Beijing Today (January 30, 2004)

19.1 MB·English

by  Beijing Youth Daily Group

‘Most of the people who beat up ‘Our customers are mainly young Cheap, easy and filling, jiaozi are China’s
journalists are either corrupt officials people who aren’t afraid to express ultimate bachelor food. Page 14
and their subordinates or other rule their personalities.’ Page 13
violators. They are the correct targets
for journalists.’ Page 7
FRIDAY JANUARY 30 2004 NO. 139 CN11-0120 HTTP://BJTODAY.YNET.COM
By Deng Jianyong / Zhang Yan / ry entries records his feelings at Sitting in
Hou Mingxin that time: “I looked at the scene
I
n May last year, a diary along the road and the faces of
providing an insider’s view the Japanese men and women.
of the International Mili- Tokyo and Yokohama are totally
tary Tribunal for the Far ruined, they are unrecognizable
East, also known as the from what I saw when I was
Tokyo War Crimes Trial was un- here 22 years ago. Who changed
earthed. The diary belonged to them? The war criminals facing
Mei Ruao, the Chinese judge on trial should be held responsible
the tribunal, which ran from May for all of this! They not only
1946 to November 1948. bought the world into disorder
In his previously unpublished and infl icted untold damage on
diary, Mei recorded his thoughts China, they also buried the fu-
about the daily proceedings of ture of their own country.” Judgement
the war crimes trial. A confl ict before the trial
Following the discovery of the On May 2, 1946, one day be-
diary by Mei’s son, Mei Xiaoao, fore the trial was due to begin,
reporters from CCTV interviewed the tribunal held a rehearsal,
some of the surviving participants during which a confl ict arose be-
in the trial and are currently pre- tween Mei and the president of
paring to publish the diary. the court, Australian judge Wil-
China’s representatives liam Webb.
On August 15, 1945, Japan The cause of the confl ict was
announced its unconditional sur- the proposed seating arrange-
render, ending World War II. On ment of the judges. Webb want-
January 1946, the allied powers ed American and British judges
issued a special proclamation an- to sit beside him, while Mei ar-
nouncing the establishment of gued that the seating arrange-
the International Military Tri- ment should correspond with the Diary sheds light
bunal for the Far East to try order of the 11 allied countries’
the leaders of the Japanese mili- signatures on Japan’s Instru-
tary for crimes against human- ment of Surrender. Accordingly,
on Tokyo War Crimes Trial
ity committed during the war. Mei should sit on Webb’s left
The trial was held in Tokyo, and Myron Kramer, the Ameri-
with a tribunal team made up of can judge, on his right.
judges and prosecutors from the When the judeges gathered for
11 allied nations: Australia, Cana- the planned rehearsal, Webb in-
da, China, France, Great Britain, sisted that the seating arrange-
India, the Netherlands, New Zea- ment would follow his original
land, the Philippines, the Soviet plan, which he said had been ap-
Union and the United States of proved by General Douglas Ma-
America. cArthur, the chief commander of
The Chinese judge and prose- the allied forces in Japan.
cutor were Mei Ruao (Mei Ju-ao) In objection to what he de-
and Xiang Zhejun (Hsiang Che- scribed in his diary as an “ab-
Chun). surd arrangement,” Mei removed
Mei, born in Nanchang, Jiangxi his judicial robes and returned
Province in 1904, was educated at to his offi ce.
Stanford University and Chicago Webb subsequently explained
University in Ameri- to Mei that the
‘
ca. After returning to arrangement was
Tokyo and
China, he taught at simply designed
Shanxi University, to facilitate the
Yokohama
Nankai University carrying out of the
and Central School are totally trial, as the Amer-
of Politics, and was ican and British
later appointed a ruined, they are judges were more
member of the legis- familiar with the
The judges: Back Row (Left to Right): Radhabinod Pal, B.V.A. The Japanese accused of war crimes. Photos by Google.come
lative committee. unrecognizable western justice Roling, Edward Stuart McDougall, Henri Bernard, Harvey
Xiang was born system, and that Northcroft, and Delfi n Jaranilla. Front Row (Left to Right):
from what I
in Ningxiang, Hunan there was no ques- Lord Patrick, Major-General Cramer, William Webb, Mei Ruao,
Province in 1896. He saw when I was tion of discrimi- and Major-General I.M. Zaryanov.
graduated from Yale nation.
and George Washing- here 22 years Mei’s response
ton University major- was, “This is an
ing in law and in 1925 ago. Who international reconsider my responsibility. If I with them very little evidence to 1931, he was installed by the Japa- nese spy acting in northeastern
returned to China. court, not an can not get support from my gov- support the charges. As Qiu Sha- nese as the emperor of the puppet China during the war. He was
changed them?
Before his appoint- American or Brit- ernment, I will resign.” oheng later told CCTV, “When state of Manchukuo. one of the main plotters of the so-
ment as prosecutor ish court. I can Because of his insistence, the we arrived in Tokyo, we did not Puyi appeared before the tribu- called Mukden Incident in 1931,
The war
of the international see no necessity rehearsal had to be deferred and bring anything. At that time, it nal on August 16, 1946. The event which served as an excuse for the
tribunal, Xiang was criminals for such an ar- at last Webb agreed to Mei’s de- seemed that the Nanjing Govern- was described in Japanese media Japanese invasion of northeast-
chief prosecutor of rangement. Chi- mand. ment (the then central govern- as a “historic day,” as Puyi was the ern China, and was nicknamed
the Shanghai High facing trial na has suffered On May 3, the tribunal opened, ment) knew nothing about the fi rst former emperor to appear be- “Lawrence of Japan,” a reference
Court. from Japan ag- and the 28 Japanese on trial for trial. They provided no instruc- fore the court as a witness. to Lawrence of Arabia.
As Mei recorded should be held gression for more war criminals were brought into tions to us, let alone materials.” Puyi provided testimony for Itagaki Seishiro, the war min-
in his diary, the num- than 50 years and the court. That day, Mei wrote in Professor Song Zhiyong of Nan- eight consecutive days, the lon- ister, was another one behind
responsible for
ber of representatives ’ made unimagi- his diary, “Facing the group of war kai University told CCTV, “Why gest provided by a witness at the Mukden Incident. Both had
sent by China to the all of this! nable sacrifi ces criminals, I felt extremely angry. was it diffi cult to seek evidence? the tribunal. His testimony re- been carefully to ensure no in-
tribunal was much during the war. It was these people that had tram- First, Japan did a very good job of vealed Japan’s intent to commit criminating documents survived
smaller than that I cannot accept pled China for decades, millions covering up all those secrets from aggression in and divide north- and Kenji refused to answer any
from most other al- that China’s sta- of my compatriots were killed by the war. Second, after they surren- eastern China. questions during the trial.
lied countries, despite tus in this court them. My anger is my compatriots’ dered, a large quantity of evidence The tribunal began the After failing to fi nd evidence
China having suffered so heavily at should be lower than that of Brit- anger. Today, my place here in the was deliberately destroyed. Third, Nanjing Atrocities phase in Sep- in China, Chinese prosecutors
the hands of the Japanese. ain. I do not believe that my court is the price of the death of China failed to keep adequate re- tember 1946, for which the pros- asked permission to search the
Other Chinese representa- government will accept this ar- my compatriots. I should be care- cords and did not seek out related ecution provided much powerful archives of the former Japanese
tives involved in the trial includ- rangement.” ful and I should be serious.” evidence during the war.” evidence. Eventually, 11 people, Army. Although countless docu-
ed the following. Webb asked Mei not leave and Seeking evidence In order to fi nd evidence and including fi ve Chinese survivors, ments had been destroyed, they
Ni Zhengyu, Xiang’s assis- then went to consult with other On February 7, 1946, Xiang witnesses, Xiang and his assis- took the witness stand and a fur- still found powerful evidences
tant, who received his doctoral judges. Ten minutes later, he re- Zhejun and his assistants ar- tants returned to China during ther 21 people fi led affi davits. proving Seishiro and Doihara’s
degree from Stanford University turned and told Mei that the re- rived in Tokyo with a list of the trial numerous times. The “It was at this moment that crimes in China.
in 1930. hearsal was just a provisional and people the Chinese government chief prosecutor, American Jo- the majority of the Japanese In the court, Ni Zhengyu, rep-
Qiu Shaoheng, Xiang’s secre- unoffi cial arrangement, and that wanted put on trial. There were seph Keenan, not only provided populace fi rst heard about the resenting Chinese prosecution
tary, previously an attorney in the judges had agreed to discuss 11 names on the list, including some funding for these trips, but inconceivable scale and dimen- team, questioned Seishiro for ten
Shanghai. again the seating arrangement former Japanese prime minister also accompanied Xiang on sev- sion of the Rape of Nanjing. The days, impressing all present with
Gao Wenbin, a graduate of the that evening. He then urged Mei to General Tojo Hideki, war min- eral occasions to assist in gather- horrible acts of the Japanese his fl uent English, legal knowl-
Law School of Dongwu Universi- participate in the rehearsal. ister General Itagaki Seishiro, ing evidence. Army were revealed to the peo- edge and debating skills.
ty in 1945. Mei said, “Photographers and commander-in-chief of Japan’s Aixinjueluo Puyi, the last Em- ple for the fi rst time,” recalled (Continued on page 2)
Zhou Xiqing, a graduate of journalists were all waiting in China Central Area Army Gen- peror of China was one of the wit- Gao Wenbin.
Pennsylvania University, major- the court. They will take photos eral Matsui Iwane and General nesses presented by China. Puyi However, the trial of Kenji
ing in economics. and publish reports. So, I will Doihara Kenji. ascended to the throne in 1908 Doihara and Itagaki Seishiro did EXECUTIVE EDITOR: JIAN RONG
Judge Mei arrived in Japan defi nitely not participate in the However apart from this list, and was deposed in 1911 when the not proceed smoothly. EDITOR: HOU MINGXIN
in March of 1946. One of his dia- rehearsal. As for myself, I will the Chinese delegates brought Qing Dynasty fell. On March 1, Kenji Doihara, was a Japa- DESIGNER: LI SHI
■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 ■Direc-
tor 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 30, 2004
E-mail: [email protected] EDITOR: HOU MINGXIN DESIGNER: LI SHI
Law Experts Help Improve
Public Security Review
Beijing’s 110 police hotline
received 54 percent fewer calls
during the Spring Festival holiday
week than the preceding week, and
93 criminal suspects were appre-
Legislation hended as a result of calls.
Police warned people to take
special care of their credit cards
and bank pass-books, as there had
been many recent cases of theft
and fraudulent use of such items.
Anyone who loses their credit card
or pass-book should report the loss
By James Liu to the second session of the 10th for legislative work in an interview with Congress are not required to be full-time immediately to their bank, most
China’s lawmakers have begun National People’s Congress, due to be China Youth Daily. professionals. They may be students, pro- of which have 24-hour hotlines
engaging legal experts as legislative held in March, and researching the “However, turning all lawmakers into fessors or lawyers with a master’s or for this purpose (Bank of China –
assistants in an effort to improve local investment environment and for- full-time professionals is impossible at higher degree in law. 95566, Construction Bank – 95533,
their work. eign trade situation. the moment. Employing legislative assis- Legislative assistants will offer legal Commercial Bank – 96169).
Li Shouting, doctor of law at South- Li is not only the fi rst private legal tants seems a very pragmatic way to consultation and do preparatory work Police also warned people to be
west China University of Political Sci- assistant in Chongqing Municipal Peo- improve legislative quality,” Ma said. for lawmakers, receiving an allowance wary of exchanging renminbi for
ence and Law, has been engaged as a ple’s Congress, but also the fi rst in Chi- The Standing Committee of of up to 8,000 yuan. foreign currency with strangers,
private legislative assistant to Cheng na’s provincial-level people’s congresses. Chongqing Municipal People’s Congress An offi cial with the Standing Com- and to take care of their belong-
Yiju, deputy director of the Standing Ma Huaide, president of law school of has passed a decision to allow each mittee of the National People’s Congress ings at all times.
Committee of Chongqing Municipal the Chinese University of Political Sci- member to have one legislative assistant said the move showed that the country’s
People’s Congress. ence and Law, said that most lawmakers according to his or her needs. lawmaking work had become more spe- (Information provided by
His short-term tasks include offer- hold two or more posts concurrently, leav- Under the decision, legislative assis- cialized and professional and its legisla- Beijing Public Security Bureau)
ing suggestions on Cheng’s proposals ing them insuffi cient time and energy tants in Chongqing Municipal People’s tive authorities more authoritative.
