Stamps issued to mark the successful manned space mission
China launches anti-poverty award: China launched the Poverty Eradication Award on Friday to honor those who have made significant contributions to China's anti-poverty campaign.
Winter SARS explosion unlikely says Chinese expert: A major winter resurgence of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed 774 people worldwide, is unlikely even if sporadic cases occur, a leading Chinese expert on the disease said.
China's 'space hero' returns to Earth: The first Chinese person in space returned safely to Earth early Wednesday, landing as planned on the soft grass of Inner Mongolia.
120 million Chinese suffer from malnutrition: About 120 million Chinese people suffer from malnutrition and the country's poverty problems are still pressing, said Vice-Agriculture Minister Zhang Baowen at a conference to mark the 23rd World Food Day on Thursday.
Baby traffickers on trial in China: A baby-trafficking gang involved in the trade of 118 babies faced trial Wednesday in Yulin City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
China endorses property rights: China’s top Communist Party leaders ended a four-day meeting Tuesday with promises to protect private property and allow farmers to amass large land holdings, key steps toward creating a more capitalist economy.
China becomes third country to blast off into space: China became only the third nation to send a person into space as its Long March rocket soared aloft Wednesday from a launching pad in the country's remote western desert.
Cheers, Gasps as Chinese Rocket Blasts Into Space: They clapped and cheered at the launch site when the booster rockets separated on China's first manned space flight on Wednesday. A thousand miles away in the capital, pride was mixed with relief.
China's man in space gets mixed reaction: The long-anticipated launch of China's first astronaut on Wednesday was greeted with a mixed, though largely congratulatory, reaction.
China Arrests Church Leader's Adviser: The legal adviser to an imprisoned leader of China's unofficial Christian church has been arrested along with a prominent church activist and his wife.
China's leaders discuss reform: It is the first gathering of its kind since the new party leader, Hu Jintao, came to power in November last year. The four-day long gathering will take place behind closed doors. Leaders will be discussing how to narrow the gap between rich and poor regions and they are likely to focus on how to revive the fortunes of the former industrial heartland in the north-east.
Millions Empty Nesters Struggle to Live Alone in China: "Empty nesters" refers to senior citizens in a family without children around, including both the married and the widowed. China has at least 23.4 million "empty nesters" and the number is still growing.
Russia jumps on Chinese poachers: A report by Russian TV One claims that as many as 15 poachers have been caught red-handed by Russian border guards in the past week alone. Frog meat is highly prized in China as a delicacy, and frog fat is used in traditional Chinese medicine.
'Riverdance' Heads to China's Great Hall: When the sequined dancers of the Irish musical sensation "Riverdance'' perform this week in the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square, they won't merely be ushering in the biggest international production ever to hit China. They'll also be bringing their flashing lights and thundering steps to a swath of hallowed political ground—the enormous stage where Mao Zedong held forth, and where Communist Party leaders still gather for their public spectacles.
Women Question Early Retirement: When the pioneers of New China formulated rules allowing women to retire five years ahead of their male colleagues out of concern for their health, they did not foresee that their goodwill would be resented by many women decades later.
China to launch manned space flight on Oct. 15: After a decade of preparation, China will launch its first human being into space on October 15 in a 90-minute flight that will orbit the Earth once.
Going into space to gain face: Ranked 96th in last year's UN Human Development Index, China still counts itself among the mass of poor, developing nations. Yet it is expected next week to try and put a man into orbit, becoming only the third nation in history to do so.
As Big Brother Fades, Chinese Rush to Say 'I Do': Autumn is always wedding season in China, but this week record numbers of couples have been marrying in cities like Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai, according to officials and news media reports. In Beijing, by one report, more than 2,000 couples were married on Oct. 1, while the state news agency put the nationwide total that day at tens of thousands of couples. Some began lining up at wedding registration offices at 5 a.m.
China's 100 Richest 2002 : Forbe's fourth annual list of China's 100 Richest includes 34 new names, led by Shanghai real estate developer Eddie Ye Lipei, who enters at a tie for sixth place.
Illegal rat poison makers may face death penalty in China: China will severely punish those who engage in the illegal making, buying and selling, transporting or storing of "dushuqiang", an arsenic-based rat poison, and other prohibited highly toxic chemicals.
President urges political reform, expanding democracy: Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Tuesday called for active and steady promotion of political system reform, expansion of socialist democracy and improvement of the socialist legal system.
China—The Next Big Conquest?: They are eye-popping numbers: Some $12 billion worth of goods made in China were sold to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. last year. That's a full 10% of all U.S. imports from China. But the Chinese aren't just Wal-Mart suppliers. They're also Wal-Mart shoppers.
China media fury over 'orgy': The Chinese media are buzzing with indignation over the alleged orgy involving hundreds of Japanese tourists and Chinese prostitutes in the southern city of Zhuhai.
