Happy Easter!

News

Woman with 4.2-meter-long hair: Dai Yueqin shows her 4.2-meter-long hair in Tongxiang, east China's Zhejiang Province March 24, 2005. Dai has kept her hair uncut for 26 years since she was 14 years old.

New Rules to Safeguard Charms of Old Beijing: The Beijing Regulation for Historical and Cultural City Protection, which will take effect from May 1, stipulates that the city will protect not only its more than 3,500 listed heritage sites, but also unlisted sites deemed to be of historical or cultural value.

Bamboo slips shed light on rise of Great Wall: Archeologists in central-south Hunan province have sorted out altogether 36,000 bamboo slips, about 35,000 of which bear official authentic records from 2,200 years ago at a coincidence with the rise of China's imposing Great Wall, which was first built on and off from the third century B.C.

News

Gale, sandstorm assail northern China: Pictures

"Three-good" student system under revision: The "three-good" student honour system is being revamped after 50 years extolling the virtues of good morals, hard study and sporting excellence.

Melting snow wrecks 10,000 houses in northwest China: Nearly 10,000 houses have been destroyed and more than 25,000 damaged by flooding and landslides caused by melting snow in China's northwest Xinjiang region.

'China still highly repressive': More than 500 Chinese human rights activists have sent an open letter to the European Union urging it not to lift its arms embargo on China.

Local Story

Kinkaid student finds a new sibling in Chinese Sister: Every page of Just Add One Chinese Sister (Boyd Mills Press, $16.95) has a dozen memories for Conor McCarthy. The picture book he wrote with his mother, Patricia McMahon, recounts the family's adoption of Claire. Conor, 17, celebrated his 12th birthday in China during the family's 16-day odyssey to make Guan Yu, who was living in a home for children, part of their world. Conor chose the name Claire for his new sister, who turns 8 on Wednesday.

News

Vendors, Buyers Still Reserved on New Silk Alley: Beijing's old Silk Alley was one of the most popular destinations for visitors, famous for its silk products and fashionable fake designer clothes at cut-rate prices. The crowded, open-air market closed amid controversy in January this year, but was resurrected on Saturday in a brand-new building.

Rice Urges China to Embrace Religious Freedom: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged China Monday to embrace religious freedom and think about political reforms to match its economic opening. [NYT: free reg. req.]

In Life on the Mekong, China's Dams Dominate: China's ravenous appetite for hydroelectric power at home and its thrust southward into Southeast Asia in search of trade is changing the very character of the Mekong. [NYT: free reg. req.]

China has higher female employment rate: A study conducted by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor shows that the rate of Chinese female private business owners is higher than the world average, with more than 11 out of 100 females aged from 18 to 64 running a business.

China Related TV

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

Amazon Guide

waitingformymaimai on Amazon.com has posted a guide, "So you'd like to... adopt from China." Give it a look!

Beautiful China

Local Story

Chinese adoption story is an odyssey of love: As Julie and Craig Gaines strolled the streets of Nanchang, China, unexpected and remarkable episodes began to develop and kept recurring. People would walk up to them and lay a gentle hand on their just-adopted daughter, Emma Li, and, with a universal smile, utter in English, "Lucky baby."

The "One Child" Grows Up

When 'Little Emperors' Become Parents...: [In] 2004, there were 80 million families with only one child across China, according to Beijing-based Research Centre for Population Information. More than 6 million only-children from these families have entered the typical marriage and childbearing age range of between 26 and 35.