China Suspends Poultry Exports, Imports Online Tax Payments
Launched in Beijing
China’s fi rst online tax payment
China has decided to suspend the The ministry issued an announcement of Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, according to Chinese offi cial sources. system has been launched for a trial
export of poultry and related products Wednesday jointly with the Ministry of Thailand, Laos, Pakistan and Indone- Agriculture and health ministers run in Beijing, enabling businesses and
by Chinese farmers from bird fl u-hit Agriculture, General Administration of sia, where deadly bird fl u cases have from China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Viet- individuals to pay taxes via the Inter-
areas and halt fowl imports from eight Customs and State Administration of been reported. nam, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, the net, the Beijing Local Taxation Bureau
bird fl u-affected countries, the Ministry Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quar- The World Health Organization (WHO) European Union and the United States, has announced.
of Commerce said Thursday. antine, prohibiting the export of poultry has confi rmed avian infl uenza cases in and offi cials from the WHO and UN “Once the system is in full operation
So far, confi rmed and suspected bird products from China’s bird fl u-hit areas Cambodia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Food and Agricultural Organization and covers the entire city, tax payments
fl u cases have been reported in parts of beginning Wednesday. Vietnam and China. The disease has attended a meeting on bird fl u Wednes- can be made not only at taxation offi ces
China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous According to the announcement, caused human deaths in Thailand and day in Bangkok of Thailand to discuss and banks, but also from the taxpay-
Region bordering Vietnam, and Hunan poultry imports were also banned begin- Vietnam. However, the virus has not measures to fi ght the disease. er’s home or offi ce,” said Wang Jiping,
and Hubei provinces in central China. ning Wednesday from the Republic jumped to human beings in China yet, (Xinhua) director of the Beijing Local Taxation
Bureau.
“Taxpayers can submit tax forms
Draft Rules
and documents via the Internet and
thus spare themselves the trouble of
going to taxation offi ces personally,”
Issued on Wang added. “This also saves staff at
taxation offi ces from repetitive work
and raises effi ciency.”
Auto Loans Taxation institutions that have
introduced the online taxpayment
system include the Haidian Branch,
Chongwen Branch, West Railway Sta-
By Hou Mingxin
tion Branch and Foreigners’ Service
The People’s Bank of China,
Branch of the Beijing Local Taxation
China’s central bank, issued a
Bureau, as well as the Beijing branches
draft regulation on auto loans
of China Merchants Bank. (Xinhua)
last Tuesday.
Under the new regulation,
Tobacco Market Opened
loan periods are restricted to
fi ve years, with a maximum
outlay of 80 per cent of the By Zhang Bo
China is to abolish the special
car’s price, excluding taxes and
tobacco monopolized sales certifi cate,
insurance, according to a post-
which entitled holders to deal in for-
ing on the bank’s website.
eign cigarettes, according to a Xinhua
The regulation also pro-
report on Sunday.
vides guidelines for personal
The move is expected to open up
auto loans, distributor auto
the cigarette retail sales market signif-
loans, group auto loans and
icantly, and is in line with agreements
risk management.
signed by China on entering the WTO.
Last month, General
According to Jiang Chengkang,
Motors (US), Toyota Motors.
director of the State Tobacco Monop-
(Japan) and Volkswagen AG
oly Administration, all foreign trade
(Germany) got the nod from
and economic cooperation related to
the China Banking Regulatory
cigarettes and tobacco fall under
Commission to start offering
the comprehensive control of the
car loans.
administration.
The three car makers are
The administrative will also
expected to set up auto-fi nanc-
Epidemic prevention worker sprays disinfectant on a car passing through Dengjiapu, Hunan Province, where ducks at a duck farm were confi rmed strengthen its supervision of pro-
ing operations in China within on January 21 to have the chicken fl u virus. The local government has slaughtered all the poultry within a three kilometer radius of the farm and motion of cigarettes and cigarette
the next six months, the com- vaccinated all poultry in a further two kilometer radius. Photo by Xinhua distribution channels, specifically tar-
mission said.
geting cigarette smuggling and faking
According to a government
Tax Concessions to of trademarks.
report issued by the State
Development and Reform
No Holiday Pay for
Commission, auto loans are
forecast to increase by 80 bil-
Increase Income of Peasants Senior Managers in
lion yuan in 2003, up 71.6 bil-
lion yuan year-on-year from
Beijing
last year,
Over 100 billion yuan in
By Zhang Bo tax; sales of produce amounting to less peasants’ income. By Zhang Bo
loans were issued in 2002,
The State Administration of Taxation than 5,000 yuan per month or 200 yuan The SAT also demands that taxation Senior managers in Beijing will not
according to state estimates,
(SAT) publicized fi ve preferential taxa- per day are free from value-added tax; administrations at all levels should receive holiday payments for overtime
with China’s big four banks
tion policies aimed at further relieving tax is no longer payable on agricultural strictly enforce the above measures and work. This was revealed by Beijing
– China Construction Bank,
the burden of peasants on January 20. specialties; fl uid vendors in rural areas should not collect personal income tax Labor and Social Security Bureau
Bank of China, Industrial and
According to the new policies, income are no longer required to transact tax from sales of own produce in agricultural during an on-line explanation on Bei-
Commercial Bank of China
from planting, breeding and fi shing registration. produce markets. jing’s regulations on wage payments
and Agricultural Bank of
are exempt from personal income tax; An offi cial from the SAT said the poli- The SAT also emphasized that taxa- implemented from January 22, accord-
China, controlling 90 per cent
income from the sale of one’s own pro- cies were specially instituted to carry out tion organs should transact affairs trans- ing to last Friday’s Beijing Star Daily,
of the market. duce are exempt from personal income the State Council’s policies to increasing parently and justly. As senior managers enjoy high lati-
tude to arrange their work time, over-
time payments do not apply to them,
(Continued from page 1) posal, he suggested all the defendants grounds that their nations had abol- Muto Akira and Kimura Heitaro. according to the bureau.
Call for death be sent to an isolated island, just as ished the death sentence. Following the conclusion of the trial, Local regulations state that the
In April 1948, the trial, which had France had exiled Napoleon. In order to see that the war criminals Mei was appointed minister of justice by system of unfi xed work time is an elas-
lasted for more than two years, came American judge Major General were punished, Mei tried to win over the Kuomintang government, however tic arrangement established by produc-
to an end. The 11 tribunal judges Myron Kramer had no qualms about all the judges who held a different view. he refused the post. In December 1949, tion characteristics and special wording
then started considering their ver- the death sentence, but his concern was He believed that not punishing such Mei returned to the People’s Republic demands of enterprises.
dicts and sentences, however a unan- only with those responsible for launch- criminal action would amount to silent of China. He died in Beijing in 1972. Officials from the bureau also reit-
imous opinion on the death sentence ing the Pacifi c War and for the ill-treat- connivance, and the tragedy would be Xiang Zhejun refused the post of chief erated that the first and second day
proved elusive. ment of American prisoners of war. destined to happen again. “In the week prosecutor offered by the Kuomintang of the lunar calendar are legal holi-
The Chinese government sent Mei a Justice Radhabinod Pal of India before the verdicts were handed down, government and returned to Shanghai days and staff required to work on
telegraph instructing him to seek the argued that individuals should not be I could not sleep,” Mei wrote later. to teach. He passed away in 1978. those days should be paid holiday
death sentence for Seishiro, Doihara held responsible for a nation’s action, On November 12 1948, the president Ni Zhengyu also returned to Shang- compensation.
and seven others. and called for all the defendants to of the court William Webb announced hai and became a professor. In 1956, he The newly implemented regulations
Some of the judges, however, opposed be released; Justice Henri Bernard that seven defendants had been sen- was appointed state diplomatic advisor. also stipulate that employees off work
the death sentence. According to Mei’s of France and Major General I. M. tenced to death by hanging, namely In 1985, he was appointed to the Hague due to illness shall be paid no less than
diary, president of the court Justice Zaryanov of the Soviet Union judges Itagaki Seishiro, Kenji Doihara, Tojo tribunal. Ni passed away in September 80 percent of the minimum salary in
Webb came up with a very strange pro- also opposed sentencing death, on the Hideki, Matsui Iwane, Hirota Koki, last year. Beijing.
DEVELOPMENT
3
JANUARY 30, 2004
E-mail: [email protected] EDITOR: ZHAO HONGYI LIU WENLONG DESIGNER: LI SHI
HK Okays Mainland Bank Cards
Mobile Dealers
Cash in on SMS
By James Liu
By James Liu ing effect, mainland tourists could not
Short message service (SMS) re-
Starting from January 18, mainland take over US$ 6,000 into Hong Kong
placed telephone calls and postcards
Renminbi bank cards will offi cially be as per customs regulations.
this year to become the most popular
accepted in Hong Kong according to a By 11 pm on January 18, a total of
way in China to wish friends and rel-
statement released on January 16 by 1,572 transactions had been complet-
atives a happy Year of the Monkey.
the People’s Bank of China, the coun- ed using mainland bank cards (a set-
From last Wednesday noon to ear-
try’s central bank. tlement volume of 756,941.20 Hong
ly Thursday morning, registered mo-
Bank cards, which carry China Union- Kong dollars). Of this, 302,200 Hong
bile subscribers in Beijing alone sent
pay signs, will be allowed to withdraw Kong dollars were withdrawn from
over 100 million SMS – according to
Hong Kong dollars in cash. A daily maxi- ATMs and 454,741.20 dollars were
the latest data from Beijing Unicom
mum of 5,000 yuan can be drawn from spent.
and Beijing Mobile. The two compa-
ATM’s throughout Hong Kong with the An offi cial of China Unionpay Co.
nies raked in a hefty 10 million yuan
same Unionpay signs. Commission on Ltd. (CUP), the only national payment
(US$1.21 million) in earnings from
each transaction is 15 yuan. network used by China’s major banks,
SMS in a single day.
Central bank authorities noted that said the cards can be used in about
An estimated 10 billion SMS greet-
this move will facilitate greater spend- 4,000 businesses in Hong Kong, in-
ings will be sent during the seven-
ing by mainland travelers to Hong cluding: major shopping malls, spe-
day holiday that began on January
Kong while bringing closer both trade cialty shops and beauty parlors. CUP
22. Last year, over seven billion mes-
and tourism exchanges between the is a joint-stock fi nancial organization
sages were sent during the lunar new
special administrative region and the founded by over 80 mainland fi nancial
year festival, earning China Mobile
mainland. Prior to this measure tak- companies, banks and foundations. Unionpay system mainland bank cards can now get cash from ATM’s in Hong Kong. and China Unicom nearly 500 mil-
lion yuan.
Shrimp Producers Face US Anti-dumping Charge
From Passengers
to Cargo
By James Liu ing investigation against the CFNA estimated that China ex- be greatly harmed by restrict- anti-dumping petition. He has
On December 31, 2003, the six countries. Of the six, China ported US$800 million worth of ing the import of shrimp as raw invested US$50 million in Ha
By James Liu
US Ad Hoc Shrimp Trade Ac- was charged with largest dump- shrimp last year, half of which was material,” Zhang added. Tin to establish a shrimp fi eld
China’s Taikoo Aircraft Engineer-
tion Committee fi led a petition ing rate (119 to 267 percent) exported to the United States. American Sea Product Dis- that can export 1,000 tons of
ing Company (TAECO) will cooper-
with the International Trade with Brazil second (40 to 230 Zhang Zhibiao, deputy sec- tribution Association (ASDA) shrimp to the US annually.
ate with Boeing Corporation from
Commission (ITC) requesting percent). retary-general of CFNA, told president Wally Stevens also Chinese shrimp exports orig-
the US to refi t a Boeing-747-400
initiation of an anti-dumping The China Chamber of Com- Economic Information Daily disagreed with the moves by inate mainly in southern Chi-
passenger plane for air freighter
duty investigation on frozen merce of Import and Export that the US government fi ling both the ITC and the Depart- na. Shrimp exports are a major
service. It’s the fi rst time this type
and canned warm water shrimp of Foodstuffs, Native Produce of this case for investigation ment of Commerce. He said source of income for fi shermen
of plane has been converted from
from Brazil, China, Ecuador, In- and Animal By-Products (CFNA) would be a heavy blow to Chi- that tariffs are permeable bar- in coastal areas with Guang-
passenger to freighter use.
dia, Thailand, and Vietnam. called on dozens of shrimp enter- na’s shrimp industry. riers, as the Norwegian salmon dong being China’s most im-
TAECO said on Tuesday that the
The US alliance claimed the prises from Guangdong, Fujian One Chinese shrimp produc- trade case clearly demonstrates. portant shrimp producing area.
refi t will concentrate on reinforcing
six countries have dumped and Zhejiang provinces to hold er noted, “The government gives Shutting down one source only Guangdong’s shrimp exports to
the main cargo bay while adding a
shrimp on the US market at an emergency meeting in Beijing no subsidies to the shrimp in- causes an alternate source to the United States are estimat-
side cargo door. The internal walls
below cost prices, triggering a to discuss ways to deal with dustry. If we sell at below-cost emerge to meet consumer de- ed at US$100 million annually.
will also be reformed with a higher
plunge in the value of US-har- the anti-dumping suit. Chinese prices or prices lower than the mand. According to him, im- “If the Department of Com-
resistance material.
vested shrimp (from US$1.25 shrimp farmers from Guangdong, domestic market, we can’t af- ported shrimp fi lls 88 percent merce makes decisions that
The refi tted plane will be identi-
billion in 2000 to US$559 mil- Guangxi and Fujian have given ford it.” of the American consumer’s de- only benefi t a certain group
cal to Boeing’s original air freighters,
lion in 2002). notice to the ITC, via their US “In addition, the shrimp pro- mand for the product. of people while causing me to
able to carry over 113 tons of cargo
On January 20, the US De- lawyers, that they intend to re- cessing industry has created A US citizen, Dinh Duc Huu, lose my livelihood, I will meet
for distances up to 7,600 kilometers.
partment of Commerce has spond to the charge. nearly 100,000 job opportuni- an investor in shrimp breeding them at the Supreme Court,”
Based in Xiamen City in the south-
launched a shrimp anti-dump- Statistics provided by the ties for Americans. This could Vietnam, also said NO to the says Dinh.
east of China, TAECO runs Asia’s
largest civil airplane repair base. It
CEPA Grants HK Lender Branch License has successfully refi tted six Boeing-
747-200s and 300s.