Taking on the Party in Rural China: The trash-filled streets of this township in southwestern China look like those of any other poverty-stricken rural backwater. Farmers bedeck their mud and brick huts with dried red peppers and thresh newly harvested grain in the central square. But last month the town of 10,000 people became a front line in China's battle over political reform. Wei Shengduo, a low-level Communist Party secretary here, made the daring and, as it turned out, risky decision to organize a direct election for the head of the township government, a position that is usually appointed by party bureaucrats.
China cleans up TV ads during mealtime: China's television stations may no longer show commercials for feminine hygiene products, hemorrhoid ointments and other such items during mealtimes.
Plan for Tibet dam sets off protests: A dispute over communist cronyism has erupted in China after the prime minister approved plans to build a dam on a Tibetan holy lake, one of the country's remaining great wildernesses.
Drowning Shows China's Growing Faith in the Courts: While people once dismissed the courts as corrupt and biased, many Chinese now believe that the brand of justice being meted out can be fair and reliable. [New York Times: Requires free registration]
Bronze monument unveiled to mark Beijing's 850th anniversary: A bronze monument commemorating the 850th anniversary of Beijing's founding was unveiled on Saturday in the south of China's capital. The monument stands 12 meters high on a site of 760 square meters. The base is made of granite and supports four columns. Four bronze dragons facing east, west, south and north are erected on the base which carries an inscription written by Hou Renzhi, a well-known Chinese historian and geographer, about Beijing's history.
Fossilized skull of Peking Man exhibited in Beijing: A fossilized frontal bone of Peking Man, who lived about 500,000 years ago in what is now Zhoukoudian area of suburban Beijing, went on show Sunday for the first time since its discovery 37 years ago.
Foreigners see social graces and disgraces in China: Chinese manners and customs—or the lack of them—often leave foreigners feeling confused about the Chinese character and what is regarded as social or anti- social behavior.
Bombs kill seven Chinese: At least seven people were killed and 31 injured after three separate bomb blasts rocked China over the weekend, including one at a Carrefour shopping center in central Wuhan city.
Beijing Turns 850 in Style: The Beijing municipal government announced plans Thursday to stage a number of activities between September 20 and October 20 for the grand occasion of the 850th anniversary of Beijing as the Chinese capital.
China Races Harry Potter to Stores: The Chinese-language publisher of the latest Harry Potter adventure said Thursday it is rushing the book into stores this weekend ahead of schedule, hoping to thwart pirates who are selling badly translated copies. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' will be released Sunday, 10 days before it was due out. People's Literature Publishing House [is[ printing 800,000 copies—a huge number for a Chinese book. [New York Times requires free registration]
China propaganda art evokes a revolution, now past: Yang Pei Ming has more than 5,000 propaganda posters and believes he has amassed the world's largest collection of Chinese revolutionary art. Asked to pick the most significant example, he picks out a poster from 1952. "Build a New China," Mr. Yang reads, guiding a shaky finger under the Chinese characters that float alongside a garish drawing of Mao Zedong. The late Communist leader towers over a mob of furious workers, which in turn looms over a terrified, portly man in a Western-style begging for his life on a factory floor. "Fight Against Illegal Business People Who Violate the Nation's Development."
U.N. Official Criticizes Education In China : The first U.N. human rights investigator to visit China in nearly a decade delivered an unusually harsh critique of the country's education policies today, blasting the government's ban on religious schooling and a system of arbitrary school fees that forces many families into debt.
China becoming new engine for world economy: China is playing a more important role in global economic development, according to regional and global business leaders and economists at the 2003 Forbes Global CEO Conference, which concluded in Shanghai on Thursday. China's economy has maintained a high growth rate for over 20 consecutive years, bringing about huge business opportunities and injecting energy into the world economy.
New light on China's decade of chaos: A previously unseen archive of photographs from China's so-called Cultural Revolution is finally being published, 35 years after they were buried for safekeeping. (See also this article.)
China brides bear brunt of violence: Hong Kong's economic ills and a recent fashion for brides from mainland China is fuelling a dramatic rise in domestic violence. The territory's police said that reported acts of violence between couples had risen 40% in a year. The trend also appears to reflect a fundamental clash between traditional Chinese attitudes—where the husband was undisputed master of his household—and younger women's growing awareness of their rights to seek outside help.
Confucius and Mao would frown: China takes to beauty pageants: Last year, police raided a beauty pageant in southern China, shooing a bathing suit-clad contestant off the stage and accusing organizers of breaking the law. But this month Li Tao, a 25-year-old office worker, will see her pretty face splashed on TV screens across the country in a flashy contest of curves in the southern tropical resort of Sanya.
Beijing Planning Second International Airport: Beijing is expected to start building a second international airport in 2010. Beijing's current airport will undergo massive expansion to ready itself for the extra demand created by the 2008 Olympic Games.
US spy secrets 'seen by China': A US spy plane which briefly came under Chinese control following a 1991 mid-air collision probably yielded China classified US information.
