jiangsu ruled that he was not an attempt to set up a disci- Beijing Today. “Any written ev-
guilty after all. plinary official. idence, so long as not proved
Tan fi nally went home and Sui told the investigators that to be fake, should be deemed
Why did the case
was reunited with his wife, after in June 1997, after learning the credible.”
having been sentenced to 14 take so long? It was city branch was investigating To make things even more
years in jail three times and ap- his problems, he went to Tan’s complicated, Tan himself once
because everybody
pealing each time. home three times and gave him admitted accepting a bribe dur-
Framed was very cautious US$40,000 in total. Sui testifi ed ing initial investigations.
The case can be traced back about it. “In the future, that he had got 350,000 yuan in “There were many reasons for
to the 1990s and was closely re- cash from his friend Chen Delin that,” Tan told Beijing Today on
disciplinary offi cials
lated to another man, Sui Zhen- in early June 1997, and changed Tuesday. The reasons he men-
nan, one of Tan’s subordinates should be given more this money into US dollars be- tioned included “inappropriate
when Tan was vice president of protection in anti- fore giving it to Tan. means” used by the investigators.
the Nanjing City Branch of the Wang Houhai, Tan’s attorney “I had no choice but to confess,”
corruption struggles,”
Industrial and Commercial Bank and the chief partner of Nanjing Tan said. He did not elaborate
of China (ICBC). From 1994 to said Tan’s lawyer Dongfang Ruixin Law Firm, further, but said he had always
1998, Sui, who then headed an pointed out to the court that been confi dent the verdict would
Wang Houhai.
ICBC sub-branch of the Nanjing in Chen’s testimony for another be overturned one day.
City Branch, embezzled more case, he said he remembered giv- “Whether the case would
than three million yuan from the Tan Shouxiang ing the money to Sui in late stand did not depend on power,
bank by not recording loan inter- 1997, not in June as Sui claimed. but evidence,” he said.
est income and accepting bribes Sui’s actions. his help in bringing him to jus- told the local procurators that Therefore, Wang argued, Sui did The appeal court, Jiangsu
of more than 600,000 yuan and Meanwhile, an investigation tice. Sui was out of town at that Tan accepted a bribe from him not have the money to pay the al- Supreme People’s court, finally
30,000 HK dollars, according to into Sui had been launched by time, but Tan managed to have of US$40,000, as Tan’s son need- leged bribe in June. ruled that Sui’s testimony
Nanjing People’s Procuratorate. the Nanjing branch. In May 1997, somebody escort Sui to the proc- ed the money to go and study in The court, however, was sat- about the time he had received
In early 1997, Tan, who then Sui was dismissed from offi ce for urators, Tan recalled to Beijing the US. In July 2000, Tan was ar- isfi ed that Chen had the money the money for his alleged bribe
was in charge of disciplinary in- his violation of bank regulations, Today on Tuesday. Sui was later rested. Nanjing People’s Procura- in summer 1997 and disregard- was at odds with other written
spection at the Nanjing branch, a decision which Tan voted for. sentenced to death, with a two- torate fi led a law suit against Tan ed his claims about when he had evidence and testimony. There-
began to look into the unrecorded The extent of Sui’s crimes was year stay of execution, on the at Nanjing Intermediate People’s given it to Sui. The court based fore, they concluded, there was
interest income at Sui’s branch. not fully revealed until later. At charge of embezzlement and brib- Court, charging him with accept- its judgments on the fi nancial re- insufficient evidence to sup-
He talked to superior bank offi c- one point, local procurators spoke ery in November 2000. ing a bribe. cords of Chen’s company, from port the original verdict in
es as well as an offi cial from the to Tan, telling him that Sui had Not long after Sui’s arrest, Two versions of the story which he got the money, showing Tan’s case. Tan was finally pro-
National Auction Offi ce about committed crimes and asking for Tan found himself in trouble. Sui Tan insisted that Sui’s ac- that the company gained income nounced not guilty.