Beijing Doubles
By Grace Wei effect. The asset threshold requirement of
Wing Lung Bank Ltd announced Wing Lung Bank’s fi rst main- parent banks wanting to set up reg-
on January 17 that China’s Banking land branch will open later this istered local operations was also low- Mobile Fitting
Regulatory Commission (CBRC) has spring, in the Luohu District of ered from US$10 billion to US$6
approved its application to set up Shenzhen. The Shenzhen Foreign billion. CBRC offi cials noted that
Exports to Europe
a branch in Shenzhen and thus be- Trade and Economic Bureau, with foreign-invested banks handle RMB
comes the fi rst Hong Kong lender to the Administration of Industry and services in 13 mainland cities and
receive a branch license. Commerce, have formulated an that the Commission will give prefer- By James Liu
Beijing Youth Daily reported that evaluation procedure for applica- ence to Hong Kong and Macau banks Beijing’s exports of mobile phone
Chen Tianqiao denying copying charges
since the implementation of the tions from Hong Kong investors applying to set up branches and offer parts to Europe reached US$1.265 bil-
Korean Gamemaker Mainland-Hong Kong Closer Eco- who wish to set up companies in RMB services in these cities. Wing lion in 2003, doubling the fi gure for the
nomic Partnership Arrangements the mainland. Lung Bank reported total assets of previous year, according to the latest
(CEPA), three HK-based banks have Pursuant to the CEPA, the reg- US$8.64 billion at the end of June statistics from Beijing Customs. Major
Files IP Suit already submitted their applica- istered capital threshold required of last year. export destinations included Hungary,
tions to CBRC for branch operations Hong Kong and Macau banks wish- Two other Hong Kong lenders, Germany and the Czech Republic.
in the mainland. Wing Lung Bank’s ing to open branch operations in the Dah Sing Bank and Shanghai Com- Total export of mobile phones and fi t-
application acceptance marks the Chinese mainland has been lowered mercial Bank, have also submitted tings topped US$1.81 billion last year,
By James Liu fi rst approval since the CEPA took from US$20 billion to US$6 billion. their applications to CBRC. up 30.1 percent over the previous year.
Visitors to South Korean game developer Exports to Asian countries dropped by
Wemade’s website will see an announcement 35.9 percent to US$480 million.
stating that it expects a result from the Singa- Mobile phone fi tting exports alone
pore International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) totaled US$601 million last year, 13.7
following arbitration against Chinese mainland times the fi gure for the previous year.
game operator Shanda and South Korean game Exports of fi nished mobile phones
distributor Actoz in an intellectual property dropped for the fi rst time since 1999 by
(IP) rights dispute. 10.3 percent (to US$1.209 billion).
Wemade also fi led a suit to the Beijing No.1 In-
Test Dispute Slows
termediate People’s Court. It requested the court
to shut down the website Legend of the World run
by Shanghai Shanda Company, according to a re- Nesquik Suit
port on January 9 in the Beijing Morning Post.
Chen Tianqiao, Shanda’s owner, made Forbes Chi-
By James Liu
na’s 100 richest list last year.
On January 18, the Shanghai
Wemade claims that its agent, Actoz, unilateral-
No.2 Intermediate People’s Court be-
ly ceased Legend of Mir operations with Shanda on
gan hearing a local woman’s lawsuit
January 24, 2003 – due to a breach of contract by
against Nestlé and Shanghai Lianjia
Shanda. Legend of the World, a new game developed
Supermarket Co for producing and
and launched by Shanda shortly after, is cited by
selling genetically modifi ed (GM) food
Wemade to contain over 100 details copied from its
without informing consumers.
Legend of Mir product (developed and registered in
The case is now delayed as scien-
Korea in September of 2000). Wemade also accuses
tists argue over which tests to use
Shanda of upgrading hundreds of thousands of reg-
to determine the GM ingredient con-
istered Chinese users from Legend of Mir to the Leg-
tent of Nestlé’s Nesquik brand in-
end of the World.
stant chocolate drink.
Shanda submitted papers for arbitration to
Maybelline cozies up to new sister-brand Yue-Sai. Zhu Yanling, 32, says she bought a
the ICC on July 4 last year, asking for compen- Photos by Photocome
sation from both Actoz and Wemade for failing L’Oreal on Acquisition Spree package of Nesquik for her son from
the Gubei outlet of Carrefour (man-
to provide adequate support and for loss of in-
aged by Lianjia) on March 27, 2003.
come. Shanda later withdrew from arbitration
Later, she read that the product con-
due to an out-of-court agreement with Actoz to By James Liu “I will stick to Yue-Sai, no matter The size of China’s cosmetic market
tains GM ingredients, a claim that
continue operating Legend of Mir. Wemade re- On Monday, the L’Oreal group fi - who owns it. It is Yue-Sai Kan who now ranks eighth in the world and sec-
Nestlé has since denied.
fused to withdraw from arbitration and the ICC nalized an agreement to acquire the told me what is beauty,” said Yuan ond only to Japan in Asia, a clear sign of
The court asked a biological test
has announced that it will move ahead with ar- popular make-up and skincare brand Mei, a middle-aged lady in Shang- growing disposable income.
center run by the Shanghai Academy of
bitration next month. Yue-Sai, founded by Chinese-Ameri- hai, to Xinhua News Agency. Paolo Gasparrini, general manager
Agricultural Sciences to test the prod-
Claiming to have developed Legend of the can TV celebrity Yue-Sai Kan. L’Oreal’s increasing appetite for of L’Oreal China, said in L’Oreal’s of-
uct for GM ingredients. Following the
World independently, Shanda released this game As the deal includes a Shanghai well-established brands in the main- fi cial website that the company will
standard test for GM foods laid down
in July of last year at a cost of US$4.8 million. manufacturing plant, the agreement land refl ects the rapidly growing pop- keep the valuable brand name. “Yue-
by the Ministry of Agriculture last May,
Shanda Networking stated that this investment will boost the group’s production capac- ularity of make-up among Chinese Sai, a symbolic brand for the Chinese
scientists found no evidence of GM in-
was recouped on the fi rst day of launch. Attract- ity to support rapid growth in Asia. women. The Yue-Sai deal follows the woman of today, will naturally slot into
gredients in the product.
ing 300,000 simultaneous users within a month, Founded in 1992, Yue-Sai grew to Paris-based company’s announcement L’Oreal’s portfolio. The brand strength-
Zhu’s attorney, Wu Dong, says that a
Shanda began charging in October 2003 – gener- become a major brand in China with on December 10 of its takeover of ens the group’s leadership position in
new and more accurate test should be
ating millions of dollars of income. strong market position and distribu- Chinese cosmetics and skincare brand make-up and facial skincare.”
used in court but admits it could take
Shanda Networking plans to list on Nasdaq tion (sold in 240 of China’s largest Mininurse. Despite rumors of an immi- L’Oreal’s core brands now occupy sev-
awhile for the government to establish
later this spring, and expects to raise at least cities). Owned by French cosmetic com- nent P&G acquisition of Yue-Sai, P&G eral number one positions: L’Oreal Par-
proper standards on how the test is
US$300 million. Shanda Networking claims to pany Coty since 1996, Yue-Sai report- purchased German skincare brand is in premium hair color, Maybelline in
conducted. The court has not said when
have 170 million registered users on its website, ed total sales of nearly 38 million euros Nivea instead at a price of 3.2 billion make-up, Vichy in pharmacy sales and
ˇ it will reach a verdict on the case.
www.shanda.com.cn. in 2003. euros according to Nanfang Daily. Lancome in selective distribution.
OUTLOOK
4
JANUARY 30, 2004
E-mail: [email protected] EDITOR: ZHAO HONGYI DESIGNER: LI SHI
Irish Smoking Ban Imminent
UK Drops Boeing for
Tanker Talks
Jan 26, London (Reuters) - Britain chose
January 26, Dublin (AFP) - the next few weeks,” the health min- He said he had been advised that 500,000 each year in the European Airbus parent EADS and its partners for talks on
Controversy continues to swirl ister spokesman said. ventilation systems and partial bans Union (EU). a 13 billion pound ($23.7 billion) military tanker
around a sweeping ban in Ire- “He will give several weeks notice in pubs, bars and restaurants were In the Netherlands, a new law that aircraft deal on Monday, dropping a bid from a
land on smoking in public places, of the new implementation date - so not effective in reducing the threat of came into effect on January 1 prohib- rival consortium led by U.S. company Boeing.
including pubs and restaurants, which it is unlikely the ban will take effect second-hand smoke. its smoking in public places such as “The MoD (Ministry of Defense) will now
now looks set to come into force in before March.” The health advice was so blunt and public transport, the workplace, cafe- enter into detailed negotiations with Air-
March once EU hurdles are cleared. The Irish Hospitality Industry clear-cut that it was no longer possible terias and toilets. Employees will only Tanker,” the ministry said in a statement that
Health Minister Micheal Martin’s Alliance, which represents about to “temporise, to negotiate, to water be allowed to smoke in special rooms announced a surprise delay of some months in
proposed ban is being strongly opposed 3,000 publicans, is taking legal down” protection measures, he said. equipped with extractor fans. awarding the fi nal contract.
by sections of the hospitality industry, advice about whether to challenge Over 6,000 people die prematurely Sweden has already passed a tough Analysts said the AirTanker consortium led by
which claims that it will lead to the the ban in the courts. in Ireland every year from diseases anti-smoking law that will go into EADS would probably fi nalize Europe’s largest
loss of thousands of jobs. “We are still waiting to see how the caused by tobacco smoke, according to effect in 2005. Ireland is also on tanker order, although they added that the UK
The ban was to have come into pennies drop,” a spokesman for the offi cial data. the verge of passing a ban similar ministry appeared prepared to make changes.
effect on January 1, a date that alliance told AFP. Media Report: to the Dutch one. Belgium is gradu- U.S. offi cials have wrangled for months with a
was subsequently pushed back to last “The minister has a few more ally toughening up legislation against similar impasse over Boeing tankers for the Air
Monday, but a health ministry spokes- things to put in place. He has said he Europe Strives for a Tobacco- smoking, while Britain is also delib- Force as opponents to a lease deal in Congress
man said the implementation order wants to have the ban up and run- free Continent erating a crackdown on smoking in argue that buying the planes would be cheaper.
has been revoked by Martin pending ning by April. We are also waiting to Europe is enforcing its fi ght against public places.
a new date. see what the European Union says,” tobacco use with new legislation and The EU is also doing its part to build
The need to provide three months’ he said. continuous price hikes this year, a smoking-free Europe. Earlier this
notice to the European Commission in It was a year ago that Martin making it more and more diffi cult for month, the EU Commission announced
Brussels has contributed to the delay, announced plans for a wide-raging smokers to keep puffi ng. that it was considering a move to outlaw
as have legal diffi culties with the reg- ban on smoking in public places, Many countries across the conti- smoking in bars and restaurants across
ulations and arranging the policing of based on health and safety reports nent have enacted or are formulating the 15 member countries.
the ban. which established “without equivo- laws to ban smoking in public places, So far there is no Europe-wide reg-
“The minister will be making an cation” that environmental tobacco but strong opposition remains against ulation on smoking or the prices of
announcement about a new date in smoke can cause cancer. efforts to end the scourge that kills tobacco. Xinhua News
US,
Aventis Rejects Takeover
Costa Rica January 28, Paris (AP) - French drugmaker
Aventis SA’s board recommended Wednes-
day that shareholders reject an unsolicited
$60 billion takeover bid from smaller rival
Sanofi-Synthelabo SA and told management
Reach Free to study alternatives.