Miss Taiwan is not interested in Chinese pageant: China is inviting Taiwanese women to compete in its Miss China beauty pageant, but the nation's top beauties aren't interested in the contest, which requires them to "passionately love the motherland" and "support the Communist Party."
China factory output surges: Chinese factory output jumped by almost a fifth in August and grew at its fastest rate in five months, feeding an insatiable export engine and fueling fears that the economy may be overheating.
Beijing on high alert over SARS: Beijing's health, quarantine and transport departments are maintaining a level of high alert following the discovery of a new SARS case in Singapore. Travelers arriving in China from Singapore—as well as Hong Kong and Taipei—will have to undergo temperature tests and fill out special health forms.
At least 250,000 Chinese Commit Suicide Every Year: According to statistics, at least 2 million Chinese commit an attempted suicide every year, that is, one person dies of suicide and eight do an attempted suicide in every two minutes. The average age of the suicide persons is 32 years old. The mentally retarded persons, those suffering from bad marriage and the poor are the top three groups of people who are most possible to commit suicide.
Shenzhen bans lucrative trade in human body parts: The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen has banned the trade in human organs and tightened rules on donations and transplants, amid growing concerns of a thriving illegal business in selling body parts. The new regulations follow allegations by human rights groups that foreign patients are receiving organs removed involuntarily from executed Chinese prisoners. Chinese officials have fiercely denied these charges.
Migrant Workers in Beijing: "Mingong" or migrant workers may perform vital tasks, but that doesn’t make them more popular. Dressed often in ragged or dirty clothes, carrying huge bags and speaking in distant dialec they suffer rather than are welcomed in the capital.
China helping handicapped people achieve equal rights: The Chinese government is working hard to help the country's handicapped population achieve the goal of "equality, participation and sharing" and to enjoy as affluent a life as others.
Livelihoods blown away: Each year for the last few years, the winds of March or April bring the desert to Beijing. No ordinary storms, these sun-darkening blasts shift and deposit millions of tonnes of sand across the city, into Tianjin and onwards, over the water to the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The dust storms, know in China as 'Yellow Dragons' have been increasing in frequency over the last decades.
China Reducing Pollution Ahead of Olympics: China's Olympic organizers are ordering "polluting enterprises'" in central Beijing to either renovate or move out of the area in preparation for the 2008 Summer Games. (NYT: Requires free registration)
After the Flood: Since the end of imperial rule nearly a century ago, Chinese leaders of all kinds—democrats and dictators, Nationalists and Communists, technocrats and dreamers—have shared a single, colossal engineering ambition: to dam the mighty Yangtze River. [This article links to a black and white slideshow] (NYT requires a free registration)
Chinese Researchers Confirm SARS Came from Animals : Genetic testing of animals sold as delicacies in a southern Chinese market confirms suspicions that the deadly SARS virus jumped from animals to people.
Blaming Beijing: Unemployment in America is high, and elections are on the horizon. It must be time to look east again for scapegoats. Japan is only starting to recover from its protracted recession, so China will be handed the role of economic villain in the coming election cycle. Expect to hear a chorus of presidential candidates blame unfair Chinese competition for the nation's manufacturing woes. (NYT: Requires free registration)
Converting China to taste of coffee: Though tea is cheap and coffee is expensive in China, it is the latter that is becoming more popular.
Typhoon Kills 20 in Southern China: Typhoon Dujuan slammed into the southern Chinese coastal city of Shenzhen, killing at least 20 people and causing extensive damage to parts of the country's showcase economic development zone. The report said the damage was the worst to the region since 1979.
China blasted over AIDS spread: The spread of AIDS in China is running largely unchecked with patients denied treatment and authorities not dealing with a blood collection scandal that led to millions of HIV infections. (Read the Human Rights Watch report here.)
Editorial—Pressuring China on human rights: Fighting forced abortion in China is one foreign-policy area in which progress has been made since George W. Bush became president. Last year, the Bush administration halted $34 million in funding for the United Nations Population Fund because of its connection to China's one child per family and forced sterlization policies.
China Plans to Eradicate Poverty of 28 Million Rural People: By the year 2010, the central government plans to have completed its envisioned goal of improving the lives of about 28 million rural people who currently live in extreme poverty, without adequate food or clothing.
Beijing Olympic logo gets choppy reception: If you think the Chinese are afraid to express themselves, look online and see how they are blasting the new logo for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Dating—a tricky game for Chinese university women: Most Chinese university women can agree on one thing: Dating is difficult. From finding a date to stealing time away from classmates, dating takes work. In the university-dating world, women must navigate between their high expectations of personal success and independence and traditional Chinese relationships. They must steer between romantic dreams of "Prince Charming" and the practicalities of money and compatibility.
China protests to US over Dalai Lama visit: China urged the United States on Thursday not to allow the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, to visit next week when he is expected to meet US President George W Bush.