Three sentences and three
appeals
Tan was fi rst put on trial
Private University Fraud Exposed in 2000, found guilty of bribery
and sentenced to jail for 14
years by the local intermediate
people’s court. He appealed. In
September 2001, the Jiangsu
supreme court ruled that the
facts were not clear and the
By Dong Nan
Xi’an Fanyi University (Xi’an The advert in the evidence was not suffi cient, so
they repealed the original ver-
Translation and Interpre- LA Times was not the
dict and sent the case back to
tation University) used not to fi rst sighting of Xi’an
the intermediate court.
be that well known, but it has
Fanyi University’s The court heard the case for
certainly acquired publicity in
impressive new the second time, which ended
the last few months.
in March 2002 with exactly the
At the end of October 2004, credentials. On June
same verdict as the fi rst trial. Tan
a number of newspapers and 6, the university had
appealed again, and the Jiangsu
websites in China reported that published the “news” supreme court ruled in the same
a story had appeared in the
on its own homepage way as it had last time, too.
Los Angeles Times on October
(http:// Again, the case was sent back to
4 saying the university had
the intermediate court.
been selected by the “USA Fifty www.xfuedu.org/),
From December 2003 to Feb-
State Higher Education Union” titled “Fruits in
ruary 2004, the case was heard
as one of “the most respected
Summer — the World Ding Zuyi at Xi’an Fanyi University for the third time. The verdict?
Chinese universities”, and that
Hails Xi’an Fanyi Guilty and 14 years in jail. Tan
its president, Ding Zuyi, had
appealed for the third time and
been named by the union as University.” They also
the supreme court of Jiangsu
one of the most respected uni- published the
opened the trial in May 2004.
versity presidents in China. supposed certifi cates This time, the appeal court did
However, on December 20,
of the two honors on not send the case back to the
Wang Xuming, a spokesman for
the website. intermediate court. Instead, it
the Ministry of Education, told
conducted further investigation
a press conference that the “re-
and made its own decision. At
port” in the Los Angeles Times 80,000 questionnaires were dis- the end of 2004, Tan got the
was in fact a paid-for advertise- tributed with 50,000 returned court ruling for which he had
ment, and that the “USA Fifty as valid. The event is the fi rst waited for four years.
State Higher Education Union” of its kind in China done by During the four years in the
did not exist. international agencies. Notice- detention house, Tan, a grad-
“Education is very important, ably, China’s fi rst private uni- uate from the Department of
and we condemn this kind of versity, Xi’an Fanyi University Western Languages and Litera-
phony advertising that lacks con- in the country’s western prov- The original report in the LA Times The certifi cation of “the most respected Chinese universities” ture at Peking University, bided
science or morality,” said Wang. ince of Shaanxi, has entered his time by doing simple things
Sudden prominence the top 10 list. It is now the people to judge the real quality days after it was founded, the terials attempting to prove that like reading French fi ction and
According to Fang Zhouzi, biggest private university in of the university,” he said. USA Fifty State Higher Edu- the union had been registered 10 walking for miles each day.
a Chinese biologist who has China boasting about 40,000 Honors cation Union had completed a years ago. The materials all bore When asked if he had ever felt
become well known in recent students in residence.” The advert in the LA Times survey involving 80,000 ques- the signature of a lawyer called like giving up, he told Beijing
years for exposing many fake Along with the story were was not the first sighting tionnaires and had prepared Donald Wang. Today, “I did nothing wrong.”
academic claims in various lists of the most respected Chi- of Xi’an Fanyi University’s the certifi cates to be handed The China Press reporter Why did the case take so long?
fi elds, the earliest report he nese universities, such as Ts- impressive new credentials. out at Xi’an Fanyi University. managed to fi nd Wang, and Wang Houhai said it was be-
found in the Chinese press inghua, and their presidents. On June 6, the university The website also mentioned Wang admitted that he had pre- cause everybody was very cau-
about Xi’an Fanyi University Xi’an Fanyi University ranked had published the “news” on various other notable honors pared a certifi cation for a client tious about it. “In the future,
was in Elite Reference, a Beijing tenth. Some renowned institu- its own homepage (http:// bestowed upon the university, that USA Fifty State Higher disciplinary offi cials should be
based newspaper, on October tions, such as Renmin Univer- www.xfuedu.org/), titled “Fruits such as being named “the First Education Union had been reg- given more protection in anti-
27. The story was soon reprint- sity, did not appear on the list. in Summer — the World Hails Model Private University of the istered in California, but the cer- corruption struggles,” he added.