After a fi ve-hour meeting, the Aventis
board followed the management recommen-
dation to reject the hostile 48 billion euro
offer, saying it “was not in the best interests
Trade Deal
of the shareholders and employees.”
“As a consequence, the board recommends
that shareholders reject this hostile offer,” the
company said in a statement.
January 25, Washington (AP) - The Bush Aventis chairman Jurgen Dormann had
administration reached an agreement already brushed off Sanofi ’s takeover bid in a
with Costa Rica on Sunday that will allow company statement issued shortly after the bid
the nation to join four of its neighbors in was launched Monday.
creating a Central American Free Trade Toyota Surpasses Ford
Area with the United States, offi cials of
the two countries announced.
The agreement came after two weeks of January 26, Tokyo (AP) - For months, sales
intense negotiations aimed at overcoming data had been predicting a milestone for Toyota
differences in such areas as telecommuni- Motor Corp. On Monday, it was offi cial: the Jap-
cations and insurance that had prompted anese automaker surpassed Ford Motor Co. of
Costa Rica to back out at the last minute the United States in global sales for 2003 as the
from completing the CAFTA talks last month world’s No. 2 automaker.
with the four other nations, Guatemala, El Toyota confi rmed the tally it gave last Friday
Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras. for worldwide sales for 2003 of 6.78 million
Administration offi cials said they were The US Federal Reserve, faced with mixed signals on growth and fresh evidence the economy is failing to create new jobs, vehicles, up 9.9 percent from 6.17 million the
pleased with the market-opening language decided Wednesday to keep a key short-term interest rate unchanged at a 45-year low. Meeting for the fi rst time in the new year, previous year. Ford’s 2003 sales have slipped
fi nally reached with Costa Rica, which had Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan and his colleagues left the overnight federal funds rate at 1 percent as widely expected. to 6.72 million vehicles, down 3.6 percent from
sought to protect its monopoly operations 6.97 million the year before.
in telephones and insurance. The world’s largest automaker remains Gen-
Costa Rica agreed to fully open its Spring Festival in New York eral Motors Corp. of the United States, which
insurance market to foreign competition sold 8.6 million vehicles in 2003.
by 2011. It also agreed to open three key
sectors of its telephone market to compe-
Worldwide vehicle sales
tition - wireless services, private network
services and Internet services. By Zhao Hongyi tival as one of the city’s
While the country will maintain bans The main sense I got public holidays. With the
against foreign competition in other areas when arriving at JFK help of John Liu, a city
of telecommunications, US negotiators said international airport in the council member originally
they were satisfi ed that they had torn middle of the night on Jan- from Taiwan, Golden has
down barriers in the areas of most interest uary 14 was how intensely been pushing forward the
to US companies. cold it was. An unusually legislation.
“Costa Rica needed a little more time to heavy snowfall swirled out- “This is only the begin-
complete its participation in CAFTA, and side the windows as we ning,” Golden says. “We will
we’re very pleased it has joined its Central drove to the Chinese promote the Spring Festi-
American neighbors in this cutting-edge, embassy in New York. val as one of the holidays in
modern free trade agreement,” US Trade But the next day when the state of New York and
Representative Robert Zoellick said in a we visited the two China- the whole of the US.”
statement. towns, one in the southeast But the holiday still
The negotiating breakthrough was corner of Manhattan and means the most to Chinese
announced jointly in Washington by Zoel- the other in the north- people. Beijing sent the
lick and Costa Rican Trade Minister eastern district of Queens, Yunnan Ethnic Arts Troupe
Alberto Trejos. a strong atmosphere of to help local Chinese com-
However, US labor unions are vowing happiness and preparations munity celebrations, provid-
NOTE: Sales fi gures do not include
to strongly oppose the pact, which they for the traditional Chinese ing fantastic ethnic dances
believe would continue a trend of exposing lunar new year took hold. and performances. Local vehicles sold by affl icates in which an
US workers to increased competition from Invited by the ministry Chinese communities also automaker holds a stake of less than
low-wage nations with lax labor and envi- of culture, four reporters, organized many celebra- 50 percent; Toyota’s 2003 fi gure is an
ronmental laws. two from CCTV, one from tions in their traditional estimate.
For its part, the administration hopes to sina.com and one from ways, with performances,
use congressional passage of CAFTA as a Beijing Today, were sent to Chinese culture seminars Record Decline in
stepping stone to achieving an even bigger New York to report on cel- and parades, attracting
goal, creation of a Free Trade Area of the ebrations of the holidays other ethnic residents with
World Tourism
Americas, covering all 34 democracies in and help promote the con- the warmth and happiness
the Western hemisphere. cept of the Spring Festival, of “Chinese New Year”.
In 2003, US goods exports to Costa Rica both to overseas Chinese It’s an important
January 27, Madrid (AFP) - The number of
totaled $3.5 billion, up about 13 percent from and Americans. reminder of home and cul-
international tourists who travelled last year
the previous year, while the United States “Over 800,000 Asians, ture for the four million
fell by 1.2 percent from 2002, the World Tour-
imported $3.4 billion in goods from Costa mostly Chinese, are living Chinese people living in
ism Organization said, reporting the biggest
Rica, an increase of 9.7 percent from 2002. in the city of New York,’ America. As Marty Mar-
decline in its history.
Costa Rica accounts for about one- according to Martin Golden, kowitz, governor of Brook-
third of US trade with the five CAFTA On January 25, the annual Spring Festival was former New York city coun- lyn District of New York The number of tourists totalled 694 million
held in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The two-hour parade people, the organization said, citing provisional
countries. Adding the Dominican Repub- featured over twenty fl oats and performances by local cil member and now the city, put it, “Brooklyn is a fi gures, which nonetheless showed that France
lic to CAFTA would create the second Chinese societies. Interestingly enough, the parade is state senator of New York. place for the world, and we remained the world’s number one tourist desti-
largest US export market in Latin Amer- now co-organized by the Chinese societies from both This is about 10 percent of hope it will be the Chinese
nation ahead of Spain and the United States.
ica behind Mexico. sides of the Taiwan Straits who used to have their own the city’s total population of capital of the Americans.” A
It attributed the setback to the war in Iraq,
The United States currently has free celebrations before. eight million. new Chinatown is develop-
the outbreak of SARS in Asia and the weak
trade agreements with Mexico and Canada, Above: “Monkey King” is the mascot of this year. Golden has been trying ing in Mr. Markowitz’s dis-
its partners in the North American Free Below: Lion playing is a must. for years to get offi cial rec- trict which is in the south state of the world economy.
But the organization said it saw the pros-
Trade Agreement, and individual deals Photos by Zhao hongyi ognition for the Spring Fes- of the city. pects for growth this year as being more
with Israel, Jordan, Chile and Singapore.
promising.
CITY
5
JANUARY 30, 2004
E-mail: [email protected] EDITOR: CHEN YING DESIGNER: LI SHI
Festival Dining US Professor Wins Top
Honor in Chengdu
Means Big Bucks
Paris
By Zhang Zhan
Dr. Robert Spear of the University of Cali-
By James Liu
fornia at Berkeley recently won the Gold Medal
The highlight of Spring Festival must be the
from Sichuan Province for his research in China
grand reunion dinner involving the whole extend-
on schistosomiasis prevention and cure. Schisto-
ed family. Of the 2,000 people recently surveyed,
somiasis refers to the group of tropical diseases
46.5 percent said this dinner was the “one most
caused by infestation with schistosomes through
desired thing in the year.” Lights up
contaminated water, and is characterized by in-
Increasingly busy schedules mean more and more
fection and gradual destruction of the kidneys,
families gathering at restaurants rather than at
liver, and other organs. Dr. Spear fl ew to Chengdu
home for the lunar new year. Are restaurants within
on January 13 to accept the award in person.
their rights to cash in on the occasion by raising pric-
During the 10 years of cooperative research,
es or setting a minimum spending standard?
Dr. Spear has brought funding worth US $2 mil-
Reporters of China Youth Daily contacted 15 res-
lion to Sichuan Province. This has helped estab-
taurants in Shanghai and found that 95 percent of
lish the new schistosomiasis “monitor” method
them set spending minimums, with customers pay- for Beijing
using the new technology of Global Position Sys-
ing 10 to 40 percent more than at non-holiday times.
tem, Satellite Remote Sensing and Geographical
Set menus for eight persons cost 2,888 yuan at the
Information System (3S). This scientifi c research
Shanghai Garden Hotel, 3,888 yuan at Westin Hotel
achievement is expected to generate benefi ts
and 1,580 yuan at Meilongzhen Restaurant.
worth over 120 million yuan.
“It’s ridiculous for restaurants to decide how much
Based on the Chengdu Economic Daily re-
I spend on dinner,” Mr. Lin told China Youth Daily.
port in 1992, Dr. Spear met Chen Mingchun,
Last year, Lin and his family spent 1,888 yuan for a
president of the Chinese Academy of Preven-
set menu dinner. “There was no difference from other
tive Medicine, during a multinational meeting
times except that the dish names were changed to
on public health. Chen invited Dr. Spear, an ex-
more auspicious meanings, but the price was 20 per-
pert on environmental health risk evaluation
cent higher,” Lin said.
and mathematical model application, to apply
A restaurant manager who declined to be named
his methods to the prevention and cure of schis-
told China Youth Daily that setting spending min-
tosomiasis in China.
imums is common practice within the catering in-
Dr. Spear took up the invitation and fi rst came
dustry. He admitted that the special lunar new year
to Sichuan in June, 1993 without much knowl-
dishes were the same as at other times. “The guests
edge of schistosomiasis. He was shocked upon
don’t care too much about price, they just want an
visiting a 29-year old fi sherman, in the terminal
auspicious blessing from what they eat,” he said.
stages of the disease with cirrhosis of the liver.
Some guests complained that this practice is un-
Through further research, Dr. Spear realized that
fair because consumers should retain the right to
fi sherman could not avoid being infected with the
decide how they spend their money, according to
disease and only through a change of living envi-
the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the
ronment could schistosomiasis be controlled.
Protection of Consumers’ Right and Interests. Yuan
As Dr. Spear told journalists at Jinjiang Hotel,
Beijun, director of the Department of Protection of
his work has been amazing as both American
Consumers’ Right and Interests, disagrees, stating
and Chinese sides learn from each other. Since
that Shanghai has no laws forbidding the practice
1994, twice a year in June and November, Dr.
of setting minimum spending levels. “According to
Spear has led a crew of doctors and graduate stu-
Shanghai regulations on the Protection of Consum-
dents to the epidemic ground zero of the Xichang
ers’ Right and Interests, consumers have the right
mountainous areas. Through on-the-spot inspec-
to know the offering and the right to decide,” Yuan
tion, Dr. Spear continually modifi ed his data on
explained. “Consumers can refuse to choose res-
the infection rates of humans, freshwater snails,
taurants which set minimum spending standards,”
domestic animals and snail distribution. By 1997,
Yuan said.
the research group was able to announce the con-
“All major restaurants have minimum spend-
struction of world’s fi rst schistosomiasis mathe-
ing standards so where should I go?,” a surnamed
matical model.
Fan guest told China Youth Daily.
When not teaching, Dr. Spear devoted himself
Drink and Get to schistosomiasis research. Accompanied by his
wife, he went deep into the Xichang area. On Jan-
uary 1, Dr. Spear fl ew to Xichang to start a proj-
Home Safely ect to destroy snails by methane. Each household
received 1000 yuan to build their own system. In
the new year, the Ministry of Public Health will
share its experience in schistosomiasis preven-
By Hans Leu
Offering to drive tipsy revelers home rather than tion and cure throughout the rest of China.
allow them to drive themselves, the newly-launched
Home Safe service was introduced by Beijing Benao
Anda Company at the start of 2004.
While no statistics are yet available as to the ef-
fects of the new service on the capital’s traffi c safety Eiffel Tower in red to celebrate the Year of the Monkey Xinhua Photo
during Spring Festival, patrons are happy.
By Su Wei noisy sea of red and gold, tradi- am very happy to see Chinese
He Jin, general manager of the company, notes Last Saturday afternoon, the tionally lucky colors. culture exhibitions held in Par-
over 100 requests for the new service were received
sky cleared over Paris after An enormous goldfi sh, sym- is,” he was quoted as saying by
in just the fi rst fi fteen days of service launch. Gener-
several overcast days as bolizing good luck for the new French media.
ating 7,000 yuan of gross income, company employ-
Parisians and tourists streamed year, led the parade on its 1.2-ki- The event on the Champs-Ely-
ees delivered high-quality service without a single
onto the Champs-Elysées where lometre journey from the Arc de sées was attended by 200,000 peo-
customer complaint. The hot demand for the new ser-
Chinese culture took center-stage Triomphe to the Place du Rond- ple and marked the fi rst time a
vice has created job opportunities for over 20 drivers,
as part of Paris-Beijing Week. Point near the Elysée palace. parade dedicated to a foreign cul-
laid off by their state-owned employers.
