A Bigger Stick Against Chinese Fakes: A Beijing court ruling holds that a market owner is responsible for letting its vendors sell fakes, raising hope among companies stung by counterfeiters.
Editorial--Adopting accountability: For people who adopt from overseas, the operating assumption is that children who need a home were abandoned by their birth mothers and somehow delivered to an orphanage. Yet the circumstances of each baby's background often remain elusive.
Geopark opened in south China city: The Shishan Volcanic Cluster National Geopark in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province. The geopark, together with the first Haikou volcanic culture and tourism festival, was opened on Saturday.
N.Korea's Kim Jong-il may be visiting China: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il may have entered China by train on a visit, South Korean news reports said on Tuesday, quoting sources in China and South Korea.
China uses cards to teach bird flu prevention: China is using playing cards to teach people how to protect themselves from the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, as the world's biggest poultry producer finds novel ways to spread awareness.
Beijing declares war on spitting, littering: Beijing has vowed to eradicate five boorish behaviors among its citizens this year, including spitting and littering on the street.
China thins military by 200,000: At the end of 2005, China completed the task of trimming the ranks of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) by 200,000, bringing its total number of troops to 2.3 million.
China to Spend $3 Billion to Clean River: China will invest $3.3 billion over the next five years to clean up the Songhua River, a key source of drinking water for tens of millions of people that was polluted in November by a toxic spill that reached into Russia.
China Begins to Salvage Precious Ancient Ship: China's cultural heritage protection department has begun to salvage an 800-year-old ship, the most precious ancient ship found so far in the world.
China's migrant men seek paternity tests after long separations: Paternity tests in China's hospitals are surging as many of the millions of male migrant workers return home for Lunar New Year suspecting the fidelity of their wives.
Chinese nannies are the latest NY trend: Chinese au pairs are New York's latest fashion: Manhattan's elite wants to prepare its progeny for the economic world of tomorrow.
Waiting can be hardest part: Jennifer and Jerry Spencer tracked the shipment and took the day off work to wait for the special package from China. It contained the identity of their adoptive daughter, Jiselle, and the picture of her that now hangs on their refrigerator.
China has 573,000 orphans: China currently has 573,000 orphans, among whom 66,000 have been adopted by government-sponsored orphanages, said Li Liguo, China's vice minister of civil affairs.
Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans, has recently published a new book on the life of Mao, Mao: The Unknown Story. A review by Nicholas Kristof is available on-line through the New York Times. (Reader reviews are divided on Amazon.com.)
From the Amazon.com website, 5 Things You'll Learn from Mao:
1. Mao became a Communist at the age of 27 for purely pragmatic reasons: a job and income from the Russians.
2. Far from organizing the Long March in 1934, Mao was nearly left behind by his colleagues who could not stand him and had tried to oust him several times. The aim of the March was to link up with Russia to get arms. The Reds survived the March because Chiang Kai-shek let them, in a secret horse-trade for his son and heir, whom Stalin was holding hostage in Russia.
3. Mao grew opium on a large scale.
4. After he conquered China, Mao's over-riding goal was to become a superpower and dominate the world: "Control the Earth," as he put it.
5. Mao caused the greatest famine in history by exporting food to Russia to buy nuclear and arms industries: 38 million people were starved and slave-driven to death in 1958-61. Mao knew exactly what was happening, saying: "half of China may well have to die."
This is a recent BBC article about Mao's influence in China today:
Mao still powerful in modern China: Many in China know very little about the persecution and bloodshed orchestrated by Mao Zedong's Gang of Four. Mao is still hailed by the authorities in China as an inspiring symbol.