ed by some well known media On another list, Ding Zuyi, Xi’an Fanyi University.” They Ministry of Education of Chi- tifi cation had said nothing about Che Hao, a Ph.D student in
companies including Xinhua, president of Xi’an Fanyi Uni- also published the supposed na.” However, Wang Xuming the date of the registration. law at Peking University, at-
and even some overseas Chi- versity, was ranked as the sec- certifi cates of the two honors told Beijing Youth Daily that To protect the privacy of his tributed the marathon trial to
nese newspapers. ond most respected Chinese on the website. this title was fake as well. “The client, Wang refused to reveal a defect in criminal law pro-
Websites had picked up the university president, only be- The report on the universi- Ministry of Education does not any more information, so the cedure in China: the law, he
story even earlier on October hind Xu Zhihong, president of ty’s website also gave details have any titles such as ‘model person’s identity and relation- said, should not allow the ap-
20. Fang found three websites Beijing University, and followed of the ceremony at which the private university,’” he said. ship with Xi’an Fanyi Univer- peal court to send the case back
running the story, one of which, by renowned educationalists in- certifi cates had been handed At the press conference on De- sity remains a mystery. to lower courts for retrial with-
China Basic Education (http:// cluding Gu Binglin (Tsinghua out. It was held on the universi- cember 20, Wang also said that The China Press reporter out any limitation. He wrote
www.cbe21.com), is operated by University), Wang Shenghong ty campus and the certifi cates the Los Angeles Times had con- visited the supposed address of this opinion in an article com-
the Ministry of Education of (Fudan University) and Pan were issued to Ding Zuyi by fi rmed to the ministry that the USA Fifty State Higher Educa- menting on Tan’s case in the
China and Beijing Normal Uni- Yunhe (Zhejiang University). Chinese guests, most of them report about Xi’an Fanyi Univer- tion Union in 168 Manson way, 21st Century Business Herald.
versity. All the three sites pub- “The language in this story retired foreign affairs offi cials sity was a paid advertisement. B-5, City of Industry, Califor- As for Tan, he said his case
lished the original English text is obviously ‘Chinglish’ and invited by the university. But he did not reveal whether nia, and found it to be an empty was the result of the prosecutor
as it appeared in the Los Ange- awkward,” said Fang Zhouzi According to Fang, he had the ministry planned to punish storage building next to vari- and the court refusing to correct
les Times as following: on his homepage “Xinyusi” researched the state govern- the university in any way. ous warehouses. Neighbors, in- their own mistakes. He said it
“Ranking of Chinese Univer- (www.xys.org) on December 7, ment of California and found An empty building cluding a Chinese called Randy was understandable that the in-
sities by USA Fifty State High- 2004. Fang said he thought the that the USA Fifty State High- In the middle of December, af- Cheng, told the reporter they stitutions made mistakes, which
er Education Union — The fi rst advert was probably written er Education Union was a com- ter Fang had already exposed the had not seen anyone at B-5 for he did not see as a big deal, so
list of most respected Chinese by a Chinese person who “only pany registered by a Chinese USA Fifty State Higher Educa- several months. long as the mistakes were ad-
universities and their presi- knows a little English.” person called He Yuming, and tion Union as a fake, The China Xi’an Fanyi University de- dressed. “I hope everything will
dents was established by the “If the report came from one the date of its registration was Press, a renowned Chinese news- clined an interview with Beijing become history as soon as possi-
USA Fifty State Higher Edu- of the teachers at Xi’an Fanyi May 26, 2004. paper in New York, received an Today. But their website still ble, so that I can resume a peace-
cation Union through a survey. University, it is not diffi cult for In other words, within 10 anonymous letter with some ma- lists its various dubious honors. ful life,” Tan said.