Red lanterns lit up the av- “We’re very proud to hold the ture was held on the avenue.
Despite the rosy reactions from satisfi ed cus-
enue and the 115-year-old land- parade,” Wang Qishan, acting Over 7,500 performers and doz-
tomers, some legal experts are concerned about
mark Eiffel Tower this week as mayor of Beijing, was quoted by ens of parade fl oats kicked off the
the possible social implications of this new service.
Paris joined China to usher in Xinhua during his attendance at celebrations, part of the Year of
“This service is a risks challenging social securi-
the Year of the Monkey. the events in Paris. “The parade Chinese Culture in France inau-
ty, like the ‘unlock’ service which induced greater
This marks the 40th anniver- shows the charm of Chinese cul- gurated last October.
occurrence of some crimes,” says Xu Shengzhong,
sary of the establishment of the ture and its vigor in modern Running until July, the pro-
lawyer of Beijing Yuelin Lawyer Agency.
establishment of diplomatic rela- times since the country adopted gram explores China’s ancient
Xu notes that service providers should be strictly
tions between China and France. opening-up strategic thinking.” civilization, folklore, art and liter-
certifi ed and receive professional training before of-
Dragon and lion dances, red- Patrick Borri, who watched ature, education, technology and
fering new services. But in China, owing to the rel-
fan performances, Peking Opera the performances, said that Chi- tourism. The largest and longest
atively nascent development stage of the service
and martial arts brought Paris nese culture has strong appeal cultural exchange undertaken by
industry, there are no laws or regulations to stan-
a taste of China. The broad bou- in France. “I myself like Chi- Beijing, China’s Year of France be-
dardize small-scale services like Home Safe. As a
levard was transformed into a nese kung fu very much and I gins in October this year.
result, Xu adds, these services will be diffi cult to
Parents now can leave their children at the Postnatal Ser-
monitor by authorities and hence risk increasing the
Mao’s First vice Center for New Mothers during holidays in Beijing.
crime rate and decrease general social security. Welfare Lottery Sales Hit High
Photo by Lily
In response, He Jin explains that all company
Baby Alone but not Lonely
employees are Beijing residents and skillful driv- Great-Grandson By Zhang Ran
ers. Though He Jin maintains that the company Despite the odds, welfare lottery sales
visits all drivers in their homes to investigate at Beijing’s four temple fairs during Spring By Wang Xiaoxiao
their backgrounds and moral character, he admit- Celebrates Festival hit a 24.5 million yuan high on A two-month-old baby celebrated Spring Fes-
ted that no special inspection or screening proce- the sixth day of the Monkey Year (Tuesday, tival at the Postnatal Service Center for New
dure was used in the hiring of employees. First Month January 27). Mothers while his parents returned home in
“The public security and traffi c management au- Xing Xiaowei, director of Beijing Welfare the distant south, courtesy of a new baby-sit-
Liu Bin, Dong Dong and
thorities told me that there is no special investiga- Lottery Distribution Center, made an urgent ting service launched by the Center. Worried
Mao Xinyu Photo by Yuan Yi
tion or screening procedure for this industry,” He Jin decision on January 25th to transfer an addi- about the long journey and cold weather, the
notes. “But the local industrial and commercial ad- By Guo Yuandan Both mother Liu Bin and tional 8 million yuan from the China Welfare baby’s parents felt it was better for the baby to
ministration told me that Home Safe is not included Mao Xinyu, the grandson the baby are in good con- Lottery Distribution Center. This allowed 32 stay at the center.
in the current categorization of services issued by the of Mao Zedong, hosted a fam- dition. Two days before the more QQ cars to be added on as awards. According to a nurse at the Center, babies are
government, so I cannot included these related words ily party in Beijing on Mon- party, the family had already The Ditan, Changdian, Longtan and Bai- under 24-hour close care every day. Shortly upon
in the name of the company.” day to celebrate his son’s chosen a nickname, Dong yun Temple fairs are the traditional temple waking, the baby gets its morning milk feeding
In fact, a prototype of Home Safe appeared in manyue (full month). Manyue Dong, meaning east. The for- fairs in Beijing during Spring Festival. Initial- accompanied by music. Then the baby listens to
Beijing a few years ago according to Wei Peiping, for- is counted exactly one month mal name has not yet been ly, 80 QQ cars and 400 TCL TV’s were pre- nursery rhythms read to it while sipping on cal-
merly in charge of the security in an area of Haidian from the birth date of the fi nalized as the family con- pared as the fi rst and special prizes. Other cium-fortifi ed water. After a noontime snooze, ba-
District. “Few of them were taken up on their offer baby, who was born at Beijing siders this quite an impor- prizes awarded between 2 and 1000 yuan. bies swim in a carefully-heated pool complete
since the drivers didn’t trust them,” adds Wei. Union Medical College Hos- tant task. A decision about As lottery sales at the four temple fairs with specially designed life buoys.
“The most important issue for probable dis- pital on December 26, 2003 the name can sometimes closed on Tuesday, any unsold tickets and Specially trained doctors and nurses provide
putes is who will be responsible for the signing – the 110th anniversary of take years. unawarded prizes will be saved for the next care for the newly-launched Baby-sitting service
of the contract,” says Wei. “The drunk person has Mao’s birth. The birth of the child has Spring Festival. According to the Beijing during the Spring Festival. The service costs 25
less-than-ideal judgement and memory, making it Nearly three decades af- brought the whole family hap- Welfare Lottery Distribution Center, 98 QQ yuan per hour or 150 yuan for the whole day.
diffi cult for them to understand the contract and ter his death, Mao Zedong piness. Mao Xinyu’s mother, cars and 490 TCL color TV’s have been sent Director Pan told Beijing Youth Daily that the
his responsibilities or rights. This could be a ma- has earned a new title: Zhao Hua, and aunt, Li Na out so far to lucky prize winners. new service intends to meet the wide gap in the
jor source of trouble in case of accidents.” Wei con- great-grandfather. The son (Mao’s second daughter to Ji- The fi rst top prize winner, Mr. Hao, bought market when many babysitters go home for the
cluded that the solution to the contract disputes is of Mao Anqing (Mao’s sec- ang Qing) all enjoy the fes- his ticket at the Baiyun Temple Fair. The holidays. For young couples with many relatives
for patrons to sign a contract well before they start ond son), Mao Xinyu is in tivities and were busy fussing 40-year old won a QQ car at 9 am on the fi rst and friends to visit, the new service lets their
tippling. his early 30’s. over the baby. day of the Monkey Year, last Thursday. baby rest undisturbed.
VOICE
6
JANUARY 30, 2004
E-mail: [email protected] EDITOR: CHEN YING DESIGNER: PANG LEI
Readers & Leaders
Keeping the Moss of History
By Virginia Stibbs Anami
Over the past twenty years I have been
walking the hutongs of the city, visiting vil-
lages and climbing ancient mountain paths
in search of Beijing’s temple relics. In the
process I became more and more aware of
the importance of environmental and pres-
ervation concerns. Trips to fi nd old temples
often brought me to places that no longer
keep past appearances. But I was usually
able to fi nd aged trees or some old carved
pieces of stone. They took on the mantle
of the site’s history and maintained the at-
mosphere of these places, long after rituals
there ceased.
There are a number places in rural
Beijing where attention is urgent, such as
the many villages of Beijing that are time
capsules and still have unique character-
istics. Protection is not simply to keep a
solitary pagoda from vandals, but city plan-
ners must take care that development of
rural villas and amusement areas do not in-
fringe on sites of natural beauty and spoil
the moss of history. Future generations, too,
must be allowed the excitement of explo-
ration: fi nding the ancient path, inspecting
the centuries old cave and discovering an
abandoned hall or broken stele.
The increasing appreciation for the city’s
old trees and efforts to preserve them is
welcome. Unfortunately, these sentinels of
living history are often affected adversely
when restoration of a venue fails to include
a plan for the trees. I have seen roots cut
to put in pipes so that the place can be
modernized and hold more visitors or ce-
ment covering the ground right up to the
Candidates present their credentials at a job fair. Photo by Photocome
tree trunks, or chemicals spilled nearby.
Diploma or Bust
The worst example was a restoration proj-
It is a business ect where they just forgot about the thou-
sand-year-old tree and had it under plastic
covering, and later were surprised that it
By Chen Ying had died. Its withered trunk stands as a
Since a certifi cate is the touchstone to get a sculptural symbol of our need to be careful
job, diploma worship in China’s job market has of these relics as well.
Fake diploma puts job in jeopardy led to a boom in the fake diploma business. Once rural areas and the mountains sur-
Though the government has taken some mea- rounding Beijing seemed so distant and ex-
sures to crack down on circulation of fake diplo- pendable. Over the centuries rocks have been
mas, the business appeals to a growing market. quarried from these mountains to provide
By Chen Ying Some think a talented person should be employed
Diploma or ability, which is more important regardless of their diplomas. Should Mei get the It is easy to fi nd vendors wandering around in for building the successive capital cities of
front of the gate of some famous universities, Beijing. But as the urban growth spreads
to get a job? One girl’s story indicates the job? Opinions follow:
such as Beijing University or Renmin Universi- out to these areas, there have sometimes
former may still be the key in China. Lin Guozhang, professor from Beijing Normal
ty. Cell phone users sometimes receive text mes- been dire consequences for a number of the
Mei Jing, a girl in Wuhan, Hubei Province, University
sage adverts for fake diplomas. Online, things are beautiful stone mountains and pathways still
got the highest scores in an examination for the Mei’s story refl ects a general phenomenon in
even worse. A Harvard Ph.D. diploma is avail- left around the city. This makes one wonder
position of an offi cial in a local government de- our society. Public examination has always been
able for only US $100. about what kind of legacy of stone will be left.
partment. But then it emerged her junior college the main form of talent selection in China al-
According to a CCTV report, a Shenzhen tal- Even in some designated natural scenic ar-
diploma was fake. though this method is not perfect. Educational
ent agency made a random inspection of 3,000 eas, mountains have been just eaten away.
The Laid Off Welfare Service Center of Jiangx- background and all kinds of diplomas are usually
applicant diplomas and found that as many as The worst desecration I saw was an unusual
ia District Civil Affairs Bureau in Wuhan held the taken as the qualifi cation requirement for inter-
800 were forged. There is no scientifi c data avail- stone embankment with deep grooves where
exam last November to hire fi ve new employees. viewees. This means many talented people lose
able about the exact severity of the problem, but water has trickled over many millennia. Yet
According to a report in Chutian Metropolis the opportunity.
a 2000 estimate put the nationwide fi gure of fal- some machine’s teeth have taken a big bite
Daily on January 10, the center held both oral But to ensure the system’s severity and trans-
sifi ed diplomas at 600,000. The number is surely out of it and other parts are sliced like a slab
and written examinations to enlist fi ve newcom- parency on talent selection, the rule shouldn’t be
much higher now. of meat. Thus I feel that not just carved and
ers, requiring all the participants to have at least broken just for the sake of cherishing talent. It’s
As Xinhua reported in 2000, post-graduate en- inscribed stones, but rocks and boulders too,
a junior college diploma. More than 120 people unreasonable to break the tradition just because
rollments in China reached 120,000 for the fi rst are also deserving of protection under our en-
participated in the exams. of Mei’s personal excellence.
time and the pace is still accelerating. It shows vironmental concerns.
After marking the tests, Jiangxia District An offi cial, requesting anonymity
that higher education, especially post-graduate There has been a call for making the
Personnel Bureau published the fi ve winners Mei’s grades in the examination prove she is
education, is no longer limited to a select few Shishahai area in central Beijing into a no-
last December. Soon, the bureau received a let- competent to do the job. Maybe she had her own
and the overall level of education is rising na- car zone. I believe this would greatly enhance
ter revealing that Mei, who had come top in both reasons to get a fake diploma. She should be ad-
tionwide. the protection of the unique residential land-
the oral and written examinations, had a fake mitted as she would do a good job.
But that is not the full story. “A school wants scape of courtyard houses. I have long sug-
junior college diploma from Wuhan TV Univer- Ymll, Internet surfer
money, and a student wants a diploma. There seems gested “designated historical walking/biking
sity. This was confi rmed after the bureau con- Mei cheated so she shouldn’t be employed.
to be a perfect fi t,” said Wang Jianping, a media roads” for a number of places. For example,
tacted the university. Credibility is what we really need to promote to-
commentator. “In the hit novel Siege, a character Moshikou Road in Shijingshan district is also
Even though Mei Jing had later gained a genu- day. Certainly, improper regulations should be ad-
buys a fake diploma abroad but feels uneasy about a perfect setting for such a route. With sev-
ine college diploma, the fact she had a fake junior justed. Mei can still make another choice. It’s her
it. Nowadays, some people don their ill-gotten grad- eral temples, tombs and traditional homes,
college diploma rendered it invalid according to own business if she doesn’t get the job because of
uation regalia with no shame at all.” the area would benefi t from more comfort-
the regulations. this.
