China Chronicles July 22, 2012
- Beijing battered by rainstorms
STORMS that lashed large swathes of northern and southwestern China from Friday night through yesterday have killed at least 14 people, authorities said.
And heavy rains are forecast to continue in China's northern regions and some southern parts over the next three days.
In Beijing, rainstorms and gales that started around 10am yesterday have left at least four people dead and six others injured, police and medical workers said.
Roofs at a construction site in the city's suburban Tongzhou District were blown off by strong winds, crushing five people, sources with the Beijing Emergency Medical Center said. Two people died on the spot, while three were taken to a nearby hospital.
A third person in Tongzhou also died when struck by lightning.
The fourth Beijing victim, the head of a police station in Fangshan District died of an electric shock from a downed electrical cable in water, while rescuing villagers.
In another village in Tongzhou, strong winds blew off roofs, leaving three people injured, sources with the medical center said.
Some 243 flights were cancelled and 272 others delayed for more than an hour as of 6:30pm last night, sources with the Beijing Capital International Airport said.
And a stretch of National Highway 109 was cut off by a rain-triggered landslide in the Mentougou District, said the Beijing flood control and drought relief office.
Rainstorm alert
Beijing received on average 95 millimeters of rain by 7pm yesterday, according to the Beijing Meteorological Bureau. It was the heaviest rainstorm to hit the capital city in 60 years.
The agency issued its first orange - the second highest - rainstorm alert warning since 2005 yesterday evening, as the rain is forecast to continue into tonight.
In northern Shanxi Province, four people were killed with one missing yesterday, after the pickup truck in which they were traveling was carried into the middle of a rain-swollen river in the city of Shuozhou. It had! been at tempting to cross the river, rescuers said.
In southwestern Sichuan Province, six people were killed in rain-triggered landslides in Weiyuan County, according to the provincial flood control headquarters.
And more than 400 vehicles are stranded following rain-triggered mudslides that cut off sections of National Highway 314 in the Kirgiz autonomous prefecture of Kizilsu, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, police said yesterday.
Heavy rains will sweep China's northern regions and some southern areas over the next three days, the National Meteorological Center forecast yesterday.
- CCTV in the Rain
China Chas has added a photo to the pool:
Beijing was hit by a crazy amount of rain today. The sky went pitch black at 1:30pm and again a few hours later. At least three people died in the floods. The capital received on average 95mm of rain during the day, with the western suburb of Mentougou hit by a stunning 327mm of rainfall. Pictures from Chinese news here.
- 1 killed in Jiangsu quake
FRIDAY'S earthquake in east China's Jiangsu Province has left one person dead and two people injured as of noon yesterday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The ministry said 13 houses collapsed and another 155 were seriously damaged by the quake, adding that statistics are still being verified.
The China Earthquake Networks Center said a 4.9-magnitude earthquake hit Yangzhou City at 8:11pm Friday. The epicenter was monitored with a depth of 5 kilometers.
A total of 53 aftershocks had been detected as of 7:30am yesterday, most of which were of a lower scale, said Zhang Zhenya, spokesman for the Jiangsu provincial earthquake bureau. Zhang added that these aftershocks are unlikely to lead to a devastating quake.
- Adidas denies closure of factory linked to pay rise
ADIDAS confirmed yesterday that it will close its only company-owned factory in China, signaling a strategic transition by the German sportswear giant to fully subcontracted production.
The factory in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, will be shut in October to allow the company to "realign its global resources," according to Chen Qi, a spokesman with Adidas Greater China.
"We will not move the factory anywhere else," Chen said, adding that China, as the company's second-largest market, remains very important.
Workers at the factory, which employs less than 200 people, suspect that the closure might be caused by rising salaries.
"The factory announced the closure not long after our salaries were raised," said a worker who requested anonymity.
The worker said monthly pay at the factory had been kept at about 1,100 yuan (US$175) before 2010 and was raised by between 400 yuan and 600 yuan over the past two years.
Chen, however, said there was no direct link.
- 1 killed in Jiangsu quake
FRIDAY'S earthquake in east China's Jiangsu Province has left one person dead and two people injured as of noon yesterday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The ministry said 13 houses collapsed and another 155 were seriously damaged by the quake, adding that statistics are still being verified.
The China Earthquake Networks Center said a 4.9-magnitude earthquake hit Yangzhou City at 8:11pm Friday. The epicenter was monitored with a depth of 5 kilometers.
A total of 53 aftershocks had been detected as of 7:30am yesterday, most of which were of a lower scale, said Zhang Zhenya, spokesman for the Jiangsu provincial earthquake bureau. Zhang added that these aftershocks are unlikely to lead to a devastating quake.
- Made in China putting in an Olympian effort
WORKERS are busy working in front of sewing machines in a manufacturing workshop in the northeastern coastal city of Dalian as the 2012 London Olympics approaches.
Making uniforms for US Olympic athletes, Dayang Group Co Ltd has encountered controversy following complaints from a group of United States lawmakers, led by Senate majority leader Harry Reid, who last week chided the US Olympic Committee for not providing US Olympians with domestically produced uniforms.