FACE
9
JANUARY 7, 2005
E-mail: [email protected] EDITOR: ZHAO PU DESIGNER: LI SHI
By Peng Juan Fortune was on his side. In
H
e was a famous the following two years, Xing
young Hong invested in real estate and his
Kong magnate in wealth snowballed. By the year
his thirties, with 1993, Xing had accumulated
a fortune of assets worth 200 million yuan
hundreds of millions of yuan in various forms, such as
and a chain of prosperous houses, limousines, and land.
businesses. But then, ten years He was only 37 at that time.
ago, longing to do something An honored citizen
constructive with his wealth, “I guess spending money
Xing Yiqian established the was a way to make up for
“Blackbird Nature Reserve” in the hunger and hardships I
his hometown, Wenchang City, had suffered in my childhood What Happened to
in Hainan Province. It was and youth,” Xing recalled,
the first nature reserve in thoughtfully. “The desire to
China to be wholly privately have everything was swelling
owned, and it had been Xing’s inside me. I was indulged by My Dream?
childhood dream. everyone and followed around
Xing never thought this by a large retinue.”
lofty ideal would be so ruinous. Xing returned home in
His nature reserve, which was 1993, and saw that little
given the tag of “the nation’s had changed in his hometown.
fi rst non-government People there were still bound
environmental protection by poverty. “It was aching to
business,” has cost him every see that. I wanted to get the
penny he made and left him villagers what they needed.”
bankrupt. Money was never inadequate
A disconsolate king as long as Xing was there.
Now, Xing Yiqian is the only The cistern that the villagers
one tending his huge reserve. had needed for half a century
It has become desolate and was set up, new roads were
overgrown with weeds. built, electrical wires were laid
Surrounding the vast and and the local government was
quiet Egret Lake are lush old provided with their own
trees like banyan, litchi and vehicles. Cloth, garments and
palm. From time to time, a foodstuffs were also distributed
fl ock of egrets skate over the to each family in the village.
blue water surface and fade “I hadn’t the heart to reject
into the distant sky. Fallen those who come to me for help,
A millionaire
leaves are scattered around, because I once had the same
sometimes gathered in piles. feeling and unease,” Xing said
bankrupted by
Beside the water is a log cabin fi rmly, fi lled with satisfaction
in the best location for views. that he could bring benefi t to
environment
Its walls and fl oorboards are his hometown and villagers.
worn and threadbare. In the following years, Xing
protection
With a pot of tea and a invested 7 million yuan on
chair, Xing sits beside the lake projects in Wenchang and he
everyday, gazing at the surface gave more than 2 million yuan effort
of the water. When dark falls, he to the poor villagers.
walks home to relax on a shabby He was awarded the title of
sofa. “Some people call me Don “Honored Citizen” of Wenchang
Quixote, but my father regards together with a pure gold key by
me as a kook. I don’t even know the local government.
myself now,” Xing says. Environmentalist
The 100-square meter Another thing Xing noticed
apartment he’s living in has upon his return home in 1993
three bedrooms and one living was the continuing degradation
room. The walls are turning of the environment. Having
a dull brown and there are been fond of birds and trees
bits of litter here and there. since his childhood, he was
Some equally bleak but peculiar sorry to see the dirty lake, the
details, such as an old silk shrinking forest and the dying
bedgown and a dust-covered but
Photos by Wang Yishu
expensive coffee maker, offer a
glimpse of the high life Xing
used to know.
From cowherd to magnate
Xing was born in July 1956
in a small village of Wenchang ‘My beloved Benz was sold in the summer of 2001. from the peasants. Now, some income of his wife who has
City, Hainan Province. It was I had to take a bus to the nature reserve. I was in a rare wild Chinese fan palms been washing dishes in
a poverty-stricken area where lather of sweat, just like sitting in a bamboo steamer. salvaged in the summer of 1998 restaurants for the past four
most people had to travel far are growing vigorously here. years. Xing’s heart aches each
I have to get used to it. Anyway, I was just a cowherd
away to make a reasonable Year by year, the forest in time another tree inside the
living. Hunger, endless and in my childhood.’ the nature reserve became more nature reserve is cut down. “I
hopeless, was Xing’s only verdant and lavish, and the would have bought the trees if
childhood memory. birds came back to make nests. I had money. The villagers need
On November 16, 1979, Xing, But by 2003, Xing had spent money. Their children need the
at the age of 23 and with a nearly all his money and used money to go to school.”
sparkling dream, left for Hong up his and his wife’s savings. He is still a wealthy man on
Kong to join his father. The Penniless paper, since the precious trees in
family of six lived in a shabby At the beginning of 1994, the his nature reserve were bought
30 square meter apartment. out of birds in his hometown. real estate bubble in Hainan at a high price. But this doesn’t
Xing worked as a carrier at a Lumber is an important burst, and Xing’s wealth empire cover the daily cost of running
building site. He did all kinds local trade and cutting trees supported by real estate the reserve.