According to the Ministry of Education, an on- able access for visitors without the cars now
Whether to employ Mei Jing now is a vexing Tian Dezheng, from Southern Metropolis Daily
line system for diploma certifi cation has been es- plying its narrow way.
problem for the local government. They have to It’s hard to embody an individual comprehen-
tablished at the China Higher-education Students Another place is Sanjiadian, once a pros-
make the fi nal decision soon. Mei is unwilling to sive qualifi cation only through educational back-
Information Website (http://www.chsi.com.cn). The perous coal distribution center for more
discuss the problem. “At least the examination re- ground. Bill Gates didn’t even fi nish at college.
ministry has registered all the diplomas issued than 200 years by the Yongding River. The
sult proves my ability,” she told Qianlong News. It’s very urgent to change the traditional ideas
from 1991 and 2000. Now about 3.44 million di- main street of the old town is only two kilo-
But her story caused nationwide controversy. about talent to make a real elite.
plomas have been registered. At least it’s a start. meters long. Some beautifully carved door-
ways speak of better times. It was also a
way stop for travelers and pilgrims on the
Zhengzhou Plans Grand Boulevard western highway to Beijing. At the western
end of the street, at a crucial juncture of
road and river, the Temple of the Dragon
King has stood for centuries to placate the
spirits of the often swollen waters. Though
no longer used as places of worship, the
By Wang Fang Media response: vard” has been mentioned frequently tion, abundant resources, long history temples here still keep a bit of the town’s
On January 7, 2004, eight well- Wang Ruoshan, Jiangnan in city construction plans. It seems and commercial center. Mr. Zhu Zixu- history. I hope that in the future some in-
known architecture design institutions News that without such a wide and impres- an, the professor of Tsinghua Universi- spired urban planner will make the road of
from home and abroad participated in The landscape boulevard implies a sive symbol, the city construction plan ty once indicated that the development Sanjiadian a pedestrian area.
the bid to construct Zhengzhou’s new dangerous signal. Many cities do not could not be perfect. and layout of Zhengzhou should fol- Although numerous buildings in the cap-
“Landscape Boulevard”. care about the local economies or the The primary purpose is transporta- low two axes. One is the historical ital have been beautifully restored, I still
Zhengzhou aims to build an at- urgent needs of the local people, just tion. The major consideration to build axis and the other is the geographical prefer those that have aged with time. In
tractive grand avenue which will con- building China’s largest and grandest a road comprises such factors as the axis. Zhengzhou was the fi rst capital my view, protecting history is more impor-
nect the old downtown and the new buildings or roads. It refl ects the at- stream of automobiles, people, and its of the Shang Dynasty 3,600 years ago. tant than rebuilding it. Furthermore, even
city. The design will have to refl ect mosphere of craving for greatness and function in the whole civil construc- From the point of geography, Song- when very little of architectural value is
the city’s 3,600 years of history as keeping up with the Joneses in offi cial tion. The national situation of more shan Mountain is to the south and the left, a place is still worthy of recognition
well as its current role as a commer- circles. people and less land determines that Yellow River is to the north. We have and protection because a few stones, one
cial center. They use the excuse of changing we should make the most of land re- to doubt whether such a modern bou- tree standing or even an old well, can in
Mr. Li Ke, the secretary of the mu- the impression of cities for these grand sources. Constructing a wide boule- levard is suitable to the traditional themselves present a strong image of the
nicipal Party committee of Zhengzhou, construction projects. In their view, af- vard with too much grass, fl owers and layout and manner of Zhengzhou. past, enriching our view of Beijing’s soul.
and Mayor Wang Wen described the ter building some large squares, long trees would be too luxurious. Second, we should also take into
look they wanted for the boulevard to boulevards or high skyscrapers, peo- Geng Yinping, China Youth Daily consideration the economic benefi ts. (Virginia Stibbs Anami is the author of “En-
counters with Ancient Beijing: Its Legacy in Trees,
the bidders. ple’s impression of the cities will be Certainly modern society requires The investment will need to be high.
Stone and Water”, Intercontinental Press, Beijing.
They cited the examples of Cen- improved. Therefore the local leaders progress in city design. Cities need However, the data from Zhengzhou
The book will be available in February 2004.)
tury Boulevard in Pudong, Shanghai can boost their reputation without car- their own symbolic architecture. For Statistics Bureau demonstrates that
and Shennan Boulevard in Shenzhen, ing about the cost. So every new round instance, the Statue of Liberty is the in 2002, the gross domestic product We welcome your letters and articles, preferably
Guangdong as examples of the kind of of leaders will have a set of new plans, symbol of New York and American in Zhengzhou was only 94 billion around 700 words. Please give your full name, current
address and phone number (not necessarily for
thing they had in mind. so a waste of taxpayers money is the spirit. The architecture should accord yuan, far lower than somewhere like
publication). You can email us at [email protected] or
As to the question of capital for the inevitable outcome. with the local human and city cul- Shenzhen with 166.5 billion yuan GDP fax us at [phone].
project, the local government hopes to Hao Hong, Huadong News ture. It is said that the character- in 2000. Some people think the main The views expressed in this column are those of the
authors only and do not necessarily refl ect the editorial
attract donations from citizens as well We always want the best. In recent istics of Zhengzhou are as follows: reason for this policy is to enhance the stance of Beijing Today.
as using public funds. years, the so-called “landscape boule- central location, suffi cient transporta- fame of the local offi cials.
PROBE
7
JANUARY 30, 2004
E-mail: [email protected] EDITOR: SU WEI DESIGNER: PANG LEI
By Su Wei law, says there’s no law dealing
Dong Shibiao, an intern “Most of the people who beat up journalists are either corrupt offi cials and their specifi cally with journalists being
with Beijing Times, got attacked and this is the main rea-
subordinates or other rule violators. They are the correct targets for journalists.”
more than he bargained son people are seldom punished
for while covering a story on for it. “In most such cases, the
street gambling cheats on De- punishment is usually an admin-
cember 30 last year. As he was Tough on the News Beat istrative warning,” he explained.
taking photos of a group of people “Even if there is a sentence, it is a
in a street in Haidian District, minor one. So the public gets the
a brick was suddenly thrown at idea there is nothing serious in
him. Seven or eight men then beating a journalist.”
came over and attacked him. Xu Qingsong, a legal expert,
Dong’s camera was stolen and says that there have been calls to
his head and right hand were in- draft laws relating to this prob-
jured in the attack. lem since the 1980s. “But there
According to Beijing Times, in are still only documents about
the second half of last year, four it which are nothing more than
of their journalists were beaten pieces of paper. They do not have
up while covering stories. any legal power,” he said.
Common problem Xu says that media laws can
Journalists found themselves only specify the rights of jour-
the focus of many media stories nalists, instead of actually pro-
last year, often about how they tecting them. “It should be the
were continually being beaten up Criminal Law and Social Secu-
and how their attackers mainly rity Regulations that handle at-
got away with it. tacks on journalists,” he said.
On November 29, a reporter “But the punishment for those
for Hubei Television Station was beating journalists is the same
beaten while reporting on an en- as those injuring ordinary peo-
terprise in Yichang, Hubei Prov- ple. In fact, there should be some
ince which was not paying staff difference,” he says.
their salaries. Xu feels that journalists are
On November 20, a reporter often attacked while carrying out
from Fujian Television Station a public service, that of moni-
was assaulted while investigat- toring and exposing wrongdoing,
ing a local construction dispute. which is a right entitled by the
On November 12, two report- constitution.
ers with CCTV were beaten when Elsewhere?
reporting on environment pollu- Of the foreign journalists from
tion caused by an enterprise in Europe and America interviewed
Shanxi Province. by Beijing Today, few felt that
On September 29, a journal- journalists in their countries ran
ist from Tsingdao Evening News a common risk of being beaten
was beaten up while reporting up or injured.
on a fi re accident in Shandong. “With the exception of war
On August 1, two journalists correspondents, most journalists
from Nanjing Morning Post and in the US have little to fear
Jinling Evening News were beat- in terms of physical assault on
en while trying to get an inter- All that remained of Li Gen’s camera after he was assaulted. the job. Dozens of journalists are
view with offi cials from Jiangsu killed and attacked in countries
Education Bureau. around the world every year, but
According to the All-China Xinhua published an article ists are either corrupt offi cials and respect their privacy.” She ists should not go to the inter- reporters in the US covering do-
Federation of Journalists, they about attacks on journalists last and their subordinates or other doesn’t see the need for any confl ict view alone. That’s when a burly, mestic issues generally have few
have handled over 350 cases in- October, shortly after one of its rule violators. They are the cor- regarding interviews. “Once there mean-looking photographer with worries about being assaulted
volving journalists being illegal- own reporters was beaten up rect targets for journalists,” the is a confl ict, the interview has to visible tattoos makes a good com- by the people they interview,”
ly detained or beaten up since while looking into a mining ac- paper said. come to a stop, that is, the inter- panion. The threat of massive re- Rice explained. “Overwork, de-
1998. “In fact there are many cident in Dengfeng, Henan Prov- Who’s at risk? view is a failure. An interview is taliation might make someone pression, burnout, incompetent
more such cases which are not ince. The article said the reporter It’s not just reporters on the a process involving wisdom rather think twice before they tried to bosses, stress and job-related ill-
reported to us,” said a member of conducted interviews according to trail of society’s wrongdoers who than courage.” beat up a journalist.” nesses pose more of a threat to
the federation who was unwill- legal procedures but a vice direc- are at risk, according to an enter- Gary Rice, an assistant pro- Legal recourse? American journalists than get-
ing to disclose her name. tor of Dengfeng Public Security tainment news journalist with fessor of journalism at California In July last year, two people ting clobbered by a belligerent
In the line of fi re Bureau ordered his subordinates a major Beijing newspaper, who State University and a reporter who beat up Yang Wei, a photog- interviewee.”
Liu Jun, a photographer for to steal the reporter’s camera and asked not to be named. “People and editor for more than 20 years rapher with Beijing Times, were Rice says acts of violence
Beijing Times was beaten up destroy all the photos. say we do not respect the priva- at newspapers in the US, recalls sentenced to one year in jail with against reporters in the US are
while taking photos of a street “How can the Party protect cy of interviewees,” he said. “But that during his early days as a one year probation. It was the rare enough that when they do
fi ght last December. He says he people when offi cials such as this we also aim to satisfy people’s young sports writer, he was once fi rst time in Beijing that some- happen, they are remembered.
didn’t give it too much thought, are responsible for maintaining thirst for information. Whether threatened by the friend of a run- one who had beaten up a jour- He mentions the murder in 1976
even when he saw his own blood social security?” the article ques- we take photos or conduct inves- ner whom he had criticized. “Noth- nalist was given a jail sentence. of Don Bolles, a Phoenix, Arizona
dripping on his camera. “It was tioned. Xinhua suggested that tigations, it all shows our devo- ing happened other than some Yang had been attacked after investigative reporter who had
news, so there was no reason for one of the reasons for the attack tion to our jobs.” colorful threats,” he said. “Another taking photos of local community been working on stories about
me to leave the spot,” he said. on their reporter was that local Wu Jie thinks that most violent time a social worker made some management staff beating house corruption and organized crime.