"I think they should take all the outfits, put them in a big pile and burn them and start all over," Reid said.
Li Guilian, president of the Dayang Group, said the group had actually produced more than 3,000 formal outfits for the US delegation to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Ralph Lauren, a renowned US fashion designer, spoke highly of the quality of clothes made by the Dayang Group, adding that their quality persuaded him to work with the company again this year.
"About 80 percent of our products are targeted at overseas markets," said Zhi Yong, an employee with the Dayang Group, adding that the company exports 5 million suits each year.
"The Dayang Group has long-term strategic cooperation with overseas customers. This recent political event will not affect the development of the company, but highlight made-in-China products and our brand," said Li.
Enterprises in east China's Zhejiang Province have also been rushing to churn out products for the London Olympics.
Lu Zhuyuan, general manager of a local flag manufacturing company, said his company has made more than 4,000 flags for the event. "Two out of every 10 flags flying over the London Olympics are made by our company," said Lu.
Mei Xinyu, a researcher at the International Trade and Economic Cooperation Institution under the Ministry of Commerce, said "made in China" represents an increasing advantage in terms of price competition, which in turn can help maintain a stable foreign trade environment.
Relying on its huge d! omestic market, China has the advantage of a stable macroeconomic environment and market initiative in the global economy, Mei said. "As energy prices drop, lost manufacturing orders are likely to return to China," Mei added.
Statistics show that in the first half of this year, Yiwu in Zhejiang, China's largest small commodity wholesale market, had exports of US$34.28 million to Britain, up 17.86 percent year on year.
- Made in China putting in an Olympian effort
WORKERS are busy working in front of sewing machines in a manufacturing workshop in the northeastern coastal city of Dalian as the 2012 London Olympics approaches.
Making uniforms for US Olympic athletes, Dayang Group Co Ltd has encountered controversy following complaints from a group of United States lawmakers, led by Senate majority leader Harry Reid, who last week chided the US Olympic Committee for not providing US Olympians with domestically produced uniforms.
"I think they should take all the outfits, put them in a big pile and burn them and start all over," Reid said.
Li Guilian, president of the Dayang Group, said the group had actually produced more than 3,000 formal outfits for the US delegation to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Ralph Lauren, a renowned US fashion designer, spoke highly of the quality of clothes made by the Dayang Group, adding that their quality persuaded him to work with the company again this year.
"About 80 percent of our products are targeted at overseas markets," said Zhi Yong, an employee with the Dayang Group, adding that the company exports 5 million suits each year.
"The Dayang Group has long-term strategic cooperation with overseas customers. This recent political event will not affect the development of the company, but highlight made-in-China products and our brand," said Li.
Enterprises in east China's Zhejiang Province have also been rushing to churn out products for the London Olympics.
Lu Zhuyuan, general manager of a local flag manufacturing company, said his company has made more than 4,000 flags for the event. "Two out of every 10 flags flying over the London Olympics are made by our company," said Lu.
Mei Xinyu, a researcher at the International Trade and Economic Cooperation Institution under the Ministry of Commerce, said "made in China" represents an increasing advantage in terms of price competition, which in turn can help maintain a stable foreign trade environment.
Relying on its huge d! omestic market, China has the advantage of a stable macroeconomic environment and market initiative in the global economy, Mei said. "As energy prices drop, lost manufacturing orders are likely to return to China," Mei added.
Statistics show that in the first half of this year, Yiwu in Zhejiang, China's largest small commodity wholesale market, had exports of US$34.28 million to Britain, up 17.86 percent year on year.
- Adidas denies closure of factory linked to pay rise
ADIDAS confirmed yesterday that it will close its only company-owned factory in China, signaling a strategic transition by the German sportswear giant to fully subcontracted production.
The factory in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, will be shut in October to allow the company to "realign its global resources," according to Chen Qi, a spokesman with Adidas Greater China.
"We will not move the factory anywhere else," Chen said, adding that China, as the company's second-largest market, remains very important.
Workers at the factory, which employs less than 200 people, suspect that the closure might be caused by rising salaries.
"The factory announced the closure not long after our salaries were raised," said a worker who requested anonymity.
The worker said monthly pay at the factory had been kept at about 1,100 yuan (US$175) before 2010 and was raised by between 400 yuan and 600 yuan over the past two years.
Chen, however, said there was no direct link.
- Goats
Shanghai 2007 has added a photo to the pool:
- Boy and dog
Shanghai 2007 has added a photo to the pool:
- 呂氏長者
seiko.tsai 蔡顯國 has added a photo to the pool:
- 慟
seiko.tsai 蔡顯國 has added a photo to the pool:
- 心慟不能
seiko.tsai 蔡顯國 has added a photo to the pool:
- 3 students selected to attend 2012 APEC summit
THREE university students have been selected to attend the 2012 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vladivostok, Russia, in September on behalf of all of the country's university students.
The three representatives were chosen from nearly 10,000 contestants after several rounds of competition, which were conducted through mock summits held in key universities across the country.
The competition was started in 2010 to broaden students' international knowledge and improve their understanding and analytical abilities regarding politics and economics.
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