of harsh labor in the daytime down is one of the only ways business collapsed all at once, Living is now becoming the
and crouched on the sofa in for local people to make money. his 200 million yuan in assets biggest problem Xing has.
the sitting room at night. His But Xing would stand at the shrinking sharply. Down but not out
clothes were so ragged that he roadside in the daytime, and But Xing had neither time Xing is to attend a forum
tried to avoid public places like if he saw a tree was being nor energy to deal with his real on environmental protection in
restaurants. chopped he would hurry over estate problems. He was busy Beijing. He has booked a night
Xing began his small retail and pay whoever it was to stop patrolling his forest, cultivating fl ight, and the ticket money was
business in 1980, commuting cutting down the tree. his tourist villas, or persuading borrowed from a friend.
frequently between Guangzhou However, this was of little the villagers not to chop down In a trim business suit,
and Hong Kong with two use since the villagers were so trees and shoot birds. which was bought in the 1990s,
enormous rucksacks stuffed poor and were more in need The real estate corporation and with polished leather
with jeans and small of money than trees. “The idea fi nally went bankrupt. Xing shoes, Xing wryly recalls the
commodities. To facilitate his of ‘preserving being the best began to sell his assets in feeling of seeing his wealth
retail business, Xing borrowed development’ suddenly struck 1996, his trucks, cars, the vanish. “My beloved Benz was
20,000 HK dollars from his me one day,” said Xing, “and I seaside villa, and eventually sold in the summer of 2001. I
mother to buy a small decided to make it a business to Lost in thought, over a simple meal his beloved Benz, just to keep had to take a bus to the nature
apartment in 1983. This later help all the villagers to get out his nature reserve running. reserve. I was in a lather of
earned him his “fi rst barrel of poverty.” intended to build it into a found himself receiving threats “The nature reserve took up too sweat, just like sitting in a
of gold”, when he sold the He established Hainan large comprehensive country for his efforts to obstruct the much of my time and energy. bamboo steamer. I have to get
apartment in 1985 for 300,000 Yitian Agriculture Engineering park constituting the nature business. To buy off the villagers Business is like a battlefi eld. It used to it. Anyway, I was just a
HK dollars. Ltd in 1995 with an investment reserve, a holiday area for and preserve the ancient trees, is hard to succeed even if you cowherd in my childhood.”
“It was the fi rst large sum of 4.2 million HK dollars, and tourists and a commercial and Xing just handed out millions of concentrate on one business, let “I’m down now but not out.
of money I had ever seen in his Blackbird Nature Reserve residential area. yuan in payoffs. alone in a half-hearted way like I have no way to give up now,
my life. I wanted earnestly to was offi cially approved as a A patrol team was set up A special team was to me,” Xing sighed. otherwise my 10 years of effort
do something with it.” Xing city-level nature reserve in to do the rounds in the vast transplant threatened trees to Now Xing has no money to would be in vain. Protecting and
went back to Hainan and set 1997, with an area of more jungles day and night in all the Egret Lake in the nature buy the trees that the villagers developing can coexist and bring
up garment factories one after than 2,000 hectares, covering weathers. But lumber remained reserve. The area around the want to cut down. His three fortune, I still believe in this,
another. This earned him two 22 villages and more than the easiest way to make a living lake, where the tourist villas children in Hong Kong are though I may have made some
million HK dollars by 1990. 1,500 households. Xing for most villagers and Xing soon were to be built, was rented solely supported by the meager mistakes in trying to realize it.”
LEGACY
10
JANUARY 7, 2005
E-mail: [email protected] EDITOR: ZHAO PU DESIGNER: LI SHI
Charm of
Ancient
Music
By Rose Li more than 3,000 songs in the rep-
As the New Year’s bell ertoire, most of which are still per-
announced the beginning of 2005, formed on the stage.
people of Quanzhou, Fujian “If you want to know something
Province, were celebrating a about nanyin, you may bear these
double happiness. From this year, three numbers in mind; one,
New Year’s Day marks not only twelve and 50 million,” Liu Dehai
the start of a brand new year, but told Beijing Today when asked
also the “day of folk-custom and about the current situation of nan-
cultures.” yin in Quanzhou.