Wu Jie (pseudonym), a jour- offi cials didn’t want their role situations occur when journalists vague threats of physical violence owners, early in 2002. Bolles was killed by a car bomb.
nalist working in Beijing, says in the mining accident to be re- lack a clear understanding of their after a story I co-wrote exposed In April last year, Baiyun “In response to his murder, 36
heated competition to get the sto- vealed. “They fear their political role. “The role of a journalist is not him as a child molester. Again, People’s Court, Guangzhou, journalists from around the coun-
ry is one reason why journalists careers could end if the accident to decide what is right or wrong. nothing happened.” Guangdong Province, decided a try converged on Phoenix and
often fi nd themselves in danger- is exposed,” the report said. They need to listen to all the par- He says journalists should de- journalist with Southern Met- launched a six-month investiga-
ous situations. “Otherwise they People’s Daily said recently ties involved and give due respect velop people skills and sensi- ropolitan newspaper should be tive reporting project that re-
wouldn’t take such risks,” she that its journalists had also been to them,” Wu said. “For government tivity. “They can avoid placing paid 13,000 yuan in compensa- sulted in numerous stories. Two
says. “What’s more, due to the attacked while trying to expose departments, journalists should be themselves in dangerous situa- tion after being beaten while re- people eventually went to prison
pressure of deadlines, journalists wrongdoing and defending the patient enough to persuade them tions unless it’s absolutely neces- porting on domestic violence in for Bolles’ death,” he added.
may use unorthodox methods to public’s right to know. “Most of to accept interviews; for individu- sary,” he said. “And if a situation October 2000.
get what they need.” the people who beat up journal- als, journalists should understand could be confrontational, journal- Cao Ruilin, an expert on media Photo by Photocome
FOCUS
8
JANUARY 30, 2004
E-mail: [email protected] EDITORS: SU WEI CHEN YING DESIGNER: PANG LEI
By Su Wei what about the other two teams?” front of Langfang Public Securi- versity city, helping to strengthen
No Way to
For Chang Guangfeng, this he asked. ty Bureau, Chang swallowed sev- the country through supporting
year’s Spring Festival was a Chang had tried negotiating eral packages of poison and fell education and science. “It is in-
low point in his life. Chang, with Jiangsu Huali Industrial down, before being rescued. vested in by enterprises but sup-
from Yangzhong, Jiangsu Prov- and Trading company, which had The local government immedi- ported by the local government,”
ince, was the leader of a group been responsible for the construc- ately agreed to pay 400,000 yuan to the website introduction says. “It
of 200 migrant workers and has tion of the southern gate and one of Chang’s teams and 250,000 is a model in the reform of the
spent the last two years trying road lighting system of the uni- yuan to the other two teams. That Chinese higher education sys-
in vain to get the money owed to Get Paid versity city. But the company is just leaves a million yuan out- tem. It is not only a city for edu-
him and his fellow workers. itself owed 8.1 million yuan by standing. cation but a city for civilization,
Under constant pressure to COUC. “I can see nothing useful in human resources and science.”
come up with the money, he tried Wang Guoxin, general manag- this solution,” Wang said. “There But now, according to China
to commit suicide a week before er of the Huali company, says in are still several hundred migrant Youth Daily, COUC owes around
the festival but he was saved. order to get the money they had workers coming to me all the time 2.2 billion yuan.
Chang’s desperation did at least sought help from the local gov- and asking me to pay them.” The newspaper said the two
draw the attention of the local ernment and also lodged a law- Massive debts main local authorities dealing
authorities who agreed to pay University city in Langfang stuck suit. “But none of it worked. Even The idea of a “university city” with the case were Ma, president
Chang and the other migrant with pressure from the Hebei Peo- is based on the need for ac- of the local Court of the Eco-
workers 650,000 yuan. It’s better in defi cit ple’s Congress, COUC still have commodation for China’s growing nomic Area of Langfang, and
than nothing, but it’s a long way not paid us,” he said. population of students. It’s an in- Zheng, director of the offi ce re-
short of the 1.63 million yuan Chang says he could under- creasingly popular idea, partly be- sponsible for dealing with the
they’re owed by the company they stand Wang’s position, but the cause of the job and investment university city’s debts, including
worked for, China Oriental Uni- fi cial with the local government nothing, like pouring a cup of wa- migrant workers were less even opportunities involved, and the construction payments and mi-
versity City (COUC), based in even scolded us. He said, ‘you ter on a blazing fi re,” he sighed. tempered. So they decided to Langfang project even gained the grant worker wages. Both con-
Langfang, Hebei Province. want money? Who do you think Chang said he regretted trust- loot Chang’s house. “My house is personal seal of approval from for- cede that it is common in local
“We’re in a miserable state, you are?’” Chang said. ing the local authorities. “They empty now,” he said. Last year, mer president Jiang Zemin. construction projects for creditors
us migrant workers,” Chang told Can’t fi nd the money said we would be paid on time. the workers took away every- So COUC was set up in Octo- to be owed several million yuan
China Youth Daily at the end On January 16, Chang was told I had no reason to think they thing valuable that he owned. ber 1999 in the economic devel- and that court orders are ineffec-
of last month. “Once we had to by the local government that just would cheat us,” he said. “My mother is seriously ill as a opment area of Langfang, Hebei tive in retrieving their money.
work 18 hours a day when we 300,000 yuan would be given to He says in fact he did have result of the worry. My wife felt Province, near Daxing and Tong- Zheng says nearly every day
were ordered to speed up the con- him and the date for the payment some hope when hearing about the so humiliated she left me and zhou districts of Beijing. dozens of people come to him
struction. But now, two years af- was not confi rmed. “It was a de- 300,000 yuan but the other work- asked for a divorce,” Chang said. According to COUC’s website asking to be paid.
ter we fi nished, we still haven’t cision by all the local government ers were not impressed. One of the “I thought, if I died, no one (http://www.chinaouc.net/ Li Xiangmin, project manager
received a penny for the work. offi cials responsible to pay that three teams he led demanded they would ask me to get the money,” main/dongfang_dxc.htm), it aims of No. 2 Building Project Compa-
When we asked to be paid, an of- amount,” he said. “The money is should receive all the money. “Then Chang said. On January 16, in to be an internationalized uni- ny in Langfang says his company
is owed around 10 million yuan
by the university city.
Finding Wang Zhanquan, a creditor
from Yongqing, Hebei was re-
sponsible for planting the green
areas of the university city. “We
have been owed 1.03 million yuan
for three years,” he said.
Fagin Another contractor employed
by COUC, Liu, who only dis-
closed his surname, is owed even
more money. “Although the court
decided that COUC should pay
me 30 million yuan, I haven’t re-
ceived any of it,” he said.
Reporters’ investigation finds
It’s not our fault
a village in Anhui Province People’s Daily published a let-
getting rich by forcing disabled ter from the management com-
mittee of COUC on January 20.
kids to beg
The letter says the university
By Wei Tingyu city was established to meet the
On January 2, Gong Xu- shortage of university resources
anxuan, a handicapped in Beijing due to an annual in-
12-year-old girl who had crease in university enrolment
been forced to beg in rags at a of 40 percent since 1998. “In
crossover bridge in Xinqiao, Bai- the past four years 43 univer-
yun District, Guangzhou, was sities have set up classrooms
saved by a young man sur- and dorms in the university city,
named Liu and his friends. Her and over 100,000 students have
rescue led to the exposure of been studying here, including
a ring of handicapped children 50,000 currently,” said the let-
forced to beg by a master who ter. “The university city has be-
police are still chasing. come a successful trial under
Xuanxuan told police about the current Chinese situation in
other children who stayed with solving diffi culties for students
her in a rented house and on entering universities.”
January 8 police went there. The letter points out it is
They found the children, but their understandable that there are
“chief”, who the children knew as some problems in the construc-
San Ya, had escaped. Cooperat- tion of the university city as it
ing with the policemen of Baiyun Residents in Gongxiao Village become the richest in Taihe County, Anhui Province by compelling disabled children to beg is a new concept. “Problems dur-
District, reporters from Informa- Photos by Long Chengguan / Information Times ing the construction relate to its
tion Times traced the Chinese development, so the most effec-
Fagin to Gongxiao Village in Tai- be a lucrative business. The chil- gaged in the business. San Ya of handicapped children. ulation was abolished last year and tive way to solve these problems
he County, Anhui Province. It dren earned thousands of yuan was just one of many. They chose children under replaced with new measures for is to speed up its development,”
soon emerged that using para- for San Ya during six months Reporters eventually found fi ve and made a deal with the vagrancy in August. But Xie Zhi- the letter said. “Most of the
lyzed children as beggars was a when he moved them around be- the home of the man they parents who were often eager rong, the Guangzhou municipal of- problems result from enterpris-
common local business. tween Wuhan and Guangzhou. thought was Xuanxuan’s father, to be rid of the heavy fi nancial fi cial in charge of Civil Affairs, said es’ behavior rather than that of
Xuanxuan’s story During this time they got little Gong Qingping. He wasn’t at burden, as well as believing the that the new measures do not deal the local government, such as
Mr. Liu couldn’t help but feel food and no clean clothes. One home. To the reporters’ surprise, children would be better off with with child beggars like Xuanxuan, insuffi cient funds provided by
pity for Xuanxuan. Her legs were sick child even died from cold. the nickname of Gong Qingping these alleged charity organiza- who are unable to appeal for help investors and banks’ inability
stick thin, and she had many cuts. Mr. Liu contacted was San Ya. Then an old man in tions. The families were paid publicly or fi ght with their masters. to fulfi ll the cooperation agree-
She lay silently on the walkway Guangzhou newspaper Infor- the neighborhood told them a around 6,000 yuan per child, And the measures do not stipulate ments with enterprises.”
all day long begging for money, mation Times on January 6 to secret: Gong Qingping was not but the beggars often earned as what kind of punishment should be The letter concludes confi dent-
and Liu was one of sympathetic expose San Ya. Though police Xuanxuan’s father. much as 10,000 yuan per year meted out to people like San Ya. ly, “All the diffi culties and prob-
passersby who sometimes gave found San Ya’s nest, a three-sto- Traditionally the villagers for their new masters. Xie suggested that a new law for lems that the university city has
her money. Liu noticed that the ry house deeply hidden in a slum only call each other by nick- New laws needed child beggars should be promulgated are temporary ones. We are confi -
wounds on her legs never healed in Guangzhou, and rescued the name instead of their formal According to statistics from and social funds should be drawn be- dent it will have a bright future.”
and one day a cut that had near- other children, the master was names, so Xuanxuan mistaken- Legal Daily on December 18 last sides the charitable funds gathered Credibility crisis incurred
ly recovered had obviously been nowhere to be found. ly believed her father’s name year, the number of beggars in by the government to help deal with Ma considers that the local gov-
made worse. Liu began to sus- A local trade was Gong Qingping. That way, China now is more than one mil- the children. ernment should also share some
pect that Xuanxuan was being In tracing San Ya, reporters if she got lost or was rescued lion. Figures from the Ministry Mr. Liu told Information Times responsibility for the debts in-
abused and manipulated. discovered that 30 other handi- by the police, she would be of Civil Affairs show that in the that the good deeds of random curred. “The government promised
In the afternoon of January 2, capped children begging in Bai- sent back to San Ya’s house in past three years the number of warmhearted people were not the to provide some loans but the mon-
he and his friends went to get Xu- yun District all came from the Gongxiao Village. registered homeless children has solution to this problem. He said ey never materialized,” he said.
anxuan and took her to the First same source – Gongxiao Village Every master of the child beg- been increasing by about 150,000 there needed to be more coopera- Just before the spring festival
Guangzhou municipal hospital in in Taihe County, Anhui. gars in Gongxiao cheated the chil- per year. tion between government bureaus the court collected three million
a taxi. Mr. Lin, a friend of Mr. Liu, On arriving at Gongxiao Vil- dren in this way. And they had China banned career beg- like the social security and wel- yuan received by the university
volunteered to take care of her at lage on January 13, reporters many other tricks up their sleeve. gars according to The Measures fare departments. Legislation is city and paid it to the COUC’s
his home in Jiahe County. talked to a local driver who said They pretended to be the staff of for Internment and Deportation also needed to curb the industry, creditors. “I have to say that
Xuanxuan revealed her back- Gongxiao villagers began to en- charity organizations with false of Urban Vagrants and Beg- he said. amount is too small to solve any
ground. She was born handi- gage in using handicapped chil- documents and cheated local bu- gars, a regulation which was The children’s future of the problems,” Ma sighed.
capped in Gongxiao Village, Anhui dren as beggars in the 1990s. reaus into giving them the names released in May 1982. The reg- After Xuanxuan’s story was re- A recent article in Beijing
Province. She had a father named They made so much money out vealed, donations poured in from Times said COUC’s unpaid con-
Gong Qingping, a mother who had of it, the village soon became the public to help her fi nd a new struction expenses was the
died when she was nine and a the richest in Taihe County. life and Guangzhou Friendship worst case of its kind to be ex-
brother. Then a man named San Disabled children were Hospital volunteered to treat the posed by Chinese media in the
Ya bought her from her father. He bought or even rented from poor other four child beggars for free. last year.
wanted her to beg for money and families. Villagers viewed this After treatment, the children could The article said that although
he injured her so her obvious suf- business as a fair one since the choose either to go home or to it can be regarded superfi cially
fering would earn people’s sympa- agreement with the children’s an orphanage. Xuanxuan, Xiaozi as a debt crisis between enter-
thy and money. Even then, if she parents was supposed to include and Tao Lisha decided to go to prises, migrant workers and con-
failed to make 200 yuan a day, taking care of the kids. Fur- an orphanage. Gong Qingtao and struction companies, there is also
San Ya would beat her. ther interviews revealed that Longlong opted to go back home. a crisis of credibility facing the lo-
San Ya forced three other the rest of Taihe County was A report by Xinhua News Agency cal government. “Debt and credi-
handicapped children (Longlong, also involved in this business. said that in recent years, 128 shel- tor disputes are muffl ed by the
Xiaozi, and Tao Lisha) to beg for As for the local government’s ters providing short-term protection government, not only so that con-
him and hired Gong Qingtao, a attitude, some offi cials claimed and education for street kids have struction can be completed but
boy from Gongxiao Village, to su- there was nothing they could do been built in China’s big and medi- also to protect developers in debt
pervise them. It turned out to since so many people were en- A handicapped child “claimed” by a begging master um-sized cities. disputes,” the article said.
FACE
9
JANUARY 30, 2004
E-mail:[email protected] EDITOR: MIAO YAJIE DESIGNER: PANG LEI
‘Artists in Beijing are
reacting to the
environment, the
speed of change, the
openness to ideas and
exploring issues
encountered in
everyday life. What
could be more
valuable than this
document of real-life?’
Photo by Philomena Cho
Champion of
Chinese Art
Customres browse the shelves at Timezone 8.
By Philomena Cho books.” What’s with the name? interested in books on in common, like diversity of
Tucked into a small street “There are a lot of issues international art,” he says. culture and social life. Sassen
inside the hip Dashanzi about what is Chinese art, so “So I decided to take on gives us the philosophical
art district is one of the name refl ects our decision the third ring of art platform to communicate the
Beijing’s most charming about what to cover. China’s information to include book broader reality of China by
bookstores, Timezone 8. Aiming timezone is Greenwich Mean retail and distribution.” Since focusing on the urban
to support and provide access Time plus eight hours, so it expanding into international experience, which is so
to modern Chinese art, it’s means we can cover anything titles, Timezone 8’s database different from the global image
the brainchild of a US citizen, happening in timezone 8. It has grown to 1,000 art book of China.”
Robert Bernell. defi ned our editorial scope.” titles, with 400-500 new books “Artists in Beijing are
Long road to China Timezone 8 was the fi rst added every month. reacting to the environment,
Bernell’s journey to Beijing business to open in the now Bernell says the shop draws the speed of change, the
started in his hometown of hot 798 Dashanzi Art District. an interesting selection of openness to ideas and
Fort Worth, Texas, where he It took more than a little consumers; “95% are young, hip exploring issues encountered
was busy learning Spanish. His imagination at fi rst, as Bernell locals who are very aware of in everyday life. What could
22-year long quest to master recalls being shown the site of urban culture and constantly be more valuable than this
the Chinese language began his future bookstore in a fairly looking for more. They have document of real-life?” he says.
one day while at university. dubious location. “I’m pretty very sophisticated responses “The world is taking notice.
“I was a freshman teaching sure they were trying to get rid and they’re very aware of Most large-scale exhibitions
assistant and one day I saw of me,” he laughingly recalls. what’s happening. They’ll have worldwide involve Chinese
my math professor turn around “But the price was right, so an opinion about a show that artists. There were 35 Chinese
to this Chinese student who A family life again after a couple of months of just opened in Italy last week. artists at the last Venice
just walked in and converse getting the place cleaned up, So the problem of access to Biennale, and at the previous
fl uently in Mandarin. I then we opened in February 2002.” detailed information is where one a Chinese artist walked
found out that my professor The early success of the we come in.” away with the top prize. The
could read and write Chinese, bookstore came as a surprise Recently, Bernell has curator of the last Biennale,
too. I was fl oored,” recalls to Bernell. “There’s a real launched a bi-monthly theme Harold Szeeman, said there
Bernell. hunger for specialty, technical in the bookstore with Art was an element of poetry and
Upon confi ding to his books. Business was much Now and Photography Now subversion in Chinese art that
professor that he planned to better than I expected, and completed and Architecture he hadn’t seen since the 1960s,”
earn beer money by doing some more importantly, it’s fun. I Now, Design Now and Cinema Bernell adds.
summer construction work, the don’t have to travel 70% of Now next. “Each theme brings “This year in June, New
professor told him this would the time, I can turn my phone in tons of new titles. By the end York’s International Center of
be a waste of time. He advised off on weekends, and I can of the year, we’ll have a more Photography will devote its
spending the time learning go on family outings on the complete title list for the fi ve entire space to Chinese
Chinese instead. “He told me weekends. I’m really lucky.” categories but of course there photography. It’s one milestone
to persuade my parents to fl y As to future expansion plans, are so many sub-categories,” he after another, gathering
me to Taipei to study at the Bernell says no thanks. “I don’t says. momentum so China fi nally
Mandarin Language Training want it to get any bigger Opening up takes its place on the world
Center,” he says. because then I’ll be chairman Bernell feels there’s cultural scene. This change in
The plan succeeded and and back to doing what I was increasing global recognition of mentality is producing a very
Bernell relished the challenge. doing before,” he says. the Beijing art scene. “Saskia vital art scene here,” he says.
“I never really thought much The books of essays sold Sassen’s book Global Cities, Bernell is defi nitely
of being good at maths because so well that Bernell secured very infl uential in art circles, optimistic about the future
it was easy. Learning Chinese European and American says the concept of fi rst for Chinese contemporary arts.
was a real challenge by Bernell at the Basel Art Festival distributors for the titles. “But world/third world or national “There’s an international
comparison. I fi gured that once every week, critics or curators borders is misleading. What awakening afoot, increasing
I’d learned Chinese, then I’d be at Motorola and became my feel they had a voice or a or students would come into exists instead is a network of interest in urban cultures in
able to communicate with 80% mentor for many years. After place to express their unique to buy other books. They were global cities which have a lot Asia and particularly China.”
of the world’s population,” says he left, my wife got transferred perspectives so the idea really
Bernell. to Beijing so I asked for a clicked,” Bernell notes. The site
Bernell ended up giving transfer there also. One of has gone from strength to
up his math studies to earn the fi ve Operations Manager strength, with London’s The
his undergraduate degree in positions was open and I ended Art Newspaper ranking it as
Chinese Literature and went up getting the job.” one of the top fi ve art sites in
on to Stanford University to He may have got where the world. It’s recognized today
earn his masters in the same he wanted, but he still wasn’t as the most comprehensive and
subject. After that he went to doing quite what he wanted, authoritative voice on what’s
study at the Nanjing Hopkins which was to continue his happening in the contemporary
Center where he met his long love affair with Chinese Chinese art scene.
future wife, Bian Ge, who was contemporary arts. Bernell had A deal to sell a share in
attending the same program, collected contemporary the site fell through when the
in 1987. Bian Ge and Robert Chinese art for many years dotcom bubble burst in the
recently celebrated their 15th and frequently commissioned summer of 2000, so Bernell
wedding anniversary. reports from leading curators had to think up other avenues
Business fi rst and critics to serve as market of income generation. “I got
Silicon Valley beckoned after updates. “One day, I looked at the idea to get John Clark
graduating, so Bernell worked all these reports just piling up and Wu Hong (well-known
there until Burston-Marsteller, and thought to myself, ‘Gee, contemporary Chinese art
the global public relations it’s such a shame that no one critics and historians) to
group, found out that he could else will benefi t from these organize the website essays
speak fl uent Mandarin. They reports’. So I translated them into book form. We sold out
brought him to Hong Kong into English and put them Wu Hong’s fi rst edition in one
in 1991 to handle technology onto a website that I created, year, which was unheard of in
accounts, before he was hired www.chinese-art.com,” he says. the publishing business. John
by client Motorola just 18 “I brought in guest editors Clark’s book also sold out in
months later. who rotated every two months. two years,” Bernell says.
As Bernell tells it, “A really They had completely free range Artistic expansion
wonderful person named in terms of what they wanted This success led to a new
Kenny Hirshhorn hired me as to cover,” he says. “At that time, ambition. “From that, I set
business development manager critics and historians didn’t up Timezone 8 to publish the The extended family Photos provided by Robert Bernell
LEGACY
10
JANUARY 30, 2004
E-mail: [email protected] EDITOR: MIAO YAJIE DESIGNER: LI SHI
A Long Way
from
Longmen
Efforts to reunite the heads of two statues currently on display in
Beijing with their bodies at Longmen Grottoes have so far proven fruit-
less
By Qin Wen / Zhang Huan can private collector the head of a statue
On July 5 last year, 76-year-old from the Northern Wei Dynasty. From
American Chinese Chen Jingzhe the shape of the face and the design of
brought 16 statues of the Bud- the dress, he determined it was from the
dha to China for an exhibition of pre- Longmen Grottoes. It was at that time
cious cultural relics at the Beijing Hotel. that Chen gave up sculpting, saying, “I
Among them are two heads that are con- suddenly felt it was much more impor-
fi rmed to have come from the Longmen tant to preserve those statues of Bud-
Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan Province. dha than it was to make my own.”
The heads were stolen from Longmen at Towards the end of 1991, Chen sent
some time prior to 1921. pictures of the statue to Tang Chi, a
One head belongs to the Sakyamuni professor of art history at the Central
Buddha in Gaoshu Niche in the Guy- Academy of Fine Arts, who had taken
ang Grotto, which contained statues of students to sketch at Longmen many
the Buddha carved during the North- times and was familiar with the varied
ern Wei Dynasty (368-534). The other styles of each grotto. On seeing the pic-
is the head of an attending Bodhisattva tures, Tang immediately recognized that
standing left to the main Buddha in the it was a lost statue from Guyang Grot-
Huoding Grotto. to. In October 1992, Chen, armed with
Six months later, the two heads are more pictures, travelled to Longmen
still on display at the Beijing Hotel, no where he visited Wen Yucheng, the then
closer to being returned to their homes honorary head of the Longmen Grot-
at the Longmen Grottoes. toes Research Institute, and expressed
A passion for collecting his hope to cooperate with the research
Chen Jingzhe, who now lives in Hong institute to identify the subjects of the
Kong, once studied sculpture in Shang- photos. Wen appointed Wang Zhenguo,
hai under Zhang Yunren and later a research fellow, to accompany Chen in
learned painting and calligraphy and conducting the investigation.
the identifi cation of ancient paintings It took Chen and Wang only ten days
from Liu Bonian and Lai Chusheng. He to confi rm that the fi rst statue was the The Buddha head from Gaoshu Niche, its body and the
moved to Hong Kong in the 1950s and head of the main Buddha in the Gaoshu computer-generated reunion
then went to Los Angeles, where he Niche of the Guyang Grotto. The Gaoshu
earned a living making wax statuettes Niche lies in the upper part of the north-
for TV and fi lm celebrities. During that ern wall of the grotto, and is named
whom the head belongs. made to preserve them. relics could be returned to Longmen. Ju
time, he began collecting Chinese stat- after the head of the Buddhist organi-
Chen then departed, but Wang con- Seeking the statues’ return responded that Chen would not donate
ues of Buddha. zation that funded its construction. In
tinued to conduct an overall survey on It is said that in 1992 when Chen the statues and offered to sell them for
In 1991, Chen bought from an Ameri- the niche sits a statue of Sakyamuni, to
the grottoes over the following three was leaving Luoyang after identifying US $500,000.
months. In the course of this survey, he one of the heads, he was given a big Han Yuling, vice director of the ad-
found that another head of a statue that send-off dinner. At the dinner, a local ministrative bureau said, “We do not ex-
Chen had photographed was that of a offi cial asked him to donate the heads pect Chen to donate the statues, but
Bodhisattva in Huoding Grotto. to Longmen. After a moment’s consid- $500,000 is too much.” Ju countered that
Priceless relics eration, Chen allegedly agreed, asking the price was low compared with the ac-
According to Wang, of the some only that the Longmen side handle all tual value of the statues and said the
100,000 statues that once stood in the the customs formalities. Chen later took price was set by both Chen and himself,
Longmen Grottoes, only around ten per- the statues from America to Hong Kong, adding that Chen now lacks fi nancial
cent remain. Most of those that are but heard nothing further about the resource and lives a diffi cult life.
missing were looted between 1918 and customs permit. The administrative bureau and Ju
1935, many of which were subsequently In 2001, Beijing antique dealer Ju Xia- have both made a report to the nation-
sold abroad. Of these, a mere 50 to 60 onan heard about Chen’s statues and got al government, urging that the govern-
in museums around the world are con- in contact with him. Chen and Ju signed ment help purchase the relics, but the
fi rmed to have come from Longmen. an agreement in which Chen entrusted problem is still the money. Qu Shengrui,
The Longmen Grottoes were originally his collection of over 200 statues of the an offi cial from the State Administra-
established in the Northern Wei Dynasty, Buddha to Ju, who agreed to sell them for tion of Cultural Heritage commented,
but subsequently destroyed the Northern Chen for a commission. Since then, Chen “The more the media pay attention to
Zhou Dynasty (557-581). In the following has refused to discuss the issue publicly. the case, the higher the price of the stat-
centuries, the grottoes were destroyed and In 2003, the Administrative Bureau ues will be. The state cannot be expect-
The Bodhisattva head from Huoding Grotto, its body and the computer-generated reunion rebuilt many times. It was not until the of the Longmen Grottoes contacted Ju, ed to pay such a high price, but it will be
Photos provided by Chen Jing Ming Dynasty that concerted efforts were expressing the hope that the cultural the state that suffers the loss.”