The fi rst day of the year will The plan of “One” proposed by
witness renewed efforts to protect Liu three years ago, aimed at col-
the most important and represen- lecting and saving one folk music
tative traditional arts and cultures style of China every year. “If we
of Quanzhou, which include seven save one kind of music every year,
groups and twenty-fi ve kinds of in ten years’ time, we will be
folk arts or cultures. Among them, able to save ten. And there would
nanyin has been given the fore- come a day when we make a com-
most place on the list of the arts plete collection of Chinese tradi-
and cultures to be protected. tional folk music.” The 67-year-old
Nanyin, a style of folk ballad, professor is still ambitious and
is widely known in southern energetic when talking about his
provinces of China such as dream. In 2002, a special perfor-
Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan, mance of Quanzhou music was
and is also popular in overseas staged in Beijing, the fi rst major
Chinese communities. Due to step made by Liu and his team.
its long and profound history, The plan was delayed by the
beautiful melodies and simple outbreak of SARS in 2003, but
tunes, it has been recognized as a work picked up again at the end of
“living fossil of music.” that year. After much hard work,
Living fossil an performance was fi nally staged
Nanyin, distinguished for its by professional nanyin musicians
fresh, elegant and light tunes, is from Quanzhou and students from
a musical style the China Con-
that can fully servatory of
demonstrate the Music last
charm of the month.
exquisite and The number
primitive Chi- “12” refers to
nese traditional Liu’s proudest
music. achievement.
It has its Every year for A Glimpse into a Lost Kingdom
roots in the the past 12
Tang Dynasty years, nanyin
(618-907), and competitions
was a fully de- have been held
veloped musical in middle
form by the schools in
Song Dynasty Quanzhou, in-
(960-1279). As volving a total
Color painted earth Buddha, unearthed at Hongfo Pagoda, Helan County, Ningxia, in 1991. Photos by Xiang Li
one of the oldest of more than
folk music styles 120,000 young
in China, nany- people who By Li Ruifen Zhang Shu described the characters place in the history of Chinese Buddhism.
in has long been have practiced A thousand years ago in the vast des- he discovered as “familiar at the fi rst Tangut scholars translated 3,600 sets of
considered the singing nany- erts of north-eastern China, a kingdom sight, but not one of them recognizable.” sutras into their own language, and add-
“living history” in. “We should known as the Western Xia Dynasty fl our- As these characters were directly and ed a new version of translated tripitaka
of Chinese folk Liu Dehai Photo by Bao Wei not only collect ished for some 200 years before being deeply infl uenced by Chinese characters, (canonical Buddhist texts) to the canon of
music. Musical the traditional obliterated by the overwhelming forces Zhang dubbed them “the twin brother of Chinese Buddhist literature.
experts consider an understanding songs and music, we should ‘open of Genghis Khan. Although historical re- Chinese characters.” The architecture of the Western Xia
of nanyin necessary to gain an un- the drawer’ of our collections cords make tantalizingly few references served not only to provide shelter from
derstanding of the essence of the and play them. And children are to this ancient civilization, it has left be- rain and snow, but also served a religious
whole Chinese history. where the future of nanyin lays,” hind a precious legacy. role. People decorated the roofs of their
During its development, nanyin says Liu. An exhibition highlighting the exotic houses, pagodas and temples with reli-
absorbed the essences of Songci When collecting folk music with culture of the Western Xia Dynasty gious ornaments, as a means of worship,
(poems of the Song Dynasty), his students in Quanzhou, Liu said (1038-1227) is now underway at the as well as to keep evil infl uences and di-
Yuanqu (verses of Yuan Dynasty) he was surprised to fi nd that even National Museum of China. Featuring saster at bay.
and Kunqu (an ancient form of a 90-year-old grandfather could 155 pieces, A Glimpse of the Western Jialinpinjia, which is also called
Chinese opera). It was recorded sing nanyin well. It is said that Xia Dynasty creates a vivid picture of Orphean Bird, or Bird of Beautiful
that when Zheng He, the seafaring there are more than 50 million this mysterious dynasty and the people Voice, is a glazed architectural ornament
explorer of the Song Dynasty, people, including a large number known as Tanguts. featuring a woman’s head and a bird’s
made his fi fth voyage, nanyin was of overseas Chinese, whose mother The exhibition is divided into four body. The Tanguts believed that
also carried on board. tongue is southern Fujian dialect, parts, introducing the calligraphy, craft, Jialinpinjia could entertain the Buddha
According to Professor Liu De- and who understand and love nan- religion and architecture of the vanished with its beautiful voice and graceful
hai, compere of a special perfor- yin. It is no wonder then that the kingdom. Most of the pieces on show dance, and thus prevent disaster and
mance of nanyin in Beijing last music has been warmly welcomed were created at the peak of the dynasty’s suffering. Researchers have also
year, the charm of the music lies in Beijing. two-hundred-year history, refl ecting its discovered that the ornament, which was
in three exclusive features; the an- Simply irresistible advanced technology and unique Glazed fl ask with carved fl oral design, fi red together with the ridge tiles, served
tiquated notation, the traditional The charm of nanyin lies in its nationality. found in Haiyuan County, Ningxia, in 1985 as an effective measure in draining water
musical instruments used and the simplicity and authenticity. “When The writing system of the Western The Tangut were a nation that lived from the roof when it rained.
primitive manner of singing. I fi rst listened to that song, I wept,” Xia was created by order of the fi rst on horseback, but their semi-nomadic A Glimpse of the Western Xia Dynas-
Firstly, nanyin has a special said Liu, describing his fi rst im- emperor, Li Yuanhao. However, when the lifestyle was never a restraint on imagi- ty can be seen at the National Museum
way of recording notes, called pression of nanyin. invading Mongolian armies swept away nation and creativity. One of the exhib- of China until March 20.
gongchi, which could also be read While trying to preserve the all before them on the continents of its, simply labeled Dark-brown Glazed
on the serial bells of more than precious cultural legacy, the Asia and Europe to establish the Yuan Flask, appears at fi rst glance to be no
2,400 years ago. Secondly, the mu- government of Quanzhou has also
more than an ornament with beautiful
sical instruments used to play been considering the future of
fl oral designs carved on the body. But
nanyin are exclusively made in nanyin. In view of the success
researchers have found that such fl asks
Quanzhou, Fujian Province. The in having kunqu designated a
were commonly used by Tanguts to carry
main instrument, called a chiba, Masterpiece of the Oral and
water, liquor and milk.
copies the style of the xiao of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity
One of the highlights of the exhibition
Tang Dynasty (a vertical bamboo by UNESCO, fans of nanyin have
is a gilded bronze ox, unearthed near
fl ute), and gives a pure and pro- resolved to duplicate that success.
Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia, in
found sound. Counterparts of an- Last summer, the government of
1977. The bronze ox has been eulogized
other instrument, the nanpa, can Quanzhou lodged an application
by collectors and archaeologists alike,
even be found in the frescos of to UNESCO to have nanyin
and is one of the Ningxia Museum’s
Dunhuang. recognized globally as a treasure of
Gilded bronze ox, unearthed in Yinchuan, most precious treasures. Because of the
Thirdly, originated and devel- the world.
Ningxia, in 1977 delicacy of the craftsmanship and the
oped in southern China, nanyin is Having written nanyin into
advanced technique of its manufacture,
sung in the dialect of southern Fu- middle school music textbooks, the Dynasty, the Western Xia was erased
the ox frequently appears in school
jian, and it retains numerous an- people of Quanzhou are placing from history, together with its unique
textbooks as an example of ancient
cient phrases and words. their hope in the younger gen- writing system.
gilding technology.
Musical fi gures erations. In a world submerged It was not until 1804, when Qing Dy-
Infl uenced by neighboring Han Chi-
Thanks to the joint efforts of the in western cultures, where pop nasty historian Zhang Shu discovered a
nese, the people of the Western Xia prac-
government of Quanzhou, many music and foreign movies equate stele on which were carved articles in
ticed Buddhism. In the space of less than
experts in fi elds of Chinese tra- to “fashion,” fans of nanyin are both Chinese and Western Xia charac-
two hundred years, the religious artwork
ditional music and thousands of still concerned as to whether this ters, that the secret of this ancient script Glazed roof ornament, unearthed in Yin-
of the Western Xia came to occupy a key
fans, nanyin is now thriving in its unique music will thrive and pros- was unlocked. chuan, Ningxia, in 2001
hometown of Quanzhou. There are per in